Snowfall Plaque

Design Team member Rachella just turned in her project for this month and boy is it fabulous!  This wood make such a great gift and not just for Christmas....It's great to display all throughout the winter! Instructions and supplies appear below....

Medallion Christmas Tree by Alexandra

Alexandra whipped this gorgeous tree up last week and shared the instructions with us!  This would make a great last minute gift or table decoration!

For the tree, you will need 5 sheets of paper. Cut the papers to the following sizes and then score at 1/2" increments. After they are scored, cut again into the corresponding widths.

12" x 11-1/2" Cut into 3" widths (x2) and 2-3/4" widths (x2)~~ Total of 4 pieces
12" x 9-1/2" Cut into 2-1/2" widths (x2) and 2-1/4" widths (x2)~~ Total of 4 pieces
12" x 7-1/2" Cut into 2" widths (x2) and 1-3/4" widths (x2)~~ Total of 4 pieces
12" x 5-1/2" Cut into 1-1/2" widths (x2) and 1-1/4"widths (x2)~~ Total of 4 pieces
12" x 3-1/2" Cut into 1" widths (x2) and 3/4" (x2) ~~ Total of 4 pieces

Punch 1-3/4" Circles (x8) and 1" Circles (x2) out of sturdy chipboard. (We suggest coloring the circles to blend with the paper.) Then, fan fold the pieces and adhere ends together, making fan-fold medallions. You should have 10 total medallions when done. Using a strong adhesive (Alexandra used a glue gun), start with a 1-3/4" circle and adhere the largest medallion to it. Then, adhere another 1-3/4" circle on top of the medallion. Repeat this process and as you stack, the medallions should decrease in size. The last 2 circles used between the medallions should be 1" in diameter.

For the top of the tree, diecut 2 stars, adhering them to each other. Decorate the stars with Stickles, metallic markers, or glitter.

For an added decorative touch, use a border punch on the paper strips before folding them. Or try making the tree out of dark green cardstock and using white paint or stickles to create snow on the edges! The possibilities with this project are endless!

Tim Holtz even has a version of this tree on his blog this week. Check out his trick for ornaments here: Tim Holtz Blog.   His little ornaments for the rosette tree are too cute!

Happy Scrappin'!

Free Project! Sunshine & Silver Tissue Box Cover

Sunshine & Silver Tissue Box Cover
by Joy Blevins, Design Team Member at the Scrapbook Outlet

Materials List: 

• 1 tissue box cover 
•  Acrylic paint (Americana "Golden Straw") 
• 1/2" Flat Brush
• Paper: Med. Olive green cardstock (2 3/4" x 8" is enough) 
• Swirl stamp for leaf
• Brown and olive green liquid chalks or inks 
• 1 yd. Stretch trim 
• 10 red seed beads 
• 8 golden seed beads 
• 4" silk flower 
• 2-1/2" shimmery flower 
• 1/2" glue dots, tacky glue and glue runner 
• 10 small brads (you can color them with Copics) 
• "Walk in my Garden" Cricut cartridge 
•  "Plantin' School Book" Cricut cartridge

Instructions:

1. Paint entire outside of tissue box and let dry completely. (Americana "Golden straw") (Paintbrush)
2. Top - cut 9-3/4" x 4-/8" rectangle (A) (this allows 1/8" of the box to show)
3. Holding this rectangle on the top of the box, flip the whole thing over.
4. Using a pencil, trace the center hole and cut out 1/8" LARGER than the hole you traced.
5. Long sides (B) cut two 9-5/8" x 2-1/2"
6. Short sides (C) cut two 5" x 2-1/2"
7. Chalk or ink all edges in brown, including the inside hole.
8. Using glue runner (cover fairly completely, especially the edges) or tacky glue. Use a thin layer of this, being sure to glue clear to the edges. Use your bone folder to smooth the paper as you put it on the box, working out the center to avoid bubbles. Glue top (A) and sides (B and C) to the box, leaving about 1/8" of the box showing around all edges.
9. Using a stiletto or large needle, punch holes in both top comers of all four sides.
10. Apply a strip of glue on the upper edge of the paper.
11. Begin placing the stretch lace 3/4" from the left side and wrap around the box, stretching slightly and pressing it into the glue as you go. When you get to the end, cut lace 3/4" longer than needed, fold it under and glue it.
12. Place a brad through the lace into each hole. Open them on the inside and press them flat with your bone folder.
13. Using "Walk in my Garden" Cricut cartridge, page 90, create the flower blackout making one flower each in sizes: 3-1/2", 3", 2-1/2", 2", 1-1/2" and 1". Chalk or ink the edges of each flower.
14. Using something round (I used the ball end of my small hammer, the end of my Cricut spatula and the end of an ink pin), and a 3" or larger square of stiff foam, place each flower upside down on the foam and press the round object on each petal, using a rotating motion.
15. After you've done each petal, turn it over and do the middle in the same way.
16. On the top right of the box, using 1/2" glue dots or tacky glue, layer 4" silk flower and the flowers you just made beginning with the largest one, shifting each layer so that you can see the petals on the layer below. Place the 2-1/2" shimmery flower between the layers of flowers.
17. When you have all the flowers glued down, put some tacky glue in the center of the flower and drop ten red seed beads in a circle.
18. Using "Plantin School Book" Cricut cartridge, page 76, use the flower to make two flowers each in sizes: 1-1/2" and 1-1/4" and one flower in size 1". Chalk or ink the edges of each flower.
19. As in step 14, round the flower petals all on the right side and the center of the flower so that they form a cup.
20. Use tacky glue in the center of the flowers, beginning with the largest one, shifting each layer so that you can see the petals on the layer below. They will form a cupped flower.
21. When you have all the flowers glued down, put some tacky glue in the center of the flower and drop eight gold seed beads in a circle.
22. Using "Plantin School Book" Cricut cartridge, page 76, use the shift to make three leaves in size 2-1/2" and two leaves in size 1-1/2".
23. Using your swirl stamp and the olive green ink, stamp each leaf and then chalk or ink the edges.
24. As in step 14, round the front side of the leaves and pull the tool toward the point to elongate the circle so it looks like a leaf.
25. Nestle them into the edge of the large flower and glue them down with tacky glue.
26. Glue the leaves on using tacky glue or glue runner.
27. To make the butterfly, use two 1-7/8" x 1" scraps of paper. Use a punch, decorative scissors, or freehand the decorative edge of the wings. 
28. Cut at an angle leaving 7/8" in the middle. Fold up 1/8" of the middle. 
29. Glue these two 1/8" pieces together, one on top of the other. Cut a 1-1/8" x 1/4" tube for the body and a 1/4" circle for the head. 
30. Chalk wings, body and head. Using tacky glue, glue the wings to the box at the middle section only. 
31. Glue the body onto the middle section. Draw two antenna on the box and then glue the head on. 

New stuff we just got in :)

New Papers, Limited Edition Tim Holtz Inks and Mailing Tags

New Products!

A fun Halloween Project....

Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year.  I love the season, the leaves, the ghouls and goblins, and especially decorating....I love anything that I can make involving Halloween especially that I can make in no time.

Last year, we got some paper mache witch hats in here at the store.  Let me tell you....I love paper mache...It's probably one of the most versatile surfaces out there!  You can decoupage, paint, spray, spritz, cut, ink, and glue on this stuff and it holds up....really well in fact.  It's a blank canvas and it's amazing how two people can start with the same item and have two totally different results....

Jen's is the orange hat.  She painted the brim of the hat black and the top orange.  Then, taking a spider stamp and black ink, she stamped little spiders all over the top of the hat.  Cutting a round circle out of patterned paper, she decoupaged it onto the brim.  She then hand cut a witch out of another sheet of patterned paper and 'pop-dotted' it on the hat.  Then, Jen finished the hat off with some prima flowers.  Pretty cool huh?



The purple hat was painted purple with acrylic paint and then were inked with a black archival ink by Ranger. Then I took a Tim Holtz stamp and stamped a little texture around the brim with the same black ink.  This stamp gave the hat an 'aged' look.  After stamping was completed, I spritzed the whole hat with gold Perfect Pearls Mist to give it a little shimmer and dried it with a heat embossing gun.  (And don't worry...The archival ink won't run or bleed after it is wet.)  Then, I took some Prima ribbon and wrapped it around the bottom of the hat.  I then glue the same type of Prima flowers from Jen's hat to mine.  Finally, I inked a Tim Holtz ticket and stuck it in the hat with a memo pin.  Voila!

Both of these hats took less than an hour to complete and they are also an easy project to do with the kiddos!  The hats come in two sizes a 6" and the 12" that was used in the above projects!

Happy Scrappin'

What is a crop?

What is a crop?  We get asked this from time to time. 

Crop.....definition: a collection or group of persons or things appearing or occurring together.  In this case, a fabulous gathering of scrapbookers (and from time to time, cardmakers) who want to join together and complete their projects....

Personally, I find crops refreshing....It's nice to hang out with a wonderful group of women (and sometimes men) that have a common interest.  Picture working on a layout and having a case of "scrapper's block".  It happens to the newbie and the seasoned scrapper alike.  Normally, I would grab a magazine or hop online to see if I can get my creative mojo going again...But, if you are at a crop, you have an advantage....Because no two scrappers scrap alike, you can get all kinds of fresh ideas and techniques in one night.  It's no odd occurrence to see scrappers walk around the table and browse the projects, asking questions about techniques and design....What a great way to get rid of a case of scrapper's block!!  We've even had crop attendees do mini demos!  And another advantage: you are at a scrapbook store.  Run out of glue or need a different color of paper?  No worries...It's all right there at your fingertips!  And the best thing, you even get a little discount at our crops!  How cool is that?!

Crops also are a place to get away from daily life for just a bit...a place to take a breather...Come work on scrapbooks, cards, sort pictures and supplies, or just come for the chatting and friendship....In all the crops I have hosted, I have met some wonderful, dear people, who I am honored to consider dear friends...

We always have a blast at the crop. We play games (sometimes silly), eat good food, win prizes, and laugh....It's always an absolute blast!!  There's definitely never a dull moment!!  :)



For all you ghouls and goblins out there, our annual Halloween Crop is coming up Saturday, October 15 from 3-11pm.  It's always a blast to see everyone show up in their favorite costumes. Last year, we had a cow, the wolf from Lil Red Riding Hood, a pair of salt and pepper shakers, and Flo, from Progressive.  The year before we had witches, cats, and Bella from Twilight (whom I portrayed, but was mistaken for Howard Stern...LOL. And looking at the picture on the 'Wall of Fame' at the store, I definitely look more like Howard Stern...hehe)  We'll have a prize for best costume and of course, prizes for games, good food, and great friends....

So come join us for the Halloween Crop on October 15!  Can't make it then?  Be sure to keep checking the e-mails for the dates of the next crop!

Happy Scrappin!

Featured project

Sorry we have been missing the past few months....It's been a crazy (good kind of crazy) summer!!  We're going to start posting more inspirational projects on here, like the one by Sherrie below.

We just love this layout done earlier this year by Design Team Member Sherrie.  She used Pink Paislee papers, a Prima vine, and one of our fave embellishments: Thickers.  The butterfly in the top left hand corner was cut out of some of the left over paper. 

For this and more inspiring layouts, be sure to stay tuned to this blog.

Happy scrappin!

Storing Ribbon

Ribbon...easy to store when it's on the spool, but what do you do when you have a yard or so left?

I have a large ribbon bag with probably 100-150 different ribbons in it.  The ribbon bag is made of a clear vinyl-like material with holes punched it so the ribbon can be threaded through.  The majority of the ribbon stays inside the bag and a little sample is outside for you to see.  The best thing about this purse is that it will 'smash' down in to bags.  My ribbon bag is always the last thing I pack in my rolling tote, it always goes on top and is always smashed, but the bag holds up well and the ribbon is protected.

But what if you're not a ribbon person or you want to keep the ribbon handy at your work table?  I recently bought about 7 different colors of the same ribbon to use on a current project.  I wanted it handy, yet organized.  At the store here, we carry these craft doll pins.  I took each of my ribbons and wrapped them each around their own pins and threw them in a basket on my table.  Easy and inexpensive because I bought a dozen of these for less than a dollar!!  And when you run out of the ribbon that is on the pin, you can recycle it and use it again!!  How cool is that?!?!


Happy Scrappin'!

Easy Breezy Cards

Since I'm heading to London next summer on vacation, I need some extra funding. I have quite the stash of paper and stamps, ink and embellishments, so I decided, with a little prodding by Laura, to start making some cards to sell at the fall and winter craft shows. 

Now, the utter idea of me selling my crafts scares me...why you may ask?  I am always unsure of my color choices...I'm never good at seeing if this blue looks good with that green....and don't get me started on pink.....I don't use pink normally because I don't like pink... (Actually, not liking pink isn't correct.  Hate is a little better description of my feelings about the color pink. LOL) I've recently discovered the wonderful little stacks of paper, in both 6x6 and 8x8 sizes.  Lots of companies like Basicgrey, Bo Bunny, Webster's Pages, Graphic 45, and many more are packaging their collections on a smaller scale, for both scrappers and cardmakers.  

What a wonderful idea!  So to assist me in my color matching abilities, I've bought these smaller-scale collections of papers..  It's great for the non color coordinating sort, such as myself, because all the papers in the packs coordinate.  So your battle with picking the right green to go with that blue is already won.  Then, it's just a matter of picking the right cardstock and embellishment if desired.  Easy breezy and also a great way to use all the collection instead of just one or two sheets.  I've gone through one stack and I would guess that I used about 95% of the pack and made 18 cards.  And not a single one is alike, which I love!!  Not too shabby I'd say.

Try this at Christmas.  It's a sure fire way to make Christmas cardmaking less stressful!

Happy Scrappin'!

Oh...and while I'm at it...  Congrats and Best Wishes to my coworker and friend Laura who is gettin'

hitched tomorrow!!  Hugs!

How to make Envelopes from Old Magazines

Found this over at the Secret Pie Shop: Soooo handy! Recycle your old magazines and send out cards in envelopes that your friends won't want to throw away :)

Packing for a crop getaway....

Jen, Sherrie, and I are headed out to a scrapbooking getaway in Michigan this weekend.  Loads of fun!  Anyways....trying to get three scrappers in a car with all the stuff is quite an ordeal. 

To help the situation out, I decided to get a new tote.  Granted, I had a new Crop In Style tote in mind, but the hubby was not too thrilled on my wanting to drop $100 on a new scrapbooking tote.  A dear friend told me that she had gone to an office supply store and purchased a wheeled file tote for a scrapbooking tote...She raved on how much 'stuff' you can fit in the thing and I decided to check it out.

Let me tell you....I'm a completely sold!  Talk about roomy!   I bought one on the spot at Office Depot and the best thing....only $22!  Yep, I said $22...I was shocked!  So it was a win for both the hubby and myself!  Packed it the other night and got TONS of tools and accessories in it and was even able to get the lid on the thing!  Yes, it comes with a plastic lid....And it stacks nicely on top of my other rolly tote!!  It does roll easily on carpet and it is easy to manuever....You can check it out here: File Cart


Happy Scrappin!

Love this site!

Check it out! http://craftgossip.com/

Learn to use Alcohol Inks!

We got NEW STUFF and filmed it!!

Our filmmaking debut!

What exactly is a Copic?

Copic markers are one of the products we get the most questions on so I decided to do a quick blog post about these beauties...Copic markers (pronounced 'coh-pick') are one of the hottest items in the papercrafting world today.  Copics are filled with alcohol-based ink, are non-toxic, and when dry, are acid free. All Copics, in some way or another, are labeled with a combination of letters and numbers, which designate the colors.  The letters stand for the color family that the marker belongs to: B=Blue, BG=Blue Green, BV=Blue Violet, G=Green, YG=Yellow Green, Y=Yellow, YR=Yellow Red, R=Red, RV=Red Violet, V=Violet, E=Earth, C=Cool Gray, N=Neutral Gray, T=Toner Gray, W=Warm Gray.  The first number shown stands for saturation or how vibrant a color is.  Colors that have a low first number are more vibrant than colors that have a higher first number.  The second number in a color represents how light that color is within that saturation group.  To pick colors that 'go together', choose colors that have the same first number.  Colors will blend better if they are close to each other on the color wheel.  Sometimes, I look at two colors that 'technically' don't go together and think they look great together...So I usually tell people if it looks good to them, then go for it!!  

Copics come in 4 different styles: Copic, Sketch, Ciao, and Wide and are refillable!  Here at the store, we carry Ciao markers and currently have 144 of the 180 colors available.  

I LOVE my Copics....  I just love how bright and vibrant images become after being colored with the Copics...And with the dual tips, brush and broad, it's super easy to color and write with the markers.

Here is the color chart for the 144 colors that the Scrapbook Outlet currently carries:

And be sure to check our class schedule for introductory Copic classes coming soon from one of our three certified instructors. 

And for those addicted to Twitter (like me!), the Scrapbook Outlet is now on Twitter.  Follow us @scrapbookoutlet or click here: http://twitter.com/#!/scrapbookoutlet.

Here's hopin' for a calm night with no bad storms....

Have a good one!!

Discount Photo Alert!

Jen just shot me this email, Snapfish is having a big sale and you can get 111 prints for only $1.11! Good time to order some photos for your scrapbooks! I know I'm going to be ordering some... 

April??

What a crazy week here at the store!  New computer software provided a few headaches, but we're getting used to it and have gained our sanity back!!

Can you believe it is already April 1st??  Where has time gone?  April is going to be a super exciting month!!  Who's excited for the royal wedding??  I know Laura and I are going nuts waiting for the big day the end of this month!!  A royal wedding doesn't happen often and for me, being half British myself, I am super excited!

Here at the store, our excitement for the royal wedding carries over to our British themed crop on April 16!!  And our travel, princess, and wedding lines will be on sale at the end of the month in honor of the wedding!!



We've just got a whole slew of new goodies in here and one of our absolute faves here at the store is Ohio's own Jillibean Soup!!  I absolutely ADORE the lines we've gotten in!  So many bright colors and adorable patterns!  I can't wait to use it in my layouts!!  And as you saw in a post last week, Jen met Jill from Jillibean at the Memories Scrapbooking Expo and hopefully, we can get Jill out here to do a class later in the year!  Here are some of our faves from Jillibean Soup:

Aren't these papers gorgeous?!  I just love the colors and the kraft background is delish!!  Can't wait to get some layouts done on these!!  We've also got some cool corrugated alphas from Jillibean on their way!

In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend!!  :)

Butterflies!

One of my favorite blogs for inspiration is by artist Laura Trevey down in Georgia. She always has cool ideas, fabulous taste and tons of inspiration, like these lovely butterflies she spotted on Etsy! Wouldn't they be fun to make with different scrapbook papers? Ideas ideas ideas.....

Memories Scrapbooking Expo

So today was a pretty exciting day for me. I went to the Memories Scrapbook Expo in Columbus, Oh. There were lots of people there and some great shopping but I did have something exciting happen. I was looking at a piece of Jillibean Soup paper and talking to my friend about how cute it was and a lady walked up behind me and said she has the cutest paper. I said I know I just love her stuff and she said "Thanks that is my paper." It was Jill from Jillibean Soup. I could not believe. She was super sweet. I even talked to her about coming to our store to Teach and she said that she would love to do it. YEAH!!!

Organizing...

After being up in my 'Scrap Cave'...cue 'Batman' theme....I realized how much I LOVE my organizing system.....There's a place for everything and everything's in its own place....
For my oodles of single sheet patterned goodness, I have these Sterilite drawer systems....

I adore these....so easy to see what's in them and they're stackable.  I have 4 of these babies in 12x12 and some smaller versions (8.5" x 11") for specialty papers.  The best thing is you can get these at your local department store.  I bought one at a time to spread out the cost.  Love them!!

For my Ranger paint dabbers and other acrylic paint, I have two cropper hopper paint racks on my bookcase.  These beauties are so sturdy and hold 20 paints/dabbers.  You can also fit some glues like Glossy Accents or glue sticks on this rack as well.  You can see all the colors easily and it keeps them out of the way.  So awesome and such a great deal!  We have these at the store back in the paint aisle!!

I also use a TON of plastic baskets to store all my mass quantities of embellies, bling, flowers, and other scrappy goodness that I have in the 'Scrap Cave'.  I have them in drawers and on the shelf...Everywhere you look there are plastic baskets....They're super cheap and most of mine came from the dollar store...These little beauties keep me from creating 'junk drawers' in my room!


As soon as I get a chance, I will take a few pictures of the 'Scrap Cave' and post them on here.  I organized my room based on seeing another scrapper's pictures!!  Have a great weekend!! 

So, are YOU a Scrapper?

So, this is just classic... lil scrappers...

Inspiration to go!

Lindsey and I have been taking photos of all the projects that our design team and teachers bring in over the past 6 months, but have only really been using them in the newsletter. We now have quite a collection of BEAUTIFULLY crafted projects from our amazing and talented designers here at the store. So yesterday, we decided that we're not going to hoard these pretty photos any more! Check out our Picasa Album here!

Gorgeous paper mache eggs created by Sherrie from our Design Team!

Something to think about....

We just have to share....

Where is Engagement, Ohio?

It's halfway between Dayton and Marion....  :)

chuckle....chuckle....

A new favorite....

I love to blog hop, especially when it comes to crafting.  Blogs are an AWESOME place to get ideas, inspiration, or great little product tips.  I have a few faves including Tim Holtz and Jennifer McGuire.  When I'm bored or I need a little push to get started, I hop on over to these blogs to get my creative juices flowing.  And when I am on my favorite blogs, I'll hop over to some of their favorites.  I have discovered some real jewels doing that.

I just HAVE to share my new fave blog, from across the pond.  I am an avid follower of Tim Holtz's blog and earlier this week, I was reading about his trip to England.  He taught a few workshops at a shop owned by Dyan Reaveley.  I checked out her blog and got hooked.  Lots of bright colors on her projects and all kinds of media are used.

Art and Soul

Image courtesy of Ranger.com

If you're needing some inspiration, be sure to check out her blog.  And....apparently, she has got a line of whimsical stamps coming out from Ohio's own Stampers Anonymous.  No word on the release date yet, but they can be seen here at Ranger's website: Dylusions Stamps. 

I just LOVE Doolally Doris!!  So cute and whimsical!!  I love the wings and party hats!!  Here's hopin' they come out soon and...maybe...fingers crossed...you see it here at the Scrapbook Outlet.

Happy scrappin!

More new goodies...

It's been a very busy past few weeks here at the store.  And since we've been absent from the blogging world, we've had some awesome things arrive!

First of all, the Campy Trails line from American Crafts arrived and it really is 'So stinkin' cute!?!'  It really is an adorable line; perfect for camping trips, outdoor excursions, and mountain vacations.  And trust me when I say, these photos do not do the line justice!  (And that is coming from someone who purchased the whole line!!)

If you've been to our store, you'll know that we're a teensy bit obsessed with Thickers...(Okay, maybe obsessed isn't a strong enough word...hehe)  We have a ton of Thickers and I mean a TON!!  We have over 70 different Thickers packs!!  [I told you we were a bit obsessed with the Thickers.. ;)]  Here are some of the new favorites that just arrived...

For Easter, we have the We R Memory Keepers Peep Collection.  This collection is full of bright, spring colors and adorable bunnies, chicks, and Easter eggs.  Available in whole collection packs or open-stock, this collection is perfect for all those egg hunt layouts and Easter bunny photos!!

The little ones in my family really enjoy coloring Easter eggs right before Easter and we're always looking for something to extend the fun.  Here's an idea:  make colorful personalized egg stands out of paper.  Take a sheet of the Peep pattern paper and cut to approximately 2" x 7" and roll into a tube, attaching ends,  Decorate with embellishments or personalize for your kiddos and you've got a great stand for all those brightly colored eggs.  Can you just imagine these down the center of tables at Easter dinner??

Well, we're off to make room for more new goodies that will be on their way here!  Have a great day and happy scrappin!