Moving Out...

My blog address is changing. From now on it'll be here.


I said once before that I'd be moving the blog then changed my mind.  But this time it's for keeps, I do believe.

I've been maintaining two separate blogs, one for my crafty stuff and one for blogging. But recently it's been getting a bit inconvenient and more time-consuming than it's worth.

If you've read any of my posts here, thank you! I really appreciate it, and I'd love for you to join me at my new place.  As soon as things settle down I'll be putting together a little bit of a blog candy type giveaway, so if you follow me here, please come on over and follow me at the new home so you don't miss out.

Have a great few days of 2010 and best wishes for an amazing 2011!

xx Beth

Layout: Tour Dates

I have come to the realization lately that scrapbooking has started taking over around here.  On vacations, I take pictures of things that will match papers that I already have.  I see things in every area of the store (except for the scrapbook section, usually) and think how they'd be great as part of a page or a project.  I think a lot of the time when an event is happening I am looking at it aiming to capture something that I can turn into something else.

The event that produced the picture in this layout was not like that.  It was a concert with my favorite musician, Duke Special (my super giddy it-just-happened-and-I'm-still-on-cloud-9 blog post is here if you'd like to read it).  It was amazing and though my camera was in my lap and I occasionally took pictures, there was nothing on my mind other than the simply gorgeous music that was being made just a few feet from where I sat.

I have to admit that, as goofy as it is, I got super excited when I saw our little show listed on the upcoming tour dates on Duke's website.  So what is a goofball like me to do when that happens?  Well, screen-shot it and save it to go into a project later on, of course.

This layout is based on a sketch from Sketch Inspiration.  A materials list is below.  But first, a couple of close-ups.

I made the flower using a youtube tutorial I found some time ago (here's a link to it if you'd like to try it out).

Behind the picture of Duke is a hidden journaling tag with a super brief description of the couple of days we were lucky enough to spend with him.

I made the little gramophone out of kraft paper and adhesive backed tin sheets.  I learned from a friend that if you take the blade out of your cricut and turn it over, inserting the cutting end into the carriage so that it is upside down, it will deboss an image into these metal sheets.  So that's what I did to get the metal bits marked with the detail lines.

And here's the sketch:

TFL and have a very Merry Christmas to those of you who are celebrating (but still have a fantastic weekend if you're not)!

Materials:

Paper/Cardstock

Hot Off The Press and DCWV open stock from Joann's

My Mind's Eye "Lifestories" cardstock (for the hidden journaling)

Inks

Ranger Distress inks - Walnut Stain and Black Soot

Other
QuicKutz Metal Sheets (adhesive backed)
Ribbon, satin, pearl beads, tulle, and feathers from various areas of the craft store

Design Team Call

Please have a look, and be sure to pass this along to your friends! 

Better Living Through Scrapbooking Design Team Call

We at Better Living Through Scrapbooking are looking for a few great scrappers who would like to join our design team!


Requirements and Expectations:

This call is open only to people in the US at this time. Below, you can find our current DT requirements. Please be sure to read them carefully and agree to them prior to applying.

Each month, Better Living Through Scrapbooking Design Team members will have two to three challenge projects plus one newsletter project that are required. We will sometimes need additional projects throughout the month when we sign on new sponsors. These projects are usually tutorials or how-to’s and we will rotate these projects throughout the team so that no one has to tackle the extra projects every month. You will be sent product in order to complete the projects as it becomes available to us.

How to apply:

Send images of five projects you think are examples of your best work to betterscrap.info@gmail.com.  You can send them via attached email images, or send links to the images if they are already on your blog, scrapbook.com gallery, etc.

If you send attached images, please also include your blog address, and any galleries or other sites your work is displayed on.

Please make sure that at least three of the project images you send are of scrapbook page layouts. The other two can be layouts as well, or they can be cards, altered art, or any other paper craft. :)

In the your email, write a paragraph about yourself and why you’d like to be a part of our team. Also, let us know about any other design teams you’re currently on, or any DT experience you’ve had in the past.

Best of luck to all who apply, I can’t wait to see your submissions!

**Deadline for application is 12/31/2010, with announcement to be made shortly thereafter.**

Layout: Day With The Duke

This layout is based on a sketch from Sketch Inspiration.

The photo is of me with my favorite musician, hands down - Duke Special.  We had the opportunity to book a private gig with him while he was in the States at the end of November.  It was phenomenal, an audience of 17 people watching the super talented Duke making some of the most beautiful music ever with only a rented keyboard.  I wrote up an account of the day on my wordy blog, and if you're interested please feel free to click this link and read it.

I made the flowers and my tutorial for them can be found under the tutorial archive listing on the homepage of this blog.  Nearly all the embellishments are Tim Holtz Idea-ology items, except for the fab little record player needle label, which came from a K and Company pack.  I coated it with Ranger Crackle Accents to give it a little bit of finish.  The little gramophone in the center of the metal plate is part of a sticker bought from the dukespecial.com store.

Here are some close-ups:

And here is the sketch:

The material list is below, if you are interested.  After this ridiculously awesome video.  Before the show Duke asked what I'd like to hear, and I told him that the song in that video was my favorite. 

TFL!!

Material List:

Paper:

BoBunny Mama Razzi
Kraft paper
Corrugated cardboard
Paints/inks:
DecoArt Elegant Finish Metallic Paint - Rich Espresso
Ranger Distress Ink - Walnut Stain
Tsukineko Shimmer Spritz - Copper
Embellishments:
Tim Holtz Idea-ology items: Ornate Plates, Mini Paper Clips, Memo Pins, Hinge Clips, Tissue Tape
Jute Cord

Layout: Tradition

Seeing as how it's a holiday week and I'll be busy with the cooking, the family, and the music (yay), I decided to kill two paper birds with one paper stone this week.  This layout was based on a sketch from Sketch Inspiration, and was done for November Challenge #3 at Better Living Through Scrapbooking.

Here were the criteria for the Better Scrap Challenge:

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"Family Tradition” challenge:
Create a layout about a family tradition, event, or something your family regularly does together that is not holiday related.

Choose at least 2 of the following:

1. Use three or more photos from a family event, cropped to fit your page design.
2. Use paper or supplies on your page that are at least a year old. 
3. Use the word “tradition” in the title of your page.
4. Use hidden journaling in your page design.

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The tradition I used was one that we have on our vacations.  Every year, my husband and I go to Savannah and Tybee Island, Georgia for vacation.  And every time we go, we spend an afternoon wandering about in Bonaventure Cemetery taking pictures of the sculpture and beautiful landscaping.  If you ever get to Savannah, you really must check it out.  It's one of the most beautiful, peaceful places I've ever been.

For my hidden journaling I made a little folder and attached the closures from a couple of accordion file folders to the flap and the page, tied some jute cord to it and wrapped it to close the folder. 

Here are some detail pics and the sketch that was used as the basis for the layout.  The material list is at the bottom of this post. 

  

Here's the sketch:

Materials:

Papers/cardstock

BoBunny: Mama Razzi

Basic Grey: Basic (Manila)

Inks

Ranger Distress inks: Black Soot, Walnut Stain

Ranger Alcohol ink: Ginger

Embellishments

Prima Say It In Pearls Swirl with Fimo (Gray)

Die Cuts

Cricut Expression

Gypsy

Billionaire cartridge

TFL and have a very happy Thanksgiving!

Project: Shadow Box Frames

Every year, the crafty folks at work do a Christmas craft swap.  It's just like any other craft swap, each person makes enough of their craft to give everyone in the swap one item, and in return they get one of each of everyone else's items.

In the past, I've crocheted ornaments, made sock monsters, and stuff like that, but this year I decided on something different from what my usual projects are. 

This project is super flexible and can be made a hundred different ways. 

Materials:
Unfinished shadow box style frames
Paint or stain and brushes
Masking Tape if needed
Contrasting card stock or paper
Photo Corners
Ribbon
Various embellishments (if desired)

The frames I got (from Hobby Lobby) have the glass permanently affixed to the front bit of the frame.  If yours are like this, you will probably want to mask off the glass with masking tape so that your paint does not get on the glass.  If you do get paint on the glass you can generally clean it off, but it takes a lot longer to clean the glass than it would take to mask it. 

Trust me on this one. 

Think of it like you're Ebenezer Scrooge and I'm the Ghost of Christmas Crafts Which I've Made Way More Difficult Than They Needed To Be.  It's best just to heed the advice and save yourself an eternity in Paint Touch-up Hell.

If your frames have removable glass, you're a step ahead since you can just remove the glass and not  have to worry about being really neat with the painting.

1.  Paint or stain your frames.  I used this stuff - DecoArt Elegant Finish, in a color called "Rich Espresso:" 

If you mix it with a little bit of water it looks more like wood stain than paint, but still has a bit of shimmer.  I'd say I used about 1 part water and 2 parts paint.

2.  Cut sheets of paper or cardstock to fit the inside of the  (mine have 5x7 photo openings so I cut them to  5x7.  Cause I'm smart like that.  Cut a contrasting piece of cardstock or paper (for the mat of your picture) to a size roughly 1/4 inch larger than your picture (for mine, I set the picture size to be 3x5 so the mat is 3.25 x 5.25). 

3.  Sew a strip of ribbon down the length of the background paper.  Because of the depth of the frame you can do a lot of scrunching and folding to add a nice texture.

4.  Attach your picture to the mat and the mat to the background paper.  Because my frames are for a swap and I don't have pictures on hand, I cut pieces of paper to the size of the picture and used photo corners to affix them to the mats.  This way they can be removed and replaced with photos when they get to their eventual owners.

5.  Add your choice of embellishments.  For these frames I used paper flowers (you can find my tutorial for them here) and little mini trees.  I also left one with just ribbon to show that, if you make the ribbon fluffy, it can look pretty nifty on its own.

Frame with paper flowers

Frame with mini trees

Frame with ribbon only

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Instead of using flowers or trees as shown in the projects I posted here, check out the mini Christmas tree decorations that you can find at most all craft stores.  They're pretty much perfect for this because of their size.  You can usually find anything from the traditional looking round glass ball ornaments, to tiny trains, candy canes, teddy bears, stockings, etc.  And they're fairly inexpensive.

As always, if you try this out, I'd love to see pictures of your finished project!  Please leave a link to a photo in the comments below. 

TFL!

Layout: Charity

This layout was done for the Better Living Through Scrapbooking November Challenge #2.  The criteria for the challenge are listed below, and how I met them is listed in red.  The materials list is at the bottom of the post if you are interested. 

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BetterScrap November Challenge #2

“The Greatest of These is Charity” challenge

One way to make your life better is through scrapbooking, another way is to do something nice for someone else. Scrap about something you do or have done for someone else. A loved one, a neighbor, a charity, etc.

Choose at least 2 of the following:

1. Print an element of your page (NOT a photo) using your home or office printer. This can be your title, your journaling, an embellishment, or anything else you can use on your page, but not a photo!

I printed most of the quote on inkjet transparency.

2. Use three brads somewhere on your page.

The three screws across the top of the quote are brads from Michael's.  They don't appear to have a brand name.

3. Use a chipboard letter or shape on your page.

The larger "heart" in the quote is made from Pink Paislee "Captivating" chipboard alphas.
4. Use the following quote somewhere on your page or in your journaling: “If you haven’t got any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble. — Bob Hope”

Pretty obvious on this one.   ;)

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Materials:

We R Memory Keepers "MVP" Paper

"Captivating" chipboard alphabet stickers by Pink Paisley

Michael's metal brads

Brown ribbon from the Hobby Lobby floral department

Design-Ables inkjet transparencies by Z-International

Mini Glue Dots

Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive

TFL!!

Project: Bucket List Mini Album

The November Challenge #1 is up at Better Living Through Scrapbooking, and it's a really great one.  This challenge got me to make my first ever bucket list, which I put on my wordy blog, here. 

Here are the criteria.  I added in red how I met them:

__________________________________________

“Bucket List” Challenge

Create a layout or mini-album about the items on your “bucket list” (things you want to do or see before you “kick the bucket”).

Chose at least 2 of the following:

1. Use only scraps of paper from your scrap paper collection in the album.

The pages themselves were cut from some kraft paper and some of the patterned paper that I had left over from a stack (the My Mind's Eye "Life Stories" stack) that I either wouldn't have used in a layout or the second or third sheet of a print that I've used recently and didn't want to duplicate on another layout.  There is also a scrap of some 7gypsies paper and some Tim Holtz paper.

2. Use photos printed from a royalty-free photo website such as Stock Xchange to represent the items in your album from your “bucket list”.

The photos are from freedigitalphotos.net.

3. Use color mist such as Tattered Angels, walnut ink spray, or your own homemade color spray to add some color to your mini-album pages.

I used Tsukineko Shimmer Spritz.

4. On the cover of your mini-book, use various rub-ons for the title.

I used K&Co Rub-ons for the flourish and "dreams fulfilled" lettering, and then cut the "will be" from a "boys will be boys" phrase from Paper Company rub-on and added them on the sides.

__________________________________________

Just a couple of little notes before the pictures start...

The book covers are 7gypsies book boards.  They are really thick and sturdy, so I was not sure I'd be able to work with them without buying the Binderie punch, but my Crop A Dile went right through them without any trouble.  So, don't shy away from these really neat vintage-y covers just because  you don't have the specific tool that goes with them.

Also, the Life Stories stack by My Mind's Eye is great.  It's all printed on kraft style cardstock, and is fairly sturdy.  Included with the prints are loads of sheets of "fill-in's," for an alternative to journalling.  There are check lists, little certificates, family tree-type grids, etc.

Now, on to the pictures!

Below are the hidden bits of these two pages.  The compass design is from the Life Stories stack.  The little envelope was cut from some 7gypsies paper and is held closed with a Basic Grey magnet disc.

On the next set of pages, I used a Wilton doilie and some copper shimmer spritz for the background on the left side.  On the right side, I placed small pictures representing the bucket list items in little brown paper bags.  The whole left side page is misted with shimmer spritz in pewter.

The sheet music style paper on this one is from the Tim Holtz Lost and Found stack.  The beads beneath the picture are from some beaded ribbon trim from the sewing notions department at Joann's.

This is more of the Life Stories paper.  I used the Distrezz it All to distress the edges of the family tree card.

More of the Life Stories papers here...

This last page has papers from the Life Stories stack, as well as bits from a K & Company ephemera pack.  These pages are layered a bit more than a mini album probably should be, since it makes it a little difficult to close.  The metal bits on the right hand side are charms from the jewelery section of Michael's.

The whole thing is tied with jute cord which I frayed after the knots were tied.  All of the pages were smudged with Tattered Rose Distress Inks to help with the vintage feel.

This was my first mini-album and I kind of enjoyed it.  I might be on the lookout for another excuse to do one!

TFL and have a great weekend!

Better Living Through Scrapbooking

Have you visited Better Living Through Scrapbooking yet?  It's a great site full of fantastic inspiration in the form of challenges and great projects from a very talented design team!

Give them a visit, you won't regret it!  While you're there, consider joining in the challenges. I've only done a few and only started last month, but I'm already really digging it!

Their information page says it best:

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Life is awesome. It’s filled with ups and downs, good decisions and not-so-great decisions, fabulous experiences and the occasional yuckiness. Each and every moment we experience in life is ours, and we should embrace them for what they are, regardless of whether they’re good or bad. After all, every experience in life offers us a chance to learn from the outcome.


Why should our scrapbooking be any different? Sure, it’s super easy to sit down and create pages and mini-albums about the smiling shining times that we enjoy. But what about all those other times — the ones we may not necessarily have enjoyed while we were going through them, but that are equally as important? Life is not a bowl of cherries. So should our scrapbook pages be?


When I became a scrapbooker, like most, I created layouts and projects about the happy times in life. I called it “therapy”, yet there was always a little part of me that felt my hobby was incomplete. Then, a few months ago, when my oldest beloved cat had a stroke and we feared she didn’t have much time left, I had an epiphany. I immediately got my camera out and began to document the experience. Most people may have seen this as strange, but for me, it helped me cope with what she and I both were going through. Luckily, our kitty is still with us, and I have dozens of some of the best photos I’ve ever taken of her. I know when she’s gone, I’ll be so thankful I took them.


But the photos are only the beginning. I believe it is just as important to create pages and projects to document our feelings and frustrations as we live our lives, however big or small they may be. I know this will be a foreign concept to many, and very difficult for most. And that is what brings us back to this blog.


The scrapbooking challenges, scrapbook layout ideas and scrapbooking journaling prompts ideas and prompts presented on this blog will hopefully help you begin to scrapbook ALL the experiences in life, and gain…


Better living through scrapbooking.

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I hope that their outlook on scrapbooking inspires you as it has me.  Have a great week everyone!

Layout: Recycled

 This layout was done for Better Living Through Scrapbooking's October Challenge #3:  "Recycle, Reuse, Renew challenge".  These are the criteria I chose from the list:

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Use corrugated cardboard or other recycled packaging on your page.

For this I used a piece of an old Amazon box and the cards from some Prima flowers and some Glue Dots.  The leaves behind the flowers are pieces of the plastic packaging that my wedding veil came in, colored with alcohol inks.

Find fun or unusual items around your house and use them as elements on your page.

For this one, I made rosettes from an old T shirt of my husband's.  I'll throw together a quick tutorial sometime soon for them.

Use traditional adhesives (Scotch tape, masking tape, duct tape, Elmers Glue, staples) on your page in lieu of scrapbook adhesives. 

The leaves are stapled to the page.  Nothing too fancy on this one.

Use glitter somewhere on your page.

The back of the leaves are coated with Stickles.  I put it on the backs so that the glitter comes through the transparent plastic but won't rub off.

TFL!

Finally, Officially, Really Really Happening

I finally got official confirmation that we've been booked to host a private concert by my very favorite musician, the fabulous Duke Special. Can. Not. Wait.

I'm so excited about it, in fact, that the thought of braving the Atlanta airport on Thanksgiving weekend to pick him up doesn't even phase me.

This will be my first opportunity to see him play live, and by hosting the concert I get to give my friends and family their first chance to see him live as well. I've not been able to wipe the stupid smile off of my face since I got the email yesterday.

If you've never had the joy of hearing Duke's music, you should absolutely check him out. It's gorgeous stuff.
Here's one of my favorites:

(The video was taken and posted by elvisleslie61, check out his youtube channel for lots more great videos!)

I only wish that the super kind people I've met online through the Duke forums weren't so far away, I really wish they could all be there too!

Perhaps I'll come back down to Earth in the next couple of days. Not too likely, though. :)

Layout: Nana's Recipe

 This layout is for Better Living Through Scrapbooking's October challenge #4.  The challenge was this:

“Favorite Recipe Challenge”

Create a page showcasing your favorite recipe that you received from your mother, grandmother, or other relative or family friend.

Chose at least 2 of the following:

1. Include a photo of yourself preparing the dish, or a photo of the completed dish.

2. Include a photo of the person who gave you the recipe.

3. Make a copy of the original recipe, or hand write the recipe on a card and include it on your layout.

4. Use cardstock as your background, but ink, stain, paint, or color-spray it to make it unique.

5. Use a shape punch or border punch somewhere on your page.

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The recipe I used was my grandmother's nut roll cookies.  They are a Christmas tradition in our family.  I'm pretty sure Christmas wouldn't actually happen if there were no nut rolls.

I used all five of the given prompts.  Here's how they were incorporated:

1:  That's a (pretty unflattering) picture of me rolling out the cookies a couple of Christmases ago.

2 & 3: I made the "recipe card" with a picture of my Nana on it and hand-wrote the recipe.

4:  The cardstock background was white to begin with.  I dyed it with a tea bag to get the color (the picture below shows a before and after of the cardstock).  I then layered on some Tim Holtz cardstock and some burlap for texture.

5: I border punched the bottom page of the recipe card.

I made the flowers and put together a tutorial showing how they're done.  You can click here for the tutorial. 

I didn't get it done in time to enter it in the challenge, but it was still lots of fun to do.

TFL!