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Articles by Abby

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We recently added a new member to our household–a beagle puppy named Lucy.

The day we brought Lucy home, we walked into the kitchen to find a surprise waiting for us on the counter. My sister left a basket full of dog treats and toys for our puppy to find when we got home. While the gift itself was so thoughtful, my favorite part, hands-down, was the handmade card she tucked into the basket.

Isn’t it cute? I especially love the clever ear flap. On the back side, she wrote a sweet little note to Lucy, too. My sister is very creative, but doesn’t really scrapbook or make cards all that often. She doesn’t have boxes and boxes overflowing with supplies like some of us do. Instead, she used just a few sheets of cardstock, some stickers, and a marker and turned them into a unique, special card that I will keep forever.

This card just reinforces to me that you don’t have to spend hours or use tons of supplies to make a handmade card or gift. Just taking the time to make something–no matter how simple or elaborate–really speaks volumes and shows someone you care. My sister could have easily picked up a generic card at any store, but instead, chose to create something much more personal. Plus, her card is so much cuter than any store-bought card, at least in my eyes.

Next time you need to give a card, give a handmade one–it will be worth it, I promise!

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Paging through some older idea books I had lying around, I came across this card and decided to scrap-lift it.

I like how the flower was positioned off the edge of the card. However, instead of using a flower embellishment, I stamped a flower for my card. I simply stamped each petal (any flower stamp would work!) on white cardstock using a brightly colored ink, cut the petals out, and assembled the flower on my card. Add in some letter stickers, a rub-on or stamp, a cute button, and my card is done!

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Last time I visited my parents, I brought home a large bin full of old school papers, yearbooks, various event programs, report cards, and pictures. Back when I graduated high school, not a lot of people scrapbooked, or at least they didn’t in my hometown. My mom did, however, make me a simple album to hold my various awards, each year’s school photo, and a few photos here and there, but everything else just got packed away in a bin.

It was really fun to go back and look at everything. I realized that even though it’s only been 11 years since I graduated high school,  some of my memories–especially those of my elementary school days–are already starting to get fuzzy. It took me a minute to remember my 1st grade teacher’s name.  While some of my school projects I vividly remember, others I don’t really remember doing. Even class photos–some of my elementary school classmates I have a hard time remembering their names!

It was then that I decided to make my own school scrapbook. There’s no rule that says you can only make school albums for your children. Your own school days memories are worth remembering, too. It doesn’t matter how many years it’s been since you were a student!

Here’s what I’m going to do:

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Try a Glaze pen!

Looking to add a little bit of extra interest to your handmade card or scrapbook page? Try Glaze pens!

These pens write like a typical gel pen, but once the ink is dry, it has a raised effect and resembles stained glass. Cool! Use them to add color and texture to not only cards and scrapbook pages, but also plastic, glass, ceramic, even metal. Just make sure you write slowly so the thick ink can flow nicely onto your project, and allow at least 10 minutes of drying time.

Check out this cute card Molly designed for our Marvelous Minis Card Workshop:

Glaze pens are absolutely perfect for coloring in the lava lamp stamped image. The finished result looks like gel, similar to a real lava lamp. I love it!

Come into Archiver’s to give them a try!

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If you’re a fan of ribbon (who doesn’t love ribbon?), then you’ll be excited to hear that Archiver’s has all-new ribbon from American Crafts!

There are over 400 styles available, all sold by-the-spool. Each spool contains anywhere from one to 10 yards, depending on the style. And get this–EVERY spool is just $2.99. I use ribbon not only for scrapbook pages and cards, but also to wrap gifts, and with so many fabulous styles, I know I’ll be picking up several spools to add to my stash!

Angie and Molly recently received samples of the ribbon here at the office. Although their spools are in bulk and much larger, this gives you an idea of the color and style assortment you’ll find at your local Archiver’s. Guess what? This isn’t even ALL of the styles available either!

Come into Archiver’s this weekend to check it out. Plus, it’s Make & Take Weekend, and you know what that means–FREE projects! Make three free projects, full of the latest techniques and products, see tons of inspiration, and shop special deals. We’ll see you there!

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Did you know that you can find over 2,000 project ideas on Archiver’s online idea pages?  While I was browsing through them, I came across this card from several years back:

Even thought the papers are a little outdated, I like the design of this card. With a few October Afternoon papers, some kraft cardstock, a couple circle punches, and a cute Hero Arts sentiment stamp, I made a card that’s a bit more modern and fits my personal style a little better.

That’s the great thing about scrap-lifting–you don’t have to copy an idea exactly! You can take bits and pieces of the design, colors, techniques, etc. and turn them into something more “you”. Or, take an older idea and update it with current product to give it a whole new look.

Spend a few minutes looking through Archiver’s idea pages–you’re bound to find a ton of great ideas you can scrap-lift, too!

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As Heather mentioned in yesterday’s post, everyone at the Archiver’s Home Office is excited about 7gypsies trays! I love them because they are such a unique way to show off your favorite photos and memories. The tray itself is so versatile that you can decorate it with ANY photos, papers, and embellishments you want, can make it fit ANY theme, and can make it as simple or elaborate as you want. Really, anyone can do it!

Here are just a few of my favorite ideas:

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If you were to look through my scrapbooks and handmade cards, you’d clearly see that I love rounded corners. I seem to include them on nearly all of my designs.

That’s probably why the We R Memory Keepers Corner Chompers caught my eye. Each Corner Chomper, available in four styles, features two different decorative corners. Even though the corner rounder style is my favorite (it has two different sizes!), there are lots of other cool ones, like a deco corner, scallop corner, cloud corner, and more. You can punch multiple sheets of cardstock at once, chipboard, even acrylic. Best of all, they’re so easy to use–just a little squeeze is all it takes. You don’t have to struggle like you do with some other punches!

Check out these adorable mini cards Angie and Molly made using Corner Chompers:


If you want to give them a try, go to Archiver’s and ask any associate for a quick demonstration. Once you see them in action, you’ll be hooked, just like me!



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I don’t know about you, but I sometimes suffer from “creative block”–you know, when you stare at the pile of photos and supplies in front of you and can’t figure out what to do with them? When that happens, I turn to idea books! There are dozens and dozens of idea books out there, filled with lots and lots of creative ideas for pages, cards, and more.

Here are just a few that have caught my eye recently:

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Only 71 days until ScrapFest 2010! Many of us at the Archiver’s Home Office are hard at work putting the finishing touches on this year’s event. It’s going to be so much fun!

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