Home Sweet Home

We'll be back on Sunday, but I may not get to posting until Tuesday or so.  I'm sure I'll have lots of laundry to do and a house to get running again.  However, I promise to share pics of our trip and how in the world I survived the week without stamps, ink and paper.  :)

Take care,

Time for Cocoa

Yesterday I was raving about the "A Timber" set and today it's all about the "A Sip" set.  Another must have on my list.  The second I saw this one in the book I knew I had to have it!  It's also just $7.95 US.  CTMH is really doing a great job listening to our requests for cute stamps in a smaller size/lower price.  Love it & Thank you!

Now, on to the project.  The tag pocket was cut on my Cricut - Tags, Bags, Boxes and More cartridge. I swiped the whole thing using the stipple brush in Chocolate ink.  Stamped the sentiment from "A Sip" in Chocolate, stamped the cup in chocolate and cut it out so I could lop off the handle.  I added Liquid Appliqué to the tops of the cups and waited the 24 hrs to heat it.  (So hard to wait!)  Last, I tied them to the cones with Chocolate Grosgrain Ribbon.  My cones are filled with a cocoa mix powder, chocolate chips and marshmallows.

The Liquid Appliqué brilliance is not my original idea.  I got it off the consultant BBoards from a fellow sister named Karen I think.  Sorry, but it was really late at night when I saw the idea and I just didn't think to write her name or site down to link back to.  If anyone knows who/what I'm talking about, please comment or email me so I can give her proper credit.  You all know how I like to do that whenever possible.  TIA!

Have a "stamptabulous" day,

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday, so... Happy Birthday, Mom!!  I hope we are having a fabulous time with you on our vacation to the U.P.

My mom, Joyce, reads and checks my blog daily - love her for that! - so please be a sweetie and leave a comment for her here.  She doesn't know I'm scheduling this special post and she won't be able to check my blog 'til we are back on Sunday.  So, it will be a total surprise for her to see this post and any kind comments that are posted.  Thanks to each of you in advance!  You're all the bestest.  :)

Have a wonderful day,

Christmas & Chocolate

There are so many people who have made these little M&M tubes, I have no idea who I should credit with the original idea.  Sorry!  If you've ever made one, comment & link to your site or pic so others can see your version.  :)  Mine use a contraband punch.  I'm sure you all can guess it's SU.  The sentiment is from our new "A Timber" stamp set.  I just love this set - only $7.95 US and it's so cute!  I'm building my Christmas Card Kit/Workshop around it.

Thanks for stopping by today!

O Christmas Tree

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree, How many circles I've punched...  LOL!  I'm so glad none of you can hear me sing with my corny lyrics...soooo bad!!  This tree is a bit modern and a cutie, but a tad strenuous on the hands for all the circle punching with our 1-1/4" punch.

The base is a cardboard tree shape from M's.  The paper is the Mistletoe Creative Basics pack and Pearls are from the new Opaques.  The chipboard star at the top has been covered in Prisma Glitter with Liquid Glass.  As with the others, the "tut" will be in October.  :)

Have a fab day!

Santa's at My House

Isn't he cute!  Plus, I've filled him with Hershey's chocolate kisses.  :)  I got the idea from Patti Lee - go check her out.  He's in her Christmas 2008 section I think.  Her design is for him to be really small, but I wanted a larger guy, so I reworked the numbers.  Tutorial coming in October on the hsstutorials blog.

Thanks for stopping by today,

Christmas, Part Deux

Tada!  Told you it was beginning to look like Christmas in my craft room.  I know, it's technically tomorrow when I'm posting this since it's after midnight where I'm at, but I haven't been to bed yet, so it's still today in my book.

About the projects:  These are super cute gift card holders that I whipped up.  The bases are the ones from the store.  I cut them in half along the folds and then folded them in half so the base turns out to be 2-3/4 x 4.  It's kind of a funky size to think about, but a gift card is basically a 2x3 size so it works.

Here's a quick written instruction to the gift card pocket.  I'll most likely put this up on the tutorial blog in October when the sale is over and things are a bit slower around here.  :)

The pocket on the inside is a 3x4 piece of cardstock.  On the 4" side, I scored at 1/2 and on the 3" side I scored at 3/8 and 2-5/8.  Cut out the corners completely -you don't really need depth for a gift card.  Use the 1-1/4 punch to create the thumb tab, fold and stick down.  Hopefully that makes sense!

OK - so I mentioned that I'm going on vacation...but I'm going to try and set up posts for while I'm gone of all the cool craft show stuff I'm making.  That is if I find the time between the packing and panicking.  :)  Wish me luck.

Have a great day,


P.S. Just saw the blue screen of death on my computer roughly 20 minutes ago after spending roughly 15 minutes waiting for it to get up and running and then it still being major slow.  Not good at all.  It's a 5 year old Toshiba laptop and I think it might be asking for an assisted living center.....yikes!  Here's hoping it lasts to get all my files transfered to my mega flash drive!

Christmas in my craft room, Part 1

Wow, it sure has been a while since I posted.  Sorry about that! I've been locked away in my craft room frantically creating tons of Christmas items for an upcoming holiday craft show.  It's at my old work on the 29th, but we are on a family vacation next week.  How's that for timing?!  I'll be taking some pics this afternoon/evening of the stuff I've got done so far and will post "Part 2" later tonight.  Yes, it's true, it's Christmas in my craft room!

Day Crop Alert!

Don't forget that I've got a day crop coming up on October 16th from 10am to 9pm.  The space, gifties, lunch & dinner are included for $20.  No business, just cropping.  For all the info, just send me an email!  If you're in the Grand Rapids, MI area I hope you can join me.  :)

Have a great day,

My Last Non-Winner

Phew...I didn't realize how many cards I actually made for the contest!  This is the last one.  Again, I used the new Mistletoe papers.  They are so classic Christmas.  Fair warning - I love holiday decorating and decor so you'll be seeing a lot of projects with this paper.  Anywho, here's the card.

I leathered the background cardstock, stamped inked, foam popped and embellished away.  I may have gone a little crazy with this one...  What can I say?  I love bling!

I used the new Pearls, Mochas and liquid glass for something a little different.  I hope you enjoyed seeing my non-winners.  You'll just have to wait until October to see the 2 cards that won.  No worries though, I'll have plenty of projects to post in the mean time.  :)

Thanks for visiting,

Non-Winner #6

It's Christmas on my blog again today.  These adorable little snowmen are from one of my favorite stamp sets, Snow Friends.  I used the new Mistletoe papers on a 4-1/2" circle clear card.

I colored these little guys with our watercolor pencils and the blending pen.  These two tools are fabulous together!  Just color in with the pencils and you don't even have to be good at it - just get some color in there.    Then grab the blending pen and brush away.  You'll wind up "pulling" the color around the area you're filling in and it makes a nice colored finish to the image without any lines showing.  If coloring stamped images with markers makes you nervous, I definitely suggest trying this out.

Yes, I did cut these little guys out and popped them with foam.  I can't help myself.  :)  I also put a pearl in each scallop bump around the edge of the card and three on the fold area.

Have a great day,

Non-Winner #5

Are you ready for the holidays?  I'm starting to get in that frame of mind since I made this card for the contest.  It's very dimensional (as always with me lately) and showcases the new Mistletoe papers.

There's a lot going on in this card, some tone on tone random stamping in the background, various pattern papers, stamping over multiple dimensions and lots of embellishments as always.

Ribbon, pearls, sparkles...check, check & check!  Don't forget the foam tape and you're good to go.  LOL!

Glad you stopped by today.  Thanks for visiting!

Non-Winner #4

Yes, I did make an obscene number of cards for the contest...there are more than this.  What can I say, I got on a roll and just couldn't stop.  :)

Here's another one that just didn't make the cut.  That's what happens when you make more than one with the same papers.  Only one card can win per paper pack.

This one uses Olivia for the holidays.  Who would have thunk it?!  I think it's a cutie.

I used the Evergreen stamp set with Pear, Olive and New England Ivy inks.  Of course this card has a tree popped with foam and the new Opaques Mocha.  Yes, I'm obsessed with the new Opaques.  :)

Hopefully I've got you thinking outside the box today.  Now, go create something!  :)

Non-Winner #3

Another non-winner that I submitted at the last minute.  This was the card that attendees made at my Kickoff Party the other weekend using the new Olivia papers.  

I taught the new sandpaper inking technique and used multiple colors on the irresistibles to show off a cool shading effect.  A little foam and one Opaques Mocha finishes the card.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Rolling Tote

Rolling Tote Tutorial by Gloria Rogers

CTMH Independent Consultant

Contact Me: gloriajrogers@gmail.com

*Please note that the photos are labeled with my old watermark.  This site (scraptabulousstudio.com) is the current place to reach  me.

I highly recommend reading the full tutorial once before getting started. I find it always helps to know where I'm headed when I'm knee deep in adhesive and paper scraps. :) Happy Crafting!

Required Supplies:2 sheets - 12x12 solid cardstock
-or- 3 sheets - 8 ½ x 11 solid cardstock
1 sheet - 12x12 pattern paper
regular adhesive/tape runner
glue dots
tacky tape/crafty power/sticky strip
paper trimmer
M.S. score board/scoring blade for trimmer
bone folder
scissors
24" of coordinating ribbon
velcro dots
1” circle punch/similar size circle cutter
1 - small size of “just blooms” flowers
1 - large size of “just blooms” flowers
craft knife/cutting blade

Optional Supplies:

flexible wire (16 gauge)
liquid glass

Ready, Set, Create!...1. Cut solid cardstock to the following dimensions:
1 piece @ 7 ½ x 8 ¼
2 pieces @ 4 ½ x 4
1 piece @ 6 ½ x 10 ¾
From the scraps, punch/cut 6, 1” circles.

2. Cut pattern paper to the following dimensions:
1 piece @ 4 ¼ x 5 ½
1 piece @ 4 ¼ x 3 ¼
1 piece @ 4 ¼ x 2 ¾
2 pieces @ 3 ¼ x 1 ¾
4 pieces @ 3 ¼ x ¼
1 piece @ 1 ¾ x 4 ¼
You should wind up with cardstock and pattern paper that looks something like this when it's all laid out.

3. On the two 4 x 4 ½ sheets of cardstock, start scoring on the 4” side. Score at ½, 1, 3 and 3 ½.

4. Rotate the paper 90° counter clockwise and score at 3 ½ and 4. Do this for both sheets of paper. (Sorry for switching paper colors on you. I couldn't get very good scoring shots with the dark paper so I re-took some of the photos when I created my proof tote.)

5. On the 6 ½ x 10 ¾ piece start on the 6 ½ side and score at 4 ½.

6. Rotate the piece 90° counter clockwise and score at 3 and 5.

7. On the 7 ½ x 8 ¼ piece start with the 7 ½ side at the top. Score at ½, 5 and 7. Hopefully you can see some of these lines on the lighter cardstock a little better. My camera was giving me fits with the macro setting so I'm sorry if all the pics aren't quite as clear as they should be.

8. Rotate 90° counter-clockwise and score at 5 ¾ and 7 ¾. Also score at 6 ¼ but only down to the second horizontal score line that you come to. Picture 2 (the bottom pic) shows a close-up of this. You'll notice that my bone folder rotates around with the paper. Hopefully that's helpful for the visual learners!

9. Rotate the cardstock again but 180° this time. Score at 6 only to the second horizontal score line you come to. Again, picture 2 is a close-up.

10. Now for the cutting. On the 7 ½ x 8 ¼ cut the sections as shown with the 7 ½ side at the top. Be sure to note the sections where the tabs were made. This picture doesn't show it well, but there is also a cut that is made on the third score line from the left that starts at the cut out portion cutting ½ inch up to the second score line from the bottom. It allows you to make a fold during assembly.

11. On the 6 ½ x 10 ¾ sheet with the 6 ½ side at the top cut as shown in the picture below.

12. For both of the 4 x 4 ½ pieces cut out the corner “l”s as shown and be sure to make a tab out of the remaining square in the corner as shown.

13. Now, grab all of your pattern paper sheets and adhere them to the cardstock pieces as shown below. I really recommended laying them all out first to make sure you've got them in the right spots before you start sticking them down. Also, use a bone folder to crease all of the score lines at this time. Make sure you've got them all going the right way as shown below. In the picture my pieces are all folded so the peaks rise up from the paper. Hope that makes sense!

14. For assembly, I like to use something that's a little more powerful than my every day adhesive. I've chosen to use crafty power today. I got mine at JoAnn. You can also use tacky tape, sticky strip, whatever you like as long as it sticks well. Place strips along the sides and bottom of the two smaller pieces and along the sides and bottoms of the one larger angled piece as shown below.

15. Grab the two small pieces that will become the side pockets and peel off the protector strip on the bottom adhesive line. Don't peel off the sites just yet. Fold up the bottom and the little tabs. Stick the sides on to the bottom as shown below. Create both side pieces and set aside.

16. Time to assemble the tote base. This piece shown below is the front and right side of the main tote. Peel off the protective strip on the bottom of the right side as shown below. Fold and attach to the bottom of the tote as shown in the photo on the right. This is where you need that extra cut I mentioned earlier. If you don't have it, this step won't work.

17. Now, turn the piece around so you're looking at the inside. Fold up the little edge and peel back the edges of the protective paper. Fold and attach the sides and tabs together as shown below.

18. Time to stick the two parts together and make the main tote. Place the piece you've been folding down on a table with the pattern paper side facing you with the long side to the right as shown. Take the other large piece and attach the section that does not have any pattern paper on it onto the side of the other piece. Be sure to line up your corners and sides carefully so you don't wind up with a crooked base.

19. Now, peeling off the protective paper as you go, wrap one piece around the other making sure you line up the edges carefully. The top picture shows the tote base with the front up and looking into it from the top. The picture on the bottom is the finished base when it's standing upright. If you've made it this far, the worst is over! I promise that the rest is super simple to follow.

20. Grab your sides that you set aside and peel off all the protective paper. Line up the bottom of the pocket to the bottom of the tote and press on the inside of the pocket to secure. I like to use my bone folder to make sure I've gotten the bottom and corners stuck well. Do the same to the other side. Your tote should now look like the picture on the bottom.

21. The six circle punches are going to make the feet and the “wheels.” Take 4 of the circles and fold them in half, open them, and fold in half the other way making an x on them. (Shown in the top picture.) Now cut up one of the fold lines to the center of the circle on all four of the folded circles. Attach a glue dot to one of the triangles that is adjacent to the cut line. (Shown in the middle picture.) Fold the one triangle flap over the other to attach the glue dot and make a little three sided tent looking thing. Do that with all 4 circles to make the feet. Then place 2-3 glue dots, if you are using the mini kind, to the outside of the double cardstock folded side of the tents. (Shown in the bottom picture.)

22. With the tote face up and looking at the bottom, attach two of the feet to the upper outer corners of the base as shown in the picture on the top. Flip the tote over so it's face down and attach the other two feet with the corner edge facing the back side and slightly more toward the center of the tote as shown in the picture on the bottom.

23. Apply adhesive to your ribbon and attach it to the back of the tote starting by the feet you just attached. You want your ribbon to stick over the top edge but only be attached to the back side. Once you've got both your ribbons on, apply glue dots to the top third of the 2 left over circles and attach part way over the bottom of the base and over the back “feet” to cover them as shown in the picture on the bottom.

24. The photo on the top shows the back of your tote as it should look now. With your craft knife, carefully cut two slits on the fold line just big enough to slide your ribbon through to the inside. Once the ribbon has been threaded through the cuts, fold it down toward the inside of the tote and attach it with glue dots as shown in the photo on the bottom.

25. For a ribbon handle as shown below, thread the ends of a third piece of ribbon through the same slits and attach with glue dots to the previous ribbon and cardstock to adhere. I recommend making the ends a bit longer so they go beyond the ribbon that was previously attached on the inside. This will help stabilize the handle further. Do not use regular adhesive for adhering the handle, it could easily come apart if lifted when the tote is full of cards. You can also use liquid glass to ensure a strong hold for the handle.

* An alternate option is to twist a metal handle from wire. I suggest using 16 gauge wire. Measure the distance between your ribbons on the back of the tote and bend/twist away to create a traditional looking rectangular style handle. Attach the wire just as you would for a ribbon handle, except make a loop on each end of the wire that's on the inside and attach to the cardstock with a puddle of liquid glass.

**There have been questions about needing to make the ribbon a two step attachment process. It was designed this way to keep the ribbon handle from pulling off of the cardstock when it's carrying heavy items. I created this tote as a gift giving item for my retreat attendees. When the tote is carrying chocolate (yum!) and other goodies it can get heavy and I wanted the handle to be secure. I used ribbon for mine and made little liquid glass puddles over the ribbon on the inside to ensure it would stay together forever, no matter how many times it got picked up. If you'd like, you can simply attach the ribbon all in one piece creating the back rails and handle in one.

26. To keep the tote closed, I used a small circle of adhesive backed velcro. I placed the fuzzy side on the back of the lid flap, attached the rough side to the fuzzy side and then carefully closed it. Press firmly and gently lift the flap open. You should now have a part of the velcro on each side and it's perfectly lined up! Be sure to press firmly again when the tote is open to secure the velcro. I recommended trying not to use the velcro closure a lot for a few hours just to let the adhesive and cardstock bond.

27. There is no real need for the next step, it's purely aesthetic because the Velcro is fully hidden. I decided that I wanted a cute front to my tote though, so I sponged one large Just Blooms with Tulip ink, one small Just Blooms with Blush ink and attached them together with a large glue dot. Then I layered a pearl from the onto a Colonial White button and attached that to the blooms with a large glue dot. One more glue dot on the back of the whole thing and stick it on the front of your tote for a super cute faux closure cover.

28. Stand up your little rolling tote, and give yourself a pat on the back, you did it! The picture below shows mine as I had completed it for my original post on the consultant artwork bulletin board and the one that I created when I proofed the tutorial. I hope you enjoyed making your very own rolling tote!

This tote will fit approximately 12 cards and envelopes inside. If you tend to make dimensional cards, it will fit 8 comfortably. If you have any questions or issues that arise while making your tote, please don't hesitate to contact me for assistance. You can reach me on this blog or by email at:gloriajrogers@gmail.com.
Happy paper crafting everyone!