A Birth Certificate shows you were born.
A Death Certificate shows you died.
A Completed Scrapbook shows you LIVED!
An imperfect finished page is better thanan perfect page 'someday' that only exists in your head.
Find inspiration in every day things!
Ta Da:
I created an album for my daughter (and got it scanned).
To Do:
- Work on mini album for my friend, Marcy.
- Work on mini album for my (boy)friend, Alan.
- Work on cards for Card Club.
To Join:
Meet the rest of the gang who like to do paper crafts at
Sunday Scrappin'.
I did make seven cards -- one for Mother's Day, one for my mother's birthday, and five for teachers for Teacher Appreciation Day -- last week. But, sadly, I forgot to scan some of the cards.
Above are four of the cards made for teachers.
This week I would like to scrapbook, at least, one layout.
Has attaching wire to your pages been a problem? A few ways you can attach wired art to your pages are: (1) by sewing your wire down with clear thread, (2) by placing very tiny holes beneath your wired art and create a little "staple" with another small piece of wire. Place "staple" over your wire and thread into the small hole beneath spreading the legs of the "staple" on the back apart, and (3) by using photo mounting tape to adhere the wire on the back side of your project. Whichever way you choose, you're sure to get "wired"!
Get Inspiration from a Jar
Make a list of techniques, both tried & true and new to you. Cut them into individual strips and place them in a jar. When you need inspiration, pull 2 or 3 techniques out of the jar & use them on a layout or card project.
Write a list of your supplies and tools. Again, cut them into individual strips and place them in a jar. Some items to include in this list, would be patterned paper, eyelets, brads, ribbons, die cuts, beads, and so on. This will also help use up your stash if you tend to hoard your supplies.
Have you ever had the problem of sticky adhesive from tapes, photo squares, and stickers "gumming" up your scissors, tweezers, craft knives, and punches? Well, undo it with Un-Du! Un-Du safely removes the sticky residue that can be left behind from these products. Just apply a few drops and wipe away with a soft cloth. Before you know it your tools will be as good as new!
Give stickers a rustic look by pulling out your sandpaper and sanding the stickers slightly.
I was asked by Ann of
Ann On and On to join the
I Love Being Carded Card Swap. Ann had seen some of my homemade cards and was very generous with her kind words.
I have always loved the thought of good mail instead of utility bills, insurance denials, and zero balance checking account notices. The good mail definitely outweighs the "bad" mail.
In this swap, every two weeks we send cards to another member of the swap group. Easy enough, right?
Yes, you can still join the fun. Go to
Ann On and On to let Ann know you want to be part of the I Love Being Carded Card Swap.
When you journal, are you at a loss for words? Ddo you sometimes repeat the same words over and over again? Keeping a small Thesaurus handy near your workspace is a great way to make your writing more eloquent. Just look up the word you want to use, find its synonym, and soon your journaling will flow like poetry!
The best way to journal right onto your background paper is to write it lightly in pencil first. This way if you make any mistakes you can fix them before committing to pen. Use a writing pen to trace over your pencil markings. When the ink is completely dry, erase the pencil marks with a white eraser.
Ta Da's:
Took photos (of
new hair style and donated hair to
Locks of Love).
To Do's:
Get two layouts completed.
Challenge:
Use a quote as an element on your page.
This challenge was easy for me because I have a Quote Album that is full of all of my favorite quotes.
Join other scrappers and paper-crafters at
Sunday Scrappin'.
No matter what size your work space is or where it is, put something in that area/room that inspires you to be creative. A family picture, a favorite knick-knack, a radio, whatever will get you motivated and feeling creative. Small or large, it doesn't matter, just let it be an inspiration to you.
Pink happy birthday cards.
Blue thinking of you cards.
Sweet pink baby card.
Pink "I Adore You" card.
Love cards using earth-tones.
Family cards using transparencies.
Ta Da's:
I did get the cards scanned. Some of the cards are above. (The computer &/or blogger were not cooperating so the other cards will be posted tomorrow.)I did get one layout completed.To Do's:
Scan all the layouts that I have completed lately.Create Christmas tags.Thanks for taking the time to look through all my cards.
To join other scrappers and paper crafters, go to
Sunday Scrappin'.
Do you ever find that once you have placed your lumpy pages in your scrapbook -- that no matter how hard you try to keep your embellishments from pressing into the other pages -- the pages often get damaged? For a quick, cheap, and easy way to keep your scrapbook pages unharmed, pick up a sheet of foam paper. Available at all major crafting stores.
Cut approximately 8-16 strips (1/2 inch-1 inch) lengthwise out of an 8x10 sheet of foam paper. Punch holes in the strips and then place them in between every 5 or so pages of your scrapbook (replacing those flimsy cardboard strips that come with your page refills). This will create an extra space between all your pages and will eliminate damage due to lumpy embellishments.
Foam paper will cost you just pennies for a sheet . . . and will save you so much by keeping your treasured layouts dent and damage free!
Unfortunately, I was unable to join Sunday Scrappin' the past three weeks because I was in a scrapbooking funk. I am ecstatic to say that this week I got some paper crafting done. Hooray!
Ta Da's:
I created 36 cards and two layouts this week. Whoo hoo!
To Do's:
- Scan all 36 cards and layouts.
- Create two layouts.
- Create Christmas tags.
To join other paper crafters and scrappers, go to Sunday Scrappin'.
Do you have problems tearing the paper when you dry emboss? Don't push down too hard on the stylus while dry embossing and try rubbing the area you want to emboss with wax paper first. The wax paper helps to "lubricate" the cardstock so that the stylus will flow easily over it and therefore avoid tearing.
A great way to hand tint Sepia or Black & White photos printed from an inkjet printer is to print your photos on Matte Photo Paper and then color them with Decorating Chalks. You'll have a beautiful hand tinted photo in no time!
To incorporate signatures into your scrapbook journaling, it is a good idea to have people sign on a separate piece of card stock. Make sure they sign with an archival pen. This form of art journaling can be used in a variety of ways. Mat the signature(s) like a photograph, as another way to embellish your page. This is a great way to scrapbook the cast of a school play or sports team.
Keep some of the candy wrappers from Valentine's Day, Easter, &/or Halloween. You can scan them and print them onto cardstock. These can make the perfect embellishment to go along with your trick or treating photos.
I didn't get any scrapbooking done but I did fix my scanner so it is usable. Hooray!
The cards shown here are some of the thank you cards that were made last week.
To Do:
Get two layouts done.
Ta Da:
Scanned the above cards.
Check out other's paper crafts at
Sunday Scrappin'.
A great way to use up those old border sticker strips is to cut them apart and make frames for your photos.
I was asked by Ann of Ann On and On to join the I Love Being Carded Card Swap. Ann had seen some of my homemade cards and was very generous with her kind words.
