Halloween Layout - Haunted House - Accucut Craft Challenge

I am in the process of building a Halloween album from scratch.  I have 2 of 5 signatures done.  Those two signatures equate to 8 layouts!  I'm building my album based on one of the dies in the Theme Album by  Accucut Craft.  I wanted to complete the album for the GrandeMark Challenge, but the contest closes on May 31 and there is no way I will be done the other 12 layouts.

Here's the A-Side of the first signature.  I made a sleeve for the Theme Album die.  The book will be bound at the left with the pages pulling out at the right.  I like the idea of the pockets being closed at the top to help prevent dust from falling in to the album.

The haunted house is a die cut by Sizzix.  The large tags are made from Gift Tag #16 by Accucut Craft.  The pumpkin and coffin are from a stamp set and the skull was designed by me on my BossKut Gazelle.  This tag is quite large - so it will fit a 3" by 5" photo graph and is plain on the back where you can journal.

The pull out page is the Theme Album die.  I designed the bat on my BossKut Gazelle and cut it with Scor Tape on it so I could put on the purple glitter.  The tree is a border die by Lifestyle Crafts.  The Theme Die is big enough that a full sized 4" by 6" photograph could fit on the damask mat here.

So, those are the first two layouts on the A-Side of signature one.  Stay tuned for more!

Robot Birthday Card for a Boy

I am approaching my first class of the year now that Canadian tax season is behind us!  The actual very first class of the year was with a guest teacher, so this one will be the first of the year that I myself am leading for my creative crew.

This class we will make: one holiday card to get our stash started, one masculine card, and one girly card.  My crew is always on the look out for ways to use up scraps.  One way to use up scraps is to save them for die cuts, which we will be using in our class.  Another way is to create ribbon-like strips.

Here is the masculine card we will be making where I used this scrap-centric technique.  I made this card for my youngest nephew's birthday, but it would work for any guy.

I especially like the "geek speak" stamp for the kids.  I'd probably use something else for an older man.  The stamp set is called "Bunch of Bots" by My Favorite Things.  I recently bought these patterned papers in a Die Cuts with a View stack.  I made some birthday cards with them and ended up with some strips.  So, I used the strips on this card.  Even the mat behind the robot and the white card the robot is stamped on is from the scraps!

I stamped the robot and embossed it with black embossing power.  I coloured it with my Copic marker, trying very hard not to touch the embossing.  The marker did drag the powder.  Maybe I'll try it with my Crayola watercolour markers instead next time.

Do you have tips for using up your scraps?

Give a Poem a Home: Mother's Day Card 2013

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms of the world!  I made a card for my mother-in-law.  I used a technique I saw on Stamp TV by Gina K. Designs to make the background design.  I love her tutorials for the clarity of instruction.  It's just the right pace and, even when something takes a little longer to do than to explain, she offers great little tips and tidbits while she finishes the step.

My own mother passed away years ago.  When I saw this die cut butterfly by Memory Box, it called to me.  It's name is Vivienne.  That was my mother's name.  I rarely see it spelled this way.  I knew I had to have this butterfly no matter the cost and no matter how far it had to be shipped from.  (Luckily for me, I found it in province!)

So, this card is extra special to me.  It is has both my mothers in it!  Here is the poem I composed for the inside:

You are a mother, so loved, so kind.
We could search the Earth and never find
A mother quite as good as you
To raise us up and see us through.
With a smile and hug we say
Have a lovely Mother's Day!

Dragonfly Get Well Card - GrandeMark Challenge Entry 2

No long ago, my eldest aunt had a minor stroke, so I had to churn out a personally hand made get well card.  She lives far away in New Brunswick.  One the one hand, she made out pretty lucky: she was at home (where healthcare coverage is readily at hand instead of in Florida helping with the grandkids) and it was on the right side of the brain (which controls creativity and the left side of the body.  The left side of the brain controls logic and speech.)  She was severely weakened and had to regain balance and strength, but her speech and logical brain functions were perfectly fine.  Losing speech and having to learn to read, write and speak all over again must be extremely frustrating for other stroke victims.  You know what you want to say or write, but it just doesn't come out right.  Thankfully, she was spared that extra stress.

I used another of my newest Accucut Craft dies on this one: Dragonfly #2.  I also used a custom made die I had done by their Custom Shape Pros.  It's one of the ovals from my Custom Locket Album die with a debossed pattern on the front.


I used a matching set of stamps from Close To My Heart.  The outside says: "Just a little prayer..." and the inside says, "... that God will keep you in his care."  I inked the oval a wee bit and I also distressed and inked the patterned paper.  I used Annabelle Stamps' icicle sprinkles to add a little twinkle.  I used the same card for a co-worker who is off for spinal surgery, since I sent the cards at the same time.