NEW VIDEO: Scrapbook Layout, "Around the World"

Hi, everyone!

So, I needed a break from the Boxed Set album manual and decided to scrap a layout last night. I was feeling inspired since I have a new(ish) scrap space and recently bought a new paper pad from Michael's.

It took me forever to get this "quick" layout done. This layout gave me so much grief, I actually thought for a while that I forgot how to scrapbook! I definitely need to print photos more often and work on some layouts so I don't lose all my skills. ;D

Here is a picture of the layout:

I was hoping my photo frames would look more like instant photos, than they do. I think the technique works, I just need to have a wider strip at the base and narrower strips on the sides.

I enjoyed being less uptight about everything having to be straight on my layout. Normally I would have printed my photos in a grid and had everything aligned perfectly, but I wanted it to have more of a "hey, I just got back from a trip and stuck these Polaroids and tickets to the wall!" vibe. I was very happy with how that casual aspect of it turned out. And it gave me a good excuse to play with dies, which is always fun. Most of the dies on this layout came from the Lifestyle Crafts "Tab" It Kit.

Despite this layout giving me grief, I even made a YouTube video! I know, can you believe it? It's like I turned over a new leaf or something. Of course, it's been a while since I've done that, so both my camera and editing software decided to be cranky and give me grief, too. Maybe they've been feeling neglected...?

You can watch the video below, or click the link to watch it over on my YouTube channel: Around the World Layout Video.



Enjoy the video and the rest of your weekend! I'll be putting my nose back to the grindstone and hopefully finishing the Boxed Set manual. Wish me luck!

See ya Monday!

~Kathryn :D

Christmas Card Camp Tonight!

Hi, everyone!

Just a quick post to remind you that Christmas Card Camp is tonight at 9:00 PM Eastern USA time over on my USTREAM channel: Kathryn Scraps. Christmas Card Camp has permanently moved to Mondays nights at 9:00 p.m. Eastern USA time.

To convert Eastern USA time to your time zone, click here: Time Zone Converter.

Last week we worked with the Impression Obsession "Lamb Awaiting" stamp. We made three projects: a card designed for mass production, a card that's a little more artsy and two cute little gift tags. You can see pictures of the finished projects below.

Mass Production Card:

Artsy Card:

Gift Tags:

Tonight I'll be working with the Our Daily Bread "Joy to the World" stamp set. I'll be making at least two projects ~ one more artsy/labor intensive and one designed for mass production.
 

If you're interested in purchasing either of these stamps, you can find them online in my little shop: Kathryn's shop.

Have a great week, and I'll see you tonight! 

~Kathryn :D

Layered Pumpkin Template

Hi, everyone!

During this afternoon's USTREAM we worked on a spooky layered pumpkin card for Halloween. Tonight we'll be continuing to work with the layered pumpkins - this time with a more kid-friendly version and a pop up card.

This afternoon I drew the pumpkin layers on white cardstock to create my own template. During the chat, Jani from Paper Compulsions offered to create a printable template for anyone who would prefer not to sketch their layers.

Here is what she created for you guys:

Isn't it wonderful!? You can download the PDF template here: Layered Pumpkin Template by Jani. Be sure to check out her blog where she has lots of other great templates and tutorials available! Thanks so much, Jani!

Today is still Thursday, so we have one more USTREAM today! I will be live from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on my USTREAM Channel: Kathryn Scraps.

All times are Eastern USA {Miami/New York}. To convert to your time zone, click here: Time Zone Converter.

See you soon!

~Kathryn :D

Review: Tape Online Die Storage Cases

Hi, everyone!

Last week on USTREAM we were talking about ways to store solid steel dies (these are the wafer thin steel dies like Spellbinders, Lifestyle Crafts, Cottage Cutz, Memory Box, etc.), and there was a gal in the chat who mentioned she stored her Spellbinders Nestabilities in DVD cases lined with magnetic sheets. It sounded like a good idea to me, so I did some research and posted Monday about some DVD storage cases for dies and magnetic sheets to go in them that I found on the website Tape Online.

Tape Online contacted me after that blog post went live and asked if I would like to review the cases so that I could tell you if they were "Kathryn Approved" or not. I got the two cases they sent for me to check out yesterday. I've been playing with them since then and thought I'd give you my impressions.

The box was packed very well. There was plenty of padding and everything arrived in pristine condition. Also in the box was a thank you card and a bag of Sugar Babies! I thought the inclusion of movie theater candy from a site that sells DVD cases was really clever and fun.

The cases are made from a crystal clear, rigid plastic. More like a CD case than like the softer, more flexible cases movie DVDs come in. This surprised and pleased me, as I think the rigid material will be better protection for the contents. I don't know WHY it surprised me ~ there was nothing on the site that would have led me to believe they would be the softer plastic. I just assumed it would be, and you know what they say about that!

Another thing I like about the cases is that there is a closure on the side. You have to push in on the side of the case to get them to open. This will help prevent the cases from flying open if you drop them, spilling dies everywhere. As you know, one of the things I really dislike about my current storage for my Spellbinders dies is that they are constantly falling out and then I have to crawl around searching for them.

The magnetic sheets were also also pleasant surprise. They were much stronger than I thought they would be. For example, they will hold Memory Box dies THROUGH the envelope they come in, and it take quite a bit of vigorous shaking to get them to slide off (I had to really make an effort to get them to release).

The magnetic sheets are just a smidgen smaller than the inside of the cases - maybe 1/8" on the top and bottom and 1/16" or less on the sides - so they fit perfectly right out of the box. No need to trim them to fit! I know there were some concerns about that in the comments from Monday's post. The backing sheet peels off easily, and then they stick right down. Nothing complicated here.

 

Here are some pictures of a few different die configurations in the cases so you can see how much they will realistically hold:

 

Overall, I like this method of die storage quite a bit! The cases are good quality, the magnets are strong (maybe even a little too strong, if I want to be really picky) and the price is very low. The cases are just $0.88/each and the magnetic sheets are $0.99/each, so it's $1.87 a set. That's not bad at all, really! Well, unless you have eleven billion dies (which I don't, believe it or not). Bottom line: if you think storing your dies in cases is the best way to go for you, these are really good cases to choose. The magnetic sheets are easy to install and great quality, too.

In the comments from Monday's post, Michelle suggested the IKEA BENNO DVD tower as a storage solution for these cases. It's very slim, and would take up very little space in a scrap room. I'm going to pop over to IKEA on Saturday (I know, I know, I'm crazy to go there on a weekend) and check it out.

I still have no solution for my longer dies like my border strips, envelopes and even some of the larger nesting dies. However, I would do just about anything to get rid of this Spellbinder's book and these cases are very nice! If I could get the bulk of my dies sorted into these cases, I could easily store any stragglers in one drawer.

Today is Thursday, so we have USTREAM today! I am live every Thursday from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and again from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. on my USTREAM Channel: Kathryn Scraps.

All times are Eastern USA {Miami/New York}. To convert to your time zone, click here: Time Zone Converter.

We're going to be working on Autumn/Halloween projects this week and next week. I have lots of stuff planned: cards, luminaries and even maybe a banner if we have time! Also, Mr. Lifeguard and I have been working very hard all week to reorganize and rearrange the scrap room. Part of our adventures in organization included overhauling my USTREAM camera set-up and it is much improved, so stop by this afternoon or evening to see the changes for yourself!
 

~Kathryn :D

Solid Steel Die Storage + USTREAM tonight!

Hi, everyone!

Just a quick post to remind you that Christmas Card Camp is tonight at 9:00 PM Eastern USA time over on my USTREAM channel: Kathryn Scraps. Christmas Card Camp is permanently moving to Mondays nights at 9:00 p.m. To convert Eastern USA time to your time zone, click here: Time Zone Converter.

Tonight we'll be working with the Impression Obsession "Lamb Awaiting" stamp. We'll be making at least two projects ~ one more labor intensive and one designed for mass production. I hope to have enough time to make some cute gift cards with this little guy as well, since he is so adorable!

If you're interested in purchasing this adorable little lamb stamp, you can find him in the shop on my new website: Shop.

Last week we were talking about ways to store solid steel dies (these are the wafer thin steel dies like Spellbinders, Lifestyle Crafts, Cottage Cutz, Memory Box, etc.), and there was a gal in the chat who mentioned she stored her Spellbinders Nestabilities in DVD cases lined with magnetic sheets. It sounded like a good idea to me, so I did some research today on DVD cases and found a site with a good solution: Tape Online.

On their site, I found empty DVD cases designed for rubber stamp storage (they have no DVD holders to be removed): Rubber Stamp Case.

They also have adhesive-faced magnetic sheets designed to fit inside the Rubber Stamp Case to convert it into a die storage case: Magnetic Sheets.

I haven't purchased or tested either of these products yet, so they are not "Kathryn Approved" at this time. I have read through the reviews of both items on the site and they are overwhelmingly positive. The only reason I haven't checked out with three dozen of each to hold my Spellbinders and other steel dies is because I am unsure how I will store the cases.

I originally wanted them to store them in one of the drawers of my VIKA ALEX table leg, but the cases are 14cm deep and the drawer is 13cm deep. So close! While I could still fit bunches of cases in one of my VIKA ALEX drawers, I couldn't store them in rows with their spines (and therefore labels with the die names) showing. So that was a bummer.

Then I thought about storing them in one of my EXPEDIT cubes. I could get 32 or 33 cases across the front of one cube by my measurements. But then there's not much else that I can store in the cube, and that seems like a waste of storage space. I thought about designing a box to go across the front of one cube that they could all sit in together. Then they could be easily removed to access something stored behind the dies. As long as I stored an item behind them that I don't use all that often, I'm sure it would be fine.

The other problem is I still have no solution for my longer Lifestyle Crafts dies like my border strips, envelopes and even some of the larger nesting dies. I have a couple border dies from other manufacturers as well. Of course, even if I just got the bulk of the dies sorted into these cases, I could store any stragglers in one VIKA ALEX drawer instead of having dies in a binder and an ArtBin and a VIKA drawer and a box on the floor and ... well, you get the idea!

What do you guys think? I love the idea of the cases with the magnets, but am still hung up on the case storage aspect. Plus, I always wonder if I will eventually find a way to store all my thin dies together in one place and then have to completely redo my storage. I realize this may be an unachievable goal.

So how do you guys store your thin dies? Do you do something similar? If so, how do you store the cases? If not, what do you do?

Also, am I over thinking this?

See you tonight!

~Kathryn :D

Newer Distress Ink Charts!

Hi, everyone!

Here are the links to the PDFs for the Distress Ink reference charts designed to fit on the back of the Kaisercraft Storage Chest. There is now a total of FOUR versions of the Distress Ink Chart.

This is a picture of the chart I made during the show:

In this chart, the seasonal inks are all at the end ~ rather than mixed in with the other color groups. If you want to keep your seasonal inks separate from the others, then download this chart. This chart is available in two versions ~ one with the new "Vampire Tears" name and one with more traditional (but not as cool) "Fired Brick" name. Both charts are linked below, so you can choose the color name you prefer. :)

Vampire Tears Chart

Fired Brick Chart

This is a picture of the chart I made this afternoon:

In this chart, the seasonal inks are mixed in with the permanent Distress Ink color groups. If you want your seasonal inks and permenant inks together, then download this chart. This chart is also available in two versions ~ one with the "Vampire Tears" name and one with the "Fired Brick" name. Both charts are linked below, so you can choose the color name you prefer. :)

Vampire Tears Chart - M

Fired Brick Chart - M

Thanks to everyone who joined me on USTREAM for this project! It was a lot of fun to create with you, and I am so pleased with the final result.

~Kathryn :D

P.S. The "M" in the name of the second set of charts stands for "Merged" so I can keep the two charts straight in my head.

New Distress Ink Charts

Hi, everyone!

Here are the links to the PDFs for the new Distress Ink Charts designed to fit on the back of the Kaiser Craft Storage Tower. I made two versions of the chart. One includes the ink color "Vampire Tears" and the other has the more traditional (but not nearly as cool) "Fired Brick" name. Both charts are linked below, so you can choose the color name you prefer. :)

Vampire Tears Chart

Fired Brick Chart

Thanks to everyone who joined me on USTREAM for this project! It was a lot of fun to create with you, and I am so pleased with the final result.

~Kathryn :D

August Stamps are In + NEW WEBSITE!

Hi, everyone! Hope your week is going well. We've been having lovely, fall-like weather the past few days. It has been beautiful! Last night I even felt the teensiest bit chilly when I wasout on the porch after the sun went down.

I have now received all the stamps from the manufacturers. Impression Obsession's Angel and Lamb just arrived and I have finished packing the last of the orders! Yay! They will be getting picked up by USPS tomorrow, so they should all be on their way soon.

We had our last Saturday Christmas Card Camp this weekend. Christmas Card Camp is now moving to Mondays nights at 9:00 p.m. Eastern USA time, beginning on Monday, September 17th. Christmas Card Camp will be on my USTREAM channel: Kathryn Scraps. To convert Eastern USA time to your time zon, click here: Time Zone Converter.

In other news, I have redone my website at http://www.kathrynscraps.com/ and it is completely revamped over there. The biggest change is that the code for the website is now HTML5 instead of Flash, so you will be able to view my website on tablets, smart phones and other mobile devices. Yay!

The other big change to my website is that there is now a shop page where everything I am currently offering for sale is available all together. Now you won't have to scroll through pages of blog posts looking for PayPal buttons if you're interested in a product.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

~Kathryn :D

August Stamp Update!

Hi, everyone!

Just a quick post to let you know that I have received the stamps from Heartfelt Creations and Our Daily Bread, as well as the dies from Spellbinders. I am still waiting on Impression Obsession, but they said they will be shipping to me on Monday (they were a little behind on orders due to CHA, they told me).

If you didn't have anything in your pre-order from Impression Obsession, then your order has already shipped and you should be getting it soon. Once the Impression Obsession stamps come in, all the other stamp order will go out immediately.

We had our last Saturday Christmas Card Camp today, and it will be moving to Mondays starting September 17th. I haven't settled on a time yet, but I will let you know on Thursday for sure.

Thank you all so much for your patience!

~Kathryn :D