My Scrapbook Evolution-Blog: November 2013

Saturday, November 30, 2013

For Once, I am Prepared!

I started participating in 30 Days of Lists earlier this year. I have never once completed the challenge. It's still new to me and I haven't quite worked out what the best process is for me. Mostly, I have just tried to make a card each day as I receive the prompt. I think perhaps that this may be too ambitious, considering just how often life gets hectic.

I have been working on Your December Story and on a gratitude project. Both are coming along nicely. I think the success for those lies in the fact that I made kits ahead of time. I know a lot of other listers make a generic set of cards before the challenge begins. So this time, I decided to do the same.

I first decided the size page protector I might want to use. I will be adding the cards in with my Project Life album pages for December. I then cut plain cardstock down to match the sizes needed for the pockets. I found a sheet of patterned paper by Little Yellow bicycle in my supplies. It had numbers for most of the month. I cut each number block out and added it to my cards.

The cards are simple. This will allow me to embellish them farther on the days I have more time. On days I am short of time, I can use them as is. I will store them in the page protectors, however I am allowing myself the freedom to move them around if I desire to do so. I might want to move them to accompany some of the photos for the month, if the prompt seems to fit those photos. I am hoping this will be the month I finish a full 30 days of lists challenge!

Are you participating in 30 days of Lists? If so, how will you be keeping your lists?

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Get It Scrapped: Memorabilia and Entertaining

With Thanksgiving just a few days away, many of us just don't find the time sit down and scrapbook. There will be a lot of wonderful moments for family photos and the sharing of stories. While it is very important to live in the moment and enjoy the event, you can also stash away a few items which will be wonderful for documenting the photos in the days after Thanksgiving.

Keep a zip loc bag close at hand. As you open packaging to make your holiday meal, stash the labels in the bag. Labels change over time. Use the labels to build a background or as embellishments. Your scrapbook layout becomes a little like a time capsule!

Our Menu by Christy Strickler Supplies| Journal Card: Recollections; Stickers: October Afternoon, Recollections; Die Cut: K and Company; Other: buttons, labels

Don't worry if you forgot about saving the labels! You can use vintage ephemera to document the day's events as well.

Thanksgiving Pie by Christy Strickler Supplies| Patterned Paper, Letters, Ephemera, Stickers, Jewels: JBS Mercantile; Tape: Queen and Co.

If you don't have vintage ephemera, you can make your own. My grandmother had these very poorly typewritten recipe cards. I think about them often when I am cooking for a holiday event. I replicated one here by listing a menu for a Barbeque we had. And yes...the recipe cards really looked that way. I think the typewriter must have been broken.

The Best Little BBQ Ever by Christy Strickler Supplies| Patterned Paper: Farmhouse, Simple Stories, Fancy Pants; Letters, Stickers: Simple Stories; Wood Veneer, Flair: Studio Calico; Journal Card: Farmhouse; Jewels: Hero Arts;Stamps: American Crafts, Pebbles; Ink: Ranger; Other: Button, Doily

It may help you to jot down any photos you might wish to capture or items you wish to collect prior to the day's events. Share this list with other family members. Involving other family members in the memory keeping duties brings in a fresh perspective while allowing you to step out from behind the camera.

Additional Resources

Scrapbooking Ideas for including Memorabilia on Layouts from Get It Scrapped

Scrapbooking Ideas for Documenting Tablescapes from Get It Scrapped

Theme: Foodie- Document your Meals Pinterest board

Friday, November 22, 2013

Get It Scrapped: Getting the Chalkboard Look With Gelatos

You've seen the trend appearing in scrapbook supplies and you want to use it on your layouts too. You could buy some of the pre-made papers or elements, but, If you are like me, you might not be sure just how some of those fit into your stories. The easiest way to add the chalkboard trend is to create your own custom made papers or embellishments.

Supplies
Black cardstock
Stencil
Gelato

Step One Lay the black cardstock over the top of a stencil.
Step Two Rub the Gelato across the cardstock and watch the pattern appear.

Really, it's that simple.

The Ambush by Christy Strickler Supplies| Cardstock: Colorbok; Letters: American Crafts; Patterned Paper: Studio Calico; Stencil: Prima: Chipboard: Simple Stories; Flair: A Flair for Buttons; Jewels: Hero Arts; Pen: Signo Uniball; Coloring Medium: Gelato by Faber Castell

I used a white gelato, but I invite you to experiment with other colors. You can also use your punches to create custom embellishments. If you create a large background, as I have done here, you may find that less is more when it comes to adding embellishments for the layout.

Supply Options from Two Peas in a Bucket

Additional Resources

Gelatos Art: Misting and Rubbing Techniques from Get It Scrapped
Gelatos How to for Water Color Looks from Get It Scrapped
Scrapbook Ideas for Using Chalkboard Techniques and Products from Get It Scrapped
Trendwatch: Chalkboard Pinterest board
The Scientific Method- scrapbooking tutorials

On Trend

Click here to view more details

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Your December Story Blog Hop Winner

Thank you all for stopping by my blog and taking the time to comment.I enjoyed seeing all of the fabulous ideas from friends and Creative Team members along the way. I also enjoyed reading the comments that many of you left here. I know you must be very anxious to see who won the blog hop.

The Winner is: Candice Stears

Congratulations, Candice! If you would please email me at MyScrapbookEvolution@gmail.com, I will get you the information you need to register for your free class.

So many of you have wonderful ideas for your December Projects. I hope you will join in on the scrapbooking discussions and share your work with us over at the Get It Scrapped Forum and Galleries.

There is still time to register for this class!
Click here to view more details

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Your December Story Blog Hop

If you are looking for the Friends Who Scrap Fall blog hop, click here or scroll down a bit.

I began my journey towards December a few weeks ago. Every year, I feel the pressure to document December in some fabulous way. I have tried doing a December Daily and quite frankly, I have always failed at it. I think it becomes too much for me to try to accomplish and still be able to spend the time with my family that I desire. Still, I wanted something for this year. Something I could actually finish. Something that would tell a rich meaningful story while not occupying a great deal of my time. I found that something when Debbie announced she was teaching " Your December Story."

I got a peek at "Your December Story" and I'm giving away a free pass!

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to begin documenting my story with lesson one. For the first time, I have a game plan for December. I have a new way to begin my family's story. I am very excited to share a peek into that story today. And I'm giving away one pass to the class. (If you already purchased the class, you'll get a $24 gift card good for any other GIS/MSD classes.)

Your December Story is shaped around the Hero's Journey

"This December, like Dorothy dropped into Oz or Alice tumbled into Wonderland, you will receive a call to adventure. You will move from the ordinary world into a one of magic and tests as the holiday season arrives.
Many of the most-loved and best remembered stories play out in a story form described by Joseph Campbell as "the hero's journey." This class has prompts and page ideas for visual storytelling that have you telling Your December Journey, from the heralds, to the challenges, mentors, special tools and the return to the known world and what you take forward."

I had to quote Debbie because I just can't say it better myself. We create a magical world with a blend of adventure and tradition every year for our family. Why not approach the telling of our tale with visual storytelling in much the same way that our favorite stories do?

Using the Wizard of Oz as my inspiration, I took several black and white photos which feature our living room before the tree and our storage closet. I used patterned paper with muted colors and added brown to signify that we are still in November. Never before had I thought to begin my December story in November. Yet the signs that Christmas is nearing are all present. I took a photo of the first holiday decorations we saw. Notice the photo has a little color now, but it's still muted. My photos won't be in full technicolor until the decorations are up.

Page two is a work in progress. I chose to use pocket pages to approach my December Story. It allows me to complete a few cards at a time. I use the project sheets provided in the class to outline my story. I then have an idea of what photos or supplies I might want to document the next part of my journey. Scrap pieces of paper provide me with an idea of where I want to place each part of the tale.

This class has helped me feel like I am ahead of the game. I love the fresh ideas paired with the rich inspiration. There is, after all, no greater inspiration than a well written story. Reading the prompts makes me so excited for December.

You can take the journey and get a $10 gift card . . .
but only through midnight Wednesday, November 20th. When you purchase "Your December Story" by midnight PT, Wednesday, November 20, you also get a $10 gift card that you can use for Get It Scrapped and Masterful Scrapbook Design classes.

Click here to visit Get It Scrapped. Register for the class and receive your $10 gift card.

See how the rest of the blog hoppers are using this class (and get 20+ more chances to win)

Put your name in the drawing to win the class:

Leave a comment telling me how you plan to document your December Story.Will you use pocket pages or traditional layouts? I will draw the winner on Thursday, November 21, 2013.

Monday, November 18, 2013

Document Life: They Says It's Your Birthday!

If you are looking for the Fall Inspiration blog hop, click here or scroll down.

I am betting some of you are singing the Beatles' tune right now! In case you can't tell by some of my posts, November is a big month for me. First my anniversary and then my birthday. This year November has been chock full of good news. Earlier this month, I announced that I had joined the Document Life Workshop team. Today,I am very excited to be sharing my first project. I think it's fitting that it's all about fall colors, especially given that I love Autumn so very much.

Hello Autumn Birthday by Christy Strickler Supplies| Patterned Paper, Stickers, Chipboard, Die Cut, Letters: Basic Grey; Tape: Jenni Bowlin; Enamel Dot: Freckled Fawn; Punch: Fiskars; Pens: Signo Uniball, Pilot Frixion; Other: Doily, kraft: based on a sketch from SimpleScrapper.com

Scrapbooking older photos can be a little difficult when you don't know the full story. Even though I am in this photo, I really don't know all of the details. Instead of making this a typical birthday layout, I chose to document how, every year, no matter what day my birthday fell on, we celebrated it at Thanksgiving. Not that it's a horrible thing to have your birthday celebrated this way, mind you. It's just that sometimes a girl wants her pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving and her birthday cake on another evening. In my journaling, I talked about how this was a common event in my family until I met my husband. He always made sure I had a non-Thanksgiving birthday every year after I met him.

The next time you decide to document a birthday, take a step back and look at the story from another angle. Is there something about the way your birthday is typically celebrated that you love? Is there something about the season it occurs in that makes you really think about your birthday? Whether your birthday is in Autumn or another season, we'd love for you to share your Autumn color layouts with us at Document life Workshop! And if your birthday is in another season, well, try one of the past prompts to get your inspiration fired up.

Supplies
Most Supplies used are from the JBS Mercantile October Kits, available while supplies last. Alternative supplies can be found at Amazon.com.

Additional Resources

Seasons: Autumn Awesome Pinterest board
Prompts, Sketches and templates for Scrapbooking the Month of November from Get It Scrapped
Free Fall Quotes and Word Art from Get It Scrapped

Friends Who Scrap Fall Inspiration Blog Hop

Welcome to the Fall Inspiration Blog hop. If this is your first stop and you would like to travel through the blogs in order, head on over to Mandi's blog.

With each changing of the seasons, there comes a feeling of renewal. The falling leaves of Autumn carry with them our memories from the passing year. It's time to be thankful for both the good things and for the challenges that have helped us grow. We can find inspiration both within ourselves and in the world around us. Today, my friends and I are sharing with you a variety of Fall projects to inspire your creative soul. It's up to you to add your own spin on the fall projects with the things you are personally grateful for.

This month, the focus of my Project Life pages has been to document gratitude. No matter how big or small, focusing on my pictures with a thankful heart has put a wonderful spin on both the big events and the everyday occurrences.

It's so easy to get caught up in the regular pattern each week seems to fall into. School, work, days off and then repeat. It's so easy to forget how wonderful your home town can be. I invite you to take a look around and notice the beauty in the place you reside. This past weekend, I paid attention to how wonderful it was to just enjoy the sparkling of the sunshine, the tiny birds at the cafe where we ate lunch were and how everyday activities really can become as wonderful as the biggest event or holiday.

Laughter is a gift. Reflecting on the things that are making your family laugh right now can be a wonderful snapshot of life and gratitude. Currently for us, it's been a silly movie and the antics of my cat. Documenting my husband's job isn't something I do often enough. I used a photo he sent me to document a project he is working on as well as to reflect on how grateful I am that he has a job.

Mixing the daily events of our lives with my thoughts about gratitude has worked well for me. I think that sometimes we make a project more complex than it needs to be. Though being grateful is very important, that doesn't mean it necessarily has to have it's own album. Taking time to reflect on something your are grateful for can be just as meaningful when you add your thoughts to your current memory keeping projects.

Thank you for joining us for Autumn Inspiration. I hope you haven't missed any of the stops along the way. Just in case, here is a list of all of the blog hop participants.

Mandi - mjskraze.blogspot.com/
Amanda - www.lovejoypaper.com
Megan - creativitybymeg.blogspot.com/
Robyn - cozienookhomestead.wordpress.com
Devra - www.mycreativeview.blogspot.com/
Laurie - tulip-scrapper.blogspot.com/
Cassie - allsmilesandsunshine.blogspot.com/
Christy - myscrapbookevolution.blogspot.com/

Sunday, November 17, 2013

The Weekend Update: Scheduling Now In Progress

In life, it's always important to be able to adapt. Changes come quickly. More so when you are a parent. These past few months have seen a lot of changes for me and my family. All good ones. Even good changes require adjustment. I don't mind planning things out a bit, but for the most part, I often find that my process involves a bit of planning mixed in with last minute audibles. I don't work well with too much structure and so, though there is a pattern to each week, it's not a set in stone schedule. For the most part, this works very well. When it comes to blogging and maintaining my goals for the website and as a Scrapbook instructor, this doesn't work quite so much.

I'm still finding my way to a comfortable medium between family time, writing coursework, homeschooling my son and maintaining my hobbies. It's my goal to get some blog posts and website articles planned, written and scheduled on a regular basis. That being said, I think the whole idea of a weekly update might be a bit ambitious for me. So instead, I plan to try a monthly overview with a check in, midway through the month. I am hoping this will allow me to focus more on creating content both for the website and for classes in the next year. I currently am working on three projects behind the scenes. I hope to be able to sneak a few peeks for you in the upcoming weeks.

This month, I have been focusing on Gratitude as so many of us are. I would like to thank all of my readers for joining me as My Scrapbook Evolution transitions into a new realm. Meanwhile, there are a lot of fun and inspiring things in the work that I will be sharing with you this week. Tomorrow, I will be participating in an Autumn inspired blog hop. This hop will feature ideas for Thanksgiving and Fall Papercrafts. Blog hops are always a ton of fun so I figured why not do a second one! On Tuesday, I will be participating in the Get It Scrapped December Story blog hop. If you are still unsure about how to document your December, then you will want to follow along. This week is sure to be filled with inspiration and ideas.I am looking forward to seeing what my friends and fellow design team members have in store.

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