Up, Up and Away - A Club Scrap Blog Hop

It's been a long time since I organized what I think was the last unofficial blog hop in 2011 (was it really that long ago? - wow!).  Hetty has graciously stepped up to organize us once again with Club Scraps help, and I'm happy to participate!  This month, we're all featuring projects using the newest Club Scrap collection, Up, Up & Away.

Many of my paper creations solve a problem, and this is no exception. Paul and I have started figure skating, and there are tests that are printed up in a lovely spiral softcover book.

I'd like to keep this in my skating bag, but I'm worried that it will get a bit rough over time.  I remembered that the quick jot journal from Club Scrap had a lovely wrapper for a book, and I've adapted that before for a different spiral book, so I decided to use that design for this book.

I started by making a pocket (see my tutorial) out of some scrap paper and making sure it was the right size.  Because of the size of the book, the back of the pocket is only a partial back, so I wanted to make sure that everything slid nicely and fit before I did it for real.

Then, I made a prototype of the book using papers from the Bistro kit.  I used an elastic closure (see my tutorial) to keep the book neat and tidy.

I like this prototype (the Steppin' Out stamp makes such a cool background, although I did a bit of double stamping by accident on the front!), but the spine is a bit too large, making the overall book a little "floppy."

Finally, I made my real book with Up, Up, and Away paper.  The blue ribbon is a bookmark so I can mark my place when I'd like to.  I was inspired by Lisa to mix and match my kits.  The red paper is from the Study in Red collection (I wanted to use a cardstock rather than the text weight red in the kit), and the stamps are from Stratosphere.  It's a little tough to see in the photo, but I used versamark ink to stamp the swirly pattern all over the red paper. I really like how they pair.

The spine is nice and snug now and the book opens so nicely.  I used the bright blue paper from Up, Up, and Away for the pocket and inside cover, although you only see a peek of it in these photos.

I hope you enjoy all of the inspiration from the rest of the Club Scrap bloggers this month.  I hope to see you next month for another installment.  Come back next week for a very exciting announcement!  I've been keeping a secret for a while now....

The exciting news for this week is that I passed two figure skating tests this weekend for the Dutch Waltz and Canasta Tango. It was a fabulous experience!

Visit Deb Weller at Deb Duz Scrappin' for the next blog in our hop, and here is a list of everyone who is participating.  It's going to be a fun day!

Club Scrap Creates starts us off at http://clubscrapcreates.blogspot.com

Pat Huntoon at http://www.patstamps.blogspot.com 

Julie Heyer at www.capecodscrapper.blogspot.com  

Ron Perry at http://randomdoorways.blogspot.com 

Roni Johnson at http://inkstainswithroni.blogspot.com 

Deb Charlesworth at http://liftbridge.blogspot.com/ 

Deb Weller at http://debduzscrappin.blogspot.com/ 

Jill Pechauer at http://jmp1022.blogspot.com/ 

Tricia Morris at http://theefficientcrafter.blogspot.com   

Hetty Sanders at http://craftchaos.blogspot.com 

Kay Williamson at http://kayskeepsakes.blogspot.com 

Cathy Gray at http://cathyjgray.typepad.com/the_artful_gamut/ 

Anne Marie Healey at http://artfullybalanced.blogspot.com 

Anne Hunter at http://crzymomstidbits.blogspot.com/ 

Shona Gibson at shonascraps.blogspot.com

Spark your mojo - make a card for someone you love

Even when I'm not feeling very crafty, thinking about my sweetie sparks me to make something special just for him.

I like to try and use new things for him, especially since he sees a lot of what I buy.  This Christmas card uses a new stamp that hadn't seen ink yet (Snow Buddies from Crafter's Companion), and little jingle bells from Stampin' Up!

I usually use a lot of paper on Paul's cards, since I'm not trying to mail the card or make the card meet a price point to sell.  It's fun to see how much paper I can use!  This one mainly uses paper from the Academy kit, green paper from Retro, and various love themed stamps (no longer available - My Funny Valentine, and a special release from Stampin' Up!) on the tan paper.

Paul always takes his turn making cards, too.  I just love how this looks like a stained glass window, and celebrates our recent trip to Disney.

This week for Valentines' day, I had an idea while watching the Paperwishes video show - since he's my sweetie, how about a sweet cupcake as an image?  This cupcake is a Dazzles Mix 'Em Cupcake - mix and match the shiny pieces to make your own unique cupcake.  Add a paper doily, some heart banners (still trendy!), and again lots of layers, for some Valentine's fun.  There are lots of pearls on the inside - I can use as many as I like since it won't be mailed!

Paul did another quilled masterpiece for me, as well.

So, spark your creativity this week by making a card for someone you love!  And, check out our other cards to each other here:

• Anniversary 2012
• Christmas 2011
• My Christmas card for Paul in 2010 - a tag tutorial
• Anniversary cards in 2010
• Anniversary cards in 2009

Spark your crafty mojo - let the paper do the work

Since my crafty mojo was temporarily displaced, I needed to kick it into high gear and make some cards quickly.  Last week, I shared some of my ideas on how to spark your creativity, so this post continues those tips.

One of my biggest tips is to let the paper do the work for you.  Pennants, banners, and chevrons are huge trends right now.  So, I used paper with these elements in it to make this card. This paper comes from the Happy Days Double-Sided Paper Pack.

When you've got one piece of paper working for you, make a second card.  That way, you can get two cards for the creativity of one!

Both of these cards also used Dazzles - they're very popular in England, and Hot off the Press is the best place I've found for these items.  I love their monthly club, because you get a nice variety of stickers, paper, a goodie, and a newsletter with ideas every month.  

Dazzles are stickers (which make them very easy to use) that look like embossed images (which make it look like you spent a lot of time making the card!).  They come in a variety of finishes, like copper, holographic colors, silver, and gold.

Several Club Scrap kits have also featured them, so check them out if you're interested in using them in your scrapbooking.

• Retreat 2012 - these numbers are super useful for birthday cards. I used them for Paul's card last year (which I haven't posted yet - eek!).  Get the full kit for even more numerical items.
• Bright lights, big city - these little stars pack a big punch.  The full kit has more coordinating items.

So, the next time you need to make some cards, but don't know where to start, let your paper do the work!  Share any tips you have for using paper to get started in the comments.  I'd love to hear what you think.

Finding my crafty mojo...

Why has it been so long?  Well, first, I get really, really busy at certain times of the academic year.  I've always struggled with how to balance work, crafting, blogging, and the million other things that we all do at the same time.  Like, snow blowing.

Second, I'm happy to report that in between this year's busy times, I earned a promotion at my job, which led to increased responsibilities.  In addition to those extra responsibilities, I was primarily responsible for moving forward some policy changes that also required extra effort this fall.  Frankly, I've just been plain exhausted ever since August.

Finally, along the way, I seemed to have lost my mojo for a while.  I'm sure you can all identify - who hasn't been stuck in a rut or just plain uninspired?  This weekend, though, I think I broke through the mojo barrier, and over the next few weeks, I'm going to share some of my successes as well as some paper crafting ideas.

First, my friends really help here.  From KnitterPam (who is always gently reminding me to blog) to my wonderful Club Scrap family (who encourages me and asks me what I'm up to) to my local friends who admire my paper crafting, knowing that someone is interested in what you do really makes a difference.    I had a great craft show last December, which made me really itchy to start making stuff.

For example, last year, I made this calendar for my office and shared a tutorial.  These were very popular at my craft show and my local shops where I have work for sale.  Who doesn't want a pretty calendar as a gift?

My friend from work has been admiring it all year, and asked me to make her one this year.  A deadline helps get the mojo sparked - if I don't get her the calendar by the end of January, it starts to lose a bit of usefulness.  So, I buckled down and asked her what color she would like.  This immediately eliminates a choice for me, which makes it that much easier to get started. She said pink, and I happened to have the Birds of a Feather kit out in the open with a fabulous pink in it.  If you've lost your mojo - don't spend all day looking for the perfect paper.  Use what is there!  The kit had this fabulous saying in it, and the cute wings stamp, so I just played with that to start.  I figured if Kay likes a little glitter on everything, more must be better, especially for wings.

The easel came together really quickly with the pink paper, and ribbon from the kit.  So, presto!  I had a great gift and made a friend very happy today.

So, my restoring mojo tips of the day:

• Find some friends to encourage you!  I love the Club Scrap community, and all my friends there. It's the board I most regularly visit to check in on everyone.  A BIG thank you to everyone there who asked (or wondered) how I was doing.
• Find a deadline - they always motivate me!
• Eliminate choices - having my co-worker pick a color made it that much easier to get started.
• Use what is around - don't go hunting for the perfect pink, or that paper you remember buying - just use what is visible!
• Finally, I started by cleaning my desk, too.  Still my most helpful way of getting going.  As I clean, I always find something to inspire me.

The Bon Appetit Menu - stamps and aging techniques

I had so much fun making cards with the Bon Appetit collection.  I was a bit stumped how to use the menu stamp, but the sentiment that goes along with the collection gave me the inspiration.

Start by inking the menu stamp - I used the Club Scrap india ink for a super dark black that won't run when I start aging the menu.

I want my menu to look aged, so I dab a cloth randomly on some different areas of the stamp.

I love how this looks after stamping.

Now, the fun begins!  Tear the paper to create a lovely aged effect.

Spray with whatever mists you have on hand that give that lovely aged appearance.  My sprayer wasn't working well, so I got these lovely spots that were perfect.

I used some distress inks to add some depth to my color.

Use a bamboo skewer (or whatever you have on hand!) to roll the edges up a bit.

I added some ink to the exposed areas from the backside and a little ribbon "clostheline," compete with closteh pins (I used half of the pin to add a little less dimension).

All stamps and paper from the Club Scrap Bon Appetit collection.

Hope you are enjoying the summer.  We're still knee deep in our remodeling project.  Should be great when it's done!