Scrap In Style Tv Challenges & Tutorials

Stylin Behind The Lens

Hey Everyone! Amber Ulmer here.

I'm so stoked to be doing my first tutorial!
We seem to be in the crafting mode so I'm going to keep that going.
We are girls right? We love to have things that express our personalities right? I love having custom made accessories! Totes & makeup cases made by sweet friends have always inspired me to try this sewing thing. So I finally did and covered my camera neck strap! I want to share that with you so you can create your own!

We have our supplies... Sewing machine, fabric scissors, iron and pins, denim needs(if you are stitching directly onto the strap, I suggest these), thread... and of course a favorite fabric and embellishments if you wish.

First, you'll want to lay out your strap and place it where you want it to be on your fabric, leaving room at the top and bottom of strap for folding the seams in.

Then you'll want to cut down your fabric so it's easier to work with and measure with your neck strap. For cutting the length, make sure to leave enough room to fold the seams in as well. And now iron your fabric so it's nice and wrinkle free.

Next you'll take your strap and lay it on the cut fabric piece and fold the 2 sides in and pin them down to iron the seams down. I would make sure to leave enough room to have some of the fabric to reach and cover the leather pieces at the end of your strap slightly. Just for extra room. Rather have more than not enough. Right?

 

Now, we need to fold in the long sides of the fabric and iron the seams down. It might take a couple tries to get the amount folded in right. Keep in mind that when doing this, you will need to leave about a quarter of an inch extra once the camera strap is covered because you will be stitching it together to close the neck strap inside

Here is what I mean about leaving a quarter of an inch when you have the camera strap inside

You’re kind of creating a sandwich with the camera strap here.

 

Then you head over to your sewing machine, or if you don't have one, you can even hand stitch it if you have some extra time! See, anyone can do this!
You place the strap in the machine like shown. I tried the other way first & it was too bulky. So try it this way. Now just do a straight stitch up the side slowly and making sure that your 2 pieces of fabric you are stitching together are even and the camera strap is fitted snuggly inside. Stitch up to just before the leather pieces of your strap. I hand stitched the rest of the way up on mine.

Now, you can customize your strap even more if you want to add a button or any other embellishment on the ends like I did here. I found some cute buttons to give the fabric a little more retro feel. You can do flowers or any other "stitchable".

And there you have it. A cute, personal camera strap... all your own!

Download the PDF instructions here!
Download strap_tutorial.pdf

Pick a number...

Hello. It's Nitty.Gritty.Jody bringing you a challenge today. First of all, Happy month of July! Where do the summer months go anyway? It never ceases to amaze me how quickly June, July and August fly by. I love laid-back, lazy days. Even though I never seem to sit around and relax all that much. It still feels good to not have to keep up with a hectic schedule- just 4 busy little kids and a husband who works like crazy in the summer!

So, do you need a challenge? I've got one for you, but unfortunately, my own ideas are not down in layout/project form yet, but I promise I will have mine done very soon. I'm so in love with the latest Girly-Girl Collection and have plans to do this challenge with some of it...so fun! How can I not scrap with this stuff?! Did I mention I love it?!

So about this challenge. Go ahead. Start thinking of a number. But not just any number. I want you to have to do a little bit of math homework to figure your number. You see, I know people scrap their age quite often, or even their kids' age/birthdays, so that's not the number I want you to pick. I think a fun challenge {and remember, I'm preaching to myself here too} is to think of a number that maybe slips past you but would make a really great page to record. I know, I sound like I'm talking in circles, so let me give you some examples of what's actually running around my brain as I'm thinking this through.

In my own laundry space, I have probably 9 jugs of Tide Laundry detergent right now. I have probably 34 rolls of toilet paper and I know I have more than 10 bottles of Bath & Body Shower Gel {different flavors, of course!} stocked up to keep my family clean. Call me obsessive-compulsive if you like, but part of me just loves a good sale. The other part- you're right. I way overstock. As if I can't just run to the store and buy more laundry soap. Yes, I know I can, but I have this thing about keeping a big stash on hand. How fun would it be to make a random layout about some of these items and why I have so many of them?! Right?

Okay. Maybe you're not a neat freak and that layout or mini book sounds boring. Still, I bet you can come up with some fun numbers you've never scrapped. What about the number of times you say "no" to your toddler who tries to turn on/off your tv/radio/dishwasher in a single day?! Or maybe some of you have been dating or engaged and you're counting the days you've known each other or how many days left until you're married. Go ahead. Scrap that exact number right now!

I know that you have some really fun math equations just waiting to find their way onto a scrap page. How many times did you log onto SIS in the past week? Make a little atc card about it. How many cups of coffee do you need to get through your day? Or week. Or is it Coke or Pepsi that's you're go-to beverage? Make a little card and have some fun with the random numbers that show up in your life once you actually stop and think about them a bit.

I bet more than one of you has a thing with shoes. Or purses. Or trolls. =) Count the number of items you have in a collection...or maybe even just count the number of sippy cups you own. Right now. Maybe it is just a little random number, but I promise it will be a fun memory to hang onto. I just may scrap the number of months I have been pregnant in my lifetime...and as I enter my third trimester with baby #6 right now, I assure you it's a big number! Just have fun brainstorming and who knows what number may pop up in your own mind. As usual, come back here and post a link to your layout/mini/atc you create and I will check them out myself. Have fun...and now to all of us...happy scrapping!

Clear albums: Simplified

I have a confession.

I know that clear albums are all rage these days and I have even bought a few...well, several actually.

But I have not used them. In fact when it comes right down to it, I am scared to death of them!

I mean, you can see everything! I can't hide any mistakes. When you turn the page, you can see the ugly back of some of the stuff I used on the previous page. There is no room for error! And that makes me really nervous.

So you can imagine the horror I felt when I opened my Girly Girl collection and saw that it contained a sheer scalloped Maya Road album! I think I broke out into a cold sweat.

(I might be exaggerating a little here, but play along with me anyway.)

But I was not going to let this little album get the best of me! I took it upon myself to figure this thing out and make it work for me.

And I think I have done it! I think I have figured out how to make clear albums simpler and less intimidating. That is what I want to share with you today. I want to walk you through an easy way to create a clear mini-album.

Step 1: Gather supplies (duh!). And don't be too jealous that I am using the Girly Girl collection full of Basic Grey and Pink Paislee and Making Memories. Don't worry, you can get yours soon!

(The Maya Road sheer album measures 4" tall by 8" wide, including the scallops)

Step 2: Cut white cardstock into strips measuring 2 3/4" tall x 6 3/4" wide (that is just about the right size to fit easily into the center of each page of the album without intruding on the scallops). I wanted to keep my album simple & uniform, so these strips were to be the foundation of each page of my album.

Step 3: Start building your pages! Using the white cardstock as the foundation for each page, I added pictures, journaling, & embellishments without letting anything hang off the cardstock (no going outside the lines!).

Step 4: Add pages to your album. Once each page is complete, center it on each page of the album, and stick it down!

Notice how I made the white cardstock the foundation & added everything on top of it. Notice too how nothing is hanging off the edges. Here is the back of that first page:

Aaack! Scary! But when I added the next page to the album, I covered up all that I did not want you to see:

Simple enough, right??!!

Here is the completed album and a few more pages from the inside:

(I used a Crop-a-dile to punch 1 hole on the right side of each page & then tied ribbon through the holes to add a closure to the album)

I really hope this makes creating a clear album really easy!

I would love to see what you can make! So I have a little deal for you...show me the album you make out of your Girly Girl collection by Sunday July 13th, upload it in the SIS gallery (link me up via private message), I will draw 1 winner from everyone who sends me a link, and send them a RAK of goodies. And I send good RAKs if I do say so myself! Deal??!!

Happy scrappin'!!

Gretchen

Close your eyes...and imgaine your childhood bedroom.

Good Morning everyone!

aw here…bringing you this week’s challenge.

For the challenge this week I am asking that you reflect a bit.

Get nostalgic.

Close your eyes and remember when you were a kid.

Doesn’t matter what age – just a kid.

Imagine yourself lying on your bed.

Open your eyes.

What is around you?

What was that bedroom like?

What did you adorn your walls with?

A teen heartthrob?

Did you have a shelf full of basketball or soccer trophies?

Were there stuffed animals all over your bed? Which ones? Which was your favorite?

Did you have to share a room with a sibling?

Were you neat? Messy?

Did you have a TV in your room?

What movies did you watch over and over?

What toys were scattered all over the floor?

What clothes were hanging in your closet?

Take some of these thoughts and run with it.

What originally started as me describing my room turned into all sorts of memories flooding back.

I even filled a journal entry up with more ideas using the same concept.

You could even just describe one aspect of the room.

What was the comforter like?

Describe it so vividly that if someone else were to see it they would know that’s the one you were talking about if they saw it in a store.

What tapes were in your stereo?

Go back and try to the best of your ability to vividly describe everything (or some things) in your childhood room.

If you have something FROM when you were a child (like a toy or a quilt for example)…photograph it and scrap it.

As an added bonus – use something child like on your page.

I used a scratch and sniff sticker and a view finder insert…along with rainbow brite, hello kitty and Mario embellishments.

If you choose to accept this challenge (villian laugh goes here) please make sure you link it up here OR put aw's Childhood Bedroom Challenge in your title.

I can't wait to see them!!!!

(Honest and truly)

aw

Specially for your ATCs!

Hi ladies id Lucy here today with you:)
I'll show how to make an easy cover for your ATCs and collection of cards.
I know many of you are in atc swaps so I decided to show you an alternative to keep these little pieces of art safe.
The good thing about it you can make in a short time and you can have it on your purse with you!
I hope you like it.

SUPPLY LIST
A piece of cardboard or chipboard not so thick.
Papers and embelishments.
A piece of string long enough to go around your cover for about 3 times.
A button with a hole in the midle and some beads(optional)
Plain white paper it can be from your printer
Liquide glue or double tape adhesive.
Punch hole or crop a dile
A trimmer with folding blade or a bone folder
and a metal ruler

Step 1-2-3&4

Cut a strip of card board with 12”x 3” or 30,5 cm x 7,5 cm
Then you’ll mark where you have to fold.
You can see the measurements on the pic.
Left side in cm and right side in inches.

After you mark it just pass it trhough your trimmer to make the folding lines or with a metal
ruller mark with a bone folder.Leave it on the side to embelish it later.

Now you want to make some pockets to hold your ATCs.
So just get 10 sheets of plain paper cut it on the same high as your cover for example
11cm or 5 inches tall
Ten cut the paper with 21 cm or 9 inches long so you can fold your pocket in 3 parts to
make the envelopes.

Steps 5-6-7 & 8

After you had fold all pockets it’s time to put them together.
You will need first to close them all.I like to do this part with the double tape adhesive.
Add a strip of tape closing the pockets.

Now lets attach them.
Using your glue or tape make a strip right in the midle of the paper.add another pocket
on the top.Keep doing it untill you have done them all.
You want it to looks like an acordeon.

Steps9 &10

Now you can cover your chipboard and embelish it.Just like you cover a regular chhipboard shape
or mini album’s cover.
Attach your acordeon inside using a stripe of double tape in the midle.
Just like you did with the pockets.
Make a little hole on the top flap of your cover to close it.
Pass a string doing a knot inside to keep it in place you can use beads on the edge..
Make sure your string is long enough so you can go around about 3 times.
Then to close it and go with the string around the button.
And here it is a cute alternative to keep your ATCs in place.

You can make one for every Swap you make:)
I hope you like it and if you have any questions I’ll be happy to help you:D

sew simple dish towel apron

Hi Guys, it's Nikki Peterson.
If you are like me and own a sewing machine, but can't do much more than sew a straight line, this project is perfect for you. Plus, I'm betting that you already have all the supplies.

Supply List
1 dishtowel
fleace or felt (if desired)
embroidery thread (if desired)
needle
trim or ribbon
thread
sewing machine

There are so many cute dish towels out there and I always am buying them cause they are so darn adorable, so what an easy base to use for a fun little apron. By using the dishtowel most of the sewing is already done for you so you really just need to add something to tie it with.

I chose this yellow and teal one from Anthropologie cause it already had some simple rick rack trimming all the way around, which means less work for me.

Step One (optional)

I decided to add a few hand-cut embellishments from fleece to spice it up just a bit, but so many of the dishtowels are great just the way they are. To do this free hand your shape onto the fleece and cut out.

Step Two (optional)
After I cut out my fleece shapes I hand stitched them onto the towel, not paying to much attention to how neat it was as I think a sloppy stitch looks fun.

Step Three
Once your stitching is complete it is time to add the tie. I went with this yellow trim. You can get this at any fabric store, or just use some ribbon from your stash.
First, fold the towel in half and pin the trim along the top leaving extra on both sides (ensure it is long enough to tie around your waist.)

Step Four
After pinning simply sew the trim to the towel removing the pins as you go. Now just snip off any extra thread.

Voila! Your done, a quick and simple apron that you can create in just about 1 hour.

Happy Sewing!
love nikki

Don't MISS this!

This challenge is one you will probably want to thank me for later. That makes me happy, because scrapping should enhance our lives and this is just one little way to do that in yours. So really, I consider it a privilege to 'enhance your life' in this small way through this challenge.

It's no secret that I love to scrap the 'nitty gritty' details of life, so this challenge comes straight from my heart. The challenge then is for you to scrap something you would miss. Now, when I say miss, I actually mean that in two different ways. One way to interpret this challenge is this: scrap something about your here and now- right now. There are an unlimited things to scrap about the present moment, and in case you need even more of a jumpstart, here are a few ideas I thought might be good to scrap:

~ Scrap something touching that a friend of family member or even starnger did or said that encouraged you recently. What has happened in the past week that made you happy. C'mon...I know something made you smile. Scrap it, so you don't forget it!

~ Scrap something funny that your kid(s) or spouse or pet did. Maybe it wasn't even funny at that time...but now that a few days have passed you can see the humor in the situation. Scrap it!

~ Maybe it is just a bunch of random things you love- at this very moment. Why not scrap it or make a mini album or stack of atc's about your top ten things that make your heart race- right now!

Here's a layout I did awhile back where I just stuck bits and pieces of lots of different things I loved at the time. I had no agenda , other than to use things I liked or were meaningful to me. It turned out to be one of my favorite pages, as a result!

The second way to interpret this challenge is to scrap something you would miss if it weren't a part of your life. Maybe it is something technology related. How did anyone live without ipods and internet just a few years ago??!!  Or maybe it's something simple- like your morning cup of coffee. It could even be the quirks that drive you nuts about your kid(s) or spouse (or pet or friends or mother!), but the truth is, that very thing or things are what make you love them all the more. Am I right? =)

Here is a picture/page of mine as an example.

I was cleaning my bathroom counter one day and as I put the toothbrush holder back in its place it hit me that this was 'my family- right now'! I had to go and grab my camera and then I journaled about how someday I won't have so many toothbrushes and people to clean up after each day. It made me stop and savor that moment and now I have the page to savor that memory for years to come!

Okay. That's it. Easy, right?! I hope you get the chance to scrap one or two of these ideas or something that came to mind as you read through this post. I hope that you have fun scrapping these things you might otherwise "miss". And don't forget to hook us up with your "missing links" when you finish a layout or project. I want to see the stuff you won't miss this time around. Thanks for playing and happy scrapping!

Jo-Anne's Centerpiece #2

I thought we could take the “cake” idea a little further this time. How fun would it be to have …..THIS….on a tea table with your cake and imaginary fairy friends….ok now I am digressing  and you know see how crazy I am…☺

So I bought this candelabra from a local “dollar” type store. You could use a rescued one form the junkstore, just don’t use grannies antique family heirloom!!

The cups I also bought from a variety of places. The second hand store, dollar shop, car boot.

The supplies are relatively basic and the effect can be really stunning. Again I used Primas and handpunched flowers but you could use real blooms, just remember to soak the oasis first!

Supplies
Candelabra
Paint (suitable for the surface you are using)
Sandpaper
Old tea cups and saucers
Glue (suitable for metal/china adhesion)
Oasis
As many Prima flowers you can get your hands on
Florist pins
Vintage lace and braid

So first I prepped the surface of my candelabra with sandpaper and gave it two coats of metal paint in an off white colour. Whilst this was drying I glued my cups to their saucers and allowed to set.

 

Once the candelabra was dry I lightly rubbed the edges with sandpaper to create areas of wear and tear.
Each tea cup and saucer was then glued to the sconce and I allowed this to dry overnight.

Now the fun bit…….
Using a variety of flowers and pins I just started filling the oasis in each cup to create a cascade of flowers. I tied vintage lace on the arms and added braid.
You could add a butterfly  or two. You could make this for an occasion ie birthday, baby or Christmas. Really the possibilities are endless.
Funk it up with rubons and freestyle paper or use old music paper flowers. Looped ribbons and mini eggs for Easter!

Have a go and please show me what you made, I would love to see it!....so off to work on the next dining table addition….ooh I have an idea…you will LOVE IT!!

Have fun! 

Jo-Anne

after this, i should think nothing of falling down stairs.

these are the words alice speaks after falling down the rabbit hole and having her dress poof up like a parachute, drifting her past whimsical, wonderful things straight into a world of her own making.

i have long wished to be the blue and white aproned girl with sunshine hair from walt disney's 1951 movie, "alice in wonderland". based on the novel by lewis carroll, this movie makes sense of nonsense. the characters are brilliant and the imagery and illustration is full of color and insanity. the books based off this movie are equally gorgeous. when i was a child, i was captivated by the idea that you could create a world of anything you could imagine.

for this challenge, i want you to transport yourself back to the days when you saw things through the eyes of a child. your inspiration for this project should be a movie or book that made you dream there were things bigger than the world around you.

you can create a layout or a project of your choosing - it can be a literal representation of your inspiration (like mine) or it can just be an inspired piece. for mine, i used cut-outs from one of the many alice in wonderland books we have, along with various scrapbooking products.

get whimsical. get colorful. get childish. let go and create something that makes you happy to look at. something that reminds you of wishing on a star and creating a world of nonsense.

it is terribly inspiring for me to spend an afternoon in a world of mad hatters, disappearing cheshire cats, dodo birds, singing flowers and unbirthdays. i imagine that i will create many more pieces based on this book because it makes me SO happy just thinking about the possibilities.

what childhood book or movie inspires you? what sparks that memory in you of a belief that anything is possible? tell me and then link your completed project up here or on the boards by june 8th for a chance to win some goodies from yours truly. have fun! go. create.  -- heather (metrochic)

 

Funky Coasters

Funky coasters

I am so not a home décor person. I however do love to buy lots of little things to decorate my house with, but making things myself to use in my household, no, not really my cup of tea. When I knew it was my turn to make a tutorial it was not only time to challenge you, I also wanted to challenge myself. I wanted not only to make something that you can look at, it had to be useful as well. I started scanning my room and finally my eyes met the ugliest coasters you have ever seen and I knew what my tutorial would be about. Today you will be creating your own homemade coasters!

Supplies needed:

6 Circles from chipboard(made by hand or with a die-cutting machine)

Brush
Craft sheet

Heat gun

Versamark

Gesso

Paint

Stamps( Hero Arts, Stampers Anonymous/Tim Holtz, Limited Edition/Danelle Johnson

Black Ink

Sanding paper

Lace

Old music paper

Rub-ons( I used rub-ons from American Craft)

Bubble wrap

Ultra thick embossing powder(UTEE)

ABC stickers(I used Jenni Bowlin stickers)

Step 1
Make sure you have at least 6 chipboard circles at the size of a normal coaster. Mine are created with a die-cutting machine.

Step 2
Paint the coaster with Gesso, back and front. Leave some thicker spots. Dry the Gesso with your heat gun.

Step 3
Take your brush, without making it wet first, put a little bit of paint on it. Brush slightly over the coaster making sure you do leave some white spots open.

Step 4

Tear a piece from your vintage music paper and glue it down on your chipboard. You can use Gesso instead of glue. After that go over it a bit with the same paint that you used in step 3.

Step 5

Cut a piece of lace and also use gesso here to glue it down. Make sure you make it very wet with paint at first and then use a baby cloth to take some off again. Dry the Gesso using your heat gun.

Step 6 Take a stamp and stamp an image on the left part of your coaster with black ink.

Step 7 Add some alphabet stickers and makes some words with it.

Step 8 Sand the letter stickers with sanding paper for that vintage look.

Step 9 Take your Versamark and add it all over your coaster, make sure you got every spot.

Step 10 Now you are going to put UTEE on your coaster which will stick due to the Versamark.

Make sure you got every spot and put the rest that is left back into the jar.

Step 11 Use your heat gun to make the UTEE melt, this goes rather fast.

To make sure your coaster is waterproof you will repeat step 10 and 11 again for both back and front of your coaster.

Now you have created your first funky coaster, congrats!

I made six in total, using different lace, stamps, rub-ons and colors. By taking these steps with all of these coasters it is now a set that fits perfectly together.

I hope I inspired you to make some funky coaster as well. I can’t wait to see what you make!

corinnexxx