Archive for April, 2011
You do remember those handmade crafts that we made in elementary school each Mother’s Day? The fingerpaint works of art, macaroni-strung necklaces, dry bean pictures, and macrame hanging-plant holders. We spent hours working our tiny hands, making our masterpiece, knowing it would be the most beautiful thing mom had ever seen. And it was.
Well, our hands and hearts have grown some over the years. And while we may also use more grown-up materials–like stamps, color coordinating card stock and ink, paper, ribbon, or shiny brads–our passion to create something by hand for someone we love or care about remains child-like.
So work on gifts for that special woman made by hand, from the heart.
She’s too old for princesses, but she’s still your girl–and you want to make her birthday party the best one ever. You know that means letting her and her friends take charge! It’s all hands-on for your teen.
Here are a few ideas for a totally personalized party. Let her design a one-of-a-kind invitation to each of her friends. Make a personalized piece of decor the night before the party. Let the girls customize their own cups at the party using rub-ons.
With the variety of scrapping supplies available, you’re sure to come up with a party ensemble she’ll love.
The area where I store my scrapbooking supplies is clearly a place of inspiration for me. I have a very peaceful basement room that is kept very organized. Everyone needs a place that helps to encourage ideas for page designs for them.
My room contains clean cupboards and ample counter space with magnetic boards full of stamping inspiration, and neat stacks of color-coded stamp sets enclosed in bookcase type totes. The room is probably the most organized space in our house. This is the place that keeps my inspiration flowing and my stampers stamping.
Stamping events are wonderful opportunities to inspire creativity and make personal connections–whether they’re classes, clubs, or workshops. Attending one of these events can add a little spice.
Classes are one-time events where participants pay a fee to learn a new technique or create projects.
Clubs are recurring events that involve a commitment from a certain number of people for a given amount of time.
Of course, workshops are still the events where you can gain new ideas and receive a lot of beneficial motivation.
Which of these do you plan on attending in the future?
Occasions are special times when we celebrate life and our personal accomplishments, as well as those of love ones. What would life be like without those special occasions? What if we didn’t gather together for those celebrations?
When we plan or participate in occasions, what we are really doing is living life. And so it’s fitting that you choose a card kit that is inspired by many of life’s occasions. For the upcoming summer season, select a kit that can help you strengthen your relationships through a handmade card.
Proper storage of these vital scrapbook supplies is important to preserve their lifetime. Always store them horizontally so that all of the ink doesn’t run to one end. I store my pens and markers in a compartment in my scrapping tote. I usually place a rubber band around them and just remove the band and lay them out on the table when I use them.
There are many ideas for storage, small boxes, drawers, or baskets. If you have other ideas for storage, please feel free to exchange them.
The other night I was flipping through the channels when I saw an advertisement for the movie “Hop.” I’ll probably skip the movie, but it did start me thinking about Easter arts and crafts. One of my favorite Easter crafts is the Easter bunny garland.
I trace the profile of a bunny (templates are easily found online) and create a template. Then I trace the template onto colored paper. You can use traditional pastels, bright colors, or even holiday scrapbook paper – it’s up to you. When all the rabbits are cut out I punch two holes in each head (usually at the base of the ears) and thread yarn through the holes. I hang the garlands around my house to create a festive Easter atmosphere.
Cropping Effects add personality and character to your pages. But don’t try this on every page. Pictures need to be in your album with journaling, not put away in boxes awaiting time for you to clip each photo into intricate cuts. Instead, try using a decorative photo corner.
I’ve used the corners and they work very effectively on my layouts and add variety and style.
We have a few ideas for all of you scrappers out there. Always try to keep an open mind and remember to create your album pages as if you are writing a book and telling a story through pictures, themes and decorations. Try to make your pages come to life.
A single scrap page can envelope several events. You can include trips or outings, special birthdays, holidays, weddings, and anniversaries.
Include all of your fun scrapbooking supplies on your pages, like ticket stubs, old jewelry, newspaper articles, post cards, etc. The choices of what to do and what to use are endless.
Here are a few thoughts for those of you that may want to scrapbook about other events that happen during your life. Those ideas may be right in front of you every day. The daily newspaper, tv., the internet, and magazines quote events or items that are happening every day are a few ideas. Many of these things could help you to create a great album.
Sporting events, flashy styles, extraordinary international triumphs, or even histories of the college team where you went to school can all lead to fabulous albums. Movies of prominent recognition, musical hits, or tragedies that occurred throughout the world are a few more. You can unearth many scrapbooking possibilities from just looking around you every day!