Finished!

I can't believe it!  My Mother's mini album for Christmas is done!  I had it just under half finished when I started back on this weekend and just kept clicking along until it was done.  Since I'm not that into mini albums or heritage albums, I had dreaded this project.  It moved along nicely though mainly I think because I stuck to the supplies I had out for the most part.  I love to rummage through my papers and embellishments for the perfect thing for my pages.  This time I kept to the paper kit, some ribbon, buttons and 1 6x6 pad I'd saved for the project.

Here are the pages I haven't shown in previous posts:

My Grandparents and the home where Mother grew up.

Mother as a little girl and with her sisters

Teens and 20's

70's and 80's

This back page is the only one I'm not happy with.  I like the photos.  My embellishments are sort of all over the place and just don't pull it together, but I've got everything glued down now.  I wanted to use more photos of my mother and father together so I did the collage.  These are mostly while traveling from the mid-70's through the 80's.  And I realized I'd never put mother's name anywhere in the album so this was a chance to use her full name.

The only drawback to having this done is I have to keep it secret until Christmas.  If I even as much as hint about anything, she will pester me to death until she founds out what I've made. It has been awhile since I made a gift for her and I know I, too, will want to share it early.  I'll just have to bury it in one my upstairs dresser drawers and forget about it.  (mentioning the location here so I really don't forget where I've hidden it :-)

Thanks for visiting today!

Ingredients:  Crate Paper Prudence collection, Paris and Co. My Mind's Eye 6x6 paper pad
Ribbon:  Webster's Pages
Buttons and brass embellishments:  Tim Holtz
Rhinestones:  Prima (cover) and Kaiser (clear ones)
Cardstock:  Ocean Tides by PTI

Stretch the Sketch - Go to Visit layout

This month's Stretch the Sketch challenge at Two Peas uses a two page sketch.  I kept to the sketch with the size and arrangement of photos.   I changed what were little tags to circles and inserted part of my title between them.  Just as instructor Jen Gallacher did I added some more to the first page.  In my case, it is where the journaling is placed.  To balance the layout, I added some strips of vertical paper on the far right.

This is the rest of my visit to my friend Karen's house a few weeks ago.  Some of the circle embellishments have special meaning.  I crocheted the flowers because we talked about crocheting and Karen showed me some of her lovely projects.  We visited an antique store so I used some antique looking papers.  There is a place setting icon to remind me of the great food at their house.  Also I use maps and map themed letter stickers to remind me of traveling around the city.  I wish I could be more random with my embellishments but I tend to want to tie them to the subject matter some how.

My favorite is the quote under the photo of roses.  It is off some October Afternoon paper and just happened to be the main quote in a tiny strip of paper I had left.  "God gave us memories that we might have roses in December."

I have wonderful memories of my visit.  I'm grateful for the scrapbooking hobby and all the things I learn from my fellow bloggers that help preserve those memories.

Have a great weekend!

Ingredients:  Cardstock:  Brocade Blue by Stampin' Up!
Stamp:  Ledger by Hero Arts
Ink:  Basic Grey by SU!
Build-a-brad:  Pewter by SU!
Stick pins by Tim Holtz

Wise Men

Did I need this Wise Men stamp from Stampendous I spotted at Archivers a few weeks ago?  No.  I have two other wise men stamps already.

Could I resist the intricate design and keep it out of my shopping basket?  Well, apparently, No to that too!

I'm so glad I didn't resist.  I loved coloring in this image with a big assortment of Stampin' Up! markers.  It is time consuming but so far my favorite Christmas stamp.  I'll probably do my Mother's cards out of this one.  Have you picked a holiday stamp yet?

Thanks for visiting today!

Ingredients:  Stamp:  Cling Wisemen by Stampendous
Cardstock:  Wisteria Wonder and Rich Razzleberry by SU!
Gems:  Hobby Lobby jewelry dept.

Tone-on-Tone options for B-siders

Do you find yourself using a lot of the 'B' sides of pattern paper - those little polka dots, stripes or other small designs that are often just a darker shade over a lighter background in the same color?  If so, you probably like the tone-on-tone look and you can easily get this with cardstock and stamps - ones you probably already have.

If you are new to stamping or an occasional stamper, the one type of ink I'd recommend you buy is Versamark or another brand of clear watermark ink.  This type of ink will give you more mileage out of your stamps than anything else you can purchase.  Take it one step further and get some clear embossing powder and a heat gun.  Versamark is the easiest and cheapest way to achieve tone-on-tone affects.

With a tone-on-tone look you can create your own pattern paper.  In this sample, I wanted to compare the depth of color I would get in three different ways of doing tone-on-tone.

On the far left is an image inked with Versamark and stamped on the cardstock.  That's it.  I did let it dry as Versamark is a sticky ink that takes a few minutes to dry.  This is the most subtle look.

The center is stamped with the same color ink on the cardstock.  In this case I used Brocade Blue ink on Brocade Blue cardstock from Stampin' Up! (My handwritten notes say Bordering blue but it is really Brocade.) This color has been discontinued but the idea works with any color or any brand of cardstock that sells a companion ink.  It is also the one that gives you the most variation from color to color.  Some colors really pop like this and some are more subtle like the first example. Experiment on the back of your layout as I'm doing here.

The last one on the far right is stamped with Versamark, sprinkled with clear embossing powder and heat set.  It gives a glossy finish and some texture in addition to the change in color.

I'm still deciding what I want to do with the layout I'm working on.  It is wonderful to have so many options with just a few products.

Thanks for visiting!

Journal Cover

Covering this journal was one of those projects where I had to really rethink myself.  I started out inspired by a video from Kristina at Two Peas.  She was using various torn pieces of paper and gluing them to a journal cover and then inking.  It was all a very distressed look. I knew I'd want to take some of the randomness out of it to fit my style.  So I started with all green and blue/green papers - my favorite colors and peaceful colors.  I did my tearing and sort of placing of the pieces before I glued anything - fortunately.   It just really wasn't me.

After stepping away from the project for awhile, I knew I could salvage some of the idea and get something that worked with my style but still stretched me a little.  I took some of the torn pieces and stamped them with leaves.  Then I placed them between strips of neutrals punched with border punches - a much more structured look.

The purpose of this journal is to dig into my thoughts and experiences and try to figure some things out. Yoga was recommended by one of my doctors to help me sleep better. I had a yoga therapy session recently and the therapist identified that I have a lot of fear.  I know this, I just don't know where it is coming from.  I have lots of theories but I can't fix or change everything at once.  I might change something that really isn't the problem and make things worse.  Anyway, I need to do some more journaling.

So the cover symbolizing peeling away the layers and hopefully getting some growth (leaves) and some peace (blues/greens).  I like to keep my artistic references clean, too. Ha!

Since I was afraid (there we go again!) that I'd screw up the cover, I glued all these pieces to cardstock.  Unfortunately all these layers got so thick I couldn't wrap the front of the cover to the back so I just had to trim it and glue it on.  It works.  The notebook is large so I can print out my computer journaling and add it to the pages and work in either medium as inspiration strikes.

As always with notebook covers, I'd love to add buttons and thicker embellishments. However, I don't because I want to fold the notebook back and really be able to write in it.  Don't want anything lumpy in my way.

So now it is just a matter of digging into the gray matter.  Paper is so much easier.
Thanks for taking in my rambling tale.

Ingredients:  Stamps:  Summer Leaves by Stampendous
Ribbon:  Stamper's Alley in Mooresville NC
Ink:  Bermuda Bay, Old Olive, Mellow Moss, Kiwi Kiss by SU!

C is for Crochet

One of the challenges at Scrapbooker's Anonymous this month is to use the letter "C" to inspire.  I've used lots of Crate Paper Farmhouse collection, fabric covered Chipboard letters, a Crochet theme, and some actual Crocheted embellishment.


The layout uses this month's challenge layout at Artfuldelight.blogspot.com 


Journaling reads:

In the 6th grade, I saw my friend Cindy crocheting.  I wanted to learn and Mother got Nan Price to come over and give me a lesson.  Soon I was going to Nan’s house each week for lessons.  I made coat hanger covers, toboggans and soon graduated to full afghans.  My favorite pattern was the Park Avenue made in strips and then crocheted together.  This was one of the last I did for our house in 1993.  I took up quilting and eventually my hands protested the repetitive motion of crocheting.  I miss my favorite craft.  Time spent with patterns, yarn and needles will always be a wonderful memory.  I was definitely…

Hooked on Crochet

I was a crochet fiend for years making almost all my gifts for friends and family during high school and college.  I learned to knit, too but my stitches were never as even as crochet.

While I don't regularly crochet anymore, I have found that my hands will tolerate just a bit like the scalloped border here.  I keep a neutral color of crochet cotton and then use ink to dye the finished product to suit the page.  In this case, I dyed it in Riding Hood Red classic ink from Stampin' Up!

I really miss crocheting particularly now that it is so popular again and there are so many beautiful yarns.  It was a great hobby to do in front of the TV.  I've been coloring some stamped images instead.

Thanks for visiting!

Ingredients:  DSP:  Farmhouse by Crate Paper, Thrift Shop by October Afternoon
Stickers:  October Afternoon and Girl's Paperie
Chipboard:  Patchwork Thickers by American Crafts

OWH Mailbox Greetings Cards

Thank you for visiting me! I'm honored to be a Featured Friday Cardmaker on the Operation Write Home Stars and Stripes blog this week.  Thanks so much to Dixie - my shipper - and everyone there who do such a fantastic job to be sure our cards are sorted, packed and into the hands of our troops!

Today's cards use one of my favorite stamp sets for making OWH cards.  I bought this set from Papertrey Ink (www.papertreyink.com) because I loved the little mailboxes.  I use it all the time because of the greetings.  There are 18 greetings with the set for all kinds of occasions.  The small size makes them hard workers.

The card at the top is a general thinking of you card with an inside greeting of:  "Even though we are apart, I am thinking of you."

This card will soon go in a box to OWH as it is winter themed. To create the snow, I stamped a snow outline image from the set, filled it in with a Versamarker and covered in white embossing powerder.  I had to layer the embossing powder about three times to get enough coverage.  The snowflakes are from an Inkadinkado set and are also embossed.

I'm glad you stopped by today.  I do both cards and scrapbooking so you will see some of each on my  blog.  Since cards are faster, there are usually two or three card posts for every scrapbook layout.  I like to participate in challenges and also do my own thing.  Every Tuesday I share a tip, sometimes with a video.

Hope you will come back soon!

Ingredients:  Stamps:  Mailbox Greetings by Papertrey Ink (PTI)
DSP:  floral print from Crate Paper Farmhouse Collectiong, brown stripe is Soft Suede by Stampin' Up!
Markers:  Stampin' Up!
Cardstock:  Kraft by PTI; Crushed Curry, Soft Suede and Old Olive by SU!
Ribbon:  Soft Suede by SU!
Twine:  Enchanted Evening by PTI

More on Mother's Mini

I'm hopping around on Mother's mini and am almost half way there.  Above is the cover page using a Prima jewel I bought at Archivers.  That is just about all that brown lace from Webster's pages.  I hate to use it all up.  They have the most gorgeous trims!

The photo of my Mother was taken when she was 17.  I think it is her favorite photo.  The pages below will be near the back of the album.  The first page of Mother with me was shows photos from the 60's.  I went a little more modern with the paper on the later page for the 70's photos.  We will fill in the journaling block when I give her the album.  I can not place the location of the photo taken of the two of us on a green vinyl couch.  Who had a couch like that?  I just can't remember but I bet she will.  Perhaps it will touch off a memory of an event, too.

There are very few photos of my mother and me together when I was growing up - maybe a half dozen total.  It's sad really that no one took pictures.  I'm so glad today that people take so many pictures of their children.  I just hope these photos get preserved and don't stay forever in phones and cameras.  It is one of the best benefits of our scrapbooking hobby - scrapbookers take more photos.

Thanks for visiting!

Be sure to come back on Friday as I'm honored to be a Featured Friday Cardmaker on the Operation Write Home blog.  I'll have a couple of cards to share.

Ingredients:  Stamps:  Lovely Letters by stampin Up! embossed in copper
Prudence collection by Crate Paper; Paris 6x6 pad by My Mind's Eye
Trim:  Webster's Pages
Button:  Tim Holtz
Mini:  Bo Bunny