Project 12 - Month #6

Hi Everyone!

Hope you all had a great Memorial Day Weekend and got to spend it with the ones you love!

Did you take lots of pictures? If you did, then maybe this month's sketch challenge will come in really handy!

I wanted to feature another sketch that had room for lots of photos without being too busy.
So this is the one I chose....( picture it centered on a 12x12 background)
Pretty simple. Not too difficult. Or time consuming. Not alot of *junk* to distract from the photos.

Here's my version....


I chose to use just 1 main photo as my focal point.
Then I just graduated down the other companion pictures in size, using black & whites to cap off the edges.

I really do not like my titles at the bottoms of my layouts, so I just flipped the sketch upside down....pretty simple remedy.

So now.....get to work and show us what YOU come up with!

S.O.S!

S.O.S = Save Our Store!
Have you read your latest newsletter that we sent out on Tuesday?

The Shoppe is up for sale.

We had put it out last summer when we completed our business plan of 5 years and our lease was coming to an end. We had a few inquiries and a very interested party then. But our landlord needed a definite answer sooner than the sale could take place.

He offered us a super-fantastic lease in the suite next door and we decided to sign for another year.

Well, that year is coming to an end soon. We are not going to re-sign and keep going. We have other "avenues" that we are persuing, along with my spending more much-needed time at home with my family.

So the store's assets and the inventory is for sale to be snatched up by someone else who would like to keep it going here in Columbus. Or you may want to move somewhere else.

It would be a WONDERFUL opportunity for a retiree or a group of friends who could share the purchase & operating hours, thus keeping the costs down tremendously!

If you have dreamed of owning your own business like this, now would be the PERFECT opportunity! We are putting it out at a rediculously low price....starting from the ground up (like we did) would cost you 8 or 9 times what we are selling for!

We hope with all our heart that someone will step up and keep The Shoppe going so that Columbus does not lose this independent store....too many others have closed across the country lately and all the communities are left with are the chain stores. And we all know how helpful they are!

So talk to your husband, your kids, your friends and give us a call if you would be interested in keeping this scrapping store alive!

Another Sketch For You. . .

Hey Guys!

What an exhausting weekend!

We hosted our National Scrapbook Day activities a week early this year.
My own *Princess Cait* is getting married next weekend -won't she be beautiful? (that's NOT her real dress - she'd kill me if it was posted already!)

Anyway....What a weekend we had!

We had the opportunity to host classes sponsored by Fancy Pants, KI Memories, & The Robin's Nest taught by their designers! They even wore tiaras to our Princess Crop.

That's Charity from Fancy Pants & Gretchen from KI Memories with me (I was a Rock Princess). Click on their names to visit their blogs!

Make sure you check out our FaceBook page for pix ~ our croppers were all such good sports! We had a blast!

So now it's on to #5 in our own Project12....how have you been doing so far? Keeping up?

For this month's sketch, I chose to use one that featured room for a bunch of photos.


And to be able to get them all on without cropping away alot of the image, I printed them out in wallet size (that's a new thing for me - doing it more & more!) I also stretched the sketch to make it a 12x12.


Once again, I altered the chipboard letters ~ they weren't the right color.
So I painted them brown .....and hated it.

"Oh great!" I said to myself. "Now how am I gonna fix THAT?!"

Well, I pulled out my metallic creme rubons that I have had since the beginning of time and rubbed on some blues & greens over the paint. Now I am in love with those again!





And in case you're wondering what this crazy layout is all about, here is what I wrote on my journaling block:

**Oh Alex - where DO you get your photo ideas from?
I don't even ask anymore. I just say "OK" and away we go....
This time we climbed onto the roof of the store and jumped our hearts out!**

Crazy, loveable boy . . .
check him out here.

Have fun with this next sketch in our year-long series!
Post your own finished layout on our FaceBook page and label it as your Project12!
We wanna see what you did!

Mid Month Craft

Hey Everyone!

I’m back again with another quick & easy money saving idea…..this time for party entertaining and it won’t cost you a dime!

If you are a paper-crafter, then no doubt you have a box full of left-over scraps that you just can’t bear to throw out.

So put them to good use at your next summer-time get together!

Go through your stash and pick out the

brightest, happiest patterns and cut them into flower shapes.

You can cut these free-hand or use a die-cutting machine.

Next cut a simple circle in a matching solid

color & adhere to the flower.

Punch a hole in the center & insert a drinking straw to brighten up any

summer-time picnic or pool party!

Or put a twist on it and try this sweet idea for your

Easter Egg Hunting Celebration this year . . .

too cute . . .don’t ‘cha think?

#4 in Our Sketch Challenge

Hi Guys!

March seems to have come in & flown right back out!
A new month means a new sketch challenge in our own Project12 series!

Here's your new sketch to work with:



And here is the page I created following that sketch:



For my border strip, I chose to do a little bit of paper pleating....LOVE that look!



I used 2 different Chipboard Alpha styles in my lettering, smudging them with some Stickles (love those too!)



Since I spread my title out on the top AND bottom (if you know me, you know I'm not much of a journaler ~ shame on me!), I slinked my butterfly & pearls embellishment from corner to corner to keep your eyes moving across the page. . .



And remember there's no rule that says you HAVE to use the same size photos . . . try mixing the sizes.
Another tip that I've been doing lately: Instead of cropping your photos, print them out in wallet size instead so you don't lose any of your image.

This photo might look a little altered or distressed, but it's not. My son, Alex, is HUGE into photography (go check out his awesome work on Flickr here) and is always looking for interesting situations. He actually took this through a window screen to get that canvas effect.


So that's your challenge for this month. Have fun & show me what you can do with this one by posting your finished layout on The Shoppe's FaceBook Page here.

Remember to mention that it's your April Project12 and the next time you come shopping, we'll give you a Project12 Discount!

It's Time for Another One!

Hello Everyone!

Know what today is?
It's March 1st.

Know what that means?
It's National Craft Month!


Try making it a priority this month to catch up on all the crafting, scrapbooking, and card-making that you love doing.

If you don't set aside and dedicate some time, you will never get done.
Or even started!

Sooooooo...........
Are you ready for this month's next challenge?
We are!!!!!

It's #3 in our own Project12 assignment!

This sketch is a good one if you need to get a few pictures onto one page or if you have shot a sequence of photos.



Here is my page:


Instead of cropping away most of your photos, print them out in wallet size instead......you won't lose anything!


And to highlight your favorite one, keep it regular size....
or give it a decorative frame ~ it'll stand out the most!


I also added some extra embellishment at the top ~ it was a little too plain for me.
The patterned word paper from Teresa Collins was perfect for this page!



Have fun creating your page with this sketch and don't forget to post it on The Shoppe's FaceBook page!

Tag it as your March Project12 and the next time you stop by, we'll give you a P12 discount!

Let's see what you do with this one!

Project 12 - Month #2

Wow!
Can you believe how fast this first month of the new year has flown by?

I can't believe February is already starting.
And this month will go even quicker cuz we're missing a few days!

So let's get you guys started out on Month #2 for our Project12.
(did you get last month's finished?)

This month's sketch features room for 2 photos, cuz let's face it: sometimes that's all we have!


And if you'll notice, this sketch was designed for an 8.5x11 page layout.
That doesn't mean you can't use it for your 12x12 pages!
Just extend things a bit, like I did!


And once again, I flipped the sketch upside down - worked better for me that way.

I also love, love, LOVE to use Paper Glaze & Glossy Accents on things I want to feature - it makes them stand out so much more!


Anyway, challenge yourself to get this page done this month . . . it's NOT that hard!

And when you do, post it to our Facebook Page.
Then when you come in, remember to ask for your special Project12 Discount!

Let's see what wonderful creations you can come up with!

Sweet Treats

I'm back today with another way to use all of your paper scraps for
something other than scrapping.

Since Valentine's Day is quickly approaching, it's time to think about giving little momentos to those you love. So here is a quick & easy project...

Wouldn't you love to see the smile and hear a squeal when your kids open their doors on Valentine's morning to find one of these hanging there??

We tucked a cookie into ours but you can fill them with whatever sweet goodie you'd like.

Super simple to make ~ AND you can get 2 holders out 1 sheet of 12x12 paper!

First trace and cut out your desired paper ~ double sided works best since
you'll be folding the backside up.

We used a piece from Kaiser Crafts **Love Notes** collection for this one
and left the decorative border on the top

Score and fold on the lines to create the pocket. Secure with Glue Dots or
Tacky Glue ~ these will hold better and longer than a tape runner!

Use a large circle punch at the top for the hanger part.

And then embellish to your hearts desire!

And don't think these are just for Valentine's Day...they're for ANYTIME! and ANYONE!

A teacher would love to walk to her classroom and find one of these on her door.
Or surprise your best friend and hang one on her car's antenna for when she leaves for work!

We made this one for a little guys birthday. . . .

The sky is the limit on these treat holders so use your imagination and your scraps!

By the way....we have the template at The Shoppe.
So if you'd like to make some, stop on by!

Have fun!

A Guy's Card

Back again!

Thought I'd share an easy card I made recently for my daughter's boyfriend.

Guy cards are already a little more challenging cuz you can't add all ribbon, glitter, bling, and flowers that we love to use. And a teen guy is even harder!

So here's what I started with - polkadot paper from Reminisce's Making the Grade line:


and a pocket cut from an old, ratty pair of torn-up jeans:



I punched a circle,


glued that inside a metal-rimmed tag, and stamped on it:



I attached that tag to the pocket with a safety pin and glued the pocket to the front of the card:



This is the message that I chose for the inside of the card:


So after Jarod read that, he had a big smile on his face and went back to check for this! (I had it tucked out of sight when he first opened it!)



Hope you guys enjoyed this little quick -n- easy card and it gave you a little bit of inspiration for those hard-to-create-for people!

It's a New Year

and along with each January 1st, many people choose to make "New Year's Resolutions".

Now, while we all have good intentions of following through with these, more often than not, our good ideas last all of about a couple weeks at best.

Here at The Shoppe, I am going to try my very, very best to keep up with this blog on a regular basis. More ideas, more tips & tricks, more shared sketches, more challenges....more of anything I can think of!

So to kick off 2011, we are going to challenge you to make a scrappin' resolution for this year.
And really, this shouldn't be at all difficult for ANY of you to keep up with!

We're calling this resolution **Project 12**
And just as the name hints at, we would like you to make a promise to yourself to complete
1 layout every month for this year. 12 layouts in 12 months. That's not much to ask. And NO CHEATING by doing 3 or 4 at a time and saving them for the coming months!

The purpose of Project 12 is to keep you scrapping on a regular basis.

So that will be YOUR commitment.

Ours will be to supply you with a new sketch every month to jump-start your creativity. Cuz let's face it ~ it can be hard to always come up with a new idea that's totally different from something we've done in the past.

Use our sketch if you'd like or choose one of your own....just make sure you complete 1 layout.
When you do, then please share it (and the sketch you used!) on our FaceBook page ~ we wanna see too!

As an added incentive, if you do post and share(make sure you put Project 12 in your status!), we'll give you a
Project 12 Discount on your next purchase at The Shoppe!

So here is your first prompt for 2011 ~



and the layout I created.
Please note: I flipped this sketch upside down...worked better for me that way!


Have fun with this and look at it as a personal challenge, not a chore.
You'll be glad you did it!

For the Love of Vintage

Vintage:
A year or period of origin.
Old or outmoded.

I am completely in love with anything and everything vintage. Thrift stores and antiques shops are my fave way of spending a free day.

If I had it my way, the entire Shoppe would be shabby chic-y, old world, black & white, and full of buttons and lacey goodness. Like an old fashioned ice cream parlor or boutique.



Why do you think I chose to spell the store's name with an extra p&e on it?

Well, lately I've become a collector of old world postcards & images. I adore them!

So today, I'm going to share a couple layouts I've created with the Vintage Chip Cards I've been playing with that we have available at The Shoppe.


The edges of these cuties are already inked & distressed.


We've even given them a hint of sparkle & shine!


Just add them to a page or a card and you've got an instant embellishment with a ton of charm!


And just cuz it's vintage doesn't mean it has to be drab & dreary . . . use happy colors!



I think this one is my favorite . . . till I make another one!



Hope this post gives you another new idea to try for your albums & cards!