chalk it up | Artful Adventures

A card inspired by a scrap of paper from the Chalk It Up paper pack.

Often we’d like to make a birthday card, but really don’t have a lot of time. This birthday card went together rather quickly! The whole idea came from a scrap of paper! I knew the recipient liked orange and I saw this scrap of paper on my desk and thought it was close enough to orange. It is from the Chalk It Up Close to My Heart paper pack. I liked it because it already had some other colors and it would make my color choices fast and easy. The color along the left side is the decorative “zip strip” I told you about the other day. It is the extra 1/2 inch on one side of a patterned 12×12″ paper, which is a bonus decorative strip that coordinates with the paper pack.

Since I was in a hurry (and maybe a bit lazy), my plan was to just use this scrap and try to get as much mileage from it as possible. So I cut it into strips and then arranged them across the width of the card, and adhered them.

One thing I like about using clear acrylic stamps is the fact that you can pull them off the backing sheets and arrange them before you ever stamp them. If you don’t like the look you can move them around until you are happy, or entirely swap out the stamps. When you begin to accumulate stamp sets, it’s fun to mix and match. I decided to use the cupcake and candle from the Birthday set from the CTMH Cricut Artiste collection, and the Happy Birthday sentiment is from the Build A Cake set.

CTMH – Build a Cake, # D1618

CTMH, Birthday – Cricut Artiste Collection

I stamped the “Happy Birthday” on white card stock, in Lagoon ink to match the color at the left side. This helped pull the Lagoon color across the entire card. The white card stock was matted with at piece of Sorbet card stock to coordinate with the color from the scrap of paper I started with. The cupcake and candle stamp were stamped in `black and were colored with the Touch Twin alcohol markers in Peacock Green, Barely Beige, and Golden Yellow. Then I added some glue to the cupcake to and sprinkled with glitter to make the icing look like it had been dusted with sugar.

Glitter was added for a little sparkle!

I was happy with the way it turned out, and extra happy that it didn’t take too long! Isn’t it funny how inspiration comes in many ways? This was simply because I only wanted to use one scrap of paper I found on my desk! What inspiration will you find today? Come over and share it with us on our Facebook Group! Cheers to YOUR Artful Adventures! If you are in the US, please feel free to shop in my online Close To My Heart store. Here are handy links for the products in this featured project.

X7184B Chalk It Up Paper Packet

D1618 Build-a-Cake

Cricut Artiste Collection

ShinHan Touch Twin Alcohol Markers

InLinkz.com

Back to school sales are a great time to pick up composition notebooks, as well as many other basic supplies. Often there are bargains that won’t be matched at any other time of year. Since composition notebooks are rather inexpensive, I guess that’s why they are not very pretty! Never fear, they are easy to dress up. Not only can you fix up one for yourself or anyone at your home, you could even make one for a quick little gift, because who couldn’t use one to keep notes?

For this makeover we are going to use the new Chalk It Up line from Close to My Heart (CTMH). This is just one of the double-sided papers in the pack. Here are basic supplies I decided to start with:

Basic supplies: composition notebook 3 pieces of decorative paper or card stock, any ephemera you choose.

For the front and back covers, cut two pieces of paper at 6 3/4″ x 9 3/4″. For the binding you’ll cut one piece of a coordinating card stock or decorative paper at 2 1/4″ x 9 3/4″.

Cut 2 pieces each 6 3/4″x 9 3/4″; Cut 1 piece 2 1/4″x9 3/4″

Lining up the out edges of the paper against the notebook, adhere in place with your chosen adhesive. I used the Bonding Memories Glue Pen by CTMH. It has a very wide tip and makes it easy to apply adhesive to paper. You notice you have a bit of an overhang if your notebook has curved corners. Just flip the cover open and trim along the edge, using the notebook cover as your guide.

Snip off excess around the curves.

To adhere the binding cover, I used some sticky strip because I thought the backing may get the most use and it may be hard to keep in place with glue. I ran the strip on the long edge of each side. I carefully aligned it just over the edge of the binding (the measurement was a little big wider than the original binding). Flip the notebook over and your ready to place the back of the binding cover down. That’s it! The basic makeover is complete. Now just decorate to taste.

Cover the edge of the original binding

Sticky strip used along the outer edge of the binding cover

The Chalk it Up Complements pack is a set of coordinating chipboard pieces and I had already chosen a piece to use. I love the phrase it has on it, Every Accomplishment Begins with the Decision to Try!

From the Chalk It Up Complements set.

I decided to use an initial “k” because if I decide I want to give it away, I have two family members who also start with a k. However, I think I’ll probably keep it. We can always gift to ourselves, right? Anyway, I cut a lowercase k from the alphabet that is from the CTMH Cricut Artbooking Collection cartridge, in the same color I used for the backing.

Lowercase “k” from the CTMH Cricut Artbooking cartridge.

It looked like it need something more and it got three hearts from the Chalk It Up Assortment.

Hearts from the Chalk It Up Assortment.

At this point I wished I had used some ribbon or something along the binding edge because it just looked so naked! I spied the black arrow washi tape and gave it a try! I was happy with it and I pronounced it to be finished! It was a fun, easy project, give it a try!

Composition Book Makeover

Be sure to stop over at Take Heart Ideas to see what other inspiration pieces are available for the current Back-to-School theme challenge, and play along with us!

Cheers to YOUR Artful Adventures!

Chalk It Up Paper Packet	Chalk It Up Complements	Chalk It Up Assortment
Cricut Artbooking Collection	Black Arrow Washi Tape	Bonding Memories Glue Pen
Workshops on the Go Chalk It Up Scrapbooking Kit