Quick post - little blog candy EDITED TO ADD GONE TO NATCHA

Helloo!!! Quick post today - does anyone like the Ranger Distress Stickles? If so I have 3 bottles to send your way - or the first person to contact me anyway LOL.

I love stickles! Mainly cuz I love sparkle and glitter perhaps. But I don't feel the love for distress stickles. I tried 'em - so yeah one of the bottles is slightly used. I don't like 'em. The glitter doesn't get the same coverage as their regular stickles - which is a "duh-" moment for me cuz its DISTRESSED!

Back later this week (hopefully)
Thanks for stopping by
Andrea

Second Card post today!!

So here I don't post for weeks and then do it twice in one day - I promised a friend that I'd post this card and I'm afraid the week will get away from me and I won't get a chance...course I bet there is a way to prepare posts ahead but I haven't figured out more than the basics here...

Here is a card for Sharon, my SU! rep and dear dear friend. I used my fav set - Friends 24-7.

The inside of the card. I masked the flower stamp so stamp it twice. The flowers are watercolored using the top of the ink pads.

I used the back of the ribbon on the front of the card to hold the check I needed to send her for my last order.

supplies: C/S chocolate chip and pink pirohuette paper. Ink is rose red, certainly celery, chocolate chip (my all time favorite ink color)

Oh and the flower - is crocheted by ME!! I love combining my two favorite hobbies!~!

Thanks for stopping by

Andrea

Father's Day Cards

So for once I made some cards "ahead" LOL - ususally the day I need a card (despite the massive stash of homemade cards I have) I'm usually scrambling to make a card. 

Here are 2 of the 3 Father's Day Cards I'll need.

Here's Hubby's Card

My Father In Law's Card

supplies: I used the new Argyle stamp set from Paper Trey Ink for the front and the inside of the cards. Oh Boy!! Do I love this set - its so easy to line up and use to make your own patterned paper!! PTI does an amazing job of making border stamps.

Don't ask me who makes it - but the Happy Father's Day stamp is from my stash from ages ago.

The little birdie on DH's card is the Stampin Up bird punch - gotta say that is one of my all time fav!! punches!!

Cardstock is SU! soon to be retired Barely Banana and Sage Shadow and the ink is SU!s Chocolate Chip - probably my all time fav ink color (and cardstock)

I liked the argyle set so much that I made a money holder card for my nephews birthday from the supplies sitting on my desk. The birthday packages are a SU! sale-a-bration set and the ink is the soon to be retired Sage Shadow.

Thanks for stopping by!! Andrea

NY City and SU! My digital Studio

Well it seems like I took another hiatus from posting and this time from crafting. I haven't really had the time to make much of anything worth sharing lately. We did take an awesome trip to New York City with the family. Believe it or not - my camera broke so I only have a few pictures that my DD took. Here we are outside of Wicked.

I just bought SU!s My Digital Studio and tried my hand at my first digital page. I know that the program can do lots more than I attempted. I plan to mostly use the digital program for hybrid projects. I still really love the feel of paper and there is something soothing to me to a paper project.But this was fun to play with and pull together while watching TV tonight with the girls. Any one watch Chuck? They've got me hooked and we're catching up on the past seasons.

Thanks for stopping by! I'm hoping to get some paper time later this week - or maybe go to a yarn store to figure out how to attractively attach the handles to a crochet purse I've made (that is so far my fav all time purse I've made - or anything I've crochet) but more about that later - when its done

Andrea

My Blog has an Identity Crisis!!!

I love to look at other creative blogs and most of them have one main type of craft as the focal point. Not here - I'm all over the place! You never know - are you gonna get a card, a crochet project or a scrapbook project?  Oh and lets not forget one of my newer passions - gift packaging and candy goodness!!

Well today we have some cards and a pretty box to present them. My dear friend, Audrey, needed some thank you notes. So I used a template for a card box from Lauren Meader's MyTime Made Easy - and the title is sooo true - super easy to put together!

The carstock is all SU! - the green is their retiring Mellow Moss :( This has been one of my go to colors since I got into paper crafting. The pink is Regal Rose. I used a spellbinders tag, some ivory ribbon, a Just rite horizontal stamp for the name and the SU! embossing folder for the dots.

You can't see it in the picture but there is a pink divider in the box so the envelopes have their own "place" as do the cards. Wanna see some of the cards?

I love the SU! set Friends 24-7 and seem to use the brocade flourishy image all the time - here it is clear embossed. Here is the inside of the card

Here are a few more I made for her. Not sure why I end up "reinventing' each card and can't make a few that are similar - but it was fun!!

Thanks for looking - who knows what I'll post next LOL - I'm making my DD some bday gifts for her 15TH so after I give them to her (Sunday)I may post them

Mom Mini Album for Sounds Easy Voice Recorder

Here is the  Mom album I made for the Sounds Easy Voice Recorder booth at CKC Manchester. See my post below - or the link in the left hand column if you want to see the picture tutorial.

I used the basic  "tube album" directions with a few tweaks along the way that I will describe in this post.

Here is the cover. I used patterned paper from Prima - Iron Orchid designs - the Steel Toe Maray Jane collection. The pretty flower on the cover is also from Prima. The green lace was included in the paper kit as well.  I stamped the title and used my Nestabilities to cut the label. I made the flower leaves by using a paper punch and embossing "veins" with an embossing tool and sponging the edges with SU! Regal Rose ink.

Here is where this album differs a bit from the basic tutorial. I decided to make a "flap" over the open edges. Judy was going to use this album to hold some memorbelia and I wanted to make it was super secure.

You can see in the picture below that I attached a piece of coordinating cardstock into the opening of the  back cover. (TIP: I made the flap big enough so that it would wrap all the way to the front of the album when it was bigger than now - you know - when you've added tags and pictures the album gets a bit fatter). I used velcro dots to keep the album closed.

This is the inside of the front cover and the first page. I decided to cover the opening/pocket of the front cover. Simple to do - I took a 3 x 6 piece of paper and scored it at 1.5. I attached it to both sides.

You will notice on both pages of this layout there is a small flower in the lower right hand corner.This will hold the number that will correspond with the audio journaling made with the Sounds Easy Voice Recorder. All you have to do is make sure the correct sound memory card is in the recorder (that also plays back the sounds) and press the corresponding number. So for example if Judy used the number 1 for the page - you would press 1 on the recorder and it would play the journaling sounds that would correspond to that picture/page.

You can also see on the left hand page my new passion of combining my two favorite crafts in one - scrapbooking/paper crafting and crochet!!

In this 2 page spread I also deviated from the standard album by making an extra pocket on the left hand page. It was really easy to make buy just cutting a piece of coordinating paper to the size you want, punching out a 1/2 circle and adhering on only 3 sides to enable the tag to pull in and out.

Here is another "extra" tag made but in a vertical position. I really like making some tags where the pretty ribbon sticks out the top of the album and adds some color and dimension when the album is closed.

Messy desk and all here is another layout in the album.

One last look at a layout in the album. I tried my hand at crocheting embellishments in this book. You can see the circle motif in the right corner with some cute pearl bling.

Here is how I stored/displayed it in this album. I used some 1 1/2 inch wide lace and score tape to make a pocket for the memory card. See how small they are? They are about the size of a camera memory card - very easy to store in the album without bulk.

Thanks for stopping by! Please let me know what you think or if you have any questions about how to make these albums!!

Andrea

Mini Album Tutorial for Sounds Easy

                                                          Mini Album Tutorial
By Andrea Merlin for Sounds Easy


Here is a quick and easy mini album that can easily be made with our stash supplies. To me the best part of this album is the audio journaling created with the Sounds Easy Voice Recorder.

Depending on the paper and supplies you use - you can get a totally different feel to your album.

Here is how to make the album:

Supplies:

-12 x 12 cardstock or heavy patterned paper (I like double sided) – quantity varies depending on size of album

-coordinating cardstock and/or patterned paper

- Ribbon

-Binding: binder rings, brads, ribbon or Bind It All Coil

-Circle punch
- Adhesive - I prefer scor-tape
-bone folder (optional)

Directions:

1. Take a sheet of 12 x 12 cardstock/patterned paper. Have the side you want to “show” facing up.

2. Put adhesive along the entire bottom edge – I run a strip of ¼ scor-tape along the edge.

3. Carefully fold the paper so that the wrong side of the opposite edge gets adhered and you end up with a “tube” of cardstock with the correct paper showing.

4. Flatten and score your edges well – I like to use a bone folder.

5. You will now have approximately 5 ¾ inch by 12 inch piece. Fold and score in half lengthwise at 6 inches so you have a 5 ¾ x 6 inch piece with 2 pages and 2 pockets.

6. Create as many of these as you want pages in your album.

7. For interior pages (not the cover) I often use a circle punch to make a half circle along the open edge. This allows for easier pulling in and out of the tag. But this is optional.

8. I like to bind the book at this time. I’ve found that if I wait and bind it when I’m done I sometimes end up binding the tag inserts so they won’t come out!

Stack your pages together

You may have to trim a few of the inner edges.

Once you decided how you’re going to bind the album – just punch the holes (with a hole punch, crop-a-dile or binding system) and use the ribbon, brads, rings or coils to bind.

9. Cover treatment – I don’t like my covers to have a pocket (not sure why). Take a 6 x 3 inch piece of coordinating cardstock/patterned paper. Score at 1.5 inches and adhere to cover the opening in the “tube”. Trim as needed.

This isn't the easiest picture to see what I mean - but look at the left hand page and see the pink strip? Thats the 3 inch piece scored at 1.5 inches. I wish I had taken a better picture for y'all but I've already mailed the album to Judy at Sounds Easy for the CKC Manchester show.

Also in the Mom album pictures above - I decided to make a flap that goes from the pocket on the back cover all the way over the book and closes onto the front cover with Velcro

Super easy to do - Just take a piece of coordinating cardstock as wide as you think your album will be thick - adhere it well to the inside of the back cover pocket and fold it over to the front and press the Velcro in place.

10. Tags – make as many tags as you have open pockets. Depending on how you adhered your base page together – your pocket size may vary in size a bit. I usually cut my cardstock/patterned paper to 5 ¾ x at 6 inches and trim till it fits right. I put ribbon on the ends of most of my tags to look pretty as they stick out of the album.

11. Have fun decorating the pages and tags!

12. If you're making this for use with the Sounds Easy Voice Recorder you need to put an envelop to hold the memory card. I usually put mine on the back cover. Also, on each page with a sound you will put the number that corresponds with the sound for that page.

The Sounds Easy Recorder comes with an acrylic envelop but sometimes I like to make mine out of paper or in this case - ribbon. You can put a ribbon inside the slot of the card for easy access.

 Some ideas for mini albums:

School Days or Teacher Gift• Graduation • Favorite Things • Brag Book • Heritage • Vacation •Birthday • Holiday

Thanks for visiting!! Please drop me a note if you have any questions!!

Andrea