Sporty Ribbons Card

Need another basic card formula?  This one is a true GO TO for me.  It works for so many occasions!  This sample is done using the Sporty Stack Pack paper/die cuts.

And the Sporty Stickers.

Let's get started with the card.  It's an easy one!~

The measurements for the card elements can be varied to fit your needs.  Did you miss the cards using the Seasons paper pack?  Two more formulas for cards were given in that post.  Go here to see the Seasons Cards for NSD.

Up next, graduation cards.  I have three samples to share with you using the graduation card theme.  One is a flat card, another is a gift card holder and the last one is a check/money holder.  Photo tutorials for the grad cards coming soon - stay tuned.

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Seasons Cards for NSD 2013

A bit about cards.

A few years ago, I promised to make EVERY card I sent.  And pretty much, I've stuck to that commitment.   With all of the fabulous paper and stickers and tools every scrapbooker has in their cache, there's no reason to do otherwise.

Card making is a great way to use up the last bits of a paper or additions pack once all the scrapbook pages have been made.  It's also a way to create something handmade, and special for the folks who receive the handmade cards.  Over the past couple of years, I've been developing some card concepts and formulas that help simplify the process.

Here are the cards I will show you today.

First - just like with scrapbook pages, card templates, formulas or blueprints are super time savers.  Know or learn a few good formulas and repeat them over and over again with small variations like different papers or a mirrored arrangement.

Second - it doesn't take many supplies to make a card and you can whip up a card really really fast and it still looks great so you definitely do NOT have the excuse of it taking too much time.  Besides, the cost savings is clearly evident.  Even an ugly store bought card can cost nearly $3.99 these days - insane!

Third - if I make a card just to use up supplies or to teach a new card design or formula, I make "flat cards." Flat cards are great because they are easier to store and you can always mount a flat card to the front of a folded card in the future.  Sometimes I even use JUST the flat card and I add a journaling area to the back of the card.

Fourth - Envelopes are easy to make also - any custom size.  I will do a post about DIY envelopes in the near future so look for that sometime soon.

Today, I want to give you the formula to make two super easy cards.  My samples use the Seasons paper pack.  How beautiful either of these cards would be for Mother's Day.  Didn't get a card yet - there's still time to make one of these (if you don't need to mail it that is).

Here are the instructions for the first card.

Remember, as with all of my designs... you DON'T have to copy my papers, colors and patterns.  If you don't like to use a lot of patterns together, well, make your cards with fewer patterns and more solids - that's the beauty.  Use the card formula and make the card your own.

Here are the instructions for the second card.

A note about the second card.  It is typically my policy to post designs that only use the current tools and products in the Creative Memories product line.  With this card I have broken that rule and I've used the butterfly pocket punch.  This punch was one of my favorites.  However, it was a limited release product and is no longer available.  You can opt for a different punch, hunt down a butterfly punch tool from another source or add a butterfly sticker to the front of the white circles.  You could also create a butterfly using the Cricut System (I don't own or use that, so you're on your own in that direction).

I hope these card designs find you leisurely sipping on a mimosa or drinking a very late morning cuppa coffee or tea.  I hope you can enjoy some beautiful weather where you live (picture perfect weather here where I am; sunny, breezy, cool, NOT HUMID -yay) and begging me to head outside to read and crochet while my family cleans up the yard a bit so we can enjoy our "red neck fire pit" (aka weber grill set up on a big log and filled with small pieces of firewood) and my hubby and I can have a bottle of champagne outside later this evening.  Yes, that was a serious run-on sentence, but I claim poetic license today to be grammatically absurd!

Happy Scrappy, Happy Mother's Day!

Circle Tag Cartridge: Outside the Box for NSD 2013

The Circle Tag cartridge is the newest addition to the Shape Maker tool.  It's a new product just released in May of 2013.  The cartridge looks like this:

The current issue of the May/June mini product catalog shows the tool here in it's standard use as a tag element, punched from paper.  The sample shows the Sporty Paper Stack Pack.  Super cute.

But, there's more the circle tag can do.  Here are just a few ideas.  Invent some more!

The catalog sample shows the circle tag hung over the edge of a piece of paper with the solid circle showing.  Try hanging it over the edge of a paper with the open circle portion showing.  I'm calling this "Tags in Reverse."  I've used the open space to add one letter - written with our dual tip pen in each opening.

Below the Tags in Reverse is a row of "Fold-over Tags."  To make fold over tags, you want to use a double sided paper.  You don't need to use many different papers as I did but you do want the front and back to be different.  Once you punch the tags, fold the solid circle back and overlap it into the open circle of the tag sitting next to it.  Use tape to adhere the solid circles to the border strip thus holding down the open circle without having to add any tape to that skinny portion.

To the right is a vertical border using a technique I'm calling "Tag Links."  This technique doesn't require double sided paper or even different papers.  Each tag gives a little hug to the tag below it by linking the two together.  When you've got them all hooked together you can kind of pick them up like a Barrel of Monkeys (remember that game?)

So... did I start you thinking?  What other things can you do with the Circle Tag cartridge?  Feel free to share your ideas with me!  Happy Scrapping. 

Up next, I have two card designs created with the Seasons Paper pack - stay tuned.

Notebook Cartridge: An Outside the Box Lesson for NSD 2013

The newest addition to the cartridge that work with the Creative Memories Bordermaker System is the Notebook Cartridge.  Notebook is a new product just released on May 1st.

The notebook cartridge turns any paper into a spiral notebook edge.  It's easy to use and works great.  But, there's more...

If you start thinking OUTSIDE of the spiral notebook edge, you can do all kinds of things with this cartridge.  Here are just a few ideas.  I'm sure you have more.  Kick your brain into high gear and play with your new tools!  Here we go.

Use the notebook border in combination with other paper strips and even other cartridges to create very geometric looking borders.  Depending on the paper you use and how you combine these geo-looking designs, these could serve as great additions on an African Travel Photo page or a Native American themed page.

Are you working on a theater or dance page?  Use the notebook negative space (the cut out scraps) to look like dressing room lights - 

How about this - Spiral borders turned outward and attached to a piece of lined paper - super fast journaling element on any "elementary" page.

Or this...flip the border the other direction for an even different look.  Highlight a special quote or title.

Next, you might want to play around with... WEAVING your notebook borders.

And last but not least - this one's my FAVORITE!!!

NOTEBOOK Little Monsters!  How cute is this?  I love love love this silly little border - how about you?

Happy Scrapping.  Next up, the Shape Maker Circle Tag cartridge - outside the box.

Sloppy Squares: A Simplify Squares Photo Tutorial for NSD 2013

This is the final installment in the Simplify Squares series.  It's called Sloppy Squares.  It's so simple you won't believe it.  I use this technique ALL THE TIME with any shape really- or mixed shapes even.

A sloppy square border is a great way to highlight all of the papers in a coordinating pack.  In the examples shown, the border is embellished with Summer Title stickers and Spring Dual Layer stickers.

Let's get started:

Voila - done!  How was that for fast and easy?

Here are some views of the borders shown in the Simplify Squares series:

And here is a product plug for the It's a Boy and It's a Girl Stack Packs.  I LOVE them!  I don't have any babies anymore, but the paper in these packs is so so cute, I just had to buy it.  I gave away the two pages of die cuts that came with these stack packs at my NSD event.  The die cut pages went to the two attendees with the youngest boy and girl at home (congratulations Beth and Marisa!).

And here's the other bonus, the papers in the boy and girl stack packs coordinate REALLY well with the color palette in the seasons paper pack.  Awesome.  Love it.  Enjoy.

Still looking for more lessons.  Well, no worries, I'll keep 'em coming.  The next lesson features the Bordermaker notebook cartridge - it's part 1 in a 2-part "thinking outside the box" series that I showed at my NSD 2013 event.  Stay Tuned.

Happy Scrapping.  (And one last photo of all of the designs I've showed you so far).

Simplify Squares Photo Tutorial: Patchwork Triangle Squares NSD 2013

I love it when patchwork and stitching cross over into the paper world.  I teach a lot of lessons that remind me of what I like to do with a sewing machine and this lesson exemplifies that.

Triangle Squares are easy and I'm sure have more variations than I can name here so I'll show you ONE border sample and you can take the concept and run with it in your own direction.

Keep in mind, that whenever you have a square, you are just one or more diagonal cut away from triangles and that's why this tutorial is in the Simplify Squares lesson set.  Did you see the other Simplify Squares posts  here on the blog?  Well if not, click the links below to view the photo tutorials for those lessons.

1. Rectangle Ribbons
2. Card Trick
3. Double Card Trick

Patchwork Triangle Squares are easy.  Let's get started:

Fun, right?  So get started creating some paper quilt borders - Happy Scrapping!

Stay tuned for the next Simplify Squares tutorial called: Sloppy Squares.

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Simplify Squares: Double Card Trick for NSD 2013

Did you like my tutorial about making CARD TRICK from four 2" squares?  If you didn't see it go here to get instructions.  Well, this tutorial is DOUBLE the fun.  I'm calling it double card trick.

I saw this design on the front of a set of seasonal cards posted by fellow cmc, Maureen Feist.  Though I don't personally know Maureen, I do know that she's full of great ideas and I was happy to be able to take inspiration from her generously shared designs.  Thanks Maureen!

Here is my version of Double Card Trick and a step-by-step photo tutorial for how to create one for a scrapbook page or the front of a card.  Let's get started.

The paper used in this design is from the NSD Seasons Paper Pack.

After the last NSD blog post I said the next lesson would be about Triangle Squares...well, Double Card Trick jumped to the front of the line and got posted first.  Stay tuned for Triangle Squares.

AND... if you are unsure how to follow a blog or stay connected so that you don't miss any lessons or posts, follow one of THESE POSTED INSTRUCTIONS on how to stay tuned in.

Happy Scrapping!

Additional Note:  I was contacted by cmc Maureen on whose card designs I saw the double card trick.  Maureen gave me two pieces of information about this design.  One, she got this design from cmc Pam Winn (I am a long time fan of Pam Winn's designs) so I want to make sure Pam gets credit for the inspiration.  

Also, to create the white background on the double card trick, Maureen used two squares, one backing the design in a square pattern and the other backing the design in a diamond pattern rather than mounting one white square and snipping around.  Thanks Maureen for letting me know!

NSD 2013 Design Inspiration: Sporty!

Changing it up a bit from all the lessons.  How's about a bit of design inspiration?

One of the new products that was just released in MAY is the Sporty Stack Pack and coordinating Sporty Stickers.  How awesome are these?



First - it's a TON of product.  I will be sharing my designs below.  Take note that I didn't even use HALF of the paper in the stack pack.  Second, it's so NON-specific that it can be used for a bunch of page designs - not just sports.

However, if you are using it for sports, you can do so year after year and sport after sport.  The pack is not sport specific, so any sport you are debuting on your page is bound to match with the bold geometric patterns and the primary palette of colors.

Pick up a Sporty Stack Pack NOT just for sports but for a bit of everything.

Here are the boards at a glace and further down, I've taken photos of them in portions for closer viewing.

There are no specific instructions to create my designs because they are so easy to figure out - just cut and punch - everything in the sporty pack works together.  I did try to corral my colors together a bit - you'll see.  Enjoy and I hope you like the Sporty supplies as much as I did.

Simplify Squares/Rectangle Ribbons: NSD 2013 Photo Tutorial

I love to crochet - I'm seriously obsessed with crochet.  One of my favorite things to crochet is buntings and banners - I cannot have too many of them.  In the scrapbook world, I re-create that happy sensation with paper banners and ribbons.  They are fast and easy and can be changed up a bunch of ways.

So - here's a cool thing... every square is a future set of rectangles with just ONE snip of the scissors!  Squares are simple but they also quite easily supply you with a second shape.

Let's get started with squares and end up with rectangle ribbons.  Here goes:

Okay - stay tuned.  The next Simplify Squares tutorial is called Triangle Squares (did you see that coming?)

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Card Trick Squares: NSD 2013 Tutorial

Card trick is actually a quilting pattern.  I discovered it years ago in a quilting book.  Then, I re-visited card trick about 10 years ago when I taught a Creative Memories Crop Talk lesson about quilting.  There were two lessons about quilting and I taught them over and over again - they were a big hit.

The NSD Seasons paper pack kind of reminds me of quilt fabric and the card trick pattern came to mind.

Let's start making the card trick.  Card trick uses the Shape Maker tool with the square cartridge for its squares, but the squares can be cut with a 7" trimmer as well.  The samples use the NSD Seasons Paper Pack.

Check out my sample at the top of the page to see how I used very simple embellishments for my card trick design.  Consider making them out of smaller squares and putting one in each corner of a traditional page.

This lesson is the first of several in the theme of Simplify with Squares.  I also did a series of lessons and tutorials about Simplify with Circles.  Check circle lesson #1 here.  Search the blog for 4 other circle lessons using the NSD paper.

Next up - Simplify with Squares/Rectangle Ribbons - stay tuned for MANY more NSD lessons.