Think Crafts Blog – Craft Ideas and Projects – CreateForLess

By Cardmaking & Scrapbook Layout Contributor, Peg from the blog Peg’s Crafting Corner.

In all of the craziness of the holiday don’t forget to help Santa out and let him know what you would like for Christmas.  He reads a lot of letters so make yours into a layout with pictures from your favorite craft store like CreateForLess so he knows just what to get you and where to get it. 

Santa Claus is going to make an extra delivery to one lucky CreateForLess customer this holiday season! Enter our Dear Santa Sweepstakes and you could win up to $100 of what you’ve been wishing for this holiday season! Simply pick out your wish list at CreateForLess and enter HERE!

Supplies Needed:

• Corner Rounder
• Christmas Tree Punch
• Graphic 45 Christmas Emporium Paper Pad
• Red Stickles
• Yellow Stickles
• Fired Brick Distress Ink
• Vintage Photo Distress Ink
• Heritage Cricut Cartridge
• Cricut Machine
• 3-d Adhesive
• Green Cardstock
• Smooth White Cardstock
• Smooth Beige Cardstock that works in your printer
• Black Marker
• Your favorite tape runner

The first thing you will want to do is to punch the Christmas trees using the tree punch and green cardstock  and then put the red and yellow Stickles dots on them.  Set them aside to dry.  Next, go to your favorite online craft store like CreateForLess and find some things on your wish list.  Copy and paste them into a document and print them off on the Smooth Beige Cardstock.  Keep in mind to size your photos so they will fit onto the 8 x 8 patterned paper once they are cut out.  After cutting around each photo, round the corners with the corner rounder and ink the edges using the Fired Brick Distress Ink.    Also, round the corners of the “Toyland” patterned paper from the Graphic 45 Christmas Emporium Paper Pad.  Attach the pictures with the tape runner to the patterned paper making sure to tilt some of the photos to add attention to the layout. 

Using your Cricut machine set the size to cut to 3 ¾” and cut the scroll from the Heritage cart.  Ink the edges using the Vintage Photo Distress Ink to give it an old world paper look and adhere it to your layout.    Write your letter to Santa with the black marker on the scroll and add the trees to the layout using the 3-d adhesive so they pop off the page. 

You now have your letter to Santa finished and can help cut his work time down by showing him where he can find the tools on your Christmas wish list!

By Cardmaking & Scrapbook Layout Contributor, Peg from the blog Peg’s Crafting Corner.

Q. What is the difference between acrylic and cling stamps?

A. Acrylic stamps, also known as clear stamps, are made of a clear polymer that is flexible which allows them to be placed on plastic sheets for easy storage. Since they do not come with a handle like a wood mounted stamp does a reusable acrylic block is needed to use this type of stamp. The image has been etched on and die cut closely so they are the easiest to use as you can see through them to know exactly where you are placing your image. Cling stamps are rubber stamps without the wooden block. They have been trimmed around and a piece of cling vinyl has been placed on the foam mount to attach to the stamp where normally the wood block would be. This vinyl which is very sticky sticks to the acrylic block allowing it to be the handle of the stamp and can be removed after used. These stamps are the actual size of the image which allows for easier placement on your projects.

Q. What is a scoring board?

A. Scoring (or score) board is used to create a grooved line into the paper (score line) which helps in getting a crisp, clean fold. They are a handy tool for card makers to get a clean fold of a card and also can be used for creating the folds in handmade envelopes and boxes, as well as, other projects.

Q. What is fussy cutting in paper crafting?

A. A lot of people know this term from quilting, but it has also spread into paper crafting. There are two ways of doing a fussy cut. One is when you use scissors or a craft knife to cut closely around the edge of a particular image; a stamped image for instance. The second way, which may not be thought of as often, is when you use a die and die cut machine to make a cut around an image in a piece of patterned paper.

Q. I want to use the cards I received on my layout, but how do I do that?

A. You can add a re-sealable bag to your layout and then add embellishments to the outside that match the theme of your layout or you can create a pocket out of cardstock or scrapbook paper by cutting it to a size to fit the widths and heights of the cards with an additional 1/2” added to these measurements on the sides and bottom to score and fold towards the layout which allows it to be attached to the scrapbook page. Both ways allow your cards to stay intact and removable to read again and again.

Q. Any ideas where I can find some inspiration?

 A. A great place to start is the Think Crafts blog, but you may also be interested in the great books that CreateForLess carries.

By Cardmaking & Scrapbook Layout Contributor, Peg from the blog Peg’s Crafting Corner.

The holidays are full of traditions that lend themselves to the perfect pictures. When our son was growing up we would travel to family members houses for the holidays and most of the time was spent on the road to get there. My husband and I both wanted our son to have holiday memories of being home, too, so we began the tradition of having our own Thanksgiving meal the weekend after the holiday. As our son grew up, he began to cook the meal with us using the recipes my husband had handed down to him and that is part of the inspiration for this layout. In the pocket are copies of those recipes that our son will be able to use in years to come. This holiday season, let the traditions your family has be an inspiration to you, too.

Supplies used:

• Tan Cardstock
• K & Company Halloween and Fall Paper Pad
• Inkadinkado Clear Mini Stamps-Borders
• Vintage Photo Distress Ink
• Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink
• Martha Stewart Pumpkin Patch Border Punch
• Alphabet Stamps
• Stamp Block
• Paint Brush
• Score Board
• Paper Trimmer
• Favorite Tape Runner

The first thing to do is to print several photos that you would like to use for your layout that show your family traditions. Also, make copies of the things that you would like to include in the pocket of your layout. Here I used copies of the recipes that we use for our meal.

Cut a piece of tan cardstock that is big enough to hold your copies making sure to add ½” to each side and the bottom. The pocket I made is 5″ wide by 5″ long so the paper I cut was 6″ by 5 ½”. Next, score ½” on each side and the bottom and trim the little square that is created by the score lines from the bottom of the paper up to the score line so that it can be folded in. Fold the sides in and the bottom up adhering where they meet at the bottom.

Punch the top using the Pumpkin Patch border punch. Trim the pumpkins off that are on the folded pieces. I left the ones that were right at the edge of the folds and made a slight cut at the base of them so that they stayed attached, but did not fold them over when I folded the side pieces in to create the pocket. Attach the pocket onto your layout using your favorite tape runner. Stamp the leaves and the name of your layout onto the pocket.

Using the paint brush, run it across the Spiced Marmalade ink pad and then across the pumpkins from bottom to top to add some color.

I stamped some leaves on the corners of the recipe copies to help tie them to the layout and I placed them into the pocket.

There are many straight lines in this layout and I wanted to add some fun so I cut around my photos to give them different shapes. Here I used my paper trimmer and trimmed the corners. You can use dies from your die cut machine, templates or even a corner rounder to just round the corners, too. There are many ways to give your ordinary rectangular photos a new and fun look. Lastly, adhere your photos to your layout and enjoy your new completed project.

This holiday season be sure to capture those family traditions and save the mementos to scrap those memories.

By Cardmaking & Scrapbook Layout Contributor, Peg from the blog Peg’s Crafting Corner.

Many years ago, I had rescued a poor little purple mum from the store. It hadn’t been water and was already half dead, but I purchased it on clearance for $2 and brought it home anyways and planted it. I babied that plant and watched it grow to be a beautiful mum bush every fall. When we moved I wished I would have been able to bring it with me, but we moved in the middle of winter in a blizzard so there was no way of finding that mum in the snow. The first fall we lived in our new house we planted more mums, but they quickly died where we had them planted. In the fall of last year, my family planted more in a different area and this year I am again enjoying some beautiful bushes. This time, I decided to document those gorgeous flowers in this layout.

I added the accordion fold flower to it because it reminded me of the same shape of the mums and helps draw your attention to the layout. They are really easy and fun to make, too.

Supplies Used:

• K&Co 12 x 12 Fall & Halloween Paper Pad
• Score Board
• Paper Trimmer
• i-rock Tool
• Adhesive Rhinestones
• 1″ Circle Punch
• Favorite glue and adhesive

First cut 2 strips of 1 ½” wide by 12″ long strip. Score both of them in ½” increments. Fold them accordion (also known as peaks and valley) style. Glue the ends together so they overlap and the peaks and valleys when folded together match up.

Punch 2 circles and put glue on one of them to adhere the flower on. Start by grabbing the top edges and folding them in and down to the center as shown in the picture.

Once they are folded downward and the flower has been formed, place something on the center to help hold it down until the glue dries.

When it is dried place glue on the second circle and glue it to the center of the flower. You can now decorate it with anything you’d like. Here I used the Imaginisce i-rock Tool and adhesive rhinestones. Adhere to your layout using your favorite adhesive. I, also added some of the adhesive rhinestones around the corners of the pictures to add a little sparkle to those.

Do you have a favorite flower or bush in your yard? Is it something that is tied to a special memory for you such as it being planted on the day your child was born or given to you by a dear friend? Why not document it, too? Those are all a part of the special memories that you have had and should be shared with future generations. Who knows maybe that bush that they just planted is a piece of the one you owned and they will know through your scrapbook pages what it meant to you.

By Cardmaking & Scrapbook Layout Contributor, Peg from the blog Peg’s Crafting Corner.

One thing I love about Halloween is being able to decorate for it.  Each year I try to add something new and different to my things.  My son and I have even had fun making our own decorations to hang in the windows.  This year I was fortunate to find several new things and thought it would be fun to start taking pictures and making them into layouts to see how much the decorating changes every year.  I decided to add to the fun by using the new Echo Park Apothecary Under Your Spell paper and Alphabet Stickers.

I started by taking pictures of the things I’ve added this year and printed them out to 4″ x 6″.  I, then, trimmed the white edges off the pictures to make them look even spookier.  I chose some Orange Bazzill Cardstock and trimmed it to be 4″ x 6″.  Next I used the Pumpkin Patch Punch by Martha Stewart  and punched the top of each piece of cardstock.  The details on this punch are fantastic and I wanted it to stand out more so I rubbed a q-tip over the Black Soot Distress Ink Pad and rubbed the ink onto the pumpkins and then turned the q-tip around, gently rubbing the ink into the grooves of the paper which also helped to remove some of the excess ink off the paper.  It not only helped to highlight the pumpkins, it gave them a shadowed look, as well.  I, then, adhered the pictures to the background pieces and onto the 12 x 12 piece of Under Your Spell paper.  I placed the patterned pumpkin from the Echo Park Apothecary Emporium Elements sheet between the 2 pictures to add some more interest to the layout.  I found that I had some of the Making Memories Toil and Trouble Foam Icons Stickers left from last year and decided that the stars would be great to add a glittery effect to the page.  I knew I was close to being done, but it still needed something more besides the title. 

Since most of my pictures showed my favorite pumpkins I realized I needed to use my newest Halloween punch which is extra special to me because I was able to help name this 1″ Lever Punch by Fiskars.  It’s called, “Laughin’ Jack.”  I used some yellow Bazzill and punched 2 faces out and adhered them to the layout using some mini Pop Dots cut in halves to fit onto the face areas.    The last thing I did was included the title using the Apothecary Alphabet Stickers and what should Halloween decorations say to those who see them? “Happy Halloween!”  of course, so that’s what I named this layout. 

Often as we decorate for the holidays we don’t think to take pictures and scrap them, but if you think about it that’s also a part of what our family memories are so the next time you snap a few pictures of the cute little costumes your children wear be sure to snap a few pictures of the decorations you have put up.  It’s all a part of the fun of the holiday!  Have a very Happy Halloween everyone!

By Guest Blogger Elias Cortez. He currently runs a site on Dallas wedding photography and Dallas wedding venues at TheDallasWeddingPhotographers.net.

Scrapbooking is something that a lot of people really do not think about doing however it is something that can be extremely important due to the fact that a scrapbook allow families to reminisce on those precious moments. Also, there are multiple ways that a scrapbook can be completed. Below you can find some of the different ways that people begin creating their scrapbooks.

• Create an online scrapbook: This way is one of the easier and newer ways to create a scrapbook. All one has to do is search the internet for scrapbook templates and then add their pictures in. However, this way is not as much fun and meaningful as some of the other ways that people go about creating scrapbooks yet still it is an option.
• Buy a premade scrapbook: What is meant by the term “premade” is you are purchasing a scrapbook that has already been set up to tell you where everything should go. Some scrapbooks will have sections for your child’s first day of school or their first hair cut. However, they may not include all of the sections that you feel are important moments for you and your family to cherish so it may be better to look at an alternative option when you are thinking of creating a scrapbook.
• Make a scrapbook from scratch: This is one of the more fun ways that you and your family can start your beautiful scrapbook. You will just have to go to the arts and crafts section in the store of your choice and get paper and other decorating materials. This way your scrapbook will have meaning behind it from the beginning to the end and you can make sure that you can fit all of the precious moments in it that you will never want to forget.

How to Create the Actual Scrapbook

1. Once you figure out what type of scrapbook you want to use (internet, store bought or homemade) you can then start deciding what should go in the scrapbook. Since this is a family scrapbook you may want to have events that the family attended together and also if small children you will want to include milestones from their childhood.

2. After you have gathered all of the photos that you want to put into the scrapbook then it is time to decorate the pages to fit the theme of the picture so you will be able to remember the moment vividly every time you look through the scrapbook. The children may be able to do the decorating of the pages while the adults are the ones who put in the pictures and things of that nature.

3. After the pages have been decorated and the pictures have been put in think about whether or not you would like to have the different awards that have been achieved in the scrapbook as well. Also, it would not hurt to write in some things to help the moments be remembered also.

After you have followed those first three steps you will have a good head start on your scrapbook. The next thing you will have to just go with the flow and see where your imaginations take you and your scrapbook will just fall into place piece by piece.

By Cardmaking & Scrapbook Layout Contributor, Peg from the blog Peg’s Crafting Corner.

Fall is almost here and I can’t wait! I have actually been counting the days until it arrives. It is one of two of my most favorite seasons. Every year my family looks forward to taking a trip to one of our state parks to enjoy the gorgeous leaves. The pictures in this layout were of an exceptionally beautiful fall we had a few years ago. When I found the new Bo Bunny Forever Fall line of papers and rub-ons at CreateForLess I couldn’t resist printing up some of the photos I took that year to create this layout.

Supplies used:

• Bo Bunny Forever Fall –Foliage
• Bo Bunny Forever Fall Rub-ons
• Paper Accents Cardstock Variety Pack - Paprika and Olive
• Fiskars Fall Gatherings Border Punch
• Spellbinders Labels Four
• Light Brown Colored Cardstock
• Favorite Adhesive

This is a simple layout that anyone can create to showcase the fabulous pictures of fall you may have. I printed the pictures at 4″ x 6″ and using a paper trimmer I trimmed off the white edges which left me with an overall photo size of 5″ x 3 ¾”. I cut 2- 6 ½” x 4 ¾” pieces from the Paprika and Olive papers and cut 2 more of the same size from the light brown cardstock.

Using the Fall Gatherings Border Punch I punched the design into the top of the Paprika and Olive papers making sure to save the little pieces that were punched out by laying them aside to use later. I then adhered the papers to each of the light brown pieces. Next, I attached the pictures to them and then to the page. I chose to add interest to it and pictures by placing one straight up and down and the other at a small angle. Glue some of the punched out pieces that you kept to each of the corners to add a fun little decoration. The last step is to run a piece of the paprika and olive pieces through your die cut machine using the Spellbinders Labels Four dies in 2 different sizes to create the title background. Place the Forever Fall Rub-on onto the smaller piece and rub it using the included craft stick until it transfers completely to the paper. A good way to know when it has transferred is that the clear sheet that the rub-on is adhered to will have a frosted color to it. If you lift it up and it hasn’t transferred all the way just carefully lay it down again matching up the areas and rub it again. Adhere the two sizes of cardstock together and then on the layout. Once you have finished, you will have a scrapbook page that showcases some of your fall pictures that you can enjoy for years to come.

Now that fall has arrived and we’ve gotten to enjoy the beautiful colors, crisp cool air and this layout I will begin my count again and count the days until my next favorite season arrives-winter!