Around We Go!

Welcome to the Studio!

I wanted to share a new layout I just finished.  My husband and I were at Zoo Atlanta a few years back and he took some really sweet (and silly) shots of me riding the Merry-Go-Round.  I'm not the most organized scrapper.  I don't work on layouts chronologically.  I work on what I "feel" like working on, which basically equates to pictures of the dogs and carving jack-o-lanterns taking precedence over everything else;)

I  began with a sketch by Becky Fleck from her PageMaps 2 book.  I just love her two sketch books.  They both come with a neat set of cards that feature the sketch on one side and a sample layout on the other.  It's perfect to slide into your page planner to get ready for a crop.  Talk about making everyone THINK you're organized;)  Okay, so here's my layout:

On this layout, I was a totally a rub-on fanatic.  All the pattern papers, tags & rub-ons are Foof-ala Summer Collection by Autumn Leaves.  I wish they were still around.  I just loved all the papers and accessories.  So speaking of all those rub-ons, here's a few close-up shots.

And yes, those are ALL rub-ons.  They came out so good, you'd think it was part of the pattern paper.

More rub-ons and handstitching.  I stamped the lines for my journaling for a "stitched look" to tie everything together.

This is a close-up shot of what my title decoration looked like.  I even added rub-ons to the chipboard alphas to make them "match."

I had so much fun making this layout.  It really brought back memories of a bright, sunny spring day and all the fun we had.  Plus, I just adore Merry-Go-Rounds.

I'm planning on entering this layout in two challenges.  The first is Use Your Stuff  #39, Sew Many Possibilities.  This is my second time joining in the fun on that blog.  I love seeing all the wonderful artwork.

The second challenge is for Clear It Out Challenges.  The current challenge is two or more ribbons/fibers.  I used the blue ribbon under my title and also tied knots on my tag.  My second ribbon is all the stitching with floss/twine.  They have a great sponsor for this challenge, Bugaboo Stamps, and you could win seven free digis!  My mom, Joanie's Classy Card Corner, uses Bugaboo Stamps all the time on her cards.  The "senior" images are my favorites;)

Supply List:
Most of this stuff is REALLY OLD!
Pattern Paper, Tags & Rub-ons:  Foofala Summer Collection, Autumn Leaves
Cardstock:  CTMH, Pacifica
Chipboard Letters:  Lil Davis Designs
Ribbon/fibers:  from stash
Ink:  CTMH, Pacifica
Stamps:  CTMH, Comments, Dates
Other:  Stitching template, Bazzill Basics; Rub-on tool, Basic Grey.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you enjoyed your visit.  Until next time, Scrap Sassy!

Use Your Stuff!

Welcome to the Studio!

I've been cranking out layouts lately like a madwoman.  It feels REALLY good to get some done.  I'm so far behind it ain't even funny.  I want to finish my wedding album before our 10th anniversary.  A few years ago, that sounded like a joke; but we'll be celebrating that 10th anniversary in March of next year.  I need to get my rear in gear for sure!

I've recently found a challenge blog that I just adore and really gets me motivated.  It's Use Your Stuff.  Each week they have a new challenge that gets you to, well, use your stuff.  And believe me, I NEED to use what I have so I can make room for the new stuff I want.  The challenge this week is #38, Make It By Hand.  And I enjoy making my own embies when the usual store-bought stuff just doesn't work.

Well, I'm by no means bragging when I say that I used Scenic Route Paper, Charlotte Collection, for this layout.  I don't even think that company exists any more, but I'm just now getting around to using the paper I purchased like four or five years ago, if not longer than that.  I love the browns, reds, and peachy-pinks.

I used Heartfelt Creations Posey Patch stamp and die sets.  I stamped the flowers first, cut them out with the Spellbinders/Heartfelt dies, and then inked the edges before layering them and adding a bit of bling to the center.

I used CTMH Garnet to stamp the smaller flower (top pic) and inked with CTMH Smoothie and for the larger flower (bottom pic) I did just the opposite.  I also diecut my own ticket shape and added it as well.  Several of the circles are popped up on foam tape to give the layout some lumpiness and texture.

Supply List:
Cardstock: CTMH Garnet, Smoothie, and Colonial White
Inks:  CTMH Garnet and Smoothie
Stamps:  Posey Patch, Heartfelt Creations; CTMH, Just The Ticket SOTM
Pattern Paper: Charlotte by Scenic Route
Dies:  Heartfelt/Spellbinders, Posey; Spellbinders circles and scallop circles
Embossing folder: Provo Craft
Bling:  Recollections
Other:  Ticket cut file from Silhouette, converted and used with MTC & Ba-Zing-A, the Knk Zing 
             and well as my own creation for the Title/journaling block.
Sketch:  Becky Fleck, PageMaps 2

Thanks so much for stopping by.  Until next time, Scrap Sassy and Use Your Stuff;)

Punched Friendship

Welcome to the Studio!

Thanks so much for stopping by today. If you're visiting from the Card A Day Blog, I'm glad you made it! My project for today is a friendship card that's based on a sketch by Becky Fleck of Pagemaps fame. I just love her sketches. I use a lot of them for my layouts, but only occasionally for cards. I've had this one saved on my iPad for some time now and it just hit me all of a sudden. Here's the sketch...

A Special Friendship:



My card is 8.5 x 3.75 and my base is made of kraft cardstock.  I put an ivory cardstock layer on the front and inked the edges with Stampin Up Crumb Cake ink and a sponge dauber.  I heat embossed the sentiment, A Special Friendship, with CTMH Outdoor Denim embossing powder.

My bow was made with SU denim ribbon and my peg bow maker.  (We'll have some up for sale in the Etsy store soon!)  For the punch, I used an EK Success label punch.  I inked each of the punches with SU Crumb Cake ink and a sponge dauber.  The paper I used is from Lily Bee Designs, Double Dutch.  The heart button are from Jesse James, Dress It Up.  I used the Friendship stamp set from CTMH.  Both the sentiment and verse are from the same set.  The inside is stamped in Outdoor Denim ink.

I had a lot of fun with this sketch and loved the way my card turned out.  So here is another card, same layout but different papers...

I thought this one looked cute with the mini roses and the seam binding.  This paper is Echo Park This & That Graceful collection.  What's great about this card is you can use all those little bitty scraps up! 

I hope you enjoyed your visit today.  Stop by again soon.  Until next time, Scrap Sassy!

Something To Hoot About!

Welcome to the Studio!


If you’re visiting from the Card A Day Blog, thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you come back again soon. If you haven’t been to the Card A Day Blog, please stop by over there. There is a bunch of very talented ladies doing some awesome creating. I’m so excited to be a part of it.

For this week, we have a theme to follow, which is owls. I adore owls. You’ll get to see my creation, Olivia the Owl, below. We also had an optional sketch to use by one of my all-time favorite sketch/scrapbook artists, Becky Fleck. So how could I resist? I use her sketches all the time for my layouts and just adore her. She’s a sweetie, and oh so talented. You can find her and all her cool sketches for both cards and scrapbook layouts over at Pagemaps.

Here’s the sketch my card was based on…

And here’s my card…




Supply List:
(All products are Close To My Heart unless otherwise noted.)
Cardstock: Colonial White, Crème Brulee, Desert Sand, Cocoa, Sorbet, Olive, Sunset
Inks: Chocolate, Desert Sand, Sorbet, Sunset, Crème Brulee
Patterned Paper: Elemental Collection
Cocoa grosgrain ribbon
Other: White gel pen, Alene’s Fast Grab Tacky Glue, Thank you stamp (Stampin Up),
Tools: Bigshot, Quickutz scalloped border die, Spellbinders scalloped circles, EK Success oak leaf punch, Electronic Diecutting Machine, Make The Cut Software

When I do a project, I like to start by cutting out all my pieces first, laying everything out and glue them down last. That way I can move everything around when I’m adding embellishments, etc.


My card is 6x6 (card base cut at 6x12) out of Colonial White cardstock. I inked the edges in Desert Sand using a sponge dauber. The next layer is Crème Brulee cardstock cut at 5.5 x 5.5. I inked the edges in Chocolate. The patterned paper is from the Elemental Collection. It is cut at 5 1/8 x 5 1/8. I inked the edges in Desert Sand as well. I used Sorbet cardstock cut at 4.5 x 4.5 and inked in chocolate for the last square layer. I again used paper from Elemental to cut out a scalloped border strip. The scalloped circles are cut out of Colonial White and Cocoa cardstock. I left the Colonial White scallop in the die and colored the edges using a sponge dauber and Crème Brulee ink. The die acts as a stencil. I like the extra dimension it adds without any bulk.

I attached the patterned paper to the Crème Brulee cardstock and then the Sorbet cardstock on top of the patterned paper. Then I attached my scalloped strip and ribbon. Fold the ribbon over onto the back of the cardstock to hide those pesky “ribbon bits.”


{NOTE: I have not attached anything to my card base yet.}


I then glued the two scalloped circles together and got ready to put my owl together. She is 14 separate pieces. The bottom layer was cut out in Cocoa and is the entire owl shape, like a shadow. The rest of the pieces were cut out in various colors and inked with chocolate. The branch was cut out in Desert Sand cardstock and I used a woodgrain background stamp and Desert Sand ink to give it a tone-on-tone “woodsy” effect. For the leaves, I went totally old school and used a EK Success punch.

Remember these?!? I still have decorative edge scissors and I use them too!

I used my Xyron sticker maker for most of the owl pieces and put her together just like you would a paper piecing. I attached the branch to the scalloped circles and sat my owl on top. I used Fast Grab Tacky Glue to attach the leaf punches. When it was all together, I put adhesive on the back of the branch and the scalloped circle and attached it to my card front. After I had my entire card front together, I used my glue runner and put glue on my card base and then attached my card front.

Olivia The Owl:
She is a cute little piece of free clipart I found on the internet. Using Make The Cut (MTC) software, I pixel traced the image several times in order to make layers. I was then able to cut her out in several different pieces/colors. The branch is a file from Silhouette.

If you’d like to make your own “Olivia the Owl”, please email me at SassyScrapperAL@gmail.com. I’ll be happy to send the cut file to you in either .mtc (Make The Cut) or .svg (Scalable Vector Graphic). If you need it in another format, let me know and I’ll try to convert it;)

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time, Scrap Sassy!

Technique Blog Hop - Contrast Embossing

Welcome! This is our First Technique Blog Hop! This month there are 11 of us highlighting the “Contrast Embossing” Technique as shown on page 31 in the Spring/Summer 2011 Idea Book! This blog hop is a great big circle so you can start wherever you want and continue through to see all the fabulous artwork incorporating this technique. If you would like to start from the beginning, please visit this link, Debbie's Blog At the end of this post, you will also find a listing of all participants and their blog addresses if you should get lost or want to reference a blog along the way. Let’s get started!

If you are coming from Neely Dean's Blog, you are on the right track! This technique is highlighted with the Lucky paper packet in the Idea Book, but you will find variations for its use throughout this hop.

I have to admit that when I started this layout, it was kind of humdrum and boring. I knew I was participating in this technique blog hop, but hadn't decided what type of project to showcase. Then like a bolt of lightning...well, maybe divine intervention...I decided that this technique was PERFECT for my title area and definitely added that "sassy" wow factor to this layout. There will be a companion page coming soon! The layout design is based on one of the Pagemaps by Becky Fleck. There is a link to her site listed under "Favorites."

Here's a closeup of my triple contrast embossed flower...



My twist on this technique is that not only is my hibiscus flower contrast embossed, it is triple embossed. I used the Extreme Happiness stamp set. The Hibiscus flowers are actually three separate stamps. I first stamped the larger, outer petals with Versamark and embossed it in CTMH Cranberry Embossing Powder. I followed the same steps with the flower center and stamen. I used CTMH Purple Pansy Embossing Powder on the inside and CTMH Gold Embossing Powder for the stamen.

If you would like to see details on the technique or my supply list, please continue reading below. If not, please continue on to Carol's Blog where you will find some additional artwork highlighting this technique! Be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you thought of my variation and happy hopping!

Supply List: Extreme Happiness Stamp Set, C1356
Moon Doggie Level 2 Paper Pack (Retired)
Journaling Spots (Retired)
Kraft Color-Ready Borders, Z1377
Stamp Ink Pads in Indian Corn Blue, Chocolate, Cranberry, Bamboo
Cranberry Embossing Powder, Z659
Gold Embossing Powder, Z668
Purple Pansy Embossing Powder, Z664
Hotfix rhinestones, topaz
iRock Tool (Haven't seen this neat tool? Check out one of my previous posts.)

I apologize for using one of the retired paper packs. I had bought it purposely for some of my cruise layouts. Our cruise, however, was in 2008, you know, back when the paper pack was brand new;) Oh well, the plans of mice and men; right?

Here are the steps to Contrast Embossing:
1. Stamp background image on project. You can use Versamark and embossing powder or just ink. (If you use the Versamark and embossing powder like I did, be sure to heat your image after each step and then wait until it cools before stamping your next image.)
2. Stamp additional images in Versamark ink. Sprinkle with contrasting color of embossing powder.
3. Tap off excess powder. Set with craft heater.

Here you can see a visual demonstration of this technique:


Thanks for stopping by! Continue onto Carol's Blog, to continue the hop!

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Here is the list of Hoppers and links to their blogs:

1. Debi Barber – http://debiistheothersister.blogspot.com/2011/03/contrast-embossing-blog-hop.html
2. Neely Dean – http://neelydean.blogspot.com/2011/03/contrast-embossing-blog-hop.html
3. Kelly George – http://sassyscrapperstudio.blogspot.com/
4. Carol Harris – http://carol-harris.blogspot.com/2011/03/contrast-embossing-technique-blog-hop.html
5. Heather Martin – http://heathermmartin.blogspot.com/2011/03/contrast-embossing-blog-hop.html
6. Melissa Robinson – http://mlisrobinson.blogspot.com/2011/03/contrast-embossing-blog-hop.html
7. Shirley Ross – http://momnmescrap.blogspot.com/2011/03/contrast-embossing-technique-blog-hop.html/
8. Rachel Ventura – http://happyscrappinsquad.blogspot.com/
9. Tonya Whitehurst – http://heartandsoulscrappers.blogspot.com/2011/03/contrast-embossing-blog-hop.html
10. Xellina Wieland – http://xellina.blogspot.com/2011/03/v-behaviorurldefaultvmlo.html
11. Sheila Wilkerson – http://ezscrapbooks.blogspot.com/2011/03/contrast-embossing-blog-hop.html

Thanks for stopping by! Until next time, Scrap Sassy!