Trying my hand at a process video

Hey Scrap fans!  Keathe and I recently put ourselves on a spending freeze for awhile so we could try to use of some of the millions of supplies we already have.  So I thought it would be fun to challenge each other to do a page a day and send each other a pic.  A challenge like this is a great way to "get in touch with your stash" and be reminded of all those products you have waiting in the wings. (Unfortunatly, it can also be a good way to realize all those things you don't have and you end up with a big list of new stuff to get)

We actually did pretty good for awhile. Keathe usually sent her pics early in the day, and I was usually sending her mine at 11:59PM.  Eventually Keathe abandoned the layout challenge to work on a mini album from her beach trip this summer (which is absolutely amazing and I can't wait for her to finish it and post it here) and I've tapered off to a layout about every three days.  But in any case, I think I learned a lot about my scrapbooking style and the process I go through.

So, I decided to try my hand at a process video.  I personally enjoy watching scrapbooking videos, as I tend to watch them in bed on my phone or iPad at the end of the day as a way to unwind.  Although I do appreciate blogs that have gorgeous, step-by-step photos of layouts, I tend to gravitate more toward the videos.  (Plus, in terms of production, I'm very lazy and I think its easier to shoot and edit a video than to take multiple pictures throughout my process, which may or may not actually be the case) I also recently fashioned myself a handy overhead camera holding device out of PVC pipe and a cheap iphone holder from Amazon, which has made filming everything that happens on my craft table super quick and easy. 

I hope you enjoy the video and please feel free to comment and critique.  I already had someone from YouTube say they would like a voice over during the high speed where I explain my thought process, which I think is a great idea, and plan to try next time.

Happy Scrapping!!
~Patrice

Hey Scrap Fans! Check out my latest video where I walk you through how to make a variation on the mini album hinge that I call the Tyvek Sandwiched Hinge. Hope you enjoy and Happy Scrapping!  

~Patrice

Home again, home again, jiggety, jig!!

Hey Scrap fans!! I stole that title from Keathe's Facebook status. So here we are, back in PA with CHA behind us. It's hard to believe we were actually there, but I'm pretty sure my credit card is evidence of the trip :) We have a lot of cute new stuff coming in and I can't wait to share it with you. I am still uploading all our photos to Photobucket, which you can access here:

CHA Summer 2012 Pics

Be sure to check back for more photos and updates as we have a lot of exciting projects in the works. Until next time, Happy Scrapping!!

~Patrice

CHA Summer 2012 Day 3

Hey Scrap Fans! It's the end of day three already and I'm wearily typing this from my iPhone. I had every intention of keeping you updated with pics throughout the show, but technology is not cooperating. I did manage to upload a few instagram photos, but I promise as soon as I'm home and have a good stable connection, I'll give you a full report.

Tomorrow is our last day on the show floor and we'll be placing orders and trying to finish up our research. You just can't imagine the enormous amount of information we have to sort through, and all of the ideas we have for you, our customers. Look forward to an open house in the near future so you too can check out all the latest.

If anyone is seeing anything you especially love, let us know so we can get it in for you. Today we placed orders with Jenni Bowlin, Scrapbook Adhesives and Life Style Crafts. Tomorrow we're meeting with American Crafts, Tattered Angels, 7 Gypsies, Canvas Corp, Fancy Pants and Heidi Swapp. I can't wait to get back so I can share all the wonderful scrappy goodness with you all!! Until then, Happy Scrapping!!

~Patrice

CHA Summer 2012 Day 1

Hey Scrap Fans! Oh my gosh you guys, what an exciting day! And the show floor hasn't even opened yet. Unfortunately, the wifi in our hotel is less than desirable, so I'm forced to try to post from my iPhone. (which I wouldn't have to do if I had 3G for iPad~hint hint Andy~) But in any event, I'll do my best to try to keep you updated.

So today we took two workshops and a number of seminars (one of which was how to build a better blog, so there's hope for us yet). At one of our seminars, I sat down and holy cow, Shimelle Laine was sitting right next to me! For those of you who don't know Shimelle, she is a former editor for Creating Keepsakes Magazine and a Garden Girl at Two Peas in a Bucket. She also has an "in" with one of my favorite super heros, Glitter Girl. She was incredibly lovely and took the time to not only talk to us, but posed for a few pics as well. I'd love to post them, but am finding it quite impossible at the moment, so....

We also attended a seminar featuring the top twenty most innovative picks of the season, where we saw demonstrations of these products. There was some exciting stuff that we can't wait to bring to you! If you click the link below, you can watch Tim Holtz demonstrate his new metallic distress stains.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv_4nNrUytE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Well Scrap Fans, it's getting late and tomorrow is another busy day, so I'd better get some rest. Can't wait to (hopefully) bring you some more exciting news! Until then, Happy Scrapping!!

~Patrice

Destination Chicago!!

Hey scrap fans! We're checking in at the Pittsburg Airport on our way to our connecting flight in Cincinnati, destination Chicago for CHA SUMMER 2012!! Whoop whoop! Be sure to check for updates on all our great finds and let us know if there are any companies who's booths your are particularly interested in!

Happy Scrapping!!

CHA bound

It is that time of year.  The CHA summer show will be starting in Chicago one week from now! 

This is Patrice and my first time ever going to a CHA show.  We usually spend the days of the show sitting in front of our computers looking for pictures, videos, or anything else we can find and texting each other madly to say 'Oooh!  Did you see what October Afternoon has this year?  Look what Tim Holtz has coming out!'

This year we are extremely lucky to be able to actually attend the show ourselves.  Seeing as how we have always been the ones searching everywhere for pictures on the internet, this year we will be the ones taking tons of pictures for you and uploading them as soon as we can each night to our blog.

So keep watching for posts next week, as we try our best to make you feel like you are right there at CHA with us!

Vintage Movie Camera and Curtain Call Paper Bag Mini Album

Hey Scrap Fans!! The last few weeks have flown by. (as usual) School is out and I'm back to being a full time mom. So far, so good (but its only day one....) I have had the chance to do a little creating here and there, it has just been slow going getting everything filmed and edited. I'm working on it, so hang in there, as I have lots of exciting projects to share. Up first is a quick video of a paper bag mini album using Graphic 45's Curtain Call paper, with a vintage movie camera box. I created this album as a graduation gift for a friend who was just accepted to NYU Film School. Hope you enjoy, and Happy Scrappin!

~Patrice

And the Winner is.....(and other exciting news!)

Sorry guys, I know we promised we would announce the winner of the Spring Distress Ink drawing on the 8th, but as usual, the week got away from us.  We've been super busy getting ready for the craft show at the Galleria Mall this weekend.  We will be set up there Friday, May 11 - Sunday, May 13, so be sure to come by and say Hi!  We will also be featuring the delicious rolls from Marie's Nutcracker Sweet, and they make great Mother's Day Gifts!

We've also been working on sponsoring our first Scrapbooker's Tag Sale.  The sale will be held Saturday, May 19 from 1-4 at the Bethany United Methodist Church.  You can set up a table of your own for a $5 donation or give us your unwanted items and we'll sell them for you for a 20% fee.  Don't have any unwanted items?  Then stop by to shop!  There's sure to be something for everyone!  For more information or to register for a spot, email us at info@cropsyturvy.com. 

Well, I guess that's all the news for now.  Until next, time.....what?  Oh yeah, the winner....I almost forgot ;)

The winner of the Spring Seasonal Distress Ink Blog contest is.............

Cyndee Stahl!!

Congratulations Cyndee!! Get in touch with us and let us know how you would like to get your ink, or you can pick it up at the Galleria this weekend! 

A big thanks to everyone who visited our blog.  Be sure to check back to frequently for more exciting contests and information!

Happy Scrappin!

~Patrice and Keathe

Blog Contest! Win the new Spring Seasonal Distress Inks

Hey Scrap Fans! Cropsy Turvy is super excited to announce our first ever contest!  In honor of National Scrapbooking Day (May 5) and to celebrate the release of Ranger's Spring Seasonal Distress Inks, we are holding a random drawing to win the new inks.  How do you enter?  It's super easy!  Just visit our blog (which some of you may already be here!) and leave us a comment telling us what your most favorite scrapbooking product is.  It can be anything- your favorite paper line, your favorite type of embellishment, the tool you can't live without- we want to know what you love.  The contest will end at 11:59PM EST on Monday, May 7, 2012 and the names of everyone who left us a comment will be entered in a drawing to win the inks.  Winner will be announced on May 8.  Hope to see lots of comments!  Thanks for stopping and until next time, Happy Scrappin'!!

~Patrice 

Here is the short video I did demonstrating the new inks:

Click here to watch the video 

New awesome stuff!

 Hey Everybody!

In the last few weeks, we have gotten so many cool new products in, that I've just had to play with it all!

We have the new Graphic 45 line - Olde Curiosity Shoppe in the 12X12 pads, as well as the alphabet sheet that goes with it.  We also have the 12X12 pad of Curtain Call (which is going to be just perfect to use for all your concert and theater pages - I know here it is the season of the kids' concerts and musicals)

So new that I haven't even seen them yet (I really need to go visit Patrice and get some of these pronto!) are the Dylusions sprays from Ranger.  I saw them come out of the box (on facetime) and I just knew they were going to be one of my new favorite things.  The colors are absolutely gorgeous!  If you are an all about mists kind of gal, then you will definitely want to check them out!

We've received the Postale line from 7Gypsies. It is just an awesome paper line that is vintage post office-ish.  Along with the paper and the 6X6 paper pads, we've gotten some great journaling cards and metal embellishments that I just can't stop using!

We'll be at the Belmont Methodist Church this weekend for a great funsraising crop - The Wings of Hope Crop.  Come by and crop or just stop to shop and say 'Hi'!

Thanks for coming by everybody!

Keathe

It's the Little Things Envelope Mini Album with Pics

Hey Scrap Fans! As promised, here is the video of my completed mini album using It's the Little Things paper line by Fancy Pants. Some of you were asking what these albums look like when they actually have photos in them, so here it is! There is also a second album I made using Tim Holtz Lost and Found Paper Stash. Hope you enjoy and Happy Scrappin!!

Bad little blogger!

*hanging head in shame*

I know, I know.  I haven't been around.  I've been emotionally unavailable to the blogging world.  Sure, I could list excuses, I could tell you how time got away from me.

It would be a lie though.

The truth is that everyday I thought about how a blog post was due, and everyday it became just a little bit harder to make an entry because of how long it had been already.  This week, I had a new mistress...

Her name is sleep.

Patrice and I went away this past weekend, and while we had way too much fun, we also got way too little sleep. So I've been napping. Napping is actually putting it mildly, I've been falling into a coma every day a little after lunch. 

So now I'm back (although I'm the first to admit that I think I now have a napping problem). 

And it is Make a Flower Friday!

So let's get to the flower :)

Ooh, pretty!

And you can make it with your scraps! So get out a scrap of paper and punch a few circles out of it:

Then you'll want to put some strong adhesive on one end of the patterned paper and roll it into an oval like this:

We are going to cut small strips from our oval of patterned paper now.  I couldn't take a picture of myself cutting the paper because I only have two hands, but here is what the finished result will look like:

Put some glue on one of the circles (this will be the back of the flower) and arrange the oval strips however you like to form the 'petals'. I used hot glue because I didn't want to hold anything down. Once the petals are arranged how you like, put glue on the second circle and press down onto the middle of your flower and decorate however you'd like!

Have a great weekend everybody! And thanks for looking :)

Keathe

Make a Flower Friday!

Today, we're dealing with one of the most versatile 'flowers' that are out there, rosettes!  The best thing about rosettes, is that you can make them as masculine or feminine as you want just based on the patterned paper you use.  Because you use patterned paper to make them, you can tailor them to go with any layout.

The first thing you need is a 12 inch by 1.5 inch strip of paper (I find double sided paper works best). 

  

You'll want to use your score board and score the strip of paper at every 1/4 inch.

    
Remember when you were young and would make those super cool fans out of any paper you had lying around at the time?  We're going to fold back and forth on the lines we just scored until it looks like a big accordian thingy.

Now you'll take some glossy accents or a hot glue gun (definitely want a liquid glue for this part) and glue the two edges together.

Take a circle punch (size doesn't matter as long as it is smaller than the rosette) and punch a circle out of some scrap cardstock. Put some liquid adhesive in the center of your circle.

Now, take your rosette and center it over your circle (notice that I am doing it incorrectly in the picture, so don't do what I do) and press down on it in the center to flatten it and press it onto that cardstock circle. (you'll want to hold this down for a few minutes while the glue dries)

And when you are done, you can embellish the center however you want. I used a button for this rosette.

Now, say you like the look of that and all, but you want something a little easier with less steps?  Well, Tim Holtz and Sizzix have a die that will cut out the paper for rosettes.  It is a flat die and I use it all the time to make my rosettes (it is how I made the smaller rosette pictured above).

The regular rosette die makes one rosette size, and the mini rosette die makes two rosette sizes (the paper strips above were cut with the mini rosette die).  The die cuts and scores the paper for you, and then the rest of the steps are the same.  With the die above you can either make two separate rosettes or you can layer the paper on top of each other for a neat effect.

Another neat effect that I did with this rosette made from the regular rosette die is to put tissue tape from Ranger along the bottom of the paper strip and then make your folds.

Do you have any other ways that you make rosettes out of the ordinary? Comment to let us know and we'll feature your ideas in another blog post!

Thanks for looking! 

Keathe

Simple layout with Simple Stories!

 This was a quick layout that I did this past weekend. I actually intended for it to be very fussy and detailed and with tons of embellishments, but as I worked on it decided it didn't need much of that stuff and I was still happy with it.

I picked this calendar paper from Simple Stories' Year-o-graphy line because I just love this paper! I loved the paper so much that I didn't want to cover it up a whole lot.

I decided to go ahead and use the paper as if it really were one of my monthly calendar pages, and I put in all the activities my family had in the month that I was scrapping about. I really liked the way it came out because some day I'll be able to look back and see what a general month was like at this particular time in our lives.

I used one of the flash cards (distressed first, of course), and put some of the smaller stickers that come in the Year-o-graphy paper pack on for part of the title and then used the larger brown stickers (also with the sticker pack) in for the main part of the title. I used a journaling card from Jenni Bowlin for the other part of the title and the journaling. 

I cut off one of the border strips from the papers and used it on the bottom on the paper to add interest.

I matted a picture of my baby in black cardstock (because I have a thing with matting photos). 

Not a lot of embellishments after all (mostly because I really liked that calendar paper, but I decided that the layout worked without a lot of embellishment. So don't be afraid to do something different than usual because you might love the way it turns out.

Thanks for looking!

Keathe

What to do with all those 6X6 paper pads?!?

 I am a bit of a paper hoarder. I know, I know, you are all probably shocked, but if there was a twelve step program, I would be the star member. The reason I LOVE 6X6 pads so much is because they are so much easier to hoard than 12X12 paper, and they are so pretty!

I also have a lot easier a time cutting into my 6X6 papers than cutting a strip from one of my precious 12X12 papers (especially for card making), but I've noticed that I don't use those smaller papers on my layouts very much. So I saw a layout someone posted on twopeasinabucket.com and knew that I had found my inspiration.

I started out collecting a few pieces from various paper pads, here I have a sheet from Lily Bee Designs and one from Glitz.

I wanted to use kraft paper as my base (since it goes with anything), this is Stampin Up's Crumble Cake (formerly called kraft). 

I wanted to pop the red color of my husband's hat, so used this red cardstock, and cut 1 1/2 inches from the top and the bottom of it, so that the kraft paper would frame it.

I left one piece of 6X6 paper whole cut the rest of my papers to fit in the red frame. Then I used my paper distresser and roughed up all the edges. 

My cat decided she had to plop right down in the middle of everything I was doing. Typical day. At least the baby wasn't in the background destroying something :)

I also wanted to distress my picture since it has that nostalgic, old times kind of feel to it. I wouldn't have done this if it was my only picture of this event, but I have lots of copies of it, so I went ahead and scratched up the edges of it.

Then I took this handy brush (I bought it long, long, ago as a distress tool, but I think it is actually a grill brush) and I scratched off little pieces of the corners.

I inked the edges of the red and kraft cardstock and left the others plain. Adhered everything down and put in a Jenni Bowlin journaling card (also distressed).

Here is the finished result. I've been trying to find the right patterned papers for this picture for quite a while now, but it turned out I had them all along but never thought to check my 6X6 paper pad stash!

 Thanks for looking!

Keathe

My love of Bird Cages

Hi Everybody!

I am a sucker for anything with a bird cage. I don't know what it is. As Patrice can attest, anything that has a birdcage on it, I'm buying. So I couldn't wait to work with this Tim Holtz bird cage die!

I didn't take pictures of this project as I went, sorry to say. I thought I was taking video, but unfortunately the camera batteries died about a minute into filming (story of my life).

For this project, I started out with a manilla tag and I covered the entire thing quickly with the vintage photo distress stain. I then went over the edges of the tag with the vintage stain ink pad to really bring out the color (not with the blending tool, I just rubbed the edges right on the pad itself).

I took a script stamp from Hero Arts and applied the picket fence stain to it and stamped it onto the tag. I hit it with the heat tool for a few seconds just to dry it a bit. Then I took my dictionary paper and ripped off three pieces and added them to the project with Ranger's glue and seal medium (love it so much more than Mod Podge).

I inked over the dictionary paper with the blending tool and some vintage photo distress ink. Next I cut out the bird cage on some of Tim's grunge paper (love that stuff too!). I painted the whole thing black with the Adirondack pitch black paint dabber. Once that paint was dry, I went back over it with the gold paint dabber and just pounced on a couple of spots (to give it an aged look).

I adhered it to the tag with one of Tim's swivel clasps, and glued the birdcage down with glossy accents.  I added a few Recollection pearls in chocolate to the bottom of the bird cage, and was finished.

So who else is crazy about bird cages? Is there something else that you are crazy about? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Thanks for looking!

Keathe

Make a Flower Friday!

Hi Everybody!

It's Make a Flower Friday again!  This week, we will be doing (just a little) sewing. I promise you that I have absolutely no sewing skills, so anybody can recreate this flower!

First thing you are going to need is a strip of fabric in whatever style and color you choose. I like to buy the cotton fat quarters, or the strip bundles they sell for quilters.

Now go ahead and fold that piece in half (it doesn't have to be very precise).

Take a needle and thread (I usually use just plain white but today I decided to color coordinate for you guys) and start stitching a running stitch (I hope that is what it is called) along the open ends of the fabric.

Again, you don't need to be very precise or anything. Just keep stitching in and out and occasionally gathering the fabric. It will start to make a circle.

Keep going until you are happy with the size of your flower.

Noe you'll want to just join the two edges with a quick stitch near the center of the flower.

I like to stitch the middle of the flower closed. I stitch each opposite side closed and keep doing it until I'm happy. You can play around with it and find the best way for you.

I finished my flower by stitching a button onto the center. I've also glossy accented buttons, jewel centers, or other items onto the center as well. Anything you want to add to your button for 'pizazz' at this point is great!

There you have it! Another flower perfect for embellishing any of your scrappy projects!

Thanks for looking!

Keathe