ScrapHappier213

What makes you happy about scrapbooking?  I think for me, it is seeing finished pages that have the pictures and the stories.  For me, that is what makes my scrapbooks special, to have the stories with the pictures.  My family has a history of strokes and memory loss, and when I am old and can't remember, I'll still have my memories. But don't think that's all, I adore using different techniques on the pages. I love using tools and creating my own embellishments.  Nothing better than making a title or an embellishment and knowing it's better than what I could have bought in the store.

This time last year, I was preparing to do something that I heard Lain Ehmann talking about on paperclipping round tables (the most amazing scrapbooking podcast).    It seemed revolutionary, or perhaps I should say it was evolutionary.  The task: to create one scrapbook layout each and every day, no matter what.  The premise is that by doing this task, you find out what your style is, what supplies you really do like, and improve your personal process of creating a page.

I succeeded.  I created a page each and every day in February 2012.  I created pages with pictures I had wanted to scrap every time I came across them in my box of photos,  pictures I hadn't thought about scrapping, and even ones that I had almost forgotten I had.  It was an incredible experience and one that I would encourage everyone who loves to scrap to embrace at least once!  The video prompts are general enough that it can be interpreted many different ways!

I had a routine in place.  When I woke up, I would watch the video prompt.  Sometimes I knew right away what I was going to scrap, and other days I didn't have a clue, and figured I'd just scrap whatever inspired me for the day.  Then I would go to work at my real world job and let the prompt stew around in my mind.  I usually wound up writing my journaling on a break, and my title would usually come to me as a result of the journaling.  I discovered that for me, I like having the journaling done first.  Having the journaling done helped me know where I was going with the page, which helped in choosing the paper from all my options, which embellishments would compliment the story, and made me realize what I wanted to stand out from the pictures, even helping in narrowing down the photo selection in some cases...and send me looking for another picture that I knew I had somewhere. 

These are a few of my favorite layouts from last February:

I had seen a layout which inspired me to want to create a graphic background with hexagons.  I didn't have anything to punch out hexagons, but I did have a set of spellbinder octagons.  It took me too long to cut these out, and placing them was a pill, but I did this on one of those days that I had more time to play:

I don't have a cricut, but a couple of years ago when I was shopping with my friend who does have one, we came across a smoking hot deal on some cricut cartridges, and I bought a couple of pooh cartridges for her knowing that one day I'd be using them.  I went to her house one day last Feb, and knew it was my chance to use it.  I had so much fun making this page of my daughter's last birthday with her papa.

I almost forgot about these pictures of me and my best friend in elementary school.  As you can see, some of them have been damaged over the years.  This page didn't take me very long at all because the owls were print and cut, the design was simple, and 

This was a great time to finally put some of those scrapbook ideas that I'd save to lift to use.  I had so much fun with this one.

Sometimes a sketch is just screaming to be done, and I had so much fun with this one.

One day the prompt was to simply scrap some photos that make you happy.

Very importantly, I also took time to document some of my family history

I hope you think of joining me for the February 2013 layout a day challenge. 

On to the next stop!

Heather Dubarry: http://noexcusescrapbooking.com

Alison Day: http://adayinthelifeor5.blogspot.com/

Danielle Taylor: http://scrapperonthestreet.com

Alison Charlton: http://scrappinginsingapore.blogspot.com/

Christy Strickler: http://myscrapbookevolution.blogspot.com/

Lynnette Nagle: http://sassyscrapper2010.blogspot.com/

Julie Shepler: www.sheplerfamily.com

Joy McHargue: http://www.studiowowjoy.com/

Kelli Panique: http://scrapbookgirl71.com/

Cathy Holiday: pikespeakscrapper.blogspot.com

Leslie Smith: http://lcsmithsaved-outofthemire.blogspot.com/

Lori Martin: http://Www.chaosandcraziness.com/

Connie Hanks: http://ClickyChickCreates.wordpress.com

 

Betsye Erazo: betsyerose.blogspot.com

 

Marcia Fortunato: mfortunato.blogspot.com

 

Regina Huminski: http://ginabeth1.blogspot.com/

Beth Soler: http://www.scrappingwonders.com

Kristie Sloan: http://kristiesloan.com/blog/

Danielle Hunter: http://ecoscrapbook.blogspot.com/

Katrina Forman: http://k84mansramblings.blogspot.com

Jessica Baldwin: www.inkyaddict.com

Cheryl McCain: http://cherylmccainphotography.com

Briel Schmitz: http://scrappingwindow.blogspot.com/

Marygail Mello: www.marygailscorner.blogspot.com

RMS Friends

The first 2 pages of 2013! 

The Pretty Paper Party Prompt for today revolved around using strips of paper.  Shimelle gave us a few sketches, but I like to use more than one photo on a page, so I changed it up a little.  I used a sketch in Sketchbook Generations 8 book.  It used several of the same features as one of Shimelle's sketches, and I'm happy with it. 

The papers are from Bo Bunny's "Popsicle" collection.  I must confess...this was the 4th collection I tried with these photos.  I might have a few too many choices.  But even with not being able to decide which set of pictures to scrap today (I found pictures from 2 different events that would fit the sketch and was equally happy with scrapping either one) and having to call a friend and say, "DD's middle school graduation, or Grandfather Mountain Highland Games?" and then struggling over which paper collection to use, this only took me 3 hours, which is very good for me.  I'm a slow scrapper.

The white strips of cardstock will have the names of her friends put on them, but I didn't want to add them before putting on the internet.

Pretty Paper

Top o' the morning!

For the next 4 weeks, I am participating in a class by Shimelle, Pretty Paper Party.

I'm very excited about it this morning.  I read the welcoming prompt and am sharing with you a picture of my pretty paper.  I'm sure I could have gotten it into one picture, but it's in separate parts of the room...

This is my collection of Basic Grey collections:

Here I have my BoBunny (the last section and a half), Fancy Pants, Echo Park, and Carta Bella (my new favorite)

I love to make cards, and the prettiest cards are made with pretty paper, right?  and the prettiest paper for cards are made in little 6x6 pads, wouldn't you agree?

But this is the majority of my paper.  These shelves hold most everything else (except what is in project boxes...you know, the iris boxes that I have set aside with everything related to heritage, scouts, Scotland, etc.)

I can usually talk myself out of buying a new collection when I think of these pictures...but sometimes the collection is just so wonderful that I know I'll be searching high or low for it once it goes out of print, and then paying too much for it once I find it. I did that with Cosmo Cricket's Snorkel collection.  I put off buying it for myself until I couldn't find it anywhere...until I was at a Scrapbook Superstore, and then... there it was, (happy sigh), in a double collection pack.  The other collection was eh, but I had to have it!  I had finally found the collection I wanted! I have made 4 pages with it so far, and will use it again when I get the right pictures printed.  Hmmm... maybe it's time to go find those pictures.

Things I am Thankful For mini album

First of all, let me confess: this idea is not original to me, I just tweaked what Cathy Zielske did.  You can check her album out here.  I fell in love with her album, it is so adorable yet simple.  And she has put all the colors and numbers and used adorable graphics, and has figured out all the measurements for you, and has even created a label for the album spine!  I can't say enough good things about her album.  But there were a few things that I wanted to do differently, so I created my own.  1) Cathy designed her pages for a 6x6 album.  I have put myself on a scrap spending freeze, so I can't go out and buy another album.  2) since it's a 6x6 that you print out and then cut, I would be using 32 pieces of white cardstock, and would have a lot of scraps.  3) because it's a 6x6, the photo would have to be cut down to 5x4.  No biggie...but I'd rather just have a space for a full 4x6 and cut down on my work.

I have a bind-it-all with lots and lots of binder rings I stocked up on when an lss went out of business, so it was a no brainer to just make my own.  I took 1 piece of 8 1/2 x 11 chipboard and 8 pieces of 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock and cut them in half.  Then I used my bind-it-all and punched the holes in one end.

Then I took out a well-used collection of paper, Indian Summer by Basic Grey, and cut thirty 1 x 5 1/2 inch strips of paper and attached them near the end of the white papers away from the holes on both sides.  There was one piece of cardstock 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 left over which I later used to cut out the title for the front of the book.

Then I used distress markers and made colored lines to hold the journaling for each day, and then used a stamp set I've been hoarding for 5-6 years for the first time to stamp the date on each page. 
I can't wait to use it!

Chevron nails

I have discovered nail stamping and have fun playing with my nails when I find make the time.  I love how fun they came out today!  If you want to learn about nail stamping, go to dailysomething.com

60's family

After adding the circles to this page, I decided it needed another thing to make this special. Sewing is one of my favorite techniques to do on my pages. Mama taught me to sew when I was little, and it is very relaxing to me. I have these wonderful flourish templates from Oriental trading, and too many bobbins of DMC floss to count. As a finishing touch, I added pearls to the ends of the flourishes. My oldest sister did the journaling on this page since it was a few years before I was born.

 

The paper I used is the Faith stack by Paper Studios, and this is an 8 1/2 x 11 page to fit in my heritage album. I used a one inch circle punch for the circles, and a coluzzle template for the tag.

Choo-choo

Sigh, my son is 15 now, and a head taller than I am, and driving every chance he can now... but he was such an adorable 4 year old!

 I stamped a train track, then stamped the train cars and fussy cut them out and pop dotted them onto the track, putting the title on the cars.  The smoke was made with a flower stamp, inked once.

I started this layout about 2 years ago, and originally intended on a 2 page layout, but tonight the pictures fell on the page just so...and I decided it was good enough!