Happy Easter!

04/04/2010 at 8:17 am | Posted in Holidays, Uncategorized | 151 Comments
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Happy Easter, and thanks for stopping by the Creating Keepsakes blog today. We hope the day is bringing you at least some semblance of spring weather. 

No matter how old my siblings and I get, we still get together every year to color Easter eggs. For some reason this activity has never lost its appeal for us. Maybe because we’re always a bit goofy while we do it. 

One of the (many) great things about the March/April issue of Creating Keepsakes, is the article, “The Good, the Fab, and the Spectacular” in which we show you how to take an event you celebrate every year and mix it up to create some spectacular Easter layouts. 

I especially like this layout from Susan Weinroth. I love how she created the grass and highlighted her photos within egg-shaped frames. 

"Easter Egg Clean-Up” by Susan Weinroth, as seen in the March/April 2010 issue of Creating Keepsakes, page 87.

 

I also love the various textures Erin Lincoln used for her egg accents on her layout. 

“Easter for Grown Ups” by Erin Lincoln, as seen in the March/April 2010 issue of Creating Keepsakes, page 86.

 

Leave us a comment and let us know how you add “egg-tra” special touches to your Easter layouts. I’ll choose two lucky comments to win this great Easter product from Jillibean Soup. Winners will be chosen on Friday, April 9, 2010. 

 

And if you haven’t actually gotten around to coloring those eggs yet, check out this video from Martha Stewart Living on how to use a fun masking technique to create some pretty amazing eggs. (The video will play on the lower-right side of the screen after a quick ad.)

Happy Easter!

 

Lara Penrod, managing editor

Special Guest Blogger: Mandy Douglass

04/02/2010 at 8:10 am | Posted in fonts, General Inspiration, guest blogger, Holidays, How-Tos, product, technique, Uncategorized | 5 Comments
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Hey all my favorite CK Readers! It is me, Mandy Douglass! I don’t know about you, but I am so excited for this upcoming Easter holiday weekend. Now that I have two little boys, it just keeps getting more and more fun each year. I love easter egg hunts, easter baskets, easter bunnies, and those little peeks from the tulips that will soon turn into beautiful flowers.

Last year was the first year my son, Bryson, could start to understand the whole easter egg hunt idea. So today, I thought I would share a photo tip and a ribbon tip with you from this fun new page I created about his first hunt!

The Race is On by Mandy Douglass. Supplies: American Crafts.

Photo Tip:

Bryson was just learning to walk, and he really didn’t have enough balance to pick up eggs, so crawling was his only way to get those funny looking round things! I thought this photo was perfect to use on my layout, because it captures his perspective on the easter egg hunt. There weren’t a lot of kids around to “race” him for the eggs, but the faster he got them, the more excited he was. I challenge all you CK readers to get down in the grass this weekend and get some true perspective photographs!

Ribbon Tip:

Next is a fun tip a friend taught me a while back. I often find it hard to punch through a page or get a knotted ribbon to stay in place without gargantuan amounts of glue! So here are a few steps to show you how to get that cute ribbon knot to stay in place and avoid getting sticky.

First cut a piece of ribbon about 3″ long. Then staple it to the area of the page you would like the ribbon to be.

Then simply tie the knot (I usually only tie one knot and it stays in place).

 

Then cut off the remaining ribbon.

Simple, huh!

Bonus Gift-Bag Topper Tip:

I decided to use the same technique on some cute treat bags for Easter. (Not only did I get a cute bag out of it, but it also gave me a great excuse to open those Cadbury Mini Eggs that have been staring at me for a week!)

To make the bag topper, I made a simple flap using Sizzix’s scallop square die cut, then I folded it in half. I added some darling egg paper from the Dear Lizzy line by American Crafts and stapled the decorated flap to close the bag and keep the ribbon in place. 

Last, I made a cute little tag using a Quickutz oval die, some scallop scissors by Fiskars, and Dear Lizzy Dimensional Sticker. Then knotted it all in place! 

Such an easy way to do lots of Easter treat bags.

“Hop” that you all have a great holiday weekend!

Mandy Douglass, CK contributing writer

P.S. Don’t forget to download today’s font as part of Free Font Friday! This weeks’ font is CK Day Dream. Download it today at Creating Keepsakes.

Happy April Fool’s Day!

04/01/2010 at 11:12 am | Posted in Holidays, Uncategorized | 54 Comments
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April Fool’s Day is traditionally marked by committing practical jokes or sending friends, family, or co-workers on fools’ errands. But there’s no jokes or fools’ errands on the CK blog today. Instead, we’re giving you a couple of quick, fun, practical techniques, plus a chance to win a fabulous prize.

To start, did you know that you can mix flock colors to come up with completely new custom-made flock colors? No joke! Watch this great tutorial from Stampendous on how it’s done. (Note: Watching the video will take longer than creating great new colors.)

After you’ve checked out that great technique, take a look at this one. It’s probably the best thing we’ve seen in a long time!

Now, before you go off to create some fantastic layouts using these fun new techniques, leave us a comment about your favorite part of April Fool’s Day, the best joke you’ve ever played, or how you plan to use one of these great techniques. Next Monday, April 5, I’ll randomly pick five readers from the comments we receive to win the book “Snippets: Mostly True Tales from the Lighter Side of Scrapbooking.”

Happy April 1st!

Lara Penrod, managing editor

Top ’O the Morning to Ye! And Happy St. Paddy’s Day!

03/17/2010 at 2:15 am | Posted in Holidays, Uncategorized | 267 Comments
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Happy St. Patrick’s Day! As part of the holiday, enjoy some St. Paddy’s Day fun in many areas.

Fun Holiday Fact

Today’s Fun Irish Fact (courtesy of History.com): “Last year, close to one million people took part in Ireland s St. Patrick’s Festival in Dublin, a multi-day celebration featuring parades, concerts, outdoor theater productions, and fireworks.”

Fun Page Title You Can Download for Free

You can get your green on with this page title featured in the March/April issue of Creating Keepsakes.

Or download the P22 Kilkenny Swash font, which was used to make the title block above, from Veer for only $19.95.

Fun Scrapbook Page Topic

Even if green isn’t your thing, you can still celebrate the holiday. St. Patrick’s Day is associated with luck, so why not create a layout on why you feel lucky today. Maybe you feel lucky because you’ve learned a new skill, have a great education, have recently seen your life in a new light, or have great friends by your side. Whatever the reason, make a plan to capture those lucky feelings, just as Piradee Talvanna did with her “Thank You” layout.

“Thank You” by Piradee Talvanna, as seen in the March/April 2010 issue of Creating Keepsakes, page 41

Fun Luck-Themed Quotes

Speaking of luck, check out Club CK‘s Quote of the Day blog this week for luck-themed quotes you can use on your layouts.

Fun Giveaway

Then try your luck with our great giveaway. Leave a comment on today’s blog post by March 21, 2010, for the chance to be one of five randomly selected lucky winners to receive all of this great St. Patrick’s Day product.

Fun Websites

If you’re in need of even more St. Patrick’s Day fun, check out this website to find a St. Patrick’s Day celebration in your hometown. And for a little Irish fun for the whole family, check out theholidayspot.com.

Fun Recipe

However you spend the day, don’t forget to eat your greens. Here’s a great recipe to get you started.

Corn Beef & Cabbage

1 small can corned beef                          1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 large head cabbage                           1/8 tsp. pepper

2 Tbs. butter                                               1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 Tbs. flour                                                 1/4 tsp. celery seeds

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 1.5-quart casserole dish. Cut cabbage up coarsely, and cook in boiling, salted water until done. Drain. While cabbage is cooking, melt butter in saucepan over low heat, stir in flour until smooth, add milk gradually, and then cool, stirring constantly until sauce is smooth and has thickened. Stir in salt, pepper, and celery seeds. Mix cream sauce and cabbage together, and mix with corned beef. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake 30 minutes.

May your day be touched by a bit of Irish luck, brightened by a song in your heart, and warmed by the smiles of the people you love.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Lara Penrod, managing editor

Special Guest Blogger: Suzy Plantamura of the 2010 CK Dream Team

01/08/2010 at 2:15 am | Posted in fonts, guest blogger, How-Tos | 13 Comments
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Hi, I’m Suzy Plantamura, a member of CK’s Dream Team. I’m a kid at heart, and I love to color! My purse always has markers in it for my girls and me to draw and color with any time we’re sitting still (at church, at restaurants, on long drives, and more). I draw the pictures, and the girls stay quiet while they color in the pictures!

Markers are a perfect way to express creativity and add a bit of personality to scrapbook projects as well. For example, I made this “Elf Obsession” layout primarily with just cardstock and markers.

"Elf Obsession" by Suzy Plantamura. Supplies: Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper; Die-cutting machine and felt ornament: Making Memories; Stickers: Crate Paper, Making Memories, and My Mind’s Eye; Chipboard circles: My Mind’s Eye; Rhinestones: Zva Creative; Glitter: Martha Stewart Crafts; Markers: EK Success, Newell Rubbermaid, and Sakura; Adhesive: Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L; Other: Ribbon.

Techniques on This Layout:
I went a little crazy with markers on this layout, but it was so fun to make! Here are a few techniques I used:

* I drew the border on the layout with markers and then cut around its edges.

Notice the drawn border, the glittered letters, and the colored elves.

* I customized title letters by cutting them out of cardstock with the Slice by Making Memories, and then I added dots with a Gelly Roll pen. The pens are slow drying, so I added glitter to the dots while they were still wet.

* I outlined my photos with two colors of markers.

* I love elves, and my girls and I drew and colored them throughout the holiday season. I added a pocket to the back of my layout to include all our drawings.

* I used a black Ultra Fine Point Sharpie to draw the elves on cardstock, and I colored them in with Gelly Roll pens by Sakura—they are so fun to work with and glide on for perfect coverage! To make a color softer (such as when coloring skin tones), you can just use your finger to smear the color around.
More Techniques

The next layout I made also uses markers in many spots—see if you can find them all!

“Nailed by the Boys Once Again” by Suzy Plantamura. Supplies: Patterned paper: BasicGrey and Doodlebug Design; Chipboard letters: Pink Paislee; Letter stickers: Making Memories and My Little Shoebox; Border stickers: Crate Paper and Doodlebug Design; Transparencies and felt snowflakes: Little Yellow Bicycle; Acrylic snowflakes: Maya Road; Brads: Making Memories, Queen & Co., and SEI; Markers: Copic Markers, EK Success, and Newell Rubbermaid; Ribbon: Making Memories; Glitter: Martha Stewart Crafts; Adhesive: Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L; Other: Blue ribbon.

Did you find them all? Check the list here:
* First, I outlined the entire page with a silver Sharpie and outlined my photos with a white Uni-ball pen.

* I added small, white snowflakes to my title letters with the Uni-ball as well.

* I colored the edges of the transparencies with Copic markers.

* I added color to the edges of my punched borders with a pink marker.

* I colored acrylic snowflakes with markers to match my page.

Color Acrylic Accents

Follow these step-by-step instructions to color your own acrylic accents:
1. Remove plastic covering from both sides of an acrylic accent (if applicable).
2. Color one side of the snowflake with two colors of Copic markers, adding a lighter color over the entire accent and a darker color on just the edges.
3. Use a silver pen to draw lines on the same side of the snowflake.
4. If you make any mistakes and want to remove color, use the Copic Colorless Blender pen—it removes even Sharpie ink!
5. Turn snowflake over and use a white pen to add details to the front of the accent.


6. Tie a knot in a ribbon and pull it through the center of the accent; attach it to the layout with sheer adhesive.

My Favorite Pens

Here are some of my favorite markers and what I use them for:

* Uni-ball Signo by Newell Rubbermaid: The white Uni-ball is (in my opinion) the best white marker! I use it to journal, outline photos, and add details to embellishments. It is slow drying, so you can add glitter to it or emboss with it.
* Pigma Micron by Sakura and Ultra Fine Point Sharpie by Newell Rubbermaid: I use these two markers for journaling. The Pigma Micron pen comes in different tip sizes (I use the 05 style) and are pigment ink that is waterproof. The Sharpie is also permanent and great for use on transparencies or slick surfaces.
* Copic Markers: These pens are alcohol-based pigment ink, refillable, and will cover anything including metal, transparencies, ribbon, and acrylic. They come in tons of colors and different tips, with one tip on each end of the pens.
* Zig Writers by EK Success: These pens come in 48 colors and are pigment-based ink that is waterproof. I use the fine tip to journal and the thicker tip to color in items.
* Glaze, Soufflé, and Gelly Roll by Sakura: These markers are so much fun! They come in numerous colors and types of ink. I use them for coloring, because they blend well and smear great for lighter application. Glaze and Soufflé pens are slow drying, so you can use them to add glitter to or emboss a project.
* Stampin’ Write by Stampin’ Up!: These markers are great for coloring in designs using the brush tips. They have water-based dye ink, so although they have a fine tip, I don’t use them for journaling.
* Silver- and Gold-Leafing Pens by Krylon: These pens are fun for holiday projects! I use them to outline my pages or pictures, and they adhere well to any surface. The Sharpie Metallic markers also work great on slick surfaces.

I hope this blog post motivates you to pull out your markers and use them to add a bit of creativity to your scrapbook pages and craft projects. Embrace the kid in you, and have fun coloring!

—Suzy Plantamura

Free Font Friday

Don’t let thoughts of a several goals for the new year stress you out. Instead, enjoy a relaxed feel with the CK Easy Goin’ font available for free download as part of Creating Keepsakes’ Free Font Friday. You’ll find a new free font available next Friday (and every Friday) as well.

Happy New Year! (and Free Font Friday)

01/01/2010 at 4:00 am | Posted in fonts, Holidays | 170 Comments
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I can’t believe the new year is already upon us. Where does the time go? If your life is anything like mine, then 2009 flew by before you could take in all that was going on. The year had its ups and downs—the expected and the unexpected. It was full of change—some of it good, some of it not so good; some of it by choice, some of it not by choice.

As I contemplated the past year, I decided my main goal for 2010 is to make more of life’s changes be determined by me. Not just changes in circumstances, but changes in me. Stampin’ Up! makes a stamp set entitled “Define Your Life.” I love this set, not just because it makes great scrapbook pages and cards (which it does), but because its title speaks to me as well. I, probably like most of you, feel I can use a little more definition in my life.

This year, I’m determining to define my life. To define what I want to be, where I want to go, and how I’m going to make that happen. To not just let life happen, but to make it happen.

It’s said that in order to achieve your goals, you have to write them down. I’m going to take a little spin on this theory and create a Define Your Life journal for myself, with a 6″ x 6″ page dedicated to each aspect I want to be, do, or learn over the next year. I’m not worried about creating every page right now. I’ll be adding to the journal as the year goes on.  I’ll still be working on scrapbooking the events in my life, but I’m hoping that having these other types of pages will remind me to actively work toward making my life what I want it to be.

Maybe you’d like to spend more time with family,

Ready, Set, Bump scrapbook page

"Ready, Set, Bump" by Pam Callaghan, as seen in the January 2010 issue of Creating Keepsakes.

travel more,

 
 
 

 

Downtown scrapbook page

"Downtown" by Kelly Purkey, as seen in the January 2010 issue of Creating Keepsakes

 

achieve something big,

Paris Marathon scrapbook page

"Paris Marathon" by Sande Krieger, as seen in the January 2010 issue of Creating Keepsakes

work on a talent,

garden scrapbook page

"How Does Our Summer Grow?" by Jing-Jing Nickel, as seen in the January 2010 issue of Creating Keepsakes

or just delight in the little things this year.

details scrapbook page

"Delight in the Details" by Amanda Johnston, as seen in the January 2010 issue of Creating Keepsakes.

I’d love to hear from you about it. How do you keep motivated to make positive changes in your life, and how do you document those changes? Drop me a line in the comments section of this post, and let’s keep each other motivated to make 2010 the best year yet.

May this new year bring everything you hope and dream it will.

To help some of your dreams come true, two lucky winners will recieve a selection of Stampin’ Up! clear mount blocks, a stamp set, and either a package of patterned paper or a corner punch. Simply leave a comment on this post, and two lucky winners will be drawn on January 5th.

Happy New Year!

—Lara Penrod, managing editor

Free Font Friday

As you celebrate the new year, enjoy this holiday treat to you as part of Free Font Friday—a free download of the CK New Year’s Day font.

Not-To-Miss Christmas Photos

12/24/2009 at 4:00 am | Posted in Holidays | 2 Comments
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Happy Christmas Eve! We hope your Christmas shopping is done, your gifts are wrapped, and all your preparations for the big day are well underway. With so much to do, it’s easy to forget to prepare your camera for the holiday and to remember the shots you want to take. The CK team wanted to lend a hand with that preparation, so I’ve made a list to help the photography part of your day run smoothly.

First, prepare your camera:

1. Check your memory cards. Make sure you’ve uploaded the last batch of photos to your computer and that your memory cards are formatted and ready to use.

2. Charge your camera’s battery.

3. Keep your connection cables accessible in case you need to upload full cards or recharge your battery later in the day.

Next, take a few shots before the celebration. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

  1. The decorated tree lit up
  2. Close-ups of favorite, new or signature ornaments on the tree
  3. Your favorite decorations around the house
  4. The wrapped presents tucked under and around the tree
  5. Your family or just your children sitting in front of the tree
  6. The decor on the outside of your home

Photograph the details of your Christmas tree, as Greta Hammond did. "Celebrate the Season" by Greta Hammond, as seen in the December 2009 issue of Creating Keepsakes

During the celebration, keep the following types of photos in mind:

1. The People. Take note of everyone attending your Christmas festivities. Be sure everyone (including you!) is in at least two to three photos.

Photograph everyone at your event, as Paula Gilarde did. "December 24, 2007" by Paula Gilarde, as seen in the December 2008 issue of Creating Keepsakes

2. The Activities. Consider the photo ops as family members participate in the following :

  • Handing out gifts
  • Opening presents (if Santa’s given you the inside scoop on a special gift, be sure to have your camera ready when it’s opened)

    • Have your camera ready to capture facial expressions when gifts are opened, as Barb Wong did. "Favourite" by Barb Wong, as seen in the December 2008 issue of Creating Keepsakes

  • Interacting with other family members
  • Preparing the food—and all the hustle and bustle in the kitchen
  • Celebrating specific family traditions, such as reading the Bible or donning new Christmas pajamas you received on Christmas Eve
  • Playing with new toys

Photograph children enjoying their new toys, as Emily Falconbridge did. "Christmas" by Emily Falconbridge, as seen in the December 2008 issue of Creating Keepsakes

3. The Food. Be sure to capture:

  • The set table
  • Special dishes you make only at this time of year
  • Family members enjoying the food

That’s it! You’re ready to take your Christmas photos. Enjoy your time with family and friends, and have a very Merry Christmas!

—Lori Fairbanks, product editor

Wreath Page Template courtesy of Pam Callaghan

P.S. Once you’ve taken all your photos, you’ll want a creative way to arrange them on a layout. Use this page template from Pam Callaghan as a fabulous option. For more templates and for ideas on using templates, be sure to check out Pam’s blog: Ideas for Scrapbookers. To download the wreath template, click here, then right-click your mouse, and then save the image to your desktop to open in your software of choice. Click here for Pam’s helpful tutorial on using the template in Photoshop Elements. Thanks, Pam!

Quick, Handmade Holiday Gift Tags

12/23/2009 at 4:00 am | Posted in Holidays | 2 Comments
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There’s no denying that even though this is “the most wonderful time of the year,” it’s also one of the busiest times of the year. Whether you’re running around doing last-minute gift shopping, wrapping presents, baking neighbor gifts, or hitting holiday parties, your time is a precious commodity. That’s why we want to save you some extra minutes. As much as we’d love to come over and help bake those holiday cookies (especially if you let us lick the electric-mixer beaters!), we just can’t. But we can give you a creative breather with some time-saving ideas to use your scrapbooking supplies. Take a little time from the holiday bustle to create a few quick and easy holiday tags from our December 2009 issue. In just a few moments, you’ll have holiday gift tags that are almost as memorable as the gifts. And the creative break will help recharge you for the next round of holiday festivities.

Create a quick tag featuring a photo of the gift’s recipient. Just cut or die-cut an ornament from patterned paper and add a photo, monogram letter sticker, and a snip of ribbon for a festive tag that can double as an ornament when the gifts are all open. Tag by Megan Hoeppner.

For a quick and elegant tag, add letter stickers to a patterned-paper circle. Mat the circle on contrasting cardstock and add a loop of ribbon, and you’ll have an elegant, handmade tag that the recipient will love. Tag by Beth Opel.

Punch and layer two scalloped cardstock circles, add some buttons and bling, and you’ve got an adorable handmade wreath tag to add a little holiday happiness to a gift. Tag by Megan Hoeppner.

We hope these time-saving tags help your gifts stand out this season. Happy holidays!

Jennafer Martin, editor-in-chief

P.S. Once you’ve finished your tags, let your mind turn to holiday cards by checking out the Paper Crafts December Gallery Challenge. Upload your holiday cards by December 28, and you could be one of three lucky winners to receive either a one-year subscription to Paper Crafts or a Paper Crafts special issue of your choice. The three winning cards will be featured on the Paper Crafts Connection blog on January 4. And speaking of winners, we’ve posted more winners on our Giveaways tab—click here to see if you’re one of the lucky blog readers!

P.P.S. We’ve posted two new page calls in the Submit tab. Check them out and send in your layouts. We can’t wait to see them.

Special Guest Blogger: Pam Callaghan

12/18/2009 at 12:06 pm | Posted in fonts, guest blogger, Holidays | 142 Comments
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Hello, my name is Pam Callaghan. I am so honored to be featured today on the CK blog! I have been scrapbooking for seven years. I currently design for Anna Griffin and Pebbles, Inc, and I do freelance work for GCD Studios.

I also run my own blog called “Ideas for Scrapbookers.” You can find tons of ideas for scrapbooking, including templates, sketches, digital items, tutorials, contests, and so much more. I created many of the templates (which are free!), and you can print them out to use directly on your scrapbook pages. I also have an amazing group of ladies who contribute to my blog.

I have some fun ideas for your holiday projects, so here we go!

"Our Traditions" by Pam Callaghan. Supplies: Cardstock: Anna Griffin and Bazzill Basics Paper; Patterned paper, stickers, and die cuts: Anna Griffin; Cutting tool: Provo Craft; Font: Bangle; Adhesive: Tombow.

I’m sharing two projects with you today about getting inspiration from holiday decor! This first project, “Our Traditions,” features five of my favorite photos from last Christmas. I was inspired by the ornaments on our Christmas tree for this design. I love how ornaments hang from the tree, and I wanted to make it look like my tree page had ornaments hanging from it. To achieve this look, I used the following steps:

Step 1: Below I have included a sketch of the page I created in Adobe Photoshop Elements. Use it as a guide on how to crop your photos and type your text.

Step 2: Print out one large and four small photos to use on the page. You can use a circle cutter such as the Coluzzle from Provo Craft to cut out the circles from your photos.

Step 3: If you want this exact shape in computer text, open the sketch in a program like Adobe Photoshop Elements. Create a new layer and type in your text where I have indicated on the sketch. Delete the sketch layer and print out your new layer of text onto white paper.

Step 4: Add lots of fun holiday embellishments and a title to the page. I used the Hannah Christmas Collection by Anna Griffin.

"Christmas Wall Hanging" by Pam Callaghan. Supplies: Cardstock: Anna Griffin and Bazzill Basics Paper; Patterned paper, stickers, and die cuts: Anna Griffin; Ribbon: May Arts; Adhesive: Tombow.

This second project was made from a template by Heather Landry, who is a contributor for my blog. This shape reminds me of a beautiful cross-stitched wall hanging I saw at a friend’s house when I was young. You can make many neat projects from the template. I made a wall hanging, but you can use it on cards, layouts, and other projects! To create this project, follow these steps:

Step 1: Download the “Christmas Tree” template here. Print and cut out the design.

Step 2: Trace the outline of the template onto patterned paper.

Step 3: Print out 1–3 photos and crop them to fit into the template space. Assemble the photos onto the paper.

Step 4: Embellish as desired with stickers, title, and ribbon.

Step 5: Tape a ribbon to the back of the project so it can be easily hung on the wall.

Free Giveaway

Anna Griffin is giving away the beautiful Hannah Christmas Collection filled with a 12″ x 12″ cardstock pack, a mat pack, a journaling pack, decorative ribbon, felt borders, vellum quotes, and epoxy stickers to one lucky winner (randomly selected). To be in the running for the giveaway, simply leave a comment on this blog post by December 20.

Hannah Christmas Collection from Anna Griffin

I hope you are inspired by the ideas I posted today!

—Pam Callaghan

Free Font Friday

As part of Free Font Friday, check out two sentiment-based dingbat fonts you can use on your holiday cards and tags. You can download both fonts for free here.

Sample sentiments from the CK Card Starters font

Sample sentiments from the CK Card Starters 2 font

For more card ideas, check out the blog of CK’s sister publication, Paper Crafts, and look for their new special issue, Holiday Cards & More, Volume 4.



Weekly Warm-Up: Quick Holiday Cards

12/14/2009 at 4:00 am | Posted in Holidays, weekly warm up | 4 Comments
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Have you mailed your holiday cards yet? Or let’s take another step back and ask if you’ve made your cards yet? Either way, please don’t panic. The month is young, and there’s still time create an annual greeting you can be proud of. Whether you send to a long list of people and need to take the mass-produced, digital route or you’re only making greetings for a close circle of friends, we have  ideas to get you started.

Let’s start with an easy-to-make digi design. This card was created by our talented Dream Team member Deena Wuest. What’s great about digi designs is that you only have to put a card together once, and then it’s just a matter of printing as many copies as you need.

"Merry and Bright" card by Deena Wuest, as seen in the December 2009 issue of Creating Keepsakes

To find complete instructions for making this card, visit our website.

If you feel like taking a more traditional route, check out the easy card I made for my editor’s note in the December 2009 issue of Creating Keepsakes. The card came together in a snap. Using that card as my inspiration, I wanted to see where I could shave off a few steps to save you even more time. And guess what! The card variation below came together in 10 minutes. You’ll only need a few accents, a tool or two, and a little cardstock.

"Merry" card by Megan Hoeppner. Supplies: Cardstock and die: Stampin’ Up!; Patterned paper and letter stickers: American Crafts; Button, brad, felt snowflake and gem: Little Yellow Bicycle; Snowflake punch: EK Success; Adhesive: Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L; Other: Twine.

Time-Saving Tip
We often talk about little tricks for stepping up a design, but some instances call for stepping down a design’s complexity. The next time you’re in a crunch, whether it’s with cards or layouts, look at the amazing projects you’ve already made, and see where you can shave off time and still create a wonderful design!

My biggest time-saving trick for this project is to skip the stitching. The background die I used came with a faux stitch around the border, so I felt like the card was finished enough without stitching my accents to the center of the card, as I did in my original design.

Your Ideas

We’re always looking for time-saving tips to feature in Creating Keepsakes magazine and on our blog. What are your favorite card-making shortcuts? Let us know in the comments section of this post, or e-mail Editorial@CreatingKeepsakes.com with “time-saving tricks” in the subject line.

In the spirit of holiday greetings, from my computer to yours I wish you a very merry holiday season!

Warmly,
Megan Hoeppner, creative editor

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