Author Archives: Heather

Must-have Tools: the Letter Stamp and Stamp Positioner

Must-have Tools: the Letter Stamp and Stamp Positioner

Those colored pencils just wouldn’t leave me alone. This time I decided to try something rainbow-ish. I think the result is actually more flower-like. What do you think?

color my world card || noexcusescrapbooking.com

Two things to note about this card.

First, the original yellow ink used to stamp the yellow pencil matched the colored pencil TOO closely, resulting in a washed out, difficult to see image. Since these are rubber stamps, I needed to use a stamp positioner to be able to stamp almost exactly on top of the original image.

You can see the over stamp pretty clearly here, but in real life it is much LESS noticeable.

Secondly, if you don’t have letter stamps in small, medium and large sizes, you’re missing out. This sentiment was stamped with an adjustable letter stamp similar to rotating date stamps, but single letter stamps would also work. If you have wonderful handwriting, you can create your own word art sentiments, but if you don’t, letter stamps are a must.

The idea of turning one thing (say a pencil) into another thing (like a flower) is still appealing to me. I wonder what other stamps I have that would work for something like that. You may be seeing some other take on this idea later this month. Maybe.

Do you have any stamps you could turn into other things? It’s always fun to take a moment to look at your supplies with fresh eyes.

Supplies used: (affiliate links)

Tim Holtz distress ink pads

Playing with Pencils

Playing with Pencils

While digging through my stamp stash, I came upon this cute little stamp from The Angel Company. They had some lovely stamps. I wish they were still around.

Since I had just been playing with my colored pencils, this design seemed like a given.

pencil birthday card || noexcusescrapbooking.com

Who doesn’t love a brand new box of colored pencils? It’s inspiration just waiting to escape, isn’t it?

A side note– the birthday banner was a chipboard piece (from Studio Calico maybe?) colored with distress ink. The white sentiment is a Making Memories rub-on. When using rub ons, make sure you are applying them on a clean, dry surface. They will not adhere to inked surfaces. Luckily, they resist ink well, so you can apply your color after you’ve added your sentiment.

Don’t forget to sign up for my email list if you’d like to get a card in the mail from me!

Supplies used: (affiliate links)

Tim Holtz Ink Pads

Keeping it Simple

Keeping it Simple

Let’s start the month off with something simple, shall we?

I love Tim Holtz stamps, and the blueprint style series is great to use for simple cards like this.

Balloon card || noexcusescrapboooking.com

Stamp your image twice, once on kraft colored cardstock, and once on a good quality white cardstock. Let your ink dry (or use a heat gun to set your ink if you’re impatient) and then color the white version with your favorite medium. I used water color pencils and a water brush, but markers, paints or crayons would also work. Cut the white image out, and layer it with foam dots on top of the kraft image, and you’re done.

Quick, easy, and lovely results, what’s not to love?

What’s your favorite simple card technique?

Don’t forget, if you’d like to receive a card from me, make sure you’ve signed up on my email list. The sign up box is at the top right hand side of the page! I’d love to send a thank you your way!

Supplies: (all affiliate links)

Weird Scrapping Habits (and a reminder!)

Weird Scrapping Habits (and a reminder!)

Well, maybe not weird. Unless you’re me.

I was all set at the start of the month to participate in the ScrapHappy only Layout a Day challenge. First page done, shared on Flickr, and commenting on lots of other people’s pages. That’s one of the really cool things about the members only LOAD in October. Because it is only open to active members, the group is much smaller, and more intimate. Lots of chatting and sharing happening!

Directions || noexcusescrapbooking.com

Day two came along, and I happily worked on my second page while working on making the watercolor video that I had promised you. You know the one- the one that didn’t get done because I ran into editing issues? Yep. That one. (I will get that finished and posted next month.) After running into problem after problem with my video, I just plain forgot about making a page, ON DAY 2! I got up the next day, and realized I hadn’t finished my page. I then finished it, but neglected to photograph it, and changed gears entirely, getting out the sewing machine, and beginning to work on the slipcover I’m making for an old couch.

IMG_9079

After that, between sewing, birthday preparations, and general randomness, I only finished one more page for LOAD. This one was inspired by a piece of scrap paper sitting in the scraps bin. Originally I was going to use the embossed flowered paper as a mat for another project, but it didn’t quite work the way I wanted. I think I was trying to channel my inner Heidi Swapp.

grandma suits you || noexcusescrapbooking.com

And then I read a post by Shimelle Laine, about how she goes back to her albums and fills in stories as they suggest themselves, and I realized that that was the idea missing from my own albums, so spent a week and a half re-organizing my scrap albums. And made approximately 27 section pages, all looking something like this:

feed me || noexcusescrapbooking.com

So now my albums are organized, based on subject matter and chronology. Definitely feels like I got something accomplished this month!

And, if I make just one more page this month, I’ll have made 31 pages, which, while they weren’t made one each day, is still on average, a page a day!

Don’t my rose-colored glasses look lovely on me?

Okay, one more thing– a reminder!

November will be my second annual Month of Cards. Cards of Gratitude? Heh. Anyone got a name suggestion? Those titles are pretty lame.

Alrighty then, let’s keep on track, shall we?

All November long I will be posting new cards, and at the end of the month, I’ll be sending them out to you! Or I will if I have your mailing address. I sent out a note to those of you on my email list today, asking for your snail mail address. If you didn’t get an email today, you’re not on my email list, and I won’t be able to send you a card! If you want to get a card, make sure you’re on my email list, so I can contact you for your snail mail address!

Hope to hear from you soon! I’d love to send you a card!

What Do You Have Planned for Your Holiday Crafting?

What Do You Have Planned for Your Holiday Crafting?

Seriously, what do you have planned? After November’s month of cards, I’m a bit at a loss as to what and whether I will undertake any crafty projects this holiday season.

Currently, I am…

Working on building a stash of cards to share with you next month.

Re-organizing the pages in my scrapbooks. I follow Stacy Julian’s Library of Memories approach to storing my scrapbook pages, but I’m not sure it’s working quite right for me. Of course, in order to know if something is working or not, it would help if I finished the organizing I had started when I first took the class back in 2009. So that’s what I am doing now. I’ve done a lot more scrapbook pages since 2009, so it’s time to break everything up into their relevant subcategories. So far I’ve organized my Places We Go and People We Love albums, and I now know I do not need to make any more pages about how I used to dress up my sister like a great big doll when we were younger. I think three pages more than covers THAT topic.

Missing out on this month’s ScrapHappy only Layout a Day challenge. I don’t know what happened! I started strong the first two days, but then LOAD just disappeared off my daily mental to-do list. I have managed to make 17 pages this month, but most of them have been section headers for the albums I have been re-organizing.

Sewing a slipcover for a couch. One of the many house projects I’ve been working on has been putting together the den. My husband’s computer used to be in the den, but when we switched craft rooms, there was now room for it in the craft room, which has allowed me to try to turn the den into a “pretty” room. Once the slipcover is done, I’ll need to find or make curtains and hang them, organize and decorate the new shelves in the den, and perhaps find some new lamp shades. It’s coming along nicely.

Brainstorming Christmas presents for my family. I really want to stick to a budget this year, and maybe make a bunch of stuff too. Hence the brainstorming and planning.

Re-writing my first book on beginning scrapooking, and planning subsequent books on scrapbooking love, travel, children, and organization. This is a more drawn out process then I first thought it would be. I’m working on creating classes to go with each of the books as well, and want to release them in a fairly quick succession. I’ve also got a bunch of fiction stories bouncing around in my head that I’ll be working on once I’ve got the non-fiction series in the can.

Wondering whether I can fit a December Daily type book into my schedule this year. Wondering what other crafty projects I can do to make the house feel more comfy and sparkly. (Because that is what Christmas is to me! Cuddles and glitter! LOL)

Open to suggestions. Do you have any projects you think everyone should do during the holidays? Share them with me! I’d love to add something you love to my holiday repertoire!

What’s going on your life currently?