Busy in my Scrap Room AGAIN

I was busy in my scrapbook room again today. I have several different piles on the floor as I am a "piler". That is how I sort stuff I don't want to put away. So I went through one pile and pulled out stickers that were in it since yesterday I organized those cropper hopper folders. That put a big dent in that one pile! I also put away a few scrapbooks I had on the floor. They were there from when I originally moved the big shelf they were on. I still need to move it, but I'm waiting until my air conditioner arrives so I don't get so sweaty and fall over from the heat!. It is still hot as fire here this time of year.

I worked on my dd's first page in her cheerleading book for this year. I had some fun sewing on it. I've stamped on it, embossed on it, sewn on it. I think it is turning out well. I just need to get the film developed that goes with it so I can add a photograph.

I also worked on my swap for the PoM. I'd say I am about 2/3 done. I hope to have them finished tomorrow so I can get them in the mail by the weekend.

I got my Club Scrap Jr. Science Kit today. I definitely want to play with that. It has some delicious jewel-tone colors that would go great with some of my Mexican photos from our cruise last summer. My plan is to play with that tomorrow. My tonic trimmer came, too. Oh, that looks so fantastic. I can't wait to chop away!

And finally, I cut up a bunch of vintage images and alphabets I had gotten at the GASC in Arlington, TX this summer. That will just make them easier to use and store.

I'd say all and all it was a very productive day. I need to get scanning some stuff so I have lots of photos on here. All this writing is just boring, boring, boring.

Update on Scraproom & Swaps

I was busy in my scraproom today since the sun was not out. I do not have an ac unit up there that can handle the temperature because the dormer door keeps opening to the attic - aside from the fact the room is over the garage so it would naturally be a little warmer. I finally have one coming from Sears because when I went to get one on Saturday, which was about 97 deg. outside, no store in Florence had them in stock. Now I could buy anything I wanted to heat my house, but nothing to keep it cool.
I sorted my alphabet stickers and put them in a cropper hopper storage envelope. I also sorted my regular stickers, although I don't have that many, and put them in a croppper hopper storage envelope. They are sorted by Holiday, Family, General. Believe it or not, that did take a while.
I also printed out the title page for Caitee's 2005-06 cheer book on the computer. Then I used embossing powder to fill the center of the letters. I just had the printer print an outline. It looks pretty cool. Now I just have to get my film back from the first game against Wilson. Their cheerleaders stunk and didn't have uniforms. I don't think their program is very strong over there.
I had the laugh of the day today when I saw a page that someone had gotten back in a swap. I don't want to say to much about it because what if someone reads this here and sees it was their page. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not perfect either, but the poor girl got a swap page back with the title spelled wrong. I may obsess a bit about spelling, probably because I can spell, but I caught it right away. I just think if you are going to swap, you need to be good at what you do so you don't send crap and make sure that if you do a big giant title on your page, it is spelled right. OMG how embarrassing!

Organizing my scrap room

Yesterday, I spent about an hour up in my scrap room organizing. They key really is to have your most used items around you at arms length. I have a very big antique library desk for my scrap spot. To the left, I put my target wire cubes with my sewing machine and my Zipemate on top. I also have my chipboard, tissue paper and "categorical" supplies like office, and cheerleading stored there. All my embellie boxes are stored there as well. I'm not quite finished setting that up, but it is definitely better. I have two cookie sheets that I used hanging above the wire cubes for magnetic storage. I have a shelf and cabinet behind me for all my paints and dyes like 7G Colorwashes. I also keep my crackle medium, walnut ink, and photo transfer spray in there. My shelf has my myriad of glues, erasers, pens, pencils, watercolors and such. To the left of that is one of my 7 drawer units which is 5 drawers full of stamping supplies, one drawer of organized ribbon and fiber and one drawer of items to alter.
This is a very slow process, but you have to get it just right so you can work with it. I found having the sewing machine on the end of my desk was not convenient. It's much better to have it where I can just turn and use it. I'm trying to make my desk free of everything so I have room just to spread out and create. I'll post a photo of my set up so far to give ideas. I'm pretty pleased with it. Finally!!!

Altered Paint Can for Halloween

Here is the project I made yesterday. It is made from a quart size paint can. I used Modge Podge to adhere all the paper and red tacky tape for the fibers. The clock and some beads and a compass are on there to add to the dimensional affect that the fiber gives.

There are three kinds of paper on this can to give it some texture because I have discovered I am a very tactile artist. There is a handmade paper with fabulous fibery feel, tissue paper with wrinkles and some regular paper by Anna Griffin. The fabulous clip art is from Crafty Secrets Heartwarming Vintage Images. This is their seasonal one. Enjoy!!!

Scrapbook Magazines

I am so frustrated with the scrapbook magazines available today. CK always features the same people and the same style it seems to me. Paperkuts is way to 'beginner' for me. Making Memories just stinks. Scrapbooks Etc. is ok. Simple Scrapbooks is boring.

I went to BAM and looked at Cloth, Paper Scissors. Very interesting magazine with mixed media techniques. Not sure I want to subscribe but very altered ideas which I like. I looked at Legacy, which was terrific and very much my style. I got a terrific idea from it for an altered pin, which I plan to make and will post here. I also took at look at Stamp It! It was cute, but my favorite right now is still Paper Crafts Magazine for their variety of ideas and projects.

I have to brag on my daughter, who is currently making a scrapbook for a social studies project. Her work is very colorful and balanced. She has a knack for scrapbooking and I told her so. I hope she gives me this book for Christmas because the teacher asked alot of great questions for them to answer. I will be hand binding the book for Caitee. We made alot of fold out pages for interest as well. I bet she gets an A+ on it, but even more important is the fabulous keepsake she is making about herself!

ATC Swap Finished & Using Stickers

I finished my 2nd ATC swap today and put it in the mail. It is a birthday themed ATC swap. You make a card of your birth month. I used my floral stickers from way back when to make a collage on all my cards. It was great. That used up about 5 sheets of K&Co and some miscellaneous ones that I never would have used otherwise. I wrote my quote on a small 1"x1" piece of vellum which I ran through my baby xyron. I used the quote, "April showers bring May flowers." I thought they turned out very pretty.
I'm never really sure what to do with these ATC's. The first ones I ever made were for the CS 2005 crop. We had to make 5 to swap the first night we got there. I was so nervous making these for the first time and for strangers. I used UTEE to give a faux cracked glass appearance and made the card vintage. I thought they were alright. Some of the ones I saw were really bad so I don't know why I was so worried.
I was going to post all the ones I made today, but I thought I would wait until I got mine back and then post all the 9 cards I receive.
I worked on my Page of Me for my PoM swap due the end of this month. I used my Tim Holtz distress ink and sprayed my background pages with water and ironed them to give them a distressed look. Then I took some white embossing powder and used that to give a distressed painted look to them. Now I need to print out my quote and information and tack that down as well as adhere my photo. I will post one of these before I mail it off. Kim, who is hosting, is going to bind them for us in a mini album. I thought that was novel and that is why I am doing it.
My scrap room is a MESS. What can I say. No progress there.

Photo Editing Software

My friend, Dawn-Marie, who I originally met when I was president of the Mom's group at church - when I went to that church, showed me how to use the Layers function on software when we had coffee with two other ladies two weeks ago. She is a photographer and had some photographs where there was color and black and white. I wanted to learn how to do that.
This was the photograph I started with. I then made another layer that was black and white and put it on top of this one. I erased the black and white over Caitee and added a fun border. And voila, I have a very cool effect and a fun picture. I wrote her name on her hat because I saw Dawn-Marie had done that to one of her photos, and I thought that was a very cool effect. I'm sure that I can do this better as I get more practice. Isn't it fun though, I hope you will try it!
I'm going to give it a shot with some vintage photos maybe. Not sure. I really like learning new stuff and trying it. This was done in ArcSoft4. It is very simple, but that is fine with me. Dawn-Marie has Adobe something and it is very detailed, but she really likes digital scrapbooking, too. I don't. I love the feel of cutting and glue. I think I never really got over kindergarten!
I guess that is my big scrapbook project of the day because I really haven't done anything else. I do plan to go in my scrapbook room today so I should have more to report about myself later.

Cards, Swaps and ATC's

Yesterday I made two cards from a card idea book I bought a while back that was from Paperkuts. They turned out really well. I am card challenged so I like to use the card idea books to get me going. I used my Self-Addressed kit for September. One card was a thank-you to my friend, Kim, who I met while at the CS Retreat on the very last day. The other card was for my friend, Dawn-Marie, who is having her gallbladder taken out today.
Kim is hosting a Book of Me (BOM) swap so I have to make 16 pages to swap. I think that will be very fun because I love finding out about and "meeting" other scrapbookers.
I am also doing an ATC swap that is a "birthday themed" swap. I'm not much into the ATC's, but this one intrigued me. My theme is going to be April showers bring May flowers since I am an April baby. I have lots of floral die cuts from K&Co which will be great to use and get rid of!!!
I took a stack of stuff up to my sb room last evening. It has just created a mess. Photos, fabric, tin, etc. All of it needs to be put away today. That is my challenge for that room as of now. GEEEEEZZZ it is going to take me forever to get my stuff organized.
I will post my ATC and my BOM swap pages when I have them completed. I will probably have to go order a photo from ofoto.com, which is who I use to process my film. I'm not going to go off about that today, but one day I will share my peeves about local film processors with you.
One last thing: my nephew, who turned 4 Aug. 1, 2005, just started his first day of 4K yesterday. Isn't that cute!

Day 2 and counting

This is me at the CS 2005 retreat where I met some awesome new scrapbooking friends. I went with my bff, Mandy, and we were bound and determined to get our picture taken with a cheesehead on. (Is that one word or two???) We finally found one at the airport where they had them for sale for some ridiculous price. Like I would wear this at home or want it in my house! We had already gotten license plates for our scrapbook page that we were going to make that said, "Say Cheese!" So you know this page is gonna happen!
I heard from one of my CS friends today. Her name is Misha and she lives in NY. Mandy and I met her on the last day as we were sitting outside waiting for our shuttle to the airport. We were scrapbooking to pass the time and there were three ladies outside: Kim, Annette, and Misha. We met Annette the first day. She is from FL. We met Kim from OK and Misha from NY during that time. They are such nice and fun ladies. Talk about a great time. Those pictures will definitely have to be in their own album.
No big plans today. I think I may just go around the house and move any remaining stuff up to the scraproom...maybe make some cards. Hey, at this point anything is progress, right!!!
One last thing. My bff, Mandy, saw my blog thing, and now she is making one, too. Isn't that fun!!!

Day 1 continued

I did not work in my scrap room today, however, I did take two pizza boxes up there that were in the living room. At least they are no longer downstairs. Progress is definitely slow.

I made an entry for the CS September sketch challenge. TSK TSK TSK when I should have been cleaning. OH well. I'd rather scrap. You can see it at the top there. Fun to do, but I do not like being restricted to using mostly one brand of stuff or being hemmed in by a drawing. I like the freedom of creativity.

Day 1

Welcome to my scrapbook world. Here is where I will post things that I have made and talk about organizing my messy, although creative, scrapbook room. My scrapbook room is a bonus room over my garage. It is hot as fire up there because the two dormers for storage do not have normal doors so they pop open and the heat from outdoors just comes right in the room. That means in July, I can't even go in there.

The carpet is like 13 years old so eventually I want to add a new floor as well. Wood or vinyl or carpet. I really don't care. Just need a new one.

I'd like to build some custom bookshelves, too. Right now I have some wood ones we got at Lowes. I do have a terrific desk so that is the best focal point of it all right now. My most recent and exciting purchase is my giant circular paper lamp that hangs over my desk. It matches the color I painted my walls, which is kind of a pepper color as in paprika. I do have one green wall behind my desk that is my accent wall.

I started putting film on my windows to let the light in, but keep my neighbor's eyeballs out. So far I have about 3/4 of the window panes done because of course, they are wood windows and the panes don't come out for a single adherence of the film. Eventually I will put a valance over the windows and maybe some attractive drapes which I will sew myself.

Stay tuned for more!