Cord Scrapbook Studio

Lawn Fawn's "Summertime" w/ Guest: Martha Dafnos

Those of you who frequent our Indianapolis (Nora) location have most likely seen the work of Martha Dafnos around the store. Martha's one of our Certified Copic Instructors, offering a variety of Copic-themed classes and workshops each month!

  

Martha's put together a special card-making treat for us using the above coordinating stamps and "Lawn Cuts" dies from Lawn Fawn's "Summertime Charm" collection! Items are making their way to the store now, so if you're inspired by what you see--just give the Nora gals a buzz and tell them to hold a set for you! Trust me--these will go fast!

 
"Thanks" Card by Martha Dafnos

Supplies Used:
    Lawn Fawn Summertime Charm Stamp Set & Cutting Dies
    Copic Markers: RV13, YR15, Y15, V04, B000, Spica Glitter - Clear
    Doodlebug Flower Box Paper: Tiny Tulips/Green Dots
    We R Memory Keepers Corner Chomper
    Other: Pop Dots, Scallop Label Punch

From Martha:
"Lawn Fawn's Summertime Charm will easily become one of my favorite stamp sets! There are so many possibilities for cards, page layouts, labels and tags! Creating a jar full of blossoms is easy.

1. Stamp the jar image in the corner of a piece of X-Press It Copic Paper cut to 4.25" x 5.5".  Stamp flower blooms filling the jar, a few falling out and several on a smaller piece of paper to color, cut and pop dot on green paper cut to create grass.

2. Mount on a side-fold card measuring 4.5" x 5.75". Attach small blooms in various spots on the grass and coming out of the jar. Lightly color the background or mask the jar and flowers and fill with Copic Airbrush!

3. Stamp your sentiment and you're done!"

"You Brighten My Day" Card by Martha Dafnos

Supplies Used:
    Lawn Fawn Summertime Charm Stamp Set & Cutting Dies
    Copic Markers: B000, Y19, E84, T0, T3, Spica Glitter - Clear
    Authentique Renew 8x8 Bundle
    Other: Twine, Black Gems

From Martha:
"You brighten my day with fireflies... stars or hearts! Fill the jar with an image from the set, add a stamped border or banner strip and embellish with gems or tiny brads! Paper piece a background and accent with twine or ribbon--so quick and easy!

Thanks for sharing these Lawn Fawn projects, Martha!

For information on Martha's upcoming Copic classes (including Airbrushing), please contact Cord Scrapbook Studio Nora or pick up a class calendar the next time you're in the store!

Happy Scrappin'!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Whew... there's quite a few cobwebs here on the ol' blog, eh?

Thankfully, a quiet blog isn't a reflection of things quieting down all-around!! We've been busy these last couple of months placing orders for new product from CHA releases, planning events for the coming year and adjusting to some changes taking place behind the scenes (maternity leave, new team members, a new website, etc, etc.) It is our hope to return to regular blog posts, Facebook feeds, Pinterest content and more very SOON!

In the meantime, in celebration of this hobby we all LOVE as well as for this lovey-dovey Valentine's Day, we have a few cards to share with you from Design Team 2012 member Celeste Brodnik!  

These LOVEly cards were created using Authentique Paper's "Lovely" collection, available in stores now. In fact, if you happen to mention this blog post while shopping in stores through Sunday, February 17th, you'll SAVE 50% on the Lovely collection! Honest!

Thanks for stopping by the blog today, folks! We'll get a little Spring cleaning done in here, clear out these nasty cobwebs and be back with more design inspiration, new product updates, sketchy recipes, contests and challenges and MORE! All in good time...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Guest Post: Christmas Cards w/ Vicki

Here to inspire you to get-a-movin' with your holiday card-making is special guest Vicki Harper, the scrapbooking coordinator at our Indianapolis (Nora) location. Vicki teaches a variety of both scrapbooking and card-making classes and is a wonderful asset to our creative team! Thanks for sharing your tips, Vicki!

  

Many of you LOVE to make cards--including Christmas Cards for those special friends and family members on your holiday card list! I have some suggestions and tips for this annual Christmas card making event...especially if you are struggling with design, when to start, etc.

 

First, determine how many cards you plan to make.  I made over 40 cards last year!  Not only cards ... but Copic -colored cards and yes--I colored all 40!  Call me crazy but it was fun, and I plan on doing it again this year! 

 

After you determine the amount, then decide whether to want to make them all the same or make several different designs? Do you want to keep them simple or do you want to take them over the top?

 

Choosing to make all 40 of my cards the same last year did get a little boring at times, but I approached it as a assembly line, which made things SO MUCH easier! Here's a quick look at my process...

     

       1.  Choose a design.  This part may be the most difficult task for you, so here's a tip--USE SKETCHES! Nowadays, many blogs have [free] sketches such as:  Tuesday Morning Sketches,  CPS (Card Positioning Systems) or for those who prefer to have something in print, there are several Sketch books which you can purchase at your local Cord Scrapbook Studio, like those from Scrapbook Generation! In addition to what's already out there, you can always create your own sketch!

  

        2.  Next, choose your paper.  There is a wide variety of Christmas papers out there!  You can go with something elegant, whimsical, traditional--just look at your sketch and see how many pieces you may need and go from there! Personally, I like to choose a pattern, a stripe, and a circle with patterned paper with a couple sheets of cardstock to accent.

 

        3.  Now, choose your embellishments and sentiments. Are you going to stamp?  Are you going to color with Copics?  Will you need any additional embellishments like ribbon, twine, and/or bling?  

 

         4. With your plan in place, it's time to get started!  Gather up all of your supplies:  cards, adhesive, foam adhesive, glue dots, patterened papers and accent papers, and last but least your paper trimmer.  After all supplies are gathered, cut all the pieces you need--for example: 40 of the card topper, 40 mats, 40 strips, etc.  Make one demo card and then assemble all the rest in order! I have found that is goes quicker this way than doing one card at a time. 

 

Here's a few additional tips & suggestions: 

**Make this a family event!  Have family members help with the assembly!  This could become a new "Family Christmas Tradition"!

 

**Depending on how many layers you have or the embellishments you add your postage rate may increase.  I always take mine to the postoffice and have them weighed.  Depending on the embellishments you may have to have the cards hand stamped!

 

**Depending again on the design sometimes I make my card slightly smaller than the envelope so all my wonderful embellishments will fit easily into the envelope!

 

**I like to start making my cards at the beginning of November so I will have a month or so to complete my cards, but it's never too late to get started! Just stick with your plan!

 

Most of all have fun!!!

Whelp, that's Christmas Card-making in a nutshell! Now, time for us procrastinators to finalize our plan, put in a holiday flick and get to work on the ol' assembly line! Happy Scrappin'!

Sketch of the Week: Page Maps 2

This week's sketch comes from the depths of Becky Fleck's Scrapbook Page Maps 2 book...
(which just so happens to be 75% off in stores while supplies last!)

Ruthie, our Scrapbooking Coordinator at the Graceland store, tackled one of Becky's card sketches (p.53) using the Fabulous collection from Simple Stories!

Fabulous Card by Ruthie Darling

I love this style of card because it's a GREAT go-to design for using up paper scraps you might have lying around. I know the frugal scrapper in me has certainly tried to make the most out of each scrap and often times I find myself trying to whip up as many mini layouts or cards as I can with all of the coordinating leftovers I have from a full layout I've just completed.

  

Supplies Used:
    Simple Stories Fabulous Paper: Sweet, Sassy, 100% Girl, 
            Kraft Grid/Typewriter, Pink Flower/Ledger, Teal Dot/Notebook
    Bazzill Cardstock: Kraft
    Bazzill Embroidery Floss (available by the yard)
    Foam Adhesive
    Die-Cuts

For the accent pieces in the center, Ruthie used the store's Ellison Die-Cut Center to create the embellishments for her card, but you could easily use your own personal die-cut system, chipboard embellishments and/or buttons you have lying around to accomplish the same look!

Who'da thunk Sketches would be good for more than just quick and easy projects--now they're a useful tool for scrappin' up your stash!

Have a great week!

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!