Change is Good

I have decided to move my blog to Typepad. I have totally enjoyed having my blog here but I recnetly started a joint blog Sister Scrap with my sister Francine over on Typepad and it will just be easier for me to keep up with both if they housed in the same place.

I hope you will update your links and feeds so that you can continue to follow and enjoy my creative journey and more. So join me at http://vernellc.typepad.com/oletalk/

I will tweaking my blog over on Typepad till I get it just right so bear with me if you see changes in design over the next couple weeks.

Silly Kitty Layout

Here is the latest inkling that I did for my Ranger Inkling group using the new Ranger Adirondack Pigment Inks and Tim Holtz Grungeboard.

Supplies
Adirondack Pigment Inks, Inkessentials White Pen, Tim Holtz Grungeboard, Cut and Dry foam, Heat-It gun, Black Cardstock, Patterned Paper, Photo

Method:
1. Cover Grungeboard with Adirondack Pigment Ink alternating colors so you have a mix of colored Grungeboard. Let dry completely or use Heat-It gun to speed up the drying process. When dry use white pen to accent the grungeboard.

2. Position photo on cardstock and mark where photo will go. Remove photo and cover area where it will be with pigment ink using a piec of Cut and Dry foam. This will act as a ‘matt” for your photo. Stick photo down. Use white pen to create a desing around the photo.

3. Stick decorated Grungeboard to layout. Cut patterned paper to desired shapes and add to layout. Use white pen to draw a boarder around the edge of your layout.

Let me know if you have any questions.

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On another note Scrapbook Takeout is having a Sizzling Summer Subscription Specials. If you love embellishments and are tired of buying embellishment packs and having tons left over and
want a perfect serving of coordinating embellishments to make a few projects and pages then check out the kits. They would be perfect for and they also offer an exclusive stamp set each month.

Girls Night Out

Last Friday I left the hubby home and went to have dinner and drinks with some of my girl firends. It was great because I had not seen them in so long. I really hope that we can try to get together more often going forward. Friends are an important part of life and we need to cherish them.

Make Something Everyday (MSE) - Day 1

We are doing a Make Something Everyday(MSE) Challenge at Scrapbook Takeout for the month of June. There is a chance to win a Purple Cows scrapbooking paper trimmer. Here are a couple of cards that I made for my father-in-law and brother-in-law for Father's Day.

Getting Scrappy

I have been trying to get more layouts done as I realize my production for this year has been very low - well at least in the layout depatment. I have done tons of cards and altered projects. Here are a couple of my latest.

So to also help with the scrapping more we are running a Make Something Everyday (MSE)challenge on the Scrapbook Takeout forum for the month of June and offering a Purple Cows Two-In-One Scrapbook Combo Trimmer to the person who completes the most days (random drawing if there is a tie) and I plan to play along.

So hopefully by the end of June I will have a lot more layouts and even more cards and altered projects.

On another note, my husband launched his Etsy store this week selling original abstract paintings. Go check it out!! I am very proud of him and if I may say so myself his work is awesome.

Use Your Scraps

I am trying to make an effort to use my scraps as soon as they accumulate on my scrap table after doing layouts or other projects. Here are some cards that I made that are all made from the scraps that were on my table.

Some New Cards

Here are some the cards I have made in the last few weeks. Enjoy!!!

These two were for my nephew's 2nd birthday!

My May Inkling

Sharing the Inkling I did for the Ranger Group I belong to. Its an altered canvas using Tim Holtz Distress Inks.

Supplies
Ranger: Tim Holtz Distress Inks; Clear Embossing Powder; Heat-It gun
Other: Canvas; Stamp; Water Brushes; Die-cuts; Lace or Vintage Ribbon

Method:
1. Rub one color of Distress Ink over the canvas. Using the water brush spread ink over canvas to give it a water color effect. Let dry completely. Speed up the drying time by using your Heat-It Gun (optional). Repeat with anohter color of the Distress Inks. For this example I used Milled Lavendar and Weathered Wood.

2. Cover stamp completely with another color of the Distress Ink (for this I used Peeled Paint) and stamp canvas. Sprinkle embossing powder over image; tap off excess powder; heat with Heat-It Gun until all the embossing powder melts.

3. To give the lace an aged feel and to coordinate with the colors of the canvas rub Distress Ink pad over the lace. Once dry attach the lace to the canvas. You can also apply Distress Inks to your die cuts and use the water color brush to dilute the color.

4. Decorate canvas with die cuts. This could make a very nice last minute gift for Mother’s Day.

Scrap Lift Yourself

I have been sick with the stomach virus for most of the week and last night I needed to make a Thank You card in a hurry and well, the mojo just had not returned as yet. So I decided to scrap lift myself. It’s amazing how quickly the new card came together as well as how different it looked from the original. You can also try this with your layouts. Just change the orientation, color scheme, embellishments, etc. and voila instant new layout or card.

Scrap LiftOriginal

Shameless Plugs

My sister Francine and I decided to start a blog together. We figured we are sisters who scrap and who have some of the same photos from our childhood so why not scrap them each from our own perspective and share with the world. So check out our new blog Sister Scrap and tell us what you think.

And speaking of my sister she is having a GRAND OPENING SALE – from today April 5th to 11th at her Etsy store Callaloo Soup Designs.

Everything has been discounted 20% from the original prices and there is a free gift with every purchase. Orders over 25% will also get an extra gift!

She has some cool vintage trims from the flea market she goes to in Lyon, France as well as some handmade stuff, and she’ll be adding items every day, so if you like vintage stuff keep checking back.

Signs of Spring

The weather here is finally starting to warm up and although it is a bit rainy today the temperature has actually hit 61F. Its soon time for me to go shopping for some much needed spring clothes.

So in honor of spring on the horizon I made this quick but oh so cute “bouquet” to brighten up my desk at work. I used large flat silk flowers and folded them in half about four times and attached a green pipe cleaner as a stem. For the vase I wrapped a piece of ribbon around the middle, attached three of the folded flowers to the front and added another piece of matching ribbon. Voilà…instant spring for any space.

Getting Better at Jounaling

The March kit at Scrapbook Takeout is called "Tell Your Story" and it has inspired me to really take a look at my journaling and try to do more of it on my layouts beyond the who, what, where, and why?

This layout I did for a 'make n take" for the special area on our forum that is for kit buyers.

The journaling reads:

10 Things...I don't leave home without
1. Cell Phone My life line to the outside world. I am not a big cell phone but I just like to know that I have it with me in case I need to make a call or someone needs to reach me. I hate being out of touch. 2. Sunglasses I used to buy expensive sunglasses and they kept breaking in my handbag. Since I started buying the cheaper ones they last forever and guess what - they work just as well 3. Lip balm I hate dry lips and with the winters that we have here in MA lip balm is a must. Who wants to walk around with dry cracked or peeling lips? I Know I don't. My favorite one at the moment Blistex Lip Infusion, Cherry Splash 4. Lip gloss I am not a lipstick person so I was very happy when tinted lip-gloss became a big thing. I wear it over my lip balm as you just can't have enough moisture for your lips. These days I am loving Hi Shine Lip Treatment from the Body Shop. 5. Notebook I am a scrapper and a writer of lists so I never leave home without a note book in my bag. You never know when that next great idea or inspiration will jump out at you and I am forever writing lists of things to do, to buy, etc. 6. Pen well you can't have a note book without something to write in it with now can you. 7. Wallet I hate purses so I carry a wallet in stead. I like that it is small and compact but holds everything that I need. 8. Watch I just like to know what time it is. It probably is a bad thing to be constantly checking your watch and I have been trying to go without it on weekends when I run out to do stuff. After all the weekend is the time to relax. 9. Jewelry I have to confess that if I don't have on my jewelry when I go out that I feel naked. It's funny though because its also the first thing I take off when I get home (well except for wedding rings.), 10. I-Pod I love my new I Pod that Sheldon got for me for Christmas. It is so small that it can fit in my pocket. Much better than the one that it replaced. I carry it with me just in case I have down time somewhere so I can listen to music.

Supplies:
From Kit: Jenni Bowling Die Cut paper - Red, Collage Press - Grayson Hall - World Travel Paper; SBTO Stamp by Chrissy (add-on set);Other: American Crafts Thickers - Foam, Making Memories Boho Stickers; KI Memories alha Stickers; Stampin Up Dye Ink; Computer Journaling

On another note my sister just opened her Etsy Store - Callaloo Soup Designs Store! A collection of handmade items and vintage goodies for your crafting pleasure! Check it out - she has some pretty cool stuff including some awesome lace and trim from a French flea market (yes she lives in France).

Canvas Collage

I did my first canvas last week for my Ranger Inkling and I have to say I was very pleased with the out come. I used some Tim Holtz grungeboard and the "ghost" shapes are made from the plastic packaging that products come in that I used my Cuttlebug to die cut and colored with Alcohol Inks.

Supplies
Ranger: Adirondack Paint Dabbers, Tim Holtz Distress Ink, Tim Holtz Adirondack Alcohol Inks, Inkssentials Blending Tool & Foam, Inkssentials Mini Mister (with water),

Other: Tim Holtz Ideology Grungeboard, Blank Canvas, Foam Brushes, Stamp, Plastic Packaging (what some acrylic stamps and other products come in), Die Cutter or Scissors, Clothing or other tags, Lace or Vintage Ribbon, Dew Drops or other “jewels”

Playing with Paints

Here is the inkling that I did for February for my Ranger Inkling Group.

Supplies
Adirondack Paint Dabbers
Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint
Tim Holtz Distress Ink
Stickles (optional)
Ghost Shape/Stencil - Bird
Time Card or Shipping Label
Card form or cardstock to make your own card
Chipboard
Rub-ons
Ribbon

Method:
1. Cover time card and chipboard hearts with Paint Dabber and let dry completely.

2. Attach ghost shape to painted time card. Paint entire card (paitning around the ghost shape) with Crackle Paint. Let dry completely. Then remove the ghost shape.

3. Ink edges of card form with Distress Ink. Attach painted time card to front of card form. Embellish with chipboard hearts and ribbon. Apply rub-ons. Add sparkle to your hearts and bird shape with the Stickles (optional).

4. Present card to a loved one.

RAK Winner!!

Thanks for all the wonderful comments that were posted. I did a ramdom drawing and the winner of the RAK is:

Cheryl KDV - Congrats to you.

I hope that you will all come back and keep posting comments and please feel free to ask questions about any of my work.

New crafty post coming tomrrow!!!

A Year of My Life in Books

I love to read. I can spend hours in a book store just browsing books. I love how they smell, and how they look all together on the shelves and the feel of new pages. Ok so I may be a little weird LOL!!! My bookshelves at home have run out of room to the point where I am stacking books on top of each other. Last year my reading had declined somewhat but it has picked up again in the last couple months so I decided to document a year of my life by using the books I read. Here is the mini album (thanks sis for the album) that I altered to keep track of it all. I will post the pages as I fill them in. Of course I am already behind by two months but I think I can catch up. So look for the January and February pages coming soon.



Don't forget to post a comment on Thursday post for a chance to win a RAK. I'll be drawing the winner tomorrow evening.

Yummy Basic Grey Cards

I must confess that although I love Basic Grey paper that I am a slightly intimated by it, that is until last week when I threw caution to the wind and decided to just drive in. I made one card and was so pleased with it that I made two more and even a layout. Here for your viewing pleasure are the cards. The first one is based on a design that my sister Francine used to make a Valentine's card.

Don't forget to leave a comment on yesterday's post for a chance to win a RAK!!

Welcome Back RAK

Its been way too long since I posted to my blog but now that I have started back creating more consistently I want to get back to sharing some of my stuff. So as a welcome back to my blog I will draw one name from all who post a comment (please leave an e-mail address so I can contact you if you win) here by Sunday!

You can win these goodies:

And stay tuned for some new crafty inspiration.