Final inspiration

Hi everyone

Well today is my last official post as a design team member for Scrappin' Patch. I've had a lot of fun and learnt so many new techniques and I'm so grateful to Adrienne for welcoming me on the team. Thank you for all of your lovely comments too.

As this is my last post I thought I'd use my scraps from various posts throughout 2012 to make cute little gift cards. See if you can guess what each collection is :)

x Lana

Tweet

January Sketch Challenge

Sorry this is late, girls.  The days got away on us.  I am sure it was worth the wait as Lana has this gorgeous sketch for you to play with.  Create a layout or card that is inspired by the sketch.  Lana has created a beautiful example using Crate Paper Little Boy Blue products.

Tweet

DT Inspiration

Hi everyone!

Today I'm sharing some more Christmas card inspiration using the Very Merry papers from Echo Park.

This card was actually made from scraps so going into it I was a bit unsure as to how it would turn out, but I'm really happy with the result.

My main feature of the card is a rosette I made using the Tim Holtz Rosette Die (large). I finished the rosette off with a chipboard sentiment from the My Mind's Eye Winter Wonderland Chipboard Elements sheet and I had a bit of cut off baker's twine laying around so I tied that to the top. I then added some banner details behind the rosette to make it pop.

This is my last post before the big day so I hope you all have an amazing Christmas with those close to you and I'll see you in the new year!

x Lana

Tweet

Imaginisce Stamps

Hi everyone!

Today my card features a cute Christmas Tree stamp from Imaginisce. I love Imaginisce stamps.

• They are the perfect size for cardmaking and they're easy to store away
• Feature so many cute images
• They are clear stamps which I prefer over mounted stamps. This way you get a clear vision of where you're stamping your image. To use you just pop the clear stamp on an acrylic block and away you go
• They are so affordable! They're usually around $3 each with 1 stamp in each package. 

I'm starting to build my own little Christmas collection as you can see below. I've used the top stamp on my card.

My card using the Very Merry range from Echo Park...

Thanks for stopping by!

x Lana

Supplies used: Imaginisce Christmas Cheer Candle Tree stamp, Very Merry papers by Echo Park, Kaisercraft Pearls in red.

Tweet

DT Inspiration - Christmas!

Hi everyone!

Well it's getting very close to my favourite time of year - Christmas! I just love making Christmas cards every year with a spot of Christmas music in the background to get me in the spirit. This week was no different. With the Diana Krall Christmas album in the background I made these 2 cards using Very Merry papers from Echo Park.

Make sure you stop by in the weekend to see some cute Christmas stamps that I'll be sharing. 

x Lana

Tweet

Step By Step - Kiwi Christmas

Hi everyone!

Today I'm going to show you how to make a Christmas card with a kiwi twist. I've been making this card for years, it's one of my favourites and one of my most popular cards at my craft market stall.

Let's begin!

STEP ONE:
I grabbed some scrap paper and did a freehand sketch of a jandal and the part where you slip your foot through. (Comment on this post if you would like a template for this and I can post one on the Scrappin' Patch Facebook page). Cut your shapes out. You only need one of each.

STEP TWO:
Trace around the shapes onto your chosen cardstock, flipping the shapes over to get the other jandal. Assemble your jandal by attaching the thong to the base. I used glue at the ends of the thong and then some dimensional adhesive at the top to make it pop a little.

STEP THREE:
Cut some small circles and leaves out for your holly. These don't need to be perfect. I actually prefer them when they're a little bit rough.

STEP FOUR:
Attach your holly to the jandals with some glue and dimensional adhesive. To give the berries a little shine, I covered them with some Glossy Accents.

STEP FIVE:
Add your Christmas jandals to your card base, include a message and there you have it - a fun kiwi Christmas card!

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial. I can't wait to share more Christmas cards with you this month :)

x Lana

Tweet

DT Inspiration

Hi everyone!

This month I have the pleasure of working with the Little Boy Blue range from Crate Paper. I had already purchased the Little Bo Peep range which I had fallen in love with. This range is just so adorable!  I love the retro/vintage style and the colours and illustrations.

My first card uses one of my favourite colour combinations - red and powder blue. I love the main illustration of the boy on his push bike. This is from the tag cuts sheet that features a whole heap of different tags - perfect for layouts or cards.

My second card features cute peg details on some yellow baker's twine. I'm really into chevron type patterns at the moment so I used the yellow and white chevron as my base against the natural card.

I hope this provided you some inspiration for your next project.

x Lana

Tweet

DT Inspiration

Hi everyone!

Today I'm sharing some final My Mind's Eye inspiration from my last kit - the School Daze range and the Miss Caroline Howdy Doody range.

I loved the main pattern on my first card so I wanted to show a lot of it and make it the main feature. This card also shows off a lot of my favourite design elements - rounded corners, faux stitching and a rosette and not to mention the simple design. For a little bit of effect I put some glossy accents on the apples to create a bit of shine.

My second card also features one main element and that is the Miss Caroline rub-on flowers. Rub-ons are so quick and easy to use and most come with a tool of some sort to help 'rub-on'. The Miss Caroline Rub-ons include a range of flowers and decorative pieces in a few different styles. I thought the flowers I choose would be just perfect for an anniversary card so I finished the card off with an anniversary sentiment.

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe long weekend. Keep an eye out on the blog today for your next ingredient for the long weekend challenge!

x Lana

Supplied used: My Mind's Eye School Daze, My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline Howdy Doody Lovely Mum's Paper, My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline Howdy Doody Happy Rub-on Transfers. 

Tweet

My Mind's Eye - School Daze

Hi everyone

I'm back to show you a little inspiration using the School Daze paper pad from My Mind's Eye. This pad is super-CUTE! I love the colour palette and pretty much every pattern - as is the case with most MME collections :)

Education and schooling has been a hot topic in the Canterbury region this past week so I thought I'd make a card to say thanks for all the hard work our wonderful teachers do at all levels.

I love the way it's turned out. Bright and colourful with some texture, dimension and a hint of gloss using Glossy Accents on the little hand-cut arrow details. I used some Thickers from the Amy Tangerine range to say 'THANKS'.  I love how the letters aren't perfect so they have a handwritten effect - perfect for this sort of card! I used Doodlebug Design Inc Teensy Type to say 'teacher'. I love these alphas too. So darn cute and a fantastic price.


My second card is a 5th birthday card. I've used green and yellow as my 2 main colours which I think can suit both a boy and a girl. I made a polaroid to frame 'Happy birthday!' and I left a space on the polaroid to include the name of the birthday boy or girl. The stars are from FabScraps and I just covered them with cardstock to give them some quick colour. This card also has a lot of dimension as all of my cards do! I don't think I've ever made a flat card. I just love how the dimensional stickers just give that instant pop.

Thanks for stopping by. Don't forget to check out the Scrappin' Online store for these goodies and so much more including some gorgeous new product from Teresa Collins, Prima, Bo Bunny and more!

x Lana

Products used: My Mind's Eye School Daze Paper Pad, FabScraps Chipboard Stars, Doodlebug Design Inc. Teensy Type Alphas White, Amy Tangerine Journal Thickers White, Glossy Accents.

Tweet

DT Inspiration - MME Miss Caroline

Hi everyone!

I hope you had a fantastic weekend and found some sunshine amongst this crazy weather we've been having. I didn't get a lot of card making in unfortunately as I spent some much needed time in the garden and playing with my gorgeous lab Bailey.

Today I'm sharing some inspiration using the My Minds Eye Miss Caroline Howdy Doody Lovely range.

I'm a huge fan of the whole Miss Caroline collection so I was very pleased to be sent these beautiful papers to work with. They're just so girly and the colours are divine! And don't get me started on the wood...

I've kept my first card reasonably simple using strips of the paper and punching them with a butterfly punch. I used a strip of fabric tape and some rub on transfer for the detail down the bottom. The Miss Caroline range has a gorgeous sheet of floral rub on transfers that are so easy to use.

For my second card I've used the Tim Holtz rosette die and the punched out butterfly from my first card as my main focal points. I love how this range ties in orange and pink together, not a common combo, but it really works.

Hope this inspired you :)

x Lana and Bailey ;-)

Supplies used: MME Miss Caroline Howdy Doody Lovely Mum's Paper,  MME Miss Caroline Howdy Doody Lovely Wallpaper Paper, MME Miss Caroline Howdy Doody Happy Rub-on Transfers.

Tweet

Use Your Stash Challenge #3

Hi everyone :)

It's now my turn to inspire you to scrap your stash so you can win a $20 Scrappin' Patch voucher! There's so many goodies instore so it's a great time to enter.  You must only use product purchased pre 2012, excluding cardstock.

This week is a colour challenge!

Since we're nearing the end of winter (yipee!) I thought it would be nice to give it a final send off with some pretty autumn/winter tones. Here is the colour palette...

And here is my take...

I've had scraps from this Kaisercraft Peachy Keen paper pad hanging around for AGES so it's nice to finally see them made it onto a card. The cute badge detail is also from an American Crafts badge range that I bought yonks ago with good intentions (this is only the second one out of eight that I've used!).

How the competition works... Each Wednesday morning a challenge will be posted on the blog by one of the DT girls. Your take on the challenge (either a card or a layout) needs to be uploaded by midnight on the following Tuesday and all submissions will go in the draw to win a $20.00 voucher. We are using Inlinkz to upload to the blog. To do this see the 'Add Your Link' button below and upload the link to your creation on your blog or a gallery. Let us know if you have any questions :)

x Lana

Tweet

Father's Day Inspiration with Lana

Hi everyone!

Following on my theme from last time, I've got a few Father's Day cards to get you inspired! I've used the Echo Park Family Man range for all of my cards today. I'm seriously inlove with this collection! Everything about it... the colour palette, the imagery, the fun journal pieces... love! And as I said before, the PERFECT collection for Father's Day.

Now onto my first card...

'Everyday Hero - my Dad!' I'm loving the fun sentiment piece. I paired this with a builder's paper that features a bunch of tools. I also added a couple of arrows to put the focus on Dad. I'm a huge fan of dimensional adhesive, infact none of my cards are flat, so there are a few layers on this card to give it that extra punch.

My next 2 cards feature a popular icon of the moment - the moustache! Everywhere you look there's a moustache! Cookie cutters, jewellery, gift wrap, clothing, mugs etc etc. I think they're super cute and instantly give a manly vibe so I thought perfect for Father's Day.

My first moustache card features another fun sentiment piece 'Just like bacon... you make everything better' I just added 'Dad' in with some prima alphabet stickers. This card also features a lot of dimension and I added some Glossy Accents to the heart for that extra shine. I think it looks very cute!

My second moustache card is kept very simple on a white cardstock. I think it really shows off the moustache and sentiment. How cute are the row of ties?! I've also added a touch of Glossy Accents to the moustache to give it a lift.

And there you have it. I can't wait to show you my next projects. They're bound to put a bit of spring into your step ;-)

x Lana

Products used: Echo Park Family Man collection, Glossy Accents

Tweet

Step By Step - Origami Tie

Hi everyone!

With Father's Day just around the corner on September 2nd, now is a great time to start thinking about Father's Day cards.

If you find making cards for males that little bit trickier (I know I do!) this cute idea will have you whipping up some fun cards in no time. With a little helping hand this project could even be fun for the wee ones too.

So here we go!

STEP 1
Measure a 10cm x 10cm square piece of paper and lay colour side down. The thinner the paper the better as you'll get nice flat folds. Fold paper in half diagonally both ways but only crease the centre to mark the spot.

STEP 2
Fold both sides to the centre.

STEP 3
Fold both sides to the centre again.

STEP 4
Fold down the top tip.

STEP 5
Flip paper over and fold top half to the centre crease.

STEP 6
Fold the top half back over. This creates the knot of the tie.

STEP 7
Flip paper over and make the knot creases by folding the top left and right corners to the centre.

STEP 8
Make a diagonal fold from the bottom of the crease made in Step 7 to the lower corners. This creates the shape of the tie. I used a metal ruler to create a sharp straight edge.

STEP 9
This part can get a little tricky. Open the paper in the top knot section and make a squash fold by pressing the paper flat. Do this to both sides. This creates the shape of the knot.

And you're done! I always recommend doing a couple of test goes on some scrap paper so you get the hang of it.

Here is my tie on a Father's Day card for my dad.

I used the amazing Echo Park Family Man range on this card - it's so perfect for occasions such as Father's Day. Make sure you check it out on the Scrappin' Patch online store.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Make sure you share your Father's Day creations with the rest of the Scrappin' Patch family on the Facebook page. We love seeing your amazing work!

x Lana

Tweet

DT Inspiration - Fancy Pants Designs

Hi everyone!

Today I'm sharing with you the fun range from Fancy Pants Design - Summer Soul! This collection is sure to get you in the mood for summer with its bright colour palette and beachy patterns.

I chose to make a birthday card and here it is...

I wanted to soften the background a little so I overlaid some vellum, then layered some embossed paper (using the reverse side), added some bakers twine, a rosette detail and banner sentiment. I'm really happy with how it came out.

I've got some more cards to share with you this month using this summery collection so make sure you check back :)

x Lana

Products used: Summer Soul 6x6 Paper Pad, Summer Soul Chipboard Banners, Tim Holtz Rosette Die.

Tweet

OTP Inspiration

Hi everyone!

Today I'm sharing with you a card I made using the lovely Simple Stories 'Documented' range.

I'm a huge fan of typography so I must say I'm loving this collection! It can be made masculine, girly or neutral which is even better. One of my favourite papers features various inspirational sayings that are great for cards or layouts. You'll see on today's card I used 'Cherish the moment, life is good'.

I wanted this saying to be the main focus of my card so I kept everything else reasonably simple. My background paper also features inspirational sayings but on a much smaller scale.

I finished my card off with a butterfly button detail that includes some gorgeous wood buttons from Prima. I just love these! They come in a pack of 18 various shapes and sizes and they all have some sort of pattern on them. I used 2 on my card. I wanted the heart to stand out a little so flipped the bottom button over to just show the woodgrain instead of the pattern. These were tied together with a piece of twine.

Hope you enjoyed today's inspiration, thanks for stopping by :)

x Lana

Products used: Simple Stories 'Documented', Prima Wooden Buttons

Tweet

Stars in their Eyes - Week 8

Hi everyone!

Lana here with your next fabulous STAR. It gives me great pleasure to introduce Dawn McVey!

Hi there! My name is Dawn McVey and I've been stamping for quite a few years now. I got started in paper-crafting by making cards that friends and family eventually started asking to purchase from me.  In the fall of 2007, I started my blog and started submitting my work to magazines and since then, have had over 100 projects published in various paper-crafting magazines.  

In July of 2008 I accepted a position on the Design Team for Papertrey Ink and in February of 2009, I became a Stamp/Product Designer for Papertrey as well.  I am thoroughly enjoying working with such a creative and innovative company.  In the summer of 2009, I was laid off from my office job and my husband and I made the decision for me to work from home, full time, as a designer.  At the time, it was a very hard decision to make, with the uncertainty of losing the guaranteed income that came with that day job.  It was not a move we would have chosen to make on our own at that time, however, several years later, Bart and I can both say that God clearly had other (better!) plans in store for us and this career change has certainly been a tremendous blessing!  I love working from home and have so enjoyed adding many new products to my Raspberry Suite product line over the last few years!  In 2011, I also joined the Studio Calico Design Team and have been enjoying working with their kits of products each month.  

God has blessed me abundantly with a job that I love and with a wonderful husband that encourages me to follow my dreams! Bart is my best friend and I'm so grateful to get to share each day with him.  We love traveling and spending as much time together as we can.  We also have a one year old labrador retriever, Windsor, who is as lovable as they come!  He's my little (big!) shadow in the studio each day and he's brought so much joy to our lives.  

It's a wonderful life and I'm so, so thankful.

You can visit Dawn's blog at dawnmcvey.typepad.com

Here are some examples of Dawn's gorgeous style...

Here is my take on Dawn's style:

Your challenge is to design a card in the style of the STAR, (not a scraplift of any of the STARS' designs) so be sure to do your homework and check out Dawn's blog to see what inspires you the most.

JUDGING

They will then be judged by Dawn! Each week points will be awarded for first (4 pts), second (3pts) and third (2pts), and all other entries will receive 1 pt. At the conclusion of the competition the one with the most points will bag the STAR prize, with second and third receiving a consolation prize.

Have fun ladies! I can't wait to see your beautiful work! Your cards should be uploaded over here... http://scrappinpatch.co.nz/coppermine/index.php?cat=64 by 8pm Tuesday 3rd July 2012.

**NOTE: Please include a blurb about what aspect of the STAR's designs and style have inspired you, and how you incorporated them into your card. Additionally, please include your name in the title of your layout to assist with the judging- thanks!!** 

Tweet

DT Inspiration

Hi everyone!

Today I'm showing you a couple of cute cards for boys using the Best Creation Inc Robot range.

My first card is quite simple and easy to make but still very effective with its geometric shapes. I wanted to use squares to show off a selection of the patterns within this range. To soften the look a little I put a vellum circle over the squares. I finished the look with more circular shapes showing off the number 5 and a strip of green ribbon to tie all the colours in.

My second card features this gorgeous wee robot I found lurking in one of my craft drawers. Unfortunately he's not part of the Robot range but there are still plenty of other robots to choose from within that range. Since this guy is so cute I wanted to make him the focus so I just built the card around him using a rocket journalling piece from the range, some banner detail and a bit of black twine.

Hope you enjoyed my inspiration for you today. Make sure you leave a comment, I love reading your feedback :)

x Lana

Products used: Best Creation Inc Robot,  Bazzill Cardstock, Tim Holtz Distressing Tool

Tweet

Cupcakes!

Hi everyone :)

Today I'm sharing more of the Best Creation Inc's Let's Party range. I loooooove cupcakes, the look and taste! So I thought I'd make a couple of cute cupcake cards using some cupcake elements that can be found within this range.

My first card features a doilie background that I've sprayed with some Shimmerz Paints Coloringz in Pink Stiletto. This gave a nice texture to the base of my card. The main feature is of course the cupcake and I've finished that off with a button detail and the sentiment.

For my second card I cut out some cupcake shapes that be found on one of the Let's Party sheets. They're set on a green background on the sheet but I wanted to put them on pink girly strip. To make the pink cupcakes stand out from this I just added a simple white gel pen border. Then I added a couple of rhinestones for some extra bling :)

Thanks for stopping by! I hope this gave you some inspiration for your next card project :)

x Lana

Products used: Best Creation Inc Let's Party, Tulle, Doilie, Bazzill Cardstock, Shimmerz Paints Coloringz - Pink Stiletto

Tweet

DT Inspiration

Hi everyone!

How exciting is the Stars in their Eyes competition?! I'm loving all of the creations coming through. There's so much talent! You're all so inspiring :)

Well today I'm showing you another couple of cards made from the Best Creation Inc. Robot range. This range is seriously cute!

My first card is a window card, which is super easy to make - just cut a shape in your card and you're done! I chose to go with a circle cut-out to match the circular patterns from the planets. Now I didn't actually plan to add the extra red circles to the left of the window (my original sketch was completely different!). They were scraps from the main red border and another project. But I was just playing around with them and I ended up liking the positioning so ran with it. It's funny how projects take on a life of their own!

My second card was really quick to make - mainly because this range does a lot of the work for you with the glitter accents and journaling pieces. I wanted to create a bit of movement on the card and a sense of 'Blast off!' so I made a diagonal stripe pattern using the front and back of one sheet of paper then made it pop a little with some faux stitching. I'm really happy with how it came out :)

Now I can't rave about this collection enough so make sure you check it out here.

x Lana

Products used: Best Creation Inc Robot collection, Bazzill Cardstock, Tulle Butterfly, Tim Holtz Distress Marker - Picket Fence.

Tweet