Scrapping for Christmas...

The gifts that I love to give at Christmas are things that I have made. I always promise myself that I'm going to start early and give myself plenty of time...no pressure!  Well, that never happens, but I've been having so much fun going to the store with friends and working in the lab on my projects!! Here are three that I'm working on for this Christmas.

Even the simplest scrapbook is received with such excitement, so I decided I have to make some scrapbooks this year! I have boxes, and tubs, and drawers, and piles of pictures sitting around that I have taken of my grandchildren....I think all scrapbookers are the same!  And, with my very favorite pictures, I not only get a 4X6 developed, but usually a 5X7 as well! :0) 

This year I decided to make a scrapbook for each of my children's families using these "precious" 5X7 pictures...they would be enjoyed SO much more in a scrapbook than they are just sitting in my scrapbook room.  So, I am using 8X8 We R Memory Keeper albums, lots of cardstock and printed papers and quotes that I have printed off with the computer.  They are turning out great, and I know that they will be loved.  I didn't worry about chronological order, I just took the pictures I love and made simple layouts!!

 

 

 

Another gift I am making this year is bookmarks.  I cut 2 1/2 X 7 cardstock rectangles, punched 2X2 pictures, and adhered the pictures to the cardstock.  To make then sturdy I took them to Kinkos (Fed Ex) and laminated them.  They turned out great!!

 

 

And, my last "favorite" gift that I make every year are pocket calendars.  I just buy the little calendars at the office supply store and then alter the covers with printed papers, and stickers.  They are so easy and fun to make, and I couldn't live without mine! :0)

 





Bo Bunny Serenade Line

 Bo Bunny is turning out some gorgeous designs! I was given the Bo Bunny Serenade line to work with last month and I loved it from the moment I laid my hot little hands on it! The colors are so rich and vibrant. I had a hundred ideas running through my head for what I could do with this paper, stickers, and buttons.

I really liked the cutouts sheet with predesigned journaling boxes and phrases. That made it really easy on these layouts. I cut one of the journaling boxes in half and was able to use it on two layouts. I also loved the buttons!

This layout is an 8x8 I created to put in my mom's album. I make her 5-6 layouts each holiday. It really cuts out the hassle of trying to figure out what to get her. She loves new pages for her album more than anything I could ever buy her at the store.

I used the sticker sheet on both of these cards, as well as more of the Bo Bunny buttons!

I made these gift containers from a repurposed soup can (spaghetti if you're wondering) and a plastic drink container. This is my plan for my coworkers' and teacher Christmas gifts this year. Some will be filled with peanut butter popcorn and others with corner bookmarks, like the ones shown in this picture. The bookmarks are a great project to use up all those small scraps of paper we always have leftover, and they're super easy so it's a good project for the kids.

Unique Holiday Photos

Each year after Thanksgiving and Christmas I get a bit of the scrapbooking blahs. I have lost interest in scrapping my holiday photos.

What?

Yep. I have lost new and interesting ideas to build pages with photos that look the same every year. Opening presents, photo of the tree... and they're not the highest quality shots because they're indoors using a flash. Blech.

So in order to avoid the "same ol', same ol'" in holiday photos, I came up with a plan for future holidays-- and here are two layouts to feature the photos I've taken.

 

New Thanksgiving plan: Take photos of each person with you that day holding a sign that they wrote saying what they are thankful for.

 

New Christmas plan: find something related to the holiday that everyone can wear and take a pic of each of them wearing it. Reindeer antlers, anyone?

 

So if there's any chance you too get bored with your holiday photos, mix it up! Come up with a creative way to commemorate your holidays through photos. And think quick! You've got an opportunity to jump on this idea this week!

 

Happy Thanksgiving, all!

Bazzill Basics

I have long been a fan of Bazzill Basics cardstock.  In fact, that is how I found Paper Pals all those many years ago in a room at Gladdish. I had been to Phoenix and seen Bazzill in the scrapbook stores there, and I was looking for that same, quality cardstock in a store here. That was my first introduction to Paper Pals...I was thrilled to find a store right here that carried "Bazzill Basics" cardstock!! 

And, now, along comes this beautiful holiday collection of double-sided printed papers from Bazzill. It is beautiful paper and I was so happy when Karen asked me to scrapbook these papers for some Design Team samples.  As you would imagine, it's a "perfect" match with Bazzill cardstock, and the perfect paper to use with your Christmas pictures.  In the second layout I used one of the divided photo sleeves from We R Memory Keepers.

 

 

 

 

Adornit "Sister" Line

Sister. This paper line theme has one obvious use... scrap about your sisters. I was able to use the line not quite so literally. I chose to scrap about my sorority sisters!

My sorority had a 100 year anniversary a year and a half ago. It was a wonderful celebration and truly worthy of scrapping.

The first layout is a Now and Then layout-- a pic of my sorority sister Aimee and I "back in the day" TWENTY years ago (oi, I'm old) and then one of the two of us "now" at the reunion. It is a great way to commemorate our sisterhood. Isn't Aimee just beautiful? I miss her a ton.

The papers are great. The "Sister Cut Apart" and "Sister Word Play" were great "title" papers to use with the alternate sides containing great patterns. My "GPB" letters are the fun chipboard letters at Paper Pals that I just covered with pattern paper. So cute!

This second layout has a simple cardstock base and flowers cut from the pattern paper as embellishments. I printed a photo collage to feature several photos from our reunion. So many great memories of these ladies. Go Gamma Phi and Go Vandals!

Last but not least, a card. My new favorite (and super simple) technique is to roll up the edges of flower petals to give it a little dimension. Looking forward to sending this card as a "just because" note to one of my sisters. That's a random act of kindness I need to do more often!

Do you have sisters you could "scrap" using this paper?

Bazzil Basics Beachhouse

I love this paper from Paper pals,  It is beachy on one side and filled with all kinds of ocean-like images that make a wonderful eclectic background or embellishment  for photos. The other side of this paper is wonderful as well, Patterns that are versatile and fun. I loved how the patterns are so different and yet you can mix and match without it being to over-the-top matchy. Every pattern is lovely and they coordinate so well together. Delish! I loved scrapbooking my cherished summer photos with this multifaceted paper!

Making Scrapbooking a Priority – Even When You Are Busy

We are all busy.  We spend time working, with our family, with friends, taking care of others (and ourselves hopefully), and we find it difficult to allocate time to our creative pursuits.  For me, recording the everyday life of my family through scrapbooking is really important, and in order to keep it as a priority, among my many other priorities, I have found a few “shortcuts” that really help!

Steven Covey said, “Begin with the end in mind”.  Scrapbooking begins with photos. In the age of digital photography, we all take bazillions of photos, but many of us struggle with the process of saving, organizing, editing, uploading and printing photos. Stacy Julian wrote a great book a few years back, Photo Freedom, and I love her concepts and ideas, but honestly, her process has many more steps than I have have time to manage.  So, here are four tips, steps, concepts, or big ideas to help you make scrapbooking a priority again!

First, if you don’t know about Picasa yet, you can learn more here: http://paperpalsdesignteam.blogspot.com/2011/10/whats-up-wednesday-easy-peasy-photo.html .  I have been a faithful Picasa user for about five years and while there are many ways to organize, edit, and access your photos, Picasa is a very easy program with great functionality that anyone can learn to use.

Second, although people dump photos onto their computer, and some even upload them to social media sites, many people infrequently print their photos.  You really should print your photos (a hard copy might be all you have if you experience a crash). In addition, it can be extraordinarily overwhelming and expensive to put off printing and then have hundreds (or thousands) of photos to print, organize and otherwise process. If you set aside time each month to organize, upload and print, trust me, you’ll feel much more on top of your photos than if you wait (i.e. procrastinate).

Because I use Picasa, I often save hours of time by using the collage feature. You can “gather” any number of photos in your “tray” in Picasa and create a photo collage, upload the collage(s) to Costco.com (more about Costco photo printing coming up), and voilà , you are half-way there. For example, I may take 20 photos at the park one day as I watch my teenager practice riding his unicycle.  I want to record these memories, but honestly, it would be silly to create a 4-page layout of him riding his unicycle on a random Friday afternoon. However, if I create a collage and print it as an 8 x 8 (my favorite size for collages), I can then pull together a really quick and easy layout using the latest and greatest from Paper Pals. Here is an example of using a photo collage on a layout.

In my opinion, Costco photo printing is the best in the area.  With 4 x 6 prints at 13 cents each, they are not necessarily the least expensive photo printing to be found.  However, the collage above is an 8 x 10 and with 13 photos in the collage, printing an 8 x 10 is more economical (in both photo printing cost and number of pages in my scrapbook). In addition, the Costco photo center has more options and capabilities than the other two online printers I’ve used (Shutterfly and Snapfish). As a bit of a photo printing snob, I also believe the overall quality of Costco photo printing is higher (color, finish, paper weight, etc.). While you’re at Costco picking up your photo collages (and other photos), be sure to toss a lasagna or pizza in your cart so when you get home dinner will “make itself” while you follow my next time saving tip. Of course, Costco will ship your photos too.

Third, pair your photos with paper soon after you have them in hand. Think about how fun it is to open up that envelope of photos and fondly peruse through them. Now think about how fun it is to stare down 50 envelopes of photos that aren’t sorted and essentially represent a huge project to you.  Whether you are sorting and pairing one envelope of photos or 50, this method has really saved me hours of time.  Sort the photos into piles representing the day, event, theme, etc.  I use small sticky notes to “paperclip” each small stack of photos and label them for the next step.

Now, take your new pile of photos to Paper Pals, and begin pairing each small stack with the latest and greatest paper, embellishments, and other accessories Karen has in stock (go to the store or visit the store blog often...she is always stocking new items).  Maybe you’re like me and you shop at Paper Pals frequently and therefore you purchase, stash and store products and you can do this pairing at home while your family is watching a movie that doesn’t require much thinking (like an animated “kid movie”). By pairing your photos and paper (like making yourself a “kit”) when you are excited about your photos, rather than months (or even years) later at a retreat or crop, you are always ready to scrapbook.  You can pull out one of your “kits” and get right to it, rather than sifting, sorting, and eventually giving up because you feel overwhelmed. 

Fourth, if you are “catching up” and scrapbooking hundreds of photos going back months and years, here is a suggestion that recently worked for me. Scrapbook the same holiday all at the same time.  Let me explain.

I was not able to scrapbook much for about 2 years while I finished my PhD.  When I finally had time again, I realized the only thing I had kept current on was sorting and printing photos.  My stash of everything was a mess, the photos had piled up, and I had not scrapbooked birthdays or holidays for more than 2 years.  I was overwhelmed!  So, I followed my steps (above), and paired all the Christmas, Easter, Halloween and Birthday photos with paper I had been purchasing at Paper Pals and keeping in my stash.  Then I started with Christmas.  I scrapbooked Christmas 2009, 2010, and 2011 all in one weekend.  I dug out all of my Christmas paper, embellishments, ribbon, and photos and by doing one year after another, I was able to ensure it didn’t look like I had scrapbooked all three years during the same weekend, and this process allowed me to be efficient with my time, supplies, page layouts, and photos.  I’m currently working on birthdays and have followed the same routine.  

Most of these layouts include photo collages.

In the photo collages (above and below), I cut the largest photo out 

of the collage and matted it to provide a focal point for the layout. 

 We all make time for what is important to us.  If scrapbooking the everyday life of your family is important to you, I hope my tips will help you get back to what you love!

Bo Bunny "Apple Cider"

Bo Bunny's new fall line "Apple Cider" is packed full of incredible fall colors!  

I had so much fun doing scrapbook layouts and making cards with this beautiful double-sided cardstock and coordinating stickers.

Paper Pals has Bazzill cardstock that matches perfectly with this beautiful new Bo Bunny collection...all you need is some time to play and a little imagination!!

Scrappin' Numbers

10 years! Can you believe Karen has been in business for 10 years! I think back to where I was on my scrapping journey 10 years ago... it was so different then. But I digress...

Back to the anniversary! Don't you think the anniversary deserves a scrapbook page?!? Actually, I can think of a lot of things in life that relate to numbers that are scrapworthy. Here's one of my favorite layouts I've made that also features the number 10:

(You can see a post with other 10/10/10 papercrafting I did for my daughter's golden birthday in this post.)

 

I've also found a couple of other recent projects by other scrappers that feature numbers.

 

13 things tha tmake you happy... great mini album! And this scrapper cut the chipboard herself to make the numbered book!

And this "life in numbers" layout by a designer with mad digi-skillz... wow.

 

What numbers can you use as your central theme on a scrap page?

 

If you need help with ideas of products to use, here are a few things available right now at Paper Pals to help you scrap by numbers.

Calendar "bingo card" pattern paper... an easy way to scrap numbers! Go by a date!

 Game pieces by Tim Holtz... mixed media deliciousness here...

 A funky set of stencil numbers-- with a border too!

 Athletic paper w/ scores... a game score that's worthy a scrap page? Anyone?

 And some lovely stamps with a variety of useful patterns/letters and of course, numbers...

Of course, my personal favorite... Thickers. Did you know they sell entire sets of numbers seperate from alphas? Wow.

 

What ideas do you have for scrapping numbers? Which of these products would you like to pick up at the store to get you started?

Getting organized...

I don't know about you, but I can always use ideas to help me get organized!  (I think it is because of this that I LOVE to wander around office supply stores and the Container Store...I can do it for hours!) :0)

A few years ago, in a class that I taught at Paper Pals, we covered clip boards with printed scrapbook paper, added embellishments, and made some fun  new things to help us get organized.  I still love these clip boards, and I made one just this week for my granddaughter Keelyn.  Clip boards have a million uses and I'm sure Keelyn find some way to use hers.  They can hang on a nail, lean up on the counter, tuck away in a drawer...whatever works for you!

I use this clip board for my "to do" list.

I use this clip board for my grocery list.  It is 6" X 9", and the other two clip boards are 9" X 12".

I can think of a million uses for these covered clip boards, and Paper Pals has the perfect patterned paper and embellishments to coordinate with what you need!!

Camp-A-Lot by BoBunny

Tis the perfect time of year to want to pick up some camping themed scrap goodies! Paper Pals currently has a really cute line from BoBunny called "Camp-a-Lot"... and it was a lot of fun to work with.

While we may not have time to scrap our summer camping and lake adventures, it's good to buy the product now when you know what great photos you've taken.

I had some photos printed from our past camping and lake adventures and made several great layouts with them.

For this two page layout, I fit two photos onto 4x6 photo prints so that I'd be able to fit more shots onto a layout. It was fun to use the pattern paper's design on this two page layout.

 I really liked the chipboard punchouts as accents for this page of my daughter's first summer camp experience. They fit just perfectly! We even bought more accents like this for her to use with her own scrapbook of her 5th grade camp experience this spring.

I liked the designs on a couple of the busy pattern papers with this line-- but a whole 12x12 page of them was too much for one layout. Here I used punches to highlight some of the designs in two different page borders. 

And a couple of simple cards using the adorable chipboard cutouts again. Quick and easy, but still really cute.

Go and get some BoBunny Camp-a-lot today!

Amy Tangerine's Sketchbook Line for American Crafts - How can you not LOVE this paper?

Whimsical.  Colorful. Versatile. 

Amy Tangerine's Sketchbook line for American Crafts is just delightful!  As you can see from the things I made for Paper Pals Design Team, this line can span seasons, convey many sentiments, and make a wonderful mini book or home decor item!

When I began to contemplate the perfect photos for these projects, I went directly to my "summer fun" photos.  Nothing quite worked for me.  Then I remembered my kids in the fall leaves! I love how the gold leaves in the photo work with the spunky colors of the in the paper.  And who would think to add lime green, turquoise, and magenta to "leaves" paper (Amy Tangerine - aka genius)! I love the look of this.  The papers, (both 12 x 12 and mini-papers) work so well together that I just layered and layered and layered to get this look!  The line also has sweet embellishments in the form of tags,paper clips, and stickers that really give this product line and your projects wonderful pop! Add some Diamond Glaze and glitter, and ribbon and you'll love what you come up with!

The 6 x 6 papers just spoke "mini book" to me!  You should stop into the store and take a look at the subject matter of my mini book and have a good laugh with me (and fellow PPDT member, Angela Lenssen (aka our photography for the family photo shoot last fall.  Consider this your own personal scavenger hunt!   

  And, last but not least, this line is perfect for cards of course.  You can use the sticker sheets and scraps, ribbon, Diamond Glaze, and glitter to create lovely, heartfelt sentiments to give to family or friends!

I hope you enjoy creating with this line....I loved it!