A quick card collection - Bookshelves Blog Hop

It's the 27th, which means it's time for the latest Club Scrap Blog Hop featuring the March kit - Bookshelves. I hope you enjoyed the previous stop on this hop - Ink Stains with Roni.  I saw her sneak peeks, and it's a lovely project.

I made this lovely card collection for this months project.

I am in desperate need of some cards, and have had no time to make any lately due to the ice show this weekend (yes, I skated in it!).  So, I pulled out my trusty Club Scrap idea deck, and got to work on a card collection.

One of my favorite things to do is to pull out a card formula from my idea deck (five of diamonds here) and double it.  This formula called for two pieces of paper, and makes four cards.  Each card would then just have two colors that alternate.  By doubling the paper, you can mix and match more pieces.  Here are my four pieces that I selected.  I love to use patterned paper - it gives every card a bit of pizzazz with very little work from you.

I start by cutting all of the pieces and separating into piles.  These are my scraps - wow!  I love when I have no scraps.  Hey.... That larger piece looks stampable - it's not a scrap!

I then start to arrange the pieces to see what I might like to see together.  Although everything coordinates, some combinations just appeal to me more than others.  This is my modified assembly using the "scrap" on my card.

I pulled out my stamps and stamped all of the panels.  Sometimes, when I find a pattern I like, I just keep doing it.  No need to reinvent the wheel, and these sympathy cards won't end up in the same family, so nobody will know my little trick. I do a lot of color testing and stamp testing on my paper blotter.

On these cards, honestly, I was too lazy to get my cutter out to trim the larger panel, so I tore it.  I like the look, but it was born out of laziness!

You can see that I'm addicted to bows and ribbon.  I have a ribbon hanger in the hallway, and like to search to see if there are any scraps I can use when I'm making cards.

On this one, I used a border punch and dimensional paint to create an interesting edge.

This formula makes these wonderful z-cards that were a bit tricky to photograph.  I stamped on one edge (hidden here) with a border stamp to give it a bit of texture.  The inside has a greeting, too.  I like to put sentiments inside my sympathy cards so I don't have to write too much.  The words are never easy then.

All of my stamps are from Club Scrap, but are sadly not available any more.  All paper is from the Bookshelves Club Scrap Lite kit.  Ribbon is from my stash - I can't remember where for all of it!

Thanks for visiting me today on the blog hop!  Do you have any tips for using the card idea formulas in your card making?  Leave a comment and let me know.

Our next stop on the hop is Deb Duz Scrappin' - she's a great crafter and I can't wait to check out what she has in store for us this month! If you missed any of the blog posts, check out Club Scrap Creates for a complete list.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

A few cards featuring some of my favorite irish quotes.

These cards were inspired by a design from Stamp TV.  Instead of buttons, I used button dazzles - less bulk, and they add a nice bit of shine.

All materials and stamps are from Club Scrap.

May the luck of the Irish be with you today (and always!).

All Things Paper - the book

I've got a big secret to tell today!  Ann Martin, the lovely lady who runs the All Things Paper blog, is publishing a book to be released on May 28, 2013.  Here is a sneak peek at the cover:

Even better - I'm one of the amazing artists who contributed one of the 20 projects!

How can you support the book and the fabulous artists in it?  I'm glad you asked!

1. Pre-order the book on Amazon.com - my preferred way to buy almost anything. It's only $10, and you'll get instructions and all the details on 20 amazing projects (including mine).  Your pre-orders will help more people see the book!
2. Like the All Things Paper page on facebook to follow the newest updates on the book direct from Ann.
3. Check out the All Things Paper blog - Ann features some amazing artwork, including me on occasion.

I had a lot of fun making my project. I can't share it with you now, but it features some new techniques in stamping and collage combined with my love of bookmaking.  You won't find the details for this project anywhere else.

I hope you'll check it out, and as we get closer to release date, I'll be sharing more details about all of the artists and projects in the book.