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Susan solves the mystery of how to attach clear accents to your projects in this month’s Ask the Experts.
These new clear embellishments will add visual dimension and fresh color to your projects–and they’re so easy to use! Read on to see how LeNae and Shauna used Vinyl Word Blocks whole, cut them up and even added them to a unique Christmas card.
“As a realistic, busy scrapper, I love that Vinyl Word Blocks can be used as is–they add so much to my scrapbook layouts in so little time!” LeNae says. “Since each word block is 4”x12”, they fit perfectly down the edge of a 12”x12” page. To add a little dimension to this flat word block, I chose to attach it to the page with a mini brad in each corner, then I accented a couple portions of the word block with a knotted strip of grosgrain ribbon to tie it into the rest of the layout.”
Supplies:
Instructions:
- Use the brown and green color blocked paper with the striped edge as the background, orienting the paper so the striped portion runs along the top of the page. Remove the ball-chain from the Vinyl Word Block and reserve it for later, then lay the word block down the right side of the page. Punch a 1/16” hole in each corner of the word block and insert one antique mini brad into each hole to attach the word block on the background paper. Cut two 2 1/2” lengths of brown grosgrain ribbon and tie a knot in the center of each. Use Glue Dots™ to attach one knotted ribbon strip each to the top of the “Love” and “Love is a circle of Family” portions of the Vinyl Word Block.
- Mat a 5”x7” photo on black cardstock, trimming the mat to 1/16”. Mat again on green textured paper, trimming the mat to 1/2” and inking the edges with black. Glue the matted photo to the large brown portion of the color blocked paper, overlapping the striped border with the top edge of the photo. Add one antique mini brad to each corner of the green textured photo mat.
- Computer journal onto ivory cardstock, then crop to a long rectangle, leaving extra space on the right end. Cut a 4” length of brown grosgrain ribbon and tie a knot in the center. Run the knotted ribbon vertically down the right edge of the journaling, then wrap the ends around the top and bottom edges of the journaling and secure on the back. Mat the journaling on black cardstock and trim the mat to 1/8”, then glue just below the photo.
- Run the ball-chain through the window of one mini slide mount and fasten the chain. Computer journal the year onto white cardstock, then use foam mounting tape to attach it behind the slide mount, framing the year in the circular window of the slide mount with the black side facing up. Cut a 9” length of black grosgrain ribbon and tie it into a shoestring bow. Use Glue Dots™ to attach both the shoestring bow and the ball-chain fastener in the top left corner of the green texture photo mat, then glue the slide mount in place.
“On this birthday layout, I took advantage of the block border by cutting up my Vinyl Word Block into pieces, then I incorporated them into the border,” Shauna says. “The vinyl is sturdy, but you can easily cut it with scissors or run it through a paper trimmer for a perfectly straight line. You can also see that your background and accent papers don’t have to perfectly match the colors on the word block. This Birthday Vinyl Word Block has a red, yellow, black and white color scheme that still works perfectly with the citrus colored papers used throughout the rest of the layout.”
Supplies:
Instructions:
- Use the yellow scuff color block with block border paper as the background, orienting the paper so the block border runs down the left side. Mat a 5”x7” photo on aqua cardstock, trimming the mat to 1/4”. Mat again on black cardstock, trimming the mat to 1/16”. Glue the matted photo on the large yellow portion of the background paper, slightly toward the top left corner. Punch one 1/16” hole in each top corner of the aqua cardstock mat, then add one green mini brad to each hole. Cut out the word “Sweet” from the Vinyl Word Block and glue it in the bottom left corner of the photo.
- Cut out the green tag with striped border, then mat on black cardstock and trim the mat to 1/32”. Cut out the “It’s Your Day!” portion of the Vinyl Word Block and lay it across the bottom of the tag. Punch a 1/16” hole in each end of the word block piece and insert one teal mini brad into each hole to secure it to the tag. Use alphabet stamps to stamp the name and age onto the tag. Cut out the “Birthday” tag from the Vinyl Word Block, including the ball-chain. Punch a 1/8” hole in the top of the green tag and run the ball-chain through the hole, then fasten the chain and glue the “Birthday” tag in place on the surface of the green tag. Use foam mounting tape to attach the green tag at an angle in the bottom right corner of the page, overlapping the photo.
- Cut out the border from the Vinyl Word Block and lay it over the seam between the yellow scuff portion and the striped border on the background paper. Punch one 1/16” hole in each end of the border, then add one blue mini brad to each hole to secure the border to the page.
- From the Vinyl Word Block, cut out the word “Party”, the portion that includes “Great”, “Fun”, “Games” and the gift image, the portion that includes “Laugh”, “Smile” and the cupcake image, the two candles, and the “balloons” word and image, then arrange on the page border as shown. Punch 1/16” holes in the word block pieces and insert green, teal and blue mini brads into the holes to secure the pieces down the border.
“Vinyl Word Blocks aren’t just for scrapbook pages!” says LeNae. “If you’re making lots of holiday cards this season and want to save time, Vinyl Word Blocks make quick and easy focals–you can cut out individual words or portions of the word block that contain multiple words and images. On this “Joyful Greetings” card, I tied a square of festive paper with ribbons to make it look like a package, then cut out pieces of the word block to act as tags on the package.”
Supplies:
Instructions
Making an Oblong Bow
 Form a loop in the center of a ribbon length.
Form another loop on one side of the center loop, then repeat for the opposite side.
Continue forming loops and alternating sides until you’ve reached the desired amount of loops for your bow. Tie another length of ribbon or wire through the center loop to secure the bow.
For the Front of the Card:
- Crop the card to a 5” square. Cut a 4 7/8” square of green holly paper and glue it centered on the front of the card.
- Cut a 4” square of red quilt paper and mat on white cardstock, trimming the mat to 1/16”. Cut two 5” lengths of green and ivory gingham ribbon. Lay one length horizontally across and one vertically down the matted red quilt paper so they intersect in the center of the square. Wrap all four ends around the edges of the mat and secure on the back, then glue the whole piece centered on the card front.
- Cut out the word “Joyful” and the “Greetings” tag from the Vinyl Word Block. Punch a 1/8” hole in the right end of the “Joyful” piece, then string both tags onto the ball-chain. Use Glue Dots™ to attach the ball-chain fastener at the point where the ribbons intersect on the red quilt paper and to secure the tags in place in the bottom left corner.
- Use the green grosgrain ribbon to make an oblong bow with four loops on each side (see the sidebar at the right for instructions). Cut a 4” length of gingham ribbon and tie it through the center of the bow to secure the loops, then finish the tails of the gingham ribbon by cutting them into inverted “v”s. Use a Glue Dot™ to attach the bow to the center of the card, covering the ball-chain fastener.
For the Inside of the Card:
- Cut a 2 1/2”x1 1/8” piece of red quilt paper. Mat on white cardstock, trimming the mat to 1/16”. Mat on green holly paper, trimming the top and bottom edges of the mat to 1/4” and the left and right edges to 3/8”. Glue just above center on the inside of the card.
- Cut out the “Blessings” portion of the Vinyl Word Block and glue it centered on the red quilt paper. Cut a 2” length of green and ivory gingham ribbon and tie a knot in the center, then use a Glue Dot™ to attach the knot to the right end of the word block piece.
Whether you're creating special scrapbook layouts or festive cards, Vinyl
Word Blocks will add color and cool dimension to your projects. Click here
to view all 6 themes, and keep
your eyes out for new themes in the future!
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