Tonic Studios Punches

Tonic Studios makes some of my favorite tools, they are so durable, and easy to use. I was super excited to see that they are now in the border punch business.

The punches are made with metal gears and cut through thicker materials like butter. I successfully cut thin chipboard, thick cardstock, and thin copy paper. Here is a video of me using the punches so that you can see for yourself.



After making the video I have been asked, could you use this as a corner punch since it only has 1 bunch. The Answer is Yes, but only if you are careful, since corner guides are not included on the punch, making sure your corners are lined up on all sides can become tricky.

Thanks for stopping in today,

Tonya Gibbs
http://www.psychomoms.com

Pastiche Mini Book with Marion Smith - Live with Prima

Marion will be hosting the Live with Prima Show Thursday, March 29th at 6:30pm PT/ 7:30pm MT/ 8:30pm CT/ 9:30pm ET 3/30-2:30am GMT/ 1:30pm Sydney

We hope you have a lot of pictures you can add to this little book, it's filled with pockets and inserts that will hold lots of photos! The Pastiche paper line is one of Prima's most famous, it's known for the beautiful artwork that is truly original and eye catching. This project is sure to stand out with the beautiful pops of colors and unique binding. Resin accents and Vintage trinkets add a touch of vintage flair, to this adorable mini book.

Prima Products:

• 890865-Metal Treasures-Baroque
• 930042-VintageTrinkets
• 841171-Pastiche-Love Letter
• 841195-Pastiche-Quirky
• 551698-Fleur De Lys
• 552664-Bretton Vines-Parchment
• 841218-Pastiche-Heartstrings
• 841188-Pastiche-Butterfly Wings
• 841164-Pastiche-Vintage Garden
• 841201-Pastiche Seaside
• e-000-100m-Roses-1/2 bunch
• 552107-Meredith-Kiwi

Extra materials:

• black acrylic paint
• standard paint brush
• half filled water bottle (for rinsing your brush)
• paper towel x2
• cropodile
• two large eyelets (you could sub these with a standard hole punch and paper hole enforcers if you don't have them),
• black card stock 1 sheet
• 1/2'' decorative border punch
• black ribbon or color of your choice (choose one no wider than 1/2'')
• brown distress ink
• makeup wedge or ink applicator
• bone fold
• paper trimmer
• scissors
• wet quick dry adhesive

We hope to see you there.

Sneak Peek at Digital Pages

Hi everyone have you seen Garett Smith's new digital pages that he has over on http://www.apieceofcraft.com/ website!!! They are a must see and have, I am working on a mini album with these amazing 8x8 scrapbook pages.

I printed these out at Staples with my own card stock, wow laser prints are really nice.

Knowing I was working with these pages I knew it was time to buy Tim Holtz Alterations Gadget Gears die. Oh boy I started die cutting chip board pieces, then running walnut stain over the gears-stamped a script image on them-finished up using clear embossing powder for the top coat...so love the shinning look and feel to the gears.

                                                           simple peek at the mini album

      

Be sure to come back on Monday for the finished album!!! Don't forget to leave a comment!!

(scroll down to Tonya Gibbs post on the little mini album she made for Copper) she used these pages.

 What project are you working on?

happy creating~Peggy Lee

One word...Muvazi!!

Hello ladies!
I have something super awesome to share with all of you! You all know I would never back a product I did not believe in, and I have not been paid and I'm not sponsored by this company in any way this is just a product that I have to share with you! In the last year or so I have noticed a dramatic change in my skin, for one it's become very oily and dry. I have also noticed the start of laugh lines and crows feet, which you know was a shock being that I am just 28. Also a few weeks ago a got a little lesson in skin care from my Dentist, (I know really odd but he's a family friend and he actually does botox as well.) he said when women reach their 30's there is usually a pretty dramatic change in your body and you will start to see changes in your skin, bones, and hair.

He told me that now was the time to start doing something to prevent osteoporosis and certain skin conditions and wrinkles. He also said he would never let me get botox, which I would never do anyway. Anywho now you all know how I don't like to use chemicals on my skin at all which is why I use all natural deodorant and I don't wear perfume or use hair products. Well I was contacted by Muvazi and they asked if I would like to try their products, normally this is not something I would be interested in, but I have done my own research about how to take care of your skin and one of the number one natural treatments was to eat lots of oats. Being that Muvazi is derived from oats I knew I had to try it out.

It's been a few weeks now and I'm a huge skeptic, but I have to admit I have noticed a dramatic change in my skin. It's not as dry or oily and it feels so silky smooth! I also noticed that the bags under my eyes from Beckam keeping me up have disappeared in just the first couple of days. My tiny wrinkles have decreased quite a bit within the first week which makes me happy as well! I also have very sensitive skin, so I was a little apprehensive about trying it, but as soon as I put that serum and moisturizer on my face it felt soo awesome. It's hard to explain but it's almost like an instant cooling relief that lasts all day. It has a very mild fragrance that is actually pleasant but doesn't last long. My favorite products were the serum and moisturizer, but I have to tell you that the eye cream is awesome and believe it or not Garett has been using it too lol!

So overall I absolutely love the products and I want you all to be able to judge for yourself. Muvazi is going to give all of you $50 off your order plus free shipping!!, and all you have to do is use the coupon code: marionsmith!!! How awesome is that! This company believes in their products so much that they even have a 100% Guarantee! Seriously there is no risk and I know you all will love it as much as I do!

Let me know how it works for you!

31 Day Journal of March so far!

8x8 Layout "DREAM"

My 2012 "WORD"

seems to be "DREAM"-that is actually what I was thinking of when I snapped this picture of me staring out of my living room window taking in the warm sunshine thinking how blessed I am. We all have dreams we shoot for and some we never reach, sometimes we don't even need to reach them or get them at all...it's just knowing that we can dream. We have that freedom, to dream it, think it, write it down and set it free....

I took the concept of 4x4 tiles that's how I started to create this layout, cut 4x4 square chipboard pieces adhered Prima Printery collection papers, inked the edges glued down to a 8x8 chipboard piece.
The photo frame is a piece of Prima packaging that I snipped off the top and used the rest to frame out my photo, adding some distress ink and stickles around the edges.

Off set the photo to the backing to give some depth, added the beautiful flower/star spray from Prima. Gathered some leftover flowers from the Printery line that I had in a box (actually this whole layout is made with scraps and leftover goodies from the Prima Printery line) also in the box was some extra punched out butterflies that worked great with the spray and flowers.

I had received the butterfly and spray from a prize I won watching The Live with Prima Show awhile ago, was thrilled to see it matched the papers and flowers I was using. It added a touch of beauty.

a Show awhile ago, was thrilled to see it matched the papers and flowers I was using. It added a touch of beauty.

What is your "Dream for 2012"?

Be sure to leave a comment-that's where you will find my dream answer.

Peggy Lee

/http://pegbaker.blogspot.com/

Supplies:

Prima Printery Collections of

paper, sprays, butterflies, flowers.

Distress inks: vintage photo

Stickles: Icicle

black trim/pearls

chipboard

March digital journal pages sneak peek!

Cards & Journal Pages

While working on January & February's digi kit I had printed out some extra pages by mistake. So I wanted to share a few projects on how to use these pages for something other than the monthly journal.

Last year I was bitten BIG TIME by the "Smash" bug. I think I have bought all the accessories and all of the books created by K&Co. This is the Red Smash book and its theme is "all about me", so I decided to fill it with things that make me happy.

Journal Page

This man started making me happy in 1985. I love that we can be silly together after being together for 27 years. On Valentine's day my husband and I spotted a photo booth when we came out of a movie. I think they are perfect photos for "smashing". I used the beautiful rose motif lined notebook paper that was February Day 29's insert as my background paper. The side was punched with a border punch from Martha Stewart. For the photo mat, I used Day 14's insert.

Another challenge I have for this journal is to use one of my favorite stamps on every page in the journal. On this page I used the new Prima Songbird collection. The tickets are so small and perfect since one says "best friends" - and he truly is my best friend. The same stamp set has the birds (love them!). The bird's nest and Love stamp are both Inkadinkadoo.

Card

When gathering up my supplies, I spoted a torn hymnal page on my desk that said "sowing the precious seeds" which made it a perfect match for this extra sheet of the January Day 23 paper. I wanted this to have a rugged/distressed look so I used some paint on corrugated board for the background paper. I also dry brushed some of the paint onto the music paper and patterned journal pages. I dipped butterflies from 2 different Martha Stewart punches in melted UTEE to give them a glass finished.

Are you using Marion's downloads for something other than the Journal pages? If so share some of your projects on the Artsy Addicts Facebook page. Be sure to tag me in the post so that I don't miss it.

Thanks for stopping in today.

Tonya Gibbs
http://www.psychomoms.com

My Scrapbook Shopping: LSS or Big Box?

Angee Butler-Carter here to share a little bit about my shopping addiction habits.

I'm a heavy duty scrapbook shopper. Heavy duty in that I'm a gadget geek and I'm a super-comparison shopper. I must know who has the best prices, the best reviews, the most reasonable shipping rates, etc. before I make a purchase.
All that being said, I recently married and moved and had to seek out new scrapbook shops for my hauls in the clear lake suburb of Houston and I've been exploring some of the local scrapbook stores. A lot of the LSS around have closed or are a bit too far for me to drive. One of the biggest in the area that I found right before I moved here closed before I ever had a chance to stop by. There is one nearby that I occasionally visit. It carries a wide range of products, however most of them are not my style and the selection can be pretty limited. I've talked to the owner and she has indicated that she'd be willing to order anything that I would want and that is impeccable customer service which is why I continue to frequent her shop.
However, my local Hobby Lobby is amaz-balls. They have a huge variety of popular scrabooking items, alterables, markers, paints, open-stock card stock, and more. I visited them often this past week when I was off work for Spring Break. I picked up a few things. *grin
While I was there I snapped a few pictures of the awesome selection and a few of the items they kept in-stock that I was really impressed with.....

All types of containers for storage and altering.

Stock of paper pads.

Open stock of card stock. Holy paper batman!

Good selection of Thickers!

Wide array of binding materials. Bind-it-All and Cinch in stock.

A pretty good selection of Tim Holtz & Ranger products. And a Vagabond. (The box is empty and just for show. They keep them in the back).

Hello Grand Caliber & Spellbinders!

Now I've been a Hobby Lobby shopper for a long time. Michaels too. My old Michaels was much better that my new Michaels. Although they seem to be about the same size the selection is a bit different and not their section of in-stock items don't get refreshed as often. I still visit Michaels for a few things. My new Michaels is literally two blocks from my new apartment. So for the convenience of it I do visit there quite often. (yes, when I shop it's a visit...lol)

Right next door to my new Michaels is Aaron Brothers. I had never shopped at Aaron Brothers until I moved here. They carry a great selection of mixed media supplies and a much larger selection of Ranger products as well.
My other favorite shopping haunts are Tuesday Morning, Big Lots, Marshalls, and Ross which are all about 3-7 minutes from my apartment.
You might be thinking Ross, Marshall's? Those are discount clothing stores. Yes, yes they are. And they occasionally have great deals of scrapbook products in their stationary section. Don't skip that section. Oh and don't skip the shoe section either!
Oh and don't forget your local thrift store. I must say my Goodwill is awesome. They had a large selection of older Stampin' Up! stamps the other day. I only bought one large Ampersand stamp for obvious reasons. :-)
I know, I know. I have no idea what we were thinking when we moved here. There is a major mall about 4 blocks from my house as well. And we're finally getting an H&M at "my" mall this year. It's the first one in Houston. Yippie! I digress.
I wish we had more Local Scrapbook Stores around that I could frequent and meet some crafty friends but much like many independently owned scrapbook stores around the country it's quite hard to compete with the big box stores and their weekly 40-50% coupons. I know I will not buy anything from the big box stores without a coupon. I don't even step foot in the store without one.
It because of this that I tend to support online scrapbook stores where they are family owned and carry the products that match my style. And I'm still looking for my LSS in Houston, TX. If you know of one please link me up in the comments.
Sweet hugs.

Angee Butler-Carter

Just Be You

                                                  Has anyone just said "just be you"?

 I can honestly say that yes someone has said that to me at least once in my life. And I know I have said that many times to my daughters in the past few years, when they are little they are high on life, playing and just having fun. Then life seems to snap and boom they are teenagers and changing like the wind, right  before your eyes.

 Brings tears to my eyes to even type this post see here in this layout is my oldest daughter Olivia and she is graduated from school and will be leaving this fall for college. I was walking down memory lane and came upon this layout I created with Prima goodies. I so knew I wanted to share this with you.

Olivia is always snapping photos of herself (that's how the title came about) she always says just be you!!! They will either love you or hate you, who cares just be you and life will be OK. I love my girls so much so it's remembering the simple things that will get us mother's through life's journey.

                                     I just love these colors of the Prima flowers so soft and girly.

Just be you-in your creative journey!

Peggy Lee

Planes Trains & Automobiles

This 4x4 mini of my nephew Cooper was designed using the digi downloads from Garett Smith Designs, available on apieceofcraft.com. His papers are designed to print as 8x8 layouts, and include 12 page designs 3 envelope designs and a journal insert design. The rich colors and distressed looks make it rugged and tough looking. I also love the vintage "transporation" icons of bicycles, trains, cars, and planes. These downloads are perfect for boys as well as travel journals. I love the size, and the elements are perfect for fussy cutting.

Here is a glimpse at the pages of my mini album:

On the cover I fussy cut some of the elements from the ads and popped them up to give the cover depth. I also included a stamped sentiment from the Lost & Found stamp set, and the Old Jalopy, arrow, and bookplate from Tim Holtz.


The pocket was die cut with Tim Holtz' on the edge ornate die, and the button is holding down the booklet that lifts to reveal the journaling.

On this page I printed the hot air balloon twice and then fussy cut the balloon, banner and basket and raised it off the page with pop dots. Cooper's image is inside the pocket and journaling is on the back of the photograph. The "Fun" banner was from the new My Mind's Eye FundDay stamp set.

I used the scraps to create a library style pocket to house some of the ads from the paper collection, journaling has been added to the back of the ads. Again the stamped images are from the My Mind's Eye Fun Day stamp set.


On this page, I reduced the size of the coin envelopes to 50% to make them the perfect size for Tim Holtz' Tiny Tags tag diecut. I also fussy cut around the image of Cooper in the race car to give this spread more interest.


This is a typical view of my living room when Cooper is over. I cut the words from one of the papers to create these banners. The journaling is on the back of the advertisement that is nested inside the pocket.

I had a great time working with these designs and I can't wait to make another project with them. I hope that Garett continues to design some fun masculine designs.

Here is a video walk through of the mini...


Thanks for stopping in today, I hope you have enjoyed this week's post.

Tonya Gibbs
http://www.psychomoms.com

Famous Scrapbookers | How I found out about crafting.

Hi Artsy addicts.

Angela here with more of a discussion.

Source

Famous Scrapbookers.

Are popular scrapbookers considered famous?

I remember not that long ago I didn't live in this world of crafting, and self expression. Well not in the sense that I no live. I didn't scrapbook, I didn't make cards, I didn't know what a Cricut, Silhouette, or a GrandeMark were. I had no idea what die cutting meant let along owned a die. I didn't know what a Copic Marker was. That was my reality.

I was a work-a-holic, then I heard about something where you can go online and watch videos made by normal-unfamous people. Seemed interesting enough.

Shortly after discovering youtube I discovered a world that I never knew existed; Papercrafts. Oh my word!! I say I discovered a world because it is absolutely an alternate world where people document life, preserve memories, tell stories in colorful and creative ways, and generally are more present in LIVING life instead of just simply LIVING. I was amazed.

My first crafting video was made by Kristina Werner, and I only found her because she posted a video about french manicures.

I watched her manicure video then went to her Youtube profile and saw that she made "other" videos about card making. And ever since I've been a crafter. Never really got into doing manicures though. Ha!

She was my first introduction to "Famous/Popular" Crafters.

After that I started to seek out other crafters for more inspiration and an overall desire to learn more about this new hobby of mine and that's where I came across videos by Marion Smith. Whoooo!!! The things she did with paper, glue, and glitter. Albums, Canvases, and Tags, Oh My!

Marion really opened up a new world for me in terms of products and people. Hello....Tim Holtz anyone.

And from there I devoured anything and everything online that I could find, and it lead me to all types of new inspirations from some amazing people:

Nichol Magourik

Nichole Heady

Jennifer McGuire

Karla Dudley

Keisha Campbell

Kelly Purkey

Ali Edwards

Cathy Zielske

Becky Higgings

And so many more. You should see my google reader.

All of these people I consider to be "Famous" Crafters. They are widely know in the crafting community and represent some of the largest manufacturers in the business. They also do a great job of promoting others in the community via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other forms of social media. They've introduced me to my favorite kit club, Studio Calico, my favorite stamps, PapertreyInk, my favorite ink, Hero Arts, and so much more. I'm sure I'm just hitting the tip of the iceberg in the world of crafts but I'm constantly looking for more. I think I can find more room in my google reader.

Between fashion blogs, make-up blogs, nail blogs, crafting blogs, style blogs, and home decor blogs, I have a grand 'ole time every morning clearing out my reader. Gets me inspired first thing in the morning and throughout the day. But I'm sure there are loads of other great artists who are popular to you that I may not know about.

Who are other "Famous/Popular" Crafters that you know and love? Who do you follow that you feel SHOULD BE popular and you want to promote them here.

Link them up in the comments to win a little gift pack from me.

Sweet Hugs,

Angela B. Carter (ABC)

Dreaming of Spring in a Box

Yes that's right I am dreaming of spring here on the east coast, a long winter with not much snow. We are ready for spring for warmer days and not so cold nights, for little birds singing and grass trying to peak out under the frozen ground. Last weekend I found myself dreaming of spring and decided I need to create a little spring box with Marion's digital pages.


So here it is Spring in a Box!

step 1-painted the paper mache box with pink paint
         -covered that with Ranger's Distress crackle paint (picket fence)

step 2-gathered some digital pages, torn the paper to fit the box
         -inked edges of paper and the box with Ranger's Distress ink  (brushed corduroy)

love how you can see the pink paint peaking through the crackle

 step 3-created a tiny mini round album to fit inside the box
          -cut circle rounds out of chipboard
          -adhered digital pages to the chipboard's
          -added pink paint and crackle paint around the edges
          -punched a hole in all chipboard's added twine and torn fabrics
          -added some little pretties to the album cover

 here is a look at one of the inside pages

don't you just love the rose image....beautiful!

step 4-glued crepe paper to the top of the box cover
         -birds nest added pink paint and crackle to give a worn look
         -glued reindeer moss inside the nest adorned with little  birdie, roses, tiny eggs, buttons, pearls and glitter
         -fussy cut out images of butterflies and tiny rose bud and leaves from Marion's digital pages to tuck in here and there.
         -glue tiny wooden spools to bottom (also painted and crackled) just to cute.

If you haven't tried Marion's digital download pages I encourage you to, you will be amazed and excited to create with them. You could create a monthly journal, thinking of you card, scrapbook layout and etc. (skies the limit)!!! Go for it hop on over to Marion's website and see all the beautiful images.
Don't forget to post your creations on our Artsy Addicts facebook page, we would love to see them. Create away....

Peggy Lee
(http://pegbaker.blogspot.com/)

Supplies: Marion Smith's February pages, Plaid folkart paint, Ranger's Distress crackle paint picket fence and Distress ink brushed corduroy, paper mache box, birds nest, moss, roses, pearls, buttons, wooden spools.

Yaye March journal pages day 1-10 are posted!

Click here to go to the shop!

February 2012 - Journal Challenge

I have completed my February 2012 Journal using Marion's digital downloads. I really have had a blast working with these this month. This month's theme was filled with flowers, butterflies, and distressed postcards. I did some fussy cutting on some extra printouts and used those as accents throughout the book so that my book would remain somewhat flat.

Here is a video walk through of February in the Gibbs household.



Thank you for stopping in today,

Tonya Gibbs
http://www.Psychomoms.com

Zentangles

Zentangles are really sweeping the art world and I have to say - I'm totally in love with them. I haven't mastered the art yet - but my Daughter Brittany, 18 years old, sure has. As her super proud mother - I thought I would share with you her creations.







Thanks for stopping in today - are you tangeled yet?

Tonya Gibbs
http://www.psychomoms.com