A "bonne" card tutorial!

At Scrap That Moment, we love the Place in Time calendar cut-apart sheets from Graphic 45! This double-sided patterned paper is perfect not only for calendar and layout designs, but for making beautiful cards, too.

STM Senior Designer Barb Prendergast  found that with a little planning and careful cutting, she could use BOTH sides of one sheet of patterned paper for her lovely Bonne Fete card, which appears on today's Scrap That Moment Facebook Page.


She started with the March Place In Time Cut-Apart:

First, she carefully chose the motifs she wanted to use for her card. She used the post card; the square with the birds and nest; the postage stamps; the green pansy strip; and a part of the Bonne Fete border. She cut out ONLY those pieces, then saved the rest of the sheet.

Next, she turned over the paper and cut two strips -- one of the beige and lavender floral, and a wider one of the lavender check. She inked the edges with Tim Holtz Distress Ink by Ranger Industries, then adhered to a 5 x 6 1/2 inch white cardstock card base:

Then she went to work on the rest of the elements. She used the Tim Holtz by Tonic Edge Distresser on the edges of her smaller pieces, then inked with distress ink. (Note: the little sponge finger daubers sold at STM are perfect for getting a soft aged effect!)

Next, she used her Martha Stewart by EK Success border punch on the edge of the Groovy Grape cardstock, then adhered the postage stamp strip. She used the Groovy Grape to back the bird motif also. She cut a Bonne Fete from the purple strip and backed it with green Kaisercraft cardstock; she also adhered the postcard to green cardstock.

To put the card together, Barb first adhered the pansy trip vertically down the side of the card. She adhered the postage stamp strip horizontally to the card, over the pansy strip:

Next, she adhered the post card image to the front of the card, overlapping both the pansy and postage stamp strips.

She punched a hole with a 1/8 inch hole punch (the kind you use for school projects or in an office), and tied ribbon through the hole. She used Ranger Industries' Pop It! foam circles on the back of the bird motif to attach it to the post card. Barb loves adding some dimension to her projects, and the Pop It shapes are so easy to use!

Last, she attached the Bonne Fete strip. Now for the fun part -- decorating! Barb used her punch to punch a small circle, then attached with a piece of a Pop It foam circle and covered with Glossy Accents to make a quick "button". She used Liquid Pearls and Stickles to accent parts of the patterned paper designs.  And here is her finished card:

You can find everything you need to make Barb's card (or to design your own project!) at Scrap That Moment. We're open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended hours on Friday evenings. Be sure to join us for our Friday night crop from 6 p.m. to midnight (reservations required) and for the Saturday morning 10 a.m. classes (again, reservations needed so we can be sure to have enough available materials).

A spring card and faux button tutorial

Ready for spring to arrive? So are we!

STM Senior Designer Barb Prendergast  is getting in the spring mode with this cute card. She used the Maggie Holmes collection by Crate Paper in the 6 x 6 pad ($5.99) along with Worldwin cardstock (.59 a sheet) and finished with Creative Imaginations sheer ribbon (.39 a yard). She cut her latticed border with a Martha Stewart by EK Success punch.

Have you ever wondered how Barb gets those buttons that match her projects? She makes them from the scraps from her project! Here's how:

FAUX BUTTON TECHNIQUE


1.  Gather your materials:
     patterned paper scrap
     colored cardstock scrap (I used Worldwin Cascada because it's sturdy)
     additional cardstock scraps (these won't show, so any color will do)
     Pioneer gluestick
     Creative Imaginations sheer ribbon or May Arts sheer natural burlap twine

     Martha Stewart by EK Success circle punch and scalloped circle punch
     Paper piercer, sharp skewer or large darning needle
     Distress Ink by Ranger Industries or ColorBox Cat's Eye Pigment Brush Pad (optional)

2.  Punch a circle from your patterned paper, and a scalloped circle from colored cardstock. Punch one to three circles from  cardstock (these will be used for extra thickness and will not show on your finished button, so any color will do). Ink the outside edge of your button if you wish.

3.  With the gluestick, adhere the patterned paper circle to top of colored cardstock scalloped circle.

4.  Using the paper piercer, needle or skewer, punch two button holes, making sure to go through both layers. You may need to push the piercer through the holes (push down, then come back up through hole) to make them large enough for your twine or ribbon. Make sure button holes are about 3/8 inch apart and centered on your button, so the holes don't rip through when you add the ribbon.

5.  Thread the ribbon through the button holes and tie in bow or knot at the top. Last of all, glue one or more of your remaining cardstock circles onto the back. One will give you a smooth back, which makes adhering to your project easier. Additional circles will add extra dimension to your button so it will really "stand out" on your finished project.

She added one faux button, backed with three thin cardstock circles, to this past project:

She added two buttons, each backed with only one additional cardstock circle for easier mailing, to this little card:

We hope you enjoyed this tutorial for quick and EASY accents using your scraps! Visit Scrap That Moment today for more fun ideas and inspiration from the STM designers.

Cards that "pop"!

How to take your cards from okay to fabulous?

Add something that "pops"! It can be color, or texture, or an unusual embellishment.

STM Senior Designer Barb Prendergast shows how just a couple of quick details can add a whole lot of punch to your project. Below is a birthday card she made for one of the men in her family.  She used some of the more "male" colors in American Crafts' Soho Garden collection, including two flowers out of a patterned paper for that fantastic jolt of lime green. Men DO like flowers, just in small doses!

For a little pop of color, she added small punched circles of Best Creation's glitter cardstock in peacock:

Then, for even MORE color, she punched circles from scraps of other patterns in the Soho Gardens collection. She finished them with  Crackle Accents dimension medium by Ranger Industries for a little shine and texture. She attached her circles to the cards with Ranger Industries Pop It! foam dots for some great dimension:

For the sentiment, she printed her greeting on scrap cardstock via her computer and printer, then outlined with Distress Markers by Ranger Industries. A piece of May Arts dark brown burlap twine "ties it up with a bow".

This whole card took less than 30 minutes to make. How's that for fast and fabulous? And best of all, you can find everything you need to make this card at Scrap That Moment!

Supplies: Vanilla cardstock, Worldwin Papers;  Soho Gardens patterned paper collection, American Crafts; glitter cardstock, Best Creation Inc.; Antique Linen Distress Ink,  Walnut Stain Distress Marker,  Pop It! foam  shapes, Glossy Accents dimension medium, Ranger Industries; dark brown natural burlap twine, May Arts; Photo Glue Stick, Pioneer Photo Album Inc.; Cutter Bee scissors, EK Success. Other supplies: paper cutter, small paint brush, computer and printer. 

Let's make a card with Soho Garden!

Have you ever looked at a layout or card and wondered "how did the designer make that"? Designs that look complicated often are easy to copy; you just need to break the project into components or steps.

I copied most of the elements of this card from American Crafts design team member Jill Cornell, with a few changes so that I could use materials from Scrap That Moment. The papers are from American Crafts' Soho Garden collection, which is full of bright colors and bold prints. (Scrap That Moment has collection packs that include all of the 20 Soho Garden patterns plus a set of black glitter Thickers alphabet, or you may purchase individual pieces. Trust me, all of the patterns are delightful!)

Below you will find directions for making this card yourself. It looks like a lot of steps, but it actually goes together quickly and easily.

Materials:
American Crafts Soho Garden: Canal Street, Gramercy Park, Eldridge Street, Grande Street, High Line Park, Orchard Street
Best Creations Glitter Cardstock,  Peacock
Worldwin kraft paper; Worldwin Colormates, Dark Autumn Red
Maya Road Baker's Twine
Ranger Industries: Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad (I used Antique Linen and Tea Dye, but Vintage Photo or Walnut Stain also work well); Glossy Crackle Accents; Stickles glitter glue and Liquid Pearls, various colors
Tim Holtz Edge Distresser tool by Tonic Studios
Cutter Bee 5-inch scissors
Edge punch tool of choice
Other supplies:
foam dots; adhesive of choice (I used Alene's Tacky Glue, Pioneer Glue Stick, and a tape runner)
die cutting machine and dies; stamp and ink; 3/8 inch round punch; 1/8 inch handheld office hole punch; sewing machine and white thread; paper cutter; scoring tool;  sponge applicator

1. Cut a 10 inch by 7 inch piece of kraft cardstock; score at 5 inches and fold into 5 x 7 inch card base. Ink edges using sponge and distress ink pad.

2. Cut a 4 3/4 x 3 1/2 inch piece of Canal Street paper, and a 4 3/4 x 3 inch piece of Gramercy Park paper. Ink edges. Adhere to kraft card as shown, leaving 1/8 inch border at top, bottom and sides of card. NOTE: If you plan to sew on the card, keep your adhesive to the center only. You don't want your needle and thread to have to pass through the adhesive.

3. Open your card and place the front under your sewing machine needle. Sew around your patterned paper with machine as shown (about 1/4 inch from the outside edges of card front).

4. Cut a 1 x 4 3/4 inch strip of glitter cardstock and use an edge punch on the bottom edge only. Cut a 1/4 x 4 3/4 inch strip of the striped side of Canal Street paper and ink edges. Adhere to top of glitter cardstock; adhere entire strip over the seam of the Canal Street and Gramercy Park papers.

5. Cut a 3 x 4 1/2 inch piece from the ledger side of Eldridge Street paper. Use edge distresser tool around all edges; ink edges. Tie baker's twine around top. Adhere to card as shown.

6. Cut a 2 1/4 x 1 1/2 inch strip from Grande Street (chevron side); trim bottom as desired (I followed the chevon pattern) and ink edges. Adhere to ledger paper on card, overlapping slightly onto the Canal Street print.

7. Using Cutter Bee scissors, cut five teacup motifs from High Line Park paper. Arrange as desired and adhere to ledger paper, overlapping slightly onto the edge of the Grande Street strip. Cut a large flower motif from Orchard Street paper (I chose a turqoise one) and use foam dots to adhere to card as shown. Note: If you cut a bit of the black border from the cups or flower, just use a fine-tip black pen to fill in the outline if needed.

8. Add sentiment to your card using stamps, die cut letters, American Crafts Thickers or stickers as desired.  (I used red Worldwin cardstock and a die cutter to cut the word YOU and a small stamp for JUST FOR)  I used a 3/8 inch circle punch to punch small circles from the dotted side of High Line Park, which I attached to the card with foam dots and covered with a thin coat of Glossy Crackle Accents. I used one of those 1/8 inch handheld hole punches from my office supplies to punch small blue flowers from the Orchard Street papers. I adhered them to the ledger paper with glue.

9. Accent as desired with Stickles glitter glue and Liquid Pearls.

Usually when I use kraft or colored cardstock as a card base, I cut a white piece of cardstock a bit smaller than my card and adhere to the inside. It's much easier to write my message on that and much easier to read, too.

Scrap That Moment has the Soho Garden collection, as well as several other exciting lines from American Crafts, Studio Calico and Crate Paper. And you'll want to check out the new colors of Stickles, Liquid Pearls and Mr. Huey's Mists now in stock. Scrap That Moment is open from 10 a.m to 5 pm. Tuesday through Saturday; and join us for a Friday night crop or Saturday morning class! Lynette will have the coffee brewing and will be happy to help you with all of your scrapbooking and crafting needs.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you enjoyed the card tutorial!
Barb Prendergast, STM Senior Designer


 

Sewing on a scrapbook project

We've found that many of our Scrap That Moment customers, in addition to scrapbooking and cardmaking, also like to sew. How many of you have combined the two hobbies? It's really easy and fun to sew on your layouts or cards, and it adds so much texture and dimension!

STM Senior Designer Barb Prendergast  recently completed a scrapbook layout for display at Scrap That Moment, incorporating machine stitching into the layout's framework. Here's her lovely page:

Barb said about her page, "Because of the heavy embellishments, the layout needed some extra support. I used my sewing machine to sew the layout onto a second piece of cardstock. The stitching not only added some great dimension to my page; it also was a secure way to add the necessary sturdiness that it needed to support those heavy flowers."

Here are close-ups of her stitching:

Barb shared a couple of tips to keep in mind when machine stitching on a scrap project:

1) Start with a medium needle. You want one that's sturdy enough to pierce the layers of paper easily, but not so big that it will make big holes in your project.

2) Choose a fairly small stitch, but make sure the tension isn't too tight. Paper doesn't "give" the way fabric does, so if your tension is too tight, the paper may bunch up or tear.

3) Don't try to go through too many heavy layers. Barb's project above included a layer of patterned paper from Kaisercraft; a sheet of Worldwin cardstock; and another, unseen cardstock sheet from her stash at home. She recommends keeping the layers down to two or three when you machine-stitch.

4) Watch the adhesive! Make sure to keep the glue, tape runner, etc., away from the area in which you're going to stitch. Barb used adhesive in the center of her layers to hold them together, but kept the glue free and clear of her stitching area. Going through adhesive may cause your needle to "gum up" and prevent it from moving through your paper.

So, the next time you're in a mood to create, try combining your scrapbooking AND sewing to take your project to a new level! 

Calling all sweethearts ....

Don't miss the Sweetheart Stroll this Friday evening in downtown Princeton. Scrap That Moment is joining 14 locally owned businesses for an evening of inspiration, atmosphere and fun.  The store will be open until midnight -- have you reserved your crop table yet? Please call the store to reserve your spot!

While you're in the store, check out the fabulous inspiration from Lynette and her team of talented designers. You'll see creations like these:

From Lynette:

From Barb:

From Chris:

From Melody:

All of this Valentine's scrapping and gift inspiration -- and more! -- is waiting for you at Scrap That Moment! We're open from 10 am. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and until midnight (with a weekly crop, tables by reservation) on Friday.