Homecoming Card & Gift

My dd gave her big sis on varsity a gift for homecoming. They exchange for certain games. She asked me to make a card and so I did. I also made this little doo-dad for her. Why not! I can!!! Heather can't believe I made the card. I made a matching envelope with pom pom paper that has a megaphone on it. Oh, how I entertain myself!

Goody Bags n Tags

The Ugly Truth
I'm the kind of mom that when asked to bring something for the bake sale or classroom makes a pan of brownies. Now mind you, I have a recipe for brownies from scratch that will make you see Jesus, but before I found that, it was just the good ole box kind. Functional - asked to make something - I did. Unlike the superMOMS who bring in a cake made to look like the Mona Lisa. Take my Christmas gift one year to the day care teachers: homemade pepper jelly with a stick on bow. The stick on bow was my wrapping. That lovely jar stood on the counter with the bags that were so colorful and covered with curlied ribbon and the most beautiful designer paper with something inside that would probably merit such a delicious gift bag. What can I say?
Redemption
My friend and I get to do the snacks for the JV cheerleaders today. We are not one to take this job lightly. She calls them goody bags. So, being the scrapbooking goddess I am, I made some basic tags and then found some cute little cheerleaders to go with it. A little coordinating curly ribbon, and we have some fun treat bags that the other mothers will now have to outdo. My friend, Lynn, said that we probably overdid it (for once in my life...she has no idea), but the truth is, we know we will do it exactly the same way again next time. Perhaps I can add individual photos next time...

The Cheerleading Scrapbook

I am having a time today getting this stinkin' blog to work. I don't know if it is me or the blog.

I have made my dd a scrapbook for each year she has been a cheerleader. It is alot of fun for both of us. One thing I have learned is to let her take pictures, too. You get her perspective as well as mine. She does enjoy sharing these books with her friends, which is nice for me, too! Her friends like to see what new pages I have created. I think it is like a yearbook, they are looking for themselves!

I used an 8x8 format for last year because I like the challenge of the smaller page. I found that paper was my main embellishment with a few accents here and there. I do prefer to use other colors than the school colors just because you will die of boredom if you don't.

I do have a folder full of cheerleading stuff: paper and rubons and embellishments and die cuts. If I see something I like, I buy it for future use! You will see on one of my lo's I used a transparency of my own design. When in doubt, make it yourself!

I was in a sb store in WI not too long ago that had a whole wall of all the local schools. I'm talking albums, stickers, die cuts of mascots, coordinating everything. It made me so wish my sb store would do that. It really is hard to find things in the right colors. Not that I can't make her book without it, but it would be fun to have some of those things available.

The Pocket Page and More

The Pocket Page
There is so much you can do with the pocket page. This particular page is a knock-off of a layered idea I have seen before. I just keep finding memorabilia that I want to save from this once in a lifetime trip. This way, I have room for those little things I thought I put in my memorabilia storage bag I was using, but apparently didn't! I mean where else am I going to put the purple wrist bands that we wore at the pool so we could get towels? Or the coaster from the bar or the empty coffee bag from the coffee we bought?
I really like the white stamp pad as you can probably tell. The stamps are CS and from their Surf's Up kit. They are unmounted. The letters are some foam stamps I got on sale at hobby lobby. It is one of my favorite fonts. I just wiped my chipboard letter with ink and then took some white ink and dabbed it on. Yes, my ink pad got dirty, and I had to clean it. Bad idea, cool look. This is not an amazing page, but a practical one, and sometimes you need practical.
Don't be afraid of old stuff in your stash.
My second lo had me reverting to my chalking days with some die cuts from Deluxe Cuts that I have had forever. I got out my chalks and went to town on these blah die cuts. If you know me, my motto is "it doesn't matter what color an embellishment is, you can always change it if it doesn't match". I gussied them up a bit to bring out the colors on the leis my dh and I are wearing. This page is a little distorted because it was in my album, but you get the idea. I inked my paper water glass coaster from our hotel room with the same ink that I used on the "M" on the previous lo. I just really like that effect. I used some shells as the flower center. Flower is more memorabilia from Hawaii. And I had one last stinkin' sticker which just so happened to match the colors in this lo so I used it.
Don't you just love that postcard? I think postcards are fabulous to us in scrapbooking when you travel. Some of my other lo's have postcards in them, too.
Now I thought I was done with this album, but I found a group photo of all the attendees and my dh's company newsletter came with the same photo in it. So I actually have two more pages to whip out, but then I will really be done my Hawaii album.
Not every page has to be a masterpiece.
This album is complete. It is a great feeling. Yes, I could have used more embellishments, more paper, more paint, more ink, more stamps, more special effects, but I would still have those 15o some odd photos lying around waiting to be scrapbooked. I am not one to COUNT and feel accomplished by the quantity as some folks do (CM you know who you are), but I do have a goal oriented personality and having this album hanging over my head is not FUN. This way, I have the memories to enjoy already and the delight in knowing it is complete. Satisfaction, dahlings! It's a great feeling! So quit worrying that your pages won't all be ART to hang in the LOUVRE in PARIS. It doesn't matter. The important thing is, you have something to show people and yourself about your trip.

Pep Rally Card for Cheerleading

My dd has her first pep rally as a jv cheerleader tomorrow. Very exciting for her. She has a secret sister who is a varsity cheerleader, and they will be swapping treats before the pep rally tomorrow. I made this card for my dd to give to her secret pal - naturally in a clear envy so everyone can see it and be envious (LOL).
The background of the card is a "hot pink", but for some reason, it didn't scan. The blue and gold are the school colors. Her secret sis loves pink. That is why I made a pink card, plus if you know me, I love to go outside the box and use a non-traditional color palette. It just makes it more fun. The "RAH!" is from a cheer transparency of my own design.
Inside the card it says "U R Cheerific!". The "Cheerific" is from my tranpsarency and the U R are KI blue icicle letters. It looks really cute. They are over the pink stripe paper you see on the front.
FYI this is a 6x6 card.

CS Aug 2006 Retreat

Just back from the CS 2006 Aug Retreat. What fun that was! Met some terrific ladies and had alot of fun. Here is a pic of Lynn, me and Julianne as pirates. What in the world would possess grown women to dress up as pirates? Perhaps that is one of the powers of CS??? These two cool chicks were on my floor as well and great fun. I met Julianne last year, and she is a doll.
We made many great projects during the retreat. Can't talk about it now because we pinky swear not to until the other two retreats are over (Sep and Oct). It's hard, but our gift was so great and definitely needed. And our kit...oh la la. Ain't saying nuthin' else. We even made one thing that I have never done before which I have proudly been showing off. So how is that for vague?
Some of my crew were: Lynn and her sis, Mary, Anastasia (whose name is just way too long LOL), Julianne, Kim, Jill, Pat & Woody, Nancy, Laura, Angie, and Jen, and my roomie, Mandy. If I forgot to name anyone, it is just a momentary lapse and I apologize.

A new Halloween Layout

I think I was in a small slump over the summer. Last Friday I went to a crop at my lss. That is always a good way to get over a hump. Although, I thought I had lost my creativity and talent with a couple of the lo's I did. They just needed some doctoring up when I got home so I fixed them right up on Saturday with all my goodies in my scrap room. To quote my husband, "you sure have alot of stuff!" OMG, he has no idea. I told him it really was nothing compared to some of the sb rooms I have seen!

I had to scrap today, too. These were some photos I had printed out over the summer from film I shot last year. Sound typical! I blew one up because I really liked the colors. To get this to post, the colors are kind of washed out. I do apologize for that. It loses a little from that. I turned to my trusty color wheel to select colors to accent the orange in the pumpkins and really bring out the Halloween!

I just had to use my newest stamps that I got 1/2 price from Hobby Lobby earlier this summer. It's such a fun font. The card stock is CS, and the light patterned paper and tags are from Daisy D's Attic Collection, which I just adore. My brad is a dark copper, which brings out the paisly outline in that paper. I used an orange Brilliance pad to make the pumpkin obnoxious since we do buy the biggest pumpkins we can find for our money.

Now I just have to figure out how to get to a crop with what I really want to use without bringing everything but the kitchen sink. And truly I could bring that, too, cuz I would probably use it!

I'm thinking about bringing my SEI paper to crops. It is color wheel based, and would go great with some photos I have in mind to do.

I'm about to leave for the CS 2006 August Retreat. I can hardly wait. At first I was a little disappointed that Tim Holtz wasn't coming. He is such an artist and so inspiring, but I know that talented crew up there in Wisconsin won't let us down. I'm sure I will have much more to say about that.

Oh, I did finish my dd's cheer album for last year at the crop so that is very constructive and did knock out a few more pages for my Hawaii album. I only have about 100 more photographs to go, but they are mostly scenery. I'm thinking of doing like a postcard collage type lo for the rest of those photos on each page. I think that will work and bring out my pics while still telling my story.

Sponge Bob Hinged Lid Photo Box

My secret pal also received this hinged lid photo box. It was a design from Club Scrap, that I changed the dimensions on to be able to hold 4x6 photos. I made two of these for my sil for Christmas with a rectangle cut out of the lid so you could see the contents inside. They turned out so well, my brother thought I bought them somewhere. I'm not sure this one was that fantastic. I got the fabric and the characters from a swap I was in a while back sponsored by my friend, Dana, a very talented scrapper.
The top, spine and bottom are three pieces of chip board with one piece of fabric holding them together. The inside is made folding a 12x12 piece of paper. I like to cover everything with modge podge so it doesn't get ruined. Isn't it cute? I liked it, but I have a very silly sense of humor.

Altered Book Project for Secret Pal

I have a secret pal for a retreat I am going on this year. It was supposed to be a card swap, but I just am card challenged. I made her some other stuff, including this altered book made from a real book. For those of you who are offended by defacing of books, you better not read on cuz it starts with an exacto knife and gets worse.
I took a hard back book I bought for fifty cents from a local thrift shop. I cut out the pages leaving only the covers and the spine. I then covered the book cover, both inside and out, with paper. I saw this in a book I got from the library about altered art. The spine was reinforced with book binding tape, although you can use tyvek envelopes like you get in the mail. We love to use our scraps, don't we! I sewed in my signatures with waxed linen thread and used beads as a fun accent. I tore the paper for my signatures to give some added texture as I am a very tactile person. I hope my secret pal liked it. I left it really undecorated so that she could alter it to suit her personality. That is something I like to do.

Photographing Things also preserves memories

It's good to remember to photograph the things around you, too, not just people. I'm sure there are items in your house that bring back fond memories when you look at them. I have an antique bedroom set from the early 1900's that was my great-grandparents. They emigrated to America in 1901. It was in my grandparent's guest room my whole life and is where I slept every time I visited them. I remember hot nights in the summer with all the windows open for any breeze that might wander in. The sound of the a/c window unit from my grandparents room hummed through the night as the hall window fan whirred pushing that air towards me. Or so they said. I gotta tell you, it was hot as fire, but I had plenty of "fresh air".
So if I can get all this from a piece of furniture, just imagine the stories you are missing telling the family members you are scrapbooking for if you leave out those treasured items.

I took these photos while on vacation trying to remember to photograph some things for posterity. We went to a local festival at a plantation house built in 1792, which a family had purchased for reunions and were gradually restoring it. And I mean gradually. The fresh field flowers on the crackled mantle with the peeling walls behind the vase just spoke to me. Flip flops on the floor. Left where the wearer dropped them after a day at the beach. The seafood list against a backdrop of evergreen was an anomaly I couldn't pass up, with the morning sun beckoning through the window. A simple candle holder lit by natural morning light that says BEACH as loud as it can.

Remember to photograph those other memories, too, and record your thoughts. These are important to those who come after you. How will they truly know you if they don't know what inspired you or gave you pleasure?

Mini Album in A Box

This is a mini album. Unfortunately the pictures are kind of dark, but that is because the paper is black. The box is a jewelry box...the size for a bracelet. Inside are accordian folded pages with room for small photos or journaling. I made this last summer at the GASC in Arlington, TX.

Hawaiian Scrapbook More Pages

Once I get the last page posted tomorrow, I better get working on some more! Not that I mind. I have alot more time in the summer since I'm only working one day a week right now. I really want to sort through all my sb stuff and sell my embellishments that I am sick of. I'm sure it isn't cost efficient to sell some things in smaller lots, but I have many things I just don't want to look at anymore!
One idea I have is using old stickers for collage on containers that I am making to store some of my stuff. That is a great use for old stuff and since the containers were free, too, it's economical all the way around!

Get those themed albums done!

The thing about scrapbooking is you can squeeze in five minutes here and there and end up with completed pages, cards or projects. Of course these were all done on National Scrapbooking Day. What made them easy to complete and helped me get so many done is that I only took a few paper choices with me and I hade all of my memorabilia together in a large sized ziploc bag. I didnt' use alot of embellishments because I let my memorabilia be the embellishments fot the most part. Yes, I could have been alot fancier and artistic, but what would that have accomplished? Every page doesn't have to hang in the Louvre. Right!!! And now I get great satisfaction looking at my pages in my album at home, remembering the good times that I have been able to record so far.
I've just done too many theme albums not to learn a few lessons. First of all, don't keep those photos for a special occasion. Get them out and scrapbook them now. What are you waiting for? Focus on getting them scrapbooked. I'm not saying quantity over quality. I'm saying put them in albums now while your memories are still fresh and your journaling can include all those things you wanted to remember. If you hold on to those photos for too long, you forget things. If you want to use all your photos, use all your photos. I'm a great believer in scrapping what I have. I hate one picture pages. It doesn't mean I don't do them, I just prefer to tell stories with my albums. Similar pictures can tell stories. I mean, check out the Sunrise over Maui photos. (Frankly, they are much better in real life!!!) Similar photos, but imgages I wanted to save. Scrapbooked simply so as not to detract from the photographs, but duly recorded for posterity!!!
All I can tell you is 3 years after my Bahamas cruise, it is not fun to realize that album is not done. Yes, my CKU album is finished...that was lesson number one for me in the don't wait section. My Mexico cruise album is done. My dd's cheerleading album for 7th grade is done (8th grade is nearly done. I just got the last of the photographs). My Club Scrap 2005 album is done. But the one album that isn't finished is hanging over my head...the Bahamas cruise. I'm finishing that one after my Hawaiin vacation album. Otherwise, who is enjoying them? Certainly not my family yet!!!

Incorporating Memorabilia into your Scrapbook pages

As I have scrapbooked my Maui vacation, I have incorporated alot of memorablia I collected while I was over there. What is a pocket on this first page is actually the envelope the company sent our information in for the trip. I then used it to display our room key, a chocolate candy wrapper we got each night and the brochure his company sent us as well. At the very top is a tag off of something!

If you look through these pages you will see I have used maps, hotel glass coasters (those paper things with your water glasses), and even the label off of a beer bottle that my husbad dutifully pulled off. He is a scrapper's husband, he knows what is important!!!

Starting my Maui Scrapbook

National Scrapbook Day was a great opportunity to start my scrapbook of Maui from which Lou and I had just returned. He won President's Club with his company and that was their reward. So I'm sharing what I got done that day. I'm pretty pleased with it so far. This blogger page will only let me upload so many photos. So we will get a few on here each day...I haven't blogged in a while. I also have a little storeage container I made out of a Wyler's Lemonade container for my brushes to post this week. Who says you have to pay alot of money for scrapbook storeage. There are lots of free resources right in your home!

Watercolor stamping Card

So I was messing around today because I had to make some cards for some friends. I had bought some watercolor paper a while ago at Hobby Lobby and needed to use it.

I have some of those water color crayons. My dear friend, Nancy, sent me them in the mail. I have used them before, but with paint brushes to color in images. I found out you could color on your stamps with them, spray with water and stamp on water color paper. It doesn't work on regular paper because you need the absorbency in the water color paper. I like the fact you can use several colors and run them together.

Natch, I had to use my BG Color Me Silly Paper and coordinating Bazzil. I have used the hound out of that set since I got it. The colors coordinate with my dd's cheer uniform plus they work great with my recent photos from Maui! Those scrapbook pages will be posted here shortly.

I have to post these photos on my blog. I am obsessed with light and photography. I'm fascinated the way light affects objects and the play of light. I just LOVE the way the light is in these photographs. The challenge of shooting outdoors is just great. You can't control the light. I mean you can to some extent by choosing the time of day, but when it is right, it is right.