The Scrap Shoppe Page Kits

Recently I added a couple of fun page kits to the Etsy store in the form of digital downloads. Digital downloads meaning that the images are in .pdf format that you print on your own computer and cut yourself. (They will soon be available pre-cut, but I just haven't gotten that far yet.)

I'm highlighting these kits today and have used them in my own scrapbook layouts as examples of what can be done with them.

The first kit is the Union Station page kit. It was inspired by this gorgeous room at Union Station (a hotel in Nashville).

DH whisked me away to this lovely place a couple weeks ago for a quick getaway. Lovely, yes? I became facinated with the colors in the room. A beautiful shade of blue and brown. I used some of the many, many photos I took of the room to create this page kit.

The kit contains journaling spots and prompts as well as buttons, heart embellishments, a frame, a bird, scallop edges, and a date prompt.

Here is how I used it in with a photo of DH and I from about 5 years ago (we look so young!).

I managed to use every piece of the page kit in this scrapbook layout except for one of the heart embellishments. Having the kit made this page come together much faster than it normally would take me to make it. I didn't have to dig through all of my scrapbook stash to find matching embellishments because I didn't need much other than what was already in the kit.

I used Pop Dots under bird and placed it over the "love notes" journal spot making it all look like one big embellishment. I found some matching blue felt flowers in my stash and inked the edges of them with brown distress ink. I layered the scallop edges, and used a felt flower on the heart embellishment.

I inked the paper with a flourish stamp just to the left of the first letter of each word and used the same ink and stamp to ink the plastic letters themselves (Heidi Swapp). I love the look it gave them!

I used the fancy-edged journaling spot as an embellishment behind the photo. I wrapped some white tulle ribbon around another one of the heart embellishments. I recorded the date on the date prompt and tucked it behind the photo, too, but its loose and can be pulled out to look at later (like hidden journaling).

I added contrasting ribbon to each of the buttons and lined them up on the bottom right corner of the layout. I also used a border stamp to ink a border all the way around the page.

Not bad for starting out with a plain piece of 12x12 cardstock!


Next I'm featuring the I Love You page kit.

This kit would be great for Valentine's Day or any other *love* themed layout. It contains a journaling spot, library card (also can be used as a journaling spot), bingo card, various heart embellishments, clocks, scallop edges, date prompt, frame, buttons, and a ticket.

I printed the kit twice, once on white cardstock and once on pink cardstock. I mixed the two sets of embellishments to make this layout of DH and I celebrating our 6th anniversary last year.

Again, this scrapbook layout came together pretty quickly since almost every embellishment on the page came from the page kit.

Here I paired one of the heart embellishments and button with a homemade paper rose (a la this post, tutorial included). You can also see how I used the scallop edges on the photo by lining them up back to back and adding a layer of ribbon down the middle.

I stamped the date of our anniversary on the library card and tucked it behind the photo. I also used the ticket and clock as embellishments here. You can see the clock is on white cardstock while the library card and ticket are on pink. I like how they contrast!

I had a series of photos highlighting various things we saw and did that I wanted to include in the layout. I layered these at the top of the layout and used the frame around the photo of the mill because that is where the larger picture of the two of us was also taken.

I used the bingo card, journaling spot, and one of the heart embellishments to make my own unique journaling spot. Its tucked being the black scalloped paper.


If you like either of these two page kits, they are available in my Etsy store as digital downloads. They really do make putting a scrapbook layout easier and faster to put together!

Scrapbook Challenges

Is scrapbooking becoming stale to you?

Maybe you haven't scrapped in a while and can't get motivated to get back into it.

What you need is a Scrapbook Challenge!

Numerous companies host challenges on their forums or blogs. You needn't look far to find one. In fact, you can go to Google and type in "scrapbook challenges" and get more hits than you know what to do with!

When deciding to participate in a challenge, decide what it is you're trying to get out of it. By this I mean,

1) Are you tired of all the scrapbook stuff you have lying around? Find a stash-only challenge where you can only use products you already have on hand.

2) Just bored with scrapbooking? Find a challenge that does just that - challenges you to scrapbook outside your norm.

3) All scrapped out? Stuck in a rut of scrapbooking the same look over and over again? See #2 and find a challenge that forces you to scrapbook outside the box!

4) Working on an album but finding that you're really scrapbooking the same pages over and over again? Find a challenge that incorporates your album theme and jump on in!

5) Just looking to have some fun? You're in luck because there are plenty of challenges to choose from!


Here are a few of the places where you are bound to find some good challenges:

Craft Gossip - A current compilation of various challenges from around the web.

Hodge Podge Art - A blog that hosts weekly challenges to get you motivated

Scrapbook.com - A huge forum that allows members to host their own challenges.

Two Peas in a Bucket - Another forum with challenges hosted by its members.

The great thing about the member hosted challenges on Scrapbook.com and Two Peas is that if you don't see something that strikes your interest, you can host a challenge yourself!

You can also often times find challenges on your favorite scrapbook company's blog. So if you have a large collection of a particular brand *cough*BoBunny/Fancy Pants*cough* check out any challenges they have going on and participate. They often have prizes for their challenge winners!

So don't be afraid to jump into a challenge and see where it takes your scrapbooking. You may discover new techniques and skills you didn't know about before!

T-Shirt Tuesday - Angel with Attitude

I'm highlighting our Country Clutter collection again this week. You'll love this "Angel with Attitude" design.

My scrapbook guardian angel watches over my scrapbook stash, and, trust me, you don't want to mess with her!

Easel Card Tutorial

I've seen these around and LOVE them. The easel card is the absolute BEST idea for a card in my opinion. I love to display cards I receive for my birthday or other event, but they constantly fall down when I walk by them. Not so much with the easel card!

I put together a quick tutorial to make a simple 4" x 4" easel card. Mine is Valentine-themed using some embellishments I offer in my Etsy shop. You can find them directly here.

I started off with a pice of pink 8.5" x 11" piece of cardstock. You can cut the width any size you desire. Mine is cut to a 4" width so that I will end up with a 4" x 4" card.

From one end of the paper, measure 4 inches then score the paper. From your scored line, measure 1.5" and score the paper again. Repeat the last step again so that you now have three scored lines.

Here you can see how the card will look when you fold your scored lines. Just need to decorate the card now!

I have three embellished pieces of paper ready to be attached to the card. On the top left is a 4" x 4" piece of black cardstock decorated with my Etsy Valentine inchies. At the top right is the embellished journaling spot (also from the same Etsy Valentine set) to go in the interior of the card. And on the bottom is a 4" x 1" piece of embellished black cardstock for the interior bottom of the card.

The completed card. I won't be knocking this one down by walking by it!






Now go try to make your own easel card. You'll love how simple they are to make and how fun they are give!

DIY Valentine's Day Projects

Every year I get more and more interested in making my own holiday decorations. It allows me to be creative, have fun, get a little messy, and, of course, decorate my home with unique items. Now if I just had more time...

Here are a few Valentine's Day craft projects you can try at home.


{click the image above for a larger view}

1. XOXO marble project with tutorial from Tatertots and Jello

2. Cupcake liner wreath with tutorial from Tatertots and Jello

3. Valentine Village by Kristen (Design Team) on the BoBunny Blog

4. Valentine tree from Oh My Crafts (This tree is actually part of a kit they sale, but how easy would that be to make your own?!)

5. Valentine banner printout from Tricia Rennea (A downloaded banner you can print and put together!)

6. Felt heart wreath with tutorial from The Idea Room

7. Framed vintage Valentine decorations by a guest blogger on the Poppytalk blog

8. Paper flower puffs with tutorial from Created by Diane


These projects are all from blogs I love to frequent. They are all crafty, talented gals!

T-Shirt Tuesday - Scrappers Cafe

Last fall there was a new section introduced to The Scrap Shoppe lovingly called Country Clutter. Its a little bit different that our other sections; warmer colors, softer images, but still a little bit of that attitude we add to many of our designs. One of my favorites from this collections is Scrappers Cafe.

Its only a fictional place, but wouldn't it be nice if there was a real Scrappers Cafe? A place where we could all go to scrapbook and chat! I know you would find me there.

My Craft Space

I've got a confession to make.

Are you ready for this?

My craft desk is a disaster!

Not a big shock though, right? I mean, that's what craft desks are for, isn't it? To make a mess on.

Not like this.

I'm a neat person at heart. I can only take so much of a mess before I can't stand it anymore and have to clean it up. I love to organize which is probably why I like to make the mess in first place. So I can clean it.

Yeah, call me a weirdo. I know some of you out there are the same way!

So the last two weeks have been spent CLEANING up my craft space. I've even destashed some of my scrapbook supplies! *gasp* Definitely something I thought I would never do. But I was fed up with the mess and needed the room for the stuff I really do use a lot.

DISCLOSURE: The blogger is not responsible for the shock and nausea these photos might induce by clicking on any of these photos for a larger view. :)

Pretty disasterous before picture, huh? That's what happens when you go straight from one project to the next during the holidays. To really clean this desk up I really felt I had to start from scratch and cleared everything off for a fresh start. I bought some new organizing bins and did a LOT of rearranging.

This is the space under the desk to the left. I had stacks and stacks of boxes stashed under there. So many so that it was too difficult to try to get anything out and use it. I also had my Slice tucked up under there which often times made me forget I had it. Out of sight, out of mind! It also houses my trash can.

Now, I have my paper tower (which is covered and mostly contains finished layouts and half-finished projects - yes, I have a LOT of half-finished projects! Imagine that...), a few items off to the side that I don't need access to very often, and my lovely trash can all neatly organized in this space.

This is the space under the desk to the right. Its the space that I sit at and work from most often so I need to be sure not to clutter the bottom up too much so I have someplace to put my feet. In the before shot I have a couple of boxes that contain various embellishments (Christmas I think) and some travel bags.

Now I have two new *trash* cans which serve as 1) a recycle bin for paper (I figure, why not? I produce enough paper waste that I should recycle it instead of throwing it away) and 2) a true recycle bin for altered projects. This 2nd bin contains any trash that I think I may be able to turn into something else. The box is for my cards. No, not ones I make. For ones I receive. I'm notorious for keeping every card that has ever been given to me. Now I have a nice place to put them and access them easily. I'm determined to make some projects out of them! I also have one of my larger travel bags stashed to the side. Neatly, of course!

This space to the right of my desk had become a sort of catch all spot. If I didn't know where to put something or needed to get something out of my way, this was the space for that.

Now I have my boxes (one for all my Christmas paper and embellishments (I'm addicted to Christmas paper!), one for baby paper and embellishments, and one for wedding paper and embellishments - these are my largest collections) and on top a crate with finished and mostly finished scrapbook albums. Eventually I want to have a bookshelf for them to be displayed. I also have my travel tote full of my other smaller travel bags so that they are all in one place.

Yet another catch all spot to the left of my desk. Even my poor printer (to the far left) was covered up.

Now everything is neat and tidy and even my printer is clutter free.

This is a poorly pieced together photo of my new desktop. Lots of organization. I've tried to put things that go together together instead of having them all spread out. Up on the shelf I have all of my ribbon together (in various boxes and containers), my alphabet letters together, and my chip board together. Below I have all of my flowers grouped together in the hanging basket, my Slice is out in plain sight so I remember to use it, clear stamps are all together, the punches I use the most are out (in the bottom bin to the right), my paints are all together, inks are all together, and the things I use the most are within easy reach.

Did you happen to notice where my Xyron X and Stickles were located? Check them out dangling directly under the shelf. Ahhhh, velcro. You are my friend! This way, not only are they out of the way and not taking up desktop space, they are easy to get to!

More organizing. All of my rub-ons are in a container on the left. They are out and where I can easily see and get to them.

Just another shot of how neat my space is now. That photo on the wall is Peyton Manning when he was quarterback for the University of TN. *sigh* Its autographed and everything. Love him!

I've got a few more plans for my scrappy space as far as organization goes. My ribbon, for example, numbers in the hundreds and is not easily accessible and currently stresses me out too much to try and actually get to it. Any new projects I come up with to add to this space I plan on sharing on the blog. So stayed tuned!

What's HOT for Valentine's Day

Whether you have your sweetheart nearby or are still waiting for yours to make an entrance in your life, you'll find it difficult to resist some of the new Valentine collections available. Here are four that stood out to me.

Its hard to resist anything Pink Paislee, but they've really gone over the top with their Cupid line. I'm loving the use of the Eiffel Tower. It is the epitome of a love symbol, don't you think? Besides the papers, rub-ons, die cuts, brads, and alphas shown above, the collection also include patches, stickers, stamps, and several more sets of alphas.

So I think we all know by now that I a bit of a facination with all things Fancy Pants (if you're in doubt, please see my sidebar!) so you know I'm going to include their Vintage Valentine collection in this write up. The only problem with this collection? As far as I can tell its made entirely of paper. Cute paper. But still, just paper. That's okay with me. I like to make my own embellishments anyway so it inspires me to be creative. (But some buttons at the very least would have been nice!)

Basic Grey is another one of my favorite companies. Leave it to them to put out a cute Valentine collection. Their Sugar Rush collection is so stuffed with product that you'll be busting at the seams to collect it all. All that fun stuff in the picture above? Yeah, that's not even a quarter of what Basic Grey is offering in this line. How about card kits, page kits, stickers, brads galore, stamps, a coupon book, canvas tags, tons of bling... I could go on and on!

This I Heart You paper collection from American Crafts just looked really fun to me. Wouldn't it be great for girl layouts or teenage girls to use? This collection contains 24 sheets of doublesided papers, some with glitter finishes. Again, I'm loving the use of the Eiffel Tower!

These are just 4 of the collections that I've come across in my search for Valentine designs. You might also enjoy Love Bandit and Persuasion from BoBunny, Valentina from Anna Griffin, Love Struck from Making Memories, Juliette from SEI, and Sweet Love from Little Yellow Bicycle (another fave!)

T-Shirt Tuesday - Priceless

Does your husband/boyfriend/mother try to tell you that you spend too much on your scrapbook hobby? Just tell them that, really, scrapbooking is Priceless!

Fabric Flower Necklace - Take 2!

Like it? I made it for one of my aunts for Christmas this year. I've seen them all over Etsy and thought they were really cute. And, knowing me, my first thought was "I could make that!" Its not quite a bib necklace (which are all the rage right now), but its close and a little more casual.

The necklace is composed of 5 rolled fabric flower roses in 3 different sizes.

I also threw in some pearls for an added accent.

I hid all the crazy stitching that's involved in making the flowers and where the string for the necklace is attached with some light colored felt. The felt doubles as something more comfortable against the skin.

To make the necklace easier to take on and off, I used a magnetic clasp.

I hope to eventually make a tutorial for these fabric flowers and also the necklace, but in the meantime, here is a really nice tutorial on rolled roses Portobellopixie. You might peruse her blog, too. She's got some really cute projects!


Update! HERE is where you can find my tutorial for making these necklaces!