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!

WATCH FOR IT WEDNESDAY #19

Today's Watch for it Wednesday tip is pretty simple but very useful.

Have you ever gone to punch a hole in your layout and the punch just doesn't reach?

This happens to me all the time.

For example: I want to put some sparkly brads above my journaling, but the punch I have doesn't reach where I need my holes. I just grab a push pin and something to put underneath (fingers not recommended) that I can punch into.
Then simply make a hole for small brads or a several holes for a larger brad.

Then I can put my brads on my layout anywhere I want them.

A Special Thank You Card

Today I chose to work with the CottageCutz Ice Cream Cart. This die comes with two 4x4 dies and makes this darling, detailed Ice Cream Cart (which is on sale right now for $24.95). I cut this out of pink and white cardstock and then used my Copic Ciao markers for the rest of the colors.

Since the patterned paper can be distracting I used mounting tape to pop up the cart a bit off my paper . I also used the Sizzix Textured Impressions kit to give the Thank You theme to my overall card as well as stamped the little banner on my ice cream cart with a thank you stamp.

Quick Notecard Set

One of my favorite July Sizzix releases was the Fleur de lis. :) I knew I "needed" it the instant I saw it. :) Today's inspiration for you is a set of notecards I did that are fast and easy. All you need is cardstock in pretty colors along with black, the Sizzix Bigz Fleur de lis die, the Sizzix clear
stamp set called Flourishes and Swirls and a black ink pad. The next time you need a fast card
or gift, try your hand at these. :) Be sure to check out all the great July Sizzix releases at Scrapping Cottage.

Crazy Days of Summer!

The Scrapping Cottage has done it again.....

another amazing die to help us show off our

summmer style!

This fabulous

CottageCutz

"Ice Cream Treats"
die is delicious!!

Find the perfect paper....

Find the PERFECT die.....

Run it through your

QuicKutz Revolution,

Sizzix Big Shot,

BigKick,

CuttleBug,

SpellBinder Wizard

or your

Accucut Zip'eMate

and

Walla....sweetness!

Christmas in July :)

I thought I would do something completely different for my post today. How about a little Christmas in July?! I created this little mini album to use as a fun Christmas Planner. I also included a few pictures on a couple of pages for some shopping inspiration.

Of course I can't make anything without adding some Quickutz. The Rev clipboard makes the perfect place for a list so I definitely wanted to include it in my planner. I used the QK metal sheets to make the top of the clipboard.

As soon as I saw the Lamp Post from the June release, the first thing I wanted to do with it was decorate it for Christmas. I used some QK rub-ons to make the string of lights on the lamp post, but you could also use the light string from the 2008 QK Holiday Gift Set.