Cord Scrapbook Studio

Let's Talk Scraps w/ Special Guest Mary Pat Siehl

Today's guest feature is brought to you by Design Team Member and blogger, Mary Pat Siehl! To see more of Mary Pat's work, visit her blog here.

Hi Everyone!
Mary Pat here with you on the Scrapbook Studio Blog and today I want to talk about scraps!  What do you do with them?  Do you throw them away?  Do you keep them in a scrap basket?  Do you use them?   

Well... I am here to help you!  See... I save ALL of my scraps.  No scrap is too small for me to keep.  I also keep all my scraps together with the paper collection.  Now...  what to do with all these scraps.  Here's a few suggestions for you...

This past Fall I was very fortunate to work on some projects for Cord using the awesome Jillibean Soup Winter Tortellini & Spinach collection.  I made several projects and then I had a bag left over with tons of scraps.   So the first thing I usually do with scraps is to make a card(s).  This is an easy way to use up a lot of scraps.  I NEVER cut into a beautiful full piece of paper for a card!

Here's an example of a card made using my Winter Tortellini scraps...

Now with my scraps I also decided to get a jump on my holiday tags.  I made a bunch of tags that I will use on my packages and gift bags for the holidays. This is where even the smallest bit a paper can come in handy!  And you don't just have to place these tags on gifts--you can use them on cards, home decor or scrapbook pages.  They are really very versatile!  

The next thing I like to do with my scraps is to make my own embellishments!  Do you love the look of all those layered and fun embellishments that go with the collections?  I know I do but sometimes those "extras" aren't in your budget.  So you can use your scraps to make fabulous embellishments!!  All you need is a couple of punches and you are set to go. 

Here is a look at several of the embellishment clusters that I made using some circle punches, foam tape and other things you have in your stash.  I simply cut various sizes of circles and layered them using foam tape.  Really you can use whatever you have.  No need to go out and buy extras!

 

You can use these embellishments on other projects, cards, tags, scrapbook pages, home decor, etc. They're so much fun and totally customized for whatever project you're working on!  

After working with all of these my scrap bag no longer existed!  And I hope seeing just a few of the ways I work to use up my scraps has inspired you to save stretch your dollar as well and to use up YOUR scrap stash!

Happy Scrappin'!
mp

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'!

December Daily 2012, Part One w/ Guest Blogger Mary Pat

Cord Scrapbook Studio welcomes back special guest, Design Team Member and creative blogger Mary Pat Siehl (Siehled With a Kiss) as she walks us through her December Daily process! Thanks for joining us, Mary Pat!

Hey Everyone! Mary Pat here again with you today!

The buzz around the scrapbooking world this time of year is the December Daily.  Have you heard of it?  A "December Daily" is an album project that documents 25 days of December. The album is a wonderful way to share and to celebrate your family's traditions and happenings during the holiday season! 

I have been wanting to make one for the last couple of years but it was always so hard to choose a kit and they can be VERY expensive.  But, I shopped around a lot this year and decided to start my own using the wonderful new Simple Stories Sn@p collection!  Also, Simple Stories has a line called "Handmade Holiday" that works well with the Sn@p albums and page protectors!  So I decided to share my thoughts and how I am going to create my December Daily using these products with everyone here at the Scrapbook Studio.  So If you want to join me feel free to and I think we can have a lot of fun together!

Step 1- The first thing you need to do is to start the set up of your December Daily BEFORE December 1st.  This way you will be ready to go and you don't have to worry about the little things as you go along.  Simply gather up your supplies and keep them all together.  Here is my supply list that I will be
using, so if you want to run into the nearest Cord store to pick up all the goodies... you can!

(All from Simple Stories)
Sn@p 6x8 album
Sn@p pocket pages - I am going to use the 6x8 Mulit Pack Refills
Handmade Holiday 6x8 Sn@p Journaling Insert Pages
Handmade Holiday 3x4 Sn@p Cards 
Handmade Holiday 12x12 collection pack
Handmade Holiday Countdown Cardstock Stickers

(Other)
Various stamps, buttons, twine, and other embellishments

I have all my supplies in an old shoe box so that I can have everything I need all in one place instead of searching for things.  This is supposed to be a fun and stress free album--Organizing is the first step!

Step 2 is to set up your album with the page protectors.  (Note: My album is still on order so what I have done is pulled my page protectors out and I am using a jump ring to hold them all together so that I can work on step 3 - setting up your pages.) I have used one of the 6x8 Sn@p Pages to be my opening page.  The flip side is a calendar that I will fill in along the way throughout the month.

Step 3-  Now the fun can begin!  It will be a lot easier for you if you can set up your 25 pages before December starts.  This gives you a couple of weeks to get going.  The page protectors and the premade cards are so helpful--I basically just filled in my page protectors and left areas for my photos and journaling. Now I can go back in and add more embellishments once I know what my photo is for that day. 

  
 
 
 

Now that you have an idea on how to start your December Daily, let's talk about prompts!  25 days can be a long time so I have some fun ideas to get you through the first part of the month...
 
1.  photo with santa
2.  setting up the decorations
3.  shopping for presents
4.  your favorite ornament and why you love it so
5.  your child's favorite ornament and why
6.  making cookies
7.  making a gingerbread house
8. making a list for santa
9.  a holiday party
10.  a favorite holiday book

Those are some fun ideas!  It at least gives you a starting point! 

Now if you have any questions please feel free to post them on the Scrapbook Studio Facebook page.  I will be checking in and posting some of my photos.  Leave a question and I will get back to you!  I think we are going to have a fun time together!!

Also if you start your DD- please post photos on the Facebook page we would love to see some inspiration!   Remember this is supposed to be a fun way to capture the joy of the season!  So let's have fun!

I will be back at the start of December to check in to see how you are doing, to share some more of my finished and unfinished pages, suggest a few more prompts and to answer any questions that you may have!  See you then!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!
Have a wonderful and crafty day!
mp

For more information on the "December Daily" concept, visit Ali Edwards' Blog where you'll find introductions as well as photos and details on the last several years' worth of albums she's put together! 

For even MORE inspiration and to see a few December Daily albums using the Simple Stories Handmade Holidays and Sn@p collections, check out the blog hop over on the Simple Stories blog! We trust you'll be inspired!!

Sketch of the Week w/ Special Guest Mary Pat



Cord Scrapbook Studio is pleased to welcome guest poster (and Design Team Member) Mary Pat Siehl from "Siehled with a Kiss" as she shares this week's Sketch!

Hi Everyone!

Mary Pat here and today I have a really fun sketch to share! I love creating my own sketches and it really helps me to get my mojo flowing. I always have a little sketch pad in my purse and whenever I am out and get a fun idea, I can write it down! I don't know about you, but I am ALWAYS thinking about papercrafting. I know you are probably thinking I am totally obsessed but... yup, I am! LOL!!

So anyway... let's get to the sketch.

Remember, the great thing about a sketch is that you can interpret it however you see fit. Here is MY take on the sketch...

"I Am So Lucky" Layout by Mary Pat Siehl

For this layout, I used the Lily Bee Buttercup collection. I really love this collection because it is very neutral. You can use it on really any type of layout or project. One of my favorite things to do is layer the paper and then layer all the embellishments.

For the background paper, I picked two of the patterned pieces. I sewed around the edge to make a border and then I sprayed it with coordinating colors of Mister Huey's mist by Studio Calico. I then matted my photo with different pattern pieces.

Then it was time to add my embellishments! I like to make my own and I took some of the Bag of Bits embellishments and layered them with some black cardstock and foam adhesive to add a little bit of dimension to the layout. Finally, I did some stamping... I stamped the subtitle and then I stamped the phrase under the photo. I love the versatility of stamps and LOVE to use them in my scrapbooking!

I hope you enjoyed my sketch--I would love to see your work if you decide to use it! Simply share it on the Cord Scrapbook Studio Facebook page!

I will be back soon with some really fun posts! Have you wanted to start a December Daily Scrapbook but didn't know where to begin or the ones you found online are way too expensive? Well, I'm going to show you how to make one that is going to be AWESOME! We'll start by setting everything up and coming up with a fun list of things to capture--it's going to be so much fun, you aren't going to want to miss a post! See you then!

Have a wonderful and crafty day!
mp

Thanks so much for sharing, Mary Pat! What a great layout + sketch! 

Stay tuned to the SB Studio blog TODAY for the first big Black Friday reveal of the week! We'll be posting one special each day (Monday thru Friday) at 3:00pm! Black Friday specials will be good Sunday, November 18th through Monday, November 26th--while supplies last! Happy planning!

Thankful in November - Guest Post

Cord Scrapbook Studio welcomes Jill Yegerlehner of Jillibean Soup for today's guest post!

You know November is a great month to remember all those little things that we can be thankful for. Several friends on Facebook are sharing a "thankful thought" each day in November. I was thinking--what a great thing to put to paper.

If you didn't know, Jillibean Soup core colors are reds, browns and greens. In fact I say "Brown is our Black". If you took a look around our house, you'd see that I love Fall and Fall colors. This is probably why I've incorporated so many of them into our lines!

I went back through the archives to find some of my favorite thankful layouts. Here's a few to share...

"So Thank-ful" Layout by Aly Dosdall

"XO Thanksgiving" Layout by Aphra Boyler

"Thankful for You" Card by Julie Bonner

"Gourd Times" Layout by Summer Fullerton

"So Grateful" Layout by Melanie Blackburn

Guess what... I have a Country Pumpkin Chowder Collection Pack to give away, so YOU too can make some thankful memories! Leave a comment below and we'll draw a winner Monday, November 12th!

Thanks for letting me guest-post!

UPDATE: Giveaway closed.
Congratulations, Pam Sohan! You are the random.org-selected winner of the Country Pumpkin Chowder Collection Pack! Please email [email protected] to claim your prize!

Guest Post: Introducing Simple Stories

Who better to share about this fabulous new [to Cord] scrapbooking company than Simple Stories themselves! I'm really excited about this product line and I know you will be too! So without further adieu, ... welcome, Jodi!
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Life is busy... we get it! That is why Amber Crowell created Simple Stories, a refreshing simple, time-saving, stress-free approach to scrapbooking! Our innovative products simplify how you capture, create, document and share your most important memories.


100 Days of Summer is all about scrapbooking your summer memories and photos in a fun and simple way. There are approximately 100 days of summer... and there's plenty to keep you busy!  So whether you're soaking up the sun, exploring outdoor adventures, enjoying summer celebrations... or simply resting, relaxing and chill-axing, 100 Days of Summer is the perfect way to capture your fun-filled, carefree, lazy days of Summer!

 
Our Design Team has been busy creating  projects to show off our 100 Days of Summer collection to all of you; so sit back and grab your notebook--there are some fun ideas that you are going to want to create for sure!

Take a peek at the fun layouts and cards that Liz Qualman created! Liz has some amazing sketches that she shares on our blog once a month.
 
 
  
Wendy Morris created this fun layout by combining 2 of our collections together--Destinations and 100 Days of Summer.
 
Summer would not be complete without a BBQ! Emily Pitts captured her favorites of Summer in this layout of grilled summer veggies.
 
I love mini books, and this one from Kim Holmes is no exception! Kim is showing this one off today on our blog--I think she did a great job! I also love the cards she created.
 
 
 
 
Thanks for letting us visit with you today and share a little bit of our story with you!

 

Guest Post: Canvas Art

Hello everyone!  I am Vicki from the Nora store, and well I have taken over the blog from Stephanne today!  I wanted to share a quick and easy project I have been making for my family members…..Canvas scrapbooking!  My mom and grandma are in love with theirs! 

 
I selected an 8x10 canvas and a 5x7 picture (of course printed at Cord Camera – have you tried to online prints yet?  I love it!  I can upload, crop, etc while at home – way convenient!), then chose a coordinating piece of patterned paper for matting my picture.  I cut the photo mat to 5.5 x 7.5 inches and then used the We R Memory Keepers’ Corner Chomper to round the corners of both the patterned paper and the photo.

Use a coordinating color of Glimmer Mist or Smooch Spritz and spritz the canvas (don’t worry about the sides – we are going to cover that up!).  The spritz may pool on the canvas, but that is ok it will add character to your project.  You can leave it to dry or if you are like me and in a time crunch use your heat tool to dry!  Adhere your picture to the center of the canvas.  Add Tim Holtz’s Tissue Tape around the edges of the canvas.  Tissue Tape can be used in various ways including making flowers – that could be another post!  LOL (easily distracted!) 

Stamp a flower and vines onto Tim Holtz Grunge paper, (oh grunge paper!  I am so in love with it.  It is great for making your own embellishments!  It can with stand a ton of techniques and is very pliable!) and cut out.  Using a blending tool and distress ink – add colors to the vines and flower. I used Aged Mahogany for the flower, and pine needles for the vines.  Hint:  when using the blending tool apply in circular motion.  The ink blends easily and without blotches.

Let the distress ink dry for a moment, and then use a gold dabber on the flower and leaves for a more distressed look!  Add a button in the center of the flower and use the gold dabber, then heat set for fast drying. Have you used Glossy Accents?  Did you know that Glossy Accents makes a great sturdy adhesive?  Just sayin’!  Stamp sentiments as desired using Archival Ink, and hand journal date with a black slick writer.  Viola!

 
Hey, let’s us know if you like this project and maybe Stephanne will let me take over the blog more often! 

Have a great day!  Happy Scrappin’!
Vicki
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Vicki is the Scrapbooking Coordinator at our Nora, Indiana store and is one of several talented Scrapbook Studio Scrappers! Always learning something new to share among fellow papercrafting enthusiasts, Vicki teaches Cricut classes, Copic classes and specializes in a variety of different techniques (as you can see here!) More SB Studio Scrapper tutorials to come next week!

Oh and P.S. Vicki... you're welcome to hijack the blog, er.. I mean, uh... share your posts ANYTIME! :-)

Guest Post: Introducing Lily Bee Design

We're incredibly excited to announce that our first delivery of Lily Bee Design product will be shipping to us early next week! Here to share a little with you about herself and Lily Bee is special guest blogger Kristen Young. 
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I am SO Thrilled to have Cord Camera carrying Lily Bee Design!  Lily Bee Design started as a dream of mine back in 1995 when I first began working at my LSS.   Scrapbooking  was becoming very popular and I got excited seeing new paper and products emerging and thought "Hey I want to do that!" Fourteen years later I decided to take the plunge and Lily Bee Design was founded Februrary of 2009.  I get asked all the time at CHA if I'm Lily-no but I did name the company after my Great Grandmother Lily Berrett.  She was an amazing artist who loved to paint.  I thought it would be very fitting. 

I decided for our second release at 2009 Summer CHA I would give graphic design a try ended up designing my first two collections-Audrey and Vintage Poppy.  I was hooked and since have designed all of our current collections.  Even though I still am such a newbie and have much to learn I've been able to teach myself along the way and think each collection continues to get better and better.  Plus, I LOVE our embellishments-have you seen our 12x12 Rub-Ons?!  Love at first sight :) and our NEW Chipboard Buttons are so sweet and an amazing price! 

Catching Fall has to be one of my favorites thus far.  I absolutely love the rich colors that are perfect for fall.  However, I do make all of our designs very versatile so you can really use them for whatever occasion you want.  Another fun think we added to our collections this time is our cardstock stickers.  I LOVE Banners.   Here are a few examples from our designers Brenda Hurd and Cindy Liebel:

 
 
Christmas Town is stunning to say the least.  The colors are not your  traditional Christmas colors but along with the patterns I think it's speaks sophistication.  I love the mix and size of patterns in this collection.  Plus, we have a few amazing Damask patterns-something that we are known for.  Again so many of the patterns are versatile and can be used in so many ways.  I LOVE these layouts created by Lori Gentile and Cindy Liebel:

 

The response to Lily Bee has been astounding to me and I am so thankful for the opportunity to share my talent with paper artists all over the world.  I LOVE seeing what women are creating using our products.  Join us over at our Ning site and share your creations with us!  We feature members' projects on our blog  every Friday for our "Friday's Faves."

Thanks so much Stephanne for letting me take some time to gush about Lily Bee!
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Thank YOU Kristen for telling us a little more about Lily Bee and for sharing such great inspiration from the Design Team! I encourage everyone to check out Lily Bee Designs, coming soon to a Cord Scrapbook Studio location near you! Look for additional new product updates on our Facebook page and in our Weekly Email Newsletter.

Have a great weekend 

Guest Post: Ciao Bella!

Hi there! I'm so excited to be here hosting the Cord Camera blog!
My name is Stephanie Hunt.

I am the founder and owner of Bella Blvd, a scrapbooking manufacture. Some people could argue that I have the best job in the universe designing products from patterned papers, cardstock stickers, clear stamps, chipboard and so so much more! I have an awesome (to say the least) team of people that play an important part of keeping you inspired. The Bella Artistas fill up the blog with endless ideas and inspiration.

Bella Blvd's first collection was Family Tree.

It debuted in the Fall of 2008. Since then I have designed and Bella has released 19 product collections! One thing I am extremely thankful for is that I have not lost my passion for scrapbooking. I scrap just about once a week with "my girls" keeping my album in chronological order, making mini albums and participating in a card swap every now and then.

My background in design also stems from photography. I love portrait photography, bright colors and landscape backdrops. For several years I did freelance photography for close friends and family through word of mouth. I shoot with a Canon D50, and if I'm allowed to say so, I think she is one of my best friends. ;)

To make this a little more fun, I have put together a great giveaway for a lucky Cord Camera fan! Leave a comment here (below) and then visit the Bella Blog and leave a comment there as well for your chance to win! 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Many thanks to Stephanie for sharing with us today! It was a pleasure getting to know a little more about her--including a few tidbits she shared in a fun lttle getting-to-know-you interview. For instance... I learned that she's in love with the color pink, Italy, and home decor. Her favorite place to shop is Marshalls and she'd never leave the house without her iPhone or her chapstick. And just like yours truly, she has a tendency to leave cupboard doors open, runs her gas tank empty before filling it up, bites her nails and hates (with a capital "H-A-T-E") traffic. I just *knew* we were kindred spirits... it must be in the name. (She's Stephanie - I'm Stephanne....get it?) Anyway... happy comment posting and best of luck!

Guest Post: Chasing Picture Perfection w/ Stacie Errera

I may work for Cord Camera and spend a couple of days every week working out of one of our stores, but you'd be surprised at how many times I take for granted the untapped photography knowledge resource we have at our fingertips! So today I've decided to tap into the photography world thanks to our special guest poster--Stacie Errera.
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When the sun is really harsh during midday, you know that kind of day—when your eyes won't stop tearing from the brightness and sunglasses hardly help—you can still get wonderful portraits by placing your subjects just inside a shady area.

This might be just under an umbrella, inside a garage door, inside your house door, under the slide at the park, under the light of the first tree, etc. The key is to not position your subject too deep into the shade as you want all of the light that is just behind you to spill softly onto your subject. This will give even lighting across the face(s) as well as great catch lights in the eyes.

Here, my subject stood on the lawn, just where the tree started to shade the lawn and you can see exactly what I mean—smooth bright skin with no deep shadows and gorgeous blue eyes! Below, you can see an example of the line of shade.

If your subject's feet are on the sunny side of the line, you will get get a contrasty image with harsh shadows across the face that also block the shine in the eyes. But if the subject takes two steps back into the shade, the result is amazing as you can see in the main image above.

Another great advantage—you can eliminate the problem of squinty eyes! So look for a line of shade in which to position your subject on those really bright days and you'll love the resulting photos.
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For additional tips on ways you can improve your everyday photography skills, visit Stacie's blog: chasingpictureperfection.com. You'll find anything from info on action shots to composition, lighting or special effects. For the photographer on-the-go, she's got four different Photo Tips cards available for download! Thanks so much Stacie for sharing today's tip!