Life & Memories

A "Love"ly Layout

2012-02-15T09:12:00.001-05:00

If you have a pet, especially one that's been with you for more than a decade, you'll totally understand this layout about my love for my cat. Lucky is 14 years old and beginning to show the signs of her age. She was losing weight and I was worried.

I'm happy to report the situation is returning to normal, thanks to her love of chicken breast. Now I prepare a meal for us and a small plate of chicken for Lucky. She will eat her cat food as well, and she is gaining some weight back. We're entering the stage where I am monitoring her health more closely and looking for any changes in her behavior.

There are more "love"ly pages over at Practical Scrappers, 14 to be exact, since Valentine's Day is on February 14th. And no one else chose their pet as the subject, go figure!

Supplies:

Crate Paper Paper Heart Collection Kit	Crate Paper Paper Heart 6X6 Paper Pad	Crate Paper Paper Heart Phrase Stickers	Crate Paper Paper Heart Border Stickers
We R Memory Keepers - Sew Ribbon - Aqua	Spellbinders Classic Scallop Circle Sm Nestabilities Dies	Fiskars - Squeeze Punch - Medium - Heart

InLinkz.com

Two-Page Tuesday

2012-02-14T00:30:00.000-05:00

I've completed my Year in Review for 2011. Three years in a row I've done a layout like this. It's one of the simplest things I create, and one of my favorite.

I use the same template every year. If I remember correctly, it was designed by Cathy Zielske. Doesn't it look like her clean, graphic style? Lots of photos, a good space for journaling, a bit of paper and it's done!

A page like this is easy enough to organize. I keep a folder in iPhoto for the current year and add a favorite picture every month. By the end of the year, I have my collection of 12 photos, and then it's just a matter of choosing sizes and printing. Do you make any kind of yearly summary page?

Ten Friday Picks on the 10th

2012-02-10T00:30:00.000-05:00

What's a girl to do when her weekly Friday Picks and Ten Things on the 10th fall on the same day? Why, combine them, of course! So if you're here for Friday Picks, you get a double dose this week! And if you stopped by for Ten Things on the 10th, you get ten more links to explore! Either way, you might want to bookmark this page for some weekend surfing. Enjoy!

Click on photos for links

Pick #1 2/10/12	Pick #2 2/10/12	Pick #3 2/10/12	Pick #4 2/10/12	Pick #5 2/10/12
Pick #6 2/10/12	Pick #7 2/10/12	Pick #8 2/10/12	Pick #9 2/10/12	PIck #10 2/10/12

InLinkz.com

Due to the longer list, I'm going with a very basic description. Each pick will follow the format of Blog Title: Post Title.

#1 Your Memory Connection: Use Your Scraps: Stacked Embellishments

#2 Purple Mailbox.com: Twirly Girl, Start to Finish

#3 Basement Chronicles: DIY Chevrons

#4 Simple Scrapper: Find More Stories in Your Photo Sets

#5 The Green Frog Studio: Inspiration Thursday

#6 Scrapbook Update: Trend l Tags

#7 Crate Paper: Valentine's Event

#8 Lily Bee Design: Focus On: Quick and Easy Cards

#9 Doodlebug Design Inc: Tuesday Tutorial: Bookmark by Wendy

#10 The Inspired Room: Pinterest Style

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I've created a separate page on Facebook for Life and Memories! I'm planning to use it for:

links to my blog posts
photos of scrap projects in progress
snippets of crafty conversation

I'd love it if you would find the icon in my sidebar and click the little "Like" button. And many thanks if you already have!

A Valentine Card

2012-02-09T08:57:00.002-05:00

Just a short post today. This is the Valentine card I created for Practical Scrappers. (and for my husband)

The stamp is from Technique Tuesday, and the grunge look is part of the stamp design. I kept thinking I was doing a lousy job at stamping, until I discovered that's the way it's supposed to be!

I used Crate Paper's Paper Heart Collection. The hearts are purposely not lined up to keep the card from being too blocked, hopefully giving it a little flow. Just a touch of bling by adding three Doodlebug jewels.

Are you buying or making your Valentine's cards this year? There's still plenty of time and online inspiration to give something handmade! You can see the rest of the Design Team's cards here.

Challenge Me Tuesday: A Touch of Black

2012-02-07T12:35:00.001-05:00

It's Challenge Me Tuesday over at Practical Scrappers! Today they're featuring projects using black matting to accent photos, titles, die cuts and other page elements. What's not to love about black matting? It helps colors pop. It makes things stand out. It's the perfect accessory to just about any page, at least in my scrapping world.

These are not the greatest photos, since they were taken inside dark restaurants. But they're what I have to tell the story, so they will do. I chose My Mind's Eye Kraft Funday Collections and Lost & Found 2 brads to put this layout together.

Journaling reads:

"Some of our favorite adventures when we travel is finding food places to eat. We've learned restaurant decor does not equate with food quality and we've eaten our best cuisine in some very unpretentious looking places. How do we find these tucked away spots? Usually the hotel front desk or some locals point us off the beaten tourist path. Rarely do we get a bum steer!"

Next Tuesday Practical Scrappers is featuring scroll banners. You know, the ribbon-like banners often seen held up by or at the feet of cherubs. Send them your projects for a chance to be part of that feature! E-mail a link to practicalscrappers@gmail.com.

February Two-Page Sketch

2012-02-06T10:25:00.001-05:00

You can download and print this sketch over at the Sketch Support blog.

Here's what Allison says about the sketch:

"One thing I love about photo blocks like on this sketch is that you have endless photo combinations to use. I look at it like a puzzle and try to find different sizes that will measure up to the same overall size of the photo block. There is even plenty of room to add in some vertical 4 x 6" photos and increase the height of the photo block."

With apologies to the Iron Chef, I created this page about the places we ate and the kinds of food we sampled on our trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula last summer.

Just a few minor changes made to the sketch. It really suited the photos I wanted to scrap!

mounted my photo collage on white cardstock, added word stickers
inked the edges and sewed around the patterned paper background
moved the journaling to the RH page and used a larger journaling block
omitted the flower embellishments

If you use this sketch to create a layout, please consider adding it to the Sketch Support Flickr Gallery!

Supplies:

Echo Days Happy Days 12X12 Collection Kit

McGill - Punches - File Tab

Fiskars Jenni Bowlin Tab Large Squeeze Punch

InLinkz.com

Other Supplies:

Yellow Patterned Paper: Echo Park Country Drive
Black Alphabet: American Crafts Thickers
Other: black chalk ink, black thread

Friday Picks

2012-02-03T00:30:00.000-05:00

Friday Picks is a regular blog feature, showcasing my favorite scrapbooking finds for your surfing pleasure. Click on the thumbnail photo of each pick to go to the link. Enjoy!

Click on photos for links

Pick #1 2/3/12

Pick #2 2/3/12

Pick #3 2/3/12

Pick #4 2/3/12

Pick #5 2/3/12

InLinkz.com

I just had to go with a CHA edition this week. One, there were so many great blog posts and two, that's how I spent my surfing time this week. Hope I was able to come up with a few that you haven't seen! I'm a little pressed for time, so please pardon the shorter than normal descriptions...it's CHA, need I say more? Happy crafting!

#1 CHA Armchair Attendee Week: Trends, Parts III from Write.Click.Scrapbook. (with links to parts I and II)

#2 Best coverage of the new Basic Grey products (in my opinion) from Shimelle.

#3 Lisa Day's design team projects using the new lines from Lily Bee.

#4 Another worthy trend spotting post from Your Memory Connection.

#5 May Flaum's favorite alphabets from the show.

We're looking forward to having friends over for dinner Friday night and we have nothing planned for Saturday. I'm hoping to fill my free day with crafting, cooking, knitting and napping. We will watch the Super Bowl on Sunday - sure hope the commercials are good! Have a great weekend!

WOYWW: Taking Inventory

2012-02-01T11:04:00.000-05:00

Be advised: This post is a bit long, but if you love seeing other's stash and are an organizing junkie, please read on....

I've been lurking all over the internet this week, looking for anything to do with CHA, living vicariously through the videos, photos and projects those lucky folks who are attending have kindly posted. But before I spend one dime on new products, I felt compelled to take inventory of my current stash, and do a bit of re-organizing as well. My goals are:

Re-organize my current stash by combining lines from the same manufacturer, by color (since companies are always telling us how well their lines coordinate with each other)

Make room for intelligent choices for new supplies from CHA

1. Vintage Lines/Muted Colors

October Afternoon - some older stuff. I haven't purchased a new line from them in awhile. Hmmm.

Lily Bee - combined Harvest Market and Memorandum. These lines really do coordinate with each other nicely, and I have a ton of paper.

Added the bit of My Mind's Eye still in my stash and one collection from Cosmo Cricket to complete this section.

Conclusions:

I am energized seeing my papers sorted by color and motivated to keep scrapping with these lines.
I tend to define vintage/muted not only by color and design, but by the creme backgrounds in the papers.
I have plenty of vintage/muted colors, especially since I don't scrap this way regularly. I need to use what I have and avoid further purchases of this type.
That said, if any of these companies release new lines in brighter colors, I'm definitely interested.

2. Brighter Colors

Crate Paper - Farmhouse is still in my stash, waiting to be used.

Jillibean Soup - combined three collections. I've been using this on a regular basis and loving it. Supply is steadily dwindling.

Echo Park - saved this for last because I have so much of it - 5 collections!

Here is all my stash of brighter colors, organized by manufacturer, by color. Love this.

Conclusions:

I tend to favor the B sides of 12x12 paper, as well as any stripe or grid patterns.
I prefer the 6x6 paper pads for their scaled down version of busier, multi-colored patterns.
I have quite a stash of brighter papers, but since I turn to these more often, this is where I will focus my future purchases.
I've been avoiding American Crafts for a few years, but would like to give them another try this year.
I've not been thrilled with Basic Grey lately, but will never count them out. There are a few new collections that interest me.

Now, I have a good handle on what's in my stash, and room to add more. Here are my Buying Strategies for 2012:

Receive my kit club release every month, at least for 6 more months, and re-evaluate after that. (more on what kit club I've chosen later this month!)
Allow myself to purchase one new release about every 4-6 weeks, provided...
I must use my newest purchases, as well as my stash, before making another purchase.

Do you think I can stick to this? I'm going to give it a valiant effort!

"What's On Your Workday Wednesday" is a weekly event where over one hundred crafters show and tell what's going on in their corners of the world. You can go to Julia's blog for more glimpses of our creative endeavors.

February Card Sketch

2012-01-30T10:31:00.000-05:00

You can download and print this sketch over at the Sketch Support blog.

Of course, this would make one adorable Valentine's Day card, but you could also play around with different themes. Think stars, butterflies, circles, for starters. Card or layout, this is one versatile sketch!

Both my mother and mother in-law celebrate birthdays in February, so I used the sketch to create their birthday cards. Only some minor changes to the original:

stamped a background using a masking technique
substituted buttons for some of the hearts
layered the heart patterned paper onto white cardstock for a chipboard look
omitted stitching through the hearts
used a white pen for faux stitching around the frame

Supplies:

Crate Paper Paper Heart 6X6 Paper Pad

Hero Arts Cling Stamp ZIG ZAG

Uni Ball Signo Gel Pen Broad Point

InLinkz.com

January One-Page Sketch

2012-01-28T00:30:00.000-05:00

You can download and print this sketch over at the Sketch Support blog.

This month's one-page sketch is perfect for digging into your stash of die cut patterned paper. That large star could easily be a heart, or circle, or scallop. Too bad I don't have anything like that. But no worries!

I used the basic elements in the sketch as inspiration for my light-hearted page about our son and daughter in-law. Here's what I changed:

used two 4x3 photos and rotated their orientation from horizontal to vertical

reduced the size of the star, placed it beside the photos, put the title in the center

placed patterned paper strips along the border of the page for a playful frame

scattered the small star embellishments around the page

To create the heart and star embellishments, I used my punches and adhered 6 layers of paper together to create a dimensional chipboard effect.

Soon there will be two new books available in the Sketches for Scrapbooking series! Sketches for Scrapbooking: One-page Sketches, volume two is filled with 30 sketches that have from one to eighteen photos. Sketches for Scrapbooking: Travel Sketches focuses on using uncropped 4x6 photos, larger areas of journaling, and some photo enlargements. Of course, you don't have to be a traveler to use these sketches!

You can pre-order these books, which will be available around the end of January. There is also a give away on the Sketch Support blog! You have until Monday to enter. All the details are at the bottom of this post over at Sketch Support. Good luck!

Friday Picks

2012-01-27T00:30:00.000-05:00

Friday Picks is a regular blog feature, showcasing my favorite scrapbooking finds for your surfing pleasure. Click on the thumbnail photo of each pick to go to the link. Enjoy!

Click on photos for links

Pick #1 1/27/12

Pick #2 1/27/12

Pick #3 1/27/12

Pick #4 1/27/12

PIck #5 1/27/12

InLinkz.com
My picks this week were chosen because they contain great ideas for using your stash. With CHA just days away, I'm all about using what I have on hand to make room for the new goodies that will soon be available. Happy crafting!

#1 Do you have some kraft paper and embellishments you'd like to use up? Take some inspiration from these great examples over at Practical Scrappers!

#2 Maybe you love the chevron motif that is so popular right now? Kindly allow Amy Kingsford over at Get It Scrapped! show you her Ideas for Using Chevron Prints on Your Scrapbook Pages!

#3 Katie Scott will definitely have you using up your stash with her series, How to Make 7 Scrapbook Layouts in 3 Hours with Your Scraps. Circles and stars and hexagons and paper strips, oh my!

#4 Or maybe you've got stacks of 6x6 paper pads piled on your desk, like me. Those little treasures are not just for cutting shapes and making cards. Tammy over at Your Memory Connection shows some wonderful ideas to create Layout Foundations With 6x6 Papers.

#5 Then there's Glitter Girl, aka Shimelle, with her new weekly adventure series. This time she's focused on layering and grouping embellishments in just the right amount, guiding us through her process on three pages, Layer Upon Layer.

I've created a separate page on Facebook for Life and Memories! I'm planning to use it for:

links to my blog posts
photos of scrap projects in progress
snippets of crafty conversation

I'd love it if you would find the icon in my sidebar and click the little "Like" button. And many thanks if you already have!

Keeping It Clean and Simple

2012-01-23T00:30:00.000-05:00

Over at Practical Scrappers, they are starting a new monthly post featuring Clean and Simple projects. For January, the designers came up with a whole bunch of great cards and layouts that you can view here. This page was my contribution.

What could be more clean and simple than bypassing the patterned paper and just using cardstock? Here's what I did to keep it colorful and interesting:

selected a color palette I love
die cut heart shapes with my Slice Elite
inked, dry embossed, and sewed the hearts to white cardstock in a grid design
created a patchwork border and covered it with vellum to mute it
used black and white for the photos, title, and journaling

Just like the proverbial little black dress, Clean and Simple is always in style! Practical Scrappers would love to have you submit a project for the February edition. You can email your entry to practicalscrapperslayouts@gmail.com, and put Clean and Simple Project in the subject line.

Friday Picks

2012-01-20T00:30:00.000-05:00

Friday Picks is a regular blog feature, showcasing my favorite scrapbooking finds for your surfing pleasure. Click on the thumbnail photo of each pick to go to the link. Enjoy!

Click on photos for links

Pick #1 1/20/12

Pick #2 1/20/12

PIck #3 1/20/12

PIck #4 1/20/12

Pick #5 1/20/12

InLinkz.com

#1 If you miss Nichol Magouirk's From Start to Finish Series as much as I do, you'll be thrilled to find a new weekly series on her blog, called Scrap It Weekly. I created a Pinterest board just for her videos, so I have quick and easy access to scrapping inspiration whenever I need it!

#2 Has your scrapbook style evolved over time? You don't have to go on a huge shopping spree to cope. (unless you want to, of course) Jennifer Wilson over at Simple Scrapper offers some tips on How to Cope with an Evolving Style.

#3 Are you a master of misting spray or like me and just getting started? Jen Gallacher shares some techniques in her latest Jumpstart Video.

#4 I love to mix collections from the same manufacturer! The lines tend to mix and match so well, just like Jana Eubank's page using three collections from My Mind's Eye.

#5 Are you a scrapbooker who wants to stretch your stash, make a few cards and not have to invest in a roomful of stamps? Lisa Echerd has not one, but two videos for you in her series From Scrapbooker to Cardmaker! You'll learn to see the potential in your scrapbook stash for cardmaking, and see her great card where not a single stamp was needed.

Here is the January Challenge for Scrap Our Stash. I am no longer a member of this Design Team, but I had a wonderful year with them and hope you will continue to check out their great monthly challenges!

I've created a separate page on Facebook for Life and Memories! I'm planning to use it for:

links to my blog posts
photos of scrap projects in progress
snippets of crafty conversation

I'd love it if you would find the icon in my sidebar and click the little "Like" button.

I've got other plans for Saturday, but hope to spend all day Friday in my basement scrap cave. We're supposed to get some snow, and nothing feels cozier that crafting inside when the weather outside is frightful, don't you think? Happy crafting!

Two-Page Tuesday

2012-01-17T00:30:00.000-05:00

You can download and print this sketch over at the Sketch Support blog.

Allison's two-page sketches are my favorite. I love having the design work done for me, especially when I want to showcase multiple photos on a layout. Her sketches are so easy to adapt to whatever I have!

I really like the sketch as it is, so my alterations were minor. Since my photos are colorful and bold, I decided to go with more muted colors for my paper. Cosmo Cricket's Odds & Ends fill the bill, with a vintage feel suitable for my Greenfield Village winter scenes. I just love the old-fashioned cars and the dresses those carolers are wearing!

Several members of the Sketch Support Creative Team adapted this sketch to single page layouts, which you can see here. Great variety from one sketch!

I've created a separate page on Facebook for Life and Memories! I'm planning to use it for:

links to my blog posts
photos of scrap projects in progress
snippets of crafty conversation

I'd love it if you would find the icon in my sidebar and click the little "Like" button. Many thanks to those who have already done this!

Take Twelve: January 2012

2012-01-15T22:37:00.001-05:00

This year I'm taking part in Ella Publishing's Take Twelve Photo Challenge. Well, it's a scrapbooking challenge, too, encouraging scrapbookers to take 12 photos of everyday life on the 12th of every month during 2012. Since my husband is truly the photographer in the family, I enlisted his help, which he was more than willing to give. Phil took twelve photos centered around a suggested theme, which this month is Collections.

I found this theme and a wonderful page template in the Take Twelve Guided Inspiration Kit. I can't praise this ebook highly enough. It also gave me an excuse to buy this 2" square punch to make assembling my page go even faster! (like I need an excuse to shop)

After mounting my photos on white cardstock in three photo strips, I chose kraft cardstock for the background and some of Lily Bee's Harvest Market patterned paper. Did I mention how quickly this page came together?

I'm leaning towards using this design for all of my Take Twelve layouts, to give the whole project continuity. What do you think?

If you would like to see more January Take Twelve layouts, you can do that right here. The participants are showcasing an amazing variety of projects! There's also a Flickr group, a hashtag #take 12 on Twitter, and some pretty fabulous prizes! While all that is wonderful, the main attraction of this project for me is the flexibility. This is something I can keep up with each month, and I love that Phil and I are teaming up to get it done. Anyone else doing Take Twelve? Or some other project to document your life in 2012? Do tell!

Friday Picks

2012-01-13T00:30:00.000-05:00

Friday Picks is a regular blog feature, showcasing my favorite scrapbooking finds for your surfing pleasure. Click on the thumbnail photo of each pick to go to the link. Enjoy!

Click on photos for links

Pick #1 1/13/12

Pick #2 1/13/12

Pick #3 1/13/12

Pick #4 1/13/12

Pick #5 1/13/12

InLinkz.com

#1 Have you ever wondered how some scrappers can post such amazing project photos on their blogs? Lain Ehmann and Nichol Magouirk are teaming up for a free webinar called Photography Secrets for Great Photo Projects. They will tell all on January 18th!

#2 Here's a little peek at the scrapbook store I like to call home. Scrappy Chic recently expanded to over 3000 square feet of retail space and celebrated last weekend with a Grand Re-Opening Celebration. Just in time for CHA!

#3 What are those two little words every scrapper wants to hear? Why, "Now Shipping", of course! And that's just what Basic Grey's newest line, Kissing Booth is doing. Absolutely gorgeous stuff!

#4 I love Jaime Warren's version of One Product, Five Ways using the latest from Crate Paper. What a great way to challenge yourself to use up every bit of patterned paper!

#5 Allison Davis has two more volumes to add to her fantastic Sketches for Scrapbooking series. One-page Sketches, Volume 2 and Travel Sketches are ready to pre-order and will be available at the end of January. I'll definitely be adding these to my collection!

Here is the January Challenge for Scrap Our Stash.

I've taken the plunge and created a separate page on Facebook for Life and Memories! I'm planning to use it for:

links to my blog posts
photos of scrap projects in progress
snippets of crafty conversation

I'd love it if you would find the icon in my sidebar and click the little "Like" button. This project put me a bit behind in actual scrapping, so I'm planning to play catch-up this weekend with my very own stay-at-home 2-day crop: just me, my craft room and the big screen TV! (Phil and the cats are welcome, too) Happy crafting!

Ten Things on the 10th

2012-01-09T10:07:00.002-05:00

My Ten Favorite Layouts from 2011
Self explanatory, really, so I'll just let you browse.....but first, if you have a favorite layout that you've created in the last 2 months, why not enter it in Practical Scrappers Layout Contest! They have over $100 worth of prizes lined up! Really, this couldn't be easier. Now, back to browsing.....

Ten Things on the 10th: Participants will share something totally of their own creation - but always ten things. Some will share ten photos, ten crafty ideas, ten sources of inspiration, ten recipes, ten things in a collection... always ten things and always on the tenth of the month. If you'd like to see more Ten Things on the 10th posts, click here to visit Shimelle's blog. (and find out how you can join in)

Friday Picks

2012-01-06T00:30:00.000-05:00

Friday Picks is a regular blog feature, showcasing my favorite scrapbooking finds for your surfing pleasure. Click on the thumbnail photo of each pick to go to the link. Enjoy!

Click on photos for links

Pick #1 1/6/12

Pick #2 1/6/12

Pick #3 1/6/12

Pick #4 1/6/12

Pick #5 1/6/12

InLinkz.com

#1 Thinking of starting off the New Year by organizing your craft room? Here are some ideas from the Houzz blog that are both pretty and practical.

#2 And since I can never get enough of seeing other crafters' spaces, how about this peek at The Scrappy Jedi's re-do! She really went all out and shares her Tips for Redesigning Your Scrapbook Area.

#3 The beginning of the month means new galleries of scrappy inspiration. One of my favorite is over at Write.Click.Scrapbook. where the January Theme is simply, Today.

#4 Another entirely new gallery full of layouts, cards, projects and mini albums can be seen on the American Crafts Studio Blog. Great design team work here!

#5 Do you have a growing stash of Baker's Twine? Here are some wonderfully creative projects on the Jillibean Soup blog!

Here is the January Challenge for Scrap Our Stash.

I have some wonderful news: I am now part of the Design Team over at Practical Scrappers! You can meet the entire team here. Practical Scrappers is a wonderful place for ideas and inspiration. They are always looking for reader entries and Fresh Face Designers. Hope you have time to check it out! Happy New Year!

January NEW Challenge

2012-01-05T01:30:00.000-05:00

The January challenge over at Scrap Our Stash is anything to do with NEW - a new tool, product, technique, layout - anything goes!

I recently purchased the We R Memory Keepers Sew Ribbon tool and some of their ribbon packs. So let's see if I can use this!

Punching the design into my paper was easy enough. The magnets keep things in place nicely. It is recommended to do this on a harder mat, not the foam mat that comes with the Sew Easy tool. I agree.

You get these little pieces of plastic adhesive to attach at the end of your ribbon which creates a needle, so threading is easy. I just had to be careful not to twist my ribbon and pull gently, but the ribbon slides along easily.

With a little layering and minimal embellishing, I quickly completed this card. The ribbon adds a nice texture without a lot of bulk.

Using the additional tool I purchased, I kept the same basic design, changed the color scheme, and made a similar card. This time, the ribbon has a bit more dimension but I still would not call it bulky.

The Verdict: The tool was easy to use and the ribbon threaded nicely, but I had to pay attention! This is one of those tools I will need to keep close at hand so I remember to use it. I thought the finished result was worth the effort. If you want a video demo of the product, you can check that out here.

Now it's your turn! All the details can be found here. Your project will be posted on the Scrap Our Stash blog and on January 31st a winner will be chosen. That winner will be offered a spot on the Guest Design Team for the month of March. Why not give it a try?

January Card Sketch

2012-01-03T07:54:00.000-05:00

You can download and print this sketch over at the Sketch Support blog. I'm very excited to be a part of the 2012 Creative Team and ready to show you what I did with the first sketch of the New Year!

I stayed close to the sketch with only a few minor variations to create this birthday card for my niece. You can see those details and my supply list here. First, I assembled the background, then gathered supplies to sew, emboss and complete the card.

The paper is from Echo Park's Holly Jolly Christmas line. I love using leftover Christmas-themed paper to create something non-Christmas. If you have any winter birthdays, this is a great sketch to whip up a cute card in no time!

Hello 2012

2012-01-01T01:28:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! Since January 1st is on a Sunday, our New Year's Day will be very atypical this year. Church in the morning, and no bowl games. Monday will feel like the real New Year's Day to us. To kick off the new year, here's a short list of where I'll be and what I'll be doing in 2012.

Friday Picks and Two-Page Tuesday will still be around, too. How's that for starters? Of course, this list is subject to change, but that's a perk of being in charge of your own blog, right?! What are your blog plans for 2012?

Good-bye 2011

2011-12-30T00:30:00.000-05:00

I'm back! Christmas was a lovely time spent with family. I did quite a bit of knitting, spent very little time on the computer and no time at all in my craft room. The break was nice, but now I'm ready to get back to it. Before I press forward, I'm taking a look back at the people whose work inspired and educated me this year. So if you came here looking for a Friday Picks post, I've still got picks and links for you today, but in a little different format. Hope you like it!

1. Karen Grunberg: I began 2011 eagerly anticipating the start of Karen's class, "Finding Your Way". This 8-week journey truly helped me define my scrapping style. Through experimenting, exploring, and scrapping every day, Karen gently led me through the process of becoming more aware of my choices. She claimed her class could make scrapping easier, more fun, less time consuming and more enjoyable. In my case, she was absolutely right!

2. Nichol Magouirk: Discovering Nichol's "From Start to Finish" videos at Two Peas and being able to watch her scrapping process every week was inspiring and educational. I like to call Nichol's style "fill the page" and I love how she does that without being too fussy or overwhelming her photos. Several pages in my design notebook are filled with ideas from these videos.

3. Allison Davis: Over the summer, I took Allison's sketch class at My Creative Classroom. First, I love her sketches. Second, she taught me how to look at any sketch as a template to be completely adapted to my needs. I love having a design starting point, then total flexibility to change anything!

4. Lisa Dickinson: When I grow up, I want to scrap like Lisa. I first saw her work at Masterful Scrapbook Design. I love her style, I love her consistency, and I love her creativity. Her ideas are in my design notebook, and I have a separate category for her PDF's in my iBooks. I think that says it all.

5. Debbie Hodge: Masterful Scrapbook Design is hands-down the best online scrapping bargain, in my opinion. Every month a topic is explored in-depth, with an extensive PDF seminar, inspiration galleries, articles, and interviews featuring an exciting range of guest designers. If I had to choose favorites, April's Patterned Paper and September's Design Play would be at the top. She's already got some great topics lined up for 2012!

6. Shimelle Lain: I ended the year taking Shimelle's class, "Pretty Paper Party". The daily prompts and PDF's were outstanding, and so inspiring. I love Shimelle's friendly, accessible demeanor. The work she puts into every class and the depth of her content is amazing. I bet you already guessed that I have many pages in my design notebook from this class!

I keep mentioning my design notebook. Would you like to see it? A pretty simple affair, really, just a place where I keep all the online ideas and inspiration. I think having to write things down helps my learning process. Between this notebook and my iPad, I have so much information at my fingertips, right in my scrap space.

So there you have it. I'm not very good at looking ahead and making resolutions, but I can look back at the journey I've been on this year. I know I want to build on this to become a more confident and consistent scrapper. Where did you find your inspiration this year? I'd love to know!

December Color Combo Blog Hop

2011-12-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the December Color Combo Blog Hop! You should have arrived from Amy's blog but if not, the entire blog hop list is included at the end of this post. Every month a group of online friends hop away the day using the same color combo to create layouts, cards, maybe even a little photography - anything goes! This month we were given this color palette from Design Seeds.

I used mainly shades of brown, red and white, but couldn't help letting a few more colors sneak their way onto my page....

I created this layout using what I call a "fill the page" design. The page is an unusual one for me because the title and journaling are very small!

These are Christmas photos, but the page is more focused on winter weather and how we like to cope with the cold and snow these days - by staying warm and busy inside!

Now you can hop on over to Scribble Monster's blog and continue the color combo fun! Thanks for stopping by!

Here is the entire hopping list, hope you can make time to visit them all! Each blog will direct you to the next:

www.abstractsmixedwithextracts.com

http://www.suealthouse.blogspot.com/

http://www.snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com

http://scrapyourlife.net/

http://www.michelleroycroft.blogspot.com/

http://digipage-blog.everything-digital-scrapbooking.com/

http://spud-pickle.blogspot.com

http://www.scrapworthylives.com/

http:/handmadebykirsty.blogspot.com

http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com/

Friday Picks

2011-12-16T00:30:00.000-05:00

Friday Picks is a regular blog feature, showcasing my favorite scrapbooking finds for your surfing pleasure. Click on the thumbnail photo of each pick to go to the link. Enjoy!

Click on photos for links

Pick #1 12/16/11	Pick #2 12/16/11	Pick #3 12/16/11	PIck #4 12/16/11
PIck #5 12/16/11	PIck #6 12/16/11	PIck #7 12/16/11

InLinkz.com

#1 The new My Mind's Eye Kraft Fun Day Happy Days collection is put to good use as gingerbread men and other ornaments to create this mini Country Christmas Tree. What a great decoration for an office desk or teacher's classroom!

#2 If you love looking at other people's studios, take a peek inside Tammy Tutterow's crafty space. Just keep in mind: Thou shalt not covet!

#3 Is pretty paper one of the reason you like to scrapbook? Come see what Sara Zenger is able to do with paper, creating dimensional and unique embellishments as she showcases layouts For the Love of Paper!

#4 I had an "aha!" moment when I saw Becky's post. Love this idea for a couple of quick Christmas Thank You Cards, made from leftover Christmas card stash!

#5 Here's a great idea from Practical Scrappers for using up the little bits of ribbon you have lying around. This Ribbon Wreath Card looks deceptively complicated but actually takes very little time, especially when you follow the directions in this excellent tutorial!

#6 Ella Publishing is offering an exciting photo project for 2012 called Take Twelve. The idea is to take 12 photos on the 12th of each month and create 12 awesome scrapbook pages. They are offering a Guided Inspiration Kit for this project, for $12.12, but that price is good only until December 24th. I've already downloaded mine, and can't wait to start this project!

#7 Since I mentioned 2012, here's a peek at the trendiest colors for spring and summer according to Pantone. There are loads of bright colors along with a couple of pastels and some beautiful neutrals!

Here is the December Challenge for Scrap Our Stash.

Once again, I could not limit myself to the usual 5 picks! That's the good news. Friday Picks is ready to take a little holiday break while I tend to other pressing matters, like final Christmas preparations. Friday Picks will be back, all rested and refreshed, in 2012. See you then! Merry Christmas!

Two-Page Tuesday

2011-12-13T00:30:00.000-05:00

For this month's edition of Two-Page Tuesday, I've used the same sketch for both layouts. I love using a sketch more than once because the second page always comes together so quickly! This one came from the Sketch Support Class I took last summer. Finally getting last Christmas scrapped, better late than never...

By choosing different background cardstock, patterned paper, journaling method and title work, I made this second layout. The photo size and placement and the embellishments are the same. I'd like to be more creative and make my own custom embellishments. But for now, I used up the pre-made stuff already in my stash.

These layouts will go in different albums, so I doubt that anyone but me will know they are the same design, and I'll probably forget that at some point! But it wouldn't bother me one bit to place them side-by-side in the same album. So if you are catching up on your Christmas scrapping, you might want to consider using the same basic design for several pages to speed up your process!

Ten Things on the 10th

2011-12-09T10:57:00.001-05:00

Christmas Card Supplies and the Completed Cards

This month my list of ten is in pairs: a product I used to make a Christmas card and then the finished card. This whole project started with my desire to make a few handmade cards. It got completely out of control when I went shopping and came home with all the stuff I wanted to use! (Please tell me I'm not the only one to ever have done something like this) Now we have around 80 handmade cards to mail out this year!

All of the card designs came from Two Peas, Holiday Card Camp, or Kristina Werner's blog. I spent enough time making these, so I feel no guilt whatsoever borrowing someone else's design! But I do want to give credit where it's due. So here we go.......

1. Hero Arts Greatest Gift Stamp Set - of all the stamps I used, this one is my favorite.

2. I used my stash of tags for the scallop and a place to stamp the sentiment. I also took a deep breath and cut apart the saying to fit the card design.

3. Basic Grey Nordic Holiday 6x6 paper pad - love this! Classic Basic Grey.

4. Used my Slice and Fa La La Design Card to cut the word.

5. Hero Arts Snowflake Shaped Stamp Set - since I'm not into coloring, I like stamp sets like this, where the ink does all the work.

6. I only wish these stamps had a set of coordinating punches. My sister helped me with the hand-cutting. I stink at it. Thanks, Sarah!

7. AE Technique Tuesday Celebrate the Seasons Stamp Set - hard for me to resist any Ali Edwards stamps. For this one, I didn't even try.

8. This card design is from Sketch Support. Put my Slice to work again creating the angels.

9. Martha Stewart Snowflake Punch - I justified this purchase because of the smaller size. My Slice doesn't cut anything this small.

10. Re-used the Ali Edwards stamp on this card. The paper is Crate Paper Peppermint. I would have featured this product, but there was none of it left!

Friday Picks

2011-12-09T00:30:00.000-05:00

Friday Picks is a regular blog feature, showcasing my favorite scrapbooking finds for your surfing pleasure. Click on the thumbnail photo of each pick. That will take you to the link. Enjoy!

Click on photos for links

Pick #1 12/9 11	Pick #2 12/9/11	Pick #3 12/9/11	Pick #4 12/9/11
Pick #5 12/9/11	Pick #6 12/9/11	Pick #7 12/9/11	Pick #8 12/9/11

InLinkz.com

#1 Echo Park has created a new series of idea books featuring their products. The Happy Holidays book is a collection of layouts, cards, and tags featuring their Christmas collections. Inside are 30 pages of photos and tutorials - all for only $1.99!

#2 Over at Practical Scrappers is a tutorial on making a Rolled Paper Wreath for Christmas. Michelle says the project is super easy, but recommends watching a good movie while doing all the cutting and rolling!

#3 Here's a super easy and fast technique for using a wide variety of patterned paper without overwhelming your project. Crate Paper's Amy Heller shows each step of creating a Patterned Paper Decorative Border.

#4 What do you do with the greeting cards you receive at this time of year? On the third day of a special series called 12 Days of Eco-Christmas, Stephanie shows how to turn them into perfect Greeting Card Gift Tags!

#5 Christmas banners are all over the internet right now, but I think this Vintage Christmas Banner is striking and unique. Love the way Julia used the soft and subtly distressed Crate Paper Jingle line and strung the banner across her black sideboard dresser - stunning!

#6 Another unique project is Pamela's Christmas Paper Table Runner. Yes, you can make a table runner out of paper, provided you cover it with a sealer!

#7 I can't leave out Christmas trees! Leslie Ashe over at American Crafts shows a step-by-step tutorial on making whimsical mini Christmas trees. Pinterest was her source of inspiration and she didn't even use Christmas papers for this very fast project!

#8 For a jump-start on designing your holiday layouts, Debbie Hodge has an excellent article featuring 4 ideas for starting your next scrapbook page with a pieced-paper canvas.

Here is the December Challenge for Scrap Our Stash.

There is so much holiday craftiness going on, I could not limit myself to the usual 5 picks! Now if I could only find the time to do a few of these projects myself. How about you - is your holiday craftiness in full swing, or is it on the back burner while you complete other preparations?

December Anything Goes Challenge & Giveaway Winner

2011-12-05T03:00:00.000-05:00

Since December seems to be the busiest time of year for everyone and scrapping sometimes get put on the back burner, the December Challenge over at Scrap Our Stash is Anything Goes. So, the first part of the challenge is to decide what to do! I chose to share another Christmas card and some of the supplies I used to create it.

Basic Grey's Nordic Holiday 6x6 paper pad. You can't make a bad card with this one. Classic Basic Grey, in my opinion.

Sizzix Birds and Reindeer Embossing Folders. I used the evergreen tree background.

My card. Couldn't be easier, especially with the Basic Grey pre-made embellishment. Here's a little close-up shot so you can see the embossing. This was my first time using a Sizzix product in my Cuttlebug, and I thought the results were fantastic.

Now it's your turn! All the details can be found here. Your project will be posted on the Scrap Our Stash blog and on December 31st a winner will be chosen. That winner will be offered a spot on the Guest Design Team for the month of February. Why not give it a try?

The randomly drawn winner of Sketches for Scrapbooking, Volume 8 is.....

Danielle said...

Congrats on making the team! Great pages and your little angel card is adorable!

November 30, 2011 12:31 PM

Danielle, please email me at lsalthouse@comcast.net with your snail mail address and I'll get this right out to you. Congrats!

Friday Picks

2011-12-02T00:30:00.000-05:00

Friday Picks is a regular blog feature, showcasing my favorite scrapbooking finds for your surfing pleasure. Clicking on the thumbnail photo of each pick takes you to the link. Enjoy!

Click on photos for links

Pick #1 12/2/11

Pick #2 12/2/11

Pick #3 12/2/11

Pick #4 12/2/11

Pick #5 12/2/11

InLinkz.com

#1 In case you're feeling a bit guilty about your messy desk, check out these Real Work Spaces of Craft Bloggers. You'll feel a whole lot better about your own craft space!

#2 On Monday, December 12th, The Inspired Room is hosting their Christmas Homes Tour 2011. You can link up your decorated home, or just come visit the other homes. They will feature two linkies, one for decorated homes and one for DIY Christmas Projects, so you have two opportunities to participate and/or blog surf!

#3 Echo Park has launched the EP TV Channel! Watch for new videos each month featuring your favorite Echo Park Paper collections and check out this video on creating a snowman card using the "Winter Park" collection!

#4 Ella Publishing has a brand new Christmas List It!, to help you capture all your favorite holiday memories using lists, quizzes and shaped journaling cards. Take a peek at these layouts created with one of the lists and one of the quizzes!

#5 Are you listening to festive holiday music yet? Why not use your favorite holiday songs for a scrap project? Here's some inspiration from the October Afternoon folks!

Here is the December Challenge for Scrap Our Stash.

I can't believe how fast December has arrived! This year, I'm really into the holiday spirit. Making Christmas cards, working on handmade gifts, and decorating our home have contributed to a cheerful anticipation of the coming days. Are you in a holiday mood?