It's our final challenge for 2012!  From Kimber, "I had lots of bits laying around from past purchases and I kinda threw them together for this sketch. The background could be a patchwork of any scraps of papers you have laying around. 

I hope you will use the sketch to create a card this week and load it into the gallery. Remember to check the Saturday Card Sketch box in the challenges so I can see what you created! You'll be entered to win a $5 gift certificate to the Two Peas store when you do. You have through next Friday at 11:59 pm CST to enter your card; the winner will be announced on the Two Peas blog next Saturday."

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Congrats to smilynstef, christina collins, & bikeller!  You are our challenge winners from last week.  We will email you shortly on how to access your gift certificate.

We hope you've had a wonderful week, Peas!  Here's a look back at what project videos went live:

Memory Keeping Monday | Shine with Lisa Truesdell

From Lisa, "for this week's MKM, i'm digging into this year's holiday photos. i'm also giving you a little peek into my start here workshop by using a piece from pinterest as the inspiration for the design of this layout."  ...see challenge and supply list here.

The Adventures of Glitter Girl | Storage Thoughts

From Shimelle, "Happy holidays from Glitter Girl and all of us at Two Peas in a Bucket!

For a little something different this week, Glitter Girl shares her thoughts on organizing and storing scrapbooking supplies. I hope you find it useful in your own adventures of storing and sorting your supplies!"  ...see challenge here.

Finally Friday | Love Notes with Julie Campbell

From Julie, "I love tucking tiny cards in my son's lunchbox or my husband's briefcase. It's a fun surprise for them to discover in the middle of the day & it's a great way to let someone know that you're thinking about them.

This tiny love note might be small, but it's packed with cuteness! It all started with this love die cut from Amy Tangerine's Ready Set Go collection. At the end of the tutorial, I share a unique twist to the traditional envelope. Make sure to watch & find out more!" ... see challenge and supply list here.

Don't forget to check out the Garden Girl blog hop and enter the giveaway - there's still time!

Hi there Peas!  I'm here today with a Member Spotlight feature.  There's so much inspiration in the gallery here at Two Peas that it was so hard to pick.  But there's one girl who's work I just drool over every time.  That would be Miss Jen Kinkade.

I adore her photography and her pages are soo fun!  Here's a little sampling.

Jen's participating in December Daily this year and I love what she's done to the cover of a Studio Calico Handbook.  I'm always so scared to embellish my covers.

I love how the black and white photos pop against the color scheme in this layout.  See what I mean about beautiful photography?

I love the diagonal spattering of paint and embellishments. So random and so organized at the same time.

I love the grey and pink color scheme of this page.  So many little goodies to find on this page.  I also love how the photo's cut into a tag.  Such a neat idea.

And my favorite of the bunch.  Awesome layering and fabulous die-cuts.  This layout totally makes me want to mess up my desk and scrapbook!

And that is the very best kind of inspiration!

You can find Jen's gallery here.  But do yourself a favor and grab a cup of coffee or something. I can get lost in her work for a long time.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Eve, Peas!  The Garden Girls are sharing sneaks, favorites and giveaways on their blogs - consider it a bonus Christmas gift! Before you begin hopping, here's a glimpse at the new projects that bloomed this morning in the Garden.

And how about a little giveaway?  I need to clear out some goodies from my prize supply in my office to make room for next year.  If a box stuffed with goodies from this year's past releases sounds good to you, leave a comment below with your Two Peas username.  We'll pick a winner and post it on January 1st! :)

Continue the hop here:

Jill 
Jen 
Lexi 
Nancy 
Lynn 
Becky 
Shimelle 
Amy T. 
Wilna 

Hello and Happy Saturday!  This is the last Saturday where we have a handful of challenges for you.  Next week we'll have one more Saturday Card Sketch and then we will start fresh with a new year and new plans to inspire you each week.

Remember each challenge gives you a chance to win a $5 gift certificate, as well as earns you a badge for your Two Peas profile page.  Just click on the title of each challenge for details from the designer and notes on how to enter, and scroll down to see last week's winners!

Weekly Challenge | Use a Speech Bubble with Lexi Bridges

Weekly Photo Challenge | Celebrating with Wilna Furstenberg

Saturday Card Sketch with Kimber | Those Sweet Words

Happy Friday!  Welcome to the weekend, friends.  Here is this week's round-up of project videos.

Memory Keeping Monday | Laughing & Playing

From Jen, "For this particular layout I wanted to show you a few ways you can use die cutting machines to enhance your layout. This particular layout uses both the Cameo machine and a traditional die cut machine like the Big Shot. I also used a fun tool set from Hero Arts called “Frame Cuts” (you can find these tools in the products section below), which includes both stamping and die cutting.

The journaling was printed on a label which is from a digital kit here at 2Peas. Digital kit elements can be printed out on cardstock and used as traditional elements (which is called hybrid scrapbooking).

Learn more about the tools and process for this project in the video below..." ... see supplies & challenge here.

The Adventures of Glitter Girl | Adventure 051: Getting Glittery

From Shimelle, "This week Glitter Girl has one more Christmas-themed adventure to share with you, and this discussion [twopeasinabucket.com] on the general scrapbooking message board inspired her to share some favourite techniques for a supply near and dear to her heart: glitter! Her adventure takes her through three projects this week: a 12x12 page with two different glitter techniques (one more messy than the other), an entry in her 2012 Christmas journal and a quick and easy Christmas card.

Come along for the adventure, won't you?" ...see supplies and challenge here.

Finally Friday | Christmas Shaker Card

From Lynn, "Hi everybody! I am back with another Finally Friday video for you. For this card I created a fun Christmas shaker card using the Winter Wonderland collection by My Minds Eye. I don't know about you, but I just ADORE shaker cards. I especially think they are just perfect for holiday cards (they remind me of snow globes). They are SO MUCH FUN to create and really easy too! If you have any question at all about how I created this particular shaker card or shaker cards in general please feel free to leave your questions in the comments section. I hope you enjoy the video. Thanks for watching!" ...see supplies and challenge here.

We've scoured the gallery as well as Pinterest to create a little collage of eye candy for you.  Christmas is just around the corner and chances are you have a few gifts yet to wrap.

Get out your twine, buttons, tags and washi and have fun!

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Congrats to leetazzie, mjmarmo + artfulscrapbooking - you are the winners of our Webster's Pages challenge!  The prize pack from Webster's will be sent to your Two Peas account shortly.

Just a peek at what the Garden Girls have been up to as of late.  You're going to love what we have in store!  Stay tuned for some exciting announcements after the first of the year! :)

Don't miss out on the sales we have running!  It's a great time to stock up on those supplies you've been wanting to add to your collection.  Scroll down for the winner of Lisa's workshop, Start Here!

Year End Clearance Sale 

25% off Holiday Collections

Congrats to kevshreff, you're the winner of our mini workshop, Start Here with Lisa Truesdell!  An email welcoming you to the class will be sent to you shortly.

With Christmas only a week away, chances are you are either "dreaming of a white Christmas" or you're actually having one!  Either way, I thought it would be fun to share a round-up of some of my favorite "snow" themed products from the store!

Big Snowflakes Textured Embossing Folder by Sizzix & Hero Arts

Flakes - Winter Wonderland Paper by My Mind's Eye

Flurry Mini Doodle Pops stickers by Doodlebug Designs

Frosty - Winter Frost Embossed Die Cut by WeR Memory Keepers

Happy Holiday Dear Santa paper by Echo Park Paper Co.

Little Sledders Winter Fun Paper by Carta Bella

Make It Merry Stamp by October Afternoon

Oh What Fun - Aspen Frost paper by BasicGrey

Vintage Wood Snowflakes by Maya Road

And don't forget to check out our digital products as well!

Snow Flakey Digital Die Cuts

Winter Frost by Meredith Fenwick

Hopefully these products have inspired you to scrap some snowy memories whether you're surrounded by snow or not.  You can see even more snow-themed products in the store HERE!  Here's wishing you a happy snow day!  --Wendy Sue

We always look forward to our holiday party; Jeff and Kristina are so good to us and put a lot of thought and love and creativitiy into preparing the evening for us!  We didn't want you to miss out on the fun either.  Here is a little behind-the-scenes look, as well as our 5 tips for how to have a fun holiday party (because we're experts!).

1.  Anticipation is half the fun!  Book a reservation at your favorite restaurant.  Make a pretty invite.  Find that fancy dress or argyle sweater vest in the back of your closet and prepare to have a blast.

2.  Surprise your guests with a fun photo corner!  A giant white poster can transform into a polaroid frame.  Speech bubbles, arrows, "Naughty" and "Nice" signs, Santa apparel - they all make fun photo props.  (The "Naughty!" arrow was used quite a bit at our party.)

3.  Stay close to the food.  My guest took 7 mushroom caps.  SEVEN.  We were debating putting some in my purse, but that might have been a little much. 

4. Don't be shy!  Participate in all the silly games your bosses love to host.  We can't promise you won't get laughed at when using your face muscles to move an oreo from your forehead to your mouth, but it will be memorable, we promise.  And you could win prizes!

5.  Don't forget the party favors!  Ours were so graciously stuffed with delicious peppermint bark and handmade journals embellished with washi tape and doodles by Kristina. We are so spoiled.

We hope you enjoyed getting a peek into our holiday party!  

We already can't wait for next year. - Jamie

Good morning!! My 2012 : Captured class for December went up yesterday, and this month, it's all using what you love in your Project Life album. My confetti addiction is no secret, so I thought it would be fun to show you how to create a confetti card to add to your album. 

(supplies - patterned paper - Simple Stories; vellum - Studio Calico; happy sticker - Pebbles; alphabet - Studio Calico; washi tape - Freckled Fawn; date stamp - Studio Calico; ink - StazOn)

First, gather your supplies. You'll need a piece of 3x4in piece of patterned paper, a 3x4in piece of vellum or transparency, washi tape and confetti or sequins. 

I usually just stitch around the outside of my confetti pockets, so I wanted to share a no sew version today. Line your vellum up over your patterned paper and run the washi along the edges. Be sure to leave enough on the outside of the paper so that you can bend it around to the back.

Once you have three edges taped, add your confetti. I used a mix of punched paper and sequins.

Add the last piece of washi tape finish off your confetti card with a sentiment or embellishments! 

I can't wait to see your confetti cards - link me up in the comments if you make one! -Lisa

Are you ready for a new round of challenges?  We've got them for you!

Remember each challenge gives you a chance to win a $5 gift certificate, as well as earns you a badge for your Two Peas profile page.  Just click on the title of each challenge for details from the designer and notes on how to enter, and scroll down to see last week's winners!

Weekly Scrap Challenge | Scrap a Meaningful Friendship with Wilna

Weekly Photography Challenge | "Hidden" with Kandis

Saturday Card Sketch

Congrats to micheledutah, nirupama01 & mustik - you are the winners of last week's challenge!  We will get in touch with you shortly on how to access your gift certificate.  Thanks to all who played along! - Jamie

Happy Friday, Peas!  Before we dive into this week's classes, a couple reminders: 1.  We've just posted an awesome sale!  25% off our Holiday Collections here, and if you like to add digital files to your collection, we've got those discounted here as well!

Reminder #2.  The workshop giveaway for Lisa Truesdell's latest class, Start Here, is still open! Click here to enter and good luck!  Now it's time for a look back at the classes that went up this week:

Memory Keeping Monday | This Moment with Shannon Tidwell

From Shannon, "Hi and Welcome to Memory Keeping Monday! This month one of our theme prompts is using a die-cutting machine. So of course I put my Silhouette to work! 

As I've mentioned before, I still have the original Silhouette. So if you are worried about what a big investment a Cameo is, don't fret…you'll be able to use it for years and years. 

As you can see I incorporated some really cute artwork on this layout. And she's probably going to be a little upset when she first sees that I used it…but I figure that's better than it falling on the floor and the dog eating it…literally. It was too cute to not keep and put on display in a scrapbook. Obviously the headband was my starting point….and I added some more feathers cut with the Silhouette to further embellish. 

I cut quite a bit more than I used. Once I got started on the layout I discovered it didn't need much. A bonus of using one of a kind artwork!

Ok, now you should watch the video."  ...see supplies and challenge here.

The Adventures of Glitter Girl | Episode 050: Christmas Scrapbook Party

From Shimelle, "This week Glitter Girl takes on the conundrum of whether to create just small pages for December, full size Christmas layouts or a combination of both! As always, this topic was inspired by a discussion [twopeasinabucket.com] on the General Scrapping message board at Two Peas in a Bucket, where you can discuss any scrapbooking dilemma. In today's adventure Glitter Girl starts with a look at two of her Christmas journals (from 2009 and 2010) then creates a 12x12 page with an extra 8x8 photo from Christmas 2009.

Come along for the adventure, won't you?" ...see supplies and challenge here.

Finally Friday | Thank You So Much with Laura Craigie

From Laura, "I wanted to make a Thank-you card to say thanks for watching my Finally Friday video's this year, this year has been so much fun and you all have left the most wonderful comments for me. Can't wait to see what 2013 holds, and all the new scrapbooking goodies it will bring. hehe

I used one of my favourite winter lines this year, and it's by Fancy Pants called Blissful Blizzard. The paper pack includes both glitter and corrugated paper! Which I just LOVE :)

In the video I show you how to make the paper flower which is so easy, and uses paper from a number of different single sided 6x6 paper pads. In the last image here I show you a very similar card I made with the leftover scraps and I made the flower using washi tape and cardstock instead. I might actually prefer that option since you see the lovely grain of the cardstock.

The centre of the flowers is a chipboard button by October Afternoon's Woodland Park line and I just love them!  I also pulled out my trusty Unibal pen which is by far my favourite white gel pen! " ...see supplies and challenge here.

Good morning Peas!  Today we're looking at vellum - we are seeing this transparent and lightweight paper make a comeback.  Look at some of the fun ways we're seeing it being used in projects:

Layers of vellum pockets hold photos and notes in this December Daily / Journal Your Christmas album by soaphousemama.

Nancy tucked her wood veneer title and star embellishments in a vellum background pocket.  She demonstrates how this page came together in her Memory Keeping Monday video tutorial.

Jennimoc has placed snowflakes both below and above her vellum layer on her page First Christmas Snow.  Her die cut is softened by the see-through layer, and her embossed snowflake images pop off the page.

A sewn-on rectangle on this card by meghannandrew serves as a shaker window for loose confetti. 

Biochempea helps tell the story of her daughter's love for discovering things in nature by tucking a leaf in a vellum album insert.  See the full album here - beautiful!

We're not just seeing vellum used in projects, but manufacturers are finding all kinds of clever ways to use it to make innovative products.  Here is a small sampling of our vellum selection in the store:

Check out the full selection here!

You loved Lisa Truesdell's Divide & Conquer workshop - now she's back again with another class, Start Here!  Scroll down for your chance to win a spot in this new workshop.

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Included in the workshop are 27 brand-new scrapbook pages (15 from Lisa and 12 from her contributors) showcasing a variety of interpretations of inspiration pieces, 3 printable PDFs and 3 brand new videos following Lisa as she makes a layout starting with an inspiration piece.

Lisa's talented contributors include: Allison Waken, Ashley Calder, Becky Novacek, Doris Sander, Erica Hernandez, Emily Spahn, Kelly Noel, Kristina Nicolai-White, Laura Kurz, Lexi Bridges, Lisa Dickinson, and Marcy Penner.

Would you like to win a spot in this class?  Just leave a comment below with your Two Peas username by next Monday, December 17th at 11:59 pm CST.  We will announce the winner on Tuesday! 

Hi Peas! Wilna here today with a super simple tutorial... adding some texture to your pages using tone on tone. As you can see in this page, I added some Christmas trees to my white background to add to the theme and subject of my page.

Step 1:

I printed a bunch of photos size 2x2 and used a corner punch to round the corners. I also added the same size patterend papers to make things more interesting. I found this cool website where you can print your instagram pictures! I am super impressed with the quality.

Step 2:

Using some Silhouette Cameo designs of Christmas trees, i cut out 18 little trees using white card stock.

Step 3 & 4:

Lastly, I used some modge podge (matte) and lightly brushed some on the paper and adding the trees... adding another light layer on top of the trees.

Now go ahead and finish your page with photos and embellishments, title and journaling! A very simple page that was super fun to make! Get out the Modge Podge and play some!

Smiles,

Here are this week's scrapbooking, photography and card making challenges for you, friends!

Remember each challenge gives you a chance to win a $5 gift certificate, as well as earns you a badge for your Two Peas profile page.  Just click on the title of each challenge for details from the designer and notes on how to enter, and scroll down to see last week's winners!

Weekly Scrap Challenge | Combining Letter Stickers with Shannon

Weekly Photography Challenge | Bokeh with Laura Craigie

Weekly Card Making Challenge | Saturday Card Sketch with Kimber

Congrats to senoritascrapper, widda & torico -  we'll be in touch with you shortly on how to access your gift certificate!  And thanks to everyone who played along! - Jamie

Can you believe we're already a week into December?!  Time is flying!  Here's a look back at what classes and videos went live:

Memory Keeping Monday | Christmas Tradition

From Nancy, "Today, I made a page about one of my favorite holiday traditions. Reading Christmas books to my son at bedtime is something that I've been doing for years. I gathered some photos of my son flipping through one of his fans - Twas the Night Before Christmas, and then took a photo of a stack of our collection.

I combined so old and new lines to create a page that is Christmas themed with a little office supply/book flavor. October Afternoon's Holiday Style, mixed with some new Studio Calico and a vellum pocket full of stars and our title complete this holiday traditions page. TFL!"  ...see supplies & challenge here.

Glitter Girl Adventures | Episode 049 Stylish 6x6 Strategies

From Shimelle, "This week Glitter Girl presents an extended episode! She's working with 6x6 paper pads in response to this thread [twopeasinabucket.com] on the General Scrapping message board. Her adventure takes her through three pages: two 12x12 designs and a 6x8 entry in her Christmas journal.

Come along for the adventure, won't you?"  ...see supplies and challenge here.

Finally Friday | Good Friend by Kandis Smith

From Kandis, "There are so many fun elements to this card–the hexagons, the vertical sentiment, and the fun papers! Come create this card with me! Excuse my voice–I'm getting over a cold so my voice is a little hoarse!"

It's another edition of Get the Look!  Today we're inspired by this card from Two Peas member limedoodle.  We love the peaceful winter scene she's created on this clean and classic Christmas card.  To get limedoodle's look here are some similar items you might pull together for a card or vignette:

1. Dotted Snowflake Stamp 2. Wonderland Wood Trees 3. Silver glitter 

4. Red twine  5. Turquoise ink  6.  Chipboard Home Set

Good morning, Peas!  Today we're pleased to shine the spotlight on Two Peas member kraftybuns.  We love her work - especially the use of enlarged photos and repetition on her layouts.  Let's take a look at some of the creative goodness she's whipped up:

Love the use of the clouds and hearts trip, and the way she's clustered her title work on her page On Our Way.

Giant paper arrows?  Fun!  These help emphasize the theme of movement on her page Leap.

This sweet page, Jasmine, displays the affection one has for their beloved pet with the use of hearts, paper doilies and a background paper filled with the word "Love."

Another gorgeous page using an enlarged photo!  Isn't that cloud die cut the perfect accent?

And finally, how cool are these festive tags?  I'm digging the aqua, red & white over manilla tags.

We hope you are as inspired by today's member spotlight as we were.  Thanks for sharing your work in the gallery with us, kraftybuns!

Hi, everyone! Jen Gallacher here today. I have to confess that I have a slight addiction to dimensional items. I love me some chipboard. I have to have some enamel or jewel dots on almost off my projects. And any time I can create my own dimensional items, I am all over that! So today I thought I'd share a quick tutorial for how you can create dimensional stars like I did on this layout for Garden:

Step 1: Punch (or die cut) three of the same sized shapes from vellum.

Step 2: Layer the three shapes on top of each other, matching sides together.

Step 3: Staple vertically down the center of the shapes.

Step 4: Fold up the layers.

Step 5: Attach only the bottom, folded layers to the layout (see the detail shot below).

You can use this same tutorial for stickers that are the same size and shape, die cut shapes, and handcut items. Imagine clouds, hearts, and other shapes and how darling they would look with a little dimension. While these shapes do get a little squished my albums, they actually hold their shapes fairly well and make for fun details on your page. If you recreate this tutorial, I'd love to see it! Simply upload your project to the 2Peas gallery and then link me to your completed project in the comments section below.

If you have ever seen our vendor challenges and thought I would like to enter, now is the time!  These two challenges from Echo Park and Little Yellow Bicycle are our last ones for awhile as we will be changing things up in the new year.  Click here for details and good luck!

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It's time to announce the Carta Bella challenge winners.  Congratulations to vfynes, texaschic & cassandra 2248!  We will get in touch with you regarding your prize pack shortly!  Thanks to all who played along.

It's officially December!  Inspiration is all around us - here are just five things we think will help fuel your festive and creative endeavors this month.

1.  The Holiday projects released just this morning here from the Garden Girls!

2.  This blog post from the Two Peas digital creative team discussing documenting strategies for the month of December.  

(source: Chloe Moore Photography)

3.  This tutorial on achieving bokeh in your photographs.

4. Our Trends: December Daily Pinterest board.  Each day we're pinning the album pages we spy in the gallery, as well as other tips + products we think will help tell your holiday stories.

5. Nothing like opening up your computer to do a little holiday shopping or browsing and seeing a cheerful desktop image.  Dianne Rigdon is offering this as a freebie for you to download here.  Enjoy!

Hey Peas!  Matt in Customer Service has a fun challenge for you.  

Here is a note from Matt:

Happy Saturday, Peas (and Happy First of December)!  If you've got an itch to create this week we've got challenges for you!

Remember each challenge gives you a chance to win a $5 gift certificate, as well as earns you a badge for your Two Peas profile page.  Just click on the title of each challenge for details from the designer and notes on how to enter, and scroll down to see last week's winners!

Weekly Scrap Challenge | Sketch with Jen Gallacher

Photography Challenge | Indulge by Shimelle Laine

Saturday Sketch Challenge | 12.1.2012 with Kimber McGray

Congrats to argirl08, mommapaparazzi &  llaurenb -  we'll be in touch with you shortly on how to access your gift certificate!  And thanks to everyone who played along! - Jamie