A Touch of Scrap

My dad doesn’t read my blog. That’s a good thing right now. Here is the card I made yesterday for his birthday coming up on the 18th.

This is off the top of my head, folks, and I know it’s simple, but my dad is a simplistic type person and would not like a bunch of froufrou.

Anyway, I got to try out a few of my new goodies! The “u” is from the Big Letter Stamps, the flower is a double punch out from the Stacking Daisy punch, the heart design on the left is Cuttlebug Heart Blocks A2 Embossing folder.

The ornamental flourish was stamped using Tim Holtz Antique Linen Distress Ink.

I added some gold glitter glue to the topmost flower petals and placed a purple rhinestone in the center.

The background “u” was stamped using Tim Holtz Walnut Stain Distress Ink and the front “u” was stamped and heat embossed with gold embossing powder.

I didn’t take a picture of the inside of the card because it’s sentimental mush meant for my dad only, but I did print the sentiment on vellum and edged the vellum with the Fiskars Border Punch-Treading Water, finishing it off with another flourish in the lower left corner.

All in all, it’s probably just right for my dad. Let’s hope so…it’s going out in the mail this weekend.

On a side note (and on the side bar), I’ve got a link to an adorable camel named Kamila. You must, and I do mean must, take a look!

Crop-O-Dile - One nifty tool and quite impressive for the money! I didn’t buy the Big Bite version because I don’t mind using an eyelet setter for those areas the Crop-O-Dile can’t reach.

Cricut - Hubby bought mine on Ebay. I have to honestly say I do not use the cartridges that came with it. Though I do have to have a cartridge inserted to use, I design what I want on Inkscape and cut it out using Sure Cuts A Lot.

X-acto Knife - A must have! I use mine constantly!

Fiskars Desktop 12″ Rotary Trimmer (Joann’s only carries the Portable Trimmer) - I opted for the desktop model because we found one for a deal on Ebay. I do have a big enough work area for it, so why not?

Creative Hot Marks Tool Kit - This kit is awesome! I’ve cut out stencils, burned edges, stamped designs, you name it! I tend to lean more towards the “grunge” look when I scrap, and this adds the perfect touch in a lot of ways.

Fiskars Texture Plates - Dry embossing is so much fun! I’ve also got (and love!) the Scrapboss which allows you to do borders and specific designs, but the Texture Plates are a repeated design and perfect for embossing backgrounds, or photo mats, etc. (Plus, according the video a couple of posts back, I’ll be able to use these plates with the Cuttlebug!)

Fiskars Softouch Micro-Tip Scissors - Can’t do with these, especially when it comes to cutting out little things!

Cuttlebug Die-Cut & Embossing Machine - Haven’t gotten it yet, but I know I can’t do without for much longer!

Inkscape -  A free vector program used to design to your heart’s content and save as a .svg

Sure Cuts A Lot - A.k.a. SCAL, this program costs (if you’re interested, sign up to the Sure Cuts A Lot group on Yahoo for a 10% discount), but it will allow you to use any font you wish for cutting out on the Cricut. Also, whatever you design on Inkscape can be imported into SCAL and cut. Heck of a lot cheaper than paying $80-ish per cartridge for the Cricut and a lot more versatile!

Shrinkydink Ring Tutorial

I came across this tutorial this morning while looking up shrink plastic to make embellishments with. It’s not something I’ve used yet, but I’m always opened to trying out something new.

There is an entire tutorial on how to make really neat rings with shrink plastic and stamps.