Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Anatomy of a layout

Let's talk about these gorgeous products from Webster's pages. For this example I have used products from the Nature's Storybook collection pack and the coordinating calendar/journaling cards. (side note: I have found that, for those who like to use ink on their projects, Tim Holtz's Distress Ink in Frayed Burlap is a great color for this line) One of the things I love most about this Webster's product is that it is so easy to make a great page. For this page I have used two of the same sheets of paper, one for the background/base of the layout and one to cut out the images. I used my handy exacto knife and cut out the birds, flowers, leaves, and bunny. I used part of the vellum to back my photo and journaling piece. Vellum, with it's translucent quality adds just enough definition for the picture without overpowering it. Next, I used a piece of the coordinating stripe paper, with a border punch, to anchor the photo on the vellum. Once my photo and journaling were in place I used foam tape to "pop up" the elements from the paper that I had cut out with my exacto knife. A few bits and bobs from the sticker element sheet and my design was done. For my title, I used some Basic Grey chipboard letters covered with Tim Holtz's crackle paint in green. The word "way" was done using the Webster's sticker letters, placed on a transparency, then adhered on top of the chipboard letters. By using the transparency I gave some stability to the sticker letters.

All in all this layout did not take that much time to put together. The exacto knife cutting takes a little bit of time but it is so worth it... Don't you just love the look!









That's it for today. Hope you have a great week!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Letter Stickers - part 1

Today I'm going to share with you a few ways to give a little something extra to your letter stickers. Many times when I am creating a project I want to have some way to make the title or wording stand out a bit more. I usually can do this by trying these tricks.
The photos for each example shows you the supplies, the steps, and the finished look.
The first example is really quite simple. Sometimes you may have letters that need to stand out a little bit from your background paper. One very simple way to do this is by using a micron very fine-tip pen and tracing around the letters once they are in place on your project. I used some Basic Grey letter stickers, micron pen in black, and a scrap paper. Notice that both the paper and letters I chose are very light in color. The black marker really makes those letters pop off the background.




This next example uses a thicker marker and the same letter stickers. But in this case I don't want to trace the letters on my background paper because I want them to have dimension so I will be adding some foam tape. In this case I use a scrap piece of non-stick backing (leftover from a roll of glue dots). I put the letter stickers on there and trace around them so just the very edges of the letters get the darker color. I then turned them over, added the foam tape, and added them to the project. This gives definition by color and a little dimension by being popped up.





Sometimes, when I have a project that is more "distressed" I like to distress the edges of my letter stickers. This looks really great when you are going to place the letters on a darker background. In this example I used darker letters and background and you can see how the distressed edge really allows the letter show up. I used my Basic Grey file set to do this because the different file sizes allow me to get all the nooks and crannies of the letters without having to be a contortionist. Just hold the letter in hand and gently file the edge. It's easy and looks great!




For this last example I am going to show you how to use different letters (great for leftovers!) and transform them into something unified. I used two different font/color letter stickers for this example. Stazon inks work really well for this. Place your letter stickers on a non-stick surface and just dab the ink pad on top. Once they are completely covered with ink give them a minute to dry. You will then have letters all the same color and ready to be placed on your project.




That's it! You've got 4 fabulous, quick and easy, great ideas for using your letter stickers! If you have any questions please email and I will answer as soon as I can. Next time I post a technique I'll be adding to this with more ideas for using your letter stickers. Have a wonderful day! Thanks for stopping by the embellish IT! blog!















Friday, September 4, 2009

winners

yes, winners- i don't like picking. i din't really think about it & this is so hard to pick... i prefer the number generator. thanks for the ideas - they were all great but the winners are (i could not decide on just one)

Suella : great idea - love nook & pantry! i already have a recipe book in the works - i am lovin' it!

Jingle: those flowers are darling! love them & they are sooooo simple! thanks for sharing!

email me @ news@embellishonline.com to claim your Creative Escape Book & goodies!

also, just an update on Preorders. ALL Preorders will be shipped today EXCEPT those with Crate Paper. Crate Paper is expected to arrive early next week so hopefully we can get the remaining PreOrders out in just a few more days. thanks for your patience - i know it is hard!

everything now shipping so if you haven't place a PreOrder - now is the time to order! again, your order will ship right away unless it has the new Crate then it will ship beg. of the week. special promo: order before 9/9/9 & you will receive the look book FREE with your order.

have a fabulous holiday weekend!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

winners & creative escape

congrats!!! 3 lucky winners for $25 gift certificates to embellishonline.com-
email news@embellishonline.com to claim your gift certificate!

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
11 224 98
Timestamp: 2009-09-01 15:28:09 UTC

ant1nette said...
I signed up!
AUGUST 25, 2009 3:44 PM

deiha said...
Can't wait to hear more from embellish it.
AUGUST 26, 2009 4:50 AM

Wendy said...
I signed up! Looking forward to all the news!
AUGUST 25, 2009 5:05 PM


if you have never been to creative escape, just let me say this: you should go if you have the chance! it is a scrapbook weekend in arizona put together by bazzill & heidi swapp which includes: technique boutique, trucnk show from all the teachers, classes, night extravaganza, delicious food at aan amazing resort (& yes the massages are well worth every penny) & concluding with inspirational keynote. it always falls the last weekend in august- which is a really bad time for me. august is our busiest months with traveling/shows/teaching/new product releases but i have always gone to creative escape & would not miss it no matter what! when i went to the first one 4 years ago- it was the first time i had taken a scrapbook class! it has helped me realize a couple of things:
1. i teach too fast
2. i am more comfortable teaching than doing
3. i am a sloooooooow scrapbooker
4. i am use to having a table to myself when i design so i get a little anxiety having to share in such close quarters with others

so, off to creative escape i go. i had bags packs then i realized that last year i had to buy stuff in the gift shop to keep me warm - they kept the classrooms freezing (duh - i should know this by now....) so, i pulled out all my summer clothes that you would expect someone to take to arizona when it is 112 degrees & packed long sleeve outfits. crazy i know but it was a good move on my part :) this year, i had a little more baggage than normal: i had my 4 month old baby in tow. don't get me wrong, he is sooooo good, actually perfect but still a lot of extra stuff to haul. i know what you are thinking: WHY? well, to be honest it wasn't a question if i would take him OR if i was even gonna go to ce - more of a question of HOW! then, a good friend Leigh Ann offered her 19 year old daughter to come to the hotel & watch him in my room - soooo perfect! i could run up during breaks but also just enjoyed the classes without worrying about him - she took such good care of him - thanks jordyn!

ok. back to creative escape (sorry i tend to get off track with thoughts of baby :).

it was WONDERFUL again this year.
classes: FABULOUS! all 8 of them!
attendees: could not of been a better group of gals!
food: DELICIOUS.


i truly feel inspired. rejuvenated. ready to try harder. to be better.

it is not just classes from great artist. it is an experience. one that every year, i have walked away feeling inspired - yes, inspired with creativeness but most important INSPIRED TO BE BETTER. as a person. to do better in various aspects of my life. i love this feeling. i am so grateful for the opportunity to get my batteries recharged. it is the ENERGY i have at this moment, that i LOVE! we all need to be uplifted & energized from time to time.

highlight of the event: during the event they had various raffles & opportunities to donate to Lymphoma Cancer Society. it hit home for me since my father died from lymphoma at 52. at the end of the event, they had a live auction of 2 lamps that had been decorated: one by heidi swapp & another one by tim holtz. they were beautiful. i had my eye on the tim holtz one as it would be the perfect touch to my office. i text steve (my husband) as soon as they started the auction, telling him about the donation i was about to make. a win-win - a donation to a great cause & a extra benefit of getting the beautiful lamp. how could i not... he was very supportive at $5000, $10,000 said he trusted my judgement as i was the accountant, $15,000 said i must of really like the lamp, & then as the bid went up & up, he was grateful that someone else had the funds to donate that & it wasn't me. LOL
not sure the total they raised but i believe it was in the ballpark of $60,000. not bad for a 700 scrapbookers at a weekend event. i am overwhelmed at the choice individuals we have in this industry & that i can closely associate myself with.

we were even able to get a little pool time for crew -


the only thing about the weekend that wasn't perfect (well, besides me not getting the tim holtz lamp - HA!): bread pudding. how can it not be perfect?!

here's the story: thursday is registration & technique boutique, trunk show then the welcome. after the welcome everyone is on their own until breakfast the next morning. which means the hotel restaurant is packed trying to feed all the women. there is nowhere close as far as food options & the resort is so far that nobody delivers - not even a pizza option. so, i ordered room service (since i had the baby) & it took well over a hour & was expensive. they had tres leches bread pudding - for a HUGE bread pudding fan, i was delighted. it was $9 plus the 3.50 delivery charge plus the 21% gratuity. but is was thinking it would be well worth it & a once in a lifetime thing. so, i ordered it after thinking for 2 seconds about it. it came. it was a huge disappointment. small. dry. fruity. not creamy. definitely not worth the $ but more than anything else a total pop in my balloon that had been so high & full.

so, for all those who stuck through this looooong post - i have a giveaway:

creative escape 2009 inspiration book (& other creative escape goodies)
the book includes supply list, all the projects with detailed instructions & step-by-step pictures & you can even download the teacher's classroom presentation. so, for those of you that were not able to be one of the lucky 700 people who attended - you can be too be inspired!!

leave a comment with a project idea you like, have done, have never seen, would like to do, etc. i will personally pick my favorite idea on friday morning. be creative. think outside the box. warning: you might see your idea transform into a kit?!

have a great week! be back on friday to announce the winner!
shelby-

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Introducing WEBSTER'S PAGES!



Let us introduce you to the beautiful world of WEBSTER'S PAGES! We are so proud to be adding this new manufacturer (new to us, that is) to our already fantastic list of products! Webster's Pages introduced 4 new collections at CHA this summer and we have them in stock and ready to ship to you! Located here: http://www.embellishonline.com/page/383824203

The collections are Winter's Wings, Nature's Storybook, Home for the Holidays, and Postcards from Paris. We will also have them available in our booth at CKC events. We offer collection packs which contain papers, vellum, and letter and die cut stickers. We also sell these products individually. Now, let me tell you a little about their product.

First and foremost, let's talk paper. This product is a very sturdy cardstock weight double sided 12x12 paper featuring a gorgeous array of patterns and colors. For all you green folks out there the papers are FSC certified which means they are produced using stringent environmentally friendly standards. The papers also come in 6x6 pads with each pad containing two collections. What a deal! The 6x6 papers are minis of the larger 12x12 patterns.

The letter sticker sheets are AWESOME! Each sheet contains a ton of letters. Each sheet has four different colors and two sizes. They are great for cardmaking too! The stickers are repositionable for approximately 20 minutes before becoming permanent. Isn't that great! The same is true for the die cut sticker sheet.
The journaling/calendar cards come 18 to a package. They are double sided and have 2 sizes in each package. The vellum is high quality with beautiful patterns. It really is exquisite!
So, are you ready for some eye candy!?! The Webster's Pages design team sent us a few samples to share with you...

WINTER'S WINGS COLLECTION

Under the Snowy Tree by Terri Hayes


NATURE'S STORYBOOK COLLECTION

Asheville Mountains by Terri Hayes
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS COLLECTON

Jolly by Terri Hayes

POSTCARDS FROM PARIS COLLECTION

innocence by Amy Tara Koeppel

Tender by Lucy Edson


Beautiful Life card by Lisa Pace


All four collections are now available on our website here: http://www.embellishonline.com/page/383824203

We're sure you're going to love them as much as we do!
One little reminder to all those who signed up to be a follower... if you want to be included in the drawing for the gift certificates then you need to leave a comment in the comment section of the introduction post. We will be drawing the names from the comments.
Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Welcome to the embellish IT! blog

Welcome to our new blog! We're so glad you found us! We are excited about this new addition to our business and hope you will find it informative and helpful.

On this blog you'll find completely up-to-date information on all our new products, shipping updates, challenges, inspiration, techniques, and contests (don't you just love prizes!) We will have a planned post every Tuesday and periodic extra posts in between when we have something we just want to shout about! In the sidebar you will find links that take you directly to each of the manufacturers products we carry.

Also in the side bar is a listing of the CKC events where you will find our embellish IT! booth. If you head to a CKC event we hope you will stop by and introduce yourself and/or sign up to take one of Shelby's classes!

The sidebar also has a link for you to contact us with any questions, comments or suggestions you may have. We'd love to hear from you so please don't be shy!

And finally, we LOVE followers! We want you to sign up and become a follower of this blog. We hope you'll help us spread the word. Our goal is to reach at least 200 followers in our first week. And because we appreciate YOU, we are offering a drawing - 3 lucky winners will each receive a $25 gift certificate to the embellish IT! online store. All you have to do is sign up to become a follower (follower link in side bar) and then leave a comment in this post that you have signed up. That's it! We'll pick the winners and announce them next Tuesday.


Thanks for stopping by the embellish IT! blog! We appreciate each and every one of you!