Write. Click. Scrapbook.

scrapbook!

Welcome to our May edition of scrapbook! Saturday. I am having a wonderful month here at write. click. scrapbook. How about you?

This month's gallery is a favorite of mine. I love the reminder to take time to scrapbook our daily moments. Those times in between the events that used to dominate our scrapbooks. I hope that you have felt inspired, too.

For our three scrapbook! challenges we are going to go back to our May gallery, Everydaily III, and find three inspiration pieces. Ready?

 

THE SKETCH

This month, Diane created a sketch based upon Amy's layout, Everyday He, in our Everydaily gallery.

 

Here is her sketch.

I love the tags and the details and that it has matching photos. I couldn't wait to use it. But first, let's look and see how two of my teammates took it on.

 

Jennie's layout chronicles her yummy doggy. She stuck closely to the sketch, but switched her journaling box to one sized more like the tags on the side. I love the little red sequins. Mmm.

 

Diane's layout is going to make you smile!! Her choosing a faux corkboard was so smart. And the pearl tops look just like push pins. Genius! 

This makes my heart happy. The happy smiles and mugging for the selfies are too too fun!!!

 

And here is mine. I turned the photos on their side and then had to take out the title bar. I very lazily left Diane's shapes along the right hand side. (I love when sketches work so well!)

Thank you, Diane, for the sketch this month! If you would like to download a layered template you may do so here. Please leave us a comment if you take a turn with the sketch so that we might see your good works!

 

ROYGBIV

This month the color palette

is based upon Christine's layout, Love to Run.

With all those luscious pinks, I couldn't resist. Here is what I came up with.

I know the pink is bright and central, but the other four colors are there. And helps to take a bit of pep out of the peptol bismol bright!!

 

I can't wait to see what you do with this palette. There are so many ways to go with it. I'm looking forward to seeing yours.

 

TRENDING

This month nearly every layout in the gallery has a color photo. Well, except mine. So I thought perhaps I should join in! 

And while we were doing color, I thought I would go for broke with a color filled background paper, too!

 

That's it! I am so happy that you stopped by and that we could work on some layouts together. I hope that you feel inspired by our gallery and that you will enjoy the colors, designs, and trends you find there!

Enjoy your day!

And don't forget to let me know if you make a layout or two!

Silhouette Digital Machine: Tips, Tricks, and Secrets

Welcome to the final day of Silhouette week with me, Amy Sorensen. (I’m wishing I had more days to blog about this topic—we’ve barely scratched the surface.) Today I wanted to cover some helpful tips and techniques that work with the versatility of the cutter. Let’s jump right in!

A Few Silhouette Secrets

1. The secret to making your cutting mat stay sticky for longer. I discovered this the hard way: I once left a nearly-brand-new cutting mat sitting out, uncovered, on my desk. For an entire ten days of vacation! It was so dusty when I got back, it would hardly hold anything. That’s when I learned that to keep your mat sticky for as long as possible, you’ve got to keep it covered with the plastic sheet it comes with. This keeps the dust out and it also seems to revitalize the stickiness a little bit. Find yourself with a cutting-mat full of objects you’ve cut but don’t have time to peel off? Cover everything up with that plastic sheet until you’re ready to peel.

2. The secret to a dust-free mat. Even though I try to keep my mats protected, they eventually get a little bit of dust on them, or a few tiny pieces of cardstock from intricate cuts. Every once in awhile, give your cutting mat a wash. Use warm water, a little bit of dishwashing soap, and piece of scrunched-up plastic wrap in place of a rag. Rub gently with the plastic to wash off the dust and scraps, then let the mat air dry. (And then hurry up, put the plastic cover back on!) This won’t make the adhesive as sticky as it was when you bought the mat, but it will extend the stickiness.

3. The secret to removing little scraps. Use packing tape! Whenever I cut something that leaves a whole bunch of small leftover pieces, I reach for some packing tape. Roll it into a loop and carefully press it on top of the small remnants. Then peel the tape off and the remnants come off with the tape.

4. The secret to keeping stuff in place. Sometimes your cutting mat has simply lost all its sticky, and you don’t have a new one yet, but you need to cut something. Washi tape to the rescue! I mentioned this on Monday but I think it’s so useful it deserves its very own tip. Jennifer is the brilliant mind behind the idea: use washi tape to hold down the paper/cardstock you’re cutting. It peels right off when you’re finished. Just make sure that the object you’re cutting isn’t too close to the edge of the mat, so it doesn’t overlap the washi. This works perfectly when you only have a small piece of something you want to cut from.

5. The secret to not replacing your blade. If your blade starts to seem dull before its time, pull it out of the cutter and clean out the little tube it’s encased in. Small scraps of paper can clog the space around the blade, making it hard to turn and causing it to cut less precisely.

Silhouette Technique: Foundation Piecing

One of my other favorite hobbies is quilting, and I find that the techniques I learn with fabric quite often translate, in one way or another, to scrapbooking. Foundation piecing is a quilting technique that’s useful for small or intricate shapes; it involves using paper as a foundation, then removing it once you’ve sewn the small pieces together.

I figured out this technique when I made the title for this layout:

I wanted the title to have a mosaic feel, like the tiles you find in a swimming pool. I glued down a whole bunch of diamond shapes on a foundation of white printer paper, welded the word "memory" in the Silhouette software (I used Bemio, which I use almost every time I have a word with a lower-case y because I love this font’s y), and then cut it out with the covered-with-diamonds foundation.

Here’s another example, with step-by-step instructions:

I’ve been wanting to recreate in paper the spiderweb potholders from this blog post ever since I saw it last fall. (I also am itching to make a Halloween quilt—instead of potholders—with the same idea, but that’s totally another post!) Here’s how I made them:

1. I used this triangle card cut file by Loni Harris:

2. I ungrouped the object and deleted the triangle with the flowers:

3. Then I deleted the perforated line, drew a solid one, and grouped it all back together, which gave me a pair of 60° triangles:

4. Next I sized the paired triangles and then copy and pasted the object twice. I rotated one (click on the object, then click Object, Rotate, 180° degrees) and then lined up everything. I grouped these three triangle pairs, copied and pasted, and moved the second one down the mat:

5. Once the cut file was prepared, I got the foundation ready. I used a blank piece of white printer paper and some .5"-ish patterned paper strips. (Two of these are paper selvage—the cute edge design you cut from the edge of a 12x12 sheet.) I inked the edges of the strips, then glued them onto the white printer paper. (It’s necessary to apply glue all the way to the edge of the patterned paper strips!)

6. After letting the foundation piece dry, I cut it into two 8.5" x 2" strips, stuck these on my cutting mat in the corresponding spots, and sent it through the Silhouette. Before cutting, I changed the Cut Settings to Double Cut, since it needed to cut through two pieces of paper. (Click on the Cut button, then Change Settings to change to a Double Cut. This setting will stay in place until you change it.)

7. After cutting, I peeled the triangles off the mat and assembled the spider web following the directions in the potholder link (using double-stick tape instead of thread). Full disclosure: I had to re-glue three of the tiny triangle points. And I learned that it works better to put the web together by making two half-hexagon shapes rather than going in a circle. The edges don’t all quite match up without overlapping them a bit.

I can’t quite express how ridiculously happy these spider webs made me! I think they’d look equally as cute done in blue patterns (as snowflakes) and in pastels (as flowers.)

Silhouette Technique: Use the Pens

The first few times I used my Silhouette, I was a little bit afraid. Probably silly, but overcoming that initial will-I-do-it-right resistance was a little tough for me. That’s probably why I haven’t tried the Silhouette pens yet—but I do believe Diane has helped me get over my fears! She shared this layout:

The "Kisses for Daddy" title was done with the Silhouette pens. Here is her advice for using the pens:

Some designs in the Silhouette store are specifically for sketching. You can search for them by entering sketch designs. They also are indicated with the letter "S" in a grey box. Here's an example of one:

You don't have to use a design that is designated as sketch but sketch/outline images work best.

To sketch a design with your pens, replace the blade with the sketch pen of your choice and from the cut menu choose "sketch pen" under the cutting options. When you are done sketching an item you can also cut it out. To do this, leave the design you just sketched in place in the cutter, offset the design, change the pen back to the blade and cut the offset line.

For fonts, the thin ones work best. There are some options in the Silhouette store and several options at Lettering Delights too.

One great idea for the Silhouette pens is to use them to write the salutation on the inside of a card, like here:

To figure out where to place the text, draw a rectangle the same size as your open card in the Silhouette software. On the right side of the rectangle (the inside part of the card once it's folded), type the greeting, saying, or sentiment you want. Then place the cardstock or patterned paper on the cutting mat in the spot that corresponds to the place the image is in the software. Then delete the box and follow the above steps to sketch.

See! Totally not scary. I'm going to order pens next time I need a new mat or blade.

Silhouette Technique: Hybrid Scrapbooking

Christine taught me about the potential for using digital scrapbooking products with the Silhouette cutters. You can drag .jpg and .png files right from your file manager into the Silhouette Studio window. You can then use the trace and cut feature to turn the image into an object you can cut. To trace the image, click on it, then select Trace from the Object menu. Draw a space around the part you want to trace, then click on the Trace button. Delete the original image and you're left with the shape you can now send to the cutter as usual.

You can also use digital patterned paper with your Silhouette. Open the cut file you'd like to cut. Then drag the patterned paper from your file manager to the object in Silhouette Studio. When you let go of your mouse, the paper fills the shape. Use the print and cut feature to finish the piece.

Here's a great example to show the flexibility of the Silhouette when its paired with digital supplies. Christine created both an entirely digital layout:

and then a paper one with the same supplies as a hybrid layout:

Brilliant, yes? Christine will be sharing other hybrid scrapbooking techniques later this month—I'm excited to learn other techniques from her!

Free Cut Files
Amy Coose shared this cute layout:

The awesome part (well, besides its general gorgeousness): The circle "Love" text embellishment? Totally free! Every Friday, Chic Tags has a free cut file download. The Silhouette store has a weekly free cut file. And you can get the free WCS cut files monthly! We post these on the first day of the month.

And with that, we are at the end of the Silhouette week. I hope it's been helpful to you. Go forth, dear scrapbooker, and cut stuff out with your Silhouette. It's a great way to use your supplies!

Silhouette Digital Machine: Text Features

I confess: all affection for pre-made cut files aside, the real reason I got a digital cutter was for the text capabilities. (After all, any type of alphabet-related supply is automatically my favorite!) The ability to cut out any font in existence? It's the Silhouette's coolest feature in my mind.

Of course, just because you CAN cut out every font in existence doesn't mean that every font looks great once it's cut. Some fonts have lines that are too thin, or jagged edges, and some just don't translate well as digital cuts. Here are some favorite fonts:

Script

Sans Serif

Serif

And some ideas for text embellishments you can make with your Silhouette:

Add text to a solid embellishment

Amy Coose added the word "Sweet" to the tab shape and "Fun" on the chevron arrow. This is easy to do: Simply open the solid shape and size as needed. Click on the Text button, select the font you want to use, and type the word. Then move it right on top of the solid shape and resize. Group these two and you're done!

Christine does something similar with the title on this layout. A banner shape + a clean font (Blackout, in this case, which is a great go-to font) = a quick but awesome title!

Try finding solid shapes to cut that go along with the theme of your layout, or use a tag, journaling box, decorative square, or label shape. I quite often add the date to my layouts by typing it onto a solid shape and then cutting it out.

Use the negative shape

I do this quite often when I cut out words, because it's easier to glue down one piece (with all the letters aligned already!) than a whole bunch of smaller letters. Here's an example from Valerie:

By cutting the chevron designs and the title out of the same white cardstock—and keeping it all together—Valerie created a design that draws your eye right to the title.

This technique is so versatile! Use the negative shape as one of many layers, like Christine did in this layout:

(the script font is Pacifico, another versatile one!)

Write your journaling with negative shapes:

Christa, who is a color-mixing genius, shows that backing each line with a different color adds a certain pop that you can't get any other way.

Or, try mixing negative and positive shapes, like Diane did in this layout:

Layer the letters right on top of your photo for a fresh look.

Create a Mask

Cut out the word you want. Use temporary adhesive to stick it to your background, then spritz the piece with mist. Let it dry for a bit, then peel up the word. Here are a couple of examples:

This layout illustrates just what I love about masking a word: the contrast between the letters' clean edges and the more organic feel that the mist makes. I'm not sure I'll ever not like this!

Diane also shared a layout that uses a mask. This one has a longer, welded title (see the instructions for welding in yesterday's post), which she outlined with pen after the mist dried:

(The "good stuff" embellishment is also made with the Silhouette.) Different mists create different finishes—Diane's mist is less opaque than the one Valerie used, so it lets some of the background paper show through.

Make a great big title

I think it's creatively freeing to know you can cut any size, shape, or color of text that you want to with a Silhouette. For me, this freedom often results in big, big titles! You can make LARGE titles with enormous letters, as in this layout by Diane:

Or this one by Christa:

Or you can make a LONG title with lots of words. Grab an entire sentence from your journaling and turn it into a title. Use a short poem or some song lyrics. Or create a subway-art-esque piece with words that develop your journaling more fully, as in this layout by Valerie:

I used the words of a little jingle I made up for this layout's title:

A favorite quote is also a good source for a long title. Diane uses Captain Jack Sparrow's words in this layout:

And I used a favorite quote about this beach on this one:

And! If you want to cut out the same title, here is the cut file:  Download Net of wonder title

Now! I have a question for you! I love the look of solid cut-out letters, so I rarely add the center of Os and As and Ds back in when I use negative shapes. (See the p, o, and b in the word "problem" on Diane's layout above to see what I mean.)  Do you like to leave the centers empty? Or do you stick down the center shape? I'm curious!

Make sure to check back in tomorrow, when we'll be doing a give away!

Silhouette Digital Machine: Software Tips & Tricks

Welcome to day two of our WCS Silhouette week!

Today we are looking at the Silhouette Studio software that comes with your digital cutter. (There is a different software, called Silhouette Studio Designer Edition, that is an upgrade to the standard software that ships with the cutter. We’re just looking at the standard software.) Once you learn some of the ins and outs of the software, using your Silhouette gets much easier and quicker. And more fun!

One of the most helpful features is Group/Ungroup. It does just what its name suggests: lets you separate and/or group objects together. As you use this feature you'll find it makes your workflow much faster.

When you open a cut file that has many different parts, they are always grouped together. For example, I just downloaded this "Life Card Words" cut file by Michelle Curie:

When I click on the image, I can move, size, and rotate every card at the same time. Keeping them grouped this way is helpful if I want to cut them all out at the same size and on the same color of cardstock or patterned paper.

But since I just want to cut the "she said" and "happy life" cards right now, I need to get rid of the rest. To do that, click on the image so that it’s selected. Right click, then chose Ungroup. Click somewhere outside of the image to deselect it. Then, click on the things you don’t want to cut. You can either do this one at a time, or you can click and drag to select multiple objects. Then just press delete:

Now I can move and size just the cards I want to cut. Ungrouping is helpful for may different types of cut files. Since ungrouping lets you work with individual parts of the object, you can cut things out in different colors or patterns. Take a butterfly for example: if you want the wings to be one color, the body another, the spots on the wings something different and then the antennae something else, you'd have to cut it out four different times without the Group/Ungroup feature. With it, you just ungroup all the parts, then move them to different places on the cutting mat. You can also modify things—maybe you want a larger border around that journaling card than the cut file originally designed, for example. So you could increase the size of the base while leaving the card the same size.

I use Group/Ungroup a lot in my Silhouette workflow.

Remember that when I am using my Silhouette, I try to cut out extras to have in my supplies? That means I’m often adding objects to the file I’m preparing. To keep this simple, I always have two studio tabs open at once. The first one is the main one, the screen I’m adding objects and words to and the one I will send to be cut. The second tab I think of as the "working" tab; it’s the one I use to open cut files from my library. That way I can ungroup cut files, then move only the objects I want to cut into my main screen, without accidentally moving the objects that are already there.

As an example, here is what my screen looked like the last time I used my Silhouette:

See on the bottom left corner, those two "untitled.studio" tabs? The white one is the main tab, the one I’m using to put together a mat’s worth of stuff to cut out. The greyed out tab is the working tab. Before I open another cut file, I switch to that screen so I can ungroup and then select just the items I want to cut.

Group/Ungroup is also useful when you’re cutting out letters. In this layout:

I wanted the title letters cut out from different patterned papers, but I also wanted the letters of each word to be the same height. Here’s how I did that:

1. I typed the word "silly" as a piece of text in my working tab.

2. I created a different piece of text for the word "pumpkin." (I used the font Verb Black for both.)

3. I sized each word to 5.25" wide.

4. When each word was the correct size, I used ungroup to turn each letter into its own object.

5. I cut and pasted random letters into different spots in my main tab, then organized them so they would be cut out of different patterned papers.

Another helpful function in the Silhouette Studio is the Weld feature. Weld connects individual objects into one object, blending the objects where they are touching. For example, in this layout:

I wanted the word "hug" to be mounted on three connected circles. So I drew three:

(If you hold the SHIFT key down while you’re drawing a shape, it makes it the exact same height and width.)

Then I lined them up:

Next I selected them all, right clicked, and chose Weld:

Weld is the tool you use when you want to connect letters into one piece, like Amy Coose did in this layout:

Here are the steps to take to weld words and letters together:

1. Type your text. If all of the letters will be the same size, you can just make one text object; if you want different sizes (or fonts), type each size as its own object. I usually set less-important words in a smaller font, like Amy did with the words "to have" above.

2. Ungroup the text so that each letter is a separate object.

3. Line up the letters in the design scheme you want. Make sure that each letter is slightly overlapping another letter. Sometimes you have to very slightly rotate a letter to make this happen.

4. Once you are pleased with the arrangement of letters and words, select the whole piece by dragging a box around everything. (Make sure everything is selected! the red line indicates it is selected.) Right click, then choose Weld.

5. Position as necessary on the screen, then cut.

Welding words is one of the Silhouette features I use the most. Words and letters in general, in fact, are the main reason I bought the machine. Tune in tomorrow for a day dedicated to all the wordy stuff you can do with the Silhouette.

 

write.

Happy National Scrapbooking Day! To celebrate, today we're focusing on poetry. 

But wait! Was that a groan I heard? A rumble of "how can poetry and scrapbooking and celebrating all be mentioned in one sentence?"

Because I know:  for many, the word "poetry" inspires anxious memories of writing exam essays on confusing poems, trying to explain what the poet is trying to say. (I always hated that "What is the poet trying to say?" question. The poet isn't trying to say anything, she's saying exactly what she meant.) Or a professor droning on about Prufrock or Tintern Abbey or Hiawatha.

But poetry doesn't have to be dry or boring or difficult. Nor do you (now you're a grown up) have to write an essay about it. Instead it's a wellspring of scrapbooking inspiration! (Both for journaling and for embellishments.) It depends on the kinds of poems you're reading, but poetry adds a certain something to your layouts that nothing else can.

Back when I was teaching high school, I shared at least one "delicious poem" with my students every week. By "delicious" I meant the sort of poem that makes you say "mmmmmmm" when you're finished. The goal wasn't to analyze or argue anything, but to experience—to be surrounded by something aurally beautiful, to get caught up in imagining an image, to admire a perfectly exact metaphor. (Yes! A watermelon is like a buddha on the fruit stand!)

Those delicious poems are perfect for using on scrapbook layouts. Of course, you have to find them first! Some sources for poetry:

The Writer's Almanac on NPR.

     Every day, Garrison Keillor reads a poem and then talks about some interesting bits of literary information. (You can have the almanac sent to you by email every day, or you can listen instead.) He is perhaps the master of delicious poems: the ones he shares are usually accessible but vivid all at once. Similarly, try his "Good Poem" books: Good Poems, Good Poems for Hard Times, and Good Poems: American Places. 

Poets.org

     This website has poetry organized by subject. You can also listen to poets reading their work.

the 811 section.

     Go to your library's kids' nonfiction department and wander down the 811 aisle. This is American poetry written for kids and is a perfect source for scrapbookery inspiration! You'll find anthologies about different topics as well as discover new favorite poets. The more lighthearted aspect of (some) children's poetry makes it especially useful for layouts about your kids. (821 is the British poets if you're on that side of the pond.)

Go forth! Find some poems you love, and then use them on your layouts. They're a deep source for all sorts of layout inspiration; here are a few ideas to get you started.

 1.  Use a small part of a poem as your layout's title.

 

For this layout's title, I used one line from Gerard Manley Hopkins's poem "Spring." I confess that I've used different parts from this poem on several different layouts. It's an infintely useful poem!

 

2. Use some of the poem as a subtitle:

I used a very small section of a much longer poem called "Elegy in Joy." Don't feel like you have to use all the poem's text. Sometimes (quite often in fact!) just a stanza or even a few lines will work with your topic. (See item #6 for more about this layout.)

3. Use the entire poem.

You can: type it out without any line breaks and create a text-based patterned paper. Print the poem on a journaling card. Print it in four long strips and make it a page border. Integrate it into your design by repeating an embellishment within the text. Print it in a huge font so that some of the end and beginning words print off the page. Choose a landscape, floral, or other photographic image that relates to the poem and then print the text on top of the image by creating a text layer in Photoshop. Print the poem in light grey text and then print your journaling on top of it. Create a piece of subway art, like this one:

Download May 2013 write saturday emily d:

Or you can always just print it out in a regular font size and stick it somewhere on your page!

4. Journal about a poem your child learned in school, like Celeste did in this layout:

 

5. Include a poem that your child wrote.

 

Journal about how the writing made you feel, like Paula did.

6. Use the poem to inspire your journaling. 

My "Seeds" layout (number 2 above) came about when I read the Rukeyser poem. It made me start thinking about beginnings and endings and how things change, so I wrote a draft of the journaling and then went in search for some photos to go with my first impressions. There's a fairly large difference between the draft and the final journaling, which is OK; the point is that the journaling was inspired by the poem.

7. Write your own poem.
I know, it sounds intimidating, but it's really not. It's not as if your Pulitzer depends upon it; it's just a different way of writing! Poetry is not much more than a set of structures and ideas you can use to shape your thoughts, but within the structure lies the creativity. You can write a free-verse poem, as Lisa did in this layout:

Or try some rhyming verse:

(I shared this layout before, on February's Write Saturday.)

The structure of the little poem in this layout was inspired by a children's book. Since I already had the form, the lines came together quickly---I crafted it in my head while I was shoveling snow!

Don't be intimidated by poetry. It's one of the most useful scrapbooking "supplies" you can use.

What I've learned from my Mother

Welcome back to our Mother's Day Celebrations and Preparations! I am here to tackle the topic, "What I've Learned from my Mother." Sounds like a simple enough task, but I sit here wondering, "Hmm, where to begin? It's hard to know where to start, because, well, human babies learn about the world right from day one, through all the interactions and experiences with their environment and those around them. So we have learned from our mothers (and fathers, but we'll talk more about that in June) in countless different ways. And, as a mother, there is so much we want to teach our children before they move off on their own. How, oh how, to capture it all?

 

Tell A Story

Somtimes it's hard to wear your heart on your sleeve, or on your scrapbook page, but by simply capturing a story, you are saying, "This made an impact on me." And, a story about a person can capture their personality much more easily than putting all your thoughts and feelings into words. Here's a specific story about my mom; she recently fell and hurt her shoulder, and in her own retelling of the events of that day, her unflappable positive attitude came through. And that is just one of the reasons, my sister gave my mother the name, "Miss Mary Sunshine."

I feel quite lucky to have been surrounded by that positive energy and outlook throughout my life.

What about you? What story can you tell about your mother that refelcts who she is?

 

Describe a Memory

Is there a food, ritual, or object that always makes you think about your mother or grandmother? Take a picture of the item, and simply describe the memory it evokes. I am always reminded of my grandmother when I make Charoseth for Passover. Here, it's not about capturing a grand, life lesson, but rather a small moment, where all I learned was how to peel apples and chop some walnuts. 

 

Looking Forward

Lisa and Amy both scrapped about what they have or hope to have taught their own children. 

Amy said that Mother's Day always makes her stop and think about how she's doing as a mom, and this was what she thought about. I suggest you read it closely. There are life lessons for all of us in there, and it's kind of a tear jerker. (Her daughter is off to college soon!)

 

Lisa, cleverly, asked her daughter to write down a few things that she learned from her. Her answer says, "to be nice to others, craft, take photos."

 

When Lisa mentioned that she asked her daughter this question, I shuddered to think what my sons would answer if I posed the same question to them. I knew they would use it as an opportunity to mock me. But growing up with Miss Mary Sunshine, I guess I have learned not to take things too seriously, and to enjoy  a good laugh. So, when my son answered, "I learned that Totty is the better parent," I scrapped it anyway. One of the things I enjoy most about motherhood, is being surrounded by people who make me laugh. Even if it is at my expense. 

Mother's Day Gift Idea: a Card

For today' gift idea, we are kickin' it old school, with a simple Mother's Day Card:

Thanks for joining me today! I hope you have found some inspiration here this week to document the mothers in your life, and, perhaps, to reflect on your own role as a mother. I think I have found enough inspiration this week to keep me going until next Mother's Day!

Mother's Day Celebrations

Each night as I tuck my girls in, we read a book, say our prayers, and then sing song after song until they fall asleep. (Yes, I know. I'm indulging them. I am certain that I really only a year or two left of snuggling them before bed, so I am taking full advantage of the love!!)

One of the songs that sticks in my head is one I grew up singing, Mother, I Love You. Here are the lyrics:

1. Mother, I love you; mother, I do.
Father in Heaven has sent me to you.
When I am near you, I love to hear you
Singing so softly that you love me too.

2. Mother, I love you; mother, I do.
I want to help you because I love you.
I want to mind you; I want to find you
Happy and smiling because I love you.
Mother, I love you; I love you, I do.

I often find myself humming it during the day. And it totally makes me think of my mom and how much I DO love her. I hope that if I sing it to my girls enough then they will grow up and sing it and think of me kindly, too!! Not a bad strategy, no? And one day hopefully they will get married and have kids that I can sing to, too. 

 

LAYOUT IDEA: GRANDMOTHERS

Grandma layouts don't need to be just sappy bits o' love. Sometimes you can let them just capture the real deal. My oldest and his grandma like to banter--they are both teaser-types; there is much guffawing when they are together! We got to spend two days together in March. And for their parting together pic, this is what we got:

Silly, no? I love it. I also have a whole selection of blurry photos from Nigel doing the duck and dip to avoid the kissing love. Another relationship trait/quirk/regular that needs to be recorded.

 

Another idea for a grandma page is to document similarities. We all love to fit in with our families; seeing how we are alike gives us such a sense of belonging!

 

And let's not forget how much we love photos of grandmas with their tiny babies. LisaO made this sweet layout.

Mmm. Love that.

We have a few teammembers who have lost grandparents lately. They all would like to remind you to take more photos. And be sure to get in those photos.

 

MOTHER'S DAY GIFT IDEA: BIRTHDATE ART

This year, why not make something personal? How about a bit of wall art that respresents all the grandkids? Depending on how many grandkids there are (one of the kids in my sunday school class has 90 cousins - this might not work for her!), a list of birthdays is graphic, fun, and helpful!

And if you don't have grandkids yet, you could make one for your mom that has the birthdays of all the kids in your family. Or all the people in your family. No rules!! I've even made them for special events in a couple's life. Anything that is important to your mom or grandma would work!

 

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you are enjoying our week. Please stop back tomorrow for our final day of preparations!

Welcome, May!

Hello May! We are so happy to welcome a new month and a new gallery! This month we look forward to our final month of weekly blogging. We were be learning from Francine, Amy, Christine, as well as have help from our team preparing for Father's Day. We can't wait!

A new month brings a new gallery.

May is the month we celebrate the Everyday. Those things that make up our every day lives. The little things that might get lost in our scrapbooks and our memories. Our schedules, our routine. Project Life is a wonderful way to capture the details of our lives. And our scrapbooks are a great place to record some of the details as well. Our team has put together some amazing layouts. We just know you are going to be inspired to create some just like them!

As a reminder, if you would like to see the layouts a bit bigger and with the journaling listed, please hop on over to the gallery album.

Without further ado, may we present... Everydaily III!

The Family that Types Together | Aliza Deutsch

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts) + patterned paper (Jenni Bowlin, Pebbles, Elle’s Studio, Simple Stories, Cocoa Daisy, Webster’s Pages) + buttons (Fancy Pants) + thickers (American Crafts) + labels (Chic Tags) + stickers (My Mind’s Eye, Glitz Designs, Simple Stories) + fonts (Linenstroke)

A Note from Aliza
This layout lists a couple of random reflections about technology and our everyday lives.

May Fun Fact
I am currently obsessed with finding inexpensive rock climbing shoes.

 

Love To Run | Christine Newman

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts, Wausau, Bazzill) + patterned paper (American Crafts) + mask, mist (Studio Calico) + die cuts (American Crafts) + stickers (American Crafts) + paper clip (Freckled Fawn) + stamp (American Crafts) + wood veneers (Studio Calico, Freckled Fawn) + ink (Prima, Palette) + pen (Sharpie, Sakura) + twine (The Twinery) + digital cutter (Silhouette America)

A Note from Christine
When it comes to everyday type of photos, it doesn't get more everyday than this. I exercise almost daily and feel weird if I don't run or workout for a couple of days. I love to eat so working out is a necessity. It also helps me feel less stressed and sleep better.

May Fun Fact
When I was little, I collected scratch-n-sniff stickers. I think I still have some old ones in a box somewhere. I want them to bring those back!

 

Everyday | Celeste Smith

12 x 12 | materials kits (Life's a Ride by Valorie Wibbens, Dayplanner by One Little Bird at The Lilypad) + washi tape (Tape It! by Pink Reptile Designs at The Lilypad) + journaling cards (Happy Note Cards by Gina Miller at the Lilypad) + word art (Life 365 by Karla Dudley at Pixels & Co.) + template(Simple Scrapper Premium Membership)+ font (Underwood Champion)

A Note from Celeste
When I thought about everyday this year, I just couldn't get past the fact that our daily life includes music. My son, Adam, plays the saxophone almost every day either practicing, attending rehearsals or performing. I added the clock stamp and washi to symbolize the time he spends. The musical staff is just clip art that I clipped some digital paper to.

May Fun Fact
My niece is a Bat Mitzvah this month. I'm looking forward to the family gathering together and hearing her give her Torah portion. It is sure to be a special day.

 

Every Day | Valerie O'Neall

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Crate Paper) + tags (Elle's Studio and American Crafts/Dear Lizzy) + stickers (Crate Paper) + alpha stamps (Studio Calico/Hero Arts) + other stamps (Ormolu) + enamel dots (My Mind's Eye) + wood veneer (Studio Calico) + fabric brad (American Crafts) + ink (Memento) + other (Silhouette SD & date stamp) + font (Rockwell)

A Note from Valerie
This layout came together really fast for me this month. I love using my Silhouette for title work (font is Rockwell). These photos are from 2011, but can you believe two years later, this train set is still what my son plays with everyday (best. gift. ever.)!?

May Fun Fact
I was completely anti-texting and anti-smartphone for such a long time. I've only had a plan with texting for two years now, which is so unusual for someone of my generation, but I am now the proud owner of an iPhone.

The Reader | Katie Ehmann

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts) + patterned paper (Kesi’art) + brads (Crate Paper) + thickers (Amy Tamgerine) + tag (Dear Lizzy) + stickers (Amy Tangerine, Dear Lizzy) + die cut (Silhouette Cameo, Studio Calico + stamp (Amy Tangerine) + ink (Versafine)

A Note from Katie
This layout perfectly captures the everyday of my oldest daughter, who is in Kindergarten and is learning to read! I sewed some leftover letters in a random pattern to mirror the letters on the background paper.

May Fun Fact
Every time I play the lotto (which isn’t very often) I seriously think I am going to win, and am crushed with disappointment when I don’t. Some may think that I’m foolish, but I just think I’m an optimist!

 

The 4 O'Clock Stare Down | Diane Payne

12 x 12 |materials patterned paper (Studio Calico, Echo Park, Basic Grey, Simple Stories) + buttons (A Flair for Buttons) + thickers (Ameican Crafts) + labels (My Mind's Eye, Twine & Ink) + stickers (American Crafts, Pebbles, Basic Grey) + pen (American Crafts)

A Note from Diane
At first I was unsure what to document as a daily activity. When the dogs were anxiously waiting to be fed one evening it dawned on me that I should record their daily ritual.

May Fun Fact
In just a few short weeks school will be out. I'm looking forward to a little less structure and sleeping in on the weekends.

 

InstaLife | Lisa Ottosson

8.5 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Backside of Cocoa Daisy March Kit Ad card, Jenni Bowlin) + brad (Dear Lizzy) + flower (homemade) + stickers (Scrapworks, American Crafts)

A Note from Lisa
When I prepared for this month´s theme I was a bit puzzled about what I would do. As I am doing Project Life every week I record our everyday lives in there. Then it hit me! What is the one thing that I use to catch photos of our everyday? Instagram. Right now we Instagram the heck out of our lives. In my journaling I talk about how we say to each other several times a day: That is going straight up on Instagram!

March Fun Fact
I have to remind myself to use my DSLR these days! I am so happy with my iPhone camera!

Errands with Boys | Jennifer Larson

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzill) + patterned paper (Cosmo Cricket, Glitz, Basic Grey, Studio Calico) + buttons (Company Name) + thickers (American Crafts) + tape (Glitz) + enamel dots (My Mind’s Eye) + stickers (Basic Grey, Studio Calico, My Mind’s Eye) + ink (Jenni Bowlin) + chipboard (My Mind’s Eye) + photo frame (Basic Grey) + die cuts (Studio Calico) + twine (Martha Stewart) + fonts (Times New Roman)

A Note from Jennifer Larson
Since my husband travels periodically for work, I become a single parent at certain times of the year, shepherding my boys solo to their various activities. This month I examine those various activities and the fact that my schedule circulates are them. Though it’s a time crunch, I love the time in the car with my boys, particularly our conversations. To remember these errands and the accompanying stress and joy, I printed various photos I took of these errands with boys and put them together on one page.

May Fun Fact
Every Mother’s Day, we go out to eat Chinese food.

 

Everyday Moments|Amy Coose

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzill) + patterned paper (American Crafts, Pebbles, Basic Grey) + flair (Greatest View) + wood veneer (Freckled Fawn) + tags (Chic Tags) + enamel dots (My Mind's Eye) + mist (Heidi Swapp) + pen (American Crafts)

A Note from Amy
This layout really shows my everyday, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Journaling
No matter how hard it is having a baby again, there is nothing I'd rather be doing each day than this.

May Fun Fact
I love these pictures of me getting some good snuggle time. It makes me so happy that I had the chance to experience baby snuggles again. 

 

Rise and Shine | Celeste Smith

12 x 12 | materials kit (Rise & Shine by One Little Bird at the Lilypad) + template ( Plant Your Story: Journaled {volume two} by Sara Gleason at the Lilypad) + font (Century Gothic)

A Note from Celeste
My morning routine just wouldn't be the same without a cup of tea or coffee. Even though I get up in the dark, I make sure that I have an extra ten or fifteen minutes to sit and enjoy it. Notice the floral elements, as a mom to boys, I get my flower fix whenever I can!

 

Everyday | Jennie McGarvey

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Lily Bee Design, Studio Calico) + stickers (Studio Calico) + alphabet stickers (American Crafts) + labels, tags (Chic Tags) + pen (American Crafts) + fonts

A Note from Jennie
My layout has been a while in the making. My son has been wearing exclusively Angels (his favorite baseball team and baseball is his favorite sport) shirts for a while now (two years or so?) and I wanted to make sure I captured that before he moved onto something else or varied his wardrobe.

May Fun Fact
I rarely use the computer for journaling. I prefer to handwrite my journaling, but will occasionally use a typewriter if the project calls for it.

 

Have a Good Day | Deb Duty

12 x 12 | materials) patterned paper (Simple Stories, Teresa Collins, Cosmo Cricket, Fancy Pants, Webster's Pages, American Crafts) + flair (Hello Forever) + chipboard star (Pink Paislee) + alpha (Heidi Swapp, Little Yellow Bicycle, Glitz Design) + labels (Studio Calico) + ink (Hero Arts) + stickers (Studio Calico, Basic Grey) + stamps (Studio Calico) + sequins (Studio Calico) + resin stars (Freckled Fawn) + metal clip (Prima) + cork arrow (Studio Calico) + inventory tag (vintage) + pen (Micron)

A Note from Deb
I took this photo as my boys walked out the door for school while I held on to our dog so she couldn't escape just like I do every morning. I love capturing these simple moments that seem so ordinary at the time, but will one day be just a memory.

May Fun Fact
I generally don't like any scary or intense TV shows, but after my boys introduced me to The Walking Dead, it has become my new favorite. I still can't believe I actually enjoy a show about zombies, but it's just so good!

 

A-Okay | Kelly Jeppson

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Elle’s Studio) + paper elements (BasicGrey) + alpha stickers (Doodlebug Designs) + burlap + washi tape (7Gypsies) + big brad (Studio G)

A Note from Kelly
Life for a mom can be pretty mundane, but at the end of the day, I’m always happy to see the smiling faces of my three kids. It makes it all worth it!

Journaling
Today I might…make breakfast, pack lunches, find homework, socks, shoes, lost toys. Drive to school, to scouts, to soccer, to the store. Eat standing up. Do laundry. Check email. Vacuum. Answer phone calls. Bandage scrapes. Walk the dog. Clean up messes. Make dinner. Stay up late reading. But it’s all a-okay with me, because I get to be your mom.

May Fun Fact
Before we had children, I convinced my husband to get me a Mother’s Day gift because I would be the mother of his future children! Pretty smart, I must say.

 

The Best Part | Sarah Pendergrast

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (October Afternoon, Crate Paper, American Crafts) + epoxy dots (My Minds Eye) + stickers (American Crafts) + letter stickers (October Afternoon, Basic Grey, Heidi Swapp) + labels (Basic Grey) + washi (Freckled Fawn) + pen (American Crafts)

A Note from Sarah
I snapped this shot one day after school, when the two of them were particularly happy to see each other. This photo reminded me that that no matter how glad I am that they are in school during the day, the best part of my day is the after school pickup.

Journaling
No question, one of the best parts of my day is picking you guys up after school. It’s a huge perk of being a stay-at-home parent. I get to hear about recess, see test scores you’re proud of, and watch you hang out with your friends.

May Fun Fact
I’m super excited to start a new volunteer job this month as an urban nature monitor. I will get to count turtles, dragonflies, butterflies etc. that reside right in the middle of our city.

Little Moments | Francine Clouden

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Tim & Beck, American Crafts, Crate Paper, Studio Calico) + chipboard letter stickers (American Crafts) + candy buttons (Studio Calico, BasicGrey) + spray ink (Studio Calico) + clear stamps (Studio Calico, Hero Arts) + rub-ons (American Crafts) + baker's twine + stamping ink

A Note from Francine
Baking with Kieran has become an every day activity because he really loves to bake. We now bake his snacks together most weeks. 
A technique tip: that pink garland under the title was made using letter Vs from my sheet of chipboard letter stickers.

May Fun Fact
After six months in the new house I think it's time to reorganise my scrapbook room!

 

Almost Everyday | Paula Gilarde

12 x 12 | materials LayerWorks No. 175 (Studio DD) + Stay Here kit (Katie Pertiet) + I Heart Stories Wordart Brushes (Ali Edwards) + Wooden Stickers Alpha No 1 (Katie Pertiet) + Painted Text No. 1 (Katie Pertiet) + Instamatic Frames No 3 (Katie Pertiet)

A Note from Paula
Or at least everyday we can, we try to walk the 30 minutes to school. Molly loves it!

 

Everyday He: | Amy Sorensen

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (My Mind's Eye) + alpha stickers (American Crafts, Jillibean Soup, Echo Park, Teresa Collins, Bella Blvd, My Mind's Eye) + die cuts (Silhouette) + circle punch + quilt star punch (Fiskars) + fonts (Satellite, The Only Exception)

A Note from Amy
The real story about this layout is something on the back. To get all of the daily details, I wrote a list of questions for my son Nathan, and asked him to answer them. When I found the paper (he left it under my keyboard and went to bed), I discovered that he'd written his answers AND a sweet note to me. The combination of his handwriting and his note was just so...NATHAN to me. I made a little pocket for the back and stuck the note in it with my response. I do a lot of hidden things on the backs of my layouts. Who knows if anyone will ever see them? But I like knowing they are there.
To make the little banners that back the words "goes" and "to," I punched with the quilt star punch, and then trimmed off the two vertical strips. Voila: instant banner!

May Fun Fact
My oldest kid is graduating from high school this month. HOW did I get to this phase of my life?!?!

 

Hanging Out | Marnie Flores

8.5 x 8.5 | materials patterned paper (Crystal Wilkerson) + fonts (AmerType, Mathlete, CK Jot)

A Note from Marnie
Santa brought a bar and a beam to my house this past December. The bar sits in our front room and welcomes everyone who visits. And my monkeys love it. (One of them averages 3 hours a day on her bar!) I can't even begin to explain how breathtaking it is to watch them do their tricks. They amaze me!!

May Fun Fact
My kids get out of school in May for the first time ever. I grew up going to school until the final Friday in June. (I like to joke that I went to school for an extra year: 1 month x 12 years...) I can't believe that in less than a month we will be on vay-cay-tion!!

 

That's it! We hope you enjoy the gallery! Please leave us word and tell us what caught your eye!

Mother's Day Celebrations

Welcome back to day two of our Mother's Day celebrations and preparations! I hope you enjoyed yesterday's post!

The other day I called my mom and thanked her for being such an amazing chauffeur. I remember my dad introducing her as a cab driver. I remember calling my mom "Jeeves" (the best chauffeur name we could come up with!) whenever I crawled into the car for a ride to dance, music lessons, or theatre rehearsal. But I had no idea how much of a sacrifice for her and an imposition upon her it was, until now. Until now when it is my turn at the wheel. Literally. 

Isn't it funny how life works? How walking a day in someone's shoes changes everything? 

Not so long ago, I took a long hard look at Nigel. He is 14 which means in less than 10 years he may very well be married. Which will make me a mother-in-law. I am going to be a mother-in-law to a young lady that I hopefully love and one that even more hopefully loves me in return. But here's the thing. I am fiercely loyal and more than a bit neurotic, so there is a chance that she may not love me from the get go. I am abso-smurf-ly positive that she will in the end, but the beginning? Could be iffy.

Trying to imagine things from a different perspective is enlightening. I have a newfound respect for my own inlaws. That they welcomed me into their family. That they let me be me. I am sure it wasn't always easy. There are familial differences that I am certain didn't always make things smooth. But as the years pass, my sweet mother-in-law and I have more and more in common and have become closer and closer. She is really good to my kids, and she works hard to include me. And once I realized that I may be a mother-in-law one day, I know I have become more forgiving and more flexible as a daughter-in-law.

I haven't really made any pages about my relationship with my mother-in-law. It is time! 

 

LAYOUT IDEA: CELEBRATE OUR MOTHERS-IN-LAW

Here are some journaling ideas to get your pages started:

• things you have learned from you mother-in-law
• how your relationship has grown, changed
• a list of favorite qualities your mother-in-law possesses
• things you have in common

And if you want to help get your husbands involved in journaling on a page about their mom, here are some ideas for you:

• I remember when my mom...
• My favorite thing about my mom is...
• My mom is awesome because...

I have found that I get the best answers from my sweet husband when I email him for an answer, or when I write the response as he talks. Maybe that will help you, too.

Here is my layout. It's a bit of everything.

MOTHER'S DAY GIFT IDEA: COUPON BOOKS

Today I made a coupon book for you to print and leave out for your kids to fill out for you, or for you to fill out for your own mamas. Either way.

It will print on a regular sheet of paper (I prefer white cardstock). Once you print it, all you need to do is trim it into its six pages. And voila! A perfect little present. I hope you like it! You can download it here.

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you enjoy putting together some pages about your relationship with your mother-in-law and that you can put the coupon book to good use!

Be sure to stop by tomorrow--it's launch day!!

Mother's Day Celebrations

I remember loving Mother's Day as a little girl. I thought my mom walked on water and getting to spend time in class to make her things seemed like a dream come true. Arts and crafts? fantastic. For my favorite person on earth? magical.

This week we are going to help get ourselves ready for Mother's Day. I am excited for this so that I can be ready in time to ship what I make!

Each day this week, we will bring you ideas for layouts, and a gift idea for making your mothers feel special.

 

LAYOUT IDEA: ME & MOM

I have spoken often about our once a year family photo shoot that we do on Mother's Day each year. It is a time of year that I pass my camera to Richard and let him take pictures of me with the kids. Every year, I download the photos and then immediately despise them. My hair will be wrong. I will notice the weight gain, the grey, the wrinkles. All the things I ask you to not notice. (Irony noted). So I let them sit for a year and then look back. And like magic, I see things differently. Now, I see my kids looking littler and more vulnerable. I see our relationship captured. And I am incredibly grateful for the photos and for the showing restraint from pushing the delete button.

 

For today, let's make a layout that captures the relationship between you and your children. Either as a whole, or with each child invidually. On our mother's day shoot, I try to get a photo with each of my three kids, so they will have photos of the two of us to look back on. I used one such photo to create this layout.

Then this layout captures the differences in my relationships with my kids. If we all three piled on the couch, I would interact with each differently. I play with Nigel's hair; I rub Lavender's tummy; and I hold Poppy's hands or feet. And they all know each other's things. I love that.

 

Aliza made this layout documenting something her neice told her sister. 

Doesn't that melt your heart? It is also a good reminder that great layouts don't need a whole column of journaling to touch our hearts!

 

Have you a special relationship with one of your kids? Or are you the special child to your own mother? Have you documented that yet? Perhaps it is time!

 

MOTHER'S DAY GIFT IDEA: QUESTIONNAIRES

Last year, we made this for you for Father's Day. And I admittedly was a bit jealous and wanted one for me! So why not, I asked myself?

Here is a Mother's Day version. I am going to print it and give it to my sweet husband with a request that he sit and help the kids fill them out for me for Mother's Day. I have no shame. :)

This is also something that you could have kids fill out for their mothers if you are a church leader, or a school teacher, or a nanny!! You can download it here.

 

Thank you for stopping by today! We look forward to a whole week of celebrating mothers. Please know that we know that you don't need to be a mother to have a wonderful impact on the children in your lives. We hope that Mother's Day can be a celebration of womanhood, too!