Journaling Lists

I am a freak about making lists! I make a list for everything! Last summer I was making a list for our vacation of what to pack. Know what #1 was on my list?? "Make a list of groceries." My husband thinks I'm a complete dork! I just love the order and thought process involved in making lists. Once I've made a list I feel more organized and ready.

Why not bring that list into journaling on a layout?! Instead of writing out a story or complete sentences, make a list of things that were involved within the layout. Some examples include: child's birthday wishes, vacation necessities, or a "to do" list. I could even do a layout ABOUT my list making obsession!

My favourite item to use on layouts lately is fabric strips. I had this bag of misc. fabric strips left over from a make-n-take that I didn't know what I was going to use them for. A few weeks later while working on a page I need some dark red and wanted some texture, glancing around my workspace I spied the bag fabric ribbons hanging off a shelf.

I love the tattered ends and shaggy bits hanging off the fabric ribbon. Now when I'm wandering the craft stores I take a walk through the fabric dept. looking for fat quarters to add to my stash.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

If you, your spouse, son, daughter, parent, etc., serves for our country, THANK YOU! It's because of those who serve that we live the free life we do.

Now, for your Blog inspiration today....take a photo of something you are doing today and scrap it. Whether you're working in the yard, grilling out, gathering with family and friends, going to a parade....whatever it might be, scrap this Memorial Day 2008!

6x12 or 12x6

There's a new layout size making a buzz in the scrapworld...and it's 6x12 or 12x6's! These layouts are fun to do and give a whole different look to our normal 8x8, 8.5x11 or 12x12's. And it's easy....just cut that 12x12 in half! Some people think, "oh I have to have a 6x12 album to scrap one of those pages". Well, I don't have a 6x12 album and I've been creating a lot of these layouts. If you want to put them in an album you can, just hand stitch a closure at the 6" mark of a 12x12 page protector. One layout will slip right in the top and then make a slit on the bottom right side of the "closed" part of the page protector and slip one in from the side! But give this size a try, I think you'll love it!

Scrapping Journal

Do you find yourself thinking about scrapping at strange times? I find myself finding inspiration while watching tv all the time. I also find myself falling asleep with ideas and visions floating in my head. The problem is that I always forget my grand ideas when I try to think of them later. So, I finally started a scrapping journal. Anything and everything goes into this journal. Journaling ideas, quotes, challenges, sketches....anything! It's such a great reference to have when I decide to start a layout. I find myself sitting outside while watching the kids, just flipping through my journal and taking notes--what pictures would work, combining different ideas, paper ideas, etc, etc. Once I get to my scrap table I'm all set to go! If you are on the go and constantly on a time crunch when it comes to scrapping--try creating a journal! You can take your "layout planning" with you!

For my journal I picked up a cheap $2 small notebook at the drug store. I covered it and decorated it.

Scraplift yourself

When it seems I've "lost my scrappin' mojo", I pull out one of my scrapbooks and look through the pages. Then I pull out one of the layouts and turn it 90 degrees and create a sketch for a new page.


I had to go & search for the sketch, sorry its not the best but it shows my "style". I picked up the title, paper & photo placement and added the circle to the bottom right.



This is the page I made with the sketch.

Notice the circle on the bottom right & picture placement.

And here is a card made with the sketch, again I picked up on the circle.

Have some fun with cardboard.....

We get them every month with our kits...those big 'ol usps boxes! Most of us probably just throw them in the recycle bin, but STOP! Don't throw it out this time....take it apart and use it on your pages....On the first layout, I actually cut out pieces and recreated my house, then placed a photo of my house on the "front porch". On the second one I ripped a piece of the box, inked/painted it and then placed my photo, embellies, etc. On the last layout, I actually used a piece of the box as the base page for my layout. I ripped off the top paper layer so you could see the corrugated board, then inked/painted over it and finished the layout on top of it. You can use it as a mat for your photo, you can use it as the base page for your layout....have some fun and think of it as doing good for the community because you're recycling!

Teacher Appreciation day

Today is Teacher Appreciation Day, I forgot to take a picture of the frames I did this year (I take one when I pick ds up from school) so here are the clipboards I did last year. The teachers still use them everyday and they have held up great.

I covered the chipboards pattern paper & rub-ons using Liquitex Gloss medium as the glue. It tries tack free which is very important in humidity central. The last step was adding colour matching ribbons that I looped instead of tying a knot.

I'll update this afternoon with the cute picture frames.

Bighugelabs.com

Here's a site that I was made aware of this past weekend by a scrappy friend. BigHugeLabs It's a great site for putting your pictures into frames, mosaics, puzzles, film strips and much more. I love the way film strips look in layouts, so I took some photos of my son and his friend getting ready to go fishing, uploaded them to Big Huge Labs, turned them into film strips and printed them out. There's a ton of neat stuff....so take some time and check it out!

Layout a Day in May Cybercrop Starts Tomorrow!

Join us as we kick off our Scrappy Play in May cybercrop where a challenge will be issued EVERY DAY to get your creative mojo going! The challenges will get you to thinking and have you creating all kinds of awesome things!
Each challenge will be worth points so the objective is to rak up the most amount of points and have fun at the same time! The challenges do not have to be completed on the same day it is given.. just as long as it is done by May 31st!

Do you think you can handle it? AND.... we are hosting a mini NSD crop for the weekend with "bonus" challenges thrown in for extra points!! Don't miss it!

Don't just scrap your own kids!

I find that my son is the subject of most of my layouts. However, I just have the one son, so between him and my hubby, they get a lot of paper time! Recently I started to scrap my friend's kids. I don't have a daughter, and I see so much awesome "girly" scrapping items out there, that I decided "That's It! I'm going to scrap someone's daughter!" LOL! So I did....I also have done several of my nephew. But remember, even if you don't have kids, scrap your co-worker's children, your neighbor's children, other kids in your immediate family. And as a token of your appreciation for scrapping their children, send the parents an email of the layout or the actual layout itself. But just remember, you aren't limited when it comes to scrapping! The world is your photo gallery!

Daily Uniform

What is your daily uniform? What trends are you really into lately? I just love looking at old photos of my parents in the 60's and 70's. Their outfits are just hilarious! Leisure suits, tight pants, mini-mini skirts! Wouldn't you just love to read what they have to "say" about the clothing that they are wearing? Find a photo of you wearing something that you love. Create a layout based solely on the clothing you are wearing. Journal why you love it, where you got it, and how much it cost. I'm sure your kids will love to look back and laugh at you someday! Don't forget to include your shoes!!!!!

Using up your Scraps!

We all have them....piles of strips, squares, and oddly shaped scraps....well don't ignore them! They have feelings too! Next time you aren't sure where to start on a layout, card or altered item, use up those scraps. Take a handful and just lay them out as your background, use them as a border for your pictures, come on....you can do it! I love using scraps with black and white pictures too, there's no real color conflict when I use black and white. So let's get rid of some of our scraps this week, you know you want to!

Moment shots

I love photos like these ones, they really shows ds1 personality. Luckily DH was outside with us taking pictures of the "torture" haircut, ds1 & 2 hate to get their hair cut. Ds1 decide he had to have a camera too to photograph his hair cut from his angle. Then he had to check out the picture before taking another shot. Just like his momma!I haven't seen the pictures from his camera yet, it's a Vtech Kidzoom. It actually takes decent pictures and very easy to use, the boys love it.

Scrapping non picture items

Our goal for scrapping is to scrap the fun, meaningful events in our lives. Keep in mind that when you scrap you don't always have to use a picture that you took or that someone else took. Use a non picture item, kids school work, newspaper articles, clothing tags. In the examples I've posted, I've used a post card that I picked up when I was visiting with one of my clients. I thought it was such a cool post card and new I'd scrap it in some way. The other example is a piece of art that my son did in school...it just so happened to be something that would fit on a 12x12 layout, so I thought I'd use it. Remember that if you do use a newspaper article, photo copy it first, the ink on the newspaper doesn't last forever and it's really messy! Make it a point this week to scrap something that is a not a picture you've taken. Have fun!

Want to be our May Guest Designer?

Attention Scrappers!
Scrappy Girl Designs is looking for a scrapper to join our team for the month of May! We love seeing different styles of creativity so please don't be afraid to submit!
We are looking for excellent color combinations, great use of embellishments and a fun sense of style!
If you are interested in being our guest designer for May, submit a NEW, never seen layout about 3 things that define YOU! Our DT wants to get to know you through your layout!

You can use any embellies, paper you like but the layout must focus on 3 things that define you!

Other requirements for submitting are:
1. You must have at least 10 posts on our MB. Please come join our community!

2. Submit your layout by April 28th to scrappygirldesigns@hotmail.com The Scrappy Girl DT will review all entries and contact the winner by April 30th. The winner will also be announced on our messageboard!

The guest DT member will:
1. Create 3 layouts using the Scrappy Girl Designs kit!
2. Create a challenge for the Scrappy Girls community!
3. Have fun with the Scrappy Girls!

We can't wait to see your work!

Weekly Challenges at Scrappy Girl Designs

Amber and the DT at Scrappy Girl Designs want to challenge you! We'll be posting a new challenge each Monday Morning....here we go! Get your scrapping Mojo on! You have a full week to work on it! No pressure here! LOL....Ready????? Let's get started!

Your challenge this week is to create a 6x12 or a 12x6 layout. Don't be afraid!!!!! They're fun and a lot easier than you think! You do have a few requirements with this one....here they are -

* You must use 2-3 pictures
* You must use some bling
* You must use rubons of some sort
* Post it in the SGD Gallery and link it back to the Challenge Thread.

You have until Midnight (pacific time), Sunday, 4/13 to complete this challenge. A winner will be picked by Random Drawing from all who particpate and will receive a RAK!

Here's an example -

bare chipboard book

After a trip a to Disney World I wanted to make a quick little book for H but all I had lying around were miscellaneous chipboard pieces -squares, rectangles & circles. I figured H would not really care about the overall shape, he just cared about the pictures of him & his family.

I gather up some stamps with sayings (KI Memories, Wordsworth), Disney stickers and other bits & pieces.

I let the pictures tell the story with a few Disney/Mickey embellishments since the pics. do not scream out "we're at WDW".

I punched holes with the Crop-o-dile, used binder rings and tied a ribbon loop so the book can hang on a hook. I store mini books on a row of coat hooks. That's for another day.

The boys love looking at these simple mini books and I'm not worried about them ruining a book that I spent a lot of time & money on.

Also these little books are perfect for taking to school & showing his friends what he did over spring holiday.

Using Paint Chips

You've seen them, you've probably got a stack somewhere in your junk drawer from trying to pick out colors for that dining room or bedroom....well get them out! Use them on a layout, mini book or card! And if you don't have any at home, next time you're at WalMart or Lowes, pick some up! You can match any layout with these paint chips! I just go through and pick up 10 or so at a time. And yes, one of these days I AM going to paint my dining room! LOL! But, paint chips make a great accent on a layout. Use them as a matte, use them for journaling, use them to create a monochromatic layout. I highly recommend picking some up next time your out and putting them to scrappy use!

Crackle Paint & me

When I spotted the triangle bracket/triangle chipboard piece in my kit I knew that I wanted to try some Distressing Crackle paint on it. I inked the chipboard piece with Tangerine chalk ink and then lightly painted on the Crackle paint. It dried quickly but I put the paint on so thinly that it chipped off in some areas. Overall I like the effect especially the chipped areas.


My sewing is not that great, I used to many threads of floss. I've learned what Not to do for next time.

Editing photos

I'm the first to say I don't have photo shop and have never been a "photographer". Sometimes I feel like my photos could be so much better! And a lot of the time you can make them better just by editing them. Photoshop is fairly expensive and I know I would never use all the different options it offers. So I found picknik.comand I love it! The basic editing options are free. You just upload your photo and it's easy to edit to black and white, sepia, contrast colors and more! You can "fix" your photos, crop them, and save them back to your computer to print, or just print right there. Now if you do want some of the upgrade options, which are very cool, it's only $24.95 a year! I did do the upgrade, but for the first couple of months I just used the basic editing options and really got some great looks to my photos! Go check it out and see what you think! picnik.com

Easter Weekend is here!

Have you purchased your eggs? What colors are you dying them? How many eggs are you going to hide for the great hunt?

All of these are questions and more are crucial to a cool Easter layout! Be sure to get action shots of finding eggs, putting them in the buckets, big kiddie smiles, and just the overall spirit of the weekend!

Use up some pinks, greens, blues, yellows...even if it is not an "Easter" layout! Share them with us on our site: www.scrappygirldesigns.com

We would love to see your work!

Blog Challenge!

We are spreading the Scrappy Girl Designs word and we need your help! Anyone interested in winning some PRIZES??!! Don't worry, this is an easy challenge! All you need to do is spread the SGD word to everyone you know--mention SGD in your blog, post a comment about SGD an someone else's blog, or even on a message board you frequent. Every time you mention Scrappy Girl Designs anywhere online your name will be put in a drawing for fabulous prizes. Drawings will take place twice (yes, TWICE) a month.

To play, log-on to the Scrappy Girl Designs message board. Post a comment telling us where you mentioned SGD (with a link) in the SGD Challenges forum. That's it! Easy! Now go on--spread the word!

Scrappy Girl Designs ROCKS!!!!!

BIG NEWS!!!!

I cannot tell you how stinkin' excited I am about this!!! I've been pinching myself all day long because I just can't believe it!!!

Our June Guest Designer is.......TERESA COLLINS!!!!

Woooohooooo!!!!!!

We will, of course, be featuring one of her lines. But I'm so excited to see what she does with the kit! She was so sweet in her e-mail and I'm so grateful she's taking time out of her super busy life to design our kit!!

Check out her websites at: www.teresacollinsdesigns.com

Easter banner

I've been wanting to make a cute little banner for the holidays and I finally did one for Easter. I gather up some supplies - Stickles, diecuts, pastel papers & ink- and one hour out of my day.

I cut 6 scallop circles and 6 circles in a contrasting pastel colour. I added Fruit Punch Stickles to the outer edge of the scallops.

I cut 6 pennant flags from cardstock 4in wide by 8.5in long, cut on the diagonal corner to corner. Then I added some diecuts for embellishments and attached the circles to the pennants with pop-dots.

I'm waiting for the Stickles to dry before I can add the ribbon to each corner of the pennants to make a swag.

Don't forget to Scrap Yourself

It's always hard for us scrappers to do a layout about ourselves. It seems awkward, I felt like I was saying "look at me!". We spend all this time preserving the memories of everyone else in our lives, except ourselves. I think it's very important that we leave pages for about ourselves for our kids and their kids. They want to know what "mom" is like, what her favorite things are, where she traveled, etc. So this week, take some time and create a page about yourself. Use a picture of yourself as well! And yes, the first one will be difficult, but once you do a few you'll see it isn't so bad! Do a page about what you do for work, what your favorite color is, What's your sign, your favorite hobby? Anything at all, but don't wait any longer, get going on your Book Of Me today!

April Guest Designer Contest!

Scrappy Girl Designs is looking for a guest designer for the month of April!

We are eager to add one special scrapper to the team who loves to chat and scrap!

Seeing that April is a favorite month for many people because it symbolizes new beginnings and growth, we want to see a layout about your favorite things! It can be people, places, or things! Or a combo of all three...

In order to participate, you will need to:
1. Submit a layout about your favorite things! It can be 12 x 12 or 8.5 x 11. No digital layouts please!
2. Have at least 10 posts on our messageboard. Come check out our community! We would love to meet you
3. Submit your layout to scrappygirldesigns@hotmail.com by March 30. The Scrappy Girl DT will review all entries and contact the winner by April 2.

The guest design team member will: 1. Create 3 layouts using the Scrappy Girl Designs kit!
2. Create a challenge for the Scrappy Girl Designs community.
3. Have fun with the Scrappy Girls!

We can't wait to see your work!

Come on, join our community and let us see your awesome designs! You never know.. you could be on the team!

Need Inspiration?

Looking for some inspiration for your scrapin' projects this weekend? Stop on over to the Scrappy Girl Designs Gallery. Lots of fun layouts, cards, or altered project sure to get your mojo going. Here are a few peeks at what our members have posted this week:

You can't ruin a layout!!!!

Well, at least for the most part you can't. It happened to me this weekend, I was getting ready to glue on an embellishment and was having a hard time getting the glue to come out (brand new too, I might say). So I gave it a bit of a harder squeeze and guess what....the cap popped off and spewed glue all over everything...my layout, my jeans, my carpet....I was not a happy girl!

After I calmed down....(it took awhile)...I didn't care so much about my jeans or the carpet. How bad is that? What I was concerned with was my layout! so I carefully wiped away the excess glue, it dries clear, so I thought it would be okay. I then covered up any areas that I didn't think would look good with other embellishments...and wouldn't you know...I was fine with it. I used to start over when something like that happened, now I just cover it up and move on!

I honestly don't think you can ever ruin a layout....I guess you'd have to completely spill an entire cup/glass of liquids on it to do so and maybe that would ruin it, but now I look at it as on opportunity to have it turn out even better than I thought!

MARCH KIT IS HERE!!!!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this month's kit!!!

We're featuring Jenni Bowlin's Tangerine Line and Dream Street Papers Birdie Bits. Our featured project is a Bare Elements Tin Album.

Let's get ready.....

So how is the "lucky" month of March treating you? It's been very good to me so far, I was selected to be on this great design team called Scrappy Girl Designs! We have a lot challenges, topics, inspirations and more just waiting for you on our website ScrappyGirlDesigns. If you haven't check out us yet please come in on and introduce yourselves.

New Design Team!!

The votes are in. The judges has such a hard time this round!!!! Everyone who submitted did such a fabulous job.

Design Team Coordinator: Orgin (mommytoJ&K)
DT Member: Nikki (nikki z)
DT Member: Sarah (tmouse)
DT Member: Tara (tarajames812)
DT Member: Debbie (debbiefritz)
Class/Project Kit Designer: Stacey (carbphrek)