Saturday, April 26, 2014

The Whole Package

They sat there in the package, neatly in rows. Puffy heart stickers. I loved them enough that I had ended up with 2 packages. I had already used a few here and there. There were a few gaps in the package. Still, I liked the way the grid of puffy hearts looked just as they were. So why not use the whole package all at once?

I used the most complete package and substituted a wood veneer shape in the blank spot. I then machine stitched a loose grid. Much of the page isn't straight, but it has a homemade with love feel that is perfect for the story about rescuing 3 tiny kittens.

I love the way the layout turned out and I managed to use up a whole package of stickers. So why save that package? Don't hoard your stickers. The next time you love a whole package, consider using it all on one layout.













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Friday, April 25, 2014

Get It Scrapped: Text in Layout Design

Text is a versatile and budget friendly tool. We all have supplies like letter stickers and dies in our stash. Why not use them? Why not put them to work to support one of our stories? I recently gave some of my dies a workout on a recent project for Get It Scrapped.

Adventure at the Zoo by Christy Strickler |Supplies Cardstock: Colorbok; Patterned Paper: Studio Calico; Letters: American Crafts, Basic Grey, Studio Calico, X-Cut; Flowers, Wood Veneer: Prima; Button, Flash Cards: Jenni Bowlin; Enamel Dot: My Mind’s Eye; Snaps: We R Memory Keepers: Other: label, dictionary page

The easiest way to add text unobtrusively is to create a tone on tone background. Choose words that support the story, then die cut them or use letter stickers that match a cardstock background. Use machine stitching as a way to add extra texture.




Once you have your background or canvas completed, you can then layer on other page elements with text. I chose a dictionary page which included the word " zoo" to support my story. I also added tiny animal flash cards and flowers which were created from text style papers.

Using text is a wonderful way to support the story. It's especially helpful when you want to theme a page but don't have the "right" themed supplies to support the story. You can create a custom tone on tone background and then add the elements of your choice. Plus, it's a wonderful way to use up some of your supplies.

Additional Resources
Get It Scrappped Membership
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Thursday, April 17, 2014

Crafting with Teens: An Easter Nest

I had the intention of crafting with my son during the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holiday breaks from school. It didn't work out as I had planned. So many of his friends were off from school as well and I found that he wanted to spend a lot of time with them. It doesn't bother me. We see a lot of each other during our homeschool sessions. Time with his friends isn't always easy to come by since some are homeschooled and some go to different public schools. So I let that time take precedence.

What I changed this time was when we do the crafts. I set aside time when I knew his friends would be busy with homework to make our Easter craft for this year.

The craft is a simple nest. It's composed of a tart tin, a few plastic eggs and some feathers. I helped my son crimp some of my scrapbook paper scraps to line the nest. We used some of the new Jenni Bowlin Scattered Stars Rub-ons to dress up the plastic eggs just a bit. It was quick and easy plus I had the added bonus of just sitting and chatting with my son while we worked.







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Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Get It Scrapped: Playing with Paper Crafter Crayons

One of my goals this year is to use my stamps more frequently. I want to make the stamps look more interesting. Faber Castell's Paper Crafter Crayons offered me the opportunity to do just that!

Weird Ears by Christy Strickler |Supplies Patterned Paper,Acrylic: Studio Calico; Letters: American Crafts; Stamps: Basic Grey, Freckled Fawn; Ink: Tsukineko,Ranger; Twine: October Afternoon; Color Medium:Faber Castell Paper Crafter Crayons; Created for Get It Scrapped


I used Staz-on ink and a background stamp to create the patchwork quilt style block. I chose Staz-on because I knew I would be using distress ink and I didn't want the stamped image to smudge. I colored some of the patchwork blocks with the Papercrafter crayons, then used the distress ink over the top. The crayons acted as a resist and they kept their bright color.




The Faber Castell Paper crafter crayons are certainly easy to use with my stamps. You can sharpen the point if you want to color a more detailed area. The colors are very vibrant and come in easy to use sets. I am glad I have them in my arsenal of craft supplies.

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Additional Resources


Mixed Media with Michelle Houghton: Paper Crafter Crayons and Heat Techniques , an article for Get It Scrapped











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JBS Mercantile: April Mid Month Release

Just popping in for a quick share. This month has ended up including a ton of family time for me which is wonderful, but leaves me little time to blog or scrapbook. I also have found that my creative ideas aren't flowing as readily as I would like them to. When that happens, I turn to sketches or try concentrating on one single design concept. This month's Scrapbook Coach focuses on designs in a band.Since I want to focus on finishing more classes this year ( and my time was limited), I decided to kill two birds with one stone...use up product from my kits while working on a class.

I was channeling Debbie Hodge when I created this particular layout. It might have taken me a few tries to decide on the design, but the journaling came so easily. Part of the journaling reads "An apple in each hand, he stretches out his arms. The birds land and begin to nibble." I must have had over a dozen photos of my son feeding the birds, but I narrowed them down to these three favorites.

I have made a small dent in my kits, so expect to see them used a lot more over the coming months. You can expect to see some more Band foundations from me as well.




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Design- On a Band, Pinterest Board


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Monday, April 14, 2014

This Memory Keeper's Life

It's still a little surreal. If you had asked me a few years ago where my scrapbooking was going to take me, I never would have guessed that I would be teaching or podcasting. Last month, I was a guest teacher for Get It Scrapped. I also had the opportunity to sit down and talk with Debbie about photo play and my memory keeping.



It was nice to revisit " This Memory Keeper's Life." I had been a guest in 2012 when Debbie first introduced the series to Get It Scrapped. Back then, I was a bit more nervous and unsure. Now I have been on the Get It Scrapped Creative Team for a few years and my confidence has grown. I attribute that to the support from my friends and fellow GIS members. I hope you will listen to Podcast 20. I shared a little about my new classes at Creative Passions, my hobbies/obsessions, and how my memory keeping has evolved.

Additional Resources


Like Podcasts? There are quite a few free podcasts available in a growing library at the Get It Scrapped website. They include This Memory Keeper's Life and the Give Your Photos Stories series.








Membership includes live interviews with the teachers along with access to the Masterful Scrapbook Design e-zine and Scrapbook Coach process vidoes.
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