Happy Magazine Monday and Happy Canada Day, my SCT friends!

Before we get down to the creative content of this blog post, I would be remiss to not give a shout out to Canada on its 152nd birthday! While I’m not Canadian myself, I do work for a fantastic Canadian company called Scrapbook & Cards Today magazine! I grew up in Michigan (which is practically Canada, right?), and I may have had a crush on a Canadian boy once upon a time. I’ve also sung the Canadian National Anthem in front of a crowd of almost 1000 people. So I consider myself an honourary Canadian!

Susan Open Canada Day for SCT Magazine

But now it’s time to get down to the creative part of this blog post! Have you had the chance to peruse the summer 2019 issue of SCT? Goodness, it’s amazing!

After writing the issue and then looking at it as a finished product, I was incredibly inspired by several projects. Today I want to show you how I took some of my favorite designs and turned them into cards!

First up is Jennifer Haggerty’s Wild + Free layout in our PageMaps column on page 31.

Wild + Free layout by Jennifer Haggerty for Scrapbook & Cards Today

Art Director Cathy Zielske and I both got our start as scrapbookers, but now we both make cards. She and I have discussed how to “bridge the gap” between the two papercrafting arenas. I like to look at layouts for ideas to use in card designs, and Jennifer’s title section was a perfect inspiration! Here is the card I made:

Happy Birthday card by Susan R. Opel for Scrapbook & Cards Today

supplies CARDSTOCK, STAMP: Simon Says Stamp; PATTERNED PAPER: American Crafts, My Favorite Things; JOURNALING CARD, RUBBER SHAPES: Close To My Heart; INK: Hero Arts; ENAMEL DOTS: My Mind’s Eye; DIES: My Favorite Things; ADHESIVE: Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L; OTHER: Paper clip

I loved the clip and scripty title on a circle, so I fashioned a clip of my own and searched for the perfect scripty sentiment. I added lots of cheery flowers and little bits of fun, too. Can you see the correlation? I did my best to bridge the gap!

Next is this rainbow-tastic card by Laura Bassen in our Creative Cards column on page 52.

Hello card by Laura Bassen for Scrapbook & Cards Today

 

My graphic-loving heart absolutely SANG when I saw Laura’s Hello card. Simple shapes and lots of color result in SUCH an eye-catching design.

Hello There card by Susan R. Opel for Scrapbook & Cards Today

supplies CARDSTOCK: Bazzill Basics, My Favorite Things, Simon Says Stamp, Stampin’ Up!; STAMP, INK: Simon Says Stamp; DIES: Avery Elle, My Favorite Things; ADHESIVE: Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L, Therm O Web

I couldn’t find a small triangle punch or die, so I had a Tim Gunn moment and made it work with another simple shape. Sadly, this die from Avery Elle is no longer available, but any simple shape will do. You can see that I started with the grey card base, added a white panel, and scoured my cardstock stash for the perfect colors. Laura’s sentiment is tall yet not very wide, so I found a stamp in my stash that fit the bill. I can’t stop looking at this card!

Finally, I gasped when I originally saw Tifany DeGough’s card in our Inspiration Gallery on page 65.

Hello card by Tifany DeGough for Scrapbook & Cards Today

I just loved the bold black and white gingham paired with tropical flowers. And I thought it was so clever how she had the flowers on the side of the card rather than the bottom.

Hello You're Fabulous card by Susan R. Opel for Scrapbook & Cards Today

supplies CARDSTOCK: Simon Says Stamp; PATTERNED PAPER: Canvas Corp; STAMPS: Avery Elle, Simon Says Stamp; INK: Close To My Heart, Gina K Designs, Hero Arts, My Favorite Things, Ranger Industries, Stampin’ Up!; DIES: Avery Elle; ADHESIVE: Scrapbook Adhesives by 3L, Therm O Web

I searched my stash for a stamp set with similar tropical flowers and found that the foliage in Tropics by Avery Elle was a really close match! And I’m going to be honest… I almost gave up on this one! So many ink colors, so much die cutting, so much layering. I’m a lazy crafter (I’m serious) but I kept after it, and I’m super thankful that I have the MISTI!

While I didn’t have a black and white gingham with a really bold feel to it, I found a SUPER old piece of patterned paper with that same bold feeling. So in love with how it turned out!

We’d love to see what you create inspired by our summer issue! We love our readers and can’t wait to see what you are creating!

Here’s to finding all kinds of inspiration in the summer 2019 issue of Scrapbook & Cards Today! Remember you can download/view the issue for free right HERE!

~ Susan R. Opel, Editor-in-Chief