Daily Company Spotlight #1

We scrapbookers know that there are about a billion and one companies out there that sale papercraft/scrapbooking products. Some of these Companies are smaller and may only specialize in one or two areas while other companies have loads and loads of all sorts of different products separated into different brands that can keep you busy on new projects for weeks. Whatever style you like there is some company out there that fits it, that you can be sure of lol:) 

So because we have such a HUGE collection of stuff from all these different companies to shop from I though I'd start this little segment of highlighting a particular company and I'm calling it the "Daily Company Spotlight". 

Today's Daily Company Spotlight is shining on... Prima!

Anything from beautiful flowers and embellishments to fun stencils and gorgeous paper Prima has A LOT to offer! Prima actually encompasses several different brands that have styles and products of their own. I thought I just might show you some of their products - these pictures can just speak from themselves:)

Exquisite Flowers

Lovely Paper

Dazzling Embellishments

Even Stunning Stamps 

And this is just to just you a taste - there are sooo many more unique and amazing products Prima has to offer! My advice, go check it out to add some great stuff to your collection!:) 

Product of the Day

Okay ladies and fellas today's amazing, oh so fun, and totally gotta have it product is... K & Company Designer Paper Pads!!

These paper pads come in all sorts of themes, styles, and textures so whatever your style you will most likely be able to find a few paper pads that fit your taste perfectly. Most of these paper pads are actually double sided which is great for making tags to go in your albums.

This card stock is also a good quality so there's a lot of flexibility in how you use it. You can find K & Company paper at a few stores - Meijers, Joann, and sometimes Michaels. However, I prefer to get these pads online on Amazon because it tends to be a bit cheaper. I'm an Amazon Prime member so there is no shipping cost!! That definitely helps:) Generally you can find these paper pads no more then $19. I just got a 36 paper 12 x 12 pad online the other day for $12! Happy Day lol!

So if you've never use this paper I definitely encourage you to go check it out! Then come show us what you've come up with:) Happy Scrapping guys!!

Product of the Day

One of my all time favorite scrapbook/papercraft products is.......wonder tape!!

Okay, I know this might not be the most exciting craft product out there lol but let me tell you - wonder tape is AMAZING! Especially if you are working with items that don't glue easily or if you are looking to hold something together for a lifetime - wonder tape will do the trick! It is super, super strong! I use it on my chipboard albums all the time and I've never had one fall apart on me. Wonder tape is double sided with one side covered in red so that you can position it wherever you want. Then once positioned you simply peel the red layer off and stick. It's safe to use on photos too so there are no worries when using it in an album or on the photos themselves. Just be sure to have the tape right where you want it before putting in on your project because you'll never get it back off lol. So if you're looking for a good scoring tape, I highly, highly recommend this product! 

6 Fun Scrapbook Products that Everyone should Try

If you step into the scrapbook section of your local Michaels it would be easy to get overwhelmed by all the goodies in those few aisles. It takes a while to figure out what a lot of those products even do and how to use them! Since I've been doing this awhile (and spending a bit...lol) I've found what fun products I love to use and I'd love to share them with you!

1. Glimmer Mist

Glimmer Mist is a really awesome technique that can add color and glitz to your project. Tattered Angels is the company that makes it and it comes in many different colors and two different size containers. You can buy them each individually are you can even find them in a set. Individually they run about $8 for the larger 2 oz. bottles and in the set you get 4 of the 1 oz bottles for about $15.

2. Ranger Distress ink

Once you start distressing you'll never go back! I distress at least a bit in every single project I do. There is just nothing else that creates that type of vintagy, old, rich feel like distressing. You can also mix colors in different layers to create an entirely new feel to your paper. I could write pages on the different distress techniques, but I'll spare you... for now lol. Let me just say, you need to get to gettin' some! I think there about 49 different colors and shades of distress ink you can buy, again, either individually or you can buy the mini pack of 4 (that's what I do except for the black which I buy in the bigger pad). The larger pads cost no more then $4 each and the mini sets cost about $8.50 or $9. Definitely worth the money!!

3. Corner Punches

If there is anything I wish I could have more of it's corner punches and I've got quite a stash already lol. There are TONS of brands out there that have great corner punches but my personal favorite is Ek and friskar. They are so simple to use but they add a lot of dimension to your project. They are a must in my opinion!

4. BLING!

Okay, the girl in me really comes out here lol. I love adding bling in the right places on the right projects. You can add it discreetly to accent a picture or you can bling your project out - whatever your style it's fun to play with.

5. Lace

Lace is a beautiful! It is very versatile and you can use it in all sorts of projects. White lace can even be dyed to create the perfect hue for your project. Unfortunately, lace can get expensive so you have to do a little hunting. I've found clearance and bargain lace at craft stores like Joann but my favorite place to find lace is goodwill or the salvation army. You never know what you can find. There are also small store ALL OVER the internet that have some absolutely gorgeous lace that would be perfect with your project!

6. Embossing Powder

If you've never heat embossed before you are missing out! With loads of different Embossing powder out there you can find the perfect color and texture to work with your project. If you would like to try this technique check out my, How to Heat Embossing in 90 seconds or less to get started. You won't be disappointed:)

I hope those ideas have given you a bit of inspiration to try some new techniques (and do a little shopping lol) I'm sure we would all love to see the beautiful projects you come up with:) Thank ladies (and gentlemen!)

How to Heat Emboss in 90 seconds or less!

Heat Embossing is a really great technique that you can use for just about any project! You can use the heat embossing technique on a large stamp and completely change the look of the entire page or you can use it in small areas to subtly accent your page.

For such a cool looking effect it is surprisingly simple to do and it honestly won't take you any longer then about a minute to a minute and a half to achieve. Just follow these simple steps to add some added dimension to all of your wonderful projects.

First, you will need a few tools

 - Embossing powder - there are several brands, thickness, and colors to choose from. Ranger actually makes really nice embossing powder that you can try. Honestly, you can even use some of the cheapie powders to play with until you perfect the technique (and even after lol) to save a bit of money:)
  - A watermark stamp pad - My favorite is VersaMark because it's nice and thick, wet, and sticky to really hold the embossing powder. I also find that it applies the stamp very evenly which is important when you are heat embossing.
  - A heat gun - there are loads of them out there, I personally don't have a preference as long as it gets hot enough and does the job. The one I use is the Marvy Urchida Embossing gun. It runs about $20 and it has never let me down.
  - A Stamp - Obviously, so you have an image TO heat emboss lol
  - A piece of paper to gather the loose powder to pour back into the container (no waste, Yay!) and, of course, the project that you wish to emboss on.
Also
  - A dryer sheet (Optional) - to rub on the paper to keep the static from attracting and sticking the embossing powder where you don't want it.

If you have those things go grab them and lets start heat embossing with these 5 easy steps!

1. First, use the dryer sheet and rub it all over the cardstock or project you are embossing. This is optional, I honestly never do that lol.

2. Stamp your image in the VersaMark ink and then stamp onto your project. This will be clear but you will be able to see a slight shine so that you know where the image is.

3. Take your embossing powder and liberally pour it all over your stamped image being sure to throughly cover the image.

4. Then fold your extra paper in half and gently pour the excess powder onto the sheet that is folded and use it as a funnel to get all the excess powder back into the container.

5. Lastly, simply turn on the heating gun and, holding the gun 4-6 inches directly above the image, move back and forth over it for about 15 seconds (slightly more or less depending on the size of the image) until the embossing powder is completely melted. Be careful not to hold it on too long or it will burn, you are just looking for it to liquify.

And Voila! You have a beautiful heat embossed image to add to your project!

10 Favorite Scrapping Tools

Whether you are an experience scrapper or one that has just taken the hobby on it's important (and fun!) to find the best and easiest products to work with. And for the newbies out there you don't want to be spending money on a product that you later find doesn't do what you had hoped. I certainly had to try a few tools before I found the ones I like and so I wanted to save you some time and money and give you the low down:)

Also these are in no specific order - I love them all equally lol!

1. ATG Gun

There are several different types out there and some of them can get really pricey. I've used one for about a year and a half now it has never let me down called the Scotch Pink Advanced Tape roller. It's amazing! It took me a couple tries to load the tape (but I'm not good at following directions lol) and then I was off to scrap. Also the refill rolls are big enough that you can scrap a good long time before running out. The prices for an ATG gun can vary between $15 to around $80. My ATG gun only cost about $22 on Amazon but I'm sure you could find it even cheaper if you use a coupon or wait until a sale. 

2. X-acto Corner Rounder punch

I use my corner rounder on pretty much every project I do! It's lasted me a good long time - I'm certain it has a lot of life yet too. It's super easy to use - just one click with your thumb and you have a nice clean rounded edge. X-acto isn't the only corner rounder out there though, there are TONS! Pretty much any scraping company carries their own version. There are several different sizes to choose from and several different styles to actually punch the paper - button, squeeze, push, etc. X-acto is definitely my favorite though and it runs for about $9. 

3. Fiskars Paper Trimmer

Every scrapper needs a good, precise paper trimmer. Again, there are tons of different trimmers on the market and they generally operate the same. My favorite brand for this is fiskars because of the amount of measurements on the board, it's very light weight, and pretty inexpensive (always a plus)! I was able to score mine for $16 on Amazon. The trimmer also comes with 2 extra blades that are very easy to change. The blades are quite sharp and don't dull very easily, however, I would recommend if you are working with chipboard to have a blade solely for that because chipboard will dull the blade much quicker than paper. You want the blade that cuts you paper to stay nice and sharp:) It's a great product so I Highly recommend! 

4. Tim Holtz Small Tipped Scissors

I actually heard about these scissors for a long time before trying them because my pair seemed to be doing the job. Many scrappers rave about the Tim Holtz scissors and I gotta say after trying them, they are pretty awesome! They are non-stick, SUPER sharp, and because the tip is so fine you can get into really small corners. The handle is even nice and comfy! They run about $13-$16 depending on where you get them. I brought a second pair a few days ago (managed to lose the first pair!) at Joann's for only $8 because of a 40% off sale! I've seen Tim Holtz products go on sale a lot though so you can probably find them on sale somewhere at any point. They are definitely worth the money!

5. Mini Hot Glue Gun

In my experience there isn't any particular brand that seems to make better hot glue guns - I honestly just buy the $5 mini hot glue guns at Walmart. It goes without saying that you have to be careful to not get the glue on the pictures lol but for getting those thick or heavy embellishments on your scrapbook, hot glue guns seem to do the trick wonderfully. Some of the glue guns even have a nice pointed tip so that you can get a thin line or little dab if needed as well!

6. Ranger Distress Ink

By far the best distresser ink on the market! Ranger has LOADS of different colors and they are always coming out with more. One pad costs about $5 (you get a lot of ink!) but if you are going for more colors for less money they have a sample set of 4 one inch by one inch cubes for roughly $6. The colors chosen in each pack coordinate and blend together nicely. The sample ink pads may be small but they can how a ton of ink. The ink is perfect for distressing because it stays wet longer allowing you to blend it onto the paper evenly. The inks blend very nicely together as well. Ranger also created the ink to resist water so when water is applied in different techniques you can get some really cool, unique effects. If you are interested in distressing I would high recommend watching a few youtube videos on how to use the ranger ink - there are way too many techniques to list! Super Fun!

7. Martha Steward Scoring Tool

If you are interested in making mini interactive scrapbook albums you will find a good scoring tool is very handy. I own several and they all do the job but my go to is the Martha Stewart pink Scoring tool. It can be pricey at about $9 - which, to me, it pretty pricey for just a scoring tool but I have definitely gotten my money's worth out of it. The angle and sharpness of the tool works very well even on thicker card stock which is very helpful. 

8. We R Memory Keepers Crop-A-Dile hole punch

I've gone through quite a few hole punches in my scrapbooking years (I think I just expect a lot out of them lol) but once I brought the We R Memory Keepers punch I was set! The punch is designed to be precise so it offers you quite a lot of options on how deep to set the hole and there are also guides to help align the next hole you punch with the first. The blade is very sharp so it can easily cut through a few sheets of card stock and even thicker chipboard. It sells for about $18. I got mine on Amazon ( I'm an amazonaholic lol) for around $15 during a sale.Well worth the money in my opinion:)

9. Amazon BasicGrey Small Magnetic Discs

Depending on the kind of scrapbooking you do you might not have use for this product, however, anyone who creates interactive scrapbooks with pockets, pullouts, and flipouts can find endless uses for these tiny magnets. These magnets can easily be covered with thick cardstock and still hold the flip or pocket closed. These magnets are also extremely thin, only 1/32 of an inch, so you will not be able to see or even really feel the magnet underneath paper. They come in a set of 10 matches (which are clearly labeled) on Amazon for $4. Pretty good deal:)

10. Fiskar clear Stamping Block

If you want to work with cling or clear stamps the easiest way to go about it is to use a clear stamping block. I own quite a few, a couple that I got for only a buck!:) While those dollar blocks might do the trick the friskar clear block allows for you to position your stamp darn close to perfection. It comes in so handle especially if you really stink at lining things up properly like me! The block has lined grids allowing you to pick the perfect position to get your image on your project. You can get them in 4 different sizes - either separately or in a set. The set costs about $17 full price but, of course, most of the time you can find it on sale somewhere:) These days I won't stamp without it!

So there you have it guys! I hope you are able to try a couple of these products and perhaps you'll be able to use and love them just as much as I do. If you have any favorite tools that you'd like to share please do let us know!:) Have fun scrapping, everyone!

5 Tips on How To Scrapbook on a Budget

Let's be real guys, scrapbooking has the potential to be a very expensive hobby. Some of us over the course of time have spent a fortune on our scrapbooking supplies ( I'm no exception!) As time has passed though I've come to realize that you don't have to shop in the scrapbook/papercrafting section of the store for A LOT of the supplies and embellishments we use to scrap with! So with that I'm going to share with you 5 ways I use to cut down my cost so that I can scrap to my hearts content:)

1. Dollar stores, especially Dollar Tree, are the bomb!

I can't even tell you how many of my favorite scrapbooking items have come from Dollar Tree! They carry all sorts of things that can be used from ribbon to paper to dimensional stickers and even tools to organize your supplies. The only negative about shopping at stores like this as well as Big Lots and Tuesday Morning is that sometimes it's a hit or a miss. They always get new things in so sometimes you find a cart load of awesome items and sometimes you leave with only a couple items. So you have to have some patience and just keep checking in on it to see if you've struck gold.

2. Cutting corners with Embellishments

Maybe you're not like me but I love adding flowers to my scrapbooks and cards! They come is all kinds of colors and shades, styles, textures, glittered or not glittered...They add such a lovely touch. But because they come in all these different types that's one of the main reasons why adding flowers to your projects can really break the bank. On average you can get a pack of flowers for 2 to 3 bucks. That might not sound like a lot but I'm sure a lot of you can testify it can really add up. So what I've started doing is going to my local Dollar Tree and buying flowers that sold as fake flower arrangements which I can purchase for $1 and then sut the flowers off the stems individually myself. You can get a whole lot more bang for your buck that way and it's super simple! And flowers aren't the only thing you can change up, you can also use everyday household items such as paperclips (which you can paint and bling up), Clothespins, hair clips, buttons, bottle caps, pages from old books, newpaper, even cutting off the elastic, buttons, and buckles off of old clothes ... and the list goes on and on. You just have to have a little imagination:)

3. Shop around

There are some scraping products that are amazing to work and there are supplies that you might be ready to buy to take your scrapbooking to the next level, a die cut machine for instance. Obviously there are only certain places you can get a lot of these supplies so you're kind of limited. But, I kid you not, there is ALWAYS a sale somewhere. You have to do some research. It's important to think through what you want instead of shopping on a whim (even though that's tough!! lol) and go to purchase where the sale is with coupons in hand. There are a lot of craft stores that even price match. I think it's a safe bet to say most things you shouldn't have to pay full price for and who doesn't love that?!

4. Put a Budget on each particular project

This one is a big one for me because I can get carried away really easily! Whatever the project is that you are working on, most of the time, you'll want to go to the store to find the perfect embellishments and paper that you envision for your scrapbook. While it's fun to go shopping for a craft, if you're anything like me, once I walk into the craft store my wheels start spinning at full speed. I can't get 2 feet down an aisle before finding something else that I think I need for my project in mind. But when I go in with a budget I'm much more selective in what I choose, I take more time, and I think through how I will utilize each item in my project to see if I really think that item is necessary. It's an incredible way to help crack down on impulse buying!

5. Be Organized

This is a must for me! Though time as you accumulate more and more supplies if you don't have a good organization system in place you will run the risk of forgetting about products you have which not only limits the projects that you work on but it also causes you to run out to buy more because you simply don't know what you have. Good organization is key to reminding you what you have and allowing you to make an accurate decision on what you really need for a particular project. Another added benefit is seeing the products you have that you've had for a long time and haven't used. Knowing that you can de-clutter or de-stash and sale them off to someone who might find it a treasure.

Let's get started!

Welcome all!! Thanks so much for joining me here on all things Scrappy! My style with scrapbooking is to not complicate things, use awesome products in unique ways to produce an amazing scrapbook. I like all different styles with interactive pieces of art that keeps scrapbooking fresh and fun. I'm all about finding tricks of the trade, not breaking my bank with my craft, and finding fresh ways of showing off my photo memories. If that sounds like something you can get into, welcome to my blog!:)

My hope is that we can share our work with each other and that we can bounce ideas off one another to further our joy in scrapping. I love love love learning new things and I can't wait to share with you all. I planning on sharing a lot of my work with you, lots of pictures and ideas - because who doesn't like seeing other people's work!? I've been inspired by SO many scrappers! Perhaps I might be able to pass on what they've shared with me.

Everyone is welcome, if you are a beginner or have been with scrapping for 20 years! If you have questions or pieces of advice, please feel free to share! I'm super excited to hear from you all and to get down to scrapping:)