Father's Day album using Stardust Paper Pack

I wanted to share this album I made.  I am so in love with it! I kinda don't want to give it to it's intended recipient now.

Okay details on making the album:

I used about half of the CTMH Stardust Level 2 paper pack.  The album itself is chipboard that I cut using a local scrapbooking store's Accucut die cutting machine.  We sell a similar album from CTMH (I just didn't have time to order one from CTMH). 

I used alot of chipboard letters, most of them are for Tim Holtz's grungeboard collection.  I had them just sitting around so I decided to use them as they were the right size.

All the pages and paper edges were distressed using the sanding block in the CTMH Sanding kit.  The distressing looks really good on the album .  It also helps to hide where my cutting skills weren't the best on the album edges.

Pages 2, 3 and 9 use 6" card patterns from the Wishes How To program book with a little bit of fiddling to make the dimensions work with a 6" x 7" album.  The patterns are Satchel, Designer Tab, and Pieced Together respectively.  This album took me about 4 -5 hours altogether.  Much of it was spent trying to figure out to design the pages.  If I were to recreate the album, it would only take me about 2 hours to actually put it together now that I know what I am doing.

I hope you like it!  I can't wait to make another one using a different paper pack.  Look for it in the future.

Supplies Used:

• Paper:  CTMH Stardust Level 2 paper pack
• Stampset:  A Little Everything, Star Power
• Ribbon:  Unknown manufacturer
• Chipboard:  Tim Holtz Grungeboard Mixed Minis and unknown chipboard manufacturer (PLAY)
• Embellishments:  CTMH Bitty Sparkles, CTMH Basic Buttons, CTMH Dimensional Elements: Stars, Making Memories Paperie Buttons, DMC Ecru Embroidery Thread, CTMH Clear Detail Embossing Powder
• Tools:  Paper Hole Punch, CTMH Sanding Kit, CTMH Paper Piercing Kit, TomBow Adhesive, Elmer's Glue spray adhesive, Heat Gun

Roll Over - 5 in 1 Workshop

This layout is the second in a series of five from a workshop that produces 5 (yes 5!) 2 page layouts from one Level 2 paperpack (with 6 sheets for neutral cardstock for bases)!  The first layout can be found here.

It is the Sweet Symphony layout  (pg. 24) from the Imagine book!  I love this layout sketch.  It can be used for anything.   It is also one I can send you if you would like to make your own layout using this sketch.  Just email me at angievcrafts at gmail dot com!

The pictures are of my darling son and the first day we caught him in the act of rolling over.  He is a pretty sneaky baby and used to learn stuff by himself and then show off for mom and dad when the technique was perfected!

There is not much stamping on this layout and I think it is fine.  I tend to like a simpler look on my layouts.  I don't use alot of pictures or I won't use alot of embellishments.  I tend to come from a less is more place in scrapbooking. The journaling was straight from my printer onto the vellum.  I stamped Roll Over on Daisy White cardstock and cut them out with some scissors.

Supplies Used

• Animal Cookies Level 2 paper pack
• Animal Cookies StickEase
• Stampset:  Posterboard Alpha
• Vellum
• Adhesive:  Tombow and EK Success: 3D Dots

Friday Five!

My Cupcake Card got picked for the Friday Five from Heart 2 Heart Challenges!  I am so excited!  I am still in love with this card and don't think anyone is ever going to get it.  It is just going to sit around in my way on display.  Thanks to everyone who commented!

Behold the glory of CTMH My Acrylix stamps

In response to my good friend Jen's question about the stamped stitching on my last card, I thought I would post a little bit about CTMH's My Acrylix clear stamps.  One of the reasons I love CTMH so much is because of the quality of their clear stamps.

Now I have to let you know I haven't been stamping for long and have never seriously used rubber stamps before.  I have played around with them, mostly using them on multi-colored ink pads on fabulous Lisa Frank paper when I was younger, but I am not the most experienced with them.

One of the first reasons I like stamping is that it is so cost effective for me.  I have a habit of buying stickers and other embellishments to use on a project and then never use them.  Why?  Because if I use it, it is gone and I would have to buy it again to recreate that same project.  I am at heart a cardmaker and I usually make at least 2 of every card that I design because I have a habit of giving the darn things away. I then have nothing left to show at home gatherings and workshops (note 1) or to pet at night (note 2).   So back to the point, I like to make multiples of my card project.  With stickers and thickers and stuff I have to buy two of everything I want to use.  At $2 - $5 a pop for stickers, that can really add up.  Let's not even get into Alphabet stamps and such.  With stamps, I have a one time investment and then can use them again and again and again (note 3 and 4). 

Now why do I love CTMH stamps so much?  Easy!  They are so flexible, not only in texture and form but also in use!  Here is an example!  So for my project for the H2H challenge, I used the stitch stamp from the Cupcake Sprinkles set.  Pictured below in a knot:

Curved to fit on a circle card:

Or just plain ol' straight:

When I don't have a stamp with the sentiment I want?  I create my own!  I place the letters on the project how I want them (seen here on a artistic swoosh I drew with a sharpie):

Pick them up on the block:

And stamp away!

That brings me to another reason why I love CTMH My Acrylix.  I can see what I am doing.  I can see precisely where I am putting each and every stamp through the block. There is no guessing or getting out a ruler or setting up a jig.  I just ink up my stamp, eyeball it and smoosh it down. 

My last reason just has to do with quality.  Many clear stamps don't work well with dye inks.  I have a couple of clear stamps sets bought pre-ctmh that I can't use any of my dye inks on.  The ink pools on the surface even after conditioning.  Some other clear stamps aren't as deep as CTMH so that it is very easy to ruin your project by getting the block inky and smearing ink all over your project.  Last but not least, My Acrylix are a special polymer blend that is made by CTMH that holds detail better than other clear stamps.

So that is a little lesson in CTMH My Acrylix and some stamping techniques!  Can you behold the glory now too?

And Jen to answer your question, that is just a plain ol' stamp!


Notes:

1. My first workshop was rough since I gave away the finished project before the workshop and had nothing to display to give people an idea of what they were to do! 
2. Yes, I sometimes take my finished projects out and admire them all by my lonesome.  
3. Just ask my Friendship Blessings stamp set, I bought it used and have already put some serious miles on that thing.
4. Why no! I don't have a ton of embellishments and rub-ons and stickers sitting unused in a drawer!  *shifty eyes*

Supplies used:

• Ink:  Chocolate
• Stamps:  Hodgepodge Alpha and Cupcake Sprinkles