Thanks

Hi everyone. For all upcoming events, classes and competitions please visit the online FORUM Its here you will find all the update information and inspiration of Crafting In Style :)
Thanks so much for visiting us and we looking forward to seeing you over there.

OTP project

Check out the Crafting in Style forum... for the latest free OTP project:



Step by step instructions, including photographs, can be found HERE.

Lights, camera, action!

The CISters Cinema Competition has begun! This is a fabulous new six-week competition with some fabulous prizes!! Each week we focus on a different movie genre, and scrap a layout with one of the selected movie titles.

Pop over to the forum for full details.


Week 1 ~ Comedy



Posted by Karen

Stylish Monthly Pack

I've enjoyed creating some layouts with the Stylish May Pack... my favourite colour combination of blue and brown! Here are some sneak peeks:





Keep an eye out for the layouts in an upcoming Crafting in Style newsletter.

Posted by Karen

New Dare - Challenge your Colour Palette

Hi Girls, as you well know I love to use colour in my layouts, my dare for you this time around is to challenge your colour palette, to take on a combination of colours that you would not normally dream to try.

With my layout 'Playtime' I think I have gone a colour step beyond were I would normally go! I pulled the PP's out to scrap with a different, fairly static single photo then decided I wanted to scrap these pics instead but didn't change my PP's!

I have used all the of the bright colours in these photos of Sebastian as my guide but used a bright contrasting Orange to separate the photos and embellies from the background of the page.

For colour inspiration, you could try browsing the paint chips in your hardware store, play around with your kids coloured pencils, tip your blossoms in a pile and find a combination you like, browse kids picture books or just rely on your photos to be your guide.

I keep a bunch of paint combo chips on a big jump ring in with my tools and take pics or notes when I stumble across a colour combo that I want to try.

Have fun! Can't wait to see you bright creations screaming out from the gallery!!
Tatum xx

New Dare

So I am thinking 'freestyle' and I am not referring to the stroke that is used in swimming either LOL!! I hear lots of scrappers describe their style as 'freestyle'but what does the term actually mean? Is it scrapbooking without 'rules' but which 'rules' are these - Design rules or someone elses rules? Does it mean free hand doodling and funky fresh writing like what Elsie Flannagan does or does it mean design elements that are random in configuration. Does it mean no straight edges or does it mean mixed up font for a title that is randomly placed. Is it a combination of mixed media or is it where there is a lot of 'white space' or 'open space'.

Hmmmmm, I have been scratching my head for ages about what 'freestyle' means as there are so many varied interpretations of what it could be. Anyway this is my intrepretation of what freestyle is: Open space and using space for emphasis like to create a focal point ie; something that draws the eye in, the use of doodles or flourishes, mixed media ie: different textures, shading, dimensional and 'flat' elements, funky colour schemes - for example seeing bright colours on a baby layout for example rather than the traditional soft, pastel colours that we love to use, random titles - ie using different fonts and text in fun innovative ways, mixing the letters up rather than having them all the same. Freestyle still adheres to the 'design principles' - rule of thirds, constrast, focal points etc.... they are just freer in style - well that's what I think anyway.
So with saying all of this; here is what I have come up with



You will notice that I have used the design principle 'direction' in my lay out - that is, I am drawing the viewers eye to a point. I have funked it up by using an oversized arrow to do this. I have also randomly cut around the design on the patterned paper and funked up a design flower design for an embellishment. Although the font is the same for all the letters, I have made it random by using different colours for the letters. There is white space and contrast and there is doodling.

This is an example of an earlier freestyle attempt



For me freestyle has less to do with a certain 'look' or the way something should be and more to do with doing something different that you wouldn't normally do. So what does 'freestyle' mean to you? I dare you to 'break your own rules' and try something different!! Can't wait to see all your freestyle adventures
Upload to the Dares gallery by the 30th April 2008

What we've been up to

Tatum hosted a fun 'Scrap & Chat' session on Saturday night, and we hope to make this a regular event, alternating evening sessions with afternoon sessions to accommodate a wide range of schedules. Each week we'll host a chat session in the chat room, and the hostess will provide a bit of inspiration to get you scrapping for fun! Tatum provided an awesome sketch... check it out here. Keep an eye out in the forum for the date and time of the next 'Scrap & Chat' session.

Trudi is hosting the monthly bingo... sign up now for April.

Karen has been hosting the Blog Challenge, winding up at the end of the month. The winners will be announced soon.

Krissy's challenge

Our Guest Design Team member, Krissy, has set a special challenge for St Patrick's Day.

Check out the challenge and upload your layout to the Crafting in Style gallery by 24th March. Krissy is offering a RAK for the winner.

Have fun :)

A Farewell and a Hello

I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thankyou on behalf of the Crafting In Style Community to our DT'er Karen Day. Karen had a opportunity handed to her she couldnt refuse and is sadly leaving us.


Thankyou Karen for all the hard work and inspiration you have given our community during your time as DT member and we wish your every sucess for your future. Karen's last class will be taking place next wednesday the 19th March. More details HERE and a peek

Another big Thankyou to Dee Lewthwaite who was our Guest DT for the month of February. Dee has created a progressive LO Challenge in our forum where you scraplift from someone elsed posted design. If your stuck for ideas its the perfect place to visit. Thanks Dee :)

And finally.. A big welcome to Krissy who is our Guest DT'er for March.

1. How would you describe yourself? I am quiet when you first meet me then I just talk and talk and talk LOL,I love to laugh and make other people laugh,I am caring and a bit of a perfectionist.

2. How did you discover scrapbooking? I discovered scrapbooking through my sister when she had a CM party but I didn't really get seriously into it until Allan I got married in 2006 and the wedding album spurred me on to have another go!

3. Why do you scrapbook? I think for me I scrap because I love taking photo's and have always loved art so it blends two of my favourite things into one.I remember seeing a box full of old photo's my Grandmother has and she can't remember who alot of the people are and I didn't want my photo's to end up in a box with no-one remembering who the people are or where the were taken.

4. How would you describe your style? I don't think I really have a style, I like experimenting with my layouts and just seeing what happens.

5. How long have you been scrapping for? I first discovered scrapping about 5 years ago but only really started properly about 18 months ago.

6. What is your favourite scrapping technique? My favourite scrapping technique is what I call faffing, which means to take a piece of patterned paper and cut out the patterns (eg. paisley,flowers,stars etc) then adding them to my LO as a 3D embellishment.

7. If you could chose only one brand of scrapbooking products, what would you chose? Gee's only one...well at the moment I am using alot of the new Kaiser products, I really like the new patterned papers they have brought out and their new rub-ons and how could I forget I love the new Kaiser flowers!

8. Who do you look at for inspiration in the scrapping world? I think I get alot of inspiration from all different scrappers rather than anyone in particular.

9. Where do you get most of your inspiration from in order to scrap? For me my inspiration comes from the photo's themselves I usually work from the colours in them and go from there.

10. If you aren't busy scrapping, what else do you love to do that relaxes you? If I'm not scrapping I'm taking photo's, reading or making bears.

Check out more of Krissy's inspirational work in the gallery

Free OTP project for March

Here's a little sneak-peek of the FREE OTP project class for March:



You can find the full step-by-step instructions, with photographs, over at Crafting in Style: HERE

I loved working with the Luxe Design "Classic Black" range of patterned papers. These are heavy-weight, double-sided papers, and extremely versatile for layouts, cards and OTP projects. I cut some of the patterns and curled some of the floral motifs, and found that the paper held its shape beautifully.

The black and white designs are very elegant, and could be used for layouts where you are looking to add a touch of class - wedding, engagement, christening, graduation, Book of Me, high school formals, portraits... just team with any colour embellishments to match your theme, for a striking combination.

Don't forget that there is 20% off all patterned papers in the Crafting in Style Shoppe for the whole of March.

Posted by Karen

Dare 4... using chipboard negatives

Using the 'negatives' of chipboard alphabets is something I do quite a lot in my layouts. By 'negative' I mean the outline piece that is left over after you punch out the letter or the shape.

... and a few people have asked me, how do I make it work for me??

1> I'm essentially a cheapskate, so I like to get the most value for money out of my scrap supplies. Who doesn't? And who doesn't need extra E's and T's and S's and R's and...???

TIP: You probably won't get a successful negative out of every single letter on a sheet of chipboard alphabets, because sometimes they are so close together that it becomes too flimsy or impossible to cut between. But even if you get a few extras out of every packet, you're ahead :)

2> I'm a fairly patient person, so I don't mind doing fiddly stuff like hand-cutting. I think of it as a therapeutic exercise, and it forces me to slow down a bit and enjoy the creative process.

TIP: Make sure you use a very sharp, sturdy, precise pair of scissors. Otherwise, you'll find your hands or fingers getting sore very quickly.

3> I just love the eclectic look of mixed alphabet titles but I've never been able to get the look working for me. By using alphabet negatives, I can mix it up a bit, make it look a bit funky, but still stick with the same font, which my linear brain is pretty happy with. Best of both worlds.

TIP: If you overlap the letters, it's not immediately obvious that it's a negative, and the title will 'flow' more easily.
TIP: Just as you do with 'normal' alphabets, pay attention to the background - make sure that the letter doesn't get lost in the background. Sometimes this may mean you need to place a backing on the negative such as a piece of patterned paper or cardstock.

4> Don't stop at alphabets!

TIP: Use the negatives of flowers and other shapes... or use an entire negative sheet to make an interesting background.




For this layout I painted a Basic Grey negative sheet with a strong, solid colour, and used it as a background.

So....go on.... I dare you!!! Have a go at using some chipboard negatives as a feature of your layout... it could be a title, background or embellishment.

Upload your layout to the Crafting in Style 'DT Dares' gallery for the chance to win a prize :)


Posted by Karen

March Packs

Have you checked out the March CIS Monthly Pack yet? It is gorgeous with yummy Kaisercraft Vagabond Papers, Jenny Bowlin Journalling Cards, Paper Loft monograms and lots of other scrummy bits!

I have been lucky enough to work with the pack this month! The cream/brown/red/pale blue colour scheme is perfect for something a bit shabby chic or whimsical.

Here's a peek of my creation! You can find the packs in the store here!

Posted by Tatum

Dare 19th February

Everyone loves a little glitz and glam, add in some flowers and you have a combination for a dare! The dare for this month is all about flowers and glitter.

There are so many ways to incorporate flowers onto your pages you can leave them as they are, layer them, fold them, cut them or apply other mediums too, such as paint or ink to change them in fun ways. The medium we want to see used this month is glitter. This can be the powdered form or glitter glue eg. Kindy Glintz.

If using powdered glitter you can easily control how much you want to add to the flower when you apply the glue. You can go for a subtle approach by placing glue at the tip of the flowers or cover it all.

Using a product such as Kindy Glintz that comes in its own squeeze bottle gives you even more control. You can "draw' the glitter on any way you like.

I chose to use powder in my example. I watered down craft glue with a damp brush and painted the ends of my flowers with it. Then I dabbed the flower into a container filled with powdered pink glitter Layered heaps of flowers together to give some dimension (I love doing this) and added a decorative brad in the centre.

So everyone now that you know the dare start glitzing LOL!

I cant wait to see all your lovely Layouts. Upload to the CISter's Dares section of the gallery by the 29th of February to be in the running for a prize.

Posted by Ally

OTP Project

Ally gave me a gorgeous Off the Page Pack to work with this month including a Kaisercraft Heart Album, MM Noteworthy and Chatterbox Alphas! I teamed these with a few things from my stash and a bunch of little techniques to put together a mini album with photos of DH and I.

You can find all the pics and instructions in the forum here. Hope you like!

Don't forget that there is 25% storewide in February so it is a great time to stock up on all these little bits and pieces!

Have a happy, scrappy week! Tatum xx

February Stylish Kit

I had fun playing with the We R Memory Keepers 'Promendade' range of papers this month. I used the 'Dedicated Scrapper Pack' and had enough product to complete four layouts and one other project.

Here are the layouts:









And I also created a little mini-album using the kit too...
Check out this thread at Crafting in Style for instructions.

Kits available here

Posted by Karen

FEBRUARY DARE

If you dare!!!
So it's the first day of the month so what does that mean? Yep that's right time for a new CISter's Dare. So here we go......

The dare for this month is to create a LO using 'texture' as the emphasis.

Without texture a scrapbook layout would be dull. You can choose from a wide variety of textures to make your scrapbook pages unique. There are two basic types of texture: tactile and visual.

Tactile textures stimulate your sense of touch and can be incorporated into a scrapbook by layering different materials, fabrics, and other elements for a three-dimensional look.

Visual texture refers to what the eye sees. Using media such as paint, ink, and fabric, you can create textures on your scrapbook pages. Use your imagination and don't be afraid to experiment.

For me, texture means having a "feel" about it. Something that makes you want to touch and see what it feels like. This doesn't have to be dimensional, it can be subtle

For my LO 'Beanie Kid' I have used tearing and inking of pp, 'coral' paper, lumpy bumpy ribbon, micro beads and felt to evoke the sense of touch





So that you all know about texture, I would love to see how you incorporate it into your work. Have a go and upload to the CISter's 'dares' section of the gallery by midnight 17th of February to be in the running for a prize


Posted by Trudi

Exciting New Year Ahead

Hi everyone and welcome back after a busy holiday break. 2008 has brought a few changes around CIS!! We said our goodbyes to Jolene as she moved on to try new things and welcomed in Allison (Ally) as our new Head Cister :)

We also welcomed Karen Brierley and Trudi Harrison to the CIS DT and they will be inspiring you with all sorts of fun layouts and projects throughout the year. Trudi has a wonderful "Love Mini Album" class in February using the fantastic and colourful Scenic Route Loveland papers and wait until you see the beaut LO Karen created using the Feb Monthly Pack...Yummo!!

The DT has a great new monthly competition as well.. Are you ready to be DARED!!!! well then you simply have to pop into the forum to check it out. This month Tatum has dared us to try out some stitching on our LO's so grab your needle and thread and try your hand at something different like running stitch, cross stitch or feather stitch. Dont forget to upload to the gallery for this months prize of a $10 store voucher.

Until next time :)