Monday, June 11, 2012

Sisters, an envelope mini

And yet another style of mini envelope album. Told you I was hooked.
This one uses some extra Christmas card envelopes I had (thick and lined, kinda cool) and each page has a second envelope/pocket made from the bill envelopes we get in the mail.

I made this one based on a facebook challenge. "First 3 people to sign below get a homemade gift" kind of deal. I was thrilled with the first 3 people who signed up and this album is one of those gifts.

I've known Vicki for about 40 years. Long story short, she and her sisters lived down the street when I was little, in Petaluma, CA. I've always loved her sisters names (Valerie, Vicki, Vivian, Vonnie and her mom is Violet. Dad is Larry, just an FYI) even though she got grief about it growing up.

Anyway, her folks just celebrated their 50th and I saw a slew of pictures of Vicki and her sisters and thought it would be cool to do a sisters album. So here it is.

Because of the envelope size this is a larger mini, about 6 1/2 x 8". I used the Basic Grey lines sold at Joann's, Shine On and Serendipity. Best of all, on the cover? I used those super tint mini brads (which I LOVE!) as flower centers on the transparency overlay.








Each page has three pull outs, the slit outer edge of the envelope for a full sized, 2 sided pull out, the top of the smaller envelope for another two sided pull out and the inner side pull-out in the pocket created by the second envelope. Lots of places for photos. Each set of pages has a quote or two about sisters, some funny, some serious. Ink, a little bit of sewing and pieced elements from the embellishments I bought with the BG paper. I used about one and a half of the 6 x 6 paper pads and a good chunk of a DCWV mat stack as the inserts. The colors, which I don't do justice here, are all over the place and surprisingly, I really like the eclectic mix! I also made some outlined journaling boxes in Word and added them to a few of the pages.

One of my favorite minis to date and I wish I'd purchased more of the paper as I'd love to make one of these for myself.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Side pull envelope mini

It really feels good to be back!

Today's share is another envelope mini (told you I was addicted!), this one has a phalange hinge binding and side pull out pages. (Yesterdays was a die cut shape hinge binding and top pull out pages).

Another baby book, for another friend/co-worked, but this baby has been born and some of the pages are slightly decorated.

Papers are from K & Co at Joann's, and the base is actually pale pink (though you  wouldn't know it from this picture!) It is slightly larger than yesterday's at 5" x 6 1/2" and the spine/cover are covered chipboard.

Each page set has decoration on one side and a place for a 3 1/2 x 5 photo on the other, plus a two sided pull out for more photos or journaling. I used the Tim Holtz die on each pull out the edge the page, as seen on the upper left.






It's another month-by-month book, and I used the tags from the same K & Co line, as well as the paper scraps from trimming the paper pack, to make most of the accents. I did add occasional bits of ribbon, a brad or two, ink and some rub on month titles. I also added some mini journaling tag type pull-outs and pearl dots for the butterfly's body.

That's it! Thanks for looking :)

Friday, June 8, 2012

Back at it!

I know, REALLY long absence. Health concerns, surgery, pondering life, wondering why I share these pages, healing, etc. I needed a break and now I'm better. Onward!

During some of my downtime I made gift albums. A slew of gift albums. All of them variations of an envelope album. Lots and lots of fun to create.

Here is one I did for a friend expecting her first baby boy. She wanted REALLY simple, a year-at-a-glance type book so this is what I made:
It measures 4 1/2 x 6" and uses the Echo Park mini theme boy kit. That $4 kit, 5 sheets of cardstock and a pack of envelopes and cards are what I used to make this.
I used die cut (Cricut) shapes as hinges for the pages and the envelopes covered with cardstock are the album base. The inserts in each page are the cards that come in the card/envelope package.
Each page has a space for a 3 1/2 x 5 photo and next to it a monthly fact sheet. I used the stickers that came in the kit to accent the cards. They can be tucked under the die cut and removed from the album at will, or adhered down once the information has been entered.

And this is how the album closes. One of those do-dads that came on Making Memories rub-on packs and a small pony holder. Cheap, easy, sturdy and it works great!

It was tough for me not to add a bit more on this one. Inked edges and sewing, specifically. I really like the mostly-photo look, but I also like a little dimension. Oh well, it's not for me and this is what she wanted... I hope :)

Monday, April 2, 2012

Duplicating pages

Someone recently asked, because I make albums for our four kids as well as one for us, if I make a lot of duplicate pages. The answer? not really. Once a year we do a Christmas card photo shoot, and for those pages I usually do an assembly line deal. Pick a style I like and make four in 8 1/2 x 11. It is almost as fast as making one page. For example, each child has this page in their albums:

But for most of the other pictures I make them all different pages. I may use the same paper line (sometimes, but not always) like I did with one of yesterdays topics. I'd purchased the MME Miss Caroline line knowing I had pages to make for each child from our state fair trip in 1996. Though I used the same line for all the pages, each one was done differently because I used different pictures for each child's book. Here is one of those:

And really, I'm OK with that. Because I only rarely scrap the same exact photos or use the same exact product it doesn't get boring to create. Each child has a different experience at the same event and THAT is what I focus on.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Ignore this, not complete

OK, so I don't remember how to stitch l/o's together, but for the purpose of this post only the accent box is needed, so please, ignore this incompletely shared l/o. Thankyouverymuch :)

Sleepy Sunday

I wayyyyyy overdid it yesterday. Who would have thought getting three units of blood (kinda creepy, I know) would have worn me out so much? Heck, I thought the blood would go a long way in making me feel BETTER!!! Maybe in a few days... I guess.

I did no scrapping yesterday. Went to Target for meds, Costco for milk, and much later in the day, to dinner with my sister and friend Janie (both are NP's, so I knew if anything happened I'd be in fabulous hands). I then rested or slept in bed for 12 stinking hours! I usually sleep 5-6 hours a night, so the 12 hour thing is unheard of for me.

Here is one of the first "modern" l/o's I ever made... back in 1995.
Yep. Traditional. Border, Mrs. G stickers, pen work, random stickers. But really, as not-so-great as it is, the REAL reason I'm re-doing those old layouts is the lack of purpose. Sure, there photos are there, but no story. And honestly, I am all about the stories and memories behind the photos.

Saturday, March 31, 2012

What needs tweaking

As I sat (and sat and sat and sat) at the infusion center yesterday I had plenty of time to ponder. One of the benefits of scrapping as much as I have lately is that I know what is working, and what is NOT, in regards to how I have my scrap supplies organized. For example, to store the vast majority of my embellishments (including brads and buttons and ribbons and flowers and small this & that things) I use these:

Sorted by color, and one by theme (animals, holidays, school, etc). It works great because I don;t have to dig around, much. But, I still my two (down from 13 so wooo hoo for that!) PSB's with stuff that needs to be pulled and put into artbins. More time efficient. Oh, and I went that route because I wanted my home storage system to be easily accessible as well as portable for girls weekends away.

Another thing that works great for me is to have a bunch of my pattern paper, with coordinating cardstock, sorted into plastic kits in one of these:



And I love it, but I don't have it sorted by theme or color or paper type (boy, girl, striped, flowers, holidays, etc) so I spend way more time looking through when I need a kit for a l/o than I'd like to.

So, to quote a word from one of my favorite all time movies, my system needs "tweaking". Nothing major, will require some time, but definitely do-able.

But maybe I'll just finish up the l/o sitting on my desk first :)

Friday, March 30, 2012

A quick share

I go in for a blood transfusion this morning (low levels of iron and blood) and though I'm not thrilled about it I am looking forward to feeling better. So, a quick share of a l/o I completed yesterday. Didn't get nearly as much done as I'd have liked yesterday, but I'm hoping today's infusion center visit helps turn that around a bit.

I had a sketch similar to this in my idea book, so I can only imagine I saw something like it somewhere, at some point.  And those Pebbles flowers are a brand new purchase, so yeah for using new product!


Thursday, March 29, 2012

Reflecting

One thing I truly appreciate about working with older photos is the forgotten memories and smiles they cause. At (almost) 23 and 21, my oldest two kids haven't been babies for a really long time and remembering the stories and words and events and activities from that time in their lives has been hugely heart warming. So, yes, I wish the pictures from the early days were all safely tucked into albums, but the process of getting them there is pretty sweet.

One from yesterday's all-too-limited scrap time.
That incredible lady in the top left photo? My Grandma, Amy's great-Grandma. She passed away in 1999 and I still miss her. But that heinous gold couch that belonged to my folks? Don't miss that, at all!

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Goodbye 1991!

I know, rather scary (considering it is 2012 and I've allegedly been scrapping since 1995!) but I FINALY have '91 done. Completely. In everyone's albums. Yippee! And, here is Matt's final page from that memorable year.


And a two pager at that! Obviously, I had a tough time narrowing down my photo choices.

With only a few chores and errands to interrupt me, I have the next few days off and hope to spend some quality time putting pictures and stories on paper.

A very blessed Wednesday to all!

Monday, March 26, 2012

Happy (sunny!) Monday

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend that included whatever plenty of what you love most.

I had to take it easy this weekend so I spent some time (though not as much as I would have liked!) at my scrap desk.

I've got piles of pictures on my work surface from 1991 (I know, I know... I'm working on that! And yes, there are tons done from after that date, I'm just filling in gaps. Seems to be the theme this year) in three stacks; Matt's book, Amy's book and the family album. The kids' are all 8 1/2 x 11 so easy to share, but the 12 x 12? Not so much.

I stink at using kits sent from the brief time I was a member of SG's kit club. I love the items they choose, I just have a tough time following what they've done, though I do think they are wonderful. So, I was too happy to use some of the kit for this l/o.

Not my favorite, and I did use some really old stickers (yeah!), but I don't cringe when I look at it (my do-over criteria) so it stays. My theory is they can't all be favorites, but if I truly hate what I've made (and oh yes, that has happened plenty of times) then I'm going to fix or re-do it.

Doctor (ick) and work today, but as it is spring break for me (yeah!!!!) I'm going to spend at least part of today scrapping.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Happy Friday!

Yesterday was a bit nuts as I took a dear friend in for a tonsillectomy (no fun at any age, but as an adult? No thank you!) then went straight to work, but she is doing great so it all worked out.

I have a simple share from a l/o I finished a few days ago.
I scraplifted myself for this one. It's inspired by a page I made for my book on memorabilia 7 years ago. Can I just say I love sewing on paper?!

I have this weekend off work and my chores are almost done, so after work tonight until Monday I plan to spend some quality time at my scrap desk!!!!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

A challenge offering

One of the blogs I was reading (www.skippingstonesdesign.com) posted a sketch and offered a challenge. I liked the sketch for a l/o I was working on and had enough supplies left over to make a card too so here it is. Thanks for the inspiration!


A public service announcement

Taking a (brief!) break from l/o sharing to offer this PSA. Probably most of you already know this. But, for the rare un-pinterested person out there, here you go.

Today's topic: border punches. They are hot, they are handy and they can be dang cute! While perusing Pinterest last week I found a lengthy video tutorial on how to make double sided strips from border punches. Here is the Readers Digest version!
1. Cut a strip of the cardstock you want to use to exactly one inch. (Pattern paper works, but often you lose the pattern due to the size).

2. Mark the strip on BOTH sides, at the center of your strip. 12" border? Mark it at 6" (etc). Just a small mark is good because it will be cut away when you use the punch.

3. Center the mark on your paper with the center of the punch design. Punch.

4. Turn the paper around, line the paper mark up with the center of the punch and punch again.

5. Use the grid marks on the top side of the punch to line up your remaining strip with the already punched holes and punch away! When one side is done,flip it around and do it with the other side.

TA-DA! A cool strip. Using that same double scallop, if you line it up just off center you get a different, cool design. (See the off center half circle on the extra samples?). And some samples of the designs on different border punches.

DISCLAIMER: it does take a little practice to get it lined up and punches just right. I'd highly encourage you to try on scrap paper first, especially if you've only got a bit of the cardstock you want to use for the card or page left.

Happy punching!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

A little bit nostalgic

So, I was all set to share a few of the pages I finished yesterday. But I was texting with my girlfriend Kristy and I was thinking how this hobby has blessed me in so many ways and I pulled out an album I did ten or so years ago about girlfriends and people I've met through this hobby, or relationships that have developed through a shared love of scrapping. Be warned, these are all at least 10 years old, so the titles are cut by hand (couldn't do that now if I had to! My eyes are not what they used to be) and I hand sewed all those pieces. Yikes. Not sure why I waited so long to use my sewing machine! Anyway, bits and pieces of yesterday.


Bummer, couldn't get those two pages closer together. That was for an "all about me" challenge. Remember those? It was also the first time I used a flip book on a page.

For that same challenge. My first time entering H of F, and my first Honorable Mention. I entered as a challenge to myself and was truly blown away when I got an HM. Entered three times, got three HM's. I was pretty stinking excited about that.

These next four are girlfriends. All are part of a two page spread but I'm lazy and only scanned one side of each. Love those ladies!!!!


And this last one is of my first scrapbook show. I did some work for CK and it was soooooo much fun! It was also how I met Deb Jennis, got started doing jobs for certain companies, did DT work, taught classes, designed products and eventually wrote six books. But best of all, I've made some many life long friends that have touched my life and heart in ways I could have never imagined.

Yikes! Got sentimental there for a minute. Back to scrapping for me.... before my mom and sis come over for our "Wicked" night out!







Monday, March 19, 2012

I'm all about the stories

As I FINALLY fill in the album gaps with some of these older pictures I find that about 97.5% time I choose photos and scrap them to tell a story. Who were are (were), what we did, what was funny, what really mattered. Sure, every once in a while I come across a picture that I just adore and want to showcase and be extra creative with, but mostly that is not the case. Photos in boxes and words crammed up in my very small brain are not shared and remembered, and that is my primary focus and goal with scrapping. Yes, I love it, but the purpose behind it is even more important to me. Even more so now as these are the "older" photos in my kids' lives and they will never know the stories of their early days if we (I) don;t tel them.

So, yesterday was a big fat zero of a day for scrapping. After getting home from work Saturday night/Sunday morning after 0200, then reading for a while to unwind, I was up by 0700, working on chocolate chip cookies and a fruit fly costume. Jones, child #3 and the freshman at WSU Pullman,  told one of her girlfriends, who had been home for spring break, that we had some bug eye glasses. Tatum, who has been one of Joani's best friends since we moved here almost 8 years ago, is like another daughter and I was glad to dig through the attic and the costume tubs looking for said bug eyes. Jones must have loaned them out because they were no where to be found. Tatum needed a fruit fly costume for a speech she is giving this week and I felt horrible that we'd let her down. So I googled and found a few pictures that were my motivation for the costume. (I love Google images!) Anyway, ugly as it was (it's a fruit fly!!!!) Tatum was very happy, she took some chocolate chip cookies and protein bars with her back to Pullman (she goes to WSU too) and I felt a whole lot less guilty. Church, a much needed nap before work and, well, no scrapping, no blog.

So, today I'll share a few from Saturday's scrap time. As I spend more time at my scrap desk I find the pages are coming together much more quickly. Maybe because my focus is the stories and photos and I spend way less time (on most of them) with the creative part, but maybe because I'm in a swing. Or so I like to tell myself :)

Why, you may well ask, did I include this one to share? Because I used prehistoric product! I won that title at a CK show, or maybe the one Paper Kuts did, at least 10 years ago...heck,maybe more! It was in the prize package for their page l/o contest, back when they did those and I actually entered them. And the little white splashes are from a punch created by Hoki Sato... the absolute queen of punch art and an incredibly beautiful and sweet lady to boot... about 10 or so years ago. The page totally makes me smile... the old product, Hoki AND the cute little boy, even though the page is just 'eh.

Yes, that is diet coke in my darling sons bottle and NO, that was NOT a common occurrence. All I can say is that my husband and BIL were in "charge" while I was at work and that is what the journaling is about. Bottle, tv, lack of clothes. yeah. BUT, the really cool thing (and what got me 5 extra points!) is the word "hanging". Provo Craft stickers, bought during my first trip to Utah in like '98 or '99.... and I used them!!!!! Plus, the l/o took less than 30 minutes to put together which is absolutely unheard of for me.
And a little more creative. Totally about the story. The kid was a collect-them-all kind of guy and his very first obsession (of many!) was toy guitars. I wasn't wise enough to take a photo of the entire collection, but he's holding a green plastic one in one photo and he's looking through a magazine with guitars in it in the others. I had no guitar accents in my stash so I made a paper piecing of one based off of clip art found on the 'net.  I also used those itty bitty Doodlebug rub-ons (love, love, love Doodlebug and Cynthia Sandoval, always will).

And this one. I've had bakers twine for a while now, but have only used it on cards. Used it to tie on the subtitle here. Also, the title itself is a computer printed word filled in with a water color brush and ink pad... another title choice. And I swear, though it may look otherwise, we DID clothe our children when they were little. Really.