How Time Flies

A week ago I helped my oldest daughter move out of the house to go to college. I have to admit it was gut wrenching! As much as I will miss her, I'm still very excited for her and all the new adventures she will have in college. Doesn't seem that long ago that I was in college! Ha! ha! How time flies! In honor of her graduating and leaving for college, I made this layout with a few pictures of her from kindergarten through graduation. I think sometimes we scrapbook "events" and often forget to make layouts that highlight changes, relationships, feelings, or other "non-event" things in our lives. It was so rewarding to reflect on how my daughter has grown up while making this layout. Those are the feelings and memories that make scrapbooking worth it!

Oh, and one more thing...the photo on the right? That is my daughter on her last day of her school her senior year holding a picture of herself on her very first day of kindergarten! Poetic? Ha! Ha! I hope so! I planned it that way! :)

Bundles of Bling

I love to create simple layouts accented with bundles of bling. It's easy to create cute little clusters to highlight your photos and make your pages pop like in this layout made with the Avonlea papers. Here are a few tips on how to make your own bundles of bling: 

1) use odd numbers of accents; 

2) arrange your embellishments in triangular shapes for balance; 

3) raid your stash - clusters are a great way to use up left over accents you have laying around; 

4) don't be afraid to combine different textures.

Celebrate with Mini Banners

I love to have an excuse to celebrate a special occasion and there are so many reasons to celebrate! Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, new job and more. A celebration isn't the same without decorations. Check out this cute mini banner that is perfect for any reason to celebrate. I made it for my daughter's graduation this past May. See the cute graduation caps at the ends? They are simple card stock creations that can be attached with velcro. They were super simple and easy. But what if you want to use your banner for a different occasion? Instead of graduation hats you can add a sports embellishment to celebrate your child's sports wins. Or, add a wedding cake to celebrate an anniversary or bridal shower. There are many different accents that you can use to make this cute banner fit your special occasion. So have fun and celebrate! 

Happy Mother's Day

Looking for a card idea to go with that mother's day present this weekend? Grab your Dotty for You paper and create this simple and easy Mother's day card (I got this card idea from a creative fellow consultant)! Or substitute paper you already have in your collection that is in your mom's favorite colors. That's the beauty of making our own cards...we can make them special by using our loved ones favorite colors and themes. Happy Mother's day to all women who nurture and love children anywhere.

Can Pictures Speak More than a Thousand Words?

You have all heard the phrase "A picture is worth a thousand words." As scrapbookers we know our photos speak to us. But we can take advantage of pictures to tell us more! In this layout, I made a sign for my son to hold on his last day of school. I could have snapped a regular picture on his last day, but holding the sign made it more meaningful. Photos like this add to the meaning to our layouts without using additional journaling. Here are some more ideas on how to create photos with a purpose that speak even more than a thousand words!

• Create a simple sign for someone to hold. It could say a simple phrase, or share an emotion such as "We miss you, Dad!" For added meaning, have your child write it him/herself!
• When using signs, I suggest making it at least 8 1/2 x 11 in a large font so it is readable in the photo.
• Have each person in the picture hold a letter to spell a word.
• Point to a map. For example, in a place you visit, find a city map and point to where you are on the map.
• Reinact a moment you want to capture that you didn't have your camera for the first time. It sounds crazy but if you make it cheesy and totally ham it up it adds even more emotion and fun! For example, your daughter goes on her first date but you don't want to embarrass her in front of her date (well, anymore than we as parents do already! Ha! Ha!). The next day, reenact the leaving on the date scene by having her dad (with hands on his hips of course) wagging his finger while the daughter shakes her head in embarrassment. Believe me, that photo will say more than a thousand words!

These are just a few of the many ways that you can make your photos have more meaning and more messages behind them. Get creative and play around with more and make your next photo shoot say more!

Dotty For You!

LOVE this year's National Scrapbooking Month promotion! It features this beautiful paper packet with fun prints on one side and adorable polka dots on the other side! I LOVE polka dots! When you place an order of $35 or more in products from the Spring/Summer 2012 Idea Book between April 17 and May 31, you may add the Dotty for You paper packet, valued at $19.95, for just $5. That's right! Just $5! Dotty for You includes 24 specially designed, coordinating B&T Duos^®sheets (2 each of 12 patterns) and an artwork idea insert to get your creative juices flowing. But that’s not all! There are two ways you can get this darling paper packet FREE! Hostesses will receive a free Dotty for You paper packet when their Gathering sales total $400 or more (excluding tax, shipping/handling, and Operation Smile donations). Or new Consultants who sign up between April 1 and May 31 (two full months!) will receive a free Dotty for You paper packet with their kit.  

No matter what projects you have in mind, you will love these dotty papers! Enjoy!

Create Your Own Patterned Paper

Create your own patterned paper? Yes you can....in Studio J! I love it! Check out this great video with tips on how to create your own patterned paper and more!

Virtual Garage Sale!

It's spring cleaning time and I'm making room for new stamping and scrapbooking goodies by having a virtual garage sale! I literally have over 100 stamp sets (many of them never used) that have been retired and need a good home. :) Stamp sets range in price from only $3 to $9 so there are killer deals for you!! All of the stamps are listed on this site: www.stampnscrapads.com and just click on acrylic stamps. Happy saving!

Double the Scrapbook Night Fun!

Check out what we made at Scrapbook Night last night! We love the new papers in this new idea book that we couldn't make just one kit...we had to do two! So we made these beautiful Lucy layouts AND the masculine Victory layouts. Love them both! We play and scrapbook together the first Friday night of every month so if you want to come join in the fun, let me know and you can come play with us!

Lucy Layout 1

Lucy Layout 2

Victory Layout 1

Victory Layout 2

Faux Stitching

I love this new flower stamp! It has an adorable stitched border and you just fill in the petals with different patterns or inks. So fun. I wanted to carry the stitching look from the flower over into the rest of the card but I honestly was feeling a little lazy about pulling out my threads to stitch it! ha! ha! So instead I created "faux" stitching around the edge of the card. It's so simple. Here's how:

1. With the bone folder or other scoring tool, score dash lines. I just free handed mine, but you can measure it if you like to be more precise.
2. Now lightly sand the scored marks and they will pop right off the page! It looks like you have stitched around the card with white thread. It's that easy!

Hmmm...now what else can I stitch? :) Enjoy!

Consider Yourself Hugged!

I found these little tins tucked away in a box of craft supplies I haven't looked at for awhile and was so excited! So many fun things that you can do with them! And with Valentine's Day next week, I thought I would make a treat for my three darling children. So I grabbed my February Stamp of the Month (told you I LOVE that set! Ha! Ha!) and the beautiful new Stella paper and this is what I came up. Guess what is in inside each box? Hershey's "Hugs" of course! :)

What are you whipping up for your valentine?

Thoughtful Tidings

Thoughtful Tidings (Set of 11) 


I LOVE the sentiments and sayings in this fabulous stamp of the month! Creative, unique and so useful…you will just love the fun things you can make with this must-have stamp set! Oh, and it gets even better...most of the images shapes can be cut out with the Art Philosophy Cricut cartridge! Love it even more! February will be a very good stamping month. :)

Heart Warming Winter Cards

It's January and a dear friend is having a birthday. Or a neighbor brought you over some homemade cookies and you want to give them a thank you card. Do you reach for your flower or summery stamps? No way! Use a winter theme for your cards since it's winter! Or fall themes if the occasion is in the fall...you get the idea. Not all birthday cards have to have balloons! Ha! Ha! I love to make "seasonal" cards for your every day thank yous, get wells, and birthdays. That's why I reached for my "winter" stamps and the beautiful Wonderland paper to create these special cards. Check out how the pin clips are used to create "steam" rising from the hot chocolate mug. So fun! So use the seasons the next time you are creating and break away from the standard "balloons are for birthdays" mold!

Happy creating!

Love Your Layout!

Dreaming of snow? We have some friends whose children are seeing snow for the first time this year. It's so exciting! And it reminded me of the beautiful Wonderland papers. Check out this Love Your Layout video that shows you how to create a darling snow themed layout...along with a great tip on how to create borders with stickease! You'll love it!

All Stitched Up!

I LOVE stitching on layouts, cards and other craft projects. I just think it is so cute and adds a great touch! I have always been a little sad that I couldn't stitch on my Studio J layouts...until now!! They have added some fabulous stitching options to your embellishing options in Studio J. I'm in heaven!

Check out the cute stitched ribbon in the layout above. I created that stitched looking ribbon simply by dragging the running stitch pattern on top of the ribbon and then choosing a color. That's it! So easy!

There are tons of stitching options in Studio J...a variety of stitches, cross-stitches, stitched shapes like circles, hearts and flowers, and there are even stitched pennants and banners. All you do is click and drag them on...fast and easy just like all of our other embellishments. So swing on over to studioj.com and play....you'll love it!

A Perfect 10!

January is free layout month for Studio J^® members! For every 9 custom-printed Studio J layouts you buy, you’ll receive the 10th layout free. To receive the discount, just add 10 or more layouts to your cart. You’ll see a discount reflected in your order total. And you can totally take advantage of this promotion by ordering in multiples of 10. Buy 9, get 1 free. Buy 18, get 2 free. Buy 27, get 3 free. And so on! If you’re not a member yet, now’s a great time to join!

Dates: Offer valid January 1, 2012–January 31, 2012.