June Wrap-Up *Lots of Fun*

Hello!  Can you believe how quickly June has come and gone?!  There has been so much going on that the time has just flown right by.

It's time for our monthly wrap up!

First, we had a fabulous kit reveal featuring Prima, My Mind's Eye, Heidi Swapp, and Webster's Pages!

Our design team and guest designers filled our gallery with lots and lots of inspiring samples using these wonderful kits.  Hope you've gone and taken a look!

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We unveiled our huge Prima contest... have you entered yet?  It's so easy!

Here's the grand prize... WOW!

HURRY!  The deadline is June 30th at midnight EST.
Details are here.

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Our June sketch contest is live!  Check out the sketch and the prize:

(Deadline: July 14th)

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Our June technique challenge is live... it's all about BANNERS!

Find all the details on our message board, here.

(Deadline: July 5th)

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We announced our call for designers and guest designers for our sketch blog!

We're looking for talented designers and guest designers who love to create scrapbook layouts based on our sketches and who will enthusiastically promote our site. This call is open to everyone.

Find the details here.
(Deadline: July 10th)

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Our design team and guest designers shared tons of tips and techniques here on the blog throughout the month to boost your creativity.  We hope you'll give them a try.

Lots of excitement at My Creative Scrapbook!
Wait until you see what's coming in July :) 

Techniques from our Fantastic June Guest Designers

Hi everyone!  We have a real treat for you today, as all 3 of our fantastic June guest designers are sharing some wonderful tips and techniques with us!

Here's Georgia Heald with her stitching technique!

I thought I would show you how I did the blanket stitching on my circle element.  This is a great way to add interest to a layout and create contrast between two different patterned papers.

First I have used a paper Piercer to put holes at approximately 1/2 cm intervals around the edge of my circle.  Then I have threaded some sewing floss on a needle, tied a knot in the end and threaded from the bottom to the top and then over to the next hole and back through. Leave the thread loose and bring the needle from the back to the front, thread through the loose stitch and pull tightly.

Going from the back to the front, repeat this process picking up the stitch with the needle as you go.

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Here's Mel Blackburn with her tips for altering chipboard Thickers!

I love working with chipboard Thickers, they are so versatile to use. Today I am sharing a way to alter the chipboard Thickers. Using plyers or any sharp object, remove the top portion of the Thicker, this would be the glossy colored part. You simply have to lift off a corner and peel it.

Once the colored portion is removed what remains is the natural color chipboard.

At this point you can either leave the Thickers as is, like I've done in some of my projects or you can color them using mist, ink or embossing powder.

 Happy altering.

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Here's Trudi Harrison with her instructions for recreating her banners/buntings!

Banners or Buntings are not only super cute but are also super fun to make. They can be made from your scraps of patterned papers and are a quick and easy way of adding a customized accent to your paper crafting project.

To recreate a banner/bunting as seen on the layout

'Little Girls have magic all of their own'

Create a curved line – I traced around part of a dessert bowl to create the curve and then draw the triangles along the curved line.

Then simply cut out around the lines which you have drawn

The banner was attached with foam dots to add some dimension. Die Cut elements from the June Limited Edition Kit were then attached over the top.

Try altering the size of the banner by adjusting the length and curvature of the line. The size and shape of the 'flag' can also be adjusted. Insteadof a triangle why not try a different shape as I have done in the followinglayout.

'She's a little Princess'

Great big thanks to Georgia, Mel, and Trudi for their fantastic kit work, tips, and techniques as guest designers this month!

Mixed Media Tutorial & More with Shell

Hello friends!  Are you having a good week?  Today we have a wonderful step-by-step mixed media tutorial plus some additional tips and techniques from Design Team member Shell Carman!

Here's Shell...

Are you interested in having a play with different mediums but unsure of where to start?  This step by step tutorial is a great way to try it out & give something different a go!  This is how I created the grungy/graffiti style background on this page.

First of all you will need these supplies

This is a 12x12 Crafters Workshop Chevron mask template. you don't need a 12x12 size though you can use smaller. Other patterns that would help create the same effect are bricks, waves, swirls etc

-Gesso

-Texture Paste

-Dark Blue Mist (Tattered Angels Saphire)

-Light Blue Mist (Generic from my LSS)

-Black ink (Versa Magic Midnight Black)

-Dark Brown Ink (Versa Colour Pinecone)

-Bright/Dark Yellow (Prima Coltsfoot)

-Navy Blue Ink (Prima Farmer Jeans)

-Teal Ink (Prima Teal Damask)

-Stamp (Kaisercraft grid stamp)

I have done this tutorial on come cardstock so you can see the texture paste better.  For my page I used the We R Memory Keepers paper from the Main Kit.

First up use your fingers or a popcycle stick & rub some texture paste in 2 areas.  I have done the top right hand corner & bottom left hand corner.  Try not to be perfect when applying.  It is better to get an uneven look.  Let the texture paste dry.

Get your Dark Blue mist & undo the nozzle.  Flick the spray nozzle onto the page so that it leaves splat marks

Now take out your Light Blue Mist & spray randomly around the page

Use the Teal & Yellow inks. Roughly smudge some ink over the texture paste

Use the black ink & stamp the grid patterns on top of the texture paste

Use the Dark Brown ink & roughly ink around the edges of the cardstock/paper

To create the buton in the right top corner of my page

Take a Prima chipboard button from the Main Kit & paint it with gesso. Let it dry

Use the teal, yellow, & dark blue ink & smudge ink to one third of area for each colour

Use the black ink & stamp the grid pattern on top of the button

Decorate with thread

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial.

I can't wait to see what you create!!!

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To add a bit more depth to the cute bunting in the LE kit Ephemera pack I have added a second layer.

I chose some plain cardstock in a coordinating colour (you could use pattern paper also).  Cut a triangle slightly larger than the bunting like this.

Use some scalloped scissors (mine are just from the $2 shop) I start with the top of the triangle.  When you cut you should get 3 full scallops sitting along the top

Continue to cut around the triangle until you have scallops on all 3 sides

Use this first scallop triangle as a template & cut your remaining triangles with your first triangle on top using it as a guide.  This way all your triangles will be the same.

Once you have cut all your triangles then use some foam tape to stick your bunting on top.  For extra decoration pop some liquid pearls in the corners of each triangle.

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I have a simple trick to help stretch your gorgeous Prima flowers even further like I did in this LO.

First take this flower

Separate the bottom layer of petals from the top 2 layers like this

Take the bottom layer of petals to use as your new base

Punch or cut a scallop circle approx 2 inches wide.

Ink the edges as desired.

Stick the scallop circle on top of your bottom layer of petals

Now stick one of the Prima Lucerne Nature Garden flowers on top

Hope you've enjoyed today's tips and techniques.  Come back tomorrow for more!

Simple Scalloped Flowers with Kris

Hello everyone!  I (Kris Berc) am happy to share today how I made the simple scalloped flowers that appear on some of my June Creative Kit projects.

Supplies:

2 different pieces of patterned paper from the kit

a decorative brad from the kit

3-inch scalloped circle punch

2-inch circle punch

scoring tool

glue dots

Punch two scalloped circles from both pieces of patterned paper.

Punch one circle from any scrap of paper (you won't see it on finished flower).

Score scalloped circles at 1-1/2 inches, turn 90 degrees, score at 1-1/2 inches.

Fold and crease each scalloped circle along the score lines to form the petals.

Use a glue dot on each petal and adhere to punched circle as shown.

Continue adhering petals to punched circle as shown.

Finish flower by attaching a decorative brad to the center.

Thanks for stopping by today!  Come back tomorrow for more techniques from the design team!

Creating Pinwheels with Izzy

Hi everyone!  We're kicking off the last week of June with a fun technique from Design Team member Izzy Anderson... pinwheels!

Here's Izzy...

The June Creative Kit comes with a brad set that includes two adorable little pinwheels.  I thought it would be fun to make my own pinwheel as well.  Below is the pinwheel I made (with the Laugh brad in the center).

Pinwheels are really quick and fun to make.  You can make them any size.  Just start with a square of double sided patterned paper.

I used a 2-inch square punch but you could also cut your own square or use a die cut machine.  Once you have  your square (whatever size you want), fold the square to the corners, then fold again to the other corners.  This gives you crease lines to guide your cuts and folds.

Use the crease lines to guide you and cut halfway to the center.  Then fold down every other corner.  Add a brad or decorative center to complete the pinwheel.