I am a bit late sharing the Thinking Inking video from yesterday on 2Peas. I had SUCH fun playing with these. I think the girls created about 30 charms, too. Addictive. HERE it is...
Here are just a few of the many projects. First one is on a piece of transparency. Love to pop it up so it looks like it is floating.
Speaking of Fragments, they are a must-have. They are clear charms that are perfect for inking or stamping on or backing with paper or anything you can think of. There are TONS in a box. The girls love to make keychains and necklaces from them. You can get them HERE.
And how about a share? This was a gift package I put together for Hero Arts - they sent it to one of our dear industry friends. Such a fun gift, huh? She had a baby, so it is filled with stamps that would be fun for baby girl pages...
Supplies: All Hero Arts stamps and such and Hobby Lobby basket.
OK, hubby is home from hot Phoenix. Off to hang with the family.
I forgot to share what I made for Colin's teachers this year. He goes to a Montessori, so he has several teachers - 6 right now. They each got a set of 10 cards. Wanted to make more, but ran outta time.
Each set was in a clear box with a matching bow. Each card is embossed with a Cuttlebug or Quickutz embossing folder, along with some simple stamping added. (No coloring = big timesaver.) I used two of my favorite stamp companies: Hero Arts and Papertrey Ink. Each envelope is stamped on the flap to match the cards.
The embossed background really brings the cards to life, even though they are simple. I also covered some of the stamped images with smeared sitckles for fun. The photos are bad (as usual for me), but here they are...
Supplies: Quickutz and Cuttlebug Embossing Folders, Hero Arts stamps (flourish, big butterfly, all greetings, flower and apple), Papertrey Ink stamps (stars, damask, hearts), Diamond Stickles, Hero Arts notecards, Shadow Inks and gems
(ETA: That last card was inspired by Dawn McVey. She rocks.)
I had fun Slip 'N Sliding with Audrey and Colin tonight. Audrey was so happy to have me join her. I will likely be sore tomorrow - off to rest. :)
I am really excited about today's post. A few weeks ago, Ali Edwards asked me to be the first special guest in a new series she is doing. I love my Ali, so I was happy to play along. (Note: Before you continue reading, go read her post first HERE, in case you haven't already. Then continue reading this post, as it contains added information.)
I told Ali about how I scrapbook. I actually have two ways of scrapbooking: the "practical way" and the "playful way." First up? The "practical..."
Yep, this is how I scrapbook my events and basic memories. Here is my "practical" process:
At the end of the month, I edit/crop my photos to 5x7 (mostly) and/or 4x6. I order doubles online at Costco. I prefer larger photos and never crop these smaller than 4x6. Why? Because when I look at my mom's awesome scrapbooks from when she was little, the photos are so tiny. I want to make sure people can really enjoy these in the days to come.
I adhere photos on 12x12 black cardstock. I then type up my journaling on the computer and print it on white cardstock. This is the only other thing added to the pages. No title. No embellishing. Fast and easy, and the kids can help. And the focus is 100% on the photos and the memories.
I store these pages in order in 12x12, 3-ring binders. All the family members pages are mixed together. Afterall, we are family.
I keep the doubles of the photos. I use favorite ones for my "playful scrapbooking" and send the extras to family or friends. Sometimes I give some to Colin to play with. He loves to carry them around and show the whole world.
Easy, fast and no pressure. And that is exactly why I started doing this. My memories are recorded, checking off a big to-do on my life's list. This frees my mind and heart to have some fun with my hobby.
This brings us to my "playful" side of scrapbooking. Ah, yes, this is my favorite. This is where I focus having fun and enjoying the hobby. For me, this means:
I use my favorite photos, often enlarged. I often will throw in extra photos, sometimes even tiny ones.
I love love love to play with new techniques. That is where almost all of my joy lies. On almost every page, I include at least one technique, often with stamping.
I also like to use up product in creative ways. For me, product is a big part of the fun of scrapbooking.
So, on Ali's site, I shared an example of some pages from a "playful" album I recently started. It features favorite quotes from my son - which he is known for. :) This is the perfect example of "playful" scrapbooking for me. Since I am not really good at design, I decided to keep the basic design the same on all the pages. And since I am not great at writing, I kept the journaling simple. But since I love techniques, I made sure that there is at least one area on each page where I can try something new.
Here are my example pages and video. (For a closer look, just click on them. For supplies, visit Ali's blog.)
Now, I know this wouldn't work for everyone. But this is what is best for me. Maybe this will inspire some of you to find a way to make scrapbooking 100% fun and 0% stressful. :)
Moving on...
I also thought I would mention that I have a HUGE class coming up at twopeasinabucket.com starting on June 15th called Thinking Inking. It is 9 weeks long, with three projects and videos a week. Yep - 27 videos in all. I will be teaching countless techniques for stamping, inking and painting. It will be such fun. And, of course - lots of prizes. If you are interested, be sure to keep a look out here for links, or over at the 2peas education board.
Thanks for stopping by. I will be back tomorrow with some more shares. Have a good one.
[ETA: If you are interested in more of my videos, please click HERE. This will give you links to the three places I create videos for: 2Peas, Hero Arts and JenniferMcGuireInk. You can easily subscribe and be notified anytime a video is added.
Also, if you are interested in a Hero Arts giveaway, check out Jana's blog HERE. Many of you know this is a favorite stamp of mine! Good luck.]
Before I forget (again)... the winners of the brads are Olivia and Gretchyn! I emailed you both to get your addresses.
Next up, here are some cards I did today while Colin was doing the same. (He likes doing art stuff - it is the only way he is like me - he is totally like his dad every other way.) I just grabbed some scraps that I had collected over the last week, including some extra stamped pieces, embossed pieces, etc. (I keep these "nicer" scraps in a little basket to use whenever I am too lazy to create new pieces for cards. Ha.) Here are the things I came up with.
This first one is using scraps from the card I did yesterday. (Which, I realized, I think I broke one of Kristina's challenge rules: I used dark brown for the greeting, but that that isn't in the color combo. Opps.) I love these stamps that Dawn created!
Supplies: Papertrey Ink Stamps (greeting and umbrella), Hero Arts (stamp, notecard and pearls), Making Memories paper (ledger 8x8 paper), October Afternoon paper (patterned teal), Quickutz embossing folder (on the top teal piece - hard to see), SEI paper (dotted teal), EK Success foam adhesive, corner rounder, Memories Black Inkm string
Here is another use-up-some-good-scraps card. (Click HERE to watch a video showing the technique on the hearts.)
Supplies: Papertrey Ink Stamp (greeting), Hero Arts stamps (background and on hearts), Hero Arts gems (which appear to not be put on completely), Quickutz embossing folder, EK Success foam adhesive, corner rounder, Distress Inks, Fiskars heart punch
Time for some links. You all shared some great manufacturer blogs - thanks! Here are some of them...
Speaking of Basic Grey: OH MY. That sums up how I feel about their new lines. OH MY. I am SO excited to get these lines. So very pretty...
OH MY. :)
I have been spending a lot of time planting. And buying more and more plants. Anyone else planting? Tell me what you like - I am always looking for new flowers to try. I like lots of color. Here are two of my many different clematis (the flowers are bigger than my open hand) and a new hanging pot...
I know I am a tease showing more photos from Ranger U. But I can't help it. I got so many fun photos.
But I have good news: I am going on a stamping retreat with several of my favorite people this weekend! Woohoo. And I will get to play there with all the new techniques - which means I will have things to share.
Until then, here are some fun photos and more.
This one was on creating a faux burned edge, but I kinda took it in a different direction. I showed an iphone photo of this, but thought I would share a real photo. Hero Arts stamps... yummmmm...
This is just a close-up of something that was on the wall - something Claudine made. It just caught my eye because of the colors. Claudine really nailed the most gorgeous colors in her line. SO tasty...
And here are just some of the colors in her line. Aren't they incredible? I was so impressed with how wonderful these paints are. More on that later...
I will be back with more cards tomorrow. Have a good night...
This is my favorite shot. It is a close of up my craft sheet
(which is a must-have). I smeared a few yummy colors of Distress Ink
on it and then spritzed it with water. Isn't it cool? After this, I
just pulled a plain tag through the inks, creating a fun background.
Here is a peek at the table - after we each cleaned up a bit. They give you so much to work with! The mess is so fun... a creative mess. I am sure you all understand. I love it...
And then we had some fun with Perfect Pearls. I have used these for years, but it was good to get some fresh ideas for them. They are such a versatile, inexpensive tool.
Off to see a fun show downtown tonight with the girls. Will be
fun. We also went to see Hannah Montana today. Anyone else go? I have to
admit, it was a cute movie.
And for good for awhile. :) Whew. I was starting to miss normal life.
Ranger U was incredible. I can't say enough how much I needed that escape... where I could just drown in creativity with many others. I do plan to share lots and lots of what I learned, along with other fun things I learn on my own playing with everything over the next few weeks. Lots of big things planned. And I can't wait.
I hope you liked my random iPhone pictures I shared here on Sunday and the Facebook photos I added on Saturday. I had fun. :)
I have lots of photos to share... and I thought I would show some tonight, and more throughout the week.
I took my little camera (I love THIS baby so much) and took some funky ones. This is one of my favorite Ranger products - Dabbers. My oh my, this product is a must have. If you have any acrylic paints, throw them out and get every single one of these. I promise you will be happy. (I will be sharing lots of techniques with these.) Oh, and they are cheap. As Tim says, they are practically free. :)
These small canvases were from a designer challenge Tim arranged a few CHAs ago. Check out the green one - recognize that boy? That was fun to do. But boy does mine look poohy next to all those great ones up there...
Ah... my favorite tools EVER. That spinning rack is calling my name...
And then there is my other favorite product - Crackle Paint. This stuff is too much fun to play with. Fun shot, huh? The Pool color makes me weak in the knees...
And then there is the photo that every woman is dying to have...
Tim - thanks so much. I won't go on and on about how great you are for fear that all those ladies who are already crazy about you will just adore you more. But I do have to say that your kindness surpasses your incredible talent, which amazes me. It is always good to spend time with you. That semi of Blue Moon is coming your way... :)
In the excitement of the weekend, I did forget to pick a winner of the punch! Sorry. The lucky one is Loriann! I emailed you.
Also, I will announce this week the winners of some prizes for some of you who sent in cards for the Aussie folks. We got TONS of cards. Thanks!!! More on that later...
I thought it would be fun to go a bunch of quick posts today from Ranger U. The photos won't be the best, but it could be fun. Sound good? I better go hopin the shower... see you soon...
It's a big day at our house. My dear husband turned the big 4-0 today. :)
Here is the card Colin made. He loves to stamp and then color in the holes on the letters and trace the lines... (Yes, he did stamp that - he is a stampin' pro.)
And here is what I made for Ken as a gift from me. I originally had planned to get a nice hammock for our backyard, so we could dream of doing THIS. But then he talked about wanting a nice new watch. Then I thought a night away out of town would be fun. So, I decided to give him a stack of money and let him pick which of the three things he wants. I went to the bank and asked for a bunch of ones. (That stack of money looks like a lot but it isn't at all - they are all ones. :) Then I cut thin paper strips and wrapped the dollars together. The clipart on the top are from Microsoft Clipart. (I just remembered that from my old PC days in college.) And here it is...
Oh... and he picked the hammock. I am glad he did. :)
Here is the card I did. Wanted to do something different and funky, with a photo included...
So... what about TWO giveaways? Just leave a comment here telling me your best birthday memory. On Thursday at 11:59pmEDT, I will pick TWO winners. One will win the Stampin' Up Scallop Circle Punch and the other will win the Stampin' Up Scallop Border Punch. You know how much I love these - been saving these extras for a fun giveaway. :)
OK... The Bachelor. Where to begin? I have to share something a funny gal named Kristi commented. This made me crack up - the whole "sticker" thing. Ha! Here is her comment...
I am wondering what sort of creative editing has been done with the whole Deanna thing. They've got her saying "I made a mistake...you haven't proposed yet," to make it look like she's there to ask him back, when she could really be saying: "I made a mistake when i used stickers on my early layouts. If you love her so much, I am wondering why you haven't proposed yet." They always edit it to make us so suspenseful.
That cracked me up. :) Anyway, I think it will be Melissa, too. But I seem to always get them wrong!
I hope you all had a great day. Ken and I have never been big on Valentine's Day. But today was fun - we spent it with a friend's family. They have two kids that are older than Colin, but are SO good with him and he adores them. A good day. Anyone do anything special?
Here are the goodies Colin and I made for his classmates. The pictures aren't great. We made 25 for his classmates and they were simple to make. The black and white dotted packages are actually gift bags from Hobby Lobby - 10 for $1.99. In each bag are a pack of markers or paint ($.99) and 16 small coloring pages with a Valentine's theme. (I googled "Valentine coloring pages" and printed them on my computer - so easy and cheap! I kept the bag flat and folded it over and taped it on the back. So it looks like I wrapped them, but didn't. :) The hearts on it were cut from my Cricut (so fast and easy - Colin can do it) and I printed and punched the message on the small heart. He did the gluing with me and we were done!
And here are the teachers gifts. In it are some muffins, cookies and candies Colin and I made. The card is inside the bag.
Supplies: Hobby Lobby Black and White dot bags - in the stationary section Target Pink gift bags Circut DoodleCharms Roseart $.99 markers from Hobby Lobby Coloring pages - printed at home from internet Scenic Route red dotted paper Fiskars Heart Punch Papertrey Heart Prints stamps (on card) Hero Arts notecard, pearls and glitter
And I have another show I must talk about - another mindless one. :) This one is Millionaire Matchmaker on Bravo. The gal who runs it is a riot and the rich men who come on the show are characters. Anyone else watch it?
OK... off to bed. So tired today! Have Heart Day! :)
... Health for little Keegan, Crystal, little Ethan, Naomi, Bill, Joshua (http://joshuakoman.blogspot.com), McGuyre and Bobbi... Strength for Tammy and Elena... Comfort for Michelle's mom and aunt, Erik Smith and the family of Morgan McRae
... Jobs for Greg, Leslie, the Youngs, Thomas and so many more
... Comfort for 14 babies... Happiness and comfort for Surprise... comfort for 8 kids who shouldn't be on tv... prayers for Katie...
... and thankful for our fast-growing kids... photos that capture life's greatest moments...
