More Masking with Heather

Let's get a small project done today! Try something like this as Heather explains!
Deb♥



I have been having a lot of fun playing with masking lately! I think it is amazing not only the different things you can do with it, but also the very different looks you can get!

I love the distressed look! I had so much fun making these tags - masking, inking, using Glimmer Mist and Smooch, Tim Holtz stamps, what can be more fun!!! And one of the best things is, these only took minutes to make! And the many different ways they can be used . . . gift tags, on layouts, on cards, in a frame, the ideas could go on! Give us your ideas of how you would use them!

Heather

Focus on Life

As my daughter continues down her path of growing up, I am completely amazed at how fast time goes before my eyes. To complete a page for her scrapbooks, I chose a paper that has many words in it then used a piece of ribbon to underscore the word "life" and in essence it creates a title for my page without over doing anything or needing alphabet letters. Sometimes when I use patterned paper I find that adding more alphabets can be distracting.

Hope you are inspired to break into your ribbon drawer as I did. Using several of mine here made me remember why I bought each of them to begin with. Let's make this a year of using what we have on hand! Happy New Year!






Thanks to Sketches in Thyme for challenging me ;)

CRAYON RUBBINGS: NATALIE

This crayon rub layout features my mom and my daughter picking peas and eating them while smelling petunias in my mom's friendship garden in Montana. We go there every summer for a couple weeks.

To create the crayon rub, I took a sheet of scrap onion-like paper that came from somewhere (always a paper pack rat) and I first laid it on a tempered-glass cutting board (which by the way is bad for your knives) and I rubbed a brownish/burgundy color on it. My crayons have most of the labels gone due to it being fun for a 3-year old to take them off! Next I took out a piece of really thick embossed vellum that had French cursive writing on it and did a rub with a purple and then moved the paper and did a rub with black. I then placed that paper on top of a pinkish piece of printed paper and then onto the background sheet. I love how the crayon rub gives the page some real texture and it was fun to see what I could use to make textures with right under my nose!

The little garden fairy is paper pieced from a Cricut cutout and a vintage picture of some woman from long ago found in one of my clip art books. The flower cut outs are also from another clip art book I have. I just chalked the images a little to match the colors of the layout.

Meet Sarah Swann, Our Newest Groovy Chick!

Hello everyone! My name is Sarah Swann. I'm an Air Force wife and a stay-at-home mother. I've been married to my husband for 8 years and we have a 2 year old daughter (3 in March) and we are expecting our second child (due July 31, 2011). We're currently living in Arizona and we hope to stay a while. I have been scrapbooking since 2003 and love everything about it! I normally do 12x12 layouts, but I've been venturing out into making cards and I'm also doing an 8.5x11 recipe album. I also make a lot of mini books. I'm so excited to be a part of this team and I can't wait to be challenged and help to inspire others. You can find me on my blog The Scrap Angel (thescrapangel.blogspot.com) and I'm also a designer at Scrapping the Moments (scrappingthemoments.com). I can't wait to get to know everyone!


WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Nope

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
With these pregnancy hormones kicking in, I cried last week when I got overwhelmed and had a mini meltdown. Probably won't be the last.

DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Most of the time, yes. I usually use my handwriting on my layouts.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Brown Sugar Ham

DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Yes, a daughter and one on the way.

IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Yes, I'm awesome.

DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Sarcasm? Me? Moi? Yes.

DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Unfortunately. When I was younger I had issues with my tonsils and the doctors kept saying, "Next time, we'll take them out." I still have them.

WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Jump off a perfectly good bridge for no reason at all and then spring back towards it with absolutely no control? No thanks.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Life and Special K with Vanilla and Almonds.

DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Nope, just kick them off.

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
I'm a military wife...I have to be strong!

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
My go-to is cookie dough, but my favorite specialty is Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato at Frost.

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
What they're wearing.

RED OR PINK?
Pink!

WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
My belly. I'm ready to start looking pregnant instead of...fluffy.

WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
My family in Florida.

WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Nice, cozy fuzzy socks.

WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
Life cereal...told you I liked it.

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue. My daughter can't get enough Tinkerbell.

IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Purple

FAVORITE SMELLS?
Fresh laundry, baking cookies, my daughter after her bath.

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Probably my mom. We talk a lot.

MOUNTAIN HIDEAWAY OR BEACH HOUSE?
Beach House. I''m from Florida!

FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Georgia Bulldogs! Both my parents went to UGA so I was born a fan!

HAIR COLOR?
Brown

EYE COLOR?
Blue

DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
Nope

FAVORITE FOOD?
Just one? Potatoes...and pizza...and bacon cheeseburgers...and cake...really, a pregnant woman should not answer this question!

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy please!

LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
The A-Team. Hello Bradley Cooper!

WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
A ridiculously huge black Guitar Hero shirt that I got for free for preordering the game.

SUMMER OR WINTER? SPRING OR FALL?
Spring and Fall! I love it when it warms up and then cools down (especially in AZ)

HUGS OR KISSES?
Depends on the recipient. Kisses for my hubby and daughter and hugs for everyone else. I'm a hugger.

FAVORITE DESSERT?
Pumpkin cheesecake. I make a killer one every year for Thanksgiving.

STRENGTH TRAINING OR CARDIO?
In my condition not a lot of cardio going on, but I do train with a trainer three times a week.

COMPUTER OR TELEVISION?
Is this a trick question? I love my TV, but I'm on the computer a lot too. Scrappy stuff, go figure.

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Mercy by Jodi Picoult. She's my favorite.

WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
A picture of my daughter sleeping on my husband's shoulder.

FAVORITE SOUND?
My daughter's laugh. I know, sappy.

ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Beatles baby!

WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
California, our first duty station.

DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
I'd like to think my scrapping. And I'm a pretty good cook.

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Holland. My father was also in the Air Force.

WHERE ARE YOU LIVING NOW?
Tucson, AZ

WHAT COLOR IS YOUR HOUSE?
A very Arizona-y beigy type color with a tile roof.

WHAT COLOR IS YOUR CAR?
A beige Ford Edge. I LOVE my car!

CRAYON RUBBINGS: DOREEN

Welcome to IIG Doreen, home of the crazy challenge! Right gang?
I love what you came up with!
Deb♥


Wow! I have to admit that the “Crayon Rubbings” Challenge was just that – a challenge!!
I have never used crayons on my layouts and I haven’t used them, as a rub-on device, since my days as a little girl, pretending to be a fashion designer, w/ my rub-on fashion plates toy (which, by the way was my most favorite toy EVER!)!!
I thought about it for days before attempting anything. I knew I wanted to use a white background because then I could use any color and I thought that the rub-on effect would show better on white. That was the easy part! The hard part was finding something w/ a texture. I couldn’t believe it, but I really had nothing w/ texture in my house – NOTHING! How could that be? Of course I didn’t look everywhere but I looked enough. I even tried a few items thinking they would work but nope, they didn’t (if you were to see the back of my completed layout, you would see the failed attempts, LOL!). Since I wasn’t having any luck and I felt like a scrappy failure, I reached into my scrap stash and grabbed a leftover piece of patterned paper and adhered it to my background paper, not knowing how my final layout would look or even what picture I would scrap (something I never do!) But I did it so I can say I accomplished something!
I then sat back and just started looking at all my scrappy supplies. Eventually my eyes landed on my stencil stash. Too be honest, I don’t remember the last time I even touched my stencils…but this time they stood out to me. I thought, instead of putting them on top of my paper and tracing within the stencil, I should try putting it under the paper and rubbing over the stencil. It took some practice, but it worked! Yay! But I really didn’t like the way the coloring looked outside of the shape of the stencil so I cut away what I didn’t like and came up w/ a cute little flourish design. Then I thought, if I make more and line them up in a row, I can make a really pretty border! And that’s just what I did. Finally, since I have this “thing” for framing my pictures w/ “rings”, I took an old ring I cut out of paper and didn’t wind up using, and did a rubbing of it. I also cut out the extra coloring I didn’t like.
After seeing the final outcome of my crayon rubbings, I liked the soft almost charcoal look of them and thought a Halloween picture would be perfect for it, and I pulled out an old picture I never scrapped. Luckily my random piece of scrap paper had Halloween colors. Finally, I added a few extra embellishments, a title, and journaling and my layout was complete! And you know what? I really do love it! Great challenge! :0)

January Challenge of the Month

As always IIG has a monthly challenge that will be something out of the box :)

This month we are asking players to participate by completing layouts using crayon in some way! Some say it is not non-toxic so please do research that if you feel you would like to know more. All month long The Groovy Chicks will be coming in with their layouts where each has used crayons in some form. We hope to inspire you to create your own!

This month you are playing for a prize as always. I like to surprise you but everything is new so come on out to play! Email groovydeb@yahoo.com with your lo! If your name is chosen then you get to choose a challenge for me, because I always need another one! Sound fun! Please come play!

December's Winner is Danielle! Please email me with your mailing info! Congrats!!!
Deborah♥

Let's Hop Girlfriends!

WELCOME to the Calendar Blog Hop! I am number 14 on the stops so if you just cruised by today be sure to look at the following list for #1 and start leaving comments at each blog for your chance at a Cricut Cartridge, Designer's Calendar! Every blogger will have completed a calendar page aiming to inspire you to create your own for 2011! Someone will receive the Cricut cartridge simply by becoming a follower on the blogs and leaving a comment for each. Easy right! Let us know how we have done :)

P.S. Karel at the Flamingo blog (stop #4) will be choosing the winner after collecting comments so please leave your email address kinda like this groovydebatyahoodotcom on your comments to make life easier for her when searching out the winner. This way we can keep robots from stealing our groovy data too!

p.p.s. There is still time to complete the Dictionary Challenge for this month here on IIG for a prize too! Complete a lo using a word of the day or just open a dictionary and use the word you point to. It's fun so we hope you have fun! We Luv Ya and appreciate you coming over to play in all of the challenges we participate in as well as our own on IIG!!!


Now Let me tell you a little about my calendar. We were asked to make two pagers, leaving room for photos. I decided to cut holes in my barn door and inset tags which will hold my pics. I Stickled every apple I found to add some glitz to the paper.

We were also asked to include holidays. Since I signed up for September there are a few that stick out in my mind: My friend and sorority sister's birthday one week before my own, 9/11 to honor the fallen here in America, and World Peace Day on September 21. I added each of those and carried the embellishment of Stickles to the calendar too by using some on the important dates, Stamp Pressed my acrylic peace sign after I let me numbers dry, then covered a few weekends in September with Fall stickers to remind me it is pumpkin time in my part of the SE so I will get pumpkins BEFORE October!!! No plans on those weekends now other than that!

I am showing the few steps it took to make mine. If you envision the bottom two side by side that's how I am actually keeping them in my album as you may see in the little pic clip below :)

Thanks for coming, enjoy the hop and don't forget to spread the luv and follow for your chance at the cartridge. If you don't have a Cricut I bet you know someone who does who would love that sweet gift next Christmas. Come on and play along!
Deb♥

1. January and April: Celeste at Touched by a Butterfly at http://touchedbyabutterfly.blogspot.com/


2. January and September: Jessica at Overjoyed Scrapper www.overjoyedscrapper.blogspot.com

3. February: Christel at Scrappin' Sista http://onescrappinsista.blogspot.com

4. February and March: Karelj at One By One The Flamingos Are Stealing My Sanity http://karelj.blogspot.com

5. March and July: Diane at Crafting This Moment http://www.craftingthismoment.blogspot.com/

6. April: Bonnie at A Scrap Above http://ascrapabove.blogspot.com

7. May: Michelle at Peanut Butter and Jelly Designs http://peanutbutterandjellydesigns.blogspot.com/

8. May: Natalie (Groovy Chick!) at Timeless Legacy Designs http://timelesslegacydesigns.blogspot.com

9. June: Lisa at Lisa's Paper Butterflies http://lisaspaperbutterflies.blogspot.com


10. June: Jamie at Glitter, Paper, Stamps, Oh My! http://jamieisacraftymomma.blogspot.com/

11. July: Summer and Jennifer at Cricut Diaries http://cricutdiaries.blogspot.com

12. August: Denise at Starlight Scrapper http://starlightscrapper.blogspot.com

13. August: Gina at Gina Thornton Stamping http://ginathorntonstamping.blogspot.com/



YOU ARE NOW HERE:
14. September: If It's Groovy

15. October: Rebecca at Creations with Becka www.creationswithbecka.blogspot.com


16 . October: Lora at Notes From The Scrapbook
http://scrpbooklady.blogspot.com/

17. November: Belinda at Queen Bee's Musings http://www.queenbeesmusings.blogspot.com/

18. November and December : Col at Col's Creative Corner at www.scrappycol.blogspot.com

19. December: Deb at Tidbit's Place http://tidbitsplace.blogspot.com

Thanks for the Award Mary!

I love blog awards. When I receive one for IIG it makes me feel awesome. I share this award with each of the DT as we all together are and have been a team and work so well together :) Thanks MaryNSC
Now the rules are for me to tell you 8 blogs that are what I think of as stylish and 8 things about myself. OK...



1.I would Preside, if there were a Dr.Pepper-Anon, I am a recovering addict, No joke!
2.I am a Christian, imperfect and everything!
3.I am an Identical Triplet!
4.I will celebrate my 17th anniversary in 2011!
5.I still crush Bret Michaels even though he proposed to his g/f!
6.I still get tears in my eyes when I hear Faithfully by Journey!
7.I want to move!
8.I miss my 84 Camaro!

The 8 Blogs I choose:

1. Vanessa
2. Julie
3. Judy
4. Regena
5. Tracey
6. All the IIG Chicks :)
7. Mrs. Bishop
8. Shannon

Happy Boxing Day(s)

In the USA where I live, Boxing Day is not known to all so I just would like to send out a Happy Boxing Day! I have learned that Monday is the actual celebration day since it fell on Sunday and now this allows for church by having it moved.

Here is a cute pic I took on Christmas to share with my version of Boxing Day ")

Groovy Christmas Wishes!

All of us here at If It's Groovy would like to take the time to send good tidings and wishes for a very Merry Christmas!

Today as we celebrate the birth of our beautiful dear Jesus, I am so thankful for the many blessings I have in life because of His birth. May we all continue to be blessed together in 2011! Sending much love, warm wishes, and a happy season with those you care about! We appreciate you!
Deborah♥

I would like to wish all you GROOVY GIRLS a very Merry CHRISTmas. I am so happy to celebrate the birth of our Savior. I hope you will all join me and reflect on every single blessing you have in your life. It does not matter what is under that tree, be it a Kitchen Aid or a box of microwave popcorn. What matters is that a man was born to save the world and we all need to be aware of that every day we live! Do something to bring glory to him every day. May his love shine brightly on you this next year. There you have it, that is what really matters, sorry Santa, you are 2nd best!
Jeannie DeGruccio

Heather here! Just wanted to wish all you Groovy Chicks out there a Very Merry Christmas!! A big thank you for following us here at If It's Groovy, for all the wonderful comments, for participating in our challenges and for giving me inspiration as well!!! My prayer is that God blesses you this Christmas season, that Jesus' birth is celebrated and that we are able to spread the good news of who our God is!!! Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Safe New Year!!! ~ Heather

i hope your christmas wishes come true and that you share your day with those you love and cherish. merry christmas all!!
jen t.

Happy Holidays to you! Hoping you have the best, most fabulous season and that it continues into your New Year! xoxoxo

Doreen

This year is like no other for me in my celebration of Christmas. Inwardly I have transcended the way I used to think about life in a way that is benefiting my family and myself. I have stopped being a scrapbooker who just has to have every new Cricut this and that, acting the part of the paper addict, and ooh I've got to make my layouts look like so and so's. I am wiser when it comes to my paper art choices and I am making more time to include my faith in my scrapbooking.

I am looking to make a major breakthrough for myself in that my scrapbooking will bring God the Glory He deserves. I am going to be adding more about my Lord and faith in my layouts and passing this on to my family. This is the only way I can justify doing scrapbooking anymore as a leisurely and fun thing to do because I felt I was neglecting my worship of God. I felt like I was becoming a slave to materialism.

With that said, I've spent this Advent season teaching my daughter the strong connection between the child-loving Santa Claus and who he really was and weaving it into the magical character we all know him to be. I also link all of this back to the St. Nicholas who was a man of God and how he gave gifts and how Jesus is a gift, he was born for us! I explain to her why we give gifts and how all of the little traditions of Christmas tie into the rich history of the celebration of that little baby! We have baked and gone to Christmas programs and donated our stuff all year long to the poor. We have been trying to help her live the Christmas Spirit all year long.

It is my sincere wish that all of the followers of If It's Groovy sit down this Christmas with their families and reminisce about all the times past and how you've made it through countless times because an unseen hand was protecting you. Share stories, laugh, cry, eat too much, love, remember, and rededicate yourselves to something honorable! Much love and Merry Christmas, Natalie

Hang Your Stocking It's Time!

I consulted with a long time friend, Santa, about the likelihood of The Groovy Chicks receiving goodies tonight in our stockings. Since we all worked so hard on creating one-of-a-kind representations of ourselves then I thought Santa should at least have a say-so before he is "expected" to fill them! Here is what he said about us...




Dear Groovy Chicks,


















Groovy Deb♥


















































Still very much on nice list, but must continue good behavior. Should eat more vegetables instead of junk food. Was very polite last Thursday! When doing chores, needs to do them as well as possible. Often exhibits good behavior.


Natalie



















































Teetered back and forth but has made the finals on the "Nice" list. Naughty marks for skipping baths, hiding junk food in bedroom and staying up too late. Is sweet to parents and little kids, though. Really came through with plenty of "please" and "thank you's." Was especially well behaved the last week of last month. Has a good chance of clinching a "Nice."


jen t
















































"Nice!" Matter of fact, one of the nicest years ever! Really helped the family and friends when they needed it. Is always polite. Extremely honest. What's more, adds a good sense of humor to situations, which is always a "nice" touch. Don't go overboard on the sweets though. Think of your teeth! And remember, faithful brushing always scores points on my list!


Jeannie













Has been on best behavior most of the year! A real "Nice" surprise. Always plays by the rules. Is a good, polite listener, even when bored. Set a new record of only interrupting 75 times in 365 days! Always says "bless you" when somebody sneezes. Every now and then gets a little cranky. (Like last Thursday?) Let's try and keep the good attitude every day!

Heather

Nice, but has naughty lapses. High marks in the good deeds department. Better than average manners. Hopefully, thoughtfulness will continue to be as good as last month. Neatness needs improvement!


Doreen





















Much more nice than naughty. Can be very thoughtful. Has improved cleanliness, which I like. Could take better care of toys. Says "thank you" often, but still not as much as I would like. Good mood often spreads to others. Hopefully, will keep up the good work!

Darlene















































Nice, but a few naughty marks. Good sense of humor helps others to laugh. Manners show improvement, though must keep working on being polite. "Please" and "thank you" go a long way!!

A Few More Christmas Projects

I hope you have enjoyed the many Christmas projects The Groovy Chicks were able to share with you this month. Here are a few more
from Natalie :)

Did you mail out Christmas Cards?

Yes? Good for you? No? How about putting one together now to add to one of your presents? Here is one from Natalie!
Deb♥




Here is a very special lo too!

Digi Christmas

By now time is escaping so many of us as w close in on Christmas. If you need some ime just for you consider a digi layout :) Here are 3 from Jeannie which she hopes inspires!
Deb♥

DICTIONARY CHALLENGE: JEN T

Have you opened the dictionary lately? Here is what Jen found when she opened hers :)
Deb♥

ROYAL

For this challenge I chose the word(s) princess royal.....my girls are my princesses and so when I saw this paper and my favorite picture of my oldest daughter dressed as an princess I was so excited to do this page :) also, on some of my pages I like to add a little note around a pic or page so my daughters know just how much I love them and it adds your personal handwriting which is so neat for you kids to see now and in the future :)

Charlie Brown Strikes Again

I can so relate to this layout shared by Doreen, the infamous Charlie Brown tree...I have one of those up this year to keep the cats away from it! Sometimes downsizing can be a stress relief! I see myself scurrying down to a tree lot and picking up the leftover tree this year. I've secretly always wanted to do that, lol!!!

Here is the lo shared today, Deb♥

Washing the Crystal Yet?

It is almost time to set the table for Christmas dinners! Can you believe how close it is now? Natalie has a great idea for us especially if you are craving some craft time. Work it in to your day and onto your table and I bet you will be the rave of the party because of your food and your tablescape!

Christmas Layers

Doreen has done a great job with Christmas layers here. There is Christmas paper layers, word layers and my face is the tissue paper layers! Cute right?
Deb♥

Christmas Bags Made by Natalie

Of you are unfamiliar with Smilebox, it is a great service. Please click on the play button to see many Christmas bags Natalie has made. She would like to share them today.

Thanks, Deb♥

Customize your own photo collage

Christmas Inspiration from Natalie

Taking pics with Santa is such a special part of so many children's lives. My kids have always been so shy! I was too, so I cannot say a word. I will just enjoy the ones who aren't so much like Natalies little girl shown here in this fab layout!
Deb♥

Christmas Inspiration from Doreen :)

I am a big fan of anything with doodles and that includes this lo! Take a look at how Doreen doodles around the pics and papers of her Christmas Tree memory! Cool right?
Deb♥

DICTIONARY CHALLENGE: GROOVY DEB♥

It's My Turn to show my Dictionary word on a layout :) Since I no longer have a hard copy dictionary in the house, I logged into a word of the day site and the first word I saw was "Marvel". I knew right away the pics I wanted to use with that word. These were taken by my then 8 year old right after my youngest was born. I treasure these photos and memories. TFL! Come join in the challenge!

DICTIONARY CHALLENGE: HEATHER

Oh WOW! That is how I felt when I saw Heather's latest layout for us to see! Her word: PLETHORA
Deb♥


When we were instructed to "open the dictionary" for a layout, I was pretty interested!!! Not something you normally think about doing, but, aha, that is why it is called a challenge!

I picked the word "Plethora". Now, I know I have heard this word over the years. I must admit that I had always taken it to mean "a lot", which is basically accurate. But the definition that I liked best for plethora was "overabundance". Yes, I think I like that! I think I will scrap it! I will even scrap a page about ME for my BOM (Book of Me)!

The journaling says: "I am filled with a Plethora of . . . Silliness, Peace, Fun Times, Happiness, Love, Crazy Moments, Compassion, Faith, Laughter"

My little man, Jackson, took these pics of me being silly this summer out at the campgrounds. (He loves to be behind the camera like his momma!) I tore a page out of an old (honesty here) thesaraus. Hey, it was all I had that was from an old book that was yellowed and tattered and that came close to a dictionary! Of course, I gave it a little extra distressing!! You would expect no less, right! I then added some lace and a gorgeous prima flower and some bling! Not things I get to use a whole lot of but I sure love how it turned out!

I encourage you all to make sure that you are not always behind the camera and to take the opportunity to scrap yourself! There are many generations to come that would like to also know about YOU!!!!

Hope you enjoy! - Heather

Do You Know Guest Designer,Sandy?

I enjoyed a project created so much by Fiskateer friend Sandy, that I asked her to be our guest here at IIG today :) This is a good one just in time for the beautiful holidays ahead! Check out the very lofty goal she has set for 2011!!!

Let me introduce you now to Sandy with the questions I asked of her and the project I mentioned above. Be sure to visit her blog to say hello :)
Deb♥

Tell me all about the start of your art, How did your scrapbooking begin?
I began scrapbooking at a very young age. If you look in my scrapbooks from when I was 5 or 6, I was already writing in them about my party or gift. It's not a lot and rather hard to read, but Mom felt the stories in my scrapbooks should be mine, so I wrote some and she wrote some with me. The art side of my fun just came naturally when I started incorporating items of nature into my altered books, then came ink and the rest is history.

Do you have a stand-by element/paper line or tool that you must use when you scrap?

There isn't any one tool or element that I must use. I work very hard at stepping outside of my box and trying something different or from a different view. I do use a lot of chalk or ink because I love adding color to the edges. Sometimes it's distressing and sometimes it more of a cloudy look to just add color.


Do you have a favorite technique?

I actually have two favorites.

-I love using my stamps to create water color looking images. I don't use it a lot, but I do love the effect of coloring my stamp, spritzing with water, stamping, then spritzing again, stamping, and if I'm lucky, I'll get a third image from the stamp before I re-ink.

-I also love the effects of detailed masking. It's so cool to see a scene come alive just by using different stamps or stencils.


If you could not shop for one year...would your scrap space be emptied or would you still have product?

Funny you should ask. I don't plan to buy any consumable products during 2011. That includes paper. Not only will I still have product, but it's very possible I won't need to buy any adhesive during this next year, (or ink, or cardstock, or stamp cleaners, or paint, or, or, or...)


If you could make one outfit out of scrapbooking paper what line would it be from?

Hmmm. This is a tough question since my clothing style is not the same as my crafting style. I think Heidi Grace and Fancy Pants both capture some of the materials I might use to create blouses or vests, but my first choice (don't laugh) would probably be Bazzill. I love solid colors with accents and in the case of my current clothing the accents include ink and bleach spots, from a few, very fun, crafty sessions. My scarfs would be made from Anna Griffin, K & Company, or Wild Asparagus. My colors choices are black, red, gray, and white, but I seldom wear these the way I like because it is very warm here and layering, blazers, etc. just don't happen.


Can you tell something about yourself that others would be shocked to learn?

I love being alone. I do not like social gatherings and I would rather watch and not talk.


What makes you a Groovy Chick?

I say “Cool” and “Very Cool” a lot. Does that count?




Where can we visit you Groovy Chick?

This has been a teaching blog until now. I hope to start posting a little more often with tips, tricks, links, etc. Here is the address: Sandy :)


THE PROJECT:

Snow Globe Cards


















Supplies:

- Very sticky two sided adhesive. I like Thermoweb sheets, and spray adhesive works too.

White Cardstock

Cardstock for base card, cut 11” x 4 1/4”

Cardstock for creating sentiment (cut, punched, or using nestibilities or die cuts for shapes)

Crystal glitter, the largest flakes you can find.

Stamps to create scene

Stamp for sentiment

Pens to color the scene (or any bold coloring medium)

Tape runner for creating actual card

embellishments


(I'm not used to creating a supply list. I usually just bring the supplies, so I hope this is complete)




1. Start with a circle the same as, or slightly less than, the width of your card. Because you will want a base on the snow globe, the card will always be a vertical card. Our circles for class today are 4” circles (with a 4 1/4” card), because it was convenient to use a die cut and that is what was available.




2. Cut both, a piece of white cardstock to stamp your globe scene on, and the sheet of adhesive, in same size circles. *See foot note.




3. Stamp scene on white cardstock circle and color with bold colors that will show through the glitter. Stamp your scene in a good detail black ink like Rangers Archival ink.




4. Peel one side of protective sheeting from your adhesive circle and adhere it to your stamped scene circle. Set aside.




5. Create your base for the snow globe. With the 4 inch circle we are using in class, a 2” x 4” piece works well. Add shape to your base by cutting angles on each side. Decorate your base with any stamped images or sentiments you prefer. Hold off on adhering anything with pop dots until after you've added the glitter.




6. Carefully peel back the bottom of the protective sheeting to expose just enough adhesive to attach your base. Lay the excess sheeting back down on any exposed adhesive and set aside.




7. To create the easel fold card. Cut cardstock 4 1/4” by 11”. Score at 5 1/2” and 2 3/4”. Fold both in the same direction. Set aside.




8. To create the base of the card that will hold your easel in place, you can use anything with dimension. In class, my samples have a sentiment stamped on card stock and trimmed with a reverse corner punch. I then layered this onto matting cardstock that is also punched with a reverse corner punch. The original cardstock (matting) is approximately 3” x 2”. You can work with almost any size you want, as long as it's not too tall and will hold the easel fold in place. I used pop dots under my sentiments to ensure a good hold but I have seen cards where they used items as small as brads to stand the easel up. When deciding how big to make your easel support piece, consider propping your easel at approximately the half way point.




9. From here, you can add the **glitter to the remaining exposed adhesive, or secure the scene to your card and then add the glitter. To secure the scene to your card, place the scene on the bottom 2 3/4” fold of your card and mark the back of your scene where the cardstock ends. Apply tape or glue to the back of your scene to your marked line and attach.




*Another option is to prepare your scene (keeping in mind the actual size of your circle), on a piece of cardstock larger than your intended circle. Cut only the adhesive circle. When your scene is ready, peel one side of the adhesive circle and carefully lay it over your scene, then cut around it. This ensures a perfect match up of edges, but it's a little harder to make sure your scene is centered since you are looking through the protective sheeting.




**It is important to use a large cut glitter for this card. If it is too fine, you will not see the scene through the glitter. I found this at Michael s in the children's craft section. Be sure it is crystal (the color) and not iridescent.