What Little Girls are Made of.......

I had a great time creating this layout with sparkles

and glitter and ribbons! It is everything our daughter

loves all bundled up into one piece of 12 inch paper!

I used one of my favorite CottageCutz dies on this
layout. Can you spot it?? Give up? I used the tail of the
Bird (Bird and Birdhouse shape) to create the swirls
found on the white star. It is perfect for this layout!


I love my CottageCutz dies for a million reasons
and today I discovered reason number one million
and one....their versatility!! I can use them as they
are or make them be what I want them to be!!
CottageCutz are the perfect dies for everything!!

Summer Hello card

If you are like me, you don't get to see a lot of your friends during the summer. So, what a great opportunity to let you friends know you are thinking about them AND show off your card making skills by sending out some fun and bright summer hello cards! The Cottage Cutz Summer Shapes from the June Release are just perfect! These Popsicle shapes are just perfect for any summer related paper crafting project.

For this card, I used some pearlescent cardstock to give my Popsicle a shiny, icy look. I also embossed the brown cardstock and then took my brown chalk ink and rubbed it across the top of the cardstock. Because my embossed dots are raised, it is easy to cover them with ink without getting any on the background. This technique helps the embossed pattern to stand out a bit.

I also used the Quickutz Rollerskate alpha for my sentiment. I love this alphabet because it is perfect when I need a smaller alpha but also has some style to it as well. This is a GREAT time to pick up this alpha because right now Rollerskate is 50% off!!! Add it to your cart while you are taking advantage of the last few days of the preview sale for the fabulous Halloween shapes from the September Cottage Cutz release! If you haven't seen this shapes yet, you are going to be blown away!!

WATCH FOR IT WEDNESDAY #23

Celebration Mini Banners

Today is my youngest daughters Sweet 16 Birthday. We always decorate a bit for the birthday boy or girl in our family with some crepe paper and a painted wood sign that says Happy Birthday. I wanted something a little more special since 16 is such a big birthday, after all you are old enough to get a real job, get a drivers license and in our home your finally old enough to date. I just took two sheets of 12x12 cardstock and made the base for my mini banner.

Then I decided on the new Quickutz Teriyaki Cookie Cutter font for my message.

Add a few other diecuts and colors and there you have it. This idea would be great for any celebration and costs very little and personalizes the occasion.

I put this up on our fireplace mantle with some Sticky Tac so I can slip this into her scrapbook when I'm done with no tape marks to tear the cardstock.

Feeling Froggy, Part Three

Here's two more ideas for the CottageCutz Frog w/Crown die. This die is so cute and I have such fun with him (as if you couldn't tell). :) Be sure to check in next Monday for the last of my "Feeling Froggy" series of ideas.

Be a Good One!

There is nothing like a good piece of watermelon

and there is nothing like a great daughter!

Our delightful Emma is such a sweet, precious girl....
it is so much fun scrapbooking pages of her!



Emma is crazy about these "lovely shoes"! She
would sleep with them on if we would let her! :O)
So...to highlight her shoes, I took a picture of
them and developed it twice. I glued the first
picture down and then cut out an the second
picture right around the shoes. I then put the
shoes I cut out over the ones I glued down. This
gives an awesome 3-D look and really makes
those "special" shoes stand out!

You know how it goes, a little bit of this...a little bit of that...
and WALLA, you have a completed layout! :O) I get most
of my "this and that" at the

Scrapping Cottage....
Most Extraordinary customer service!
Incredible product selection!
Best dies on the planet!

CottageCutz September Release

The Scrapping Cottage has just released

their new halloween

CottageCutz dies! They are incredible

and will be flying

out of the store so pre-order

your today....before it is too late!!

Watch for it Wednesday #22!

Stamping with Bleach

A friend of mine showed me an awesome stamping

technique and I wanted to pass it on to all of you!!!

I first poured a little bleach onto a folded paper towel.

I used the paper towel as if it were an ink pad and "inked"

the stamp. I then stamped the paper towel just a little to

get the excess bleach off of the stamp (so it wasn't too wet).

After that, I stamped the image onto a piece of cardstock.

I used a heating tool to dry the bleach but you can also

choose to let it air dry. Stamp as few or as many times as you like.

The end result is a unique, "one of a kind" piece of cardstock

that you can embellish any way you like! So easy and so much fun!

What's Up?

Do you get it??? I thought this would be a fun saying for this CottageCutz flamingo card.

This die is so fun! He goes together so quickly too! For this card I used the new Quickutz Flower Embossing folder, Lipstick Distress Ink and a couple of flowers I had on hand. I printed my saying on the computer and used some mounting tape to make my flamingo pop off the card a bit. I have a friend I need to send this card to, it's been way too long since we've talked. I'm lovin' these CottageCutz dies!

Feeling Froggy, Part Two

Here's two more cards for you using the CottageCutz Frog w/Crown die. The first card is a fun
one that was inspired by the Katy Perry song "I Kissed A Girl." :) The second card is a quick and easy one that uses a green paint chip and the slogan "Go Green"
which is popular and important these days. :) Be sure to check next Monday's post to see what
else the CottageCutz Frog w/Crown is going to be up to. :)

Be sure to check out all the great sales and products at Scrapping Cottage.

Beach

I love the sand....

I love the waves....

I love the sun....

I love the 12 weeks of summer....

I am forever a beach bum

I hate to admit it,
but I actually stockpile beach scrapbooking supplies!
Everything from paper to popsicle sticks to dies!

The Scrapping Cottage helps me fulfill my
crazy obsession by supplying some of the
cutest, most unique beach dies on the planet!

The profound detail and unique style of each
CottageCutz die helps me out. I get the "homemade"
look that I love and they do all of the work!
Thank-you CottageCutz!!

Tooth Fairy Kit

A scrapbooking friend of mine made a Tooth Fairy kit for her granddaughter and I thought it was such a fun idea that I wanted to make one for my oldest daughter, too. I used the tin that the old Silhouette Download Cards used to come in. Then I covered it with some papers from my stash. I used the QK Merry font and the retired QK toothfairy die. I added some stickles on the top for some extra bling which I knew my daughter would like. Then, when she lost her first tooth, this is what the tooth fairy left her along with a special toy for her first tooth.

Watch for it Wednesdays!! #21

I have spent a great deal of time this summer cleaning out and organizing different parts of my home. Some areas were more "over-due" for this work than others. :) And of course, I couldn't neglect my scrap room! For today's tip, I have a couple of good storage solutions that I use to organize and store different sized metal dies.

The first one is for your 12" long dies. I discovered this tip "accidentally" one day while shopping with my youngest daughter in Hobby Lobby. In an attempt to keep her happy while I finished up my shopping, I let her pick out one of these colored transparent boxes. As I was helping her pick out which one she wanted, I started kind of looking over them myself and then it dawned on me that these ruler boxes would make a PERFECT storage place for my 12" dies! I love it because it is pretty, very inexpensive, and completely functional!

You can see from the pictures that each box will hold a lot of 12" dies. I love having all of my 12" dies together in one place. It makes it so easy to see everything I have if I am not sure what border I want to use.

My second storage tip is for your 4x4 dies. Have you ever tried sliding one of your 4x4 dies into a CD sleeve inside a CD holder? It is the perfect size! The sleeves are wide enough to make getting the dies in and out very easy, but they still hold the dies securely in place. I have started using this particular CD case because I like how sturdy the outside case is which allows me to stack them on top of one another. (Yes, I have had to add a second CD storage box to hold all of my 4x4 dies. And after I get my hands on the Halloween Cottage Cutz dies, I am probably going to need to add a third!!) What is great about the CD holders for die storage is that there are so many different types and sizes available, you can easily find ones that meet all of your needs.

CottageCutz Gecko

Today I'm featuring this cute 2x2 CottageCutz Gecko. This comes with two pink dies and he's so fun to play with.

This pocket card would be perfect for that special friend or relative going on a tropical vacation or cruise. Just pull out the card inside and write your message and slip right back in. There's even room for a gift card.

This birthday card will definitely get a big smile when it's pulled out of the envelope and is perfect for that teenage boy.


This Gecko die is sure to please for many occassions.

The CottageCutz dies are made in the US and cut wonderfully with your Quickutz Revolution, Epic, Cuttlebug or Sizzix brand machines. And I just love that they're pink!

Feeling Froggy, Part One

One of my favorite CottageCutz dies is the Frog w/Crown. If you don't have this die, you are
missing out on some "froggy fun." :) Every Monday for the next few weeks, I am going to show
a couple of cards to hopefully inspire you with ideas for this fun die. The first card is a little play on words, "Don't Worry, Be Hoppy!" Note that I used a bold computer font and then colored in the "o's" to make additional happy faces for the sentiment on the card. Who could resist a smile when receiving this card? :)

The second card is also aiming for a smile. :) It is a variation from the usual "if you kiss enough frogs" quote. Be sure to check every Monday in August to see what other ideas will be coming your way for the CottageCutz Frog w/Crown die. :) I promise you are going to be surprised at
some of them. :)

WE HAVE A WINNER!

We would like to thank all those that participated in the CottageCutz contest.

Our winner is Rita Neubert!

She made this cute recipe with the CottageCutz Tropical frame die. As you can see

it is so versatile, you can make your frame any size you want.

Congrats Rita!

email thescrappingcottage@cox.net. with your choice of a free die $19.95 or under.

Thanks for playing!

Be sure to stay tuned for our next contest - it's a BIGGIE! Details coming soon.

The Endless Summer....

in search of the perfect wave

My good friend Ann went to Hawaii last year and

while she was searching for the "Perfect Wave"

she and her family stopped off at the North Beach

Flea Market. Oh....the treasures they found!!!

Not only did she find some amazing treasures at

the flea market in Hawaii, when she got back to

California she found the best treasures of all at

The Scrapping Cottage.

The Scrapping Cottage's

CottageCutz

are a

"wave above the rest"!!!

Simplicity with the Silhouette

Do you ever have those days where you want to scrapbook, but at the same time, you don't have all day to spend trying to finish a page? Sometimes it can be just as much fun creating a simpler layout as it can be pulling out all of your embellies. When you are in this sort of scrapping mood, your silhouette is your best friend! It is so easy to create some simple embellishments using your silhouette.

One day I was in my scrapbook room with my camera out and my youngest came in and saw me and proudly exclaimed, "Mommy, take my picture." And of course I was happy to oblige. When I sat down to scrap this picture, I knew I wanted to keep things very simple and leave all the focus on the picture. I didn't even need to include journaling because my title says it all. I created the dainty swirled brackets using my silhouette. These brackets are a good example of how you can achieve small intricate cuts with your silhouette. I also used the Dragonfly 4x8 alphabet for my title because I like how the swirls on the letters match the swirly brackets I used.

Watch For It Wednesdays #20

All right, it's midnight and you are happily crafting away when you discover you are out of pop dots and/or chipboard. The project you are working on really needs some extra depth and dimension. What do you do? Give up and go to bed OR come up with a solution. If you are working with diecuts, I have the perfect remedy for the problem. :) Instead of cutting out one of your design, try cutting out five or six (depending on the weight of the cardstock). As you can see in the above picture, I cut out six of the new July Sizzix release die called Frame, Hanging w/Scallop.

All you do is simply glue the six diecuts together. This raises the diecut to a wonderful level and
gives your project great dimension. It makes the diecut stand out plus it looks pretty from all angles. :)

Give this tip a try sometime. I think you will be very pleasantly surprised with the results.

(Plus you don't HAVE to be out of pop dots and/OR chipboard to try it.) (Wink, wink.) Be sure to check out all the great products at Scrapping Cottage.

Oh Nuts!

Ok, anyone ever forget to send someone a birthday card? You can admit it, I actually have someone specific I need to send this card to......

This CottageCutz Squirrel makes the perfect belated birthday card or would be so cute on a childs layout and even those camping and scout pages. He's easy to put together and to ink around the edges like I did because the detail lines are actually cut so you can bend him a bit to get the ink on the inside edges.
The 4x4 Squirrel is just one of many CottageCutz designs available from the Scrapping Cottage.
These dies cut just like the Quickutz dies and can be stored the same way as well.

Don't forget to get your CottageCutz entry in by tomorrow midnight for a chance to win a CottageCutz die of your choice up to a $19.95 value.

Who's In The Mood For Cake? :)

How about some polka-dot cake? Today's card is a quick one using the Sizzix Birthday Cake #2.
Try cutting this die with pastel polka dot papers (I used Bo-Bunny papers. The rubber stamps are by Hampton Art). It almost looks good enough to eat. :) The next time you need a fast birthday card, remember two things -- Sizzix Birthday Cake die and polka dot paper. :) Be sure to check out all the great products at Scrapping Cottage.

Cottage Cutz Sneak Peak

Today is the last day to take advantage of our special introductory pricing for the August Cottage Cutz Release. While you are shopping, be sure to look at the sneak peak of the Spooky Cottage Cutz release! Won't it be wonderful to have Halloween dies early enough for making cards and invitations for all your Halloween celebrations!

Are you ready for another Scrapping Cottage Contest???

Well here you go! Your challenge is to create a layout, card or altered project using only the CottageCutz dies. You can use other products on your project but you cannot use any other brand of dies. You may enter as many times as you would like and the winner will receive a CottageCutz die of their choice up to a $19.95 value.
Contest entries must be emailed to scrappingcottage@cox.net with July CottageCutz Contest in the subject line by Wednesday, July 29th at midnight PDT. Entries will be judged by the blog team and the winner will be announced no later than Friday, July 31, 2009.
Have fun and we are excited to see your creations!

Hot Summer Days!

What is refreshing on a

hot

summer

day?

A cool, refreshing drink.
A splash in the surf.
A pleasant, tropical breeze.

The Scrapping Cottage
has the answer to all of your summer questions...

CottageCutz!

Some Silhouette Fun

What is not to love about the new Silhouette features. I love being able to Weld words together for my page titles. It just gives such an extra special touch to your pages. Of course, one of the other great features of the Silhouette is that it will cut any True Type font already on your computer. I used my silhouette to cut the words and the monorail shape. If you are still on the fence about an electronic cutter, you will love it!