Experimenting with color

This is another example of the "quadrant" technique I used earlier to make some holiday cards. I really like how sketches and techniques can be so dramatically varied just by choosing different colors, papers and stamps. These stamps are some of my favorites from Club Scrap. If you use different stamps in each of the quadrants, I like to make them similar - different sized paisley here, for example, or all nature stamps. I think it makes the card base look more harmonious.

When this dark blue paper (the card base - not very visible here) first came out, I had no idea how I would use it. It was a little brighter than I usually go for, and I had trouble "matching" paper to it. One tip I have is to experiment! I recently listened to a podcast, and they talked about "auditioning" your colors (Craftcast #118). They were talking about polymer clay, but it applies to any sort of crafting. This is something I like to do - although it can cause crafty chaos in my room!

Sometimes, taking fewer things with you can also help. I made this card on one of our skiing trips. I limit what I take to card kits from specific kits, and embellishments that fit in a box. I find myself trying out different color combinations, and really surprising myself sometimes.

My other tip is to use a color wheel. A color wheel shows you all of the color choices that will work - and through this I've learned that blues and greens generally go together (and you can add brown to anything!).

Have fun with color - you may surprise yourself!

Journal case album

This is another project from the 2009 Club Scrap Retreat (have you registered yet for the 2010 Retreat?). I adapted this project a bit to the personality of the recipients. The album on the left was a present for my in-laws for Christmas. The album outside is made from Infusions paper from Club Scrap. The album on the right was for my sister-in-law and brother-in-law. She loves blue, so I chose the Concrete Jungle paper.

Inside the case is a 6x6 album. This is very simply constructed - just page protectors with a simple ring closure. By tying a bunch of ribbons to the ring, you get this very funky, shabby chic, look. We filled these albums with pictures from our trip to England this past summer. This album was made from Asian Artisan paper:

The other album continued with using the Concrete Jungle paper:

I really like how these books can sit on a shelf and look great, but contain a really nice surprise inside. They also were easy to pack and ship to England! Everyone enjoyed them, and it's nice to be able to share them with everyone now.

Paper bag goodness

This is a project I made at the 2009 Club Scrap retreat. If you're interested in attending the 2010 retreat, registration is now open. This is an experience I look forward to every year. We make the most fantastic projects, and we have such a fun time. This was our opening project - it's made entirely of paper bags and butcher paper. Since the materials are quite hardy, I decided to embellish this for my nephew for Christmas. We got a bunch of pictures from our trip this summer, and Paul and I both journaled in it. I hope that he loves looking at the pictures now, and appreciates the memories later. I had a heck of a time getting great pictures of this, and was in a bit of a rush to get this mailed to him, so I had to settle for what I could get.

The majority of the embellishments are from the Concrete Jungle kit by Club Scrap (yes, I'm addicted to Club Scrap). The blue was a perfect accent to the brown paper bag, and the graffiti nature of the designs fit well with a little boy.

I also loved the swirls of the Be Still stamp. I can't believe I didn't want this stamp initially. I've learned to love it and its versatility.
These pictures below are from my favorite parts of England (so far) - Devon and Cornwall. We didn't have great weather, but the sights were still beautiful. I loved the ruggedness of the country. If you want to read more about our vacation, take a look at Charlesworth's Adventures.

I love creating books and giving them as present. I hope you enjoyed a peek at it, too.

Scraptastic snowflakes!

I'm really glad the holidays are over, and the semester is well underway! I have a lot of work to do between Thanksgiving and just after the new year, plus projects for the holidays. Most of my crafting in the last two months have been gifts for family, so they're not great to post! I can start sharing them now, including this card which ended up in some special homes this year.

This card also turned into the inspiration for a class I'm teaching at our local scrapbooking store tomorrow. I'm teaching a bunch of my favorite techniques for using scraps in new ways. I certainly have more scraps than I can probably ever use up on my own. This card used the Club Scrap card making deck to inspire the basic design of the card, and I added my own touches with the super cool snowman from Hero Arts. Each of the panels is embossed with a cuttlebug embossing folder (Snowflakes). I was really into pinks and green for holiday cards this year. There is something really sweet about these colors, and they're a little bit unexpected.

The "quadrant" technique can also be used with scraps, and the panels can also be stamped. Kay from Club Scrap demos other ways you can interpret this technique in the Club Scrap cinema.

I'll be sharing more samples and techniques over the next week.

Christmas with Bind-it-all

I've been busy trying out some new ideas for the craft show on Saturday. If you're in the area, I'll be at the Chassell school (Google map) from 9-2pm. I've been trying to get in the holiday mood, which is a bit tough for me. I firmly believe that the Christmas season shouldn't begin until at least mid-November (it used to be after Thanksgiving, but it's creeping a bit earlier on me!). I also love little notebooks, and I've been exploring some new things with my Bind-it-all. I really love this tool for making little books. It's fun to be able to use sheets of paper instead of folding and stitching. My first book uses some of my favorite Christmas colors and the herringbone technique from Club Scrap. I know I've used this technique before, but I just love using these little strips of paper. These old-fashioned colors feel very warm and cozy to me.

Next, I've been thinking about modifying the Quick Jot journal I made from the Club Scrap Cruise in a Box earlier. I love the idea of a little folder for a notebook, and being able to slide the notebook in and out. I also like being able to replace the notebook with a new one so the folder can be reused. I find these little books very useful when traveling for keeping a travel journal. This is a picture of the closed book. These handmade papers are from Club Scrap, and the black elastic will keep the book closed if it's in a bag or purse.

Open, the book has an old-fashioned holiday spirit. I love these tree stamps, and the rich colors. This is a handmade book created with my bind-it-all, but it's about the same size as a 3x5 notebook, so that could be used as a replacement when the book is filled up. It also has a place for your pen!

Hope to see some of you on Saturday, and if you're not in the area, have a great holiday season! I can't wait to post some of the great gifts I've been working on for my family and friends.