I am on my way to New Jersey for Ranger University.. and my husband is staying home...holding down the fort.. what better way to keep him busy then offernig free shipping in the Scarlet Lime Mixed Media and Bead Art Store! (they will ship seperatly)
If there is one thing that perks me up each and every month, it is a a happy visit from the mailman...Scarlet Lime Kit package complete in hand. I have a little routine that I seemed to have unknowingly created, the minute that the package is in my little paws. I almost always open the package on my dining room table (and if that is loaded with stuff, the kitchen is my next go to place!) I dump the contents on top and go through my paper first. I am an admitted paper addict. I flip through the embellishments next...and the rest...well the rest is the process of how I decide I am going to use my kit. It goes a little something like this:
Empty package contents out on table:
Spread out the papers and flip up the sides that I like best and think that I would want to work with:
Then I group papers into 2 coordinating piles. I know that I am going to create 2 layouts per kit (but there is enough paper to create at least 4 layouts per kit easily!). So I find papers that I anticipate are going to work best together.
Pile #1
I loved the corals, pinks and blues in all of these papers!
Pile #2
These were some of the more graphic papers (new from Pink Paislee!) that I thought would look really cool together. The color combination is AWESOME!
Next I sort through the embellishments that I think are going to work best with each of the piles.
Pile #1 with embellishments ( I chose the most vintage looking embellies out of the kit)
Pile #2 with embellishments ( I chose the funky and more brightly colored embellishments)
Now I have all my papers and embellies sorted out together. At this point I stack them and either carry them into my scrapbook room and set them on my craft table so I can mull over how exactly I am going to use these amazing products, or I can gently put them back into the bag and have them all organized for when I can return to them next.
How exactly did I use these sorted piles???
Here is a layout from Pile #1:
Loved the Sassafras paper and couldn't pass up pairing it with some of my favorite spring time floral pictures!
A layout from Pile #2-
I paired those bright, graphic, retro style Pink Paislee papers with a left over piece of paper that I had been using when making my DT layouts for last month's SL kit and was wiping my paint brush on. Can you believe how well the paint colors ended up matching the paper colors??? I was thrilled!
So there is a peek into my organized chaos of breaking down a kit. Do you have a certain way that you sort through your kits? What are your quirky processes? We would love to see what YOU do when you get your Scarlet Lime goodness each month :)
I made this mini album using the MARCH 2011 Scarlet Lime kit (sorry--at the beginning of the video I say it is April's kit). It is perfect for a place to house your spring photos, Easter celebrations, or a great gift for Mother's Day.
Each of the inside pages have different border edges that have a stacked look to them when the album is finished.
I put together a video tutorial to show you how to make this album. Let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy!
In this post, I'm going to give you a peek at my creative process when working with my kits!
This layout was created with the April Frugal Fab kit--yellow is one of my favorite colors, so this kit was totally up my alley!
My first step is always choosing my topic. For this layout, I decided to scrap about my weird tradition of making smoothies on snow days this year.
Then, I usually select my background and decide where my photo is going to be.
Next, I decided to have some fun with one of my favorite border punches and create some strips from the colorful patterned paper.
I decided to create a few punched strips and placed them around my photo.
After that, I decided to create a quick sketch of where my layout was going. This is a helpful trick if you only have a few minutes to scrap but want to keep your idea for the next free moment!
Then, I finalize where I'm placing my strips and commit to the placement (that's the tough part!). After this point, I start gluing! Especially when I'm working with lots of layers like this, I get frustrated with everything moving around so I just want to anchor the elements down.
And if you want a peek of my desk, where I've spread out my kit to choose elements, here ya go!
After I glued the strips down, I decided to mat the photo to create a more finished look and bring in more of my new favorite color, yellow! I also added part of the title.
Now, onto my favorite part! Adding the fininishing touches.
I finished off the title and layered label stickers and American Crafts dimensional stickers. I added a dimensional sticker above the title for extra flair.
Finally, I stitched part of the title and added some zigzag and straight stitching on the lefthand side.
And, voila!
A completed layout!
Thanks for joining me and have fun scrapping tonight!
Hi Everyone! Mimi here! Happy Earth day...almost! I wanted to share with you an altered memo book I created with some recycled tags, a shirt label, some beads from the kids craft box, and even a bottle cap. I am a big believer in recycling so when it came time for me to create a project I knew I wanted to incorporate some of my "recycled" finds. Anytime I come across a "cool" tag I cut if off and add it to my stash. I had no shortage of material to create this memo book.
I love the idea of keeping this in my car to write down note on the go or paperclip in coupons so they don't get lost.
To create this fun embellishment I pulled a cool bottle cap from my stash. Poured in a thick, liquid adhesive and then spelled out "recycle" with some beads my kiddo's had left over from a craft project. I poured in some micro-beads for a little extra pop of color. Fun, don't you think?
I want to leave you with a few more "recycle" idea you can incorporate into your craft projects.
Cut the pocket from your kids old jeans. I love using these on my projects
Cut the tags out of the inside of shirts and use them as fun embellishments like the Lands End one I used in this project
Keep cool bottle caps or bottles to create with. A cool bottle can be altered and filled with candies as a great little gift.
I can't tell you how my mint tins I have altered to present a gift card. It makes a gift card much more personal when it comes in a hand made tin...these are also a great way for little girls to store their earrings and rings.
Hope you are now inspired to create a recycled project this Earth Day! Hope you have a great one!
I'm just giving you all a little reminder to enter the April Challenge from Savitri. She challenged us to use a past Scarlet Lime kit and gave this pretty photo for inspiration.
I love the colors - yellow is one my very favorite colors ever and I love it paired with the light blue! I looked through my past kits and chose to use the kit from January 2011. It had the pretty light blues and yellow in it and even some pink - even though I didn't use pink in my layout.
I stayed with the color scheme of white, blue and yellow and since the inspiration and colors remind me of spring I used a spring photo. And I liked how the elements and color in the inspiration photo were placed on the outside of the photo so I put my color on the outside of the page, too, with strips of paper.
The inpiration photo really intriques me because it all works together and yet each small part is different. The jars are different and separate from the cupcakes and the pops are different and separated and yet they are still related and all work together. I wanted to study each grouping and see how they were made and how they related to each other. I tried that effect a little bit on my page by keeping the main flower accent apart from the title
and the line of buttons away from everything else but still close enough that they relate and tie it together. I love lines of little accents so I really liked the way similar elements in the inspiration were lined up. I was so happy to copy that with my line of buttons - I think I do that a lot on my layouts.
There are so many things to love about Savitri's inspiration! What inspires you?
Remember - you have until April 29 to create a layout or card or project and leave a link to your creation on THIS POST and be entered to win a $25 gift certificate from Christy to the Scarlet Lime store!
Happy Wednesday! May Flaum here, and I've had the best time preparing this project for you today.
Playing on canvas makes me feel like a kid. With the total freedom to create, draw, paint, and layer anything I would like it's always a good time. Today I have made a canvas that is 10x10 - and full of all kinds of fun ideas for spring. I also have a 2-part video for you that walks through my process start to finish.
The raindrops are my favorite part - and those were an accident! You can see how that came to be - as well as how to make each part of this project by watching these videos. They're broken down into the background, and then the embellishing (house, flowers, etc)
Over the weekend I was able to sit down with my April Scarlet Lime Kits and create. Recently, I have been scrapbooking on my dining room table, so I can keep an eye on my puppy and really spread my goods out. And with my 9 yr old daughter home, it allows for her to be able to sit down and either scrap or read or do whatever her crafty little heart desires alongside me.
This weekend she found a little baggie of refrigerator word label magnets...you know the kind you spell sentences out on the side of the fridge with.
I was watching her play with the words, trying to come up with some funny phrases and I had a bit of an epiphany....I was sitting there with the rough bones for my layout and a piece of Crate paper that had a crossword puzzle pattern on it....she had words....DING DING DING.....I was inspired right then and there to use one of the words on my layout.
So thanks to my wee one Zoe for inspiring me in an unorthodox yet fun way!
Be on the lookout this Thursday as the Scarlet Lime Design Team inspirations go live. You won't want to miss it. Loads of ideas on how to creatively use your kits. You can find the rest of my layout there, until then, the little peeky with that magnet will just have to do!
Hello Scarlet Lime Blog!! okay.. so are you ready for some fun today? I was in my studio yesterday morning, taping this fun "short" Behind the Art video.. on how to use Stencils & Masks.. and when I got done and went to sit and edit the "short" video..it ended up being almost 45 minutes long! lol
I kept thinking.. what am I going to edit out because youtube only allows for 15 minute videos to up be uploaded?? Well folks.. I tried.. but I just couldn't do it! So today I am presenting to you not one.. but THREE Behind the Art videos! lol Keep in mind, they are not like my last Behind the Art Video.. where it was all in fast forward. This is all complete tutorial and instruction.. so joy joy.. you get to here me talk the entire time.. lol.. (and I only laugh because as I played it back and listened to it.. I was like.. oh christy.. really? did you just say that? lol).. but it is what it is .. just like my Workshops videos.. it's uncut.. unedited.. so you know they are going to be tons of fun!
So the reason behind the Stencil and Mask Tutorial is because...as you know.. we just offered a two-day sale in the Scarlet Lime Shop.. (20% off all stencils and masks in the store)..
and I thought it would be fun to show everyone how to use all of those fun little goodies they just purchased. I had planned on posting this yesterday while thesale was still on, so that those who didn't know WHAt stencils they wanted to get.. could see how the are used and then decide.. but it took me WAY longer to edit and upload the videos to youtube.. so I didn't.. (Sorry :().. soooooo.. guess what? I am going to break the rules a bit and extend the sale for one more day..(Just don't tell ben.. lol).. its a DIFFERENT coupon code than the one available yesterday..
(it's just for you, Scarlet Lime Blog Peeps! :))..
Okay! enought talk.. hope you enjoy the videos! There are three parts.. so watch Part one first .. then two.. then three :) It will make more sense that way..
well.. enjoy your day! and don't forget to get signed up for the Pay it Forward giveaway on my personal blog.. in my post previous post here
If there is one thing that I walked away with after taking Christy's SheArt Workshop, it was a renewed love for creating texture in my layouts. Recently, I have been a lazy scrapper. I haven't gotten my fingers dirty in a LONG LONG time. But Christy's workshop reminded me just how much I love things such as bubblewrap and punchinella and paint and texturizers...and these don't have to exclusively be used on canvases or paintings....you can use all of these fabulous, around the house, found items on your layouts, TODAY!
I used some large bubble wrap that I found laying underneath my scrap table (yes, my scraproom is a total pile right now!) to stamp on my layout with gesso:
I used gesso because I like the nice thick texture of it. But I wanted to add a little bit of color over the top of those beautiful white circles, so I dabbed a little bit of Liquitex Liquid Ink in Cadmium Yellow Light Hue onto a paper towel and lightly wiped it over the top.
You may have noticed just how cute and darling the cardboard shapes in your March Kits were. I loved them but wanted to add a little va-va-va-voom to them. So I chose 2 butterflies, one medium sized and one small. I painted the medium sided butterfly with my white gesso but being careful to leave bits of that lovely cardboard texture and color peeking through. The small butterfly I painted using Liquitex Liquid Ink in Cerulean Blue (can you tell I loooove this ink yet?) let it dry, then lightly dry brushed some white paint on the ridges of the cardboard to add some more texture and depth of color. A quick swipe around the edges of both butterflies with the Liquitex Cadmium Yellow, helped tie the elements to the page.
And it is amazing what a few swipes of paint across a layout will do to add visual interest and even more texture to your layouts. It doesn't get any easier than that?? A few zips of a pen to add some "fake stitching" and anchor the layout together.. and you have a pretty texture rich layout and guess what....some dirty fingers to match!!!!
Take a shot at any of these easy steps to adding paint texture to your layouts and come back and share your results with us. We love to see how and what YOU create!
