Hi Everyone! Denise here with this week’s Product Spotlight – the Occasions Collection! On sale this week for $5.63.

One of the things I love about the Occasions Collection is how it can be used for boy or girl’s parties. There is a nice mix of colors and patterns that could be used for both and how cute are those huge brads? There are two folded papers in the kit, the girl version can be seen in Kylie’s layout, the boy version in Lu’s layout (or if you go to the product page at the Shoppe – view all of the previews for details). Oh, I also wanted to mention the cool white paper edge/frame in the kit preview is included in the kit! There are two items in the Shoppe that coordinate with the Occasions Collection if you’d like to add additional themes or items to your layouts.

The coordinating Occasions Round Label Collection is on sale this week for $1.13.

And the coordinating Party Graphics – Digital Rub-ons are also on sale for $1.46. I love the piñata in this set and the crowns are a fun touch to Birthday photos.

Here’s a Birthday layout I created with the Occasions Collection and the coordinating Party Graphics.

Here’s some super cute Birthday layouts by the Shabby Artists.

from Kylie…

from Lu…

from Anna…

I hope the Occasions Collection, on sale for $5.63 this week, inspires you to break out those Birthday photos and play.

Happy Scrapping everyone! :)

DeniseProduct Spotlight, Uncategorized 5 Comments

Hi everyone! Denise here with this week’s Product Spotlight – Smarshmallows! It is on sale this week only for $4.88.

I love the colors in this kit, the orange and blues are perfect for summer layouts and especially boy layouts. Mariquita surprised us with some snow layouts too! There are some really cool graphic elements to the Smarshmallow kit, circles can be repeated with the stamps, buttons, and polka dot paper. Karen used the funky border in the kit to make a nice thick border on her layout, Trish has a handy tutorial Shoppe Tips and Tricks (Fun Edges). For my layout I wanted to use the stars as an embellishment and cut the stars from the paper using a Polygonal Lasso Tool (L) in Photoshop to really make them pop.

Some inspirational layouts and a Birthday Announcement by the Shabby Artists

I hope the layouts have inspired you to scrap some funky summer layouts (and winter!) with the Smarshmallows kit, on sale this week for only $4.88.

Happy Scrapping everyone!  Be sure to stop back by tomorrow for a great tutorial/article from Kylie about BLENDING!

DeniseProduct Spotlight, Uncategorized 8 Comments

Hi everyone! Denise here with a fun hybrid project using recycled packaging. The kids have been chomping on strawberries this summer and I thought the 1 lb. strawberry containers would be perfect for thank you packages using the charming Shabby Princess kit Hopscotch. The sides of the strawberry containers are straight, which help with wrapping a ribbon around the outside.

To reuse a plastic container, first you’ll need to wash and dry the container. For this package, I left the original stickers since they will be covered up later. Measure the widest dimensions of the top panel and in Photoshop you can crop the exact size of paper for the top panel. For the sample I sized the Hopscotch paper 75% before cropping. On an 8.5 x 11″ canvas place the top panel for the package, a label and any additional tags or embellishments you’ll be placing on the container. Print the file onto a sheet of double sided matte photo paper (61 lb. Staples brand is my fave). Cut out the individual parts. From here you can glue the main panel onto the container and add ribbons and embellishments to make a fun thank you package. See below for some additional distressing tips to add to the warm country feel of the Hopscotch thank you package.Left Photo – Some handy tools to have for distressing include a cheap nail file and the round distressing tool that has a blade along the inside edge.

Right photo – For the top panel, trim and use a corner punch to round the corners. Use a distressing tool or nail file along the edges to weather the edges. Crumple (really!) and add some folds to the panel. Slight tears are ok too! 

After crumpling the panel, smooth it out a bit, not entirely flat. Holding the nail file flat, lightly file the edges of the paper sticking up. Ranger Distress Ink (Antique Linen) can add a touch of color along the edges and you can add a little weathering with a slight tap along some of the spots of the panel. The same technique was applied to the label and tags. Here’s an upclose shot to show the touches of weathering and ink. 

I really love how the distressing added a little extra somethin’ to the country charm of the Hopscotch kit. I hope you’ll give the technique a try with your hybrid projects and we’d love to see them! :)

See you back here tomorrow, where Kathy will be posting about another hybrid project and more!

DeniseHybrid Projects, Uncategorized 2 Comments

Hey everyone, Denise here with my first Hybrid post. Earlier this week I did the Product Spotlight on the Shabby Princess kit Gabby. One of the things I love about the Gabby kit is the birds and how they come with and without eyes, perfect for Hybrid projects.

To create dimension on the final Sweet card, a cutout bird will be placed on top of the bird on the card. To start the Sweet card was created digitally in Photoshop using the Gabby kit and Scallops, Shapes & More.  For printing, it is placed on an 8.5 x 11″ canvas in Photoshop, add an additional bird and the sweet tag to the canvas. Print onto Double sided matte photo paper (61 lb. Staples brand is my fav.). Cut and fold the card, also cut out the extra bird (minus the legs and back wing) and sweet tag. If you’d like extra dimension, using an Xacto blade, cut along the outside edge of the birds wing and bend it slightly out. Ink the edges of card, sweet tag, cut out bird and wing with a Qtip to get in all the small spots. Using large pop dots, attach the cut out bird atop the bird on the card. Glue the 8 mm wiggle eye on the bird. Glue flowers, dots and using smaller pop dots attach sweet tag.

Here’s a close-up of the card to show the wing popping up and the dimension of the bird. Westrim Crafts makes the wiggle eyes (8mm), great for Halloween projects too.

I created another card using a similar digital base with the Gabby kit and the Scallops, Shapes & More. After printing, more traditional scrapbooking supplies were added to the card.

I hope this inspires you to create a Hybrid card. It’s so fun to see the expression of the person receiving the card. The Gabby kit was highlighted earlier this week and is still on sale for $5.21.

Have a great weekend & Happy Father’s Day to all the Dad’s out there! :)

DeniseHybrid Projects, Uncategorized 8 Comments

Hey everyone! Denise here to spotlight the Gabby kit, my favorite Shabby Princess kit. I absolutely LOVE the warm colors and the foliage. The colors are so versatile for Home and Hearth, everyday layouts and lovely vintage layouts. Those super cute birds are my favorites! I am so glad the Shabby Princess included a version of each bird without eyes, they are perfect for Hybrid cards and layouts. I’ll have some samples on how to add some fun wiggly eyes on Friday’s Hybrid post. ;)

Here are some sample layouts from the fabulous Shabby Shoppe teams-

I hope we inspired you with the versatility of the Gabby kit and for this week you can pick it up on sale for $5.21.

As summer approaches, our family has been looking for fun, inexpensive activities for the kids. Last year we borrowed Grandma’s tent and spent the night in our backyard. You can see our dog guarding the tent from skunks above right, lol.  Leave a post of your favorite summer activity, or post a layout!

Happy scrapping & enjoy those early days of summer! :)

DeniseProduct Spotlight, Uncategorized 9 Comments