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