A challenge... and a good sale!

Hit my stash this week for Saturday's Penny Black challenge.

Blue and white cardstock are from Bazzill. Inked up the white with Broken China Distress Ink. Stamp is Penny Black. Rhinestones are K & Company; font is LD Vanilla, and the frame for the greeting is from 2Peas "Frame It Up". I think the PP is from The Paper Studio.

Now - on to more important things...

Unity has a Wednesday sale going lately, and it's a good one!

I just picked up this really cute stamp for a measley six

dollars, and that includes shipping! Can't wait to see what

they have this week, and I can't wait for the weekend to

put together a couple of cards with this!

French freebie!

One of my favorite sites is offering a freebie full kit! Here's the link:

http://digital-crea.fr/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=65&products_id=3095


I know that the site comes up in French (I leave it that way, which makes it way more fun!) but there is a language button.

Have fun!

Making Patterned Digi Paper

We went to Spartanburg last week to
Wofford College for the Panthers' training camp.
Since even the preseason tickets are crazy expensive ($61 each for the nosebleeds!) this is our only opportunity to see the home team up close and personal. It's free to watch, and there was a lot to see!

I needed some patterned paper for the left side, but I don't have any football-themed stuff. It's easy to use up your scrap budget buying kits when you only need one piece, so it was time for a little creativity.

I googled 'football play' then asked for images, and got this:

Then I layered it on top of a piece of black paper I got from a 2Peas freebie kit, then dropped the opacity of the play to 35%. Ta-daaa!

Adapting a technique to keep it fun, make it cheap.

... because that's what's it's about when you're scrappin' on a shoestring! I'm on the shoestring for my cards, too, so I'm always looking for a way to adapt the supplies I already have to work with new techniques.

On the For the Love of Paper blog, Kimberly Crawford was showing off Spellbinders' new Impressabilities. They are sooooo cool! My first instinct - hit ebay and shop. Which I did, though,

I was good and only looked.

Then I went to my stash. I've got a Cuttlebug (scored for $52 total at Hobby Lobby) and several embossing folders. Could I ink up one of those and then emboss?

The big problem - not wrecking my folders. The solution - Distress Ink!

Distress Ink doesn't dry quickly, so as long as I discipline myself to wash them before I tuck them away, they clean up just fine. I also tried with a pigment ink, and had to do some serious scrubbing and I hadn't even let it dry. So, I'll stick with the Distress. Rock on, Tim Holtz!

Here's how:

1. Cut a piece of cardstock to folder size. Put a little removable adhesive to the top.

2. Ink up one side of the folder.

3. Place cardstock on the not-inked side and press the adhesive so the paper won't move.

4. Close the folder - be careful! Once the paper touches ink, it can't wiggle inside the folder, or it'll smear big-time.

5. Emboss as usual.

You can reverse the color by inking the other side of the folder!