Sunday, December 22, 2013

Merry Christmas from The Scrapping Bug!

 
 
Christmas is this week and we'd like to take a moment and wish all of our customers and supporters a very wonderful holiday season and safe and prosperous 2014! 
Thank you so much for your continued support.  We look forward to sharing inspiring ideas and products with you in the new year!!!
 

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Boxing Week Deals Start today!!!



We know everyone loves a good deal and we thought why wait until after Christmas??  So here's our boxing week deals available now...in store and online!
 
All Echo Park/Carta Bella  Products 40% off
 
All Studio Calico Pattern paper
Buy 2 Get 1 Free!
 
All Crafters Workshop Stencils 40%off
 
Memorybox dies 25% off
 
EK Success Border Punches 30% off
 
Wood Mounted Stamps 40% off
 
6x6 Paper Pads 40% off
 
Project Life Box Sets/Page Refills/Envelope Pages 30% off
 
Tim Holtz & Spellbinders Dies  50% off
 
Ranger/Dylusions/Wendy Vecchi Stamps 50%off
 
Unity Stamps  40%off
 
All special pricing will be applied to online orders when we process them manually on our register. 

All deals available December 17th to December 31st!!
Special pricing does not apply to any items on hold or special ordered prior to or during the sale.  Cannot be combined with member discounts or coupons.

Friday, December 13, 2013

Freckled Fawn is now available at the Bug!!

A new company for us...Freckled Fawn!  We now carry a great assortment of their wood chips :)  A great addition to our embellishment section in the store.  We'll have them up online very soon as well!  Check them out!




We have more varieties available...be sure to check them out in our online shop!
 
 

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Tissue, Tissue and More Tissue

Hello everyone!!! Donna is here again with a great gift idea.  I found this very basic address book at a store recently and since I needed a new one for myself  I decided to fancy up the covers by using tissue paper, Tim Holtz distress stains, matte mod podge, sprays, and decopauge. It actually ends up looking much like crinkled leather.  Very easy and very inexpensive.  Here is what I came up with.


I first took the book and painted a good coat of white gesso all over the surface.

Let the gesso dry completely.  I then took a sheet of white tissue paper and tore it into small pieces.  I rolled each piece into a ball.  Slightly unroll each ball and adhere individually to the surface of the book using the "matte" mod podge.  Simply apply a good amount of the podge then press the tissue pieces to the podge.


Keep going until the surface is covered.  I also did the back cover as well.  You can go over the binding of the book, however, I chose not to.  Next apply a good coat of podge over the entire surface of the tissue, making sure that you get the complete surface covered.  You can take your finger and press here and there to flatten out, but not completely.  You want ridges to be prominent.  Now let the podge dry completely.  I used the matte mod podge as the stains and sprays will soak in better and stay in place.  

Take your chosen colour of Tim Holtz distress stains.  I carefully took the foam cap off the top as I found I was able to control the next step better by using a paint brush instead of the foam cap.  This is up to you. You want to apply the distress stain over the surface.  I applied a small amount then used the brush to get in and around the raised parts.  You will notice that I let some of the white from the tissue show through.  Let this dry.  You can speed up the drying time by using a heat gun or a hair dryer.



When the stain was dry I took a black ink pad and slightly rubbed it here and there on the raised parts.  Just a bit here and there.  I then took a turquoise blue spray (Perfect Pearls turquoise mist) and sprayed this a couple of times, just to break up the brown colour. I then simply inked the binding.   I let the book sit for several hours to dry preferably over night.  This is optional but I wanted to apply a protective coating of decopauge to the entire surface before embellishments.  This helps to seal everything especially for an item that could get used a lot.


I added some embellishments at the bottom left corner (burlap, leaves, flower and some metal items) just to give it some decorations.  And there you have it.  You can also do this technique on a journaling book, even an old hard-covered chapter book which can be used a decorative piece on a coffee table.  The sky is the limit.  Have some fun.
Until next time!!!!
HAPPY SCRAPPING!!!!

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

NEW October Afternoon is now in stock!

For everyone that's been waiting a long, long, long time for this release to come out...you'll be happy to know it finally arrived!!  Daily Flash is now in stock and available online.  Check it out here....







Check out everything now in stock here...ONLINE SHOPPING


 

Thursday, December 05, 2013

New Products, Magazines, and Holiday Hours!

It's finally December!!! Christmas is on it's way and we're ready!!!  Be sure to stop by soon or place an order online to get your FREE copy of Scrapbook & Cards Today that comes out tomorrow!  While you're there you'll want to check out all the new products we have now in stock and online!
 
Print Shop by Studio Calico!


Simple Stories: Daily Grind
 

 
Also now available::
 
$12.99
 
We've also extended our hours for the holiday season::
Monday to Thursday  10am-6pm
FRIDAY 10am-8pm
Saturday 10am-4pm
 
Looking for a gift idea?  We currently have a special on gift certificates!!
For every $25 you spend on a gift certificate, receive $5 extra for FREE!
$25 = $30
$50 = $60
$75 = $90 etc.etc.
Gift certificates can also be purchased in our online store and will receive the same special pricing!
 
Let us know if we can be of any help this holiday season. 

Friday, November 29, 2013

Quick and Easy

Hello everyone.   Donna here.   Now that I have my Christmas tree up and my decorations in place, I thought I would share another "Quick and Easy" one page layout sketch with you.  Here is the sketch and below is a layout that I did.  

For this layout you will need:
1 sheet 12 x 12 cardstock or patterned paper for the background
1 sheet 11" square of patterned paper next (centered onto background)
1 sheet 10" square patterned paper (centered onto the 11" square)
 A 6" square piece of patterned paper (your size for this piece will be determined by the size of your picture)
One  1 1/2" wide strip of paper with one edge punched (your choice)

I did a winter theme for this layout for an old picture of myself and my siblings from many years ago.  This layout actually completed my heritage album that I have been working on for some time now.
 I distressed the edges of the 11" square patterned paper and inked all the edges of the papers.  I then sprinkled white glitter onto the outer edges (about an inch) of the 10" square piece of paper. It is difficult to see, but it is there.  For my strip under the picture I cut out three 1 1/2" strips, punched the one edge of each, then layered them together so that the scallops overlapped each other.   Then I die cut a flower using a set of spellbinders flower dies and added some sparkles to it as well.  I added some pearl flourishes and tiny flowers that match the papers.  I even tucked in some punched snowflakes around the flower.  And there you have it.  Again, it was very simple to do - took maybe 45 minutes.

I hope you enjoy!!
Until next time
HAPPY SCRAPPING!!!!!!!

Monday, November 25, 2013

New Echo Park products now in stock!!

Echo Park has done a great job on winter products again this year!!  Check out what's now available in store and soon to be online!
 
Keepin' It Cozy
 



 
Let It Snow Mini Theme

 

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

USING UP CHIPBOARD LETTERS

During our recent garage sale at the Bug, I noticed a lot of people brought in their miscellaneous chipboard letters to sell.  I know how frustrating it is when you get left with a lot of letters that you may never use.   I thought that I would share this "PICTURE FRAME"  tutorial with you to show you how to use up your chipboard letters. This is what you will need:  A piece of chipboard, white gesso, miscellaneous letters (you can even use Thickers letters - as long as the letters are thick and not stickers), your choice of sprays, ink.  Your letters can be any size, font, or colour.

Once you have gathered up your letters, you will cut a piece of chipboard based on the size of your picture.
You can also use two pieces of cardstock - it should be firm.   For a 6" x 4" landscaped picture I cut a piece 9" x 7" which will give me a 1 1/2" border around my picture.  You will have to decide whether your picture will be landscaped or vertical.
Next trace out the picture size in the centre of your chipboard.  This will act as a guide for your letter placement.  Without gluing, starting at the upper left corner begin laying down your letters to completely cover the area around the picture.  You will notice below how I tucked different sized letters beside each other making sure that I did not go into the centre section.  Once you are happy with your placement begin adhering the letters down using a tacky glue.  I did add some tiny dots here and there before  the gesso.

Make sure that the letters are secure and using white gesso paint all the letters getting into the spaces around the letters.  I used gesso as I find it adheres better to any letters that are shiny.  It also accepts sprays and inks better than a kraft paint.   Depending on the colours of your letters you may need two good coats.  Let this dry completely.  To speed up the drying time you can use a heat gun or a hair dryer.


Now this is where the fun begins.  The colours you choose will be based on the picture and the look you want to achieve.   I began by spraying the letters with a blue spray, let this dry, then I came back with a taupe spray and let this dry.  I wanted the blue to show more than the brown so I went back and re-sprayed the blue.  Next I took a blue ink pad and dabbed it onto the letters.  And came back with a brown ink pad and brushed this around the outside edges of the frame and letters as well as here and there onto the letter surface.  This is what mine looked like when done.

Here is a layout that I did using this frame.  

I have done several others.  Below is another one I did for my grandaughter's first day of school picture.  This one I did use some kraft paint to accent the letters, however, since I know from experience that kraft paint can chip off easily, I applied a thin coat of decopauge to seal the surface of the letters.  In the picture you will notice a bit of a shine on the letters at the top of the frame which is the decopauge.

Experiment using different mediums.  If you don't like the colours you chose you can simply paint over the dry surface using gesso and start again.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.  Have fun!!!! 
Until next time
HAPPY SCRAPPING!!!!!!

Friday, November 08, 2013

Garage Sale Tomorrow!!

Be sure to stop by tomorrow, Saturday Nov 9th, to visit! 
 
We're having our 3rd Annual Garage Sale. 
 
We have more sellers and products than we've ever had before!!!!
 
Sale runs 9am-4pm!!

Sunday, November 03, 2013

2 PAGE LAYOUT SKETCH

Hello everyone.  Donna here with another quick and easy layout sketch.  This one is a two pager and again you can embellish it or add to as you wish.


I wrote the measurements on the paper sections.  They are also listed below.
P.P. (patterned paper)  #1 -  (for page 1) cut one piece 4" wide x 10" long - (for page 2) a second piece 4.5" wide x 5.5" long
P.P. #2 - (for page 1) cut one piece 2.5" wide x 1.5" long - one piece 3" wide x 2" long
P.P. #2 - (for page 2) cut one piece 6" wide x 2" long - one piece 5" wide x 2" long    
P.P. #3 - (for page one) cut one piece 5" wide x 5" long 
P.P. #3 - (for page two) cut one piece 7" wide x 5" long 
The larger circles were punched from a 1 1/2" punch.
The width measurement will run horizontally and the length measurement will run vertically.


Here is a layout that I did based on this sketch.  I used the Echo Park "A Boys Life" paper that I had in my stash.  I punched out some different sized circles from the remaining patterned papers for the upper left corner on page 1 and bottom right corner of page 2.  Die cut some butterflies, and added buttons and ribbon.  I also drew broken lines with black journaling pen around the outside edges of the pages.  The total time it took to complete was 30 minutes.
I hope you enjoy!!  Until next time
HAPPY SCRAPPING!!!!!!

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Pink Paislee & Heidi Swapp products are now in stock!!

Anna worked hard today to get all the newest products from Pink Paislee and Heidi Swapp out on the shelf.  We'll have them all online in the next couple of days.  Here are the lines that came in...


See the full lines of these products here...PINK PAISLEE & HEIDI SWAPP
 

Monday, October 28, 2013

Mixed Media On Canvas

Hello everyone!!!!  I am amazed at how popular "mixed media" has become.  It is fun, quicker than you think, and allows you to do your own thing using products that you never thought of using.  The following canvas is my first attempt at mixed media.
I used a 9 x 12 canvas, music paper, different colours of kraft paint, gesso, cheese cloth, moulding paste, a stencil,  butterflies cut out from a paper napkin, and matte mod podge.  Here is how I got the effect I wanted.  I knew I wanted to place a picture of the rain forest in Panama that I had taken when I visited there.  So I selected tropical colours (yellow, turquoise, line green and a pink) kraft paint.  I first painted the entire surface of the canvas with white gesso to prepare the surface for the kraft paint.  I always start by using the lightest colour to the darkest colour.   I then took the yellow paint and in long strokes I applied the paint from the top to the bottom in strips then horizontal strips across the canvas (do not completely cover the canvas).  Let each colour dry before applying the next one.
Next I took the lime green and did the same in strokes up and down then across, and then the turquoise paint in the same manner.
When I was finished, I decided to apply a bit of pink very lightly in small sections.  This gave it a little more depth.

When the paint was dry, I applied a thin coat of matte mod podge to seal the colours.  I used the matte mod podge as versus the glossy as it dries to a dull finish and I knew I wanted to mist with some sprays to add texture.  The sprays do not adhere too well to the glossy mod podge but they will to the matte mod podge.
Next I took a sheet of music patterned paper and cut out 3 sections.  I tore around the outer edges and rolled the pieces up into a ball to create wrinkles.  I then took the pieces, gently opened them up (keeping a lot of wrinkles) and adhered them to the canvas using the matte mod podge.  Apply a thin coat of the mod podge to the surface of the paper which will keep the wrinkles.  I placed the paper at the upper right corner, bottom right corner, and at the left side edge. You can also wrap the paper around the edges if you like.
I then (again with the mod podge) adhered a piece of cheese cloth on a slant in the middle of the canvas.  Again I applied the mod podge to the surface as well.

And lastly my final texture was done by using moulding paste.  I took a stencil and applied the paste using a spatula.  Simply spread the paste thinly over the surface of the stencil, lift up the stencil and allow the paste to dry.  You can speed up the drying time by using a heat gun.  Not too close - you do not want to burn it.
I applied the paste to the upper left corner, just above the music paper at the right side edge and just slightly over the music paper at the left side edge.
And this is what it looks like.  Doesn't look too good right now.  Next step - my sprays.  When everything was completely dry I started with a green spray - just here and there (mainly on the moulding paste and cheese cloth) let it dry then I sprayed with a pink colour (mainly on the music paper) let it dry.  And lastly I sprayed wherever with a turquoise spray.  I used the Heidi Swapp shine sprays which comes in very bright colours.  And lastly the butterflies.  I actually cut these out from paper serviettes that I had.  The colours were exactly what I wanted.  I carefully cut them out and applied only the top layer of the butterfly using the mod podge.  I had to be careful as the butterflies were very thin.  Finally, I applied a coat of the mod podge over the entire surface to seal everything.  And below is the completed canvas before embellishments.
Mixed media for me is all about layering and texture.
I hope I wasn't too long-winded.  I wanted to make sure that I covered each step that I did.
Until next time
"HAPPY SCRAPPING!!!!!!