Instead of being overwhelmed....

... with all of the photos I took on my trip to the Congo and the thought of scrapbooking them all (I took almost 500 and then the four men I travelled with all shared copies of their photos, too), I spent some time on the flights home trying to think of how I could make the album:

1. something I'd enjoy creating (& if it consisted of lots of double page layouts, then I knew I wouldn't enjoy it very much)
2. something that would make the process seem less daunting
3. something different than anything else I'd done in the past.

I kept thinking back to Ali's 365 project and how I liked how she was using the divided page protectors for it. I remembered that Marcy had mentionned getting in some divided page protectors from We R Memory Keepers and I wondered if this is something that I could make work for me.

So here's what I did:

1. I stopped at the Shoppe and purchased two packages of the page protectors. At $7.49 each (for 10 protectors) I figured that it was less than a sheet of cardstock & a regular page protector. I also picked up a package of kraft cardstock.

2. I ordered my pictures online, ordering all of the pictures that I wanted to include to tell my stories. I didn't worry too much if some of the pictures wouldn't get used. I ended up ordering 274 prints (so far... I still want to order a few more yet.)

3. After picking up my prints, I sorted them into event type groups and stories I wanted to tell and placed them in piles in chronological order.

Then, I started putting them into either 12x12 page protectors with a kraft cardstock background, like my first couple of pages here:




Or sliding them into the WRMK sleeves.



The pages above tell different stories and I'll treat them as separate layouts. However, sometimes, I picked a few pictures to "scrapbook" on a kraft background and have a page of photos in sleeves beside it to help tell the story.


Sometimes it was a little tricky to make all the sleeves work with my pictures and making sure that back to back worked chronologically. But I felt a certain amount of freedom to add a story here or there to balance the pages.

So now when I feel like scrapbooking, I can pull out a photo from a kraft cardstock background and scrap it like these two:

Or I can take a page of sleeves and add some cardstock/pp for the title and journaling, like I did here.




And I love that all of my pictures are housed in an album where I can flip through and decide which story I feel like telling and not have to worry about how it will all come together in the end.

Thanks for looking!

a sneak from me

so, I'm getting my post ready, and then I see Flo made the same one! ha ha.
oh well.
so, prepare yourself for more january kit sneaks!


a project using the kits will be going up soon (I forgot to pick up my pictures).

2010 Planner (kit and PDF) now online

A new project kit!

A 2010 Planner.

Includes the kit to assemble your own planner for the new year and a PDF to print off as many calendar and planner pages as you need. Currently available online (I hope to get them in the physical store next week).

Check out more details here.

Create your own embellishment spinner

Found this on Jennifer Pebbles' blog today...

I love the Clip-it system but I'm not willing to spend that kind of money on something I'm not even sure will work with my style of organization.
So, I was thrilled when I found this!

You'll need page protectors, a paper towel holder and three-hole page protectors. I'm thinkin you just link the rings around the post once they're in the holes in the page protector.
Link to the blog if you try it. I'd really love to see some it in action!

P.S. My computer's been MIA for a couple of weeks, but it's finally back. Stay tuned for the long-awaited blog RAK, the online crop RAK... and another scraplift tag result!

Home Sweet Home

We were looking at photos at my mom's over Christmas and I have to say how fun that was! Sure looking at photos of my brothers and I was enjoyable, but just look at that wallpaper! And that stereo we're standing in front of... it played records and we loved listening to it. And the vase behind us, my mom still has it (but I think she threw out those plastic flowers! LOL)



Looking at these photos inspired me to create something about our home and how it is right now. And this adorable Maya Road chipboard album from the Shoppe and the February kit inspired me to make the following chipboard album.

Thanks for looking!

Wall Art

I'm the kinda person, that, if I see something and think I can make it I'll try to.
I saw this artwork in the Pottery Barn catalogue and knew I could easily make it with my scrapbooking stash. (I've since looked for the picture, but can't find it).

Anyway... all you'll need for this is a canvas and some paper. The original looked just like the Basic Grey solids, so I used those. (Two-three colors that are very similar if you want it monochromatic... which I did)

I trimmed my pattern paper to 1"x2" pieces and started gluing. As simple as that.
I used modpodge and a foam brush which happened to be the same size as the pieces I was gluing! After I had all the pieces on I sanded the edges and brushed another coat of glue on top to seal it. See... simple.




I have to glue a ribbon around the edge of the canvas yet (to cover the staples), but now I have a lovely piece of art hanging on a wall in my studio.

Now, I think I'll make another for our bedroom!

Year in Review Mini Book ~ January online class

I just wanted to take a little time to highlight the January project and online class.

A Year in Review Mini Book.




(My sample isn't finished yet, but it's as the shoppe... there's two wallet sized photos that go on the top half, and the journaling is on the tag).

You will need to purchase the kit from the shoppe. The kit contains the calendars and the tags only. All the other items from the supply list you should be able to find in your stash.

Prior to the class you will be granted access to a private class forum.

The online class will take place on Friday, January 23rd and will remain up for a month. There will be one-on-one instructions as well as a PDF.

I hope to see some of you there.

Gift Card Holders

If you're giving gift cards this year, you can still add a handmade touch with these gift card holders! I've made a few different versions this year, but they all start the same way.

Start with a 4 1/4" x 11" sheet of cardstock or patterned paper. Score it at 3", 5.5" and 8".

Stamp the two 3" ends on one side and all of the other side (if desired). Accordian fold on your score marks. Use thin double sided tape or other dry adhesive on three edges of an unstamped panel--NOT along the middle fold. Fold and press firmly on all the edges.

I used a word window punch to punch the slot in the middle piece (where the tape isn't). You could also use a hole punch to punch a circle at each end, and then use a craft knife and a ruler to make the opening.

I then used a circle punch (I only punched half of it) to create the rest of the opening. My circle punch was 1 1/4", but you can use any size.

I cut a 1"x8.5" strip of cardstock or patterned paper for each belly band, and stamped a sentiment or image panel to stick on the front of it.

You can see a video showing how to make these here as well: Stamping with Dawn ~ Gift Card Holders

If you make one, I'd love to see it!

Stamped Marble Coasters

Another quick and simple gift idea... These are tumbled marble tiles (no finish or sealers) and I stamped on them using pigment inks (slow drying... the kind you use for heat embossing). I found the tiles at Home Depot for $5.00 for nine tiles. I applied the inks to the stamps with sponge daubers so I could blend the colours. When I was done stamping, I put them in the oven (250 F) for half an hour to heat set them. After they cooled, I used a hot glue gun to attach felt squares to the back (you could also use the self adhesive felt furniture protectors). No sealer is required and they can be used with hot or cold beverages. I made a set of four in less than 15 minutes!

Handmade Touches

This week, I thought I'd show some of the ideas I have for adding a handmade touch to the holidays this year. Even if you're buying all your gifts, you can still add a tag or a small gift that is handmade to make it extra special.

Frame a stamped image with a quote you've stamped or printed on your computer. Or, just add rub-ons on the glass over a framed photo of your family (or kids).

Card display inspiration

I saw a neat idea on Ali Edwards' blog last week and thought I'd try to make one myself.

So, I got a good looking assistant to help me cut some branches in our back yard.





I brought them inside and placed them in a stainless steel container with rocks in it to stabilize the branches. I placed the container on a tray.



Then I added some ribbon to the container, some decorations to the branches, a bowl of peanuts and some of my daughter's crafts on the tray.



I also added a photo card that I received for Christmas this year. My plan is to use this container of branches to display all the Christmas cards we receive this year. To attach the cards, I'm using clips. Or I might punch some holes and tie some ribbon.

For now, so it doesn't look too bare, I added some paper decorations that I made last year.



Marcy taught me how to make these at the Shoppe a couple of years ago.
You can find the instructions on how to make them here.

A Christmas Countdown Project

When I first spotted one of these 3D Countdown Calendars I knew that I had to have one to make an advent calendar for my family.

Here's what I created:



The calendar came with the number stickers. In addition to those, I used Making Memories patterned paper and metal signage to decorate it.

Thanks for looking!

Friday's here!!

Yay!!

And with the amount of snow we just got, what better way to spend the day than scrapbooking. ;)

And what perfect timing, since MSS is having an online crop this evening. The fun starts at 8pm. I hope you'll join us!

And I came across something interesting on the Melissa Frances blog this afternoon. I like altering things just as much as the next person, but I have to say that this is something I NEVER thought to alter. Click here to be blown away!

Have a great one!

December Daily Album

Well, I'm happy to say that I completed my December Daily Album yesterday. It was inspired by Ali Edwards and you can find the links to her album here, here and here.

I decided to make my album using 2 pieces of 6x6 chipboard for the covers, which I covered with Making Memories flocked patterned paper.

The album is made up of Making Memories Fa-la-la patterened paper and die cuts, as well as pieces of patterned paper from my scraps (Chatterbox, Stampin' Up!, Basic Grey, Scenic Route, 7 Gypsies, Cosmo Cricket & Autumn Leaves), some Making Memories Notebook pages, a 7 Gypsies journaling card, and some Autumns Leaves, Making Memories and Pink Paislee stamps.
(You can click on the images to view them larger.)

Some ideas to note:

1. I made 31 pages in my album to cover the whole month.

2. I plan on adding in photos and my journaling throughout the month.

3. Day 26 is a Marjolein Bastin Christmas card that I received from a friend years ago. I just used the front of the card, which didn't have writing on the back. That's where I'll journal that day.

4. I photocopied a sheet of music from my son's Christmas piano book onto Travertine cardstock and cut it to to 5.5x6" pieces to add for days 13 & 29.

5. For days 5, 11, 17, 24, 27 & 31, I created the journaling cards in Word using text boxes and Auto Shapes, then printed them out on Travertine and Kraft cardstock. (I printed it on the back of the Travertine cardstock, so the surface would be smoother for journaling.)

6. For day 9, I created a little door that opens to reveal the journaling by adhering the number paper onto the journaling paper, which had a folded lip.

I think that's it.

If you have any questions, feel free to pm me or ask it in the comments section.

Thanks for looking!