January Sketch Challenge with a Twist Winner!!!

Wow! You all really rocked the sketch challenge this month.  I just loved visiting everyone's blog or gallery to see your wonderful layouts.  I wish I could give everyone a prize but I only have one to give.  So therefore the winner of the January Sketch challenge goes to:

Michelle at Scrappy Bookworm.


Great job! Love everything!  Hope you enjoy your wonderful prize package!

Join me next month (February 20th) for the next sketch challenge with a twist!

Hope you all have a crafty day!
-mp

February Sneaks!!

You've all been waiting so patiently for the sneaks of our February kit and add-on ... and I have good news.  Your wait it finally over!  I do have to issue one disclaimer, though: I feel these sneak peeks are somewhat incomplete given that I'm still waiting on one box of goodies, many of which make up the lovely splashes of rose and pink that are part of this month's kit.  This kit is going be perfect for everyday shots, but it's also going to work great for those of you inclined to create a card for your sweetie or a Valentine layout about someone you love.  Once that last box arrives in the next few days, I'll give you a few more glimpses.  ;)

Meanwhile, feast your eyes on these!

I'm so excited to dig into my own kit, which means I'm watching my doorstep like a hawk for that last box!  :)  I'll show you more when it arrives.

Remember to get your challenge submissions in before the end of the month, and if you haven't seen the fantastic giveaway we're hosting, be sure to check it out here.

Thanks for dropping by ~ have a lovely weekend!

~Rachel

January challenge #4: Something masculine

Hi there! It's me, Nathalie, here today to offer you the last of the January challenges. Remember, you have until the end of the month to participate in any or all of them (and you can find them all listed in the right side bar). My challenge for you today is to create something masculine, a page about your son, father, husband, a card or a gift for your Valentine... anything as long as it is manly :)

As an example I created this card, with the January kit (now sold out!!!), totally inspired by the little clothes hanger included in the kit and this card by Amber found via Pinterest:

Now here are the details for this month's challenges: You're playing for a $15 gift certificate to Burlap & Buttercups. You can take on just one challenge per month, or you can participate every week to increase your chances of winning our giveaway. (And remember: You have the entire month to participate in any of the challenges introduced within that calendar month.) Any supplies can be used. To participate, simply enter a comment in the "Comments" section of our Challenge post, including a link to your newly created project. We can't wait to see what you come up with!


PS: And don't forget, the giveaway in the previous post is still open!

Giveaway!!

Hello, my scrappy friends!  I've been so excited to see more and more of you taking part in our challenges, interacting on our blog, and dropping by our Facebook page.  To celebrate, once we hit 200 blog followers I'd like to give away a copy of the second volume of Becky Fleck's Page Maps sketch book!

I love the sketches and inspiration in this book, and it's so handy having it at your fingertips when you're sitting down to scrap.  So this lovely giveaway is for all of you who love sketches as much as I do!

One lucky winner will receive this book once we hit that magic 200 number!  All current followers will automatically have their name entered once in the random drawing.  Here are a few other quick and easy ways to have your name entered in the drawing even more times:

1. Simply start following our blog!
2. Leave a comment letting us know you're a Facebook follower.
3. Leave a comment letting us know you posted the link to this giveaway on your own Facebook page.

As you can see, it's possible to have your name entered as many as three times ~ those are some nice odds!

Thanks for stopping by ~ I can't wait to send this book out to one of you!  :)

~Rachel

Birthday book step-by-step tutorial

EDITED: I have to apologize because I had a wrong measurement in Step 1!!! Your 12 pages should be 5.75x12 to start with before you score and fold them!!! I am very sorry for the mistake (discovered thanks to Liz) hopefully it is not too late!

Hello Burlap & Buttercups fans! It's Nathalie here today to share with you how I created a Birthday book (and card holder) using the fabulous January kit and add-on:

(you can see more pictures of it in the January Gallery)

Supplies: 

- a minimum of seven 12"x12" sheets of patterned paper

- sewing machine (or thin and strong double sided tape)

- seven 8.5"x11" sheets of light colored cardstock to print on

- printer

- the two following sticker sheets from Simple Stories Year-o-graphy line (included in the kit and add-on this month):

- alphas for the cover

- a binding machine+coils or rings

1/ First, you need to cut 12 pieces of paper measuring 5.75"wide by 12"tall:

2/ Score them all 4" from the bottom and fold over:

3/ Sew one side of each page to start creating a pocket, 

the other side will be held closed by the binding:

(I guess an alternative would be to use thin strips of double-sided tape or even staples!)

4/ Right click to save and then print the two .pdf files I created for you below onto 8.5x11 sheets of plain cardstock:

5/ Cut along the dotted lines and adhere each month on each page (on the sides without pockets of course):

6/ Decorate each month with your stickers and leftovers from the kit 

(advice: be careful that the number of days for each month is the correct one BEFORE applying the stickers!;):

7/ For the covers, cut two pieces of cardstock to 5.75" wide by 8"high. 

To decorate the front, I used a strip of stripped patterned paper measuring 1.25"x8" and a main piece measuring 4.5x7.75, added slightly inked alphas, punched border and a sticker.

8/ I then used my Bind-It-All and 3/4" black coils to bind everything together. You now have a place to keep track of all the birthdays and a pocket behind each month to add cards and envelopes:

I hope you are feeling inspired to give this project a try! And whether or not you use the Burlap & Buttercups kit, make sure to show us your version!

PS: I will be answering any questions you might have in the comment section.

New Burlap Sack Sneaks

Yep, that's right: we are preparing to unveil another Burlap Sack kit here at Burlap & Buttercups.  This one is for all of you who love snow, are buried up to your eyebrows in snow, enjoy snow sports, have children who play in the snow every chance they get ... you get the idea!  That's the beauty of these themed kits we've recently introduced ~ they allow us to zero in on a particular season, holiday or activity that may be special to some of us.  And living here in Colorado, may I just say that I have enough snow photos to fill several albums!  :)

Although this newest Burlap Sack kit was initially planned for a mid-month release sometime in January, it's now going to be released alongside our February main kit.  This will give subscribers the chance to add it to their order ~ if it happens to strike their fancy! ~ for no additional shipping cost.  So hang in there with me for another week-and-a-half, and this kit will be up for grabs!

Here are some glimpses of the kit:

I have some favorite pics of my sweet girl when she was just a wee tot playing in the snow, and this kit was perfect for those shots!  So here are a few sneaks of that layout:

I'll be back soon with some sneaks of our February kit, and the reveal of both the main kit and the Burlap Sack kit is right around the corner.  Woo hoo!  So stay in touch!  :)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend ... I hope you're able to squeeze in some crafty endeavors!

~Rachel

Challenge #3: Year in Review

Hi B&B Readers!  It's Cassie here to share this weeks challenge :D  My challenge for you is to make a Year in Review type page, album, calendar, whatever you please-- just make it about 2011!  I always forget to do this in January and by the time I remember I wanted to do it (usually in July....) I've forgotten half the details I wanted to include.  So let's get it out of the way now, shall we? 

Here's my take using the January kit (and yes, I really did become addicted to cheese this year haha)

Here are the details for this month's challenges: You're playing for a $15 gift certificate to Burlap & Buttercups. You can take on just one challenge per month, or you can participate every week to increase your chances of winning our giveaway. (And remember: You have the entire month to participate in any of the challenges introduced within that calendar month.) Any supplies can be used. To participate, simply enter a comment in the "Comments" section of our Challenge post, including a link to your newly created project. We can't wait to see what you come up with!

January Gallery

It's been a few days since I've had a chance to share a blog post with you all.  Does life feel crazy these days to anyone but me?  :)  I've got a few minutes of quiet here now, though, and I just can't wait any longer to show you some of the amazing creations our Design Team prepared with our January kit.  I've chosen one project from each DT member, but please go check out the rest of their masterpieces over at our Idea Gallery!  There's some fantastic inspiration there.

Aimee Kidd

Angie Gutshall

Cassie Cyr

Mary Pat Siehl

Nathalie Leonelli

In addition to these beautiful layouts, you can find some incredible mini-albums over in the Gallery.  (And be sure to stop by on Monday, when Nathalie will share a tutorial for her Birthday Book.  (Let me tell you: you are going to want to make one of those!)

I hope you've all been having a wonderful week and have some fun plans for the weekend.  As always, thanks for dropping by!

~Rachel

January Sketch Challenge with a Twist

Hi Everyone,

Mary Pat here to bring you a new Sketch Challenge with a Twist.  Here is a look at the sketch.


The Twist--Add a bit of distressing or tearing to your layout!  I love this technique! Here is my take.




Here is some more sketch inspiration for your from our amazing Design Team.  First up Cassie:

I love how she used all the wonderful butterflies.

Next up is Nathalie:

I love how Nathalie used the calendar as her background piece and I just love Bing Bang Theory!

Next we have Aimee:

Oh I love this misting on this layout!

I just love seeing how everyone has their own take on the sketch!  I can't wait to visit all your blogs to see what you all come up with!!

So do you want to know what you are going to be playing for this month?  A wonderful prize package of Crate Paper border stips, some fun embellishments from MME (love love that twine!) and some fun flowers.  What a prize package this month!  Thanks Rachel!!

So you have till January 29th to enter.  I will reveal the winner on January 30th!  So let's get started - remember you don't have to have the January kit to play!  Remember to post a link here in the comment section to enter!

Challenge #2 Banners

Happy January!! Hope everyone had a great holiday! We sure did!

This week my challenge is for you to use banners on your page. It can be any kind from hand made to premade. Can't wait to see what you come up with.

Here is my layout using the January kit:


Here are the details for this month's challenges: You're playing for a $15 gift certificate to Burlap & Buttercups. You can take on just one challenge per month, or you can participate every week to increase your chances of winning our giveaway. (And remember: You have the entire month to participate in any of the challenges introduced within that calendar month.) Any supplies can be used. To participate, simply enter a comment in the "Comments" section of our Challenge post, including a link to your newly created project. We can't wait to see what you come up with!

Our First Challenge of 2012!

OK, so I don't know about you all, but every time we start putting away the Christmas decorations and diving into a new year, I get the organization bug.  I can't stop thinking of new ways to simplify my life, catch up on projects, and find better ways of storing all of the stuff that seems to keep accumulating ... and don't even get me started on my annual resolution to catch up on my layouts!  (Like that's going to happen anytime soon!)  =)

It's with all of this in mind that I decided to stray a bit and introduce a challenge designed to help us all get our scrap spaces organized!  I'm always excited to find new ways to rein in my stash ... and while I don't have a cozy little cottage in our backyard dedicated to my scrapbooking addiction, =) (or even an entire room, for that matter!), I have managed to claim a corner of our basement and make it my own.  The room doubles as my office and the kiddos' homeschool room ~ and I love that I can hang out with my kids while I work and create.

Anyway, I thought I'd show you a few glimpses of my favorite organization solutions.  These are not anything revolutionary, but they're the things that have most helped get the clutter under control.  Now I'd love to show you my whole scrap space, but seeing my mess is not going to inspire anyone!  Or maybe it would inspire you to feel less guilty about your own mess!  ;)

So here you go ~ a few of the organization ideas that have come in very handy for me:

This is one of my favorite things: storage cubes from Walmart and racks that help me know at a glance what paper I have.  Behind the cabinet doors are magazines, a sketch notebook, and more paper sorted by manufacturer lines.

It tends to take me quite a while to get my completed layouts in albums, which means they used to sit in a tray collecting dust (literally!).  Now, thanks to this cute box from Hobby Lobby, I can keep them tucked away and dust-free until I get around to storing them more permanently.

When Archivers was selling these Making Memories paints for $1.99 a pop, I went a little crazy!  An inexpensive spice shelf from Walmart keeps them within reach ... and adds a little extra color to my space.

 

LOVE this idea!! I'm sure you've all seen this on various websites, but I've got to tell you: once I bought these hardware drawers and used them to stash brads, buttons, flocking, alphabet stamps, chipboard, and various other embellishments, I was absolutely amazed at how much storage space I was able to save with this simple and cheap solution.

 I was thrilled when I got the chance to take over this pine armoir, formerly a TV cabinet.  It holds a TON of stuff, included my Cricut and cartridges, my rather large supply of Stampin' Up stamps, and even some of my ribbon, which I keep on a spring-loaded curtain rod.  The drawers hold even more odds and ends, and behind the doors below is my sewing machine and a big container of fabric.  (Yup, I occasionally sew, too ... in all my free time!)  =)

OK, so it's your turn!  I want to see how you keep your stash under control!  Here are the details for this month's challenges:  You're playing for a $15 gift certificate to Burlap & Buttercups.  You can take on just one challenge per month, or you can participate every week to increase your chances of winning our giveaway.  (And remember: You have the entire month to participate in any of the challenges introduced within that calendar month.)  Any supplies can be used.  To participate, simply enter a comment in the "Comments" section of our Challenge post, including a link to your newly created project ... or, in this case, photos of your organization suggestions!

I'm really excited to see some fantastic storage ideas from you all!  Thanks for stopping in today!

~Rachel

A Winner!!

Hi, all!  OK, I've been waiting with bated breath to see who would be the lucky winner of the Martha Stewart score board ... and today's the day!  It's almost like extending Christmas, since I get to send this great tool to some lucky scrapper!  So without further ado ~ and thanks, as usual, to Random.org ~ I'm delighted to announce the winner of our December challenges:

Michelle!

Michelle submitted a couple of beautiful cards in response to Design Team member Aimee Kidd's challenge to create Christmas cards using non-traditional colors.  Here are Michelle's cards:

Fabulous, Michelle ~ and congratulations!  I'll get your prize in the mail to you!

Before signing up, just a quick heads up that our January main kit and add-on kits are already going fast.  So if you've been eyeing them, you might want to grab one before they're gone!

Happy Wednesday, everyone.  Thanks for stopping by!

~Rachel

January Reveal!!

Happy 2012, everyone!  As we kick off another new year, I'm quite excited to introduce our January kit and add-ons.  This one was built around the gorgeous Funday Kraft collection from My Mind's Eye ~ in addition to the trendy kraft pages, I've added many splashes of color and worked in, among other things, the Year.O.Graphy line from Simple Stories.

OK, so as a kit club owner, I'm guessing it's somewhat of a faux pas to highlight the same manufacturer two months in a row (remember the Simple Stories from our December kit?).  But I just couldn't help myself!  Year.O.Graphy is absolutely stunning ~ and so appropriate for projects at the start of a new year.  And I just love the full sheet of stickers Simple Stories includes with each line ... so, between Burlap & Buttercups' main kit and add-on kit, we're bringing you TWO full, 12x12" sheets of stickers!  These sheets are packed with adorable embellishments, and I can't wait to see what you all do with them!

Anyway, I'll be quiet now and show you the new kits.  ;)

MAIN KIT

ADD-ON KIT

My wonderful Design Team is plugging away at their projects with this kit, so be sure to check back mid-month to see what they've done.  And remember that new subscribers receive a discounted price on our newly released Burlap Sack kit, along with no additional shipping charge when it's shipped with the main kit.

Tomorrow I'll be announcing the winner of our December challenges ~ and the lucky winner of a Martha Stewart score board! ~ so stay tuned.  Thanks for dropping by, friends, and have a great day!

~Rachel