Get Ready to Get Digi with it!

In June we will be getting DIGI with it with our sponsor Little Blue Button Stamps!  Get ready for another great kit to counterfeit and an extra fun BLOG HOP!

If you are a traditional paper scrapper (like I am), come to the DIGI side with us!  Digital images are so great to use for traditional paper crafting!  I love to print things out to use on my pages and cards.

Our own Angela is a Digital Scrapbooker and is sharing some great tutorials to help get you started!

Digital Stamp Basics:
Printing Digis in MS Word
http://toucanscraps.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/printing-digis-in-ms-word.html
Printing Digis in MS Works
http://toucanscraps.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/printing-digis-in-ms-works.html
Colouring Printed Digital Stamps
http://toucanscraps.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/colouring-printed-digital-images.html
Paper Piecing
http://toucanscraps.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/paper-piecing.html

Fancy Techniques using digital stamps and free software:
Concertina Card
http://toucanscraps.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/concertina-card.html
Combining Digital Images
http://toucanscraps.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/combining-digital-stamps.html
Faux Layering using digital cameos
http://toucanscraps.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/faux-layering-with-digital-cameos.html
Recolouring a digi stamp
http://toucanscraps.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/recolouring-digi-stamp-in-dsa.html
Split Negative Technique with Digital Silhouettes
http://toucanscraps.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/split-negative-technique-with-digital.html

More Advanced:
Building a Scene for a Card using the full version of Craft Artist (or it's predecessor DSA )
http://toucanscraps.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/building-scene-for-card-using-dsa.html
digitally colouring in a digital stamp using photo editing software
http://toucanscraps.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/digital-colouring-with-photoplus.html

Inspired?... you will be!

This month, I'd like to highlight some gorgeous layouts I've pinned.

I see so many beautiful, inspiring designs that my board could be overflowing so I have to be really careful to pin just those layouts that really jump out for one reason or another.

So here are my top picks from the last weeks:-

Maggie Holmes at Studio Calico (here)

I've been noticing a lot of circles around and I love this mix of sizes and colours, especially combined with the stars here. Personally, I love everything Maggie Holmes creates so it was difficult to chose just one!

Adrienne Alvis at Chic Tags (here)

More stars here along with a lot of cute layering using tags and interesting elements.

Heathyr Hintz at Basic Grey (here)

Something clean and simple. Bright colours, clean design, pretty papers, just lovely.

Jamie Warren at Basic Grey (here)

This has so much to love. I'm inspired by the framing around the edges of the pages with the die cuts and fussy cutting as well as all the dimension created. I will be lifting this soon :-)

Shimelle at Shimelle.com (here)

I love Shimelle's whimsical style and her ability to combine bright colours and papers.

So, what is inspiring you online right now?

Challenge #3: A Little Non Holiday Fun!

Yes, I am just that mean.  It is May...the sun is shining...we are anticipating summer...and I am asking you to....

Challenge #3:  Pull out your holiday paper, people!  We are going to have some non holiday fun!  Use some holiday paper on a non holiday project.  (Be brave...use your most obviously themed piece if you can.)

Let's see what the Design Team came up with for today!

Angela

Julie

Tie a Bow Around Your Finger...

Photo Credit

Design Team Applications are due on May 30th!  We would love to have a very diverse team (international, ethnic and different scrapbook levels), so if you think you shouldn't apply, apply anyway!  LOL

Don't forget to keep posting on Mr. Linky all month for a chance to win a gift certificate from Little Blue Button Stamps!

Challenge #2: Children's Book Challenge

I am a HUGE reader!  Some of my favorites?  The Wizard of Oz, Anne of Green Gables, Nancy Drew, The Hobbit...all old friends and all helpful in leading me towards a degree in English.

Challenge #2: Children's Book Challenge: Get inspired by your favorite Children's Book (theme, cover, style, topic...).

I cannot wait to see what types of readers we have on our Design Team!  Check out their projects and see how they were inspired.

Lisa H

Jennifer

My Halong Bay layout was inspired by The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S.Lewis.

Andrea

Milissa M.

 

Jennifer's Onwards and Upwards Event

Design Team member Jennifer Grace is having a big blog event this weekend, with hourly posts on the theme of 'Onwards and Upwards'. There's all kinds of tutorials, crafts, challenges, a blog hop, and lots and lots of giveaways! Click HERE for the start of the event with more details!

This hour she is revealing a counterfeit kit she's made to match the theme of the weekend. Here's a sneak of it:

You can go HERE to see her full kit. If you're inspired to make an Onwards and Upwards counterfeit kit of your own, then you can link it to her Challenge to be Inspired to be in with a chance to win some Jillibean Soup goodies!

Have fun!

Hey...I can make THAT!

May Tutorials

Welcome to "Hey...I can make THAT!"  A monthly post to help you truly counterfeit many of the components of the current month's kit.  No need to go out and purchase...just use the supplies you already have to create some of the freshest and trendiest products out there.  Here you will find links to our amazing design team members' blogs and/or links to other craft sites on the web showing how to make these amazing products.

Here's a refresher on the Polly! Scrap Kits we are counterfeiting this month.

 

Let's get counterfeiting!

Don't have that cool yellow anchor paper?  Take a look at Angela's take on it:
Master Forger Angela's Anchor Patterned Paper Tutorial (Digital using free software)

Jemma made textured buttons by stamping into thinly rolled air-drying clay as described in a tutorial here - and then coloured the dry buttons with glimmer mists, adding a final layer of darker ink to add definition:

Did you notice the wooden bingo chips by Crate Paper in the add-on kit?  Lynnette created a paper version of these.  Be sure to check out the process here.

And don't get your twine in a tangle if you don't own any of those string tied envelopes.  Just check out these links for your how-to directions.

http://www.simplymodernmom.com/2010/05/pattern-tutorial-string-tied-envelope/

http://honestlydyea.blogspot.com/2012/06/diy-button-string-envelope.html

http://www.minieco.co.uk/diy-string-tie-envelopes/

Last, but not least, try your hand at some of the very on-trend chalkboard art out there by following this link:

http://scrapbookgirl.typepad.com/paper_scissors_and_superh/2012/11/chalkboard-art-meets-stamping.html

It's so addicting that you may just find yourself painting a wall in your house with chalkboard paint!

So, before you run out to buy missing pieces to your kit, take a leap of faith, follow these links and say,

"Hey...I can make THAT!"