Sunday, September 13, 2009

Cheers to Bookmarks!

This is a tiny little project called a "scrapling".  When it is closed, it is 1.25 x 4.25 inches.  It is called a scrapling because if you cut a sheet of card-stock in half and then turn one of those half sheets into a 4.25 inch square card this is the size "scrap" you have left.

Or you can do what I did and just cut a 1.25 inch strip from the 8.5 inch side of my cardstock.  For those of you challenged by (or fearful of) fractions and decimals that means:   Put your paper in your trimmer and cut a smallish strip from short side of the paper - this isn't going in an envelope so who cares what the size is.


This one is done in one of the 2009-2010 In-colors, Crushed Curry, and the stamp set is Cheers to You.  The mug was stamped in Stazon ink on watercolor paper then water-colored by using the Crushed Curry marker.  "Huh?" you ask. "How do you watercolor with a marker?"

Here is how:  Take something plastic - I use the lid to an old margarine tub, scribble with your marker on the plastic, then pick up the color with your aqua painter, paint!  Pretty simple.  I wanted to watercolor on this project because I wanted to have shadows and variations on my mug and I just do that better in watercolor. (Hmmm.... Why can I color a beer mug with greater detail than I can color a flower? I'm sure there is food for thought there, but we are going to get back to paper and ink)

"But how did you get the foam?" you inquire. (My, you have a lot of questions today.)  I used Liquid Applique.  SU doesn't sell it but it isn't hard to find.  Just color it on - let dry - then get that foam to rise with your heat tool (just like heat embossing).  Tip - really let the applique dry like the directions tell you - you get a different look than if you heat it immediately.  But I understand, sometimes a girl just can't wait to get on with her cute project!  It's OK - it will still foam even if you can't wait.

Now what in the world do you do with this tiny little guy after he is foamy?  I decided to turn him into a bookmark.  A magnetic bookmark!  I added two tiny snips of magnet - the kind that comes on a roll and is self adhesive on one side - you can cut it with scissors.  Put a bit on each side of the scrapling. 







Here he is in action.  Notice which page of the Holiday Mini Catalog that I marked?  Surely you have bought that ornament punch by now.


Make a couple of these scrapling bookmarks and include them for a personal touch when you give books as gifts.  It is just scrap paper - costs so little yet really takes that gift to the next level.  These would be really cute with a cookbook - where cooks need to mark pages and have them STAY marked.  At least that is what I assume cooks do - not  being a very good one, I can't say for sure.


I'd love to see what you can come up with.  Send me photos or links so I can check out your work too.

5 comments:

Carolyn Sharkas said...

I love this little scrapling, it is really cute and I will have to share the one I made really soon, too. Thanks so much for sharing. Love the suds on the beer. You are so creative.

Joyce Spear said...

Ellen, I love your "blathering" (as you called it on your post to LNS)! It seems not many stampers can write in a fashion that's readable, much less entertaining, so I appreciate your double talent.

I've pooh-poohed scraplings when I've seen them before, but I really like this bookmark application! Thanks for sharing!

sandi maciver said...

love your blathering, and your scrapling is darling, I'm going to have to give that a try

Sharon Clarke said...

I love your humor! Don't stop! PS- love the bookmark too.

Melissa@TheHappierHomemaker said...

L-O-V-E the magnetic strip idea on the bookmark!!! Great project, and easy enough to do with a workshop! Thanks for sharing! I love your blog!