Shameless plug: recycled-upcycled mini books with vintage pages. Perfect for Ali's week in the life project, perfect for a gratitude journal, perfect gifts. :) The Christmas ones would be great for adding recipe cards with holiday recipes or journaling your traditions.
Available here. And here's the one I had fun doing:
Every month, I scrapbook with a bunch of girls. Every month, I was late getting there. Reason? I took sooo long to pack my stuff. But now, I have the best system ever!
Here's what to do:
1. Make sure you have some sort of tool caddy, that keeps all the essentials together. (Mine has paper cutter and extra blades, stapler and staples, Crop-A-Dile, pencil, Pioneer glue sticks, mini Glue Dots, Zip-Dry, American Crafts journaling pen, Slick Writer, Basic Grey file set, baby wipes, paints and foam brushes, gum, and comfy socks. True story).
2. Find a piece of patterned paper that you love! It is best if it has a few different colors in it. Here's my example, but use any that you like. {This is the inspiration of your whole kit. Things don't need to match each other really, but they should sort of go with this one paper.}
3. Now, from your stash or from your local scrapbook store, pick nine more papers that have similar colors and somewhat coordinate. Doesn't need to be perfect or matchy matchy, and can be all different manufacturers.
4. Select 8 coordinating cardstocks to go with the papers. If you scrap double page layouts, maybe you'll want more, or want sets of twos.
5. Add one or two sets of lettering. Stickers, chipboard, or rub-ons.
6. Choose some ribbons that coordinate.
7. Add some journaling spots/tags.
8. Add some embellishments. This could be flowers, die cuts, rub-ons, stickers, buttons, brads, yo-yo's, gems, or whatever you want!
And that's it! So easy! Add a pack of photos. (If you have used enough colors in your kit, you'll be surprised at how many will work). Now, to get to the crop, just take this little kit and your tool caddy, and you are guaranteed at least 8 layouts, but probably more. I'll challenge myself to see how many I can do from this exact kit, and show you next week.
I have been doing this for months now, and it is so easy! My pages are spread around among different books, so you'd never notice they are all similar. Try it!
What I should do:
And what I did instead:
This is a scraplift of the fabulous Jamie Waters. Times three. (Have I mentioned she is my favorite?)
And I have been trying to compensate for poor Mady's book. Since I didn't start scrapbooking until a couple years ago, she doesn't have anything from before age ten. The old, pre-digital pictures are hard to work with, but wasn't she a cute little girl? :)
My pages are all pretty much the same. Pick a photo, glue it to a couple papers, add a journaling tag, stick on a few embellishments and a ribbon or two. Done. Someone get me out of this rut!
Here's a week or so, crammed into one post. Note the exquisite photography. I give up on that. Here's the run-down: three more scrapbook pages from my bed. Yes, I really do scrapbook in bed. It is actually easier for me, because I limit the supplies, and amount of time. I can do three average-quality pages in an hour from bed. Because, pretty much they all look the same. :)
After that, some shots from a couple days ago, in Lynnwood. I loved this restaurant, Blue C Sushi. The restaurant is situated so that all the tables are next to the conveyor belt carrying all kinds of sushi and other little japanese dishes. The plates are color coded, indicating the prices, and you just take off what you want as it rolls by. I had some tempura potatoes, sesame salad, and california roll. It was fun. Next is of one of my favorite clothing stores. I had a gift card from Christmas burning a hole in my pocket, so that was fun too. The last one is of cute little plates I couldn't resist from Urban Outfitters.
And then, the embroidery. Everyone is doing it. It's like the peer pressure of middle school. The idea is from Soule Mama. The one I did is a classic Keston style picture that she drew with markers. I traced it onto the muslin with vanishing ink (you can still see some of the purple ink before it has vanished), and then backed it with warm & natural, and backstitched the design. I learned backstitching from Kelly McCaleb when I made her cute project a while back. Mady got into it too, and made one for herself.
And Mr. Fox, or anyone else who is under the impression that I have a tidy little house and organized life, lest you feel inadequate, look closely. You can see the little pile of paint and art supplies from two weeks ago on the console table. I decided I wasn't brave enough to go around and take pictures of all the messes, like I'd previously planned. But trust me, there are plenty. And as Andi and I talked about the other day in regards to different blogs, it isn't so much about trying to give the impression that it is a perfect life with clean kids and picket fence. When I read other people's blogs, I get inspired by the photos on them, and it makes me want to do some of their crafts, or even straighten up my house, or be a better mom. So that is the kind of stuff I blog about. Nobody would be too excited to see the other part! In real life, my scrapbook supplies have been on the family room floor for four days, in big piles. My garage is an embarassment, particulary yesterday when someone borrowed my ladder and came into it. My kids' bedrooms are rarely, if ever, clean on the same days. Or weeks. My bed is unmade as often as it is made lately. My three year old has seen every single Max & Ruby show ever made, at least twice, while I sit at the the computer. So, really, no need to feel inadequate.
Tonight the 27-hour crop begins. (In case you are a boy reading this, ha ha, that is 27 hours straight of scrapbooking, with food mixed in.) So I have 40 things to do in preparation, as well as plan some details of Keston's birthday parties for Monday. I decided it would better to spend an hour in denial, and photograph and post old layouts.
I did a little scrapbooking last night. (a la Renee, batch-style!) Today's agenda includes driving my last carpool of the school year (as usual, in my pajamas), getting the little one on a trail hike or to a beach, some cleaning, (Jewels style) and laundry. And such beautiful weather to do it all in!
Hope you have a sunny day, too!
shameless promotion of my work...
have i mentioned that i work at a very cool scrapbook store? i got 'timed-out' from typepad, and somehow wound up with this connection where Ali Edwards is talking about Treasury of Memories. I wish I had been a scrapbooker back then! Anyway, go check it out, and you will know how cool Treasury really is! (Also, Treasury now has an online store that sells exclusive mini-book kits and other fun stuff). i told you it was shameless!
(photo from last summer on my first day of work, left to right - elke, me, kim).
a few layouts for fun...
and some projects for work...
(photos from the Heidi Swapp pink book are by Kevin Karl).
This one is a wall canvas. For some reason, typepad won't let me add another photo. You can see the other pic here, plus directions. :)
I know how to do it. You'd think, from looking at this blog that I don't own a glue stick. So I've dug up some old stuff that was photographed for one reason or another. Edited: Hmm. Looks like at least three of these photos are already on my blog. Brilliant. Look again, I guess. :)
And this last one is a mini-book kit that I made for Treasury of Memories, available here. It is made of 20 library cards with chipboard covers. I put 10 or so little pictures of Keston throughout, then intended to journal on all the other cards, all the stuff she is doing right now. Like saying that anyone wearing a dress is a "Barbie Girl", and how she won't keep her clothes past 11am.
Thursday was a typical day, at home with the girl. A lovely day for bubbles. Keston's technique involves blowing through her teeth, which was quite creative and reasonably efficient.
On Friday, last minute preparations for the Mighty Max 20-hour Crop were underway. By 8am I was refining food schedules and details, then picking up donations, and heading to the event. What a great time! Not much sleeping involved, and personally not much scrapbooking either, but a really great time!
To top it off, some fabulous raffle prizes...
My sweet friend Kristy won a huge package of restaurant gift certificates, movies, and entertainment. And in keeping with my theme of being lucky, I won an impressive package with a kids theme! Tons of stuff - adorable rain gear from Wild Blueberries, certificates for bowling, swimming, pizzas, smoothies, and passes to the Children's Museum. And a session for this, too! And some art supplies, book, and games. Pretty amazing, and so great of all those places to donate the items for the raffle.
After finishing with the crop, we had a good sunny Sunday. It's just starting to feel summerish - kids on the swings, kabobs on the grill, and playing with worms.
Finished it off with some kids crafting. And finally, a couple DVR'ed Dog the Bounty Hunters, and lots of sleep!
My very good friend and I thought this up over coffee today... You know how kids get completely bored with their toys after just a couple of weeks? We decided to feed right into that. :) So we swapped a bunch of toys and books for the kids to borrow for a week or so. It has been like Christmas over here, they loved finding all the surprises sent over for them in a giant basket. Remember how it is after Christmas, with happily occupied children? So nice. Maybe this idea will hold over us all over until the weather is nice enough for more outdoor fun.
Unrelated, here are a few things I've made recently for Treasury. The product used is mainly the new Daisy D's. This mini book itself is by Kaiser. The tiny little tins are Maya Road.
Here's a mini-book I've been working on. Not so 'mini', it has 20 pages, so 40 photos. It makes me smile already. This tea party we had in Reno was so silly and fun. The papers are perfect for it. {Basic Grey and Fontwerks, and the book is 7 gypsies.}
Other things that are making me smile today too:
A delicious lunch of spaghetti with browned butter and parmesan :: A nice little drive to Birch Bay :: No rain :: A little girl that takes herself in to go potty :: Blomming daffodils and pulminaria in my garden ::
I am participating again this year in a benefit "crop". (A crop is when scrapbookers get together to do their thing). This crop is put on by Treasury of Memories, the scrapbook store where I work. The proceeds of this event will go to Children's Hospital (Seattle) Uncompensated Care Fund, to assist in paying medical expenses at Children's for the kids that do not have insurance. Last year, this event raised $15,000 that was donated to this cause. $15,000!
As many of you know, Children's Hospital of Seattle is a place I am familiar with. At 14, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease, cancer of the lymph nodes. I spent much of the next year and a half in and out of Children's. What an amazing place that is! Because of them, I am now a 20 year cancer survivor! :)
I am a part of this year's commitee to organize this event. I am sending postcards to friends and family asking for donations as well. As I always say with Relay for Life, this is my cause... please don't feel any obligation to contribute. I know that many of you already have your own favorite charities that you give to! :) If you do wish to contribute, just email me anytime.
As a fun 'thank you', I will be giving anyone who donates one handmade card for each $5 contributed. My cards are pretty cute lately, too. :) Donations are tax deductible, and I have receipts. Also, I am contributing my own $100 to attend the event, I am gathering dontaions just to go above & beyond.
The name of the Guild this is going through is the Mighty Maxwell Guild. (Kind of confusing, but the Mighty Maxwell Guild gives all of the money raised directly to Children's for their Uncompensated Care Fund. It is just in Max's honor, he was fortunate enough to have insurance for hs medical needs). You can read about Max and the Guild here.
Thank you, thank you, to all of you who wish to support me in this project. :)
I haven't been into fabric very long, but this is what made me fall in love with it. Look at the prints. It's just like scrapbook paper! Here's a comparison of some of my fabrics with my papers... can you tell which is paper, which is fabric? Nice, huh!
And then , today I read somewhere online that Amy Butler now has a paper line!! Here's a little sample of my own Amy Butler collection. The book was a birthday gift from sweet Andi. Love it! Planning to make about eighteen things in it.
Here's just a bit more fabric I've acquired recently.
And then , while I was upstairs taking photos of fabric, I took a few of my newly organized scrap area. Just in case you were frightened off by the previous view of my desk. Here's my "after".
And from the garage sale last weekend, here is my new rack. (Insert your own jokes about my new rack).
And since I was taking 40 pictures in my room, (oh, did I mention that's where all of my craft things are these days? Sweet husband I have who doesn't seem to mind) - here is the quilt I've been meaning to post. Not handmade, but Crate & Barrel, thrifted recently. I was a bit sketchy on putting someone else's old quilt on my body at night, so it got a severe washing, and now I love it.
Tonight I am attending (and teaching a class) at a 27-hour crop. For you non-scrapbookers, that's 27 hours, in a row, of scrapbooking. The last time I went I felt spoiled the whole time... someone else cooked for me, really good food, cheesecake, the works. Tamara is going with me, we are really looking forward to it. Here's a little sneak of the class I am teaching. It is a Note-Card-Gift-Set.
And last but not least, here's what happens if you take 40 pictures instead of play with your toddler. She'll entertain herself.
It's a Clash song, do you know it? Lyrics are here. Frank is a huge Clash fan, some of it rubs off on me. But, that's the song, I'm all lost in the supermarket, I can no longer shop happily... I'm a Jewel girl myself, but Clash isn't so bad. Although sometimes he makes me listen to some really horrible stuff like old Hipsway and New Order. Smiths are fine, Depeche Mode, sure, but I had to draw the line at Hipsway.
I digress.... so keeping in line with my love for February, and how I even like seeing it all over the place, here's a little sampling.... ALL things you can find at the supermarket to make you happy. (Yes, I do say supermarket. Probably too much Clash).
Oh, and look, you can find this, too!
I am already referring to this as my magazine. Seriously, give me one little published card and I think I own the thing! Anyway, it is pretty exciting to see it. Probably the first and last, as I am too lazy to submit anything else.
Also, found at the supermarket, my funny friend Margo and her daughter Brooke. I wanted to include a picture of them too, but she said "No paparazzi, no photo!" Margo is the lady responsible for teaching me how to make felted wool. As in, future tense. So that felted wool heart I promised as a giveaway? If Margo doesn't teach me very soon, you might get stuck with a boring old felt-felt heart.
Who takes their camera to the supermarket? You should try it. Happy Groundhog Day! Early spring, yay!
Edited: We just realized the victim of yesterday's car crash on Meridian was on his way to clean beer taps at Billy McHale's. He and his partner (who I always thought was his son, but actually was not), cleaned our taps at Izzy's every week for many years. So tragic. Frank says he was such a good guy, I remember him being so friendly and funny. Just makes you remember how precious every day is. My prayers are with his family. The story is here.
I have been terrible at posting photos of scrapping stuff! Not even one layout, I don't think! Oh, maybe here's a New Year goal! Here are a few cards I made while scrapbooking with my friends from MOPS - the same great friends who got me interested in scrapbooking just a year and a half ago. :)
