The Avid Scrapper: January 2009

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Card Swap: Valentine XO Card

I am in my very first official Card Swap Group. I have done cards swaps before, but never on a scheduled basis. I will being swapping with a group of ladies from church.

With some help, from my friend Kathi, I came up with a general idea of what and how for the year. She suggested a "Shoebox Card Swap". Basically, each member brings a card that she made and then kits for each member. You give a brief explanation of your card and then we spend the rest of the time making each card. She suggested it because she loved to make her cards. I was right there with her! I want to be the one putting it together, learning new techniques and ways of paper crafting.

Since I have never done this before, I had tons of questions of how to get this organized. I wasn't even sure how many women even want to participate! I decided to start with a meeting, one where we could get together and decide what would work for all us. I decided to make a card, and take kits for everyone. This would be the example of how we were going to do this. Since Valentine's Day is just a couple of weeks away, I decided to make a Valentine card. There are one of my fav cards to make. They are just so much fun. This one was really quick and easy. It took me about 10-15 minutes to design and put together. Here's what I did:

OUTSIDE OF CARD:

Cut black card stock to 5.5" x 5.5'
Cut white card stock strip 4" x 5.5"
Used my Fiskars scallop edge to cut top and bottom edges of strip
Adhered down white strip to the middle of the card (mine opens from the bottom)
Cut dark pink card stock 5.5" x 2.75", adhered down on center of white strip
Cut black strip 5.5" x 2", adhered down on the center of pink strip
Cut (1) 2.75" country heart with Cricut (George and Basic Shapes Cart), using light pink cardstock
Adhered down to center of card with 3D pop dots
Cut (2) 1.75" country hearts with Cricut (George... Cart), using light pink carstock
Adhered down on each side of large heart with 3D pop dots
Tied a bow with 9" of sheer polka dot ribbon, and glue dotted to center of large heart
Cut (1) 1.5" tag with Cricut (George...Cart), using dark pink cardstock
Ran a jump ring through the pre-cut hole in tag
Safety pinned tag to the ribbon, by running safety pin through the knot in your bow

INSIDE OF CARD:

Cut 5.25" x 5.25" square of out light pink cardstock
Rounded the corners
Cut 5.5" x 1" strip of white cardstock.
Cut one edge with Fiskars Scalloped edge punch
Rounded the the 2 straight corners that were left
Adhered white strip to the bottom of pink square
Cut a 1" country heart with Cricut (George...Cart) and adhered down
Tied a 2" piece of polka ribbon in a knot, glue dotted to center of heart

BACK OF CARD:

Cut a 2" decorative frame with my Cricut (Home Accents Cart)
Adhered down.
Just need to write in my name and date!

That's it! Tonight was a lot of fun. Everyone made their cards, we visited and came up with all the info about this years Swap dates and themes. It is going to be a lot of fun! So glad I am doing it and very much looking forward to a creative year!

Strawberry Shortcake Frosty Fun Scrapbook Page Layout

Here is my SS winter layout, (1) 12x12 page. I titled it "Frosty Fun". My girls absolutely loved the way this one turned out! I think I have to agree. I am quite pleased with how bright and cheery it turned out!

There 2 photos mats that will frame in 4x4 photos. There are 2 journaling tags, embellished with ribbon and sled and snow skate charms. There is lots of dimension on this page. Strawberry, snowman and Pup Cake all have 3D effects. Three of the snowflakes do as well. There is also a lot of "bling" on the page! Strawberry is an image I painted on the computer. She is printed with the best ink, on Bazzill textured card stock. She stands about 6" tall.

What you find in this layout:

Inking
Brads
Gems
Pop dots
Charms
Bazzill card stock
Beautiful, Vibrant winter paper
Ribbon

Designed and created by CLJ

The Avid Scrapper 2009

This item has been SOLD! If you are interested in a similar design, contact me. $25 for a Layout + S&H. Cannot dulplicate with exact papers, however will design with your colors in mind!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Strawberry Shortcake: Orange Blossom Paper Piecing Scrapbook Pages

Orange Blossom stands a whopping 9 inches tall and has a 3D dimension. The brim of her hat, her bangs, braids, shirt, pockets on her skirt, bow on her skirt, her right sock and shoe and left shoe all stand up off the base image. She is computer generated and printed using the best card stock make by Bazzill and the best ink available.

I decided to title the spread "Cutie Pie". Those are the words that stand out when I look at her! The letters are acrylic, white tiles with the letters etched in. There are 4 photo mats, a 4x6 and (3) 4x4's. Journaling can be done in the orange on the right page.

What else you find in this spread:

Inking
Machine stitching
Ribbon
Buttons
Brads
Sprites flowers
Flourishes
Paper Clip

Here are the pictures:

Designed and created by CJL

The Avid Scrapper 2009

This item is available for you to purchase! $45 + S&H

Contact me! Paypal is preferred, but I do accept a Money Order. Thanks! °Ü°

Saturday, January 24, 2009

The Cutest Aprons Ever

My friend Lisa knows everyone and anyone! She has a friend who makes the cutest aprons ever! I really want to place an order for an custom scrapbooking apron, I just need to decide exactly what I want and need. You should check her out! Whether it is for cooking, cleaning or crafting, she will have you doing it in style!

(Click HERE to go to her blog)

Friday, January 9, 2009

Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive

I get asked all the time what I adhere all of my die cuts and paper piecings with. This is it!

I found that some of the pieces I cut with my Cricut are so tiny, it is almost impossible to get them adhered down and so I was on the hunt for the product that would save me. I knew I needed something with a small and pointed nozzle on it and that is what I first noticed about this product. Truthfully, it was the only reason I bought it and decided to give it try. Don't get me wrong, I was really skeptical! Anyone who knows me, knows how much I hate glue because it ripples. Guess what? This never has for me! No, really. I have found that the secret to using this, is dots. Small dots running along the area you would like to adhere down. But, use it sparingly, at little goes a long way! Use about half what you think you would really need and that will get the job done. Now, the big thing about this adhesive is that it drys SUPER fast, so be sure you are putting everything you want down exactly the way you want it. It only takes seconds for a permanent bond and ripping up is not an option! It also drys clear, so if you get a bit too much and it squishes out, just run your finger along and clean it up. The best thing of all is that it is cost effective. Runs $4-$7 for a 2 oz or 4 oz bottle. I only went through two 2 oz bottles last year! Amazing.

Why I love this adhesive:

Inexpensive
A little goes a long way
Quick drying... let's me get more done and faster
NO Ripples!
Acid free
Non-toxic
Photo safe
Small nozzle tip, perfect for the tiny pieces and letters
Works with any paper
Can sew right over it
Permanent bond
Cleans up with warm water
One bottle lasts for months!
Can find it just about anywhere paper is sold

This post would not be complete with out the following information. °Ü°

Clogged Tip: It does happen and when it does, it is very important that you DO NOT squeeze and try to force the glue to come out. Why? You ask... well, I know from personal experience that the force of all the glue in the bottle will actually push the entire purple or red tip off the bottle and it will EXPLODE all over you and everything you are working on. It was even on my walls! And when I say explode, I mean it. The sound is awful.

Anyways, here is what you do. Take a pin, a straight or sewing pin and push in down into the nozzle. The skinnier the better. You don't want to stretch out the nozzle. If that doesn't seem to get the glue flowing like you would like it to, go to your sink and take the entire purple nozzle off. Run it under HOT water until your clog backs out and the water runs through the nozzle completely. DRY it really good and put it back on the bottle and you are back in business.

Where to get it: I have seen it at WalMart, Target, Michaels, JoAnn Etc, even Office Depot! FYI, Michaels and JoAnn Etc carry the larger, 4 oz bottles. I have seen it online and in a few of the scrapbook stores. The cost varies from $4-$7 depending on where you purchase and the size you want.

Now, 3M Scotch also makes a Quick Dry Tacky Adhesive. That one I have never tried. If you have, let me know how you like it and if there is any difference between the two products.

A Little About Me

Hello! My name is Carla. I am a wife to a wonderful man and mother to two beautiful daughters and two adorable fur babies. I have always loved taking photos and creating a special place for them to be cherished and shared. In my childhood and teen years, it was my journals that played host to my early scrapbooks. I really started to work on my craft in 1999 and there has been no slowing down since then. Scrapbooking is very therapeutic for me and gives me a chance to express "Carla" in ways I couldn't do otherwise. This blog is where you can see a little of what I create. I hope that you are inspired by all that you see here. I welcome questions and comments, so please feel free to drop me a note on my posts, or you can contact me via email. I ♥ hearing from you! °Ü°

Understanding the Cost of Custom Work:

I get emails for custom work all the time. I would say, that on a weekly basis, I get at least 8-10 emails requesting specific themes. I love hearing from everyone and truthfully, I am honored that there are so many of you who love my designs, style of scrap booking and work so much that you would love to make it apart of their memory albums. The part I find frustrating and sometimes hurtful, is that when I reply to these emails and give pricing, one of three things happens: 1) I never hear back from the person 2) I get an email back arguing price and saying they won't pay it unless I drop the price 3) A sweet apology that they can't do it right now (this would be the rarest of the emails, however, it is the most appreciated!)

I understand that in today's economy, that scrap booking pages and albums are truly a luxury purchase. I also understand that everyone is trying to get the most for their money. Aren't we all?

Here is the side I would like you to try to understand.

I am a crafter by trade. I scrapbook for fun and I scrapbook for a living. I need to be home with my family taking care of them and our home, and this is the working relationship that works best for us and our family's needs. Although I get to be home with them, I still spend 30-40 hours a week designing, planning, cutting, hand-cutting at times, and piecing together pages, albums and projects. Pretty much a full time job. Sometimes, ALL of that time is spent on just one album. Sometimes all of that time is spent on just 4-6 pages.

When it comes to my work, I do not cut corners! I only buy the best papers, metal embellishments, adhesives and so on. I take my work seriously, I go over every detail and I know I am not the only crafter who does this. I am simply just one of many who are in this "crafter's boat", if you will. What is minimum wage these days? I honestly do not know. From what I see and know, is it about $7 per hour. Maybe I should look it up... okay, according to US Dept of Labor, the minimum wage is $6.55 hour. The average person making M.W. makes $262 for a 40 hour work week BEFORE taxes, etc. Wow. that doesn't leave a lot for the bring home amount, does it? The average spread, (2) 12X12 pages together, takes me 8-12 hours to design and put together. {There have been a handful that have taken me closer to 16. I keep track for how long it takes to make each.} So let's say I am in "The Zone" and get one done in just 8 hours and I charge $6.55 per hour. That is $52.40. That doesn't even include the materials cost for that spread, that is just my time. Keep that in mind. I actually charge a set fee of $45 for a custom spread. There is extra time and steps that go into each project, like custom names, dates and details. Now, divide $45 by 8. I am making about $5.63 an hour, and then, not even that much because that doesn't include the cost I have already paid for the materials! That is JUST my time. At the end of each custom spread, I am only making about $2-$3 per hour. (REMEMBER, that is only if it took me just the 8 hours, any longer than that and it brings my hourly wage down even more.) That is not a lot for my time, for my design and hard work when it is spelled out that way. What do you think?

Please keep these things in mind when shopping sites like Etsy.com, Ebay.com and personal websites. We crafters put our all into our craft. Each design, every piece is a part our personality and we take a lot of time to put it all together.

I think that everyone, no matter who you are and what you do, wants to have their work appreciated and they don't want others to make them feel that what they are paid for their time and talent isn't worth it. I think my time and talent is worth what little I ask for it. Remember that when you see hand crafted items, time, talent and effort was put into each project. Think about how much time it would take you to do something like that if you were to personally make it, think of professional crafting as some one's career and think about how truly little, the time making it is actually charged for.

Thank you. °Ü°