My faves!

Just wanted to share quickly with you one of my very favorite things to do right now - back your titles! This is a great way to make your title stand out, even if you make it from scratch!


This is the layout I made for the Double Trouble Challenge a while back, and I keep making titles like this - Thickers backed with some kind of solid. In this case I used corrugated chipboard, and I love it! It makes your title seem far more anchored to the page and seems a little more special than just slapping your letters to the page and hoping the connect well.



So give it a shot! Try two or three different layers and see how you like it - can't wait to see what you come up with!

Latest Fave- star punch

I tend to get into certain design "phases," where I will get on a kick with using certain layout designs or certain elements all the time.

Right now my latest fave is my Fiskars Medium Star Squeeze Punch. I bought mine at the Tuesday Morning store (do y'all have those everywhere?). It was only $4!

I love the way it looks as a negative punch out of a square or strip of paper, and as a punch out.


It's a nice element that adds a sense of sharp, graphic edges to a layout. I tend to reach for "softer" shapes, like hearts, flowers, and scalloped circles, so I think that it adds a nice contrast to those.

I'm fairly particular about my star shapes- I like them to be nice & crisp... I don't like a star with rounded corners. I know. I'm strange. :) *All layouts in this post made with the Office Party Kit (only 1 left!)!

Make sure to get your preorder in for the Sweet Sue kit... I suspect this one's going to be going FAST!
Here's a couple of sneak peeks at some of my favorite parts of it!

The Best Tool Ever!

I love to handstitch. There is just something soothing about it for me. The only thing I hated about handstitching was pre-poking the holes in my paper. My poor fingers would be throbbing afterwards. It is quite uncomfortable to use a needle and your bare fingers to punch holes through your paper, especially if you are using cardstock.

One day, I was at a crop and discovered a lady using this tool...

It is the Tim Holtz Retractable Craft Pick. The lady was nice enough to let me play with it. I discovered that this tool is the bomb! You can pierce through paper, cardstock, grungeboard, and chipboard like butter! I immediately ran to the store and bought me one of these. It was the best investment I have ever made. So if you are tired of aching fingers from trying to punch holes in your paper for handstitching, try out this Retractable Craft Pick. You won't regret. Trust me.

Until later!
Diana

My Latest Fave!

Hey everybody! Here's my latest fave!



Also, I've decided to give away two instruction class spots for the My Growing Up book class. All you have to do is post about it on your blog. Comment back on my blog that you've done it and be entered into the drawing! Post about it on Facebook for another entry! This is gonna be a great time - hope to see you there!



I have four more kits available for the class, so be sure to sign up soon to get yours in time! Signing up is easy - just click this link to go back to my blog and click on the 'My Growing Up Book" option on my storefront.

My Latest Favorite!

Hello Everyone!! Talking to you today about my latest fav in the scrapbooking world! For almost all of us this changes every 6 months with the new releases, if not sooner! For me, it changes a lot! I move from one collection or another with my mood, calling each one my newest fav. But today I have something that seriously is going to hold the title of 'Absolute Latest Fav That Will Last A Long While'! I am lucky enough to be one of the first to play with Crate Paper's newest collections, and have absolutely fallen head over heels in love with one in particular! It is called Restoration, and it is all about the vintagey colors and patterns that I go nuts for! Here below is what I did with the collection:

I am in love with the colors, and patterns, and the distressed look of everything! I just can't get enough of it, so I go back and just stare at it! LOL! When I started cutting into the paper, I seriously didn't think that I could do it justice. I still don't really think that I accomplished what I had in mind for the collection, but I am happy with my LO anyway! :D That is all that matters really. But I can see this collection staying permenantely in my stash, as I know I will always want to come back to these gorgeous colors and textures!

Do any of you have things in your stash that you vow to keep there for as long as you possibly can because you love it that much? I'd love to hear about what your latest fav is right now!

Have a great rest of your Monday!!

~Amy