Fruit-Tastic Recipe Card Album

I guess I’m feeling a bit fruity today.

With summer on its sunny way, I wanted to find a way to take the edge off the upcoming heat. So I crafted this cool and refreshing fruit album! I filled mine to the brim with all my favorite summertime treats…tropical drinks with little umbrellas, hamburgers on the grill, tasty fruit salad topped with toasted almonds.  (And if you need help getting started with your summer recipe collection, try my very own award-winning Watermelon Salsa recipe below!)

But before you run off to the kitchen, let’s cook up this Fruit-Tastic Recipe Card Album! 

Ingredients:
1 Chipboard Recipe Card Holder
1 Sheet of Home Cookin’ Stamps
1 Fruit Salad Paper Kit, separated
2 Fruit Salad Flowers
Dash of organza ribbon

Directions:
1.    Create a background using your favorite Fruit Album paper.
2.    Embellish with flowers and brads, tags and more.
3.    Using the Home Cookin’ stamp set, stamp the recipe card in the corner.
4.    Fancy up the binder rings with organza ribbons and Fruit Salad tags.
5.    Scrap each of the 20 pages with your own favorite recipes.

Combine your best kitchen efforts with your best scrapbooking efforts, and you’ll have a recipe book you can treasure for years to come.

Your friend,
Mary

Award-Winning Watermelon Salsa

Ingredients:
4 cups ripe seedless watermelon
¼ cup green bell pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons green onion (both green and white), chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (add to taste)
1 ripe lime, juiced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced (add to taste)
1 teaspoon kosher salt (add to taste)
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons red bell pepper, chopped (optional)

Directions:
1.    Chop the watermelon in small bite-sized pieces, removing any seeds.  In a colander, let the melon drain for about a half hour.  One medium-sized watermelon should yield four drained cups of melon.
2.    Combine the rest of the ingredients with the drained watermelon.

Stellar Grad Gift

It’s graduation season again! If you’re like me, you probably have a boatload of parties to attend, and you need gifts for every single one.  While towels and gift cards seem like a safe bet, why not give them a keepsake they’ll treasure forever? This simple-to-make handmade star will be a standout present for all the grads in your life and won’t break the bank.

To make your own, paint a ready-made chipboard star with flat black acrylic paint. Then add light colored rub-ons to tell them just how special they are! Finish it with a brad in the center with their graduating year and a coordinating ribbon for hanging. Want to make a matching card or scrapbooking page? Find everything from paper to ribbons in one graduation paper kit!

What better way to tell a graduate to reach for the stars?  

Your friend,

Mary

Low Cal Scrap Snack

This recipe comes directly from the kitchen of yours truly! A dash of this, a pinch of that…it’s all you’ll need to cook up this yummy Family Favorites finished page. Commemorate your favorite baking or cooking moment, whether it is teaching your daughter to make her first cake from scratch (or for those of us less kitchen-inclined, unwrapping the cake from the grocery store bakery).

Using the Home Cookin’ and Second Helping lines, I combined tags, ribbons, paper and rub-ons.  I used the text page from the Second Helping kit as the background. If you want to make it extra special, try color copying your favorite family recipes to serve as a background.

Ready to take a big bite out of this delicious scrapbook page?  Check out the simple instructions. 

Oh and don’t forget that this Saturday is National Scrapbooking Day! May 2nd is a great excuse to scrap your hearts out! I plan on making some handmade gifts for a few upcoming graduations. I’ll let you know how they turn out!

Your friend,
Mary

Mother’s Day Card

When I was a little girl my mom would insist that my handmade presents were always the best to receive. My handprint heart picture would hang front and center on the avocado-colored fridge for months. Mom has upgraded to a stainless steel refrigerator now, but some things haven’t changed. This year I’m going to try to, again, make a fridge-worthy card…the Mother’s Day Purse Card!

Start with a purse-shaped card. I used striped paper from the new Fruit Salad line and a blingy little brad for the closure. You can download my complete instructions here.

For the inside greeting, I used a Shop-A-Holic rub-on that read “Dresses, Purses, Shoes, Oh My!” Then I added my favorite picture of my mom and me trying on shoes last year. I printed it in black and white to contrast with the bright colors of the purse. (Come back Thursday and I’ll share some tips for altering photos using PhotoShop.)

It’s really that simple to make Mom a handmade card and a new purse, all wrapped in one.

Now that’s what I call a designer bag. 

Your friend,
Mary

Fruity Cutie Patootie Album

Hello all my little busy bee readers!

Doesn’t it seem like we’re sometimes running from one thing to the next?  I think my Blackberry actually groaned last week when I added yet another appointment to my calendar. Still, we need to take a little time for the simple pleasures in life…like gossiping! So fill up a mug of chai, grab a seat and let me give you the dish on this delish, “Berry Sweet” album!

Did you hear…?
Fruit is H-O-T this spring! Bright colors, fresh polka dots, plaids, anything sweet and fruit-themed, it’s all in. That was my sweet inspiration for this album. 

Can you believe…?
I created the scalloped, polka dotted top edge in a flash. I grabbed a large round punch and made three rounds. I cut them in half and affixed them to the back of the plaid piece. Easy as pie!

You’ll never guess…!
The strawberry in the corner is actually a mini album. I used one of the fruit albums to create a little appetizer to the main dish, which of course is the super sweet album itself.

Get this…!
I used a bright paper flower for a touch of spring. Having trouble getting the flower to lie flat? Mist it with a little water and then rub a bone folder over it to get the stubborn wrinkles out!

Desperate for even more juicy scrapbooking tidbits? Check back Thursday and I’ll serve up more tasty tips and tricks!

Your friend,
Mary

Cheerful Bunny Album

Easter is less than a week away my friends, so it’s time to get a hop on those scrappin’ projects you’ve been putting off.  Before you can say “Who ate all the Easter candy?” I’ll help you whip up a cheerful bunny rabbit album and cheer you on every step of the way! 

Give me an S!
Start with the bunny album from the Seasonal Chipboard Album Set. Save the sunshine, acorn and Christmas tree for the next three seasons.

Give me a C!
Cover the front and back pages in white paper. (Simply trace around the bunny head and ears, cut the paper out and attach.) Another option is to paint using white acrylic paint. Add details to the bunny’s face with markers, paper scraps or stamps. I cut two pieces of pink paper for the inner ears and then curved the bottom to allow room for the rabbit’s face. I also chalked the edge of the ears to add dimension. (Check back on Thursday and I’ll share some chalk techniques.)

Give me an R!
Really make it fun on the inside egg-shaped pages. Use bits of Easter paper from other projects to line each page. Add brads, ribbons and stickers to embellish. Been itching to use a big background stamp? Now’s the time!

Give me an A!
Attach photos on each page. Make a history of Easter’s past…document coloring Easter eggs, going on egg hunts or all those crazy dresses you’ve worn for Easter Sunday. I have a picture of me in a pastel yellow dress with a huge lace collar that might fit the bill for that album!

Give me a P!
Place this album in a bunch of Easter grass on your coffee table, give it as a gift in an Easter basket or mail it to a long-distance loved one.

What’s that spell? SCRAP! Now go, bunnies, go!

Your peppy friend,
Mary

Easter Finished Page

Green grass, daffodils and a giant basket–toting bunny… all signs it must be Easter time!

My favorite part of this holiday (aside from an excuse to order all new Easter scrapping supplies), is dying eggs for the big Easter Egg Hunt.  No solid color eggs here!  I approach each egg design with the same gusto I give every page layout, which means I’m all about flair, originality and fun!  And yes, I am a bit competitive trying to come up with designs to wow my crowd.

Recently I was inspired to combine my love of layouts and decorating eggs to create this “Easter Egg” page.  I incorporated all of the classic Easter pastels.  However, I also added a touch of modern flair with a grass green arrow and some chocolate brown ribbon.  What a great way to showcase the memory of a little one’s very first Easter egg hunt!

If you’re looking for a new paper craft technique, try stitching! Using a straight stitch and a size 10 needle on my sewing machine, I pleated and sewed the brown ribbon directly onto the page. I also painted chipboard letters to spell out “Easter eggs” and finished the page with buttons I glittered myself.  I also added egg and flower punch cutouts.

No need to keep hunting for that perfect Easter page, it’s right here!

Your friend,
Mary

Super Powers & Birthday Wishes

Look up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane! No, it’s Super Scrapper! Able to leap tall demands in a single bound and remember birthdays faster than a speeding bullet… she’s prepared for all of life’s little surprises.

Yes ladies, we’re used to rushing in to save the day.  But if you want to save yourself from superhero burnout, why not scrap up some delights in advance? You’ll thank yourself later when the villainous Captain Birthday Curveball pops up out of no where and you’re prepared.  With this easy-to-make “Birthday Wish” card, you’ll be ready in a flash.

To create your own, start by cutting the cardstock body of the card.  Next, layer bright, fun birthday paper. Finally, embellish with “Wish” stickers and a stamped cupcake filled in with colored pencils. Delish!

Another great project I scrap and keep on hand for unexpected birthdays is the “Wish” chipboard album. Each page creates a different letter, so I make general birthday-themed pages for each. You can’t go wrong with bright colors, presents, candles and cake. This album could work for everyone from your boss’s daughter to your neighbor’s pug… they’ll love that you remembered them! (You’ll love that you didn’t have to make a last minute run for a store-bought present!)

Zap, pow, SCRAP! You’ve defeated Captain Birthday Curveball!

Your super friend,
Mary

P.S. Check back on Thursday for tips on keeping stamps clean and looking new.

9 Tips for Painting Chipboard

Looking for a cost-effective way to add big flash and fancy to your pages? Try plain chipboard cutouts! They are literally a blank canvas for your creativity. Follow these tips for painting embellishments and all your scrappy friends will be jealous of your mad chipboard skills!

Tip #1 Keep it Clean
I’ve pinned down a good method for keeping clean. Just stick a straight pin into the back of your chipboard piece to use as a handle.

Tip #2 Paint Matters
Acrylic paint is the best medium. One, two or even three coats will do the job. Oh, and if you’re using non-acid free paint, it’s best to avoid direct contact with photos.

Tip #3 Smooth Things Over
Use foam rollers and foam brushes for evenly smooth, brushstroke-free results.

Tip #4 Raid the Toolbox
Grab some sandpaper for this technique. Use fine-grit sandpaper before painting to create a subtle aged effect. Use medium-grit sandpaper after painting to create a shabby chic distressed look.

Tip #5 Ink-A-Dink
Like the aged look? Using a stamp pad, ink the edges of your raw chipboard piece then paint. Inking afterwards is another great technique.  Simply stamp your design onto the center.

Tip #6 Faux is our Friend
First paint a base coat of color, then it’s time to use all those faux painting techniques you’re not quite brave enough to try on your walls. Sponge paint, stencil, crackle paint, add polka dots, or splatter paint! Try dry painting only the edges with a darker color to add depth.

Tip #7 Puffy Paint
You just gotta try this! First, puffy paint a design on your chipboard piece. (I love a nice, big monogram.) Let it dry, then cover it with a few layers of paint. The raised design will show through for a totally unique page accent.

Tip #8 Stick to It
Firmly press on an intriqutely-styled sticker. Paint as normal and then peel the sticker off. Instant drama!

Tip #9 Add Glitz
Mix glitter into your paint for a little more shimmer and shine. Check my archives for some great glitter tips.

Now for the hard part… waiting for your creation to dry before you can add it your page!

Your friend,
Mary

It’s All Relative

Hiya gals and pals!

I’m sure most of us would say in general we have “one big, happy family,” but let’s face it … “big” and “happy” are often open for interpretation.  Still, no matter what the shape or size of our families, we can’t help but love ‘em.  After all, they put up with us too, right? 

My friend Melissa, a fellow scrap fanatic, comes from a big family and just finished this fabulous Family Flowers Finished Page using the new Family Paper Kit.  She then had each family member complete the phrase “Family is…”.  Her youngest son Jason didn’t hesitate to respond “Family is Mommy, Daddy and my "bruddah!”

I’m loving the rich tones and exclusive patterns in this brand spankin’ new paper kit, and can’t wait to use the hound’s tooth patterned paper!  Melissa said she enjoyed experimenting with the coordinating stickers and embellishments.  And you can see the bright blue and green flower centers she created are so fun! 

Now that you’ve got “We are Family” stuck in your head, let’s break out the supplies and start scrappin’! 

By the way, come back on Thursday and I’ll share tips on painting chipboard like a pro.

Your friend,
Mary