AWDML Design Team Blog

Only ONE more day!....

Hey everyone!  HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Well, at first I was going to do more of a Halloween-related post but I figured we have already gotten to Halloween so all of our little projects for the kids/school, etc. are already completed...hopefully!

I was just SOOOOO excited about the new kits premiering TOMORROW that I had to offer you a little sneak peek: 

I had a little fun w/ Photoshopping this little sneak peek for you and played around w/ contrasts, etc. just cuz I felt like it...BUT, LOOK AT THIS FAB EYE CANDY!!!

Can you STAND it??  Look at ALL the fun elements to this photo...there are so many fun pieces to this puzzle, make sure to stop by the gallery TOMORROW to see ALL of the DT's awesome creations!

Lisa has totally WOWED me with these kits and has really put some amazing elements together that you are NOT going to want to miss!  I can't wait to see what you all decide to do with them, too!  See you tomorrow in the Gallery/MB!   Hugs,  ~jessica :)

Stories in Hand

No sneak peeks from me just yet.  My kits are still on its way and I can't wait for it to get here already.

So, while I await its arrival, I chanced upon Jessica Sprague's website and discovered that she is offering a FREE ONLINE CLASS called "STORIES IN HAND."  I've always admired Jessica Sprague's work in both digital and traditional scrapbooking.  The classes are set to start from November 9 - 16 and registration for it is open until November 8. 

What prompted Jessica to start the class is her realization that "there needs to be a way to capture little stories that can either be made into scrapbook pages, or not. There needs to be a way to fill in those gaps for which there might not be a full-blown 2-page spread that took me 4 hours. But that is a story worth telling nonetheless."

"I'm confident that I'm not the only person out there in this situation. So that's why I developed this class. We ALL have stories. And whatever way it is that we choose to tell them, we all need a way of capturing them first. So that's where Stories in Hand comes in."

That really got me excited and sent me registering for her class!  I already downloaded the supply list and it really looks exciting.  I might even be able to use my AWDML Kit for this project.  Woohoo! Head on over to JessicaSprague.com and register for the class and get loads of inspirations from her work too!   ~~ Liza

A Glimpse....

.....Of November's Kits that is!  This week the DT will be featuring little sneaks of what we created with both kits.

Can I just say super FUN!  Lisa always adds such fun elements to each kit!  With the KI Memories School Days and GCD Collectionns I enjoyed creating with a frame from Clear Scraps!  I even applied stickers right to the plastic!  I can't wait till we do our full reveal of projects on the first! Here is just a small peak at what I did.  Look closely and you can see the outline of the frame!

Now as if that was not enough. With the colorful American Crafts/WeR Memory Keepers Kit  I used my creative juices to make a Fall Table Decoration....see if you can figure out what this is.... 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             And one last look of how colorful this kit is!  Can you see I had fun playing with the dimensional embellishments? 

   That's all I'm going to offer up for now....check back to the blog daily for more fun glimpses of what these two kits have to offer!  Full DT reveal in the AWDML Gallery on the 1st! -Angie                    

How About a Little Sneak Peek!

It's time to get a sneak peek of the November kits!  These were a blast to work with!  My only problem was that the papers were so yummy, I didn't want to use them all up! LOL!  I need to work on the hoarding issues!  Luckily I still have some left after doing my projects! 

Hope you enjoy the sneak peeks!  I look forward to seeing what you do with the kits! 

Have a terrific Tuesday! *Lynn*

Monday Sketch Challenge

Hello ladies

Sorry for posting this so late. I am posting this from my neighbors computer. I started having problems with my computer and now its in security mode and cant get into sites.

This is your last sketch challenge for October. I will draw a name on Nov 3rd when I post a new sketch and monthly challenge for November :)

Thanks for playing along and I hope you enjoyed the sketches I have been posting.

Same rules apply here...post your layout in the gallery then post it back here.

I cant wait to see what you come up with

This lil' card of mine...I'm gonna let it SHINE!

HAPPY FRIDAY, everyone!  Hope you've been having a great week!  It flew by and I am looking forward to another fun filled yet busy weekend!

Soooo, I'm gonna let you in on a little secret....I am TERRIFIED of glitter.  Yep, you heard it first here at the AWDML Design Team Blog!  For years, I shyed away from glittery things because even though I LOVED the look...well...when you mistake glitter for embossing powder one night and watch it FLY all over the house, and all over YOU with the heat tool as a propeller?  Well, that was the END of THAT! ha ha ha...

That all changed a year or so ago when I discovered STICKLES!!!  Stickles are small, easy to use bottles of high density glitter glue that I absolutely adore.  No muss, no fuss....NO MESS!  Totally sparkly and happily contained in its sticky medium, I use them in about 7 out of 10 cards, I'd say.  Stickles add a super glittery look to any card, scrapbook page, or special project!

Here are two cards I made almost identically.  The one on the left has Stickles over the image, the one on the right does not.  Both create simple, elegant looks, but the one with the stickles is DEFINITELY super sparkly!  It's hard to capture glittery images in their true form on camera, but here is a closeup view of the glittered image:

Fast-drying, space saving, and a great value, pick up some Stickles today at the A Walk Down Memory Lane store...I know I'm going to stock up this week...especially before it's time to make holiday cards!

Thanks for looking and make sure you visit the store at AWDML to stock up on these shimmery, glittery little bottles of fun!  Thanks for reading.... -Jessica :) 

Buttons Galore

A friend of mine loves to use buttons on her layout.  It's a staple supply in her stash of scrapbook goodies.  I admit I'm not a big button-user.  I have lots of them but I always feel challenged on how to use them as accent on my layouts.

Well, I found a good use for them in this layout.  Like I said, I have lots of them.  And what better way to use them than by using buttons as a frame for my photo.  I used various colors that complement my color scheme.  As added touch, I doodled on top of it for the extra oomph. 

Why not try this idea on your layouts.  It's a great way to add dimension to your layouts and will definitely make a dent in your ever growing scrapbook supply.  ~~ Liza

Just a little...goes a LONG way!

Have you ever kept scraps thinking I may use them.....your fave papers perhaps?
I have a large holder filled with coordinating scraps.  So I put them to use.  Get creative, think outside of the box and create a layout with your treasured scraps.  Most of us use them for cards or small projects but give it a try on a larger layout.

I used strips of paper I found in my stash, you can even use fun border punches to give your paper a little life.  Pop on a journal block and tadah!  With just a little you now have a cherished page. I would love to see what you do with your scraps, upload your layouts to the AWDML gallery! -Angie

Are we organized yet?

We're over half way through October...so is your scrap area organized yet?  I thought I'd share one more little organizational tip.  This is for inks.  I have a set of 12 wonderful inks from QuickQuotes.  The problem is, is that there are 4 different browns and a couple pinks and I can never tell which one to use.  So I made these tags so that I don't have to test the pad each time I want to use it!  I simple took some premade tags I had, distressed the edges with the ink and then stamped the first letter of the color names.  I did both the stamping and the distressing because the colors are a bit different depending on how you use it!  This only took me a few minutes to do and honestly, I think it has already saved me that amount of time in not having to test the colors!  Now if I was only organized enough to do this with all my other inks!

Don't forget the Organizational RAK on the mb!  You can find all the info here!  You have until October 31st to leave a tip and get organized to win some Skinny Cow ice cream!

Have a terrific Tuesday!  *Lynn*

Clear vs. Wood Mounted Stamps...your thoughts?

Hey everyone!  Happy Friday!  Well, I am often curious about what people's opinions are in regards to their stamp of choice.   There are SOOOOO many choices nowadays and companies are often releasing brand new ways to stamp!

We started out of course, with the wood mounted stamps.  They have been the traditional rubber stamp for years and up until just recently, within the last few years especially, have been pretty much it in terms of what's been available.

Rewind to a few years back, where we were introduced to the clear polymer stamps.  This quickly became ALL the rage, although there are some "Die hards" who to this day, will use nothing but traditional rubber.  I was kind of okay with either choice, and purchased my stamps solely by what they had to offer in terms of images over what kind they were.

However, we quickly noticed that for certain things like alphabet placement, there were CLEAR (ha ha) advantages over wood mounted stamps w/ the acrylic.  Users could easily see where they were stamping and this became very important to me.  I still love my rubber, wood mounted stamps, but I will probably never purchase another alpha set unless I can see where Im stamping.  Still, I bought what I liked and that was that.

NOW, rewind about a year ago when I started noticing a new, "hybrid" kind of stamp, if you will.  There is now a HUGE trend w/ rubber stamps being offered unmounted.  You can use cling, such as EZ Mount, available at the A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE Shop, or other mediums to mount Rubber onto acrylic blocks.  This way you can't see the actual image, but have a good enough idea of where you're stamping.  In addition, this new way of stamping along with the clear polymer stamps allow for MUCH less storage space.

There are CLEARLY (oopsie...I did it again LOL!) advantages and disadvantages of woodmounted, unmounted rubber and clear polymer stamps.  So.........I leave you guys with this question:  What do you prefer, overall, and WHY?  Leave a comment on the blog and let me know!  As your new DT member for all things cardmaking, I want to hear from you!  Thanks for reading!!  -Jessica :)

Altered Wall Clock

I've always been fascinated with those personalized wall clocks I see on various scrapbook gallery.  I mean, it's such a unique idea, it's personal and it's creative, and it's something that I would want to try. 

I've been wanting to create one for my craft room and this Month's Challenge at the Forum was just the nudge I've been waiting for.  I thought it would be hard at first but it was fun going through each of the steps in creating this project.

I'd like to share with you a "How To" guide in creating your own Altered Wall Clock.

With this simple guide, you can start creating your own personalized Wall Clock.  And while you're at it, do join us for the October Challenge.  Upload your entries in the AWDML Gallery and link it up here or at the AWDML Forum.

Can't wait to see what you create! Enjoy and have fun creating!

Get Crafty!

The other day I was sitting around thinking that I really need to use my supplies for other non related scrappy projects.  So since my son is two and learning numbers I thought it would be neat to create a mini Learn Your Numbers book.  One of my other goals has been to actually USE my CRICUT!  I love it but do not use it nearly as often as I should.   I found a small flip book I was thinking about discarding and grabbed a Cricut font and off to work I went.  I'm thinking about making a farm animal next..but maybe I should finish the zoo book I started as well.  I'm on a roll!  I would love to see other ways you used your scrappy supplies!
Upload your creations to the AWDML gallery!