Colour Challenge

This week's challenge is brought to us by Lesley. Simply use the colours below as the basis for a layout or card. Upload your finished project to the Flickr Gallery and be sure to mark it "FebruaryContest" by midnight EST February 28th for your chance at the February prize of a $30.00 credit to the Up The Street store. For links to the other challenges this month, visit the website.

Emboss Resist Tutorial by Lesley and this week's challenge

In each side of the February kits, is a sheet of the Pink Paislee House of 3 resist paper. Lesley whipped up the following tutorial to demonstrate the numerous ways you can customize this paper for your projects.

If you don't have any of this fabulous paper handy, but still want to use the techniques Lesley has shown, try making your own resist paper.
Grab a background stamp, clear embossing ink and clear embossing powder. Stamp and heat emboss your image on a lightish coloured background paper (the lighter the paper, the more you'll be able to play with your technique).

From here, you can use any of the techniques Lesley shared in her video. I used Studio Calico Mister Huey's in Sunshine.
You can see the ink beading up on the stamped image.

Give it a good wipe with a paper towel. This also helps to rub the excess ink into the paper to further enhance your stamped image.

And the finished card ...

Had I used a Glimmer Mist, the whole surface would have a bit of a sheen, but by using the Mister Huey's, there is more definition between the stamped image and the background paper.

Fun stuff :)

So this week's challenge is as follows ...

Use a resist paper (or create your own) in a layout.
Be sure to have your layout uploaded to the Flickr group (tag with "FebruaryContest") by midnight EST February 28th to be entered into this month's drawing.

Die-cut paper Challenge

This week's challenge was kind of a challenge for myself. I have an awful habit of saving (some might say hoarding) my die-cut papers. I don't know why ... I just do.
So real simple ... just use a die-cut paper on your layout.
To give you a few ideas, have a look at what we've done with February's "Let The Sun Shine" kit ...
I chose to flip my We R Memory Keepers Be My Valentine "Sweet Nothings" die-cut paper over and give it a few sprays of Studio Calico Mister Huey's in Sunshine.
Heather split hers and repositioned it to create an entirely different shape.

Lesley left her paper intact, but highlighted the die-cut hearts on the corners with stickles.

The other die-cut paper in the "Let The Sun Shine" kit is the KI Memories Sew Cute Daisy paper. Again, there are many ways you could use this paper, but both Heather & Lesley chose to leave it as is for their base. It just looks like a big ol' happy flower :)

They both even used the same colour cardstock for their background and used many of the same embellishments to dress up the page. As you can see, the colours work equally well for both girl and boy layouts.

Those should give you a bit of inspiration to dig out some die-cut paper and get creating.

Be sure to have your layout uploaded to the Flickr group (tag with "FebruaryContest") by midnight EST February 28th to be entered into this month's drawing.

Path Finder

Just a share today of one of Lesley's layouts done with the "My Shabby Valentine" kit.
Soooo pretty. Sigh. I'll share a little secret ... I'm a sucker for brown glitter. Don't know why, don't know how. I just love it. So of course, I love this layout. It's really difficult to tell from the photos, but the text banners are the top and bottom of the patterned paper comes with the outlining of brown glitter.
One of the ways that Lesley adds a lot of interest to a layout without being overwhelming is by using die cuts. I know that she does a lot with her Silhouette, but I think that the ones used here are Spellbinders. Very subtle but very effective. Lesley used the brown glitter trim to frame her centre grouping. I never would have thought of piecing it together that way. Maybe it came to her in a dream :)I've slowly been adding more products back into the store. At one point, I took everything out but the kits, but in an effort to provide a more complete online shopping experience, you will now be able to purchase some of your favorite scrapbook tools and products from Up The Street. Keep checking back as more stock is added daily.

February Kits

It's that time again ... Reveal Day! And this month we've got a lot to show you.
We've changed our kit format a bit. Rather than the large kit we've been doing in the past, this month offers two seperate kits. Each is a full kit on it's own, but can be mixed with the other to create that larger size kit that many enjoy. Each side runs $31.50, but if you purchase both, you'll receive a $5.00 discount.

The first side is "Let The Sun Shine" ...
Fresh, bright colours to help snap you out of your winter doldrums. Patterned papers are from My Mind's Eye, October Afternoon, Studio Calico, with one of the new resist papers from Pink Paislee via House of 3. It was the first sheet I played with and am wishing I'd ordered more.
Coordinating buttons from My Mind's Eye, tickets from Pink Paislee, sticker elements from Basic Grey Curio and sparkly Thickers in that gorgeous turquoise ...

Die-cut papers from We R Memory Keepers and KI Memories with a few fun bits from Tim Holtz ...

The second side is "My Shabby Valentine". I'm generally not one to go for a themey type of kit, but still wanted to provide some products that could be used for soft, shabby layouts and cards for the Valentine season ...

We went with gorgeous papers from Basic Grey Curio, another sheet from the Pink Paislee House of 3 and some glittery My Mind's Eye. Muted browns, pinks and greens are the predominent colours here with lots of sparkle in the form of Making Memories trim, Ranger Rock Candy Distress Stickles, Prima flowers, Kaisercraft rhinestones and a brown glittered alpha.

Glitz Paper Layers and Whatnots ...

And a few Maya Road crystal trinket pins complete this lovely shabby collection ...

Lesley was good enough to video herself opening her package this month. So fun. I think you get a better feel for the kit contents when you see her leafing through them as opposed to my flat photos. I'm always so disappointed with the way the kits looked when they're photographed. You miss all of the sparkle and texture that, for me, make the kits.

Be sure to visit the Gallery to see what Lesley and Heather have done with the kits.

Heather has had a lot on her plate this past while and chose to use only "Let The Sun Shine" and a few extras for her projects. I had a feeling that she would love this one with the bright, vibrant colours and know that so many of you will be inspired with what she came up with. She used ipod photos and sweet little Ruby's artwork on her pages ... both great ways to try something a little different than you're used to doing.

Lesley uses both sides, but as I predicted, she gravitated towards "My Shabby Valentine". It is so her style. I was blown away with what she's created. That girl is crazy talented. She has also worked up a tutorial that we'll post later on in the month using the House of 3 paper, Shimmerz and inks.

Have a look and if you like what you see, visit the website to order.

I'll be adding some extras to the website later on today ... more alphabets and coordinating embellishments.

Also to come sometime today ... a new contest!

A few projects to share ...

I finally took some time yesterday to play with the Trillium Trail kit.
This first card also uses the Sycamore Circle add-on kit. It measures 4 1/2 x 4 1/2 and is quite thick, so I probably wouldn't send this through the mail ... just include it with a gift. With the more masculine colour palette and Father's Day coming up, I have a feeling that Opa might be getting this one :)
The flower was stamped on Grunge Paper (included in the Sycamore Circle add-on) with one of the new Hero Arts cling stamps using black ink and black embossing powder. I cut it out before adding any colour to it and cut right into the design so that the petals would lift. Olive Branch Shimmerz Spritz (also in the Sycamore Circle add-on) was sprayed onto a base of Peeled Paint Ranger Distress Ink. The inks just bead up off of the embossed portion. Once dry, I smeared a layer of Scattered Straw Ranger Distress Stickles (included in main kit) all over the flower.
I love how the petals have curled to give so much dimension to the stamped image.
The fabric was cut just slightly smaller than the card base and frayed around the edges. I attached it to the card base with strips of double-sided tape.

My second card is completely covered in fabric. I covered the outside of the open card base with strips of double-sided tape and laid it down on the fabric (keeping in mind the pattern so that it would be somewhat straight once cut) and then just trimmed around the edges of the cardstock. The patterned paper is fussy cut and applied with liquid glue. The punched butterflies (Martha Stewart punch) are also applied with glue but it runs just down the centre of each butterfly layer so that the wings can be curled up after the glue has dried.

Just a smidge of the Scattered Straw Ranger Distress Stickles in the centre of each butterfly finishes them off.

I love the cozy, tactile feeling these cards have by using the brushed cotton. Really unique.

And a quick little layout using limited supplies. I used some Prima packaging as a mask in the centre of my layout and spritzed Mudpie Shimmerz Spritz as a border. I then drew faux stitching to further accentuate the sprayed design.

A bit of twine stapled on, a journaling ticket, a title, a flower and we're good. So unusual for me to leave so much white space. Super quick to do though. It took longer for the spritz to dry than it took to complete the layout ;)

One other thing ... if you're new to spritzing, your paper will curl up slightly. I suppose you could iron it flat before you add the rest of the items to your layout, but I kind of like the wonky effect it gives. In any case, your page tends to flatten out once you add it to your album.

Thanks for stopping by!

Kit Freebie

I forgot to mention in yesterday's post that if you purchase one of the add-on kits with the main kit, you will receive a FREE package of the Prima Pearls & Crystals.

Have a great Sunday!

February Kit

I had hoped to have the February kit ready to ship by next week at this time, but everything is here and ready to go so I've already listed it in the store.
Any purchases made over the weekend will ship out on Tuesday as Monday is a holiday here.
As I'm just getting set up, I wouldn't be surprised to see the odd problem arise with the checkout process. If you have any questions or comments about purchasing a kit, please contact me at upthestreet@isp.ca.
Now for the good stuff ... the kits.
When I first started pulling the products together, they reminded me of the campground we camped at while I was growing up. The Main Kit is named for the "street" our trailer was on ...

Trillium Trail

Lots of embellishments. I went with partial packages of several different items so that there would be a lot of variety to choose from.

Some fabrics with which to make beautiful little handmade embellishments. I'll be sharing some tips on how to use them in a little bit.

Visit the store for a complete content list.

The first add-on kit ...

Sycamore Circle

This is the kit I'm most excited to play with. It includes 2 sheets of Grunge Paper and 2 bottles of Shimmerz Spritz. The Spritz only arrived yesterday so I haven't had very much time to experiment just yet.

Visit the store for the content list.

And the second add-on kit ...

Birch Bark Lane

Full packages of some beautiful embellishments. The new Basic Grey Bloomers are layered fabric flowers. Just beautiful.

I want to make sure that shipping is correctly charged so I will be invoicing shipping seperately. Please visit the Pricing & Shipping Policies page for detailed shipping costs.

I'll be sharing some projects over the next while. I've managed a few layouts but am hoping to find a little time to play this week.

Thanks for stopping by!

February Sneaks

It's a gorgeous Sunny Sunday here and I've just gotten in from sledding with the boys. Now I feel like I could use a bit of a nap. But, for the moment, the house is quiet and I really should try to be productive while no one's here to pester me ;)
I'm waiting on a some more product for the February kits but I was able to finish up a layout the other night using the main kit.

And just a little peek of one of the add-ons. The other add-on will have not one, but TWO bottles of Shimmerz Spritz. I've been collecting Glimmer Mist, but have not been able to acquire any of the Shimmerz product ... until now. I'm excited to play with them and see the effect IRL.

I'm hoping to have kits ready to roll by February 20th. Maybe earlier if the Shipping Gods are smiling down on me :)

Have a great day!