Back to School!

I love fall... and school supplies!

My favorite part of fall was "back to school" shopping. New clothes, shoes, haircuts, and school supplies! When I was in elementary school in the early '80s, we had to cover our textbooks. It was a creative process using brown paper bags that mom saved after grocery shopping. We weren't really recycling, but you didn't throw those things away. You might need them for something!

After we covered our books, we could decorate them to our little hearts' content! That was waaaaay before craft supplies were popular. All we had were crayons and a limited color selection of Sharpie markers 🙄.

I'm channeling my inner "grade school Wendy" and came up with a fun "back to school" book project for the Crafter's Castle Back to School video hop, featuring Taylormadecards4u.

Click HERE to watch the video on YouTube. Be sure to read the detailed instructions in the description box below each video. There you will find the full list of hoppers and guidelines to enter for a chance to win a Taylormadecards4u Passport to School digital kit. The hop lasts through Saturday, Sept 7, 2019, giving you plenty of time to watch, subscribe and comment on all 7 designers' videos for your chance to win!

I was inspired by Teresa Morgan's cascading mini-album, but I made a few adjustments to fit my project. 

I am fascinated by interactive cards and books, and this one is no exception. I added some die-cut windows in each pocket to house ATCoins that I will make to fit inside. With a gentle tug to the left, the accordion spine mechanism cascades out to reveal all the inside "pages".

Slide the pages to the right, and they neatly fold back into a book!

The top pocket allows for easily removing the ATCoins for closer viewing!

The Passport to School digital kit has numerous backgrounds and images for decorating. The sweet image on the cover is my favorite!

If you are inspired and want to create one of these little albums for yourself, click HERE to download a free copy of the PDF file I created with detailed cutting and assembly instructions. I have also designed an SVG cut file of this project as a bonus prize. Leave a comment below for your chance to win!

Visit Monica Taylor's blog to check out more inspiration from the Taylormadecards4u design team using the Passport to School kit and add-ons. Stay tuned for more "back to school" projects from the Taylormadecards4u design team on September 15!

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A Little Frappe Makes Everything Better

I just rekindled a romance with the Silhouette Cameo. It was there all the time and I didn't even realize I needed it. It was practically brand new, I only used it a handful of times, so I dusted it off and turned it on. Everything was working fine, I even upgraded to the Design Studio. $50 later, and an hour of creating a design, and I was ready to print and cut. Nothing happened. The machine wouldn't register. I spent another two hours fiddling with it before I tried to contact customer service. Apparently, my "old" machine isn't compatible with Windows 10 😳. FRAPPE!!! They refunded my upgrade and I went about my business for a few days.

Of course, a design team project idea comes up later in the week and I need the Cameo. FRAPPE!!! My husband asked me if I could make custom t-shirts for our business and I needed the Cameo. FRAPPE!!! The third time is the charm and I broke down and ordered a brand new Silhouette Cameo 3...on sale...and I found a good home for my gently used original machine and I'm happily back in business.

(20th Century Fox movie intro music) ♪♫♪

"I don't give a frappe!" card using the Silhouette Studio Pop Up Creator...

I thought I didn't give a frappe, but it was just what I needed!

Today's post is part of the "Food and Drink" challenge at Cupcake Inspirations!

STAMPlorations is our sponsor and they are generously providing a $20 gift code to our randomly chosen winner!

I used one of the Fruity Frappe digital images from their digital store to create my pop-up feature. There are lots of free digital images in the digital store too, be sure to check them out!  Let's see what you can dish out! Click HERE to link up your foodie projects with us!

SUPPLIES USED:

Below you can find a list with all the products used today. Links to multiple online shops are available. Just click the static image below to be redirected to the LinkDeli product list. When the bookmarklet opens, click your favorite store link below each item. Compensated affiliate links may be used – that means if you make a purchase using my links, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support of my work on this blog!

CHALLENGES ENTERED:

STAMPlorations Anything Goes Challenge

Color Throwdown 557

Crafter's Castle Anything Goes Challenge August 2019

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"V" is for Violence

My first introduction to horror movies as a little girl was Dracula starring Christopher Lee. I still sleep with my blankets around my neck!

I'm not a fan of gore, but I do enjoy a good psychological thriller. The "Psycho" shower scene scared me so badly in junior high that I was afraid to close my eyes while bathing (for years)!

Over time, my sense of horror has leaned to the witty dark side.

Hence, my macabre creation as the guest artist for the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers "V" for Violent! The sentiment sounds like something a homicidal maniac would write to their victim, so I wrote it with a black Sharpie using my non-dominant left hand and added some inky fingerprints!

Jewelry should be displayed prominently when given as a gift, right? So I found a pop-up tunnel card tutorial for the occasion.

The really creepy part of all of this was the warning in the directions I looked up for how to tie a noose 😳 (audible gulp). This is your opportunity to vent and show us your violent interpretation in a no-contact-don't-get-arrested-crafty kind of way!

Click HERE to link up your creation on the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers blog!

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Kitty Glitter

When you need advice you go to someone with experience. Laura is the cat guru/kitty whisperer.

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A post shared by Kitches (@lolr33scats)

My dilemma was that I needed a quote to go with this "purr-fectly comfortable kitty" stamp image...

DRS Designs Purr-fectly Comfortable Kitty

Ms. Kitty reminded me of Zsa Zsa Gabor's character, Lisa, from the TV series Green Acres, so I incorporated a fancy z-fold card design. 

Of course, a kitty this fabulous leaves sparkle wherever SHE goes!

The new Cupcake Inspirations challenge is all about the shimmer!

DRS Designs is our sponsor for this challenge and is offering a $20 gift code to our randomly chosen winner! Flash us your glitter for a chance to win! I'll look for you in the gallery!

Meow!

via GIPHY

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Waiting on High Tide

No, I'm not at the beach, but I wish I was! While I'm waiting on my Club Scrap High Tide August 2019 page kit, I printed images from the corresponding digital kit and made a hybrid card. I dusted off my Silhouette Cameo and used the "print and cut" feature to trim some of the digital images. I usually use the digital kits to make scrapbook layouts or other digital designs, but I love that I can print these high-resolution images for hybrid designs as well. Look at the detail on the Octopus!

Club Scrap High Tide cutaparts and card stock from my stash.

The card and page kits come with free downloadable cutting and assembly instructions. I used one of the card designs in this month's card kit to create this "double z" card. (Check out Club Scrap's blog post for more details.)

The card still folds flat for mailing. Are you "jelly"? Click HERE to see more of the High Tide kits and embellishments for yourself!

CHALLENGES ENTERED:

Just Us Girls Challenge #499 Summer

Crafty Calendar Challenge "Anything Goes"

Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers Challenge #140 "S is for Sea"

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One Sheet Purse!

Succulents are all the rage right now. I have them all over my house and in the window of my operatory at work. They are fascinating plants and so easy to grow...especially for someone like me who forgets to water them! 😂

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A post shared by Wendy Chapman Bellino (@wendy_c_b)

Today's post is part of the Cupcake Inspirations theme challenge...deserts! I made a fun project using papers and stamps from Club Scrap's Succulents collection! (Links to all available supplies will be listed at the end of this post.)

I used this step by step tutorial from Club Scrap's blog and made a video tutorial of the process. Visit my Youtube channel for more crafty videos!

I'm all about making things easy and using Club Scrap's card and page formulas have become a part of my crafting routine. The cutting and assembly instructions along with the sketch not only makes paper crafting a piece of cake, but you have very little wasted paper and more time to enjoy the process. It makes card making and scrapbooking what it should be...fun.

Here's a closer look at my "one sheet purse" and cards!

Make something "suc-CUTE-lent" and share it with us HERE for a chance to win two digital images from Crafty Scrappers! I'll look for you in the gallery!

SUPPLIES LIST:

Below you can find a list of all the products used today. Links to multiple online shops are available. Just click the static image below to be redirected to the LinkDeli product list. When the bookmarklet opens, click your favorite store link below each item. Compensated affiliate links may be used – that means if you make a purchase using my links, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support of my work on this blog!

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Christmas in July!

It's hot outside and I'm hot inside and longing for some relief from the heat! Here in Louisiana, the temps have already been soaring into the 90's and it's not even August yet. We had a cool front come through yesterday and it was a BEAUTIFUL day! This morning was a comfortable 67°. I feel the fall coming on...just in time for the Christmas in July video hop!

I'm participating in the first annual Christmas in July video hop organized by Monica Taylor of Taylormadecards4u. There are 14 participants in the hop sharing lots of Christmas-themed cards as well as some fabulous giveaways! I'm offering a $25 gift certificate to Club Scrap on my channel. Click HERE for a full list of hoppers and prize offerings. Be sure to watch and comment on each video for your chance to win. Leave your comments by July 31 and all prizes will be announced on August 5 on the Taylormadecards4u blog.

I’ve made a set of three Christmas cards featuring Club Scrap’s Holiday Mail card kit as well as some Retro Santa digital images from Taylormadecards4u. (All available supplies will be listed in the supplies list at the end of this post).

Card #1

Club Scrap’s monthly card kits include supplies to easily create twelve handmade greeting cards. Each kit will have a coordinating set of unmounted stamps as an optional add on. I created my own background print using one of the stamp images from the Holiday Mail stamp set. I also used some of the cutapart tags from the kit as well as a Retro Santa digital image from Taylormadecards4u.

Card #2

I kept this card fairly simple using the vintage mailbox stamp image as the focal point. The matching ribbon included in the kit made a gorgeous bow accent! I stamped the image using versamark ink and heat embossed with fine detail white embossing powder. I inked the edges of the black card stock with Club Scrap's white pigment ink and some Earth ink on the card base. I trimmed one of the cutapart letter tags to insert in the mailbox!

Card #3

This last card features a sentiment image from the kit and another Retro Santa digital image. The embossed background was created using a discontinued Tim Holtz Alterations embossing folder. The sentiment was heat embossed with fine detail white embossing powder and the dry embossed card stock was dusted with Club Scrap's white pigment ink. The baker's twine and card stock are from the Holiday Mail kit.

Click HERE to leave a comment on my video on YouTube for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate from Club Scrap. There are lots of other prizes to be won, so be sure to leave comments on the other videos in the hop as well. Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope this inspires you to whip up some Christmas cards of your own!

SUPPLIES LIST:

Below you can find a list with all the products used today. Links to multiple online shops are available. Just click the static image below to be redirected to the LinkDeli product list. When the bookmarklet opens, click your favorite store link below each item. Compensated affiliate links may be used – that means if you make a purchase using my links, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support of my work on this blog!

CHALLENGES ENTERED:

Watercooler Wednesday WWC231 "All About Occasions" Challenge

Christmas Card Throwdown : July Theme Challenge

Crafty Creations Challenge # 395 Anything Goes

Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge # 351 Anything Goes!

Club Scrap Black and White Technique Challenge 07-2019

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Pretty in Pink

I've been having flashbacks from the 80's. I'm 50 and I'm hitting puberty again!

https://youtu.be/qSqVVswa420

I saw the original "Top Gun" in 1986 when I spent the summer in Europe. I was visiting a friend in Germany and I saw it for the first time in German. I didn't understand a word, but I didn't care! 😜 1986 was a good year for cult classics. "Pretty in Pink" made it's debut in January of '86. The film's soundtrack was fabulous and OMD's "If You Leave" was an international hit. I loved Molly Ringwald's style in this movie and wanted to dress just like her! Of course these memories influenced my creativity when creating for this week's Pretty in Pink Cupcake Inspirations challenge.

I found a stock photo from the movie to use as my background. I edited it in Photoshop to create a sketchy black and white poster look and found a fun quote to go with it.

I printed everything on white card stock and trimmed. I added some pink and black matting and a little ink on the edges of the card stock for a some 80's vintage distressing. I also added some hot pink glitter glue on the boutonniere and her earring and a bit of black ribbon for interest.

Make something pretty in pink and link up HERE for a chance to win a digital image from Kitty Bee Designs!

I'll look for you in the gallery!

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