Creative Imaginations Projects

Hello all! I know I've been a very absent blogger recently. But I will make it up to you by sharing not one, but THREE projects that I just completed. These are all for a contest sponsored by Creative Imaginations and Scrap Happy KT. Wish me luck!

"Road Trip" Mini Album

I created this mini album using Creative Imaginations' Studio Basics 101 "Rugged" Collection. I used Creative Imaginations' Gift Card Holder from their Bare Elements line as the base for this album. Instead of placing a gift card in the holder, I decided to create a door to conceal a hidden picture. The entire album is held shut with a couple lengths of blue grosgrain ribbon tied in a bow.

Inside, I used another Creative Imaginations element - a Negative Strip from their Narratives Collection - combined with a series of photos of my best friend's son playing in his toy car. I also added a photo to the back cover. Too cute!

Finished Size approx. 5.5" x 5.5" (not including ribbon).
For more photos of this project, check out my online portfolio!

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"Summer Fun" Journal

I altered an inexpensive wire-bound book to create this summer-themed journal. For this project, I used Creative Imaginations' Studio Basics 101 "Lush" Collection. I love the playfulness and bright, cheery colors of this collection.

I decided to create my own dividers for this journal and used the collection's circle stickers to decorate my tabs. I also added an attached ribbon bookmark, and adorned the wire binding with some gingham ribbon.

Finished Size approx. 6.75" x 6" (not including ribbon).
Want to see more? Check out my online portfolio!

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"Hoppy Birthday" Gift Card Tin

I altered a CD tin to create this combination birthday card and gift for my brother-in-law. I again used Creative Imaginations' Studio Basics 101 "Rugged" Collection. However, this time I went for a masculine feel, as opposed to my little boy theme for my "Road Trip" Mini Album. (And I think I would have been completely successful if I had resisted going for the pun and using the frog tag!)

For the outside, I created a paper slide and adorned it with ribbon and my frog tag. For the inside, I first lined both the base and cover with patterned paper. Then I created a gift card holder adorned with the same ribbon as my slide and attached it to the base of the tin. I also added a ribbon-embellished tag to provide space for an additional sentiment and signatures.

Finished Size approx. 5.5" x 5".
More photos of my gift card tin on my online portfolio!

Paint Chip Cake Card

As seen in the Aug/Sept 2008 issue of Paper Crafts magazine!

Yep! That's right folks! It's yet another card made from a Paint Chip! This time I thought I would stay away from the Christmas theme and go with something a little more generic. I created this to be an anniversary card, but it could easily work as a wedding or birthday card with just a few minor changes.

I began by cutting off the sides containing the text and rounded corners of my Behr 5"x6" paint chip. Next I trimmed off the darkest color, leaving me with three swatches. Instead of separating the three colors, I decided to keep the paint chip in one piece. I removed 3/8" from each side of the middle color and 3/4" from each side of the lightest color. I also trimmed some off of the top of the lightest swatch to make the top "tier" shorter, and rounded the top and bottom corners.

To decorate my cake, I added mini paper blossoms and accented some of the flowers with pearls. I finished it with some rub-on swirls. Finally I adhered the cake to the card base with foam tape. I also designed a coordinating envelope created from the discarded pieces of my paint chip.

Bonus Tip! When working with delicate items like paper flowers and adhesive dots, don't pull up on the flower to remove it from the adhesive's liner -- you will most likely tear the flower. Instead, use a craft knife or other metal tool (I like to use my paper piercer) to go between the adhesive and the liner and lift from there.

Supplies:

• Cardstock: Assorted Box of Cards by DCWV
• Accents: Neutral Mix Mini Blossoms & Doodles rub-ons by Making Memories; Wedding Adhesive Pearls by K&Company
• Adhesive: foam tape by Scotch; Mini adhesive dots by Glue Dots
• Tools: retro flower punch by EK Success; hole punch
• Other: paint chip by Behr

Finished Size 4.25" x 5.5"

For more pics of my Paint Chip Cake card, check out my online portfolio.

Paint Chip Santa Cards

Here are some more cards that I created using those now famous Paint Chips. This time I chose to turn them into that favorite of Christmas icons... Santa Claus!

For these cards, I again choose to use Behr's 5"x6" paint chips. However, unlike in my Holiday Tree Cards, I did not cut them on an angle. I simply trimmed the text and rounded corners from each long side of the paint chips. Then I marked the middle of the top of the paint chips and trimmed from middle point to each bottom corner to get my triangle. Using the white lines as a guide, I added the following accents:

• Santa's "beard" - half of a scalloped oval
• Santa's "nose" - circle punched from darkest color of paint chip remnants, attached using a pop dot
• Santa's "eyes" - 2 medium circle brads
• Santa's "hat" - small pom pom
• Santa's "belt" - velvet ribbon and metal buckle

For each of the cards, I added a patterned paper background and finished the cards with a rub-on and a snowflake brad.

Supplies:

• Cardstock: Halcraft USA and DCWV
• Patterned Paper: Pinecone Press Papers or Provo Craft
• Brads: black circles by Making Memories and white snowflakes by Jo-Ann Stores
  
• Metal buckles: Jo-Ann Stores
• Pom poms: Westrim Crafts
• Rub-ons: Holiday Word Decor by Royal & Langnickel
• Fibers: Dashes, Dots & Checks black velvet ribbon by Michaels
• Tools: 5/8" circle punch and Mega Scalloped Oval by Marvy Uchida
• Other: paint chips by Behr

"Ho Ho Ho"
Finished Size 5" x 6.5"

"Believe"
Finished Size approx 6.5" x 6"

For more pics of my Santa cards, check out my online portfolio!

Creative Park website

I found a really great website that I want to share with all of you. It's full of really cool, FREE materials that you can download and print for your scrapbook, cards and general crafts. It's called "Creative Park" and is brought to you by the fine folks at Canon.

When you go to the website, you can navigate to six different categories: Greetings, 3D Paper Craft, Scrapbook, Art Craft, Calendars, and Digital Photo Gallery. The Greetings category contains envelopes and stationery for various holidays and occasions. I love their 3D Paper Craft section! It's full of simple and complex three dimensional animals and crafts. It also contains some really gorgeous pop-up cards. The Scrapbook heading has many kits for various occasions, as well as accent items like tags, borders and frames. The remaining three categories allow you to create projects using artwork, print your own calendars, and search for free hi-res digital photos.

I hope you enjoy crafting with these items as much as I know I will!

Paint Chip Tree Cards

As seen in the Oct/Nov 2008 issue of Paper Trends magazine!

Here are three quick and simple holiday cards that I created using, ... wait for it, ... Paint Chips! Yup, that's right! Those sample swatch sheets of color that you get from the paint or hardware store before you buy the full gallon.


I chose Behr's wide 5"x6" paint chip samples to design these cards. I decided to use the paint chips on an angle to create a more dynamic design.


First I started by cutting the text off of the left side of the chip.



Next I trimmed off the remaining two rounded corners, leaving me with a rectangle.



Then I cut the rectangle in half on the diagonal, from corner to corner, giving me two triangles.


Finally I measured the left side of my triangle. I marked the same measurement on the long side of the triangle and trimmed from corner point to the mark to make the base of my tree.



I now have two trees ready to decorate!



I titled this one "Celebrate Tree." For this smaller card, I created a slightly smaller triangle. I tore a strip of green cardstock to create my deckled edge "ground" and attached it to the bottom of the card. I accented the tree with white snowflake brads and a ribbon "trunk." Finally I finished this simple card with sheer ribbon and a rub-on.




This is my "Twin Pines" card. For this card, I first covered my folded base cardstock with a snowy patterned paper. I then adhered a torn strip of white textured cardstock along the bottom to make "snow." I again accented my trees with white snowflake brads and ribbon "trunks."






My final card is called "Christmas Tree" and it is the most colorful of the trio. Like my "Twin Pines" card, I started with a similar snowy backdrop. But I made this one more playful by accenting the tree with a wooden star and colorful button "ornaments." I finished it off with a length of red plaid ribbon.





Hope you like my cards and are inspired to create your own designs using paint chips. If you would like to see more pics of these cards, check them out in my online portfolio

SNOWMAN P**P EVERYWHERE!!!

Or at least at a newsstand or bookstore near you...

Drum roll please! Here it is! My very first published project is finally out in print! You can see it on page 12 of PaperCrafts magazine's December 2007/January 2008 issue. It is the featured item in Stacy Croninger's "Editor's Note."

Woo Hoo! I'm so excited! I actually haven't even seen it yet myself. I just got an email from a fellow crafter who saw it in her magazine.

I originally created this project for the magazine's "Winter Blues" feature. I used dry embossing stencils to make a holder to wrap up a package of hot chocolate and a small bag of marshmallows.


Amusing side note... Apparently in the Editor's Note, my project is titled ""Snowman Cocoa Wrap." I originally submitted it with the title "Snowman Poop" (because of the poem on the outside). I guess the editors changed my title. Perhaps they found my original title to be too offensive to "Creatures of Ice Crystalline Origin"??? LOL!

To see more of this project, you can simply wait on the street while I throw hundreds of copies of PaperCrafts magazine from every tall building within a 50 mile radius, ... or you can avoid all risk of painful head injury and go out and get your own darn copy, dag nabbit! ;)

Alternatively, you can check it out in my online portfolio...