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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

From Scrapbooker to Cardmaker: Using Embellishments


I was about to start talking about stamping on cards for those who are scrapbookers and may or not be stampers, but then realized I'd only really emphasized using pattern paper for making cards in this video series.  There are a lot of other scrapbooking supplies and tools you can use on your cards.

This video shows three cards I made using various scrapbooking supplies and tools:  Chipboard, Rub-ons, the Cricut, buttons and twine.  I also shared this box which is like the card above and features a lot of printed chipboard elements - sliders or buckles or whatever they are called that just hadn't found a home.  Now they have!


Watch at YouTube


Thanks for visiting today!

Ingredients:  Chipboard:  K& Company
DSP on blue card:  Marrakesh collection by Basic Grey
Butterflies:  My Mind's Eye
Green polka dot ribbon:  American Crafts
Rhinestones:  Hobby Lobby jewelry section
Pearls:  Pretties Kit by Stampin' Up!

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Single Heart Card




Hope you are having a wonderful weekend.  It was very warm here today for January and I got in a nice walk after a quick trip up to the apple house to get some Golden Delicious apples.  It was probably my last trip for the season as the bins were getting low.  They keep apples in cold storage for several months after picking.  The last ones we had were wonderful.  I got a few extra to keep in the refrigerator in hopes of keeping the season going.

My card today is my parent's Valentine.  From Rainy's blog I found out about the Sisters in Christ challenge to use one significant heart on a card. Check out her blog for her fabulous submissions.

For my card, I repeated a word stamp on the background and embossed in gold on dark chocolate cardstock.  The flap is stamped with a woodblock stamp.  My heart is painted with homemade shimmer paint using some close to cocoa ink and gold Perfect Pearls powder.  After painting, I pressed a clean, clear flourish stamp onto the heart to leave an tone-on-tone look.

I have trouble photographing these multi-fold cards but I think you get the effect.  Thanks for visiting!

Ingredients:  Stamps: love background from Stampin' Up! (this is a wheel and I don't know the name of it); Woodgrain from Hero Arts
Cardstock:  Dark Chocolate from Papertrey Ink
Red glittery ribbon:  My Mind's Eye
Stick Pin: Pretties Kit from Stampin' Up!
Twine:  DMC

Friday, January 27, 2012

Beat the Winter blues

with pretty new spring papers and embellishments!

CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) is having their semi-annual show starting this weekend so the paper crafting community is unveiling there new lines.  Here are a few of the blogs I've visited that have giveaways going...

Head over to Bella Blvd's blog for chances to win product from their new line.  There are several posts with giveaways that end  Sat, Jan 28.

American Crafts still has one giveaway open for a few days.  Looks like they are going to challenge Copics in the marker world.

Pink Paislee is revealing their collection a day at a time with giveaways.  I don't know how long the giveaways go on but probably not long.

Also, it is Sale-a-bration time at Stampin' Up!  For every $50 you spend you get to pick something from the special SAB catalog.  I've been super frugal all month so I could do a SU! order stocking up on paper and ink and getting some free stuff.   This year they have a few items from the regular catalog as SAB choices but they are not doing the 'any stamp set under $14' thing so you must pick from the SAB catalog.  There are lots of choices.

It sure isn't that I need any pretty paper but I do love to look :-)

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Whee! Whee!



Whee!  Whee, Whee, Whee, Whee!!!  That was the call around our house last January whenever the Geico commercial with the little piggy came on the TV or Hulu.  My husband loved to make the sound and wave his arms prompting Jasper, our cat, to run from the room.  Jasper hated the little piggy and his imitator.

Now there is a new commercial with the little piggy going Whee, Whee, Whee down a zip-line.  Lenny has only seen it once and it hasn't made it to Hulu yet.  If it does, I'm sure there will be more fun or frustration depending on whether your perspective is human or feline.


This month's Scrapbooker's Anonymous challenge is to use masking and either paint, mist or ink.  The Cricut cut out 5 Whee words for me and I adhered them to some plain white cardstock using removable adhesive.  Then I sponged Brocade Blue ink from Stampin' Up! over them and misted them with a homemade mist from some Ranger Tumbled Glass ink.  


I have a new blinkie on my sidebar as I was one of Scrapbooker's Anonymous picks from last month which tickled me.  You still have a few more days to submit a layout with masking and misting/ink/painting.  You could win their prize or get a fav pick.  It's a good chance to work with those mists we've all been collecting.

The little flags were inspired by a Jen Gallager layout at Two Peas.  I made my own flags with toothpicks and designer paper.  

What I loved most about doing this layout was getting to do fun things like the flags and the pinwheel. Without children to scrap most of the time, I don't get to do as much fun stuff.  I should remember that I have a 'senior child' and a somewhat silly cat.  Who needs kids?

Thanks for visiting!  (I hope you can comment.  I've heard there are problems on my and some other blogs but I can't find anything about it or a fix.)

Ingredients:  Stamps: Favorite Memories by Ali Edwards for Technique Tuesday
Font: Bauhaus
Designer Paper:  Stampin' Up; Winter wonder  by Bella Blvd
Trim:  Daffodil Delight pom pom and silver brads by Stampin' Up!
Bookplate:  Fancy Pants

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

From Scrapbooker to Cardmaker: Using Large Print DSP



Some pretty designer series paper (DSP) can be impossible to resist buying and then impossible to use.  For me, it is often a pretty floral.  I'm finding myself more and more a "B" side scrapper - using the small companion prints as the main papers on my pages.  So what am I to do with the larger prints in my stash or that come in collection kits?  I can often cut them up in ways that work on pages or on cards.

The card above is made from papers from a Stampin' Up! collection kit.  One of the papers featured a large floral print that was just too busy to work on any of my pages or on a card without a lot of trimming.  It wasn't just the large print but the number of colors and color contrast - gorgeous but difficult.

The basket weave background is also included in the video.  It is a great way to use up some scraps.  The sentiment is a rub-on making this a true - no stamping card.

Watch at YouTube


One thing I forgot to mention in the video:  If you are cutting out a design that doesn't have a distinct background like this paper does, you can cut out the design close, mat it on regular cardstock and then trim that it.  It is double work but gives a nice effect.  It is how I did the design on this card made from Basic Grey DSP:




There will probably be two or three more videos in this series over the next few weeks.  Thanks for visiting today!

Ingredients:  DSP:  Greenhouse Gala by Stampin' Up!
Cardstock:  Crumb Cake and Chocolate Chip by SU!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Gift Page



Last year I shared the mini album I did for my Mother for Christmas.  I was really excited to give this to her.  I hadn't dropped a single hint because around her you can't.  She loves to wheedle out information on gifts.  :-)  I wrapped the gift in a Belk box.

So on Christmas morning, she started opening the gift wondering what was in that Belk's box. (Belk is a department store in the South - it is my Mother's 2nd church.)   She was very surprised and was immediately absorbed in looking at the old photos - some of which she hadn't seen in decades.  Later on she called me to thank me again for her gifts and most especially her album.  My Mother doesn't always get that excited about my crafts so having her love her album was a gift to me, too.

I used the photography and staging tips from Nichol's video I mentioned yesterday to set up the photo above.  We had a dreary day here yesterday so I wasn't sure how it would take, but I'm pretty pleased.  The green pitcher in the background was my Dad's Mother's.

The page is partially for this week's Glitter Girl challenge at Two Peas.  I cheated a bit. We were supposed to browse the Two Peas Gallery and scraplift individual ideas for pages.  I ended up using Glitter Girl's signature ideas on my page.  There are butterflies and lots of misting including some dots of most applied directly from the bottle insert.  I also took a paintbrush and went around the edges of the papers and photos with some Angel's Glimmer Mist.  Loved the effect. One one of her recent pages, she painted a background for the title. So thank you, Glitter Girl, for all your inspiration!

The flourish is cut on the Cricut with SCAL and that green paint added just the right touch of color to the edges.  My Mother is the Queen of Bling so while this may not look much like Christmas, it looks like her - neutral colors with lots of zing.





Thanks for visiting today!  Be sure and stop by Tuesday as I have another Scrapbooker to Cardmaker video planned.

Ingredients:  Many of the items are from Artfuldelight's January kit including MME Everyday Fun rhinstones and butterflies; Studio Calico Wallpaper DSP
Cardstock:  Soft Suede by Stampin' Up!
Gemstone letters:  Kaiser
Ribbon:  Enchanted Cottage in Wintson-Salem
Stick pin: Pretties Kit from Stampin' Up!
Mists:  Buttermilk by Maya Road, by Angel's
letter stickers:  Mia by Crate Paper
button: Tim Holtz

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Nichol's Photography Tips

Nichol Magourik did a great webinar this week hosted by Lain Ehmann on taking photos for your blog.  It is available through today via Lain's site.  Here is the link to the entire webinar if you would like to learn new ways to make your blog photos even better:  Nichol's webinar on taking Project Photos

The presentation starts at 8 minutes into the Webinar and lasts about 13 minutes.  She answers questions after the presentation.  It helps to let this buffer.

What I like best about her technique is that you don't need anything special and you can do this with a regular camera.  I'm going to try her technique for my next scrapbook project photo.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Back to Basics and Comments



Sometimes I just make things too hard.  I've used a lot of stamping techniques with this popular stamp from Stampin' Up! but I still wanted to try something new.  I played with Versamark, pastels and some other things without success.  Then I realized, I'd never just used markers.  So simple and yet an effective way to satisfy a card making craving.

Also, I've found out recently that comments on Blogger may have a problem.  I have checked and resaved my settings and I hope that fixes the problem.  I'll keep an eye out for more info on this issue. If have trouble and would like to reach me, please send an e-mail.  Thanks.

Hope you have a fun Friday!

Ingredients:  Stamps:  Upsy Daisy by Stampin' Up!
Cardstock:  Melon Mambo
DSP:  K&Company

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

From Scrapbooker to Cardmaker Series


Did you make a crafting resolution to 'shop your stash' or get more out of what you have on hand?

Do you scrapbook and want to start making cards?

Do you think stamping is the only way to make great cards?

Do you have some designer paper that just never quite worked on your scrapbook pages?

If you have a 'yes' to any of those, I have some new videos for you.

Over Thanksgiving, my friend Karen, a scrapbooker, asked me to show her how I made some cards.  I enjoyed sharing the card making process.  Since she lives several hours away now, we can't get together and make cards.  So I offered to find her some card making videos on-line. Well, there are tons of videos including those for beginners. What I couldn't quite find was a video designed specifically for papercrafters like scrapbookers who have tons of stuff already but just don't make cards.

Once the ideas got rolling, I thought of several cards and videos I could make.  Today I have two videos for you - the beginning one for anyone who scrapbooks but hasn't yet started making cards. It contains some ways to maximize the cuts on your 12x12 cardstock since that is typically what most scrapbookers have on hand.  (That is in the last couple of minutes.)

Watch at YouTube


The second video is the 6 Circle card above using scraps of designer paper, punches and some leftover chipboard stickers.  The papers on this card were originally intended to be used for scrapbooking but hardly ever fit my photos.  They make colorful, fun cards.  No stamping needed.

Watch at YouTube


I know most of you are already card makers.  If you have friends who would like to start making cards in addition to their pages, please pass along a link to this post.  We can always use more people making and sending pretty cards, can't we?

Thanks and have a wonderful day!

Ingredients:  DSP:  Material Girl Collection from Cosmo Cricket
Cardstock:  Harvest Gold by PTI
Twine:  Doodlebug

Sunday, January 15, 2012

If you look closer...


Last Monday's Memory Keeper's Monday challenge was to create a page about ourselves to kick off the new year.  Typically I do this anyway but I'm happy for the challenge as this was a year I really wanted to put behind me.  Scrapping about it helped me gather my memories and take the good from them.


We were encouraged to make the page reflect our personality and style. My friends and family would certainly see that in my page.  It uses lots of coordinated patterned paper (Sweet Threads by Basic Grey, my favorite collection of 2011) with a fabric theme no less.  There is machine stitching, pretty ribbon and some handmade embellishments in a color scheme often found in my wardrobe.  I love flowers.

But, if you look closer, you will see that it isn't all pretty paper and flowers here.  There are little words tucked into the embellishments.  Words like 'unsure, worried, vulnerable, nervous and adrift' certainly don't go with the sunny image of brightly colored flowers.  They aren't the emotions I showed to the outside world either, at least I don't think I did.


Yet there they were all year long.  For over a year I've been dealing with some stress related problems, primarily TMJ Syndrome.  I've long been a 'clencher' meaning I clench and grind my teeth at night.  I've worn a bite guard a long time with no real issues.  Occasionally I'd have a little trouble and would get an adjustment to my guard or even a new one and things would go back to normal in a matter of days.  I didn't give it much thought.  That is until the summer of 2010. Since then the ear aches (soreness around the outside of the ear) and other symptoms have been in my head one way or another every day.

For some of us, the situation can be very minor for years or forever.  For others, it can be a daily battle, even debilitating condition.  I'm trying not to get to that extreme.  Things have improved considerably.  To get there I've tried several treatments that have worked and some that haven't.  I work with an orthodontist so I'm not going it alone.  I've spent a lot of money out of pocket.  I've logged my pain and activities daily, bought a new mattress and countless pillows, changed my eatting habits including both food and the time of day I eat certain foods.  It can be exhausting to adjust your daily routine so much.

"Frustrated" is probably the key word to sum up dealing with a disease that insurance companies rarely pay to treat and there is no branch of medicine dedicated to.  I do not think those two things are a coincidence.  What doctor would want to specialize in something that insurance doesn't often pay for?

While it is no picnic not knowing what will hurt if anything or how much from day to day, TMJ Snydrom is not life threatening.  I've made numerous changes to my diet yet I won't die if I eat the wrong thing like a young women I met this week who had suddenly developed a severe peanut allergy and wonders what else she might eat that would land her again in the hospital.  There are a lot worse things to have so I'm grateful for my general good health.

I'm grateful for a lot of things including all the lessons of the last year which brings me to the second page of this spread - what I learned:




Here is the list:

Everyone has problems.
“Nothing is forever.” – a phrase that can bring fear … or hope.
Compassion for people in chronic pain.
Understanding.
To trust my instincts.  That means sometimes I have to back up or back out.
To take my time when making big decisions.
Nature heals and exercise really does make things better.
The benefits of physical therapy.
A way to do Yoga that works with my body.
My husband is an even more amazing man than I ever imagined.
To “do it anyway.”
Walking into a messy kitchen or finding clothes left on the floor aren’t the worst things in the world.
My best friend is ‘the best.’
To let go of people who aren’t supportive.
My parents and I can each have our own problems and still be there for each other.
What it means to ‘take it one day at a time.’
New definitions of ‘a good day.’
Ways to eat healthy, be satisfied and not be harmful.
The effects of acupuncture.
A greater understanding of the availability and application alternative medicine.
To let go of the money I may or may not have ‘wasted.’ 
Some of the benefits and the difficulties of medical insurance and our medical processes.
It is my body.
Tomorrow is another chance.

There were good things in 2011.  I strengthened two close friendships. My relationship with my husband is even better than ever.  I let go of some anger and relationships that weren't working for me but against me.  I gained a couple of wonderful new clients.  I spent more time crafting.  I gained blog readers and met so many more people through message boards and reading your blogs, too.

I wasn't sure I wanted to share all this.  However, I've gained encouragement from reading other blogs where the blogger shared their personal pain and gains about an illness or other struggle.  I don't plan to talk about my situation often.  Crafting is a good escape from whatever is going on and I'd like to keep it that way - mostly.

Thanks for listening!  Gaining readers and finding new blogs to follow is high on my list of good things that came out of 2011.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Masked Valentine Card Video



Here's an easy and inexpensive card.  These would be great if you need multiples for Valentine's Day.  I've used the Whoo Loves You stamp set from Hero Arts which is still available.  You could also substitute lots of other Valentine's sets.  A pretty option would be one of those silhouette stamps like the ones with a little girl on a tree swing.

watch at YouTube


I'm playing around with my intro and credits.  I added a little music.  Feedback is always appreciated as I'd like to make the videos the most helpful possible.  Thanks for watching!

Ingredients:  Stamps:  Whoo Loves You by Hampton Arts; All Holidays (greeting) by Stampin' Up!:  Woodgrain by Hero Arts
Cardstock:  Crumb Cake by SU!
Twine:  Martha Stewart

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Birthday Balloons



Here's are the cute birdies of "A little birdie" set, one of my favorite oldies.  The balloons were cut on the Cricut using SCAL and painted with some homemade shimmer paint using Crystal Effects, Ranger's Perfect Pearls and ink.

Lots of little birdies are visiting my feeder this winter along with a pesky squirrel we have been trying to run off.  He's a clever little thing and last week he even brought along a friend!  I know he is out there because Jasper goes crazy running to the window, tail flapping a 100 mph.  He's a good alert cat but ineffective when it comes to chasing the squirrel away.  He runs in the opposite direction of the squirrel.

Thanks for visiting!

Ingredients:  Cardstock:  Pacific Point
Stamps:  A Little Birdie from Stampin' Up!; Polka Dot basics from Papertrey Ink
Watercolor crayons, markers and Crushed Curry ribbon also from SU!
Twine:  Doodlebug

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

2012 Free On-line Classes

It's a new year and many of my favorite instructors have free video based classes going again this year.  Here's a weekly rundown of things I've seen so far:

Monday's - Memory Keeping Mondays (love that title!) at Two Peas in a Bucket.  This class is taught by a different Garden Girl each week.

Over on Kristina Werner's blog, she continues Make A Card Monday each week with inventive cards.

Wednesday's - Nichol Magourik has her Scrap it Weekly series on her blog this year.  She takes you through a layout from product selection to the final embellishments.  (This is similar to her From Start to Finish series she did at 2P's last year.)

The Adventures of Glitter Girl  is new at Two Peas in a Bucket.  The mysterious Glitter Girl and her even more mysterious male narrator tackle a different problem each week.  Last week she shared tons of ideas on how to scrap memorabilia.

Friday's - Kristina Werner has Friday Focus which is typically a series of videos on a different topic per series.  Right now she is doing Valentine cards for 6 weeks.

Also, Two Peas in a Bucket does a card instruction video each Friday as well called Finally Friday. I'll update this post with a link when I find one.  I usually just see it on their YouTube channel.

I'm not sure there is a schedule for these, but they are great anytime.  Mary Fish at Stampin' Pretty has 1 Minute to Wow videos which are short, terrific tips for cardmakers.

So many wonderful regular videos.

Speaking of video, I've recorded several things I want to share.  I just haven't had a chance to edit them yet.  So keep an eye our here on my blog for a Valentine's Day card, a tip using embossing powder, a scrapbook sketch and pages, and a couple of scrapping tips videos. 

Thanks for visiting!  Happy learning.

Monday, January 9, 2012

the Installer



My husband, the pinball repairman, is also everyone's installer whether it is window treatments (for me) or a new DVD player for my Dad.  Here is the journaling for this layout:


 The installer...
of all electronic devices in tight space with no light. 
The reader of the instructions for the new DVD player his wife swore her father would never use.  
The trainer of those who are technologically challenged.  
The coach to bring the technologically challenged into the 20th century at least.  
The repeater of instructions – over and over and over again.  
The responder to all questions.  
The interpreter of ‘this button in the middle.’ 
The on-call tech for late night television emergencies when his mother-in-law sits on the remote and turns off the satellite.  
The most patient one of all.

In other words… the son-in-law.  



My husband finds his in-law's challenges with learning how to use their DVD player humorous.  I'm so glad he is so patient with them.

The layout is based on Artfuldelight's sketch of the month.  You can find it here.  There are still a couple of weeks to get in a layout for a chance to win one of LeeAnn's wonderful monthly kits.

I used several papers from the Artfuldelight January kit on my page.  The gold and white paper from Studio Calico was a bit bright so I distressed it heavily with Antique Linen from Ranger - a wonderful ink to turn anything vintage and basically anything with a white background to a cream color.



The little yellow triangle embellishment has a particular significance that my husband will recognize.  When we setup the DVD player, my parents had to manually change an option on their television to switch modes.  This was my Mother's job- we call her 'Vanna.'  I think you can change it on the remote but for some reason, Lenny thought it would just be easier for them to press the button the TV.  The problem is you can't see the button on the TV!  So we took a piece a sticky note and taped it to the TV in the spot they were supposed to press.  It is now the 'little yellow button.'

The 'don't forget' embellishment was in the kit.  It was perfect bit of irony as everyone including us is always forgetting exactly what button you push to do what thing.

I love the background paper for this layout from My Mind's Eye.  It is kraft but with faint yellow stars so it doesn't look so flat.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Ingredients:  DSP:  Kraft Funday collection from My Mind's Eye;Cupboard and Book Jacket from Studio Calico; ledger paper from October Afternoon
Brad:  Stampin' Up!
Sticker:  Kraft Funday Happy Days stickers  by MME

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Savor = Smile



Slowly I'm remembering to 'savor' moments as this is my word of the year.  Each time I do, I find myself smiling such as last night when I was killing time waiting on the debate to come on.  (My husband refers to the Presidential election as his soap opera.)  I found myself staring at the garland still on the mantle and smiling at how pretty it was.  The night before I'd smiled at the night sky and the full or nearly full moon and how the light played on the clouds. Or when I stop to think about people I love, I smile.

This morning I smiled at the sunrise and then remembered to find the camera and catch a photo.  I'm liking this 'savor' thing a lot.

Hope you savor your Sunday traditions.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Misty card for Mother-to-be


My cousin's daughter is expecting a baby boy in a few weeks.  Before she is head over heels in baby boy blue clothes and toys, I thought she might like a girly card in her favorite pink and brown combo.

I remember when the Mother-to-be was the Baby-to-be.  I was in college and my crafts were knitting and crocheting.  I knitted her Christening gown and made a little slip to go underneath. She and her younger sister wore the gown and it is now preserved.  Since this baby is a boy, I don't think the gown will get used this time around.  I think her shower is to be after the baby arrives so I'll have to figure out a gift.  What sort of papercraft could I do for a baby boy?  I've been out of the baby gift business for awhile - just at that stage where none of my friends were having babies anymore and too young for grandchildren.


For the card, I used some products new to me and so I'm submitting it to Scrap our Stash's January challenge. I learned about this from Sue's blog.   My new products are Studio Calico's mask and Cameo Mister Huey mist which were in Artfuldelight's January kit found here.  The butterfly stickers were also from the kit.  I may be the last papercrafter in the world to use bloomers but they are new to me.  I got them on sale over Thanksgiving weekend.


In addition to misting the background using the mask, I did a bit more misting with some Baja breeze and Perfect Pearls mixture I'd made up awhile back.  The little butterflies look misted but they are actually stamped with white ink using a background stamp that looks like paint splatter.  I also sponged a little Melon Mambo ink on the edges of the background and the large butterfly.  That butterfly is cut on the Cricut and then embossed and inked.

It was a fun card to do.

Thanks for visiting today!

Ingredients:  Cardstock:  Naturals Ivory from Stampin' Up!
Mist:  Mister Huey Cameo from Studio Calico
Inks:  Whisper White, Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay from Stampin' Up!; Tumbled Glass from Ranger
Trims:  Webster's Pages
Ribbon:  Chocolate Chip Taffeta from Stampin' Up!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Happy Hearts



Monday night I took down one of the Christmas garlands and just put the boxes in the attic.  I'm thinking about adding another New Year's resolution to cut my grocery store trips down to once a week.  I'm just not sure I'm that committed, but I'd really like to be!

And here is a Valentine's Day card already.  Oh well, I get bored easy and have to move things along.

Actually, I made this in December when I tired of Christmas cards.  This is an easy one.  You don't need any stamps, just a heart punch or a die cutter with a heart shape.  All the twine is from one of those Doodlebug variety packs.

Hope you have a great day!  Thanks for visiting.

Ingredients:  Twine:  Doodlebug
Cardstock: Naturals Ivory from Stampin' Up!
DSP:  October Afternoon Farm Fresh and Cherry Hill

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Tuesday's Tip: Printing small photos



Leaping Lemurs!  We had such fun seeing the Lemurs at Duke University's primate center in April.  With all the layers of cages (most necessary) it is tough to get good photos.  More about the layout below, let's first talk about the photos...


Most of my layouts stretch the page.  I have a lot of trouble leaving white space.  One of the reason is that I use so many 4x6 or sometimes larger photos.  Many times though I just don't need a photo that big.  I've found that it is typically less expensive to print my photos at home and certainly at a photo processor in 4x6 format.  Here is how I print 2, 3 or even 4 small photos on one 4x6.  I'm using Photoshop Elements version 9 but the idea can be applied to other versions of Photoshop or other photo processing software:

watch at  YouTube
(I apologize for the camera shake.  This was my first effort at videotaping something from the computer and I'm going to have to work on the method.)


For the layout, almost all the product is from Artfuldelight.com's January Kit.  What a bargain!  I got so much great stuff in this kit.  These kraft background papers are perfect for the theme here as is circle garland all from My Mind's Eye.  I liked getting the kit because it gave me a chance to try product I might not normally purchase.


One thing I do typically purchase that was included was the raw chipboard from American Crafts.  Most of my undressed chipboard is from Basic Grey.  I was delighted to see American Crafts add this to their Thickers and in a cool font of both upper and lower case.  It can really handle the finishes, too. First I misted this a beautiful color that came out too pink, so then I inked at least 3 coats to get a color I liked.  Then I tried some white paint around the edges and got too much so back to the ink.  Yeah, this stuff can really hold up to experimentation.


Oh and if you live in the Raleigh/Durham area or are visiting, call ahead to Duke University to schedule a tour of the Lemurs. We just lucked out on an opening.  They are usually booked out a couple of weeks.  It takes about 2 hours and is a really different experience.

Thanks for visiting today!

Ingredients:  From Artfuldelight kit:  MME Happy Kraft papers, American Crafts  Thickers, MME Happy Fun Days Garland and Stickers
Cardstock:  Riding Hood Red from Stampin' Up!
small letter stickers:  Jillibean Soup
Black Thickers:  Marquis from American Crafts

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Savor 2012



Happy New Year! How did you ring in the year? I spent part of my day taking a walk as it is the last semi-warm day we are expecting for awhile.  It was gorgeous out.  My husband cleaned out the garage on New Years Eve to get a head start on his resolution to be more organized.  I didn't even have to ask!  It looks fantastic.  We lead exciting lives around here, I tell you.

As for my resolution, this year it is a word. Until a few days ago, I'd missed the idea of having a single word as your motto, mantra or whatever for a year.  I like this concept as it is so simple and easy to apply to many situations.  The word that first came to mind when I read a post about this was 'savor.'  I often live much of my life thinking about what has already happened or worrying about what is going to happen or what I need to get done.  Not nearly enough of my life is lived in the moment.  So in 2012, I vow to savor more of my life.  When my husband is rubbing my feet, I will not think about what I am planning to cook for lunch the next day.  You know I'm bad off if I can't concentrate on a foot rub.  :-0

Last year, my resolution was to "get moving."  I did increase my exercise level though in a completely different way than I envisioned and not as consistently as I'd hoped so I was semi-successful.

'Savor' fits in with some ideas I have for crafting this year as well. Here are two of my crafting objectives:

  1. At least twice a month, re-use an old Technique, Tool or Product, or Training Resource.  Some of the training resources I have are materials from classes I've taken in the past and old scrapbooking magazines.  So I'll be 'savoring' my existing resources while still using new products as well.


  2. Create at least 2 videos per month for the blog and YouTube.  I'm delighted with the number of subscribers I've picked up via YouTube.  I have 38 and probably had less than 10 a year ago. That doesn't sound like that many but I have to admit I haven't put much effort into it so far.  Imagine how many wonderful people I can connect with if I do a little more video sharing.  All of my videos have been cardmaking and technique so far.  I'd like to do some on scrapbooking.
For my bookmark, I used some older product and a training resource.  In one of Shimelle's classes last year, she had us take scrap paper and organize it into packets for page kits so you could just grab an appropriate one, some photos and start scrapping.  I did the organizing but never really used these for scrapbooks.  They are great though for cards and small projects.  The word Savor is cut on the Cricut with the Plantin Schoolbook cartridge using the end cap feature.  I glued different designer paper behind each letter using spray adhesive. Since bookmarks get a lot of handling, I like spray adhesive or Tombow Mono glue because they really hold up.

Thanks for visiting today!  I look forward to visiting your blogs in 2012 also!
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