Christmas Cards from Scraps

Are you one of those crafters that cannot bear to part with even one small leftover scrap of paper, or a scrap piece of ribbon "that I might work into another project"?  If so, I'm glad I'm not alone!  Ha!  The holidays are a great time to make use of those scraps and create beautiful holiday cards.  Cards make a perfect canvas for trying out new techniques without worry of ruining an entire two-page scrapbook layout.  An added bonus is not having to spend extra money on holiday cards this year.  We're also sure those who receive your cards will love having a handcrafted creation made just for them!  Here are a few we came up with using scrap papers and notions:

Ideas to note:  Use holly leaves from old Christmas decor and buttons as berries.  Since it's a card, you don't have to worry about archival safety.  You can also cut out scenes from paper (like the sledding dogs), attach it to scrap chipboard then mount on pop dots for a unique card embellishment.

Ideas to note:  Who says Christmas cards have to use Christmas paper?  You may recognize the script paper as one from 7 Gypsies from a few years ago.  Another technique is to use your cool border punches to create a visual design element (like the red strip above) on your card.

Ideas to Note:  If your paper is a printed image on a white paper (such as the Santa), color it in with chalks or ink.  This also works well with papers printed to look like newpaper ads.  Tying thin twine scraps through buttons gives your projects a vintage feel.

Ideas to Note:  Cover chipboard shapes with paper to create cute embellishments like this snowman.  And don't forget to raid your button and ribbon stash to find the perfect "clothes" for him to wear!  (You may recognize these scrap papers as the Cosmo Cricket Christmas line from a couple of years ago.  Still so pretty!)

Happy Labor Day

Hope everyone had a fun, relaxing and safe Labor Day weekend!

Just a reminder we're still collecting hand made cards to send to the troops in Afghanistan.  Our "card drive" has been extended to the end of September. The soldiers request the cards we make so they can send them to their families here back home.  Many of them are stationed in areas where it is very difficult to purchase daily use items, including greeting cards.  The types of cards most requested by the troops are:

• Cards for children (many of our troops are parents)
• Holiday cards
• Thinking of you
• Love you/miss you

Bloomin' Scrapbooks will supply envelopes for those cards made standard A2 size, approximately 4-1/4" x 5-1/2" (i.e. the size of card you get if you use half of an 8-1/2" by 11" sheet of paper.)  Please remember, no glitter or Stickles can be used on the cards.  Glitter is detected by enemy survelliance equipment. Even a small amount of glitter that finds itself on a soldier's uniform can literally put his or her life in danger.

"Whoo Loves You"

To create the owl: Punch large oval for body.  Punch three heart shapes,

use two upside down for ears and bottom of one for beak.

For feet, punch two small petaled flowers then cut in half. 

Use buttons for eyes.  So simple!

We've got a few cards to show you.  For both stampers and scrappers, this is a great way to use those scraps you may have laying around as well as an opportunity to try out new techniques.  And if you'd like, take a photo of the cards you make then email them to us here. We'd love to feature your creations on the Bloomin' Blog! 

Support our troops

Calling all card makers---we've learned of an exciting opportunity to help our service men and women currently stationed overseas. As you might imagine, access to many items we take for granted each day are limited in the countries where they are serving. One of those items is greeting cards for when they want to send a note or something special to a loved one back home.

So, here's where we come in! Bloomin' Scrapbooks is collecting handmade cards to send to a division currently stationed in Afghanistan. If you would like to contribute, please bring your cards into the store by September 15. We will provide envelopes for each card, so we ask they be standard size, either 3.5 by 5.5" or 5" x 7". The cards should also be white inside so the soldiers are able to easily write notes or letters inside them.

It's an amazing thing when a hobby we love can make a difference in the lives of others. And in this case, it's a "double bonus." The soldiers will appreciate being able to send a beautiful card to their loved ones, and no doubt the final recipient will cherish it!

Happy National Scrapbook Day!

Hope you were able to stop by this weekend to see some of the great deals we have just for National Scrapbook Day. To celebrate the occasion, we wanted to share these free instructions for creating a simple yet attractive scrapbook page and card. For this project, we used the amazing papers from Pink Paislee. If you'd like to replicate this project, we have these exact papers available for purchase. Or "shop your stash" and find four coordinating papers. Don't have a circle shape paper on hand? Simply trace around a kitchen plate and create your own! Here's what you'll need:

Two sheets of this:

One sheet of this paper:

One of this beautiful blue:
One round paper:
And a package of these coordinating fabric flowers:
Let's get started. First cut the floral paper in half, leaving you with two 6 x 12" strips.

Next, cut the circle shape as shown below. Cut the top and bottom of the circle 2-1/4" from the edge. Once cut, you will have two similar pieces, each approximately 9 -1/4" x 2-1/4" at the widest parts. Cut the right side of the remaining circle 2-1/4" from the edge. The resulting piece will measure approximately 6" x 2-1/4" at the widest part. From the remaining part of the circle, cut a mat for a small photo. Save the leftover scraps for cardmaking. From the blue paper, cut two 3/4" x 12" strips. Remove flowers from packaging. Cut two 12" lengths of suede-look ribbon. Stamp blue paper with journaling template stamp and cut out.

Start with the two woodgrain papers as the base for the layout.

Find the 6 x 2-1/4" strip cut from the circle edge. Cut it in half, leaving you with two 3 x 2-1/4" pieces. Adhere each to bottom of layout as shown below:

Add the larger circle strips, being sure to overlap with the edges of the previously placed small circle edge.

Next adhere the floral strips above the circle edges, then adhere the thin blue strips above the floral paper:

Add photos and blue stamped journaling area to layout. For the photo with the plaid background mat, use pop dots to make it stand out. Adhere the fabric flowers and suede-look ribbon using a strong glue such as Crafter's Pick.

And you're finished!

Before you put your scraps away, use the leftovers to make this cute card to let someone special know you're thinking of them today!

Quick Card Project

Looking for a quick card using supplies you may already have on hand? This little chickee is made using just a couple of punches and is both quick and fun!

Here's our step by step instructions:

1. Cut and score card background from blue cardstock.

2. Attach Fancy Pants Designs patterned paper to front. We stitched the sides, but it would be just as cute to leave unfinished or use a stitch pattern stamp to duplicate the effect.

3. To make chickee: Punch large circle from yellow cardstock. Punch four heart shapes from dark orange cardstock. Place three hearts behind the top of the circle with the tops peeking out. Cut the last heart in half, with the bottom being a triangle for the beak and the top becoming wings. Add two thin strips of green cardstock for legs and a button for the eye.

4. Stamp sentiment with blue ink on white cardstock strip. Tie ribbon in knot and glue to card.

If you have ideas for quick card ideas using punches, we'd love to share them here on our blog. Just email a photo to us here.