Quote of the Day

Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That’s why it’s a comfort to go hand in hand.

 -Emily Kimbrough

Question of the Day: What is your favorite cookie?

P.S.

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Technique Tidbit Thursday: Punch Flowers

By Nicole Drewniak

For this class, you will need:

square punch
pattern paper
adhesive
button

1. Punch out several squares of pattern paper using your punch. How many you need will depend on the size of your flower. I used a 1″ punch and used 8 squares.

2. Take your first square and fold back 2 of the corners and glue in the back. Repeat with each square. These are your flower “petals”.

3. Attach each “petal” by gluing each one in the center and attach the next petal. Work your way around in a circular pattern.

Finish your flower by attaching a button for the center (I also used a smaller square under my button as well but it’s not necessary).

Club House Kudos: Riff Raff

I am rather proud of this company that is based out of Edmonton, Alberta.  It’s not too often you have a great manufacturer so close to home.  Their chipboard is unique and of wonderful quality.  Check it out in our store here.

Wanting to glean some inspiration while you’re at it?  Then check out their wonderful blog that is loaded with great designs by their DT.

Question of the Day: Do you volunteer at school or for any groups?

Club House Challenge!

Happy Tuesday everyone!  This week’s Club House Challenge is this:  get out that sticker stash of yours and create a card.  Stickers are perfect for this.  Easier than stamping and colouring an image, right?  So get yours out and get creating! 

Here is my sample:

Please feel free to share your work with us by linking us to your blog in the Reply section.  :0)

Question of the Day:  What would be the colour scheme of your dream scrap room?

Digital Download

Welcome to a new week!  Are you ready to face the day?

For this week’s Digital Download we found this great free kit from Peppermint Creative:

You can grab it here.  Enjoy!!

Question of the Day:  Do you like surprises?

Quote of the Day

If you want to make your dreams come true, the first thing you have to do is wake up. 

 ~J.M. Power

Question of the Day: Do you have really wild vivid dreams when you sleep or do you rarely remember them at all?

Technique Tidbit Thursday:

By Heather (pink heather)

Lets add some sparkle and shine to your next layout!
What you’ll need:

Cardstock
Stamp

Glue pad
Glitter
Bling

Glue up stamp thoroughly.
Press firmly on the cardstock and lift straight off.
Sprinkle on the glitter. You can press down with your fingers to get a thicker coat. Just be sure not to swipe and wipe it off.

Shake off excess glitter.
Let it sit for a while to set. You can also buy spray sealants to help the glitter stay on your page.

Add some bling…

You can use the same technique on embellishments. I added glittery circles to my flower centers… and more bling.

Here’s my finished sparkly layout…
 
Unfortunately the glitter doesn’t photograph that well, but it is very sparkly in real life.

Enjoy!

Club House Kudos: Journaling Junkie

Okay, I admit it, I am partial to this site because I have been there since it’s very beginning.  With its focus on telling your stories, it is a great place to garner inspiration and realize you DO have something to say.  Challenges are posted every 2 weeks and there is often a prize up for grabs–and who doesn’t love blog candy??  Be sure to check it out here.

Question of the Day:  Do you prefer hidden journaling on your layouts or are you okay with being “out in the open”?

Club House Challenge!

Today I challenge you to use your punches in an usual way.  For example, on the card below, I used circle punches that I folded and glued together to create the sun.  Then I used the same circle punch to create the water’s waves.

Please feel free to share your take on this challenge by linking us to your blog in the Comments section.  We’d love to see your creations!

Question of the Day:  Hot chocolate–with or without whipped cream/marshmallows?

Product Spotlight: Walnut Ink

Walnut ink, made from the shells of actual walnuts, comes in a liquid or crystal form. These crystals are mixed with water to produce ink. The intensity of the ink varies depending on the amount of crystals and water used. The manufacturer may suggest you start with a darker solution and thin it as necessary to lighten the colour. Generally, when working with crystals, dissolve 1 tsp. per 1 cup of water.

Tsukineko’s walnut ink spritzer bottles are a form of premixed walnut ink liquid. Manufactured in four shades, the ink can be sprayed directly onto paper or poured out and used as paint.  They are archival and acid free. 

 Are other brands of walnut ink acid free? There is some debate. The actual walnut ink itself is not acid free, but some claim that the dried end-product is pH neutral. If you are concerned about this, just remember to mount your photos onto acid-free cardstock before adhering them to a walnut painted background to act as a buffer OR keep any inked items well away from your photographs.

Walnut Ink works as a “color wash” to stain paper and provides a vintage look to handmade cards or scrapbook pages. Once dry, you can stamp on it using either dye, permanent or pigment inks. And because it is a wet medium initially, you can achieve varying shades of color depending on the strength of the mix you use or add texture just by dabbing in places with a tissue, rag, sea sponge or crumpled plastic wrap 

TIP: Walnut ink behaves differently on different paper surfaces.  So play around with the papers until you get the look you want.  Remember this STAINS fabric and other porous surfaces so you may want to wear gloves or use tweezers to handle your items when wet.

Walnut ink can be purchased here.

Question of the Day:  What would be your dream job?