Countdown to National Scrapbooking Day!

To kick-off  National Scrapbooking Day this Saturday {May 4} the Dream Team, Contributing Writers, & Contributing Editors at CK will be dropping by the Creating Keepsakes blog all week to share some scrap-lifted inspiration. 
The May/June 2013 issue of Creating Keepsakes is full of great scrapbook pages!
 Everybody looked through the issue and designed a new layout using a technique or design principle based off one of the layouts that inspired us.
*****
I was inspired by Hanna Long's "Love this Life" layout in the Simple Solutions for Fast Pages article on page 23.

{geez I hate how small 2-page layouts look on here! click to see if you can make it bigger!}

I love how much hand-written journaling she was able to get on her 2-page layout. 

I only wanted to make a 1-page layout, but I did want to dedicate a lot of the page to journaling too. 

I grabbed a sheet of lined patterned paper (from Glitz!) to use as the background of my page. 

It made for easy journaling! 

I added a little patterned paper, a few stickers, and some die cuts to the top half of the layout. 

Then I added the title and picture. 

The rest of the layout I saved for all my journaling. 

Supplies:

Patterned paper: Close to my Heart, Fancy Pants, Glitz

Stickers: Bella Blvd, Fancy Pants

Die Cuts: Elle's Studio

Chipboard: Echo Park

Pen: American Crafts

Adhesive: Scrapbook Adhesives (3L Adhesives)

Thanks, Hanna, for the inspiration!

Make sure to stop by the CK blog all week for all kinds of fun scraplifts and inspiration!

Have an awesome day!

:)

gretchen

My first experience with "Clings"

I have to admit that I am not a really experienced stamper and the new Bella Blvd "clings" stamps from Hampton Art kind of scared me at first. 

How the heck are things supposed to work??! 

After a little help from "Google" I quickly learned that they work just like acrylic stamps (you use a clear block and they "cling" to it!) but have that good ole rubber stamp quality. 

Very cool! 

On this card I used the heart stamp from the Bella Blvd "Love & Marriage" set. 

I stamped the heart on a couple different patterned papers and then cut out the hearts to make a fun border across the card.

On this next card, I stamped the wedding dress image from the "Love and Marriage" set onto a sheet of patterned paper and then cut it out. 

I used it as an embellishment for this card by adhering it with foam adhesive to a scalloped sticker and adhering the scalloped sticker to the card also with foam adhesive. 

I dressed up the card a little bit by adding a few pieces of bling to the stamped dress, to dot the "i", and along the scalloped border sticker. 

Hope you've had a great weekend!

:)

gretchen

CK Ed Board meeting

I had the great pleasure of making a trip out to Utah last week for the annual Creating Keepsakes Editorial Board meeting.

at the CK office

L to R: Stacy Cohen, Jana Morton, me, Joannie McBride, Jing-Jing Nickel, Autumn Baldwin, Laina Lamb

love these girls!!

It was a fun few days!

We "worked" a lot to plan articles, features, & special issues for the rest of 2013 and 2014. 

{you are going to love what's to come...if i do say so myself!}

And all of our hard work was rewarded with some time to play!

First stop: Stampin' Up! headquarters

L to R: Jing-Jing Nickel, Stacy Cohen, Laina Lamb, Autumn Baldwin, me, Jana Morton

Let me just tell you, Stampin' Up! is gorgeous! 

Totally not what I was expecting in a manufacturing "warehouse". 

I am kicking myself for not taking a picture of the outside of the building to share with you!

We got to tour the facility and see how they operate. 

Then we got to play!
And we got messy!
:)

But you know we had fun!
:)

L to R: Jing-Jing, Laina, Kerri Russell, Jennifer Schaerer, Stacy, Megan Hoeppner

Next stop: American Crafts!

I was only slightly excited about that. 

HA!

L to R: me, Jana, Jing-Jing, Stacy, Laina, Autumn

it sure was windy...check out my awesome hair!

We got to watch them whip up some pens. 

Very cool!

And don't be jealous, but they had a lot of Thickers there!

All good things must come to an end.

I was nervous before I went. 

I didn't really know anybody.

I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into.

But I am so glad I went!

I met some awesome girls.

I enjoyed being a part of the process. 

And I am stoked about the next year!

L to R: Jana, Laina, Jing-Jing, me

Happy Wednesday to ya!

:)

gretchen

Hampton Art + Echo Park

There's a fun blog hop going on for a few days!

Start the hop {here} on the Hampton Art blog.
Hop along and make sure to leave comments along the way for a chance to win some cool prizes!!

And prepare to be inspired!

:)

Have an awesome day!

gretchen

Win some Amy Tan loot!

Ooooh this is good stuff!!

Go to {this post} on the CK blog & leave a comment for a chance to win some of Amy Tan's uber-cool Sketchbook line.

Happy Monday!!

:)

gretchen

Queen & Co.

Happy Friday!

I have another giveaway you need to go enter!

Well you need to enter if you love fun, cute embellishments that is!

Check out this cool stuff from Queen & Co...

These are called "Twinkle Blooms".

There are pinwheels too!!
Soooo cute!

These are called "Stylish Stix".

Don't they look like so much fun!?!

And WASHI TAPE!!!

swooooon!!

Isn't this stuff great!?!

OK well there is a giveaway over on the CK blog for a chance to win some of this fabulous stuff!

Go to {this post} and leave a comment for a chance to win.

But hurry!

The contest closes on Monday!

:)
TGIF!

gretchen

Spring cards!

There are all kinds of fun, spring-y cards over on the Bella Blvd blog today!

And I've got a couple to share!

When I think of Spring I think pretty, colorful flowers! 

So I cut out several flowers from the Bella Blvd "Sand & Surf" line to use on this thank you card. 

And I used a red flower button as a fun center for one of the flowers.

 For this next card, I was really inspired by Laura Vegas's "Poolside" layout on this month's free Project Sheet from Bella Blvd. 

If you have not see it yet, check it out here: http://bellablvd.typepad.com/bella_blvd/2013/04/step-by-step-monthly-project-sheet-sand-surf.html

I love the big sun she created on her layout & I totally copied that idea on this card!

 I cut the sentiment out of the "Sand & Surf" Borders sheet and used a punch to add a few butterflies. 

I finished off the card with a couple of flags and buttons. 

Thanks for looking and thanks for stopping by today!
Happy Spring!
:)

gretchen

May/June issue of CK

The May/June issue of Creating Keepsakes is on sale now!

This is a fun issue full of wedding layouts, graduation pages, mini albums, & much more!

There is one cool article in there all about making cool flower accents.

And I have a layout in that article!

Wanna see it?!?
:)

(As seen in Creating Keepsakes magazine.  Copyright Creative Crafts Group. Posted with prior permission from the publisher.)

I created the flowers on this page by layering burlap, corrugated cardboard, and patterned paper. 

To add some color and sparkle to the cardboard, I painted each piece roughly with pink and green paint & then added some silver Stickles.

I finished off each flower with an epoxy brad and added leaves cut out of patterned paper.

Supplies:

Patterned paper (My Mind's Eye), Chipboard (Cosmo Cricket), Brads (KI Memories), Bling (KI Memories), Glitter glue & Ink (Ranger), Paint (Making Memories)
*****

Now go get a copy!
:)
gretchen

For a chance to win...

Go leave a comment on {this post} over on the CK blog for a chance with win this bunch of goodies from Basic Grey, Graphic 45, Die Cuts with a View, and Westcott!

Go now! 

Comment! 

Win!
:)

gretchen

Creative Memories BLOG HOP!!

Hi!

Welcome to my stop along the Creative Memories blog hop!

Thanks for coming by!

I've used the fabulous new "It's a Girl" and "It's a Boy" lines from Creative Memories to make a couple of cards.
Right off the bat I can think of 3 pregnant friends and/or family members so I can always use cards like this!

In fact it wouldn't hurt for me to make a few more just to have on hand.

:)

Creative Memories Supplies: 

It's a Boy Embossed Cardstock

It's a Boy Stack Pack

It's a Boy Stickers

It's a Girl Title Stickers

Foam Squares
Tape Runner

Creative Memories Supplies: 

It's a Girl Embossed Cardstock

It's a Girl Stack Pack

It's a Girl Stickers

It's a Girl Title Stickers

Foam Squares

Tape Runner

Here is a list of blogs and links for the entire hop.

Start here:

CM Traditional 411 Blog 
And then hop along to...

Beth Thomander 

Aly Dosdall 

Taraneh Heydary

 Gretchen McElveen (you are here!) 

Chris Robertson 

Ginger Williams   

Cindy Liebel 

 Jennie McGarvery  

End here:

CM Digital 411 Blog 

You know there is never a blog hop without prizes so make sure to leave comments along the way for your chance to win!

And the clue you need from me is: 

G

Thanks for playing along with us!!
:)

gretchen

All week

This fun little team-up is happening all week!

Check out the Bella Blvd and Petaloo blogs for all kinds of inspiration and chances to win great prizes!

:)

gretchen

3

Hey! Morning!

I've got a simple layout using the Flashback line from KI Memories to share today. 

I printed my pictures out in a collage, added the collage to the center of a sheet of Flashback patterned paper, and then basically decorated around it!

Easy! 

 

Here are a few close up pics...

I cut the "3" out of patterned paper and used lots of foam adhesive to adhere all the stickers. 

I love the dimension the foam adhesive gives to a layout!

Happy Monday to ya!

Thanks for stopping by & don't forget to stop back by for this later this week:

:)

gretchen

FYI

Webster's Pages

I recently got my hands on the oh-so-sweet New Beginnings line from Webster's Pages.

It is a perfect spring/Easter line!

This image does not really do it justice but you can at least get a little feel for how pretty this line is.

Wouldn't you like to get your hands on this line??
Well you can!
:)

Just go leave a comment on {this post} over on the CK blog for a chance to win this lovely prize from Webster's Pages!

Good luck!

And P.S. if any of you ever win anything over on the CK blog, make sure to tell me.

I would love to know!

:)

gretchen

A little red, white, & blue

I am still loving the new All American line from Bella Blvd!

I really like all the colors and fun patterns in this line.

I've made a few patriotic cards already so I wanted to try to do something a little different with this line and use it to make something beyond what it was originally designed for.

So I used the All American line to whip up a birthday card.

The fun stars in this line make for a great masculine birthday card!

Even though this line is a patriotic line with lots of stars & stripes, there are a bunch of fun flowers too! 

So I cut out a few of the flowers and made a "thank you" card.  

Then I used a lot of foam adhesive on this card to give it some fun dimension.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today and have a great day!

:)

gretchen

You really need to get in on this giveaway!!

There is another awesome giveaway up on the Creating Keepsakes blog!

And this one is REALLY good!

One lucky winner will receive Creative Memories Border Maker System along with five of their Border Maker Cartridges (Double Heart Chain, Evergreen, Frame Chain, Scallop Stitch, and You & Me), plus the Simple Stories Generations 12 x 12 Collection kit.

I love this border maker system!

It is so easy to use and there are lots of great borders to choose from.

Here are a few layouts I made for Creative Memories using the system. 

OK now go leave a comment on {this post} over on the CK blog for a chance to win!

Do it! Do it!!

:)

gretchen