Instructions: 1. Using a sheet of 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" cardstock, fold in half(to make an A2 sized card) and round all corners, then ink edges.
2. Take a piece of cardstock, 5 1/4" x 4", and again round all the corners & ink the edges. Attach to base.
3. Take the next piece of cardstock, 4 3/4" x 3 1/2" and round all corners & ink the edges. Center on the previous layer.
4. Take a strip of the first layer and cut to 1 3/4" x 4" and place where you think it looks best.
5. Take your Glaze & Stardust Gel Pens in clear and randomly highlight the sections you want. I did the circles in clear glaze, and used the stardust pen on some of the stars.
6. Stamp your sentiment across the bottom of the 2nd layer. I used the same ink as I did for the edges.
7. To make candles take a strip of cardstock cut to 1 1/4" x 3", run adhesive across one short edge and place a piece of baker's twine across to make the wick. Now roll tightly and adhere closed. Trim baker's twine to length desired. Decorate on the candles if you wish, I doodled some dots and stripes on mine with the stardust pen and then misted them with Marshmallow Glimmer Mist. Repeat a second time for one more candle the same size, and then make one more using a strip of cardstock that's 1 1/2" x 3". 8. Using a hot glue gun, attach the candles with the taller one in the middle.
You're done!
The Video:
The Designer: I'm Brittany, I have one kiddo, Gavin, who's 4. I paper craft ALL the time, and Gavin does it with me. I'm going back to school soon for education, hoping to become an English teacher, or maybe an art teacher. Other than crafting I read a lot and going camping with Gavin & my parents when the weather is permitting. I'm hoping to get some of my work published this year, and I'm now selling some of my designs at a family run store.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Guest Designer – Beth
The Project: Monochromatic Card
The Materials and Instructions: Start with a 12x12 piece of cardstock (I chose orange from a hot chocolate pack from Crop Chocolate),and cut it down to the desired size for your card. This card is a 5x7 (so I cut a 10x7 piece), which is a little bigger than I normally do, but felt it would work better for this application. Then you fold that piece in half. The next thing I did was used my Cuttlebug (or any dry embossing method would work), and embossed the design on the cardstock using one of their border embossing folders (this is on the right of the card). Then I found two patterned papers (I used one from a Making Memories mat stack, and the other is from Basic Grey’s offbeat 6x6 pack), and from the first one cut the large rectangle (3 x 6 ½), and from the second one I cut two smaller rectangles (2 ½ x 2 and 2 ½ x 3). From the rectangle, I cut out a triangle from one end to give it a different look. You wouldn’t have to do this and could leave it straight if you wanted. I actually based the size and proportions for everything off the tag (which is from Making Memories’ Chloe’s Closet collection). So these dimensions can easily change if you find a different item to start with.
The next thing I did was find a solid paper (from Echo Park’s Summer Days collection), and added the butterfly using the flocking method described in my video. The flocking kit is Making Memories’ girl set flocking and foiling kit. Next I cut two pieces of ribbon (from American Crafts) that were each probably about 6 inches long. Then I attached four flowers (from Making Memories’ in bloom mix of mini blossoms) to the large rectangle trying to align them with where I wanted the tag to be. I attached them using the silver brads that come with the flowers by making a hole in the paper (the flowers come with holes in them) and pushing the brad through the flower and brad together. You want to make sure you do this prior to adhering the rectangle down so that the brads don’t show through on the inside of the card.
A couple things I did to add some dimension to the card was to use some orange ink (Stampin’ Up’s Dusty Durango) to the large rectangle and the embossed item. You could choose to leave this step out depending on the patterns and colors you choose. Since this was a monochromatic challenge, I felt the different layers needed something added to it. For the large rectangle, I used a sponge – press it against the ink pad and then rub against the edge of the paper. It’s okay if it isn’t even. For the embossed image, I used a dauber (basically a smaller sponge) – press the dauber against the ink pad, and then gently dab it over your embossed image. Since the image is narrow, I tried to only use the edge of the dauber.
Next comes the layering and attaching everything together. First layer the tag and the solid paper with the flocking onto the smaller rectangles. Next is the large rectangle to the cardstock, then the ribbon. When attaching the ribbon you want to make sure that you try to align both ends – the right end gets attached directly to the base cardstock (mine is overlapping the embossing), and I folded a little under it so you wouldn’t see the cut edge. The left side gets attached either to the large rectangle or to the back of the tag. I did it to the large rectangle so it looks like it wraps the tag assembly. Next you want to attach the flocking and tag assemblies to the cardstock and large rectangle. The last thing you want to do is tie the ribbon over top of the tag. I tried to do a square knot. Then trim your ribbon to the desired length. And now you are done.
The Video:
The Designer: I am a structural engineer by day, and a mom, wife, scrapbooker, cross-stitcher, quilter, and homemaker (in that order) by night. We currently live in Ithaca, NY, where we have been for a little over 10 years now. And my husband (whom I met in college) and I will be celebrating our 15 year anniversary in October. After some financial struggles and then some medical issues, we were blessed with two beautiful children - a son who is 6, and a daughter who is 2 1/2. I have always been interested in crafts, especially after watching my mom make clothes, Halloween costumes, etc., and did the usual kid crafts. After I got married, I wasn’t working right away so I needed something to keep me busy so I started with sewing some clothes and making cross-stitch kits. Then after finding a job, I moved to learning to quilt with a friend from work. I have made numerous wedding and baby quilts as gifts for friends. Then we moved to Ithaca, and I within a couple years got pregnant. Then I found some friends at work who scrapbooked, and I decided I wanted to try it (after resisting for a little bit because I knew the supplies would take over my craft area) so I could have a way to document my child’s life. So once I started, I couldn’t stop. Now with two kids, I have so many pages started, and ideas for pages, I don’t know when I will get them all done, especially since I have branched out and now make cards as well (and sometimes that’s more fun because I can get them done quicker). When I come home from work my first priority is my family, so I usually only get to my craft area at 9 at night at the earliest after the kids are in bed. Sometimes I even get up really early in the morning and do some also. Needless to say my house is a mess the majority of the time, because I have no time to deal with it. But at least by crafting, I am happier as that is how I am able to de-stress from the day-to-day things.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Guest Designer - Jamie
The Project: Monochromatic Card
The Materials and Instructions: 1. Cut a 4.5" by 6" piece of patterned paper and adhere a 4" x 5.5" coordinating patterned paper to the front from the Be Mine Collection by Echo Park paper pack. 2. Distress the edges of the paper using tears and a file as desired. 3. Cut out and adhere a journaling rectangle onto the front of the papers in step 1 using dimensional stickers. 4. Tie a bow around the three papers. 5. Cut out a coordinating sentiment from the paper pack and adhere to the front. 6. Adhere all papers to the front of a 5" x 7" white cardstock card base. 7. Ink the edges of the card as desired.
The Video:
Jamie was also featured last month. You can check out her last month’s project at http://blog.cropchocolate.com/2011/06/jamies-june-feature-project-video.html
Monday, July 18, 2011
Guest Designer – Michele
The Project: Monochromatic Card with Fast and Easy Flowers
You will need: 1 sheet of cardstock for card (Medium Green) 1 sheet of cardstock (Olive Green) 1 sheet of cardstock (Dark Green) 2 sheets from Bo Bunny Vicki B collection with green designs Lime green ribbon Green button Making Memories Puffy Letters alphabet stickers Stickles
Cut a sheet of cardstock to 7”x10”. Fold in half to make 7”x5” card. Adhere 4 ½”x6 ½” piece of cardstock to top of the card leaving ¼” edge. Using a piece of Bo Bunny Vicki B paper collection, cut paper to 4 ½” x 5 ½” and adhere to the left side of the card also leaving a ¼” edge. Cut a 3 ½” x 4 ½” piece of dark cardstock. Cut 3” x 4” paper from Vicki B collection and adhere to dark cardstock. Find coordinating ribbon and wrap around the dark cardstock and tie in the front. Adhere to the card leaving a ¼” edge. Cut three 2 ½” flowers of your choice from paper that has been used for the card and curl the petals using a curling tool or pen. Once all petals are curled under, bend the petals towards you slightly to give the petals some height. Using adhesive of your choice, adhere the flowers together, alternating placement of the flowers so all of the petals can be seen. Adhere coordinating button to center of the flower. Adhere flower to the card, centered over the knot of the ribbon. Add stickles to flower petals and along the edge of the top layer of paper. Using Making Memories Puffy Letters stickers, place word of your choice to the right side of the card.
The Video:
The Designer: Michele was also featured last month. If you’d like to know more about her, click here: http://blog.cropchocolate.com/2011/06/micheles-june-feature-project-product.html
Friday, July 15, 2011
Guest Designer – Corrie
The Project: Easel Card
• Card Stock • Ribbon or trim (Hot Chocolate from CC) • Pattern paper (BG Wisteria) • Adhesive • Flower embellishment (see below)
Directions • Take a 4” x 12” piece of card stock and cut at 4”. You will have two pieces a 8”x4” (base) and a 4”x4” (card top) • On the base piece score it at 2” and 4” and fold like an accordion • Cut a piece of pattern paper 3.75” x 3.75” and adhere to the top piece • Tie a piece of trim to the bottom of the top piece • Adhere the flower embellishment to the top (you could use something else) • Adhere the 4”x4” top piece to the accordion fold and line it up so that when the card is flat it is 4”x4” (top of the base piece to the top of the accordion fold) • On the inside of the card take a 3.75” x 3.75” of white card stock and adhere to the bottom on the inside. • Take a 3.75” x 1.5” strip (punch or embellish if desired) and adhere to the bottom of the inside (this is where the top will rest on, creating the easel effect)
Flower Embellishment
Supplies • Card Stock • Ink • Large button, brad, or die cut for centre
Directions • Cut 3 of the same flower shape in different sizes (I used spellbinders blossom 2) • Ink the edges of the flower • Emboss the flower if desired (optional) • Spray with perfect pearls mixed with water (optional) • Cut ¼” between the flower petals to give them more separation • Curl the petals upward • Glue the layers together with the largest going on the bottom and working to the smallest size (note: I offset the petals but this will depend on the flower shape you use) • Add the flower centre, I used a die cut but this could be a large brad, button or Gem.
The video:
The Artist:
I am married to my highschool sweetheart (12yrs ) and we have two wonderful children together. I started scrapbooking when I had my daughter 4 yrs ago and now I am addicted. I blame my husband because he suggested I try scrapbooking and now look what he started. My favorite brands are MME, Echo Park, Spellbinders (I have over 50 sets) and Making Memories. When I am not crafting I am an accountant (I have a CGA designation), and I love to work in the gardens. My daughter is really getting into crafting and has her own stash and supplies (FYI she loves the MME shaped papers :), and even though she is 4 she can handle the ATG and making memories trimmer like a pro (the reason I got this trimmer is there were no blades for her to cut herself with). I should also mention my husband is the most wonderful and romantic guy in the world. Last year for our 11th year anniversay he surprised me at our church with a vow renewal and even created a lo for the occasion with our vows and room for a picture. It was the sweetest thing ever and he made the nicest invitations ever made by a man (no one believed that he made them, but he did). My son is only 18 months so he is a bit young to start scrapbooking but he loves to play in my scrap space and get into my stuff (its a start) :)
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Guest Designer – Kylie
The project: The layout is a hoop layout, designed to hand on the wall with a push pin or nail to hang it from. It is made using an embroidery hoop - the cheap wooden sort you can get from Joann's for a couple of dollars.
Products used: A wooden embroidery hoop Echo Park A walk in the park and For the record paper Basic Grey Ambrosia paper Making memories butterfly ribbon Maya Rd pleated orange ribbon (not Crop Chocolate) Making Memories wedding pins Making Memories sienne baubles (I think there is a red one too, but don't know the 'official' MM colour off the top of my head) MM Sienne brads and gem stones American crafts red cupid thickers American crafts black fabric thickers (not Crop Chocolate) Slice, Slice hands free kit, Slice 12x12 cutting mat, Slice USA travel card - all on the video and all CC Pop dots, glue runner and my ATG gun as adhesive
1. Take an embroidery hoop and trace around the inside hoop on the reverse side of your main sheet of paper. A 9 inch hoop is used in this example, but any sized hoop will work. 2. Lightly spray around the traced outline of your hoop with water, being careful not to wet the paper too much. 3. Carefully fold and tuck your sheet of paper up around the inside hoop from the back, before flipping everything over and folding and tucking from the front. 4. VERY CAREFULLY place the outer hoop over the inner hoop, being careful to maneuver it down over the paper without ripping it (small rips - anything up to an inch can be hidden, but do this part carefully). Make sure you have your hoop open as much as possible when you start this step, it makes things easier. 5. Once the hoop is in place, tighten the screw and leave the paper to dry completely. The paper will tighten as it drys and you should end up with a tight canvas for embellishing. 6. This is the easy part - treat your hoop canvas as any other layout and decorate as you please. Make sure you use strong adhesive if you will be hanging your layout on the wall, to counter gravity. 7. Hang and enjoy! The hoop forms a natural recess in the back of the layout that can be utilized to hang it on a thumb tack or nail on the wall. These layouts look great in different sizes as a cluster on your wall.
The Video:
The Designer: Kylie is from New Zealand, but has lived in Cleveland, Ohio with her husband Craig for 4 years. They are expecting their first baby in December!!! Kylie has been scrapbooking since 2006 and can count on one hand how many cards she has made in that time. She finds scrapbooking links her to her family in New Zealand - rather than spending time with them, she gets to enjoy and relive the memories they share from afar (she insists this is a win-win situation). Kylie has a PhD in genetics and works as a research scientist.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Guest Designer – Miwa
The Project: Crop Chocolate materials used: 1. Echo Park (Be Mine) cardstock - Lipgloss/Stone [one sheet] 2. Echo Park (Be Mine) cardstock - French Rose/Ash [one sheet] 3. Echo Park (Springtime) cardstock - Berry/Cotton Candy [TWO sheets] 4. MM Wedding Deco Pins 5. MM Paper Reverie Noir Butterflies
Step #1: Cut each 12x12 sheet into 3x3 inch squares (16 per sheet for a total of 64 squares). Step #2: Using deco scissors, cut a spiral free-hand and trim excess. Roll the spiral from the outside to the inside using a quilling tool. Remove the tool when the spiral is complete. Step #3: Relax the spiral and allow it to curl loosely until it is the right size for your purposes (the tighter/smaller the flower, the more you will need to cover the styrofoam ball). When you are satisfied with the flower shape, glue it at the bottom center, holding it firmly until the glue dries sufficiently. Step #4: After you've made all of your flowers, you are ready to adhere them to the ball. Wrap the 12" wooden dowel with green floral tape and use one end to make a hole in the styrofoam ball. Add hot glue to the dowel end and insert back into the hole, holding it firmly until the glue has dried. It is much easier to glue the flowers to the ball while holding onto the dowel! Step #5: Using hot glue, add flowers to the styrofoam ball, doing your best to uniformly distribute them (minimizing the green that may show through). Step #6: Once all of the flowers have been added, insert the end of the dowel into a flower pot packed with dry foam. Add decorative sand on top to hide the foam. Step #7: Add any additional embellishments - I added some Making Memories butterflies and pins to add some polish and to hide any open spaces.
The Video:
The Designer: Despite spending a number of years to earn a post-graduate degree in entomology, I am now "retired" and enjoy a busy life as a stay-at-home mom. My interests (besides taking care of the family) include scrapbooking, playing soccer, running, and reading all sorts of books. I don't watch much TV, but I will confess to being a fan of Glee and True Blood. What an interesting combination, right? That's me, though - eclectic and eccentric! This may explain why my scrapbook style varies from page to page - but I'm always up to try new techniques and ideas.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Guest Designer – Sarah
The Project: I love these Making Memories badge brads but they are a little too bulky for my tastes to use on my scrapbook pages and too pretty for one-time use on a card. I ended up creating a card with a detachable pin using a badge brad and a felt flower. This would look cute on a kid’s jacket, backpack or lunch sack. The finished card size is a 4” square.
Crop Chocolate Supplies: EP Playground 12x12 Collection Just Chillin’ badge brads from Just Chillin’ Embellishment Kit
My Supplies: Stampin’ Up Pumpkin Pie cardstock; white cardstock; felt flower: Nestabilities circle and scallop circle dies; orange & white striped ribbon
1. Create card base using orange cardstock. Cut pattern paper into 3-7/8” square and using repositionable adhesive, adhere pattern paper to card base. 2. Using die cutting machine & circle Nestabilities, cut circle through card front and pattern paper square. Remove pattern paper and wrap short pieces of ribbon around the sides of the pattern paper. Permanently adhere to card front. 3. Using die cutting machine & circle and scallop circle Nestabilities, cut scallop circle from orange cardstock and circle from pattern paper. Adhere pieces together and cut smaller circle from center of piece. 4. Insert badge brad through center of felt flower. Using hot glue gun, glue pin fastener to the back of the felt flower to create the pin. 5. Use hole punch to make holes through the back of the card so that pin can be attached. 6. Using foam tape, adhere scallop circle (with hole in center) to card front. The pin could be made from other materials but for durability I think the badge brad and felt flower would hold up nicely to moderate wear & tear.
The Video:
The Designer: I live in Tulsa, OK with my husband and our 2 kids. I’m a pipeline engineer by day and a card-maker by night. I started making cards about 5-1/2 years ago and just recently gave my husband a store-bought anniversary card (blasphemy!) because the date snuck up on me. Our share of out-of-town guests has dramatically decreased in the last year since I turned the guest bedroom into a craft room. Our 5-year-old son has not complained about getting kicked out of his room when guests do stay overnight. Our out-of-town guests have not complained about the excessive amount of creepy stuffed animals watching them while they sleep. Such is the sacrifice when you stay at the home of a crafter!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
CropChocolate.com Classifieds
For about 5 day, we give a few hints on some big news coming to CropChocolate.com and the ever-clever Cre8 guessed what it was yesterday. So here's a high-level overview of what we're doing at CropChocolate.com.
We are creating a Classifieds section where you can sell your unused supplies, your pre-designed items or your whole scrap room--not that you'd ever think of doing that. We are in the process of creating two systems of exchange:
1. You will be able to use PayPal to manage the exchange of purchased items. If you choose to use this service, there will be a small exchange fee.
2. You will be able to use CropCredit to purchase items. If you use CropCredit, the credit will transfer to the seller's account to use for purchases at CropChocolate.com. There will be no exchange fee charged.
We will also create stores for small off-line and online channels so they can have a low barrier of entry model to liquidate their items. Should you or anybody you know have a store like this please contact us at sales@cropchocolate.com. These will be set up on an invitation-only basis.
There is more but we thought we'd give you a sneak-preview of things to come.
To make this Classifieds experience more SWEET, we will be increasing the referral fee from $2 CropCredit to $10 CropCredit.
Sweetly,
CropChocolate.com
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Guest Designer - Victoria
The Project: Supplies needed: recycled cardboard scraps - a cereal box works great paper scraps - 2 coordinating designs ribbon post it pad (of any size - mine is 3.5X5) paper trimmer, scissors, bone folder (optional)a good adhesive - I like Tacky Glue embellishments for the front
1. Measure your post it pad. Mine was 3.5X5". 2. You need 3 pieces of cardboard for your project. Cut two pieces exactly 1/4" larger than your post it pad. Therefore I cut mine 3.75X5.25".The third piece should be the same height as the other two, but 1/2" wide. 3. Cut your patterned papers another 1/2" larger (taller) than the cardboard. Keep the length 12" - you can trim off the rest as you proceed if needed. 4. Lay your cardboard pieces down in a row on your patterned papers. Leave about 1/4" between each. The small piece is in the middle between the two larger. 5. Angle your edges slightly to give sharper finished corners. 6. Glue your long sides down, then the short ones. 7. Add your ribbon - leave about 3-4" on each side to close your book. 8. Add a liner on the inside of the book to cover the cardboard. Cut about 1/4" smaller than the inside measurements. 9. Add your post it pad on the inside, and embellish the cover as needed. 10. See the video for additional information and step by step instructions. Enjoy!
The Video:
The Designer: Victoria lives in San Francisco with her husband Steve, and her 5 year old son Carter. She has been scrapbooking for over a decade and enjoys designing layouts, altered projects, cards, and more. A music teacher by trade, she is enjoying taking some time off to be a stay-at-home mom and induldging her crafty side!
