time to say goodbye

Change is the nature of the scrapbook industry.  Products and trends change, manufacturers come and go, design team terms come to an end, and I've learned to live with that.  For me, as hard as it is to close one door, there's always a feeling of excitement waiting for another one to open.  And one always does.

But for some reason, closing this door has been the hardest change I've gone through in my scrapbooking experience.  While I've only met in person a handful of the amazing designers at Write.Click.Scrapbook., I feel like I know them all because I see their photos, read their stories, and know their commitment to telling those stories in a meaningful, sustainable, and oh so creative way.  There is not another organized group of designers out there equal to this one.  That is the truth.

So while I know it's time for me to move on, I do so with mixed feelings.  I will miss being a part of this group, but I will continue to visit WCS first thing every morning.  Just like I have for the past three years.  Only now I'll get to admire from the sidelines.  Thank you Marnie and crew for a wonderful ride.  Love you girls!!

Here's what thirty-nine write.click.scrapbook. projects look like:

flocked cardstock projects

A few weeks ago Anna Griffin sold a set of gorgeous flocked cardstock sheets on HSN, and I was lucky enough to create a couple of layouts using some of these.  The first one is a photo of my oldest and youngest daughters.  They just love each other!

These papers are absolutely gorgeous, and the photos just don't do them justice.  They're soft as velvet, and the colors and patterns are stunning.

This next one is an older photo of my dear hubby.  He's so cute!!  I had fun weaving that background.  That's something I've been wanting to try for a while.

Now, for a little trick when working with flocked papers:  get out that glue gun!  That's right.  I said it.  The most secure adhesive for flocked papers is a glue gun.  You'll definitely want to mount your photos with smooth cardstock so that you're not applying the hot glue directly to the back of the photo.  Another adhesive that works pretty well is foam squares, but you won't want to use those on everything on your page, so hot glue is a good alternative for everything else.  There ya have it. =)

pinterest made me do it!

Sometimes when I sit down to create a scrapbook layout I get inspiration from the products I'm using, or sometimes from the photos.  Sometimes I'll use a design that I've already done before (scraplifting yourself saves lots of time), or I'll find a sketch I like.  Other times I'll turn to my Pinterest boards for inspiration, and that is exactly what happened with the Anna Griffin page I created below.

Here is my inspiration piece:

Source: modabakeshop.com via Aly on Pinterest

I love the folded fabric strips, the soft colors, and the mix of patterns.  I decided to try the same concept with paper, and this is what I came up with:

I ended up machine stitching the folded strips together for extra good measure.  The Anna Griffin paper is heavy weight and such great quality, that I was worried my tape runner wouldn't be strong enough to keep the strips folded.  Then I overlapped them and added some stickers and sentiments.

This page features the new vellum quote stickers.  I LOVE these!  The vellum is so beautiful, but they are so easy to use since they're stickers and you don't have to worry about how to stick them onto your projects without the adhesive showing.

That photo is another out-stretched arm shot of my hubby and me a few years ago.  So love that guy!!

Wednesday I'll share my final two Anna Griffin layouts and a few tips for using her gorgeous flocked papers.  Have a great day!

exciting news!

I'm thrilled to share that I've been invited to join the Anna Griffin design team.  I've seen her elegant, beautiful products on HSN many times and I'm so excited to get to work with such high quality gorgeous products.  She did a run recently on QVC-UK and HSN here in the US, and I thought I'd share some of my projects featured on those shows.

First off is this layout with a photo of some spring bulbs in our yard.  I get so excited when I see the first signs of spring!  This page features the banner stamp set.  The set is full of adorable flags, banners, and celebratory sentiments.  What's so cool is that it also includes alpha stamps so you can spell whatever you want inside the banner stamps.

Next is a page with one of my all time favorite photos of Faith exploring outside in our yard on a gorgeous day.  This layout features the new birds and butterflies 3D stickers.  The images are 19th century botanicals layered three times, and they are stunning!  I paired them with a more modern, bold paper collection and I love how it turned out.  The botanicals images contrast nicely with it.

Here's another one with the birds and butterfly stickers.   Not the greatest photo--just my out-stretched arm with my little point-and-shoot.  This page uses a softer vintage paper collection.  The stickers blend in perfectly.  So fun to get completely different looks with the same stickers.

Come back Monday when I share another Anna Griffin page and how one of my Pinterest pins inspired me to create it.  Cheers!

it's a banner day--more CM projects

Creative Memories released a banner border maker cartridge this month, and I was so thrilled when I heard about that!  Here are a couple of projects I created with it.  I've used it on tons of projects since then.  Love it!!

CLICK HERE for full credits and instructions

 First I created a card using the border maker and the Enchanted line, which I love!  To create the paper-pieced banner border on this card I punched a teal banner, and a black banner.  Then I trimmed the pennant flags off of the black banner and adhered the black trim that was left on top of the teal banner.

CLICK HERE for full credits and instructions

 Next I created this scrapbook page.  I punched several banners out of the papers, added some faux-stitching with a marker, and added them to the top half of the page.  I overlapped some, and tilted some to added some interest.  Then I threw in a few paper flowers here and there popped up on foam squares.

CLICK HERE for full credits and instructions

Lastly, I used it to create an eclectic border for this birthday page.  I used several border maker cartridges for the border.  And can you believe I created this entire two page spread using only a 6 x 6 inch paper pack and alpha stickers??  All of the borders and embellishments were cut or punched from the 6 x 6 papers.

at the beach--CM projects

Creative Memories released a wave border maker cartridge this month, so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to re-visit a trip to the beach a few years ago since I never finished scrapbooking those photos.

CLICK HERE for full credits and instructions

First is a page I made about the "friend" my boys made at the beach.  They spent a couple of hours burying each other in various shapes in the sand.  They had a blast!  I punched several wave borders in different colors and alternated the directions they face for added interest.

Next I created this two page layout using the Summer Additions (LOVE those patterns and colors) and the wave border maker.  Our trip to Gulf Shores with Grandma and Grandpa was one of the funnest we've ever had!  Great memories.

scrapbooking teens

So...most of you know that I have twin 14 year old boys, and my oldest daughter is turning 12 this summer.  While I absolutely adore my teens/tweens (even when they're moody), I must regrettably admit I do not scrapbook about them nearly as often as I should.  I honestly find it a challenge.

Why?  First off, they hate it when I take their picture.  They run, hide, refuse, whine and complain...wait, that sounds like my 2 year old!  Hmmm...

Secondly, I'm not really sure what about them to journal.  Concerts, sports, dance, and achievements are easy for me to scrapbook, but it's harder for me to record their day-to-day stuff, their personalities, their likes or dislikes (of which they have several).

Funny thing is, I have no problem recording the day-to-day about my 2 year old.  Maybe that's because she's home with me all day so I have time to think about and photograph those types of things.  Once my older kids get home, life's pace doubles and I just don't remember to photograph anything because it all happens so fast.

Chagrined at my lack of teen scrapbook pages, I set a goal to include my teens in my albums more.  So with the latest round of Creative Memories assignments, I created pages about my sons and my oldest daughter.

CLICK HERE for full credits and instructions

With this page I thought it would be fun to record all of the signs Ashley is showing of preteen-hood.  There are definitely many, and several of them are wonderful! =)

CLICK HERE for full credits and instructions

My boys (and my husband) have worked so hard to earn their Eagle Scout rank.  I wanted to be sure and make a big deal about this, so this is the first of several pages I'll be creating about their journey to Eagle Scout-hood.  While this page is event-based, I do plan on covering more about their personalities and their day-to-day.  For now, at least their on this page!

take twelve

I was glad the 12th was on a Saturday this month so I could record our typical Saturday activities.  I captured photos of our house-cleaning and chores in the morning, the kids making a sign to welcome Dad home from a business trip, me cooking lunch, Faith playing with her toys and napping, and my hubby and I on a dinner date that night.  Here's the May 2012 photo collage:

And here's the completed layout for April:

The left page:

And the right page:

This project has been a truly freeing experience for me.  I love to sit down and create these layouts because everything is all planned out, pre-cut, and all I have to do is assemble it.  It doesn't take much time, thus I don't feel overwhelmed by the project and I don't feel any pressure or guilt.  Plus I feel better knowing I'm capturing more of our day-to-day life.

it's a party!

It's my turn to post today over at the Creative Memories traditional blog.  I'm sharing how to create this fun birthday party set using the new Stamper System, which I totally love!  It's so easy to use, versatile, and makes perfect impressions each time.  Which is a big deal for me 'cuz I'm not that great of a stamper. =0

For instructions and tips on how to create these, CLICK HERE. Happy scrapping!

happy mother's day!

Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever.