Let's Use Those Stamps!

We all have them.
We all love them.
And....we all love to look at them in their pretty wrappers!
Now, we need to make sure we use them.
Acrylic Stamps.

I decided that I was going to use my Jan. IAAS Addidict's Kit stamps to make my own paper background. I took my flowered stamp image, adhered it to a acrylic block, and stamped around my completed layout. Using your Jumbo Get Rollin' Stamp Roller will also work well with a combination of stamps, but I decided to use this one stamp in particular. You can definately stamp prior to adhering your paper products, but I wanted to make sure the flowers outlined the layout and emphasized the photo. I like how the roses coordinated with the rose in the Webster's Pages paper. Background stamping is a simple and quick technique, using regular white stamp ink. Stampoing on solid cardstock changes the entire look of your layout.

For additional effect, one could add glitter, stickles, or even paints to this layout to give it an entirely different effect. I chose to stay with the basic white. Whatever floats your creative muse, is what I say!

Scrapplings

Popping around blogs and message boards I am starting to see these cute little scrapplings pop up. What a great ways to use up scraps and make a cute little card. I made these with scraps from the January kit! You have to try it! They are way too much fun!

Third sketch for January

I loved how this sketch from Pencil Lines worked with the January kit elements. This was our only layout sketch for this month and our DT rocked it! Check out their creations and feel free to post your interpretation of this sketch in our gallery. We'd love to see what you come up with!

Sandi incorporated a doily into her layout - how stinkin' cute is that! And can those babies be any cuter?!?!

"I'm with you sister"

Sandi Pfeiffer

I love how Debbie created a different look using scalloped paper on hers - all of the elements are placed so perfectly!

"Petting Zoo"

Debbie Standard

I used 4 different papers from the kit on my layout and painted the dowels with the kit's blue stickles. What a yummy color!!

"beautiful"

Holly Pittroff

Elizabeth used her own supplies to create with this sketch - cause she's such a go-getter! I love how she created a bulleted list with this design about how much she loves about her dog.

"10 things about Jake"

Elizabeth Carney

It goes on and on and on!!!

Every month I know that most of us are anxiously awaiting our kits to come in the mail.
I know this month was a HUGE excitement for me as this was
my very first kit as a design team member!

I anticipated it coming in the mail so I could tear it apart and play with it.
Every single piece!

Interestingly enough I did just that!
You see these kits are chalked full of yummy goodies!
And tear it apart I did!

I created a total of 4 layouts and 1 altered item!
That's a lot for a kit, but again these kits are chalked full of yummy goodies!

I was excited that I used every single thing in the kit and had a tiny piece
of scrap left over.
That was it!

So the next time you get the kit,
dig in like I did and see how far you can take it
with all the stuff in there
and enjoy the process!

I AM A scrapaholic: Hi, I'm Debbie

Ok we got some really cool items in this kit and were all challenged to see if we couldn't create something a little different with some of the items. I got a cardboard -what appears to be a flower pot- and the green foam that you have seen some of the other girls working with. Also we got several little 6" sticks. So I flipped it around and came up with the idea to create a little lamp. I covered the foam with patterned paper, punched holes for my little sticks, wrapped them in some paper lace. Then I turned my flower pot upside down and covered it with patterned paper. I added some fringe to the bottom, then added a button rim around the bottom portion as well as a few flowers and here's what I came up with





















Thanks for looking and can't tell you how much fun this kit was - am so looking forward to getting my February kit!


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It is in the details...

When I look at a LO one of my favorite thing to do is check out all the details. Any hand cutting, those little things that add pizazz and character to a design. In this LO I did lots of hand cutting and added those little details that add so much. To each flower center I added something whether is be stickles, buttons ,gems or beadazzles...how totally cool are those. To define edges I outlined things with stickles. Lots of little design elements that make it tactile and lumpy bumpy are the things that make a LO stand out. So next time you create a LO, add a few of those extra's and watch how your details just pop off the page.

Green foam challenge

One of my assignments this month was to use the green foam in the January kit in a unique way. I decided to use it as my title area on a layout. By doing this I was also able to incorporate other items from the kit into my design!

First, I cut the green foam to make a smaller section.

I used the Martha Stewart glittering glue to adhere the Beadazzles from the Jan kit.

Glob it on - it dries clear (love that!!)

While the glue was still wet, I sprinkled my Beadazzles on top.

Then a secured a ring of the kit's buttons around the edge of the foam (also sticking into the glue). I left this overnight to dry.

Then I used the distressed stickles to create an accenting circle inside the buttons. You can give that time to dry or be very careful working around it as you finish making this look.

I adhered a chipboard #3 (from a previous kit) to the green foam and painted it with acrylic paint.

Then I used the kit's fun MM tiny teal alpha stickers to complete my title. I always use an exacto knife to place these little things (in case you were wondering)...

And here's my completed project! TFL! And ABSOLUTELY try this at home...:)

Products from January kit:

Webster's Pages/Hello Beautiful and Bloomin Beauty

Coredinations Cardstock - Coconut Cream

Bazzill Just the Edge cardstock cuts

Ranger distressed stickles - orange marmalade, broken china

Foof-a-la Bella buttons

Chipboard heart

MM tiny teal alpha stickers

Green Foam disc

My name is Debbie Standard and I have just started this month with the Design Team. I got my first kit and have had so much fun with it! I think I used every single piece of the awesome Webster's Pages. There were so many other goodies in the kit as well. One of them was Beadazzles. They are like glitter except have a multitude of different colors in them. They can be used like glitter too I wanted to created something I put on my card so I decided to start with some KI lace paper. I cut out my flower.












Then I tried using a glue stamp pad and added the beadazzles to it but didn't get quite the coverage I was hoping for so I sprayed it again with some vellum spray glue, covered it again with the beadazzles. This is was just right.











I added the flower to may card and loved the effect. I am just thrilled with our kit this month and am still so thrilled to be working with this great group of girls.

















Thanks again Holly!!!

Julie Walton's altered canvas with the January kit

Julie Walton is our visiting therapist at I AM A Scrapaholic this month - Yeah Julie!
She decided to alter a 12 X 12 canvas with the products in the January kit and it came out AMAZING! She's included step-by-step instructions on how she made this beautiful artwork below if you'd like to create one of your own.

Thanks for your amazing inspiration Julie!!

Close up

Supplies:
12 x 12 canvas
Modge Podge
Paint & Brush
Sandpaper

From the January 2009 kit:
Paper – Websters Pages
Cardstock - Core'dinations Cardstock
Diecuts
Gemstones
Ribbon

Steps:
1. Paint canvas your desired color
2. Crinkle up your chosen paper, tear if desired, flatten paper back out
3. Apply a coat of Modge Podge to the canvas
4. Apply a coat of Modge Podge to the back of your paper
5. Press the paper to the canvas and smooth as best as you can. You do want some dimension so it doesn’t need to be completely flat.
6. When this is dry sand the entire thing to your liking
7. Cover the die cuts by applying adhesive to the front of the diecut, pressing it to the wrong side of the paper you have chosen. Cut around the diecut with an exacto knife. Sand the entire die cut.
8. Apply your photo and the diecuts to the canvas by applying Modge Podge to the backside.
9. Add gems, adhering with Modge Podge.
10. When dry apply a coat of Modge Podge to the entire project
11.Add ribbon when dry.

Hang and enjoy!

January Card Sketch 2

Here another fantastic Becky Fleck card sketch that inspired our DT! I love how everyone did something different with the row of embellishments through the center!
Feeling inspired by this card? Take the challenge and upload your creation into our gallery.

"Happy Father's Day"

Debbie Standard

"with love"
Beth Root

"super duper"

Elizabeth Carney

What's the date?

I have to tell you that it's been a few years since I bought a wall calendar. Not because I'm disciplined in the use of a daytimer, or a PDA... no, just because I don't like the way they look! I just rely on my email for the date. ;) So, when I was hankerin' to make something other than a layout with the SUPER YUMMY IAAS January kit, I thought of doing some sort of wall hanging. Then it came to me to do a calendar instead of a picture wall hanging! I was thinking to print off my own calendar (found online) and staple it to cardstock and use it that way, but my dh said he had one of the little free ones. (Do companies still really give these out? LOL) That saved me some work, so I'm not complaining! I simply cut out the bird element from the Webster's pages from the SUPER YUMMY IAAS January kit and covered up the picture on the free calendar! I will simply move it on to the next page, each month. I used corregated cardboard as the base, both for practicality(stability) and style. In addition to the kit, I added a few small ribbon flowers (from the bridal section of the craft store) and a few other embellies that matched, and a few pearls, just for fun. I used the distress stickles from the kit to outline several of the flowers, just to make them stand out a little. I also added some lace fabric over the top of the cardboard. So, if you don't have a 2009 calendar yet, pull out your January IAAS kit and get to work!

Never limit yourself!!

Do you ever look at something and just not really know what to do with it beyond the obvious? Today I am going to talk to you about altering beyond what something looks like! That is the cool thing about altering something, that you can turn it into whatever you want. You can create something that you see, that others might not!

That is exactly what I did with the flower pot that was in our January kits. My job with this flower pot was to create something other than a flower pot! I must admit I looked at that thing and could only see a flower, but realizing I needed to get my thinking cap on! So I took the pot apart! I didn't have anything in mind at first, I just cut along the lines of the flower shape and placed them on my desk.

This is what I ended up with! I am very excited about this, because it will be my very first scrappy project that I've done for our new home in March! It's going to go on our fridge in the kitchen and will go perfectly in there!



After a minute I realized that sometimes things you alter don't need to be so far from home! I wanted to keep this a flower since it was already cut into a flower shape! I covered each leaf and the center and then hooked them together using sticky tape {you can see the back of the flower above}. Once it was hooked together, I placed a generic magnet on the back of it using the same sticky tape.

Once this was done, I flipped the flower back over and started to embellish. You can use whatever it is that you wish, I used items from the January kit.

Time it took to create: 30 minutes

Materials:
Paper
Good strong sticky tape
Generic magnet
Embellishments
Gel pen
Pounce Wheel
Offray ribbon
Large button
Sandpaper {for edges of flower leaves}

See! It was super easy and super fun to cut into that flower pot and create something else!


So go for it! Accept the challenge and tear into that lovely flower pot.. Ummm flower something else!

Foam my heart to yours (teehee)

It's my first chance this month to publically RAVE about the YUMMY IAAS January kit! Not that my words can in any way do it justice, but I'll do my best! =) Lynn sent me some beautiful green floral foam... sans flower pot! Hmmm... what to do, what to do... for some reason my strange mind said "LOOKS LIKE CAKE!" Hey, I don't always question, I just go with it. :D I read on the dow site (company who makes the foam) that you can paint it, so, that's what I decided to do, and then embellish with items from the kit. My "cake" started out looking like this:



First thing I did was squash the circle to match the kit foam as closely as I could. Then I got out my paints... I enjoyed mixing up the paint because I LOVE chocolate, and the paint was looking good enough to eat! (but, I refrained... really!) I then embellished my "cake" with items from the kit as well as a few additions. I thought it was the perfect place to use some buttons! I punched my flowers out of the gorgeous Webster's pages, and simply pinned them into the foam with straight pins. I used the chipboard hearts instead of flowers and knew I'd come up with something I could sit around for a Valentine's decoration! Added a little red Martha glitter and WAH LAH! Hope you enjoy my little creation and get a bit of inspiration in case you want to use the foam seperate of the flower pot!

January Card Sketch 1

We love being inspired by sketches at I AM a Scrapaholic! This Becky Fleck card sketch worked really well with all the fun embellishments in our January kit! Check out what our creative team came up with! Like the sketch? Create your own card or layout and upload it into our gallery.



Beth started out making a card and then decided her creation would be the perfect base for a layout showcasing a family photo! What a neat idea! Go Beth!!

'Cramer Family Photo'

Beth Root

Check out the hand-cut flowers at the top of Debbie's card - BEAUTIFUL!

'thanks CARD"

Debbie Standard

I did a little stitching and used the buttons from the kit on mine.

'Hello CARD'

Holly Pittroff


Lynda decided to use one large diecut instead of multiple embellies on the top of this card - too cool!

'enjoy CARD'

Lynda Lindley

I just LOVE Elizabeth's bright, cheery take on the sketch! Those stars rock!

'celebrate CARD'

Elizabeth Carney


And Lynda (again) came up with another way to create a dazzling card using this sketch. Check out how she turned the sketch for a completely different look! So creative!

'thank you CARD'

Lynda Lindley

Websters Pages Floral Bouquet

The IAAS January Kit is loaded with tons of goodies but I totally fell in love with the flower pot and Websters Pages papers. I decided this project would find a permanent home on my kitchen table.

Check out this simple project:

I simply covered the pot and flowers with papers from the kit. I embellished with buttons, bling, liquid pearls, velvet trim and stickles.

Add a little ink to define your edges.

To cover the stems simply add a little glue to paper strip and wrap it around the stem. To include the "grasses" wrap thin paper strips around a pencil to create the curl and pin them into the green foam.

This project is so cute for any room of your home and really is a nice gift idea...these flowers will last forever.

Happy Scrapping!
Mimi