Chosen

There are so many reasons that I love scrapbooking...the fact that I know I am creating a collection of pictures and stories that are important to our family...and the those family members that are not here yet -- and some I may not ever have the privilege of meeting. They will know more about us than I have been able to find out about my ancestors....I think of it as my gift to them. And while that is the BIG motivator for me most of the time...another thing that I love about scrapbooking is the fact that sometimes it gives me the opportunity to create a meaningful gift for someone else. This shadowbox is an example of that...I created it for a baby dedication we were doing this past weekend at our church.

"Champ" is the little boy -- and what a cutie, huh?!?! He was adopted when he was just almost a year old....so we didn't really have "baby" pictures to work with....but I think the ones we chose to work with were just precious. I used three pictures and cut various parts of each one out and then used some foam square adhesive to pop each one up a bit higher...for a dimensional effect.

I also took some letters and used them to mask the child's name and painted on the backside of the glass....and then added some rub-ons to the front of the glass. The mom liked it -- and it got me thinking about what a super baby shower gift something like this could be....I found this frame at Hobby Lobby.

Hope you all are having a great week. I am spending the week finishing up paperwork from this semester -- and getting my grades filed with the University. Also, I have my niece's daughter here with me while her momma and daddy go to Gatlinburg for a few days. We are having an absolute BLAST. Ella is 18 months old....and just as sweet as sweet can be. I had a meeting away from the house today -- and had a friend come and stay with her for a few hours. When I returned home, Ella just sprang off of the couch and threw herself into my arms....gotta tell you it melted my heart instantly....such sweet joy....just happy to see me. WOW -- makes me want to give that same feeling to the people I care about....I may look a little silly -- but if it makes them feel as wonderful as Ella made me feel it will be totally worth it. Just a little mid-week pondering of "deep things" going on here. What are you pondering? What brings joy in your life?

On-line Gift Certificates

Ok...so today is a bit non-craft/scrapbooking related -- but it could help you get some new crafty stuff....so read on!

I know we are all looking for ways to save money in these economic times -- and I found one way I wanted to share with you. It is called SWAGBUCKS!

Here is how it works...you use their search engine (powered by Google) for the internet searches you would be doing anyway...and each day you are awarded or win a certain number of SWAGBUCKS. (You must be signed into your Swagbucks account) but it is really simple -- and each day you have to potential of winning 1-5 Swagbucks...I haven't ever won more than 3 -- but I see others get 4 or 5 -- so know that it is possible. Honestly -- once you win for the day -- you can continue to use it or go back to your normal search engine because you only win once a day. Your account accumulates your Swagbucks...and then you can redeem them for gift certificates or other items. Pretty cool -- and TOTALLY FREE!

To get started....go register for your own Swagbuck Account HERE.

Have a great day...

Tear It Up

I had so much fun in Houston last weekend visiting one of my best friends, Mona. She has a lovely home -- and three beautiful grown daughters that love to come over and spend time with their mama. I love spending time with them too -- and they brought their absolutely precious kiddos with them. It was beautiful weather (which if you know Houston -- is a rarity due to humidity) and we spent time sitting on the porch talking and laughing...and almost as much time around the kitchen island cooking and talking and laughing. It was just the best few days...so good for my soul. One afternoon I had the opportunity to take a few pictures of the newest member of their family...NASH. With beautiful natural light on the front porch, we just threw some blankets down and started snapping pics. He is so beautiful.

I just had to scrap a few of them -- and will post a few more later this week (gotta get those dreaded taxes done before I can play!). The page above was created by using some scrap KI Lace paper as a mask (the flowers) and spray painting the green cardstock. I then tore it into strips and then sewed them back together and pressed the seams to the front and side. I like how it kind of ended up having a soft worn feel to it. I added few swirly stamps (Autumn Leaves) and some glitter (Art Institute) berries.

Isn't he just beautiful?!?!? Babies just smell so sweet (well -- most of the time!) And he is a "snuggler" so I took full advantage and held him as often as possible. Great memories...I am so blessed to have such a sweet friend -- and love that her daughters have become my friends too.

Hope you had a wonderful Easter.

Pictures aren't ALWAYS necessary

I know that is almost scrapbooking heresay, right?!?!? Seriously, if you have a story to tell, but no picture to go with it -- you STILL need to tell the story. I decided to let a bit of my "artistic" self emerge to create the setting for this particular story. So I had fun with paint and stamps...making sure to leave room for the STORY. Do you have a story to tell? I can't wait to read it! Go for it.

Letting your cardstock take Center Stage

You know me...I love the layered page...I love techniques...I love distressing....but every once in a while -- I want to get back to the basics. These two pages were really about letting the cardstock be the basis of the page....and I like how they turned out. They are from two extremes of Weston's life -- but in both -- he clearly knows how to work the camera...


In this first one, I tried to make the Mickey Ears reflect the "REFLECTION" of weston in the pictures.... I think that the red pops off the page a bit more because I outlined the letters....just an idea. If you are using a Cricut, you can use the Cricut Color Markers before you cut out your shapes and they will come out evenly outlined...a time saver and a nice touch.




On this layout, I used one of the Cricut Shapes from the Graphically Speaking cartridge. It is an element that I think was intended as a "foundation" shape for a mini-book...but I resized it to FILL THE PAGE....and I love the rounded edges and all the little holes down the side....very graphical -- and would be fun to also add other colors of paper behind it. The largest I could get it to cut was about 11x11 -- so I could have put it on another piece of patterned paper or cardstock to make it a 12x12 -- but I liked the "see through" element so just kept it as is.

Hope you are having a good week. I would love to see your projects where you let your cardstock take center stage....link them here for us to see.

Fun with Embossing

I have used two different kinds of embossing on this layout. The birds and the script underneath the tag are both stamps that I then used embossing powder on and then heat set.

The tag is something new that I just discovered you can do with your Cuttlebug. If you will ink your Cuttlebug Embossing folder(any kind of ink other than permanent ink like Stazon) prior to running your paper or tag through the Cuttlebug you will get a very interesting embossed background. I tried inking both sides of the embossing folder and found I like the results best on the side that actually has the Cuttlebug logo printed on it. When you are done, just use a baby wipe to clean off any remaining ink. My mind is spinning with fun new ideas...and will be sure and post them here. Hope you have had a good Saturday...is it Spring where you are?

A Couple More Edgie Ideas

I had a great time Friday Night with my scrappy girls! It was cold and messy outside -- but as usual it was warm, fun, friendly and full of encouragement inside! I had a couple more ideas about how to add an "edge" to your page and thought I would share them with you. In the layout above (ok...how funny is that picture of me and my sister putting on a "show?") I used a piercing tool to prepare my layout for some hand stitching (I wanted to add a bit more orange to the layout). Then before i did the sewing, I used some distress ink in a similar tone to the background cardstock to darken the edge...then went ahead and added the orange stitching.


On the layout below -- I simply used a pencil and a scalloped edge ruler to mark the scallops onto my background. I then painted with white paint on the outside of the scallops and finished it off with a sharpie giving a good thick line to the edge.

Create an Edge to Your Layout

I love this picture of my two nieces. Lindsey got to go visit her new sister in Guatamala.



I wanted a little bit of an edge to the page -- but didn't want to distract for those cute little owls or the picture -- so I stitched close to the edge and then used a bit darker distressing ink and rubbed it into the edge. I like the effect...an instant subtle border. Try it...and let me see what you come up with.

Create a Stamping Mask

I love the special look of a die cut edge...but I also like them in smaller sizes than they usually come in -- so I decided to try and make my own. I used a corner and edge punch by Fiskars and then trimmed along the shapes to create the wavy edge.

To set off the edge, I used some distress ink to darken the outer edge.




I also wanted to stamp just on the inside part of my card. To do that -- I created a mask out of a piece of scrap paper. I placed the mask over my decorative edge and stamped with my script stamp to fill in the center. This is an easy technique to use anywhere on a layout. You can create a shape and then stamp inside of it on your page. Lots of possibilites.

Have a great week.

Paint Rags as Art -- the color of GREEN

I wish that I could give you a huge list of things that I am currently doing that would be considered "green." But, in reality, I am taking baby steps. A layout that you will see later this week was inspired by a moment of exasperation when yet ANOTHER yellow pages book showed up on my doorstep. It feels like these HUGE books get outdated faster than they can be printed -- and with competitive books -- it just means that the number you are likely to get is doubled. I hate the idea of throwing out pages and pages of paper into a landfill...so I looked at the book a little and decided there were at least TWO uses I could repurpose it for.

The first was as a leaf/flower press. I am going to try and do some mono prints with natural materials...and having them FLAT is a key part of that....so now that book is my official press. I took a few minutes and added some wax paper between several spaced out pages...and it is ready and waiting for spring and my mono-printing project. The fact that it has become a TOOL makes me feel better about it.

Secondly, (since in face TWO yellow pages books showed up on my porch simultaneously) and I never use them -- I hop on the internet when I need a phone number...that was just driving me BATTY seeing all that wasted paper -- probably headed to a land fill. So -- with the second one I started tearing out sheets of the white pages (number listings)....you will see what I made with those in a day or so. But an idea for you Moms would be to save the yellow pages books and do a paper mache project with the kiddos...you could make a pinata around a baloon using the paper and some flour paste as glue. Fun stuff...good messy fun -- and GREEN!

Ahhhh but I digress. Today's card was created from a paint rag. One of my things I have been trying to do in my studio is to not use so many paper towels or baby wipes. I have several old hand towels that I use...the same way I would use a paper towel...wiping up paint or glue or whatever (When these get dirty, I can just throw them in the washer with bleach and they are good as new)....and then I have torn some strips of muslin and have them in a tub for when I need to blend inks on a page....This background is the result of one of those strips of muslin being totally soaked with color. I don't wash these...I just set them aside to make flowers or something else out of....but this one just ended up as my background because I thought it was kind of interesting.

Just as a fun side note...the "artificially colored" stamp is one Royce found for me at the Nashville Flea market. Actually, he found about 50 old stamps from a meat packing house...they are AWESOME....and I am determined to use them....although it isn't just ANY layout that you need a stamp that says PORK SAUSAGE or "FRESH GROUND LAMB!" but I am sure that if I just think about it for a bit, I can find the perfect way to use them. I just LOVE them....worn almost to the nub from use...and the fact that he KNEW me well enough to know that I would adore having the stamps. Oh -- and he also got the huge lidded box that they came in (pictured above) -- ink stained...I just love it...clearly going to be a stamp storage solution for me when I get my studio a bit more organized. My other treasures seen here is a huge old family bible, a turkey cookie cutter and some Chandelier crystals. Am I blessed beyond measure or what!?!?!?!

Happy last day of February...hope you enjoy it -- and are ready for March to "come in like a lion."