Scrap-A-Card Inspiration #1

What inspires your design piece? Do you get a vision, a color combination perhaps, when you close your eyes? Do you walk into a store and see how certain outfits or colors are put together and think, "hey I can make a scrapbook page or a card out of that!". Or maybe it's more of the obvious like a certain person or an event maybe that simply inspires you? Or it could be something totally bizarre like a smell of food that inspires you to create something. Come on now, I'm sure you smell chocolate and use it as an excuse to create so you can bite that last morsel. {smile}

I don't know about you, but any of these, truly inspires me!

But let's face it, there are times when we just lack "mojo" --- no matter what you do, or where you go or what you smell, mojo just can't be found! ...... So what on earth do you do?

Let me share something with you. Normally, when I want to create a card, I reach for my card magazine. Right? It's no rocket science. It makes total sense. But I'm a bit of a defiant by nature. It's that stubborn Capricorn in me. So one day, yesterday to be exact, I wanted to make a card. I grabbed one of my favorite scrapbook magazines and flipped through the page. And there it was staring me in the face, an inspiration!!! I took a layout that caught my eye and made a card out of it. A "scraplift with a twist"!!! Who knew?!?!?

Here's the layout inspiration --->Inspiration came from Creating Keepsakes February 2007 - Layout by: Diana Lyn C. McGraw

Here's the card I made --->Happy Everything ~ Supplies Cardstock: DCWV; Patterned Papers: Sandy Lion (Floral Crochet Blue) and Paper Pizzazz (Brown Diamonds); Ribbon: Basic Grey; Hardware, Stamp (Mixed Greetings), Brown Ink, Coluzzle Circle Cutter: Stampin' UP! ~ Technique used: I applied ink on make-up sponge and rubbed it all over my card for a vintage look. NOTE: I used the metal hardware on the right side of the greeting to draw attention to it, much like the photo on my layout inspiration.

Food for Thought: Sometimes in life, the not so obvious may give us the answer that we may be looking for. Don't always go for the safe bet. Challenge yourself. Take a risk. Do the unexpected. You'll never know what there lies to be discovered.

Here's my challenge for you: Take this same layout and make a card. Take any element from it and use it as your inspiration. When you're done, email me your card and I will be happy to post it here. Depending on what life brings me, I may have several challenges through the month and all the participants will get a chance to win a nice surprise goodie pack from me. A WINNER will be announced on the 15th of every month.

Email me if you have any questions!

So are you ready for the challenge?

What are you waiting for??

Go make a card!!!

{WINK}

Another Shout Out ~ Di!

This one is for Di Hickman!!! Another blog friend of mine. She was mentioned in ScrapScene today!

Way to go Di!!!! Keep up the inspiration for us all!

National Scrapbooking Day!

Huh?! I thought everyday is scrapbooking day but I guess this weekend it's a real BIG deal! Go check out Scrapbook Chalet and you'll see how BIG! We will have guest celebrities joining us for chats! Go check out our website and you'll see our weekend's jam-packed schedule of FUN events and activities. We'll also have lots of games, prizes and more surprises! Make sure to register and see what's going on.

Also, to see the latest and the greatest check out My Scrapworks you'll never guess who's on our Inspirational Series. Right there, smack dab of it all. BH herself!!!! While you're there, check out my latest article on "Fluorishes". I'm sure you'll be inspired!!!

Oh and BTW, in the middle of all these festivities, I'm painting my house! Ask how, ask now, ask Sherwin Williams!!!! The BEST paint ever! Hello! I never knew I'd love paint so much! But this one not only goes on smoothly, but it covers nicely, it comes in a plastic easy to pour container. LOOOOOVE it! Finished the hallway already. Now I'm working on the family room.

Ok, have to go.....lots of things to do! Remember to come and join me at The Chalet and My Scrapworks. I'd love to see yah!

Ciao!

Designing Like A Star - Challenge #3

Here's my Dreamy Layout: Make sure to vote for your favorite here!

Basic Grey Gallery!

Check ME out! My round layout below made it on the Basic Grey gallery! Whoo-hooo! I submitted my page this morning and I got a quick response saying my work was selected! :)))

Me so happy!

Challenge Update!

I move to the second round!!! Whoo-hoooo!!! Come back here again so you can see my latest creation. We have a sketch challenge. Here it is courtesy of Becky Fleck!



Voting is next Wednesday! Don't forget!

Ready, Set, Play!!!

Ok guys, go check out Theresa's new RAK giveaway! She's doing another challenge and you get to win a FUN kit!!!


Tell her I sent yah! Then let me know if you're playing!


Good Luck Chicas!

Do You Have What It Takes To Be A STAR?!?!?

ANNOUNCING ~ Designing Like a Star Contest

Scrapbook Chalet is proud to announce an exciting contest that will get your creative juices flowing and challenges to set your mind free.

To enter and participate in the “Designing Like a Star” contest, you must upload 1 or 2 of your best 8.5 x 11, 12 x 12, Digital layouts, cards, and/or altered items into the “Designing Like a Star” section of the gallery, no later than midnight EST March 31th. Your layouts, cards, and/or altered items do not have to be an original, but must show your creativeness and style. Doing this will enter your name into the Contest!

Everyone who enters their layouts, cards, and/or altered items in the gallery by Midnight EST March 31th will automatically become one of the contestants. After you upload your 8.5 x 11, 12 x 12, Digital layouts, cards, and/or altered items, you must send an email to info@scrapbookchalet.com listing your name, user name, layout and/or altered item titles. This information will be posted in a special section of the message board so everyone will get to know each other better, and will also know who the participants are.

On Monday, April 2nd, we will announce the first “Designing Like a Star” challenge. You will have one week to complete the challenge and upload it to the “Designing Like a Star” Section of the gallery by Sunday, Midnight EST.

Every week thereafter on Monday's ~ the contestants and our message board members, will be given the opportunity to vote someone out. Voting will only take place on Monday's until 8PM, EST and failure to cast your vote before 8PM EST will result in the loss of your vote. After the voting, the NEW Challenge will go up along with the participants who will move to the next round!

Depending on the number of contestants playing, this will determine how many get voted out each week, until we are down to the final 5. Once there are only 5 contestants remaining in the Contest, only one will be voted off per week. During the elimination process, I will ask everyone on the board to be our judges, and I will have a SPECIAL GUEST announce who will become our “Designing Like a Star”.

Participation on the board is a MUST for ALL players!

There will be random weekly challenges for immunity which will give you a chance of not being voted out for the following week. We will also be giving random challenges throughout the game for various prizes, so participation is extremely important. Any and all Challenge announcements will be posted on the board. Failure to upload the challenge layout by the posted deadlines will result in disqualification.

Our Contest will consist of the following Challenges, but not limited to:

Ad Challenges
Sketch Challenges
Color Challenges
Product Challenges
Scraplift Challenges
Celebrity Challenges
Blog Challenges
NSBR Website Challenges
and many more...


Grand Prize:

The winner of the “Designing Like a Star” contest, as chosen by the jury, will be our Featured Member for the month on our Website & Newsletter, along with a $ 250.00 Gift Basket from Various Sponsors

Good Luck everyone, and most of all, have FUN!

A Designer's Eye ~ Thanks Ali!

I found it! There has been a talk about this book at the Scrapbook Chalet and read positive feedback about it. So I have been searching high and low and so I emailed AE herself. I always bug the poor girl whenever I need something. She'll think I'm stalking her. Well, anyway, she's always been so gracious and emails me back every single time. And guess what?! She emailed me again this time. And she much sit in front of her computer all the time because every time I have emailed her, she responds right back. Anyway, thank you Ali! I found the book and I will make sure to order me a copy.

A signed copy would have been nicer though.... :)

Join Me at the Chalet!

Are you in the mood for some FUN Challenges Chalet style?! Come play with us at The Chalet! Read the post below.

Let's get the CHALET ROCKIN'

We're going to have 4 Challenges this month, and the winners will all receive a special RAK from the Chalet!

Challenge #1:

I want everyone to start creating:

In your signature line I want you to put the following:

Layouts:
Cards:
Altered Items:

Each time you complete something, add it to the gallery under the catagory I'll make for you, and keep the running total on your siggy..
The person with the most completed items will win the RAK

Challenge # 2

Leaving some Love in the gallery: Keep track of your comments in the gallery and post them here. I will do the final totals at the end to announce the winner.

Challenge # 3

Posting Frenzy: Let's start getting the board rockin' again, and lets see who can talk the most.. List your starting post count here, and at the end I'll announce the winner for a RAK.. Side Note: Your gallery comments will not be included in your post count during this challenge.. When the challenge is over, I will allow this again.

Challenge # 4:

Referrels: Let's bring in New Members and have a PARTY.. Ask them to list you as a referrel, and join us for a great time.. The person who has the most will win a RAK! Make sure to tell them "Jozzie" sent you!


All Challenges will start Now, March 3rd and end on March 20th.

Have FUN & Enjoy!

Laura gives away some nice RAKS! So don't waste another minute. Sign up today at the Chalet!

Chat with Christi Tomlinson

Last night at the Chalet we had the pleasure of chatting with Christi Tomlinson. It was such a blast! She's as sweet as she looks! Go check out her blog for a nice "Betcha Didn't Know" Challenge!

Anyway, we got to know her more and hear about her adventures! She's very down to earth and a very honest person. You don't meet many of those... She was genuine! I love that!

Her advice to many of us that want to take our hobby up a notch, is to submit, submit, submit. Submit anything! You just never know what they're looking for. Leah Fung told me the same thing over breakfast last year at CHA.

So depending on where you're at with your passion, you can take this advice. Me? I just do it whenever my heart feels right about it. I don't submit or try out a lot. But when I do, it's because I feel good about it! You know that feeling you get when you're out shopping and you see something you just have to have? Well, if I don't get that feeling about something or a submission for that matter, I don't become a slave to it. I do it because I want to.....because I love to......because I'm BEING. To do it for any other reason, is just a distraction in this journey called life.

But that's just me. How about you, done any submissions lately?

It's Been A SLICE!

Adding this baby in my wish list! Read about it HERE!

How about you? What do you use for font creations? Do you have a die cut machine? Do you think you'll want to buy this? Let me know what you think of it!

Guest Designer for Scrapbook Chalet!!!

I am soooo excited! I logged on Scrapbook Chalet and this is what I saw...

*****

Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to give a HUGE Thank you to everyone who applied for the New Creative Team, and a SPECIAL Thank you to our current Creative Team for helping to make the Chalet what it is today! You Ladies ROCK!!

Every piece of work is totally amazing, and it was so much fun going through everything.. However, I think it was also the hardest thing I've had to do in a very long time.. There is SO much talent at the Chalet, and I only wish I could have chosen everyone.. But, we all know that's impossible, atleast for now..lol

Without further ado, it is my pleasure to announce our NEW CREATIVE TEAM.. Let's give a warm welcome to:

Chalet Creative Crew
*Jeanne* ~ Our Creative Team Coordinator
Leslie Ashe ~ Leslie
Isabelle Cipriani ~ Isabelle
Nancy Jones ~ Nancy
Vanilla ~ Michelle
Chelsea Giles ~ Chelsea
Volcano Girl ~ Heather
Mom2Zoe ~ Dena
KristenJo ~ Kristen
BeckyThackston ~ Becky

Card Creation Crew
Bonbitz ~ Jaci
Tropicalart77 ~ Tammy


In addition, I would also like to announce our
Guest Designers for the following 6 months:

March ~ Taylorsmom
April ~ Craft Girl
May ~ Amy Coose
June ~ Jozzie
July ~ Elizabeth
August ~ LAH924


CONGRATULATIONS LADIES & GOOD LUCK!
__________________
Laura Gordon
Owner/Designer
http://scrapbookchalet.typepad.com/

*****

Is that not FUN or what?! I can't wait until June! Thanks Laura! Come join us at Scrapbook Chalet. That place ROCKS!

My Advice For You...

~ let your dreams guide you
~ believe in yourself
~ do all things with LOVE

This was a photo taken of Ava this past Christmas. I just love these new toys ~ Basic Grey and Prima flowers!

Family Stitched Together With Love....

...seldom unravels.

Here's one LO I did with the new Basic Grey paper I got! Did lots of faux stitching and paper piecing. Hope you like it!

Smiling Faces

Check out my gallery to see what I did with this photo!

Archiver's Kind of Day!!!

Guess where I went at 9am this morning?! Sorry Rene, I couldn't get to the phone. I was in the midst of listening to a Big Shot Demo! LOL! It's the Ellison Die cut machine. So many machines, so much confusion. No, I didn't get one. I still don't know what to get. But partly, because I don't want to get sucked in throwing away too much money in the long run. I mean, it doesn't just stop there....buying the machine.....after that, you've got to buy templates, adaptors, pads, blah, blah, blah. So I don't want to go to the poor house. But then again, it can do so many things!!! One of the things I love to do is dry emboss. She showed me how this machine can do that for me in two seconds! Whereas, the tradional way, will take me much longer than that! So, hmmmm.....I'm still undecided.

But look at what I bought instead! Lots and lots of paper. I just love these Basic Grey paper kit, don't you? Can't wait to make something out of those. Then I bought some Rhonna Farrer's (fluorishes and flower) acrylic stamps. My first stamp purchase out of SU! I've always been a SU! snob. So I'm getting away from that and using more products out there! SOOOOO liberating! But look at all the possibilities! So many products, so many YUMMIES! Ribbons, I can never have too much! I love these Basic Grey ribbon assortment! I got the Urban Couture and Lilly Kate to go with the paper I got! Then I also bought some Prima flowers. I'm a flower chick so I have to have flowers! And speaking of flowers, I also got some of those flower scuffers from Lasting Impressions.



Archiver's were also having a buy one get one free of adhesives so I bought a couple of those too! They were having LOTS of specials today, so if you have one by you....make sure to go!!! Also, since I'm one of their "loyal" customers, they gave me a gift! I got some of the Designer Paper with matching buttons. See them right in the front there? Also, check out the two cards Ava and I made from their make and takes! Inspiring....

OK, so I better go now and play with my new toys! I want to make some FUN things for my friends at My Scrapworks! Come back again, so you get to see what I've created with them!!! Or check out my gallery at My Scrapworks!

Happy Saturday!

My SCRAPWORKS!!!

Oh my!!!! What a day I'm having!!! I logged on this morning and checked out My Scrapworks website and guess what I see!

Yep, that would be ME!!! I am so excited about my new role! Did you know I'm now a Cardologist?!?!? LOL!!!

Go check my first article and be inspired! Then make sure to bookmark My Scrapworks website and check it often. All the other artists/contributors on there are soooooo creative ~ you will be inspired beyond imagination! While you're there, make sure to check out the gallery, join the forum, and read all the past and fresh articles. You will truly LOVE it!!!

And one last thing, make sure to show them some love! Scroll all the way to the bottom of the home page and click them some hugs! I know you will love their website as much as I do!!!

Year End Contest!

Make sure to check out my YEAR-END CONTEST here!

YOU could be the LUCKY WINNER! Good luck!!!

Twas the Night Before Christmas

T'was the night before Christmas,
And all through the home,
Only one creature was stirring,
A late night scrapper alone.

While she cropped and she trimmed,
Under her breath she was muttering,
"He hid my darn Tape Runner"
The poor wife was stuttering!

When out on the lawn
There arose such a clatter,
She sprang from her table,
And dropped her pens with a splatter.

Away to the window
She flew like a flash,
Thinking maybe it was UPS
Bringing more of her stash!

But what to her wondering eyes
Should appear,
But a miniature (die cut) sleigh
And 8 (sticker) reindeer!

With a little old driver
So lively and quick
She knew right away
It was jolly old St. Nick.

He carried a sack
Filled up to the brim
With paper packs, triangles,
And die cuts crammed in.

There were combo packs, stickers,
And snap packs galore,
There was even a Joy Album
Not available in stores!

He went quickly to work,
Stowing it all under her tree,
The papers, the decorations
And all Acid Free!

"The Decorative Cart is heavy!"
She heard him exclaim,
Then he turned to his reindeer
And called them by name:
"On Buyer and Stasher,
Puncher and Cropper.
On Scrapper, on Matter,
On Trimmer and Cutter."

And he sprang to his sleigh
But before he could leave
The woman yelled, "STOP!"
And pulled a camera from her sleeve.

She snapped some quick photos
For future keepsake,
Thinking all the while
Of the layout she'd make!

And she heard him exclaim
When she finally let him go
"Happy Scrapping to All"
And to all, "HO HO HO!"