Art Girlz Scrapbook Nook

One Layer Cards

Don't you just love these wonderfully elaborate cards with embellishments, layers and more? They are really beautiful. But what if you want to make cards for invitations, or many cards and have a small budget?

One layer cards are usually quick, don't use a lot of paper or other supplies. While they lack lots of layers and embellishments, they can still be fun & pretty.

Looking through our LARGE stash of cards, I came across a card made with Stampin'Up! stamp set "Cool Cat". This is a fairly simple one layer card.

The background is stamped with small flower design in turquoise (same color as paper), cat is stamped with black ink directly on the card base.

A scrap of mesh is used on one side, die-cut flowers in bright colors add some interest.

TIP: if you have a large number of punches and have lots of paper scraps, punch out shapes of your scrap pieces. I store these in a jar, by shape. Such as round, square, flowers & stars, etc. Then when I'm looking for a shape I look in the "scrap" shape jar first.

Simple card which can be completed in about 5 minutes! Great to do if you're making a lot of thank-you's!

Using the same base and embellishments, step it up a notch by adding more to the flowers. These would be scrap pieces you have already punched shapes from.

Part of the appeal of one-layer cards is the minimal use of paper (less cost, less waste). Thinking of having less waste -- use your scraps! Get out those punches and sit at the TV at night and punch out shapes in various colors!

The second version of the card uses small circles, which can be cut out of VERY small scraps. Add a little gold cording (VERY inexpensive), and VOILA! You've got another quick & easy card. And it's economical too!

A lot more effect with very little effort (or waste of paper!).

Have fun making some one-layer cards -- don't forget to use your scraps.

SHARE your punched shapes! Have a swap or just get together with friends and swap bags of punched shapes in various colors and patterns of paper!

You know what they say: "one man's junk, is another man's treasure!" One papercrafter's excess punched shapes is another's gold mine!!

Happy card-making!

New KIT OF THE MONTH -- "Let it SNOW"

It's December -- already! It's amazing that we went from 90 degree days straight to freezing nights and 65 degree days. A difficult adjustment, but at least we've got some cooler weather. Since our area (southeast US) is experiencing a severe drought, we'd be happy to have any kind of precipitation (except ice). Art Girlz Scrappin Attic's December kit has a fun theme "LET IT SNOW"!

This kit makes a great gift. It also includes a great clear stamp set from AUTUMN LEAVES -- Amy Grendell's design "Winter Wonders".

Kit includes coordinated items to make scrapbook pages, cards and even decorate a blank white paper gift bag! Make a mini book and present it in a stamped and decorated bag.

Try Queen & Company's new Jewels (in Christmas colors or Winter set). Easily attach these to your projects -- add a wonderful sparkle!

We've also added a BasicGrey Rub-On set -- silver ALPHABET with a distressed look coordinates well with BasicGrey style papers. FIbers & ribbons, Magic Mesh & more. At an UNBEATABLE price!

Stamping on Sequin Flowers

A few weeks ago, we posted a little tip about stamping images on your paper & silk flowers. It's fun and can change the look of your flowers quickly. If you only have one color of flower, if you stamp images or add colored edges with inks, you instantly have a number of different flowers!

We had a friend add a comment about sequin flowers. These are great sequin-type flowers by Queen & Company .  These might have been a "sleeper" product, but with Kim's cute suggestion, we see so many possibilities.

Her suggestion:

* Staz-on ink
* rubber stamp image (small designs, words, text, dots, etc.)
* Sequin flowers  (there are many color themes available at AGSA).

You need to use staz-on type of inks because the sequins are made of a smooth (and shiny) plastic material. It is rather reminiscent of stamping on shrink plastic, although we're not shrinking these.

Now, like the paper & silk flowers, you have many more possibilities for patterns & textures.

We're going to have to try using a heat tool on the sequins (ever so lightly) and see if we can curl (distress) the sequin flowers (like you can do with organdy ribbons!).

NEW -- our Photo Album for Cards

We love scrapbooking, I mean we really LOVE scrapbooking. But all three of us Art-Girlz started out making cards and rubber stamping.

We recently had a card-making challenge on Art Girlz Paper Crafting Community forum. Vicki, from Queen Kat Design provided us with some card sketches and we asked for some cards. Bookmark our community because we're having another challenge in September -- and giving prizes!

See the cards in our new Cards Photo Album. And we'll be posting more cards as we go through the BOXES and BOXES of cards to choose the best ones to share with you.

Around the World in 31 Days -- QKD Card-Making CONTEST

You just HAVE to check out Queen Kat Designs really awesome celebration -- "Around the World in 31 Days". They are celebrating their 2nd Anniversary -- YEAH!

The wonderful team at QKD has designed some wonderful challenges each week through the month of August (and it's half-way over!). Card making is NOT boring here. One of this week's challenges is to make a card with special folds, and / or develop a template for your card. No ordinary cards.

I'm going to be attending a 3-day retreat in the woods this week ... no TV or phone in the room. After the daily meetings, I'm going to be working on some cards and scrapbook pages. I can stay up as late as I want because I have the room to myself.

I've already got my bag packed for this week's QKD challenge, I just need to think about clothes now.

Check out the challenge, or at least see what the other players have posted so far.

There is the Asian Color Symbolism Challenge ,Oriental Shape Express Challenge , and Shogun Challenge.  Your photo uploads are due this Saturday, August 18th!

Did I mention there are PRIZES?

Stamping on Paper & Silk Scrapbooking Flowers

I'm always looking for ways to use products I already have in different ways. I recently received a card from a friend and it had paper flowers (Primas!) on it. I loved it. And I loved the unique flowers. Trying to order some of these flowers with printed designs ... she told me that she used rubber stamps and stamped right onto the flowers.

Don't know why this has not come to me before. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE scrapbooking flowers -- Primas, Doodlebug, Bazzill ... I love them all. Never thought about ALTERING them in this way.

Try using different inks (craft or chalk inks will bleed less than regular dye inks) and different techniques. How about stamping with Versamark ink and adding embossing powder and heating ... you'll have a dimensional print on your flower.

My mind is thinking of all sorts of ways to stamp on my flowers! Can't wait to try it myself.

Card Making -- Special Folds

Do you enjoy card making? Would you like to send cards to friends and family that are really special keepsakes?

Making greeting cards can be quick and easy. But don't think that you have to keep the same plain old folds!

How about a matchbook style card? This greeting card looks like a big matchbook. VERY EASY to make, and just as quick as any standard fold (usually 1/4 page or A2 size).

INSTRUCTIONS:

1) cut your letter size paper (8.5 x 11") lengthwise so that you have 2 pieces 4.25 x 11.

2) fold UP approximately 1.5 inches from the bottom.

3) fasten with staple, brad, eyelet or ribbons!

4) take top edge and fold down, tucking into the folded and fastened bottom.

5) think of a matchbook when making this card. You can make them ANY size -- customize to your needs.

This first picture shows the paper cut lengthwise and folded at the bottom. Here we have used a staple and tucked a ribbon under while stapling. A Fastenater makes this easier than regular office staples. Tie the ribbon.

Tuck the top down into the folded bottom and crease the fold.

This second photo shows our card folded. The front is easily decorated with printed papers and a stamp image. We particularly like Basic Grey papers (how can you not love them!). We used Basic Grey Gypsy / Romani paper here on this greeting card.

The completed greeting card (folded). Quick and easy! And your card recipient will love it!

Tag Scrapbook for "My Guy"

Need to make a present for the man in your life? How about helping your children make something for their father or grandfather?

Quick & Easy -- Tag Scrapbook.

Using shipping tags, stamps, inks, various images, quotes.

First step is to gather all the items needed and decide what order you would like to do the pages.

Find a background rubber stamp that you like and repeat it through a number of pages, this will tie the pages together.

Add the embellishments, stamp quotes or words and finish with a ring or tie with ribbons.

Cover page for our scrapbook made from shipping tags.

 

Celebrate National Scrapbooking Day!

National Scrapbooking Day -- May 5th! A day to devote to scrapbooking ... gather with friends and family, add some food to the mix, and have fun! Remember you don't need pictures to scrapbook!

Art Girlz Scrappin Attic is celebrating in a special way this year. We're having a great sale -- you can pick up some of your favorite products at great prices AND help us with our fundraiser.

We're so excited to be partnering with QUEEN KAT DESIGNS. You'll be able to pre-order some great new stamp sets too! And Art Girlz Scrappin Attic will be donating 5% of all sales May 5th - May 30th to St. Jude's Hospital.

More Stamped Game Pieces

We've got a few more dominoes to share with you. Each is slightly different, but were made with the same basic steps:

1) using a "polished stone" technique, stamp on the dominoe or other game piece (could even be tiles).

2) Using Staz-On ink, stamp your image (detailed images work very well here).

3) Color your image, but it's not necessary. These are fantastic just the way they are!

Do you have a rather large stamp image and don't know how it will look on your dominoe? Try taking a piece of cardstock and tracing around your game piece. Then cut out this shape. When trying to find the area of your stamp that you want on your piece, move this "template" above your stamp and see what your stamped piece "may" look like.

A good tip we had from a blog reader: if you have a large stamp, lay it on the table facing up. Ink stamp. Put game piece onto the inked stamp. Pull off carefully -- you want a clear image.

If that game piece is too thin or difficult to grab, make a "handle" from some masking tape for the back of the piece.