Cord Scrapbook Studio

Sketch of the Week: Sunshine & Copics

Ruthie, the scrapbooking coordinator at our Columbus (Graceland) store was in charge of providing this week's card + sketch. It's sweet, simple and full of sunshine...

Ruthie used patterned papers from Prima Marketing's "Sun Kiss" collection, as well as coordinating Bazzill cardstock (Aqua & Lemonade), white ribbon and a tag printed from the computer. (Font: Bernie).
 
Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. But if you read that short & sweet supply list carefully, you'll notice I said WHITE ribbon. Odd, right? Given that in the photo of Ruthie's card the ribbon is yellow...

Well, here's the thing...

You're all probably familiar with Copic Markers and how creatively they're used for coloring stamped images for cards and such. But, did you know that those beautiful, alchohol-based ink pens aren't just for coloring on specialty paper? That you can use them for customizing all sorts of embellishments--ribbons & floss, buttons, metals... pretty nifty, eh?

So to coordinate her ribbon with the papers used on her card, Ruthie colored some white, May Arts ribbon using a Copic Y21 Sketch marker--the end result matching her project perfectly.

Thanks for sharing your card and this super-cool Copic technique with us, Ruthie!

And thanks [again] to Scrapbook Generation, as their "Sketches for Cardmaking" Book, (Volume 1) provided the inspiration for Ruthie's card! You can find their books online and in stores, plus you'll fnd additional sketches and tons of challenges on their blog--Sketch Support!

Have a great week!

What's New Wednesday: Kissing Booth

So here we are... four days into the new year and the card-making countdown to the next big papercrafting holiday is officially underway! And to aid you in your efforts, we've added one final Valentine's Day collection to the store shelves--Basic Grey's Kissing Booth.

And like all of their releases, Kissing Booth comes jam-packed with possibilities! Not only is there a wide variety of double-sided patterned papers available, but coordinating cardstock stickers, wooden buttons, die-cuts and transparencies!

And for the card-maker in you, Basic Grey has a real treat this year--paper notecards! They're just what you need to get started on the right foot--just add a sentiment and embellish as desired! Or, if you'd like a little more direction, you can check out their greeting card kit, where you'll get all of the materials needed to create 12 adorable cards--four each of three different styles! 

 
Kissing Booth is another one of those collections where the designers sought to mix in a little versatility which in turn, gets us a little more use out of the patterned papers and elements we're dying to collect!

The pink, brown and cream pallette lends itself well to a variety of different page themes, and a splash of light green thrown in here and there makes this line particularly unique!

Kissing Booth is available in stores and online now. Enjoy!

"Cooking Up Christmas" with Jillibean Soup

You'd better watch out...
You'd better not cry...
You'd better not pout, I'm telling you why...
Jill-i-bean is comin'... to town!

Well, she's kinda sorta actually already in town, but "Jillibean Soup is coming to Graceland" didn't quite rhyme as well. Work with me here! The point remains... Jill, the "Big Bean" of Jillibean Soup fame is coming to Cord Camera in Graceland NEXT MONTH for her "Cooking Up Christmas" card class!
 
If you're a follower of the Jillibean Soup "Bean Talk" blog you know that Jill's quite the card-maker. In fact, you might even call it her specialty! And with her "Cooking Up Christmas" class taking place Monday, November 7th at 5:30pm at the Graceland store, you'll score the recipe for six unique holiday cards featuring the Christmas Eve Chowder collection--one of this season's top-selling holiday lines thus far!

A little birdie (a.k.a My Inner Self) also told me there will be some pretty sweet Jillibean Soup offers available for all class attendees and I think you'll enjoy a few of the new tricks Jill's got up her sleeve with these cards! So call in and reserve your space today--the soup's on!!

So.Excited.
 

What's New Wednesday: La-La Land Crafts

I am oh-so-pleased to introduce to you a new [to Cord] stamp company whose products arrived in our warehouse today! I *really* think you're going to like what they have to offer--especially if you're a Copic-coloring fanatic as so many of us are! So without further adieu, I bring you Marci & Luka--two adorable recurring characters from La-La Land Crafts!

You'll find Marci & Luka dressed up in all kinds of cute little outfits, for almost any occasion. They're Superheroes, festive friends and they're just about the most adorable little card-ready characters I've ever seen! Stamps are approximately 2.5 to 3" wide and just under 4" tall, which makes them the perfect centerpiece for a card and yet sized just right for scrapbooking!

Some of my personal favorites are the holiday stamps...
 
A quick note... a couple of the stamps remain on backorder (due to their popularity given the holiday card-making season is well underway). Pumpkin Marci--shown above--is one of those.
 
Now... aren't those little reindeer antlers just the cutest?

Enough gushing from me... you can check them out for yourself here. Plus, they'll begin arriving in stores tomorrow and Friday so you can see them in person the next time you stop by.  For a little inspiration in the meantime, I encourage you to scope out their website and blog where you'll find tons of samples for each stamp available in the collection! 

Get out your Copics--it's time to head to La-La Land! (a.k.a. Stamper/Copic-Colorer Heaven!)

Sketch of the Week: One Card Many Ways!

This week's card sketch comes from the Card Patterns Weekly Sketch blog. If you're a card-maker always on the look out for a few fresh ideas, you just might want to add this one to your blog roll!

Ruthie, the Scrapbooking Coordinator at our Graceland store designed this week's card based on the sketch using Echo Park's Country Drive collection (which, a little birdie told me we have a coupon for this week!)

 

Here are the patterned papers she used to create the card:
 
Echo Park Country Drive   Echo Park Country Drive   Echo Park Country Drive
        Clover Meadow                Clover/Big Sky                   Border Strip

See? Easy peasy lemon squeezy.  Just find some coordinating patterned papers you like and a little matching ribbon and assemble your card as desired. Choose your sentiment and either stamp it or print it out directly onto your paper and you're set!

Are YOU a sketch-fantatic, too?! We'd love to see your favorite sketches in action! If you'd like to feature a sketch and your coordinating design here on the Cord blog, please email scrapbooking[at]cordcamera[dot]com for more information! 

Featured Classes: Cards, Cards and MORE Cards!

I've been both overwhelmed and inspired by the amazing response we've had so far with the Operation We R Grateful card campaign that we joined just a couple of weeks ago!! Once again I am convinced that we have some of the most talented, gracious customers EVER--thank you so much for your participation!

Those of you who are still working on cards to drop off or for those of you who are just hearing about this card drive and would still like to "jump in"--no worries! Our Cord Scrapbook Studio Drop Zones will remain open through Sunday, July 24th, so there's still plenty of time to get started!
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Hallmark said it best when they coined the phrase "...when you care enough to send the very best." And nothing says "I care" more than a handmade card and that personal touch. That being said, we've got a couple of card classes coming up next month that I thought you might take interest in... each one featuring SIX different cards you'll make in just one class!

First, there's the Card Club class with Stephanie up at our Delaware store. Class takes place Tuesday, July 12th from 6 to 7:30pm. For just $15, you'll make the six cards shown here with the sentiments & phrases of your choosing! All you need to bring with you (in addition to your basic scrappin' supplies) is a sanding block or file and pop dots!

Then you could really make a day of it at our Nora store in Indianapolis!Vicki's got two card classes on Saturday the 16th of July. This first one is from 10am to Noon and for just $15 you'll get a jump start on your holiday card making for the year with six festive, holiday cards! (Now, who doesn't love the idea of that?) It's like... Christmas! In July!!

Then from 1pm to 4pm Vicki's Copic Card class will be making the six all-occasion cards you see here using a variety of patterned papers & themes. It's a $20 class and we promise LOTS of quality practice time working with those fabulous markers! Plus, the cards are just stinkin' adorable! (I especially like the one with the  little girl and the watermelon... See it? The one on the Jillibean Soup Watermelon Gazpacho paper?! Cute.)

Registration for all of these classes is open now--just contact either the Delaware store or Nora store for details! A lot of times our instructors have extra kits available for customers out-of-town or for those unable to attend class, too. So keep that in mind as you plan out your busy July schedule!

Hope you're having a great week!

Sketch of the Week: Making a Simple, All-Occasion Card

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope this blog post finds you rested, inspired and ready to scrapbook in the week ahead! With summer activities keeping us busy, it's good to try to find a little respite here and there--some time to relax and get in touch with your creative side.

But let's be realistic... sometimes there's just not enough time in the day, right?! Well, there might not be time enough to devote to a full-fledged 12x12 layout, but small, simple projects--like cards--can be just as refreshing and rewarding when it comes to making time for the things we love most! And in our case, one of those things is papercrafting!

Making cards can be as simple as being inspired by an idea, pulling together some coordinating supplies and assembling. And, they're a great excuse for making good use out of your dust-collecting punches and assorted tools--not to mention all of those papers & leftover materials you've got stored in your scrap bin!

This week's "Sketch of the Week" features a simple card layout from the "Papered With Love" blog by Stephanie Connell.

If you're new to card-making, sketches are a great place to start! Just repeat the shapes and patterns as you see them and then customize to whatever style or theme you're working with.

Ruthie, from our Graceland store created this quick 4" x 4" card using the Babysaurus collection from Little Yellow Bicycle. You see the resemblance to the sketch with the die-cut artisan-style background, the ribbon mid-way across the lower half and the circle element--and yet, the card is all her own! And that's the key to working with sketches--You start off with a "blueprint" and then you make it yours.

You can make up quick cards like these in batches or simply piece them together a couple at a time here and there. If you leave off the sentiments, you'll always have an all-occasion card at-the-ready whenever you need it. Stamp a quick sentiment on it--(Happy Birthday, Welcome Baby, Thank You, etc)--add a quick note inside and call it a day!

To make a card like Ruthie's, all you need is an artisan die (or a Cricut cartridge with that shape available), a variety of nesting circle punches, dimensional adhesive (like Pop Dots), some ribbon and a journaling pen.  Here are some of the papers & supplies Ruthie used:

    LYB Babysaurus Paper       LYB Babysaurus Paper      Bazzill - Dotted Swiss
      Little Dino Dots              Tiny Yellow Stripes                   Poolside
  
EK Nesting Scallop Punch    EK Nesting Circle Punch      AC Memory Markers
         1-1/4" Circle                   1" and 1-3/8"                          Leaf
 
You'll find a complete product listing on display in stores with both the sketch and sample card among the Little Yellow Bicycle (LYB) Babysaurus collection! Just look for a sign that says "As seen on the blog!"

I hope you have a wonderful week, even with all of the hustle and bustle of summertime fun! We'll have a new Tuesday Tutorial here on the blog tomorrow featuring Copic Markers and the We R Memory Keepers Yankee Doodles collection, so check it out! It'll be fun. Promise. :-)