Design Team Project for Today

For my project today I made a set of birthday cards.  I started with these

I like to pick up these little packages when I find them on clearance for really cheap, like a quarter cheap ;). 

I like to find the cards that are blank on the inside.

Here's my finished set of cards

These are so fast to make and so handy to have in my card box.  They are just the right size to add to a gift bag, perfect for that last minute gift. 

I used Party Animal pattern collection to make these cards & just used the cupcake pattern from the hippo pattern.

Father's Day Project

Today the design team at Little Scraps of Heaven was challenged to make a project for Father's Day.  My hubby loves to fish, so I made him this card.  I used the The Great Outdoors pattern set to cut out the moose and rocks. 

Try, try again

Last Friday the Little Scraps of Heaven Design Team was challenge to make a project that included stripes & polka dots on it.  This is the page I made for that challenge. I just loved these pictures of Keegan.  He was so determined to stand all by himself.  He would do this over & over & over again.  If he was awake and playing, this is what he was doing, lol.  Now, he stands but doesn't know what to do.  I LOVE this age :).  I thought the Playful Bears Pattern Set was perfect for these pictures.

If you would like to join the design team in our challenges, next we are challenged to make a Father's Day project.  It will be due Thursday evening, you need to use at least one pattern from Little Scraps of Heaven.

We also have a sketch challenge happening this week.  It's due on  May 26th. 

Today's Project

For my project at Little Scraps of Heaven I altered a plain coat hook.  Since I'm allergic to paint fumes, I used a Faber Castell artist pen big brush to color the outside edge of the hook.  That worked okay, but I'm sure pain would look much better.  All the paper I used is from Paper Studio "A Boy's Universe" paper pad.  The patterns I used are from the Boy's and Their Toys pattern set.

Artist Trading Cards aka ATC

Over at Little Scraps of Heaven we are going to be hosting an ATC swap in the near future.
Since not everyone knows exactly what an ATC is, I thought I would make a blog post explaining them.

First off there are only two rules when it comes to making an ATC but they are important.

Rule #1- Your card must measure 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches.  You can decorate your card vertical or horizontal, that is your choice.

Rule #2-Cards are only to be traded, never sold.


So now, what is the point of making an artist trading card? 

For me I enjoy making them.  Sometimes I have a total block when it comes to scrapbooking.  I can't think of anything to make & a 12 x 12 page seems so overwhelming.  If I'm having trouble coming up with something, then I turn to an ATC.  Since there are no rules I can do whatever.  I can dig in my scraps which can include the paper, stickers just about anything. 
I also enjoy trying out new techniques.  Some of those might include embossing, either dry or wet.  It might be coloring an image in with  new markers or pens.  It's so easy to try out these techniques without worrying about wasting a lot product or some how ruining a big project.
I love going to the mailbox & finding a new card in it!  It's really fun to see what someone else has came up with or what technique they have tried.
Here's some pictures of some cards I have received in the past.

As you can see, you can try just about anything when making these little gems!

How to start? 

You want to start with a good heavy card base.  You don't want your card to be flimsy.  For this you can use scraps of paper or you can buy already cut card bases.  Here's a couple of packages that I have in my stash.

There is also a template at Mirkwood that shows you how to get the most cards from an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper.

When you have finished your card you will want to write on the back.  You should include the title of your card(if you have one) also how many of this card you made and which number this one is.  It's also great to include your contact info. 
You can do this in a few ways, first is the cheapest by just writing all the info on the back.
On this card the artist used address labels and wrote the info on those.

You can also get stamps that are just for the backs of your creations.  Here is one that I have.

So, once you've started making these cards, what do you do with them?
Easiest thing is storing them in a 3-ring binder & put them in baseball card sleeves.

You can also buy albums that are just for storing your cards in.  Here is a picture of one that I have.

I have also found tins that are just the right size to put them in.  I "think" I found this one at Michael's.

My newest addiction to making these cards is using paper piecing patterns from  Little Scraps of Heaven Designs.  It's a great way to try out a pattern!

I hope this has helped explain artist trading cards!  Watch our facebook page for details about an upcoming ATC swap!

Easter Page

Here's my Monday project I created for Little Scraps of Heaven.  I used the "Easter Quackers" pattern set to make this.  The paper & embellishments are all from the We R Memory Keepers Rainbos Pad.

Monkey ATC

Here's a quick ATC I made this evening.  I used the Swimming Monkey from the "Fun in the Sun" pattern set.

Sneak Peak

I thought I would share a sneak peak for my project for tomorrow.  Make sure to check out Little Scraps of Heaven on Facebook to see all the projects the design team will be revealing.  If you haven't seen the newest pattern set yet, you will have to have it!  It's adorable!  Here's a link to The Great Outdoors, it's a must have! 

ATC Card

To make this ATC I used the Palm Tree pattern from Little Scraps of Heaven Designs.  The base is a clear acrylic atc card from Clear scraps.  Glitter is from PK Glitz, amazing glitter!

Thanks!

For this card I used the "Spring Has Sprung" Pattern set. 

Easel Card

For this challenge I used the "Chocolate Bunny" paper piecing.  I even used some of my stashed paper!  There is a sentiment stamped in the empty space but I could not get it to show up in the picture.

First Picture with the Easter Bunny

Keegan was not sure about this at all!  I love how he is looking at that bunny!

For this project I started with a cheap plastic frame.  I used the "Pictures with the Easter Bunny" pattern set from Little Scraps of Heaven Designs.  This was such a fun project!  I used paper from DCWV The Green Stack.  One of my very favorite things about using Tricia's patterns is that I don't "need" a lot of product.  I used 2 sheets of paper from the stack, scraps of white & pink paper and that is it!  I cut the font and the paper piecing using SCAL.  I just love that I can use so little & make such a cute project!

Bookmark

I used the Gnome in my Garden pattern set to make this bookmark.  All of the papers I used were scraps left from other projects.  The pattern paper is from 6x6 MM Vintage Hip paper stack.  I love this little paper stack & have saved every tiny piece of it!  The little crochet flower I found at an antique store! 

Behind Again!

I really thought I would keep up with blogging but again, I haven't!  I thought I would share a few of the projects I've made for Little Scraps of Heaven.

I made this page for the "sketch challenge #14".  This was a really simple page to put together.  I used the "In My Community-Playground"  pattern set to make this.  Supplies I used were all from the We Are Memory Keepers Rainbow Designer Scrapbook Pad.