The winner is....

Someone who loved the brayered cards the best....

Farley!

The random number generator picked number 28.  With 23 comments on the post, that meant the winner would be the fifth person on my "like" list on facebook.

Congratulations to Farley!

She liked the brayered cards the best, so I'll be sending her those cards along with a special little something that I hope she enjoys.  I think if she liked these on the blog, she will love them in person.

I have a tutorial that's thisclose to being finished.  I'll share that with you soon.  Hope you're enjoying the day!

Share the Love - A Club Scrap Blog Hop

Welcome to what I hope will be the first of many Club Scrap blog hops!  Today, there are a dozen ladies  who are sharing their love of Club Scrap with the blogosphere.  I'm not going to count (the number would be way too high!), but I will show you some of the ways I love Club Scrap in this post.

First of all, I love how versatile Club Scrap stamps are.  I set up a mini-challenge for myself, picking some of my favorite materials and a single stamp from the Lotus Pond collection.

Using those supplies, and some paper, I made a mountain of card fronts, eventually selecting the seven that I'll share with you today.  Although they all share some elements, I think they're all unique and evoke a different vibe.

To start with, I used some metallic reinkers from Club Scrap on some black glossy paper.  The card in the center was created by brayering ink on the paper, stamping my image, and before lifting the stamp, I slid it over to create a black halo around the stamped image.  The image on the far left was just stamped after inking the rubber with the brayer.  For the image on the far right, both of these techniques are combined.  I didn't like how the halo effect turned out on this image, so I used a strip of plain stamped paper to spotlight part of the image.  These were really challenging to photograph, and this shot doesn't really do them justice.  In real life, they are shimmery and pop with color.

Of course, you can just stamp and color the image with watercolors.  To make the edges of the paper pop, I used some pink blush pigment ink and an ink applicator.  I liked the idea of torn edges, so I tore them all!

I also thought of this image being really soft to fit with the water theme.  The next two cards are stamped with the metallic reinkers, and matted on soft papers to emphasize the ephemeral look I was going for.  I love how the pink translucent paper allows the matted lilies to seemingly float on the paper, and how it subtly continues the pattern of the image.  Because the stamp and paper are both from Club Scrap, I know that the images and colors will coordinate beautifully.

I purposely went really simple on this card.  Just a stamped image, with a heartfelt greeting.  I love to have a few thank you cards around for quick notes to friends and family.

Finally, I had to use water colors on this water image.  I misted the stamp with water, colored with the Faber Castell Gelatos, misted again, and then stamped.  Too much water will leave you with a muddy image; too little will not activate the colors properly, so practice a bit and have fun!  Another nifty thing about Club Scrap paper is that it has two sides!  This white paper is from the Steppin' Out collection, and it is perfect for watercoloring.  Since only the print version of the paper is now available, I use the blank "back" side for these cards.  These watercolors are bold colors, so I added a bright pink mat to make the colors pop even more, and some ribbon for an embellishment.

When I joined Club Scrap in 2004, I had no idea that I would develop so many papercrafting skills or meet so many wonderful people who share my passion for paper.  I'd like to share the love with you - check out the links above to find the supplies at Club Scrap, and be sure to check out the next blog in line - Making Impressions - and all of the other artwork online.

Finally, leave me a comment letting me know which Lotus Pond card is your favorite, and I'll enter you in a giveaway to win your favorite card plus two more for your own use.  Become a friend of Lift Bridge Cards and Crafts on facebook to earn an extra entry!  I'll close entries on Monday, February 21st at 7pm eastern time, and announce the winner shortly after that.

2011 - Share the Love Blog Hop Participants!

Cape Cod Scrapper

Creating with Connie

Crzymom's Tidbits

Juju's Folly

Lift Bridge Cards and Crafts - **You are here!**

Making Impressions

My Artistic Escape

Orezonia

Pages of Pictures

Scrap Happy Sisters, Ink.

SquirrelyArt

Where the "ArT" is...

Scrap your stash - 2011 January report

I'm participating in a neat challenge this year sponsored by Lala's World blog where we are all pledging to scrap our stash in 2011.  You can sign up month-by-month, so take a look if you're interested in participating.  How did I do this month?  Well, I made a dent in one of my card kits, and some of my Valentine's paper.

Here are some close-ups of some of my favorites.  This card base has a square punched in it, so I cut a hole in the card front using a craft knife and a grid ruler.  I used some of my favorite stamps and punches from Stampin' Up! and a variety of other elements from my stash.  The border punch is by Fiskars.  I designed the first one especially for my friend's birthday.  I liked how it turned out so much that I created a couple of close imitations.  That's one tip I have for using more stash - make duplicates!

On this card, I used a new stamp set, and some new dimensional paint that I am in love with.  On this card, I got some inspiration from a card showing this spray of flowers stamped off the edge.  I used that dimensional paint again to add little dots to the border. I also cut the loops off at either end so the border was clean all the way across.

This Valentine's Day card was a bit of a challenge for me for some reason.  I really wanted to use this paper, but wanted to make it brighter and more festive (while still using the black).  The word "love" was beneath the pop-dotted heart, so I added a punch to make the saying a bit jazzier, and put lots more pop-dotted hearts on the circle.  Some of the hearts are hand cut, while some are punched with Stampin' Up! punches.

Some of my tips for scrapping your stash from this month:

• Pick a kit or project to work on.  I had some papers I wanted to use, and a card kit I really wanted to make, so limiting my materials helped me focus on using a smaller set of paper.
• Make multiples!  Once I had a design I liked, I tweaked it slightly to make a few extra cards in the same general pattern.
• Have fun playing!  I really wanted to use my new stamps (well, I got them in August, but they're still new since I never used them) and the dimensional paint.

Did I buy anything this month?  Well... yes....    I found the snowflake edge die from Tim Holtz in a local scrapbook store, so that had to come home with me.  There was also a sale on some basics that I use a lot, so I wasn't going to pass that up.  Finally, I am a Club Scrap member, so I couldn't exactly cancel my subscription... 

I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone else did, and also toward more scrapping from my stash in February.

Tool Time: Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher

OK, I have a confession to make.  I love office supplies.  If scrapbooking supplies even look like office supplies, I have to have them.

It's even better if they're a gadget or super geeky.  That's just the kind of crafter I am.

So, when I saw the Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher, I lusted for one.

I kept thinking, "Do I really need this?" (After all, I have been through a major purge in my scraproom!)

I also thought, "Is this really different than my other staplers?"

My biggest fear was that I was succumbing to my love for all things Tim Holtz, and that it wouldn't really be any better or different than my other staplers.  I was wrong - I really need this, and it's different than my other staplers.  So, here's a look at another tool I can't live without.

Why I love this tool:

1. It has Tim Holtz' name on it (not the most important reason, but I gotta be honest!)
2. It is so comfortable to hold, which makes it super easy to place the staple where you want them.
3. It works - it really works!  I've had several mini-staplers, but this one actually staples properly on the first try.
4. The staples are just so tiny and cute!  One-quarter inch, to be exact.

So far, I've used it on this cool card below.  You can see the ribbon has staples on either end - this is how the ribbon is attached.  To complete the "trio" of staples, you can also find some in the upper right of the card panel.  The ribbon is grosgrain, and the cardstock is a super heavy weight (Club Scrap), but this little stapler went through these thick materials with no problems.  Stamps are from Club Scrap and Stampin' Up! 

I'm excited to get out some alcohol inks to color these staples, and I'm really hoping that they release some colored options in the future (copper would be fabulous!).  So, if you lust after office supplies, but think this is just another stapler, think again and go pick one up.  It's even included as an Amazon prime item, which is my favorite way to shop. (It would be yours, too, if the largest store in town was Walmart!)

  

Start the new year with an organized craft space

Happy New Year!

Is one of your resolutions to clean up your craft area?  If so, you might be interested in a series of posts I did last fall where I showed how I...

• Got rid of stuff - if there isn't room for it, it won't be organized! (And, I made money in the process - about $100 from my local scrapbook store's rummage sale!)

• Organized what was left - think creatively about new places for old things.

• Store my rubber stamps - maybe some new ideas for you.

• Store my spellbinders dies - I have a tutorial here to show you how to make this cute little book to store your spellbinders dies.

• Keep it clean - and I have!  My biggest tip here is to clean up after you complete a project.  That 10 minute pickup has really helped.

Hope your new year is off to a crafty start!  What are you doing to be more creative this year?

Come back soon for some exciting news and a giveaway.  I have some great ideas to share in the new year!