Missing my craft room!

I am spending most of a month away from my home and the thing I miss the most (other than my hubby) is my craft room.  So what am I doing to compensate?  Planning!  I have my laptop with me and am deciding on layouts, editing the pictures I need and deciding on papers I may use.  I have also been organizing my digital photos so they are easy to locate when I am ready to scrap.

I am looking forward to getting back to that craft room and seeing the results of my planning and preparation.  I will be sharing with you just as soon as I can!

In the meantime, Happy Crafting,
Sue

Backstage!

I love scrapping my grandkids' activities...I am so proud of them! And I love the instruction books from Close To My Heart that make it so easy to create beautiful layouts! Everything is there for you...cutting directions, the layout design and a color picture to provide inspiration for your scrapbook pages.  This layout was inspired by the Backstage pattern found in Magic, one of several available books.

Visit my website for ordering information or give me a call!

New for 2016!

The holidays are behind us, the lights and decorations are back in the Rubbermaids, and I, for one, am ready to get back to my scrapbooking and card making.  For inspiration, I have turned to the new Seasonal Expressions 1 for 2016.  There are three new paper sets with coordinating stamps and embellishments.  New in this book are Thin Cuts dies that coordinate with our stamp sets.  They come packaged on magnetic sheets and  are nicely priced starting at $13.95 for a complete assortment.  Also new are Workshop Your Way sets that are replacing the Workshop on the Go sets...more paper with matching embellishments.  When you go to my website, you can download cutting guides and layout instructions for three layouts and 2-3 cards.

Today, I worked with new Charlotte Workshop Your Way.

I chose one of the three layout designs available for download.  This is how it is shown in the instructions:

You know by now that I can't leave well enough alone.  While I loved the layout and followed the design to the letter, I changed out some of the elements.  Some of the items just didn't go with the theme of my pictures. Here is my layout:

As I usually do, I left a thin white border on my pictures and then matted them on Whisper cardstock. Instead of using the zip strips, I cut 1/2" strips of the black floral paper.  I created my own title card with my Cricut instead of using the card from the Picture My Life sheet included in the paper set.  I did use the card with hearts on it, but only as a base for my computer journaling.  I also used the "Love" instead of the "Today" from the included sticker sheet.  As I have shared before, patterns are there for our inspiration, and goodness knows I couldn't be very creative without them.  But never be afraid to change things up to make a layout your own!

So with all this being said, I invite you to take a look at the new Seasonal Expressions on my website www.suebruch.ctmh.com.  While you are there, take a look at the Workshop Your Way sets and the downloadable instructions and cutting guides for the three new papers.  You will be seeing more from me in the next couple weeks as I share more projects.

Happy paper crafting,
Sue

More Urban!

Urban...my favorite masculine look paper in a long time.  Here is another layout using these awesome papers.  My grandson is a proud FFA member and I created this layout to document the awards night his Junior Year. I found my inspiration in Make It from Your Heart, Volume 2, one of the instruction books available from Close to My Heart.

The background is Colonial White card stock shaded with bamboo. The "ink splatters" are stamped with Whisper ink using the Ink Blot stamp set (D1660).  The gears are cut with the Artiste Cricut cartridge using Sapphire, Saffron and Slate card stock.  No Cricut? Try some circles or maybe hexagons. The FFA logo is stamped with a stamp I picked up at the state fair, but there are logos on the internet that could be printed and fussy cut for your personal use.  I cut the title on the Cricut. You could also stamp or print it.

I share projects for you to use as inspiration...never be afraid to venture out and make your artwork your own.

Urban!

Looking for a paper set with a more masculine feel?  If so, you will love Urban! It features industrial designs and the brand new colors, Sapphire, Saffron and Peacock.  Here is the layout I did documenting our visit to all things trains in Pennsylvania and Baltimore.  My man (big boy in this case) is a train collector and enthusiast. Quite honestly, I also enjoyed the museums, especially the two with actual trains!

Urban Workshop of the Go G1103

I used the Urban Workshop on the Go for my layout.  However, since I wanted to use a lot of pictures, I modified a Becky Higgins design and created my own layout with the paper and stamps that come with the kit.  Never be afraid to go with your own instincts when planning your pages...there is no right or wrong in scrapbooking!

Urban Paper Pack X7204B

Found Supplies

Let me show you how to take a "found"  supply item and turn it into a fun scrapbook page or card.   We went to a renaissance fair a few weeks ago and I decided that the paper lining my chicken and chips basket would make a perfect background for a page highlighting the event.  I said, "I'm going to ask for a couple sheets of this paper" and Ron said "You're not, are you?".  To which I replied, "Just watch me!".  I offered to pay, but the clerks were happy to give me a couple sheets.
  

I carefully rolled them up, successfully brought them home and created these neat pages.  I wish I had taken pictures before I started working with the papers.  They were thin, almost like vellum, so needed to be adhered to cardstock for stability. Not having any vellum adhesive, I searched my supplies and came upon this spray adhesive.  Outdoors, I sprayed the back of the papers and then carefully adhered them to the cardstock.  I used a brayer to insure good adhesion.  The corners wanted to come up, so I did use a little Liquid Glass from CTMH and that worked perfectly.

I almost always leave a white border around my pictures and this time double matted with Saffron (a lovely new color from CTMH) and Barn Red (unfortunately retired).  Double matting helped them pop off the busy background.  I stamped banners in these two colors with the Bodacious Banners (D1607) stamp set from CTMH.  I stamped them on Colonial White cardstock and hand trimmed them, but there also cutting files on the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge. I used brads from my stash to separate the pennants and make them pop.

I hope you enjoyed seeing this project and will be on the lookout for "found supplies" for your paper crafting needs!

Bokeh

Before I tell you about this card done with the Bokeh technique, I first want to welcome you back to my blog.  Life was really full this spring with a family illness and other goings on, and I allowed myself to ignore blogging.  I was inspired by my friend, Laurie, who, after two years, picked up the pieces of her blog.  So here I am with the best of intentions, hoping to continue showing you projects that will inspire your paper crafting!  I encourage you to comment on my posts in any way you choose...I will love your feedback!

Now on to the Bokeh technique.  There are so many tutorials posted on various blogs and YouTube.  This one came up first on my Google search, so these are the directions that inspired me:  http://www.createwithme.com/2014/09/bokeh.html
I used watercolor paper and water colors that were hanging out in my cupboard.  However I am happy to say that both of these items will be available in the new CTMH catalog available September 1st.  I also used one of the stamps from Paper Garden...the September Stamp of the Month.  A happy surprise for me was how the image took on shading from the White Daisy Pigment Ink used on the background.  (I found it best to allow the white pigment to dry overnight before stamping the image)  Be sure to click on the above link to see how easy it is to achieve this look.

For more information about the products used, contact me at suebruch47@gmail.com or visit my website www.suebruch.ctmh.com