We're a Mother & Daughter team who decided to take on the scrapping world in 2012. We were disappointed by the lack of simple tips & tricks for beginners like us, as well as people who don't have 175 hours a week to devote to their craft. We hope our blog will help you better navigate those wild scrappy seas!
One of the coolest techniques we have seen is useing rubber stamps with glue instead of ink. Once the image is stamped, you can embellish with ultrafine glitter for a truly beautiful creation.
Stamp foam or finger tip pads for applying the glue to the stamp. These can be purchased at Hobby Lobby or from the Rubber Cafe.
Rubber Stamps
Ultrafine Glitter - we bought ours from Sparkle N Sprinkle
Tape lint roller
This video shows you many uses for the ScrapHappy Sheer Glue. Scroll forward about 9 1/2 minutes for the tutorial specifically about glitter & glue stamping.
If you've never used Copic Markers, you're missing out. These cool little pens have an alcohol based ink that is perfect for blending. They feature replaceable nibs & refillable ink. On the flip side, they are pricey - averaging about $5 per pen. Where do you start? With 300 color choices, how do you maximize your purchase? We're here to help! This is a list of 12 basic Copic Markers that will allow you to achieve many color combinations.
Remember, with Copic Markers, start with the lighter color, then use the darker one to add shading, and end by blending with the lighter color you started with. Stay within the same color family. Paper Craft Planet has a great tutorial on using Copics to color on glitter paper. The results are amazing!
Here's a quick refernce to help you choose the correct pens for specific color combos:
Green = YG01 + G99
Orange = Y19 + R35
Aqua = BG11 + BG49
Purple = BV08 + V0000
Burgundy = R59 + V0000
Brown = E18 + E51
Pink = RV29 + V000
Send us your favorite combos - we'd love to share them.
So, we attended our first Scrapbook Expo in Ontario, CA this past weekend. Whew! By the end of each day our bodies ached & our brains felt like they were going to explode from product overload. With so many booths to visit & classes to take, here are some tips we felt were worth passing along:
Plan to attend at least two days. We found that the hour-long classes & product demos took up a lot more time than we imagined. We almost felt rushed on our last day trying to hit all of the booths that we wanted to see.
Have a game plan. Go online well before the event. Look at the list of vendors & visit their websites to see what they offer. Print a map of the expo & make notes - highlight your "must see" booths, cross of the definite skips.
Print the online coupons before you go.
Bring a large tote bag, note pad & pen. Skip the purse - put your wallet & cell phone in your tote. You'll thank us later. Also, bring a big bottle of water unless you don't mind being gouged $3 for one there.
Don't buy ANYTHING on your first pass. Keep that notebook handy. Make notes as you see things you want with booth name, item & price. This is especially true if you plan to attend classes. You walk away from the classes with samples & coupons. Take the first night to look over your notes, organize coupons, review prices & create a wish list for the next day.
Skip the card making classes - there was very little instruction. Basically, you pay $34 for a pre-cut pack of supplies to assemble 8 cards that you probably won't even use because you won't have time to finish them & they aren't even that cute. If you're a beginner, you'll get frustrated quickly with the fast pace & lack of direction.
The trunk shows rock - you pay to get a product review & walk away with tons of supplies worth more than you paid to attend the class. Our favorite was Queen & Co. We paid $30 & walked away with over $60 in product!
Ask a lot of questions. When you're doling out tons of money on craft supplies, be sure you know how to use them when you get home. Take notes. The booth workers are more than happy to demo their wares for you & answer any questions.
Take your camera phone or a small camera. We snapped countless pictures of sample cards & page layouts. You will never remember how to use some of the stuff you come home with unless you do this. There are countless ways to use tape - who knew?
Skip the Make & Takes - they're basically $3-$5 product demos. You'll waste a lot of valuable shopping time doing something you can do at home.
Enjoy the expo. They are truly a ton of fun & very informational. We're looking forward to the next one in Anaheim in January. For the Scrapbook Expo near you, visit www.scrapbookexpo.com. Happy Scrapping!
