Gift projects

I love to alter! Especially items that are just lying around in my messy craft area. Waste not!
Since Halloween is just around the corner I would like to share with you an altered trick or treat goodie bucket that your kids will surely love especially of what you put inside :)
Here's a sample of an altered Prima bucket covered with Halloween themed patterned papers.
I embellished with ribbons, added a gift tag and added a Fraidy Cat frame and some pieces from Halloween lace die-cut, all available at Scrappy Shack Etsy Shop.

Then you're ready to fill the bucket with sweet treats!

Well Christmas is not so far as well. So here's a simple gift set that you can create to give out to your dear family and friends this coming Holiday season.

The gift set is composed of a mini notebook, post-it holder and desk mirror, perfect gift for your girlfriends! Though you can also swap the mirror with a mini calendar or mini photoframe and can be gifted to your boyfriends too.

In this project I used pulp square coasters as my base that I covered with coordinated patterned papers.

There are several ways to put the coaters together, you can use a binding machine like Zutter, or hole punch the coasters and tie together with ribbons or just create a flap of paper to hold them together.

I just cut pieces of scrap papers to fill-up my notebook pages. For the desk mirror you can buy the self-adhesive mirror at your local scrapstore.

To personalized your gift set you may want to add a monogram on the covers to match them together.

Embellish the covers as desired!

Wrap them and tie neatly with a ribbon, and of course don't forget to add in your matching gift tag.

Coordinating scrap kits are available at Scrappy Shack etsy shop... so go ahead and get crafty!

Happy gift giving!

- Marix

Altering, Embellishing, and Dissecting Your Cuts

As a member of The Scrappy Shack's design team, I've enjoyed playing with the different cuts and lace papers. I believe in "using what you've got," but sometimes, I may not have the cut I want to use in the exact color or size that I want. That's when I get busy altering, embellishing, and dissecting my cut! Here are a few examples of what I mean:


On this first layout, I used the Circles lace paper in red. What - you don't see red? That's because I inked it with brown distress ink and then sprayed it with gold Glimmer Mist. I also added the gold Glimmer Mist to the black Large Flourish Frame. Altering these cuts helped them match my layout. I also embellished the frame with some rhinestone bling to make it sparkle even more. Here's a closeup of the cuts:


These next projects show how I dissected a cut - the Flower Lace Paper. I got three projects out of just one sheet of this paper, with some left over to spare. Here are two of the projects: a card and a wall hanging that is displayed in my new craft room.


I simply cut around the flowers to give them a finished "edge."

Finally, this Halloween layout shows how I embellished a cut to give it my own personality. The background is the Halloween Lace Paper, to which I added some spooky googly eyes. I used one of the Halloween Die Cut Frames to frame my photo, which creates its own embellisment in the lower corner.


I hope this tips give you more ideas on how to use your cuts, and inspire to try out some of The Scrappy Shack's newest cuts!

Happy crafting!

~Erica

Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to.....

Ilene!

Thank you all for entering the giveaway. Ilene, please contact me to discuss your prize.

Happy September!

And happy birthday to me!
Since September is my birthday month, I have decided to celebrate in my shop all month long! But more on that later....

The Design Team has been hard at work and they have created some beautiful layouts:

Erica created this great page using the brand new summer die cuts, available in the Etsy shop now.

Shannon doodled the Polka Dot Frame up and made it look great!
This cut has always been one of my very favorites and seeing it on this layout made me love it even more. I am going to cut one for myself and use this technique.

Marix used this Sentiment Circle to hang embellishments and I have to say it makes me think of a mobile, like you use in a baby's crib. When I designed these cuts I always imaged them around photos and when I see them used in a way that doesn't frame a photo, I am always impressed.

Deciding to bring on a Design Team was a big decision for me, but I am so glad I did it. The creativity and imagination they bring to the die cuts really brings them alive. I am very thankful to the girls who work so hard on my team. Girls, you ROCK!

So let's talk promotion and giveaway.

For the entire month of September, in honor of my birthday, purchase a Happy Birthday Lace

and get a free Alphabet Circle Frame in the color of your choice!


Just mention "birthday promotion" in the checkout remarks.

Giveaway

I want my birthday giveaway to be the biggest I have ever had!

So, the winner will be allowed to chose 20 die cuts from my Etsy shop.

Twenty die cuts, any die cuts I sell, in any color the winner chooses.

There are three ways to enter:

1. Visit my Etsy shop, pick your favorite die cut, and come back here and tell me which one you like.

2. Announce the promotion on your blog, and then comment here with a link.

3. Visit any DT member's blog and comment on the giveaway.

I will choose a winner on September 30, by random draw.

Good luck and happy September!