Scrappin out loud: 01/01/2009

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Blog Crazy

Is it just me, or can you get lost in blog land and forget what got you there in the first place. Since I have discovered all these great places on the blogosphere, I cant seem to find time to create anymore. I really love all the fantastic articles, tutorials and ideas out there, and geez, I should win some blog candy eventually with all the entries I have submitted. I have RSS feeds running to my inbox, I get home from work and have over 100 emails each day..... I cant remember what even got me started on the blog planet to begin with........ but I am hooked. I am really really hooked and I just dont have enough hours in the day......

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Valentines Scrapbooking

Ideas for Valentines scrapbooking

Valentines Day is just a month away and all of us papercrafters are busy making our beautiful Valentines Day cards. What about scrapbook crafts? Here are some of my ideas for Valentines Day Papercrafting:

1. Make a mini book of things you love from A-Z
2. Love Letters - Do you save all the little love notes from/to your love? How about putting them all together in a beautiful scrapbook?
3. Decoupage Love Letter Box - If you dont want to put them all in a book, how about making a beautiful box to store all of your love letters? Like the one seen here:http://www.papercraftplanet.com/photo/100_4897-2?context=user
4. Valentines Decor: How about a beautiful wall hanging? I used a piece of cardboard that came with my patterened paper as the base and scrapbook supplies to make this wall hanging which I showcase during valentines day and have in my office year round.http://www.papercraftplanet.com/photo/100_4888-2?context=user
5. Make a why I love you layout about each of your loved ones and frame them for display
6. Write a love letter to each of your kids for valentines day and present it in a beautiful frame or decoupaged box.
7.Valentines day is also a great day to express your gratitude, how about scrapbooking in your gratitude journal, or starting a gratitude journal
8 Start a journal to your children and or loved ones, tell them how much you love them, keep it hidden somewhere and add to it when you want to tell them how special they are. I have one for each of my kids that I will present to them at graduation.
9. Use your scrapbook supplies to make valentines cards with young children. You can have them stamp their finger in the shape of a heart and sign each card.
10. Use left over scrapbook supplies to make I love you cards to store for any time of the year? When a loved on is having a bad day, pull out your stash and suprise them with a n"valentines card" no matter what day of the year it is.
11. Love Coupons - Use your scrapbook supplies to make Love coupons for your children or significant other. Each coupon giving of yourself, a foot rub, an extra half hour at bed time, a movie rental, a trip to the park, family game night, Dinner of choice, fast food night, a movie etc. These can be cashed in any time for a valentines gift that lasts all year long.
12. What I love mini-book - make a scrapbook which shows what all of your favorties are this year, movie, book, author, TV Show, pasttime, color, activity, blog, sports star, article of clothiung, best friend, snacks, drinks, place to eat etc.
13. What we love mini-book- Similar to the item above, make a scrapbook which gives one page to each member of the family, listing their current favorites, you can make this an annual valentines tradition.
14. More Decor, frame your favorite love poem or love quote or even definition by printing it on a transparency. frame it with a picture of you and your loved one in the background. To make the transparency POP, use a beautiful, love themed scrapbook paper in the background.

Check out these cute tradition ideas from a fellow blogger

http://cardoftheweek.ning.com/profiles/blogs/ideas-for-valentines

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

My first challenge

Ok, so, here is my very first blogger challenge, I did this for Queen Kat Designs, still dont know if I am even doing this right.....

I didnt have any stamps from her collection, as I said, I am new to this, so.... I used a die cut instead, just wanted to get underway with this whole deal-e-0 (blogging thing)

Still not sure if I got the linking down right, but, this one matched the colors for another challenge, so closesly, I submitted for it as well. http://kwernerdesign.com/blog/2009/01/color-inspiration-38.html

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Make your own patterned paper

Check out this site, this is awesome!!!! I cant wait to get my kids to draw me some designs, how cute would it be to scrapbook on paper designed by my own kids?

http://www.craftsassy.com/Home.html

Join Paper Craft Planet

Monday, January 12, 2009

For the love of scrapbooking

Is it just me or does everyone seem to be in a hurry all the time? Scrapbook magazine articles abound with ideas to scrap more, use less time, get done sooner.... I dont want to get done sooner, my greatest fear is that I will run out of pictures to scrap, I will run out of ideas.... More and more, I find myself looking for ways to stretch my photo stash, so I never, ever run out of material and inpsiration. I have note books filled with enough ideas that I could probably do nothing but the inspiration from my notebook for the next 10 years, but, I cannot stop collecting. I guess I am a collector by nature. Scrapbookers, in general, are collectors, paper, scissors, rubbons, buttons, do you know of a scrapbooker who owns only one pair of scissors? Seriosuly, how much stuff do we need? Is it a crime to collect? Of course my significant other, as many of yours, I am certain would say yes! It is a crime to buy anything else even remotely scrapbook related. Long before I laid eyes on my first LSS, I collected polaroid photos and stickers and there was a great little stationery store in the mall. I have no idea what I ever planned to do with all that paper, I couldnt wait to spend my weekly allowance on, but, I had to have every fresh color and design. It didnt matter if I had one similar, or too many of that color, if it was pretty, I had to have it. Scratch and sniff stickers were all the rage back then too, I had photo albums full of stickers, cute puppies, little kittens, strawberry shortcake and her entire line of yummy scented friends, I had to have them all. I have always been a collector of pens as well.. There was nothing more exciting than a new pen, the feel of it in my hand, the way it glides across the paper, I love new pens, I usually end up chewing the top of them apart, but I still have my favorites and of course, there are pens that I wont use at all. I consider it a perk that I work in the medical field, because the drug reps and sales companies, love to plaster their logo all over shiny new pens. I dont really care if I am advertising for Viagra, if the pen feels right in my hand and glides smoothly across the paper, I will use it out of ink.. I have always been a sucker for color too, I love purple pens, and green ones, and the smelly markers my second grade teacher used to use to correct my papers, I think I once got high on a grape-scented marker in school. I swear, thats how I got so fast with school work.... I wanted to be the first one done so I could help correct the papers. As a little girl, I rushed to my stocking on Christmas because I knew inside, I would find a fantastic, brand new box of crayolas, with a new sharpener. Yeah, new crayons to use, they arent in peices yet, my brother has wripped the paper off of them yet. Anyway, I digress...... Whats the hurry ladies? Why do we want to get caught up, give ourselves permission not to scrapbook more. For me, its about the process, I want to make it last, I love digging in and getting my hands dirty, I love getting ink on my hands, I love the process of trying to put it all to a page that comes together in the end. I have never really been a fan of sketches, part of the enjoyment is the puzzle in finding a place for everything. I dont feel as satisfied by a layout that I creat using a sketch, Its the creative process I enjoy, the unknown, the self expression, the outlet. Why on earth would I want to hurry through that?

My Advent Calendar

I am on a quest to find practical things to do with my scrapbook stash. I have piles and piles of paper and remnants of stickers and other embellies that I feel like I will never use. A co-worker of mine found an advent calendar in one of my craft magazines and that gave me the idea to create this. Its made on a simple cookie sheet, from Dollar Tree and leftover scrapbooking supplies. I used decoupage medium to adhere the paper to the cookie sheet and wa la. I love the way it came out, what do you think?

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Blogs, The final frontier

Am I seriously the last scrabooker in the world to get blogging, as I review all the blogs I visit regularly, stalk or have live feeds into my email account, I cant help but notice how connected everyone is. A blog I like to follow has the name of a friend whose blog has the name of my favorite DT member at my favorite LSS. Whats a girl to do if not jump on the band wagon and start blogging her way throught scrapbooking cyperspace. How do you get ppl to read your random thoughts anyway. I suppose the same way I land at others' sites word of mouth and such.............. I guess we will give it a better whirl than the half-hearted whirl I gave it last year....