Scrapbooking Process: Using up Stash!

This past week, I have been going through all our digital photos, making sure they were organized properly and saved all in one place.  The process included going through various CDs, my hubby's computer files, my computer and our external hard drive.  It was quite the job, but I have now compiled what I figure to be all the important family photos in one spot on our external hard drive, by year and by month, with all duplicates and renegade photos accounted for.  The phone photos were the hardest -- before owning an iPhone, the dates were not recorded on the photo files, so I had to match those photos to others where clothing and haircuts were similar!

Now that this job is finished, I feel as though important photos will no longer be missed that need to be scrapped.  Not that I will scrap all of them -- but I knew there were some random shots that told fun and interesting stories that needed to be in our albums.

Here is one of those stories:  My husband took our oldest son, when he was 5, for a very short, shaved, barber shop haircut that nearly gave me a heart attack at the time.  Looking back now, he was stinkin' cute!  

Here is my thinking process for this layout.  First, I decided to really dig in my stash and use only "old" stuff.  There is way too much paper in my paper box, so I need to get into it and start using it up.  I pulled some Paper Loft papers from different collections that meshed nicely together, plus a little bit of this and that from all over my scrap area:

Next, I chose a sketch.  Most of the time, I will start with Pagemaps.  This sketch from October 2012 looked promising and I thought it could develop into a two photo layout:

As you'll see from the finished layout, things didn't go quite as planned! First, I ditched the second photo. Since one photo was portrait and the other landscape, I couldn't find a way to bring good continuity to the layout using both.  Second, I turned the layout so that the long border grounded my focal photo better.  A switch of Paper Loft paper from greens to blues were brought in as well as a chipboard set from Basic Grey that I bought awhile ago at Big Lots and never used.  Since frames are making a big comeback, the rust colored frame from that set worked extremely well with my chosen papers.  

Finally, I brought in just a couple new items (I couldn't resist) to rev up the final layout:  a wood veneer and title letters from the Basic Grey "PB & J" collection.  Journaling will be added on a tag and tucked behind the photo later.  

Notice the Urban "tag" that I used on my layout? Rummage your home for things like this for your own ephemera.

Hope this gives you some inspiration as you scrap this week! What's your page layout process??

Scrapbook Process: Remembering Memorial Day

It's with heartfelt thanks and appreciation that this post is dedicated to all those who have died fighting for our country's freedom, and for those who are continuing the fight on our own soil and abroad.

Today's layout is a patriotic one that I finished last week.  The photo was from an Independence Day celebration in our neighborhood, but nonetheless, an All-American layout it is.

The paper is a sheet from the My Minds Eye "American Made" collection from a couple years ago.  I added diecuts from the line, as well as various bits and pieces that I had, including some flair and a Creative Memories diecut (the firework).  Washi tape and some bling were added to make it even more festive.

The important addition to the layout was this sticker:

We may be American Made, but it is the freedom that is fought for that makes this country truly great.  

Thank you, Men and Women of our Armed Forces - you are loved and appreciated for your sacrifices.

Frugal Scrapping: Supplies from the Sewing Department - Video

A couple weeks ago, I shared some finds in the Sewing Department of my local Walmart that make for great embellishments for scrapbooking. (You can read the full post HERE.)  This week I did a video, so if you'd like to see the items I purchased, you can watch it here:

Scrapbook Process: "Let's Play" a Challenge!

This weekend was fairly productive, scrapping-wise.  I got quite a few layouts finished -- most with old photos that I had never gotten around to scrapping.  Now that I am practicing more and more layering with my 12 x 12" layouts, I find that using one photo on a page is easier than ever before. 

This is a layout finished with some paper from Fancy Pants from a couple years ago that was in my stash and other scraps that I had left over from another layout.  The Page Maps sketch I followed is part of the recent challenge over at The Memory Nest blog that ends tomorrow. 

Leslie also has a Design Team call at her blog too!  If you've ever wanted to try out for a Design Team, this one would be a great opportunity.  Details HERE.  Deadline is May 28th.

What did you scrap or make over the weekend??

Find me on YouTube!

Lately I have been watching several craft tutorials and videos on YouTube to glean some new ideas for my scrapbooking and cardmaking.  My teenager saw what I was doing and said:  "Mom, you can do that! Why don't you do that too?"

Never had I thought of uploading my own videos on YouTube, but after my son's encouragement, I thought that maybe there was something that I could contribute to other scrappers and cardmakers.

My videos will focus on how to get more for your money and making the best out of your scrapbook supplies.  I never buy anything for this hobby at full price, so I will share with you how I do it so that you can do it too.

Here is one of my first videos for you to check out.  Would absolutely love your comments and suggestions!

Card Making Process: Embellishments with Punch

TIP:  Get your money's worth by using small punches to make embellishments for your cards!

A special friend has a birthday tomorrow, and hubby and I are taking her out to lunch today.  Even though she is a card maker herself, I know that she will surely appreciate a handmade card from a friend!

Here is the one that she will get today:

This card was actually made using all scrap papers.  After adding the flowers and ribbon, I knew that it needed a little extra something.  To stay with the feminine theme of the card, I used my butterfly and heart punches to make embellishments.  It's simple, sweet, and easy to do with matching paper scraps.  

TIP:  While supplies are out, make another card right away to keep in your stash and use up the scraps.

After the first card, I realized I had enough to make another card, which I did right away to keep in my stash.  

I also entered this in the Whimsical Wednesday post over at The Memory Nest.  

Question for today:  Do you make birthday cards as you need them?  Or do you keep several in your "stash"?  

Scrapbook Process: NSD Layout #3 - Mirroring Pages

It got too late in the day to take photos and post my last layout for National Scrapbooking Day, but I still wanted to post it since I was pleased at how it turned out. Two of my three goals were finished: completing three layouts and using stash that was over a year old.  I totally forgot about the stamping goal, so that didn't make any of my layouts this time. The nice thing was that made a point of utilizing a lot of older stash, including several Cricut diecuts from swaps that you will see on this double layout:

The patterned papers are from Basic Grey, the blue cardstock is Bazzill, the balloons, party hat and cake are from a Cricut swap.  The acrylic "wishes" and "party" titles stickers are from Joann's (I believe their own brand).  Because this layout is for my son's scrapbook, I wanted it to be fun, simplistic, brightand with more photos.

This layout was also completed for the first challenge on the Basic Grey blog for National Scrapbooking Day.  Their challenge was to: Create a project using a craft knife or scissors to cut around the designs on patterned paper.  However, once I got started designing the layout, I completely forgot about the cutting!  I finished instead by trimming around three of the balloons so that I could slide a photo into the slit.

I hope you were able to get a lot accomplished yesterday -- but most importantly -- you had a wonderful time with your craft!

Scrapbook Process: NSD Layout #2 - Using Different Fonts

TIP:  Experiment with different sets and sizes of letters to complete a title.

Since I had out my Bo Bunny "Timepiece" collection, I decided to do another layout with a cute black and white photo of my youngest.  So here is my second layout of the day, which completes the #9 Challenge at Two Peas in a Bucket!

As part of this challenge, you can download the JPEG freebie that is to be incorporated into your layout.  The "Love" ticket is part of the set of six you can download for FREE HERE.  I simply printed it on kraft paper and trimmed it out. 

The "I Adore You" diecut is from My Minds Eye "Lost and Found" collection.  The heart I cut with my Cricut and I used Thickers as part of my title.

Scrapbook Process: NSD Layout #1 - Ruler Distressing

TIP:  Use your ruler to easily rip your papers to make a distressed look. 

After a couple hours, I finally finished my first layout for today!  This is for the #10 Challenge over at Two Peas in a Bucket. They are offering 10 challenges with opportunities to win a prize package.

For this layout, I used 3 papers from the Bo-Bunny "Timepiece" collection.  I ripped the papers for a little more distressed look, and added the rest of the elements from my stash.  The photo is of my sweet hubby and my youngest son.  Love these two madly!

On to the next challenge!

Frugal Scrapbooking: Supplies from the Sewing Department

Where I live in Texas, I don't live close to a Walmart (shocking, I know!) so my opportunities to shop there are limited.  Yesterday, however, I made a special trip to a Walmart in Austin, mainly because my mom wanted to go and look for something in particular.

Many Walmart stores no longer have an actual fabric section, and some have even reduced their once nice scrapbooking aisle.  That was the case with this particular location.  Since I had time to snoop around, I shopped their aisle of sewing notions.  Here are some nice little finds that were quite affordable, totaling only $8.63:

Red Heart crochet thread (since I tend to use a lot of twine) - 125 yds for $2.25 Also available in white.
"Favorite Findings" Buttons (they have many different decorative ones!)  - $1.97
Gems - $1.47  (I think gems were located here because of the other supplies for making hair bows)
White satin Offray ribbon (18 feet) - $1.97
plus Sticky notes (from the office supply area) - $.97

If you are a scrapper who uses a lot of twine, I would recommend buying crochet thread.  Not only is it a spectacular buy (for 125 yards!) but it can come in many colors.  Wrap items on your page, use on tags, tie in your buttons -- this will be put in good use and it will last a long time!

The thought bubbles sticky notes will be fun to use for journaling, since I don't have a similar stamp.  Can't beat the price!  The office section also has bright color paperclips - traditional size and the round shaped.  I got some of these on a previous trip -- another awesome deal if you use a lot of these as embellishments on pages or cards.

I would have purchased more ribbon, but there were out of stock on many this visit.  Walmart is the only store I know of that carries very narrow grosgrain ribbon in different colors for such a low price. This time I picked up a silkier white ribbon for some of my Mother's Day cards I am finishing this weekend.  Walmart typically doesn't have loads of ribbon like a Michaels would have, but they have many different patterns that I don't usually see elsewhere.

Next time you are in Walmart, check out the sewing section for some scrapbook supplies at competitive prices!