Scrap Play

Christmas In July Blog Hop Winner

Congratulations to Terri, the winner of the Simple Stories mini album I made for the Memory Works Christmas in July Blog Hop!  Terri, just e-mail me your adress and I'll send the mini album out to you.  Enjoy!  For the rest of you blog hoppers, thanks for visiting, and I hope you come back often!  If you loved the mini album and want your own, visit http://noellecarter.memory-works.com to pick up your own "Life Documented" kit and follow the tutorial below.

One Hour Mini Album Tutorial

I love mini albums.  I love that they're so small, cute, and simple.  I love that all the pages coordinate, unlike my massive mess of a 12"x12" album.  And most of all, I love that I can create a beautiful gift or keepsake quickly.  So today I'd like to share my simple formula for creating a 6"x6" mini album in an hour.  This is a short, simple project and there are just a few embellishments, so the photos really shine!  So grab some photos and join me!  Or, leave the pages blank to make a lovely gift for a friend.

For my album I used Memory Works Simple Stories "Life Documented" line.  The pre-designed journaling blocks and cardstock stickers made this album a snap.  Many paper lines now come with 12x12 sheets of cut-apart journaling blocks and decorative squares or rectangles.  Cosmo Cricket is one company that comes to mind.  These will save you a ton of time and make your mini album look fabulous!  To see my complete mini album, scroll down to the "Christmas in July Blog Hop" post.

1.  Before you start, choose a design scheme.  This is the key to producing an entire album very quickly.  Choose a basic layout and stick with it page after page.  For my album, each double page spread features one photo, and journaling spot, one patterned paper page, and one coordinating ledger sheet page.  All my cardstock photo mats are approximately 4.5"x5.5"

My basic design scheme for each page spread

2.  Choose your products.  Grab 3 sheets of 12x12 patterned, double-sided cardstock and 2-3 sheets of coordinating solid cardstock.  Select a coordinating sheet of journaling blocks.  Pick a few small embellishments like stickers, flower, and rhinestones too.  Remember, small patterns work best for mini albums.  (Time saving bonus:  Grab a 6x6 pad to save time cutting!)

These are the Simple Stories journaling cards and cardstock stickers I used.

3.  Cut all your patterned papers into 6x6 squares.  These are your background papers.  I used double sided cardstock that had a pattern on one side and cream or brown ledger paper on the other side.  Decide the order you want your pages in and place them in that order.  Adhere papers back to back if necessary.

 

4.  Holding all your papers together, punch three holes along the left hand side with a Cropadile.  This will make sure your holes line up.  (Don't have a Cropadile?  Punch holes in the cover page, then use the holes as a guide to mark where you want holes on the following pages.)

5.  Cut a photo mat for each 2 page spread from the solid colored cardstock.  My mats were all horizontal 5.5"x4.5".  You can place yours horizontally or vertically as you need to.  Adhere a mat to one side of each double page spread. 

6.  Stop and stare in amazement.  You're already most of the way done!

7.  Create journaling spots on the blank pages.  You can simple adhere a pre-made journaling card or create your own with a square of white or cream blank or lined paper.

For this journaling block, I trimmed about 1.5" off the end of a 4"x6" journaling block and rounded the corners.

8.  Add a few small embellishements to each page.  On my album I added hand-cut photo corners to my photo mats.  I also added a couple cardstock stickers, fabric flowers, and rhinestones.  I tried to place them around the edges of my journaling blocks and photo mats to break up the very rectangular look of the photo mats and journaling squares.  Make sure you add some dimension, too!  This will really add life to the flat, pre-designed elements you used.  I added rhinestones to the ends of printed flourished.  I also used foam to pop up certain cardstock elements, like the square with the quote on the cover.  I also layered stickers and flowers to dress them up.  Don't go overboard with handmade creations!  The most I did was add brads or rhinestones to flowers or punch scalloped circles to back round stickers.

  

9.  Insert binder rings into the punched holes.  You can tie bits of ribbon onto these if you'd like.  I just left mine plain for simplicity.

10.  You're done!  Congratulations!  Wrap your gift album up or stick some photos in.  I hope this went quickly and simply for you!

Sketch Challenge Winners!

Thank you so much to everyone who sent lovely layouts in for the Page Maps sketch contest.  The winner is Steffanie, who created this beautiful summer layout:

Those cool blues and greens are just so refreshing!  Steffanie, some new alphabet stamps will be on their way to you as soon as I get your address.  I'd also like to mention Krissy who sent in a beautiful pink layout.  Unfortunately, the image seems to make my computer have a meltdown, so I'm unable to post it here.  Krissy will receive a tiny scrappy surprise as well. 

Keep the layouts coming everyone!  We have a new challenge her this week: creating a layout with a red, white, and blue color palette.  I'm putting together a cute embellishment prize pack, so get scrapping!
 

Let's Hear It for the Red, White, and Blue!

Everyone all set for the Fourth of July?  We have sparklers ready and a weekend's worth of plans scheduled.  I know I'll be snapping lots of pictures of my daughter in the cute little red, white, and blue outfits her grandmas gave her!  So with red, white, and blue in mind, I want to challenge you to create a layout using these three colors.  It can be patriotic, or completely different, but the color palette must include some shade of red, white, and blue!  Send it in by July 9, 2010 for a chance to win a set of patriotic letter stickers from Making Memories and a couple other red, white, and blue surprise embellishments. 

Here are some layouts the Scrap Play Design Team created to get you thinking:

  Angie created this beauty using faded shades of red, off-white, and blue.  These colors can easily make the leap from 4th of July layouts to other outdoor or down home layouts.

 Amber created this bright layout.  I love the background paper!  This color and pattern combo just screams "Backyard BBQ" to me.  It's also a great combination for those pictures of your kids waving flags and participating in other Independence Day activities.

 
Tiffany broke away from the traditional Americana look with this burgundy, white, and blue layout.  This is a great year-round color scheme.  I think it would work particularly well for those tricky masculine layouts.

Memory Works "Christmas in July" Blog Hop

Welcome Memory Works Blog Hoppers!  Merry Christmas!  Come on in and take a look around.  There are lots of great ideas and tutorials here to help you make your scrapbook pages fresh and fabulous!  This site is for ALL scrapbookers, not just those who shop from Memory Works, so you won't find any strong sales pitches here.  That said, if you'd like to shop for Memory Works products or products from top scrapbooking manufacturers, visit my Memory Works site at http://noellecarter.memory-works.com

Now, on to the giveaway!  I've created this lovely little mini-album using Memory Works' Simple Stories line.  I love the easy, neutral colors of this line; they coordinate with everything!   And the kit comes with stickers, journaling cards, and other predesigned details to make your life a lot easier.   Just a few photos and some quick journaling would make this album the perfect Christmas gift!  Of course, you probably won't be able to resist using it before then, but that's okay.  I'll randomly pick one visitor to win this album.  To enter, just become a Scrap Play follower, then comment on this post!  I'll announce the winner on July 5th, so check back then.  At that time I'll also have a tutorial to show you how to pull together a quick and easy mini album like this in under an hour!

       

Now, on to the next blog.  Visit Shelley at The Silver Lining here.

Stretching Your Scrapbook Supplies

All right, it's time for another frugal tip!  Today I have two ideas for you if you want to save money or just make your supplies go a little farther.

First pull out one of your layouts and take a look at the back of it.  You see a nice clean square, right?  Aaaahh!  Wasted paper!  If you look at the back of my layouts, they look like square bullseyes.  Why?  Because I cut out squares from background papers that are going to be covered by additional layers for future use.  This trick works particularly well with double sided paper, because you can use the reverse side of the paper you cut for coordinating embellishments, photo mats, etc.  Even if you have all the money in the world to spend on scrapbook supplies, (and if you do, can I be you?) this technique can still help you stretch your supplies.  I actually discovered this idea when I was creating a layout with some paper that I only had one sheet of, and I wanted to use the patterns on both sides.

The second idea is a way to utilize your scraps.  Now I do have a pizza box that I throw random scraps into to later use on cards.  But in general, I don't save scraps for future scrapbook pages.  The organization is difficult, and since I tend to work within one paper line, I found I just didn't use them.  Then one day, I needed some orange flowers for a layout and found a scrap to punch them from.  Instantly, a new idea was born.  Now when I have pretty that are too small for borders or photo mats, i simply pull out a punch and get to work.  I throw the flowers, stars, circles, and square into a small tupperware container until I need them.  Now I don't have to rush to the store searching for hot pink Prima flowers; I just look in my little container to find handmade ones!  I layer the circles and squares to create borders, embellishments, or page grids.  This system takes up very little room, solves my "need a matching embellishment" problem, and saves me money!  Pretty good for two seconds of punching paper.  Here's a layout I created using my punched scraps:

Do you have other great money saving or supply stretching tips?  Leave a comment below!

Sketch Challenge and Contest

Have you started using scrapbook sketches yet?  If not, it's a really easy way to save yourself time and frustration when you're scrapping!  Why not let someone with a degree in graphic design organize your page so you can focus on your journaling, color combinations, and embellishments.  If you're worried that using a sketch means draining your page of individuality and creativity don't be.  Just look at the Page Maps sketch below and some of the very different interpretations the Scrap Play Design Team created.  (By the way, Page Maps, found at http://www.pagemaps.com, are some of the best, most useful sketches available.  I personally use them all the time.)

Page Maps, June 2010 

 

Angela removed the border on the left, moved the title, and changed the flowers to circle embellishments.  Her bold red, white, and black color scheme also really woke the sketch up.

Amber changed the number and placement of the photos, and swapped the large journaling spot for matching shaped papers on either side of the layout.  These shapes draw the reader's eye into the photos.

 

I kept the layout almost the same as the sketch.  But look how different these airy spring colors look from Angela's bold classic colors.  Looking at these three layouts, I doubt you'd be aware that they're based on the same sketch.  That's what makes sketches so fun!  Everyone interprets what they see and need differently.

So, are you ready to give this sketch a try?  Grab some picture, patterned paper, and a few embellishments and see what you can create.  Don't be afraid to move elements or change photo sized.  Make the sketch work for you; it's just a jumping off point!  Submit your layout to scrapplay@gmail.com by Friday, July 2nd and you could win a set of Autumn Leaves alphabet stamps!  (Open to US residents only) 

CHA Sneak Peaks Ahead!

The CHA Summer 2010 show is almost here, and the sneak peeks are starting to slip out!  For anyone unfamiliar with CHA, it stands for Craft and Hobby Association, the biggest US trade organization for the craft industry.  Twice each year they have a huge CHA show where manufacturers debut their new products for retailers to order.  For the average scrapbooker, there are two fabulous aspects of the CHA shows: exciting new products and sales, sales, sales!  Just when you're completely bored with what your LSS or neighborhood Michael's has to offer, beautiful new papers, embellishment, and tools will come rolling in again.  And as the stores make room for the new products, you benefit from the abounding clearance sales.  My wallet is getting lighter by the minute!

But right now, what I'm excited about is the first signs of new paper lines.  I haven't seen too many sneak peeks released yet, but you can be sure I'll keep you up to date as I do.  Nikki Sivils provided this peak at her new Blueberry Hill line last week.  It makes me think of ocean-side picnics and sunny morning breakfast in the kitchen.

Graphic 45 is releasing a new line called Halloween in Wonderland with a totally different feel.  Perfect for those Halloween layouts or making some really cool alter home decor items for Halloween.

I hope those little nuggets of newness will hold you over until the rest of the previews come out!  Until then, enjoy scrapping with your newly purchased clearance papers!

Father's Day Prize Winner!

Congratulations to Christine Barchacky, the winner of the Father's Day giveaway!  Christine told us:

"My dad has been gone for over 15 years now. It is hard to remember him. He was a very quiet person and did not say much. The one thing that he did say over and over was "It is what it is". When I was upset over something that was beyond my control, and getting all stressed out over it, he would say that. I guess he was right, I did need to lean that some things are out of my control, and I needed to recognize those things and let them go and not stress out over them. It has made me a much calmer person."

Thank you for sharing Christine, and everyone else.  Christine won two sets of embellishments from Making Memories and two sets of rub-on alphabets from K & Company.  In honor of Father's Day, they are nice, masculine looking embellishments -- no flowers here! 

Celebrating Dads: Father's Day Layout and Ideas

It's that time again: the time when you wrack your brain in vain for the perfect gift for the man who raised you.  In other words, Father's Day.  While I can't help you find the perfect gift for Dad, hopefully I can provide you with some ideas for scrapbooking your relationship with him.  Here's a quick list of topics to scrap:

My First Memory of Dad

Dad Always Says...

What I Learned From Dad

Like Father, Like Daughter

Dad Loves...

Before He Was Dad...

Try to capture not only the unique relationship you share, but also who your father is as a person.  What were the formative events in his life?  What are his dreams?  What is he most proud of?  You might learn something you never knew!

Here are some father themed layouts from the Scrap Play Design Team to give you a few more ideas:

Tiffany Call scrapped this layout about a special father-daughter moment.

Angie Simonet's shows how her husband and son are alike.

Amber Sartain turned her layout into a gift for her husband's office using a $1 wall plaque from the dollar store!

And here are two I created.  For the first one, I asked my daughter what she likes about her Daddy, and scrapped her answers.  For the second one, I recorded some of my Dad's famous advice.

Now, because it's Father's Day, I could give Dad some fabulous scrapbook goodies, but he just wouldn't appreciate them, would he?  So I'll give them away to a reader instead!  To enter, just leave a comment sharing one of your father's "Dad-isms."  You know, those quotes he always says over and over again.  For example, when we were kids and fussed about different food on our plates touching, my dad was famous for saying, "Just think of what it looks like in your stomach!"  What does you dad say again and again?  Enter by June 22, 2010, 3pm EST for your chance to win a scrappy surprise pack.

Scrapping Like a Jedi

Today, I saw a new scrapbooking paper line that made my heart beat with excitement.  Creative Imaginations has released a Star Wars collection!  Now I know you're thinking, "What a geek!"  But hey, I am a geek.  I actually enjoyed taking the SATs, okay?  And darn it, I love Star Wars!  One of my family traditions as a kid was watching all three Star Wars movies back to back every Christmas afternoon and evening.  I remember lying stuffed on the couch, amidst the leftover mess of gifts and wrapping paper, hanging with my dad, brother, and Hans Solo.  I didn't have a lot in common with my dad or brother as a kid, so this was a special bonding experience for me.

Does Star Wars bring back special memories for you?  Or just remind you of the glorious Eighties?  Do you have little boys who are experiencing the thrill for the first time?  Then check out these patterned papers, chipboard shapes, and more. 

Dollar Aisle Design: Scrapbook Layouts for Less

Sometimes I like to create gorgeous, top of the line layout with all the extras.  I confidently scoop up designer papers and embellishments, then squeeze my eyes shut while I hand over my credit card.  But sometimes I want to create gorgeous, affordable layouts, and that's when I shop the dollar aisles.  Joann, Michaels, AC Moore, and Target all carry scrapbook products in their dollar aisles.  For a few bucks, you can find all the doodads you need to embellish a several layouts and cards. 

The trick to beautiful bargain layouts (or any layout) is sound design.  I don't want my layout to look cheap, so I usually start with a well designed sketch like the ones from Page Maps.  This way I can focus on my products and pictures without worrying about whether I've used the Rule of Threes and the Rule of Thirds and any other Rules out there.  The other key is to create detail.  Dollar aisle products don't usually have the depth or high level of detail that designer products have.  Remedy this by layering products, using dimensional adhesive, and adding your own details and highlights with Stickles, ink, or brads.  You can also wrinkle or curl your paper to add texture.  Soon your simple, flat bargain bin finds will be as snazzy as anything you'd see at your LSS.

To get you started, here's a layout I made using three dollar aisle products I found at Joann fabric.  The products are the puffy fabric crowns, the pink sequin-like flowers, and the green ribbon.  (The crowns came in packages of nine, and the flowers came in a package of many different sequin shapes)  I also used a 50 sheet pack of 8"x11" cardstock I found there on sale for $2.39.  The cardstock pack comes with 10 sheets each of 5 coordinating colors.  From my stash I pulled pink and green ink, pink Stickles, a scalloped circle punch, a flower stamp, a pink gel pen and a journaling stamp.

First, I created the "patterned paper" by stamping a random flower pattern on the cream cardstock with pink ink.  I inked the edges of the cardstock for definition, and added layering by mounting it on green cardstock.  I added a ribbon border near the bottom.  Next, I mounted my picture on a pink cardstock mat and glued the flowers around the edges.  I added pink Stickled centers for detail.  I stamped a journaling block and created a title with leftover Thickers.  I mounted the title on a piece of plastic packaging and popped it up on some of the foam dots that came with the crowns.  I then outlined the Thickers with pen for extra definition.  Finally I mounted one crown on a punched scalloped circle, inked the edges and adhered it to the top of the frame.  I added two other crowns for balance.  In total, I spent $5.39 and have 47 sheets of cardstock, most of a spool of ribbon, and many little embellishments left over. 

I used some stamps, ink, and Stickles to create these two cards with my leftovers.

   
 

I hope this inspires you to become a Dollar Aisle Designer!  You shouldn't have to give up scrapbooking just because your supply budget's been busted by the recession.  This is a great time to revisit your stash, use your scraps, hunt bargains, and utilize those stamps and other reusable tools!  I'd love to see your dollar aisle designs, so send them my way and I'll post them here.

Introducing The Scrap Play Design Team!

I'd like to introduce you all to three fabulous, talented ladies who will be sharing their ideas, energy, and creativity with us for a while.  You'll be seeing and hearing from them a lot, so let's get to know them, shall we?

First up:  Angie Simonet from Sheboygan, WI.  Angie is a mother of one four-year-old son and loves camping, fishing, photography, and shopping.  Check out her blog at http://angie.sketchvault.com

 

Next, we have Tiffany Call, who teaches art lessons and directs an after-school program.  Tiffany is also the founder of Ready, Set, CROP!, a Massachusetts based non-profit dedicated to providing women with opportunities to learn and craft together.   Visit her at http://www.thepaperfrog.blogspot.com

 

Last, but not least, is Amber Sartain of Little Rock, Arkansas.  She is a mom and foster-mom who writes articles about crafting with kids.  You can visit Amber at http://kneedeepinglue.blogspot.com

Coming Soon: Scrap Play Design Team

Just a quick update on the new design team.  After hours of agonizing over so many beautiful layouts and talented scrapbookers, I have picked my three first design team members!  I am contacting them now, and should be able to post their names and layouts within a day or two.  Thank you everyone who entered!  I wish I could have picked all of you!  If this blog really takes off, I will definitely be adding more members.

Scrapbook Pages that Sparkle and Shine

Now I know that sometimes we all like very formal, heritage style pages.  And sometimes we want pages with that gritty, masculine feel.  But sometimes, just sometimes, I want pages that really sparkle!  I love all things glittery and shiny, and sometimes I want my pages to reflect that!  So today I want to talk about adding sparkle to your scrapbook layouts.

These days there are so many sparkly products out there that an uncontrollable fear of glitter-mess is not excuse for dull pages.  Bazill makes shimmer cardstock, American Crafts makes foil and glitter Thickers, and Basic Grey makes some very intricate rhinestone designs.  So no fear, people!  Bring on the bling!

One easy idea to try is to add a glittery title to your page.  Simply use glitter letter stickers, or add fine glitter to your die cut letters.  Another simple project is to place a rhinestone frame around your photos.  You can buy them pre-made or add sticky rhinestones to a transparency and place it over your photo to get a custom look or fit. 

Stickles are a fabulous products for easy do-it-yourself sparkle.  Just be sure to leave your layout out overnight to dry.  I like to trace the edges of my title letters with Stickles, or use them to add detail to patterned paper.  You can also use them or regular glitter to cover an entire chipboard accent shape.

My favorite new glitter technique is to add glitter to stamped images for depth and detail.  I simple use a clear stamp to stamp my image, and then re-stamp the image with a glue pad.  Sprinkle on glitter, and you're done!  To make your image even prettier, fussy-cut around it and ink the edges.  You'll be surprised how professional your embellishment looks!

Here are some more cute glitzy products: 1.  Spruce Topiary Bling It by Basic Grey

2.  Self Adhesive Glitter Lace by We R Memory Keepers

3.  Glitter Sparklers by Webster's Pages

4.  Raspberry Rainboots Glitter Thickers

5.  Sequin Flowers by Prima

6.  Cinnamon Foil Thickers in Pomegranate

7.  Mixed Crystal and Pearl Flourish by Prima

8.  Shimmer Paper Flowers by Bazzill Basics

9.  Bazzill Bling Carstock in Emerald City Bling

 

So what do you think?  Are you ready to "bling it on"?  Then pull out your rhinestones and glitter and enter the Scrap Play's Bling on the Bling Challenge!  Submit a layout that showcases some serious sparkle to scrapplay@gmail.com by Monday, June 14, 2010.  One contestant will win the new set of Autumn Leaves Alphabet Stamps pictured below.  All are welcome to play, but prizes will only be shipped to winners in the US.