Write. Click. Scrapbook.

Welcome, July!

It is July! Summer is in full heat here above the equator!! We hope that you are enjoying your summer and our Summertime Dailies!!

While tomorrow is the first of the month, you know we like our Sundays quiet, and we are super excited to share our big news with you, so we are here today, rather than Monday! We hope you don't mind! Before we get to our new gallery, let's start with our exciting announcement!!

 

While we thought it was fun to announce that we were having a talent search, it doesn't at all compare to announcing our decision! Before we do, please know that we were humbled to receive your applications and wish we had room for you all! We love that our message can also be found in so many places and through so many designers. Thank you, dear applicants, for helping spread the word that simple is stunning!

 

Without further ado, please put your hands together for ...

Jennifer Larson

and

Katie Ehmann

 

Yes, it's true, we picked two!! Jennifer and Katie, we are so very happy to have you on our team! We know that you will be fantastic additions to our little family and know that the readers are going to love you as much as we already do!! And we are looking forward to sharing the talents of the finalists with you as well in the upcoming months!

 

The theme this month, is Five is Fun! Every now and again, we like to challenge ourselves (and you!) to limit the number of products we put on a layout. And even though we try to begin with the required five products, sometimes five items can suddenly become five groups, or five items plus one (or six!), or five if you don't include paper. Or maybe you need to stretch to five by counting up the fonts separately!!

No worries, we bought some doughnuts for the scrapbook police so hurry and count out your five'ish products while the uniforms are distracted!

 

We are, of course, teasing! Because the scrapbook police aren't real, you may choose as many as you wish. But know that sometimes it is fun to try something new! Perhaps you can begin by finding your three favorites and then building your layout from there. With all the summer activities you have planned, sneaking in a five product layout before breakfast might be the perfect way to get a layout or two finished, too! And still have time for a hike or a swim! Just like our team did!

So take five! Products, that is, and have fun with a Five is Fun! layout!

Hi there, Erin here and it's crazy to me that it's already the end of June. I'm starting to get that panicky feeling that summer's almost over. I realize it's not, but August 20th (the first day of school) will be here before I know it. Which means we've got to get going on our Summer Fun To-do List of 2012. Today I'm sharing a little project I've made for my girls to help them enjoy, celebrate and remember this summer. 

The last two years, I've put together a summer fun to-do list. It's usually scribbled in the notebook I keep in my purse and is nothing fancy. But this year I've seen all sorts of fun summer lists on Pinterest. And while it hasn't inspired me to make mine any prettier, it did inspire me to make a version for each of my children.

I asked each of my girls, Emma who is 6 and Mackenzie who is 4 1/2, to tell me their top thing to do this summer. Since they tend to piggyback off each other, I asked them separately. Each girl gave me their list and I typed them up and then printed them in their color of choice.

Mackenzie's:

and Emma's:

I then printed out some simple cardstock pages to make a mini-album.The theory is each time they complete an activity on their list they'll write it down on a page, add a picture and then share what they liked about the activity. Now Mackenzie's page was supposed to be in pink ink, but it printed a bit red. But it's not Christmas-y, it's a summer watermelon theme!

I let the girls pick and apply the letter stickers for the title and then decorate it any way they wanted. They both love ribbon, so they picked some out and I used it to bind the mini.

Mackenzie's: 

Emma's:

Now we need to get started on them - this week we had a picnic, went on a 5 1/2 mile bike ride, swam at the pool and picked blueberries! 

I'll share the completed albums in August. Happy Summer!

Summer Craft Break

Happy Summer, everyone! I'm calling you on my rotary phone (my what? You might have to look that one up) to remind you to have a little fun every day. When the dishes pile up, the laundry mildews, and the counters are sticky, you might want to just escape to the backyard and lie in the hammock, listening to the birds. But first, you will want to make some really cool candle holders from scrapbook supplies. That's where I come in...

I have to admit that I often experience the "crafter's dilemma." I can't bear to get rid of something if it just might be useful as a craft supply later. My closets are full of potential projects, just calling to me. So today I decided to put some of those supplies to good use. And look at the final result:

Remember your die-cutting machine, just waiting for you to use it? I got it out of its box last week and used it to cut some simple shapes out of white contact paper (the sticky stuff you use to line drawers. It's pretty cheap for a big roll). Then I gathered up all the glass bottles that I can't bear to get rid of, and soaked them in hot water to get rid of the labels (this is the worst part, by far!).

You can also use paper punches to cut out shapes, or even sharp scissors. Remember that anywhere you put on the contact paper, the glass will be clear after you are finished. Stick the shapes on your jars, making sure that the edges are adhered firmly, like this:

Now get in the car and drive to your nearest home improvement store and find a can of this "frosting spray." This particular brand dries quickly and provides a nice even coat. While you are out, get yourself a nice frosty beverage to enjoy while you relax later.

Take your jars outside and give them a nice even coat of the spray. Leave to dry one hour, and then coat them again. Two coats should be just enough. Be careful not to get the spray on the inside of the jar.

After the spray dries, carefully remove the contact paper shapes and you will find that you have something like this:

What you do with these fantastic jars now is up to you. They look amazing at dusk, with a tealight in the bottom. If you have a bit of wire hanging around, you can make handles for them and hang them in trees, or use them as flower vases. But now that you have worked so hard on this project, it's time for you to sit back and relax. It's summer, after all.

Scrapbooking Adventures

 Hello everyone! This is Deb and I'm happy to be here with my first post at write. click. scrapbook. I'm sharing today one of my most favorite benefits of being a scrapbooker. This wonderful hobby makes me more aware of the life I'm living and therefore, reminds me to make memories along the way. It's not that I'd be a total homebody if I wasn't a scrapper, but let's just say I'm not normally the adventurous type.

So when my husband suggested horseback riding on our recent trip to Bryce Canyon, I was a little apprehensive. The trails are narrow with steep drop offs in some places and we all know riding a horse is not the most comfortable way to travel. But then I thought about the awesome memory my family would make and I thought of the layout I would make to document it. That was all it took. I was in. Okay, I did ask if there had been any fatalities and thankfully, there had not.

I most likely would have gone on the ride even if I wasn't a scrapbooker, but the added incentive didn't hurt! Here's my layout documenting the amazing adventure we had riding horses in the canyon.

I made a couple more layouts while I was in adventure mode. This one is about a six hour canoe trip from a few years ago. My boys don't think it counts as adventurous because there were no rapids. I disagree.

And one more from last summer when we visited a waterfall and my guys got to jump from a rocky ledge beneath the falls.

 I hope I've inspired you to get out and make some memories to document whether they be of the adventurous kind or nice everyday moments!

Scrapping on the Go

So we are currently undergoing and finishing up our 8th move in 14 years. That's right, pretty much every other year we are packing up everything we own and either heading a few hundred miles away, across the country, or in this case - across the world to Japan. Although the packing and loading is done for us thanks to Uncle Sam, I have still become an expert on packing up those precious crafting supplies-all my scrapbook items. That way it makes it easier not just for the packers, but for me when I'm unpacking it all on the other side. I have to remind myself of the brad incident of 2008 when they were all found at the bottom of a box, in 1000 pieces (yikes!)

 I was lucky enough to have our mailing address prior to moving here so I packed up some must have supplies in a 15 x 13 sized box and mailed it to myself to have on hand while I waited for the rest of it.  So my scrap room currently looks like this:

 

You're jealous, right?!!

What I have found during this process is that although I do miss having a lot of things at my fingertips, having a limit on supplies and tools actually makes my scrapbooking easier and I get pages done more quickly. Because I don't have 15 punches, 38 flowers, 74 buttons/brads and 43 tags to choose from, the time it takes to making those crucial design decisions gets whittled down quickly!

As far as packing it up to move it, I have come to this conclusion: I should take out stock in Ziploc bags! That's my go to organization piece.  I either separate by manufacturer (for design team items) or by embellishment.  So buttons go in a plastic bag, tags go in a plastic bag, etc. For paper I keep my boxes that kits come in or I go to the post office for those nifty free priority boxes and start loading paper and cardstock in those.  This makes the unpacking so much easier on the other end for sure!

Team member Vivian Masket hasn't moved, but does have this advice about scrapping on the go: I pack some things to scrap with when we take our annual summer trip to the east coast to stay with family for a week or so. I limit myself to what can fit in a 12 X12 box - the kind that product arrives in. I always take a couple of pens, a clear ruler, a paper trimmer, scissors, regular adhesive and pop dots, and then choose coordinating cardstock, paper, alphas, and other embellishments. When the box is full, I'm done and it goes in my suitcase. 

Awesome advice to still have the opportunity to scrap while you're outside of your house, but without packing the kitchen sink!

Marnie Flores also has some great advice for unpacking part of moving your supplies while trying to control that overwhelming feeling: I have learned to not only pack a box for use when things are all packed up, but to also pack priority boxes for unloading my favorites early. Seems to help keep things moving.

As much as I've enjoyed this "light" scrapbooking, I am looking forward to having all my scrapbook children back under one roof!  I have learned though that a good bit will also get donated or given to my children since I can obviously do it without so much stuff!  Proof?  My recent layouts with those few supplies:

Courtesy Pebbles blog

 

Courtesy Ormolu Blog

So for those of you on the go and moving this summer hopefully you have some helpful hints to take along with you!

 

Insta-Summer

Good morning! It's Lisa Kisch here! Just popping by today to share a little insta-love of Instagram for some insta-summer layouts!

I don't know about you, but during the summer I am way less likely to walk around with my DSLR slung around my neck. Instagram is the perfect way for me to capture all those lazy days that make summer so sweet.

Whether its just playing around...

Going for an ice cream cone and eating it on the bench out front...

Or documenting a rare summer nap for a three year old...

Instagram is the perfect tool to capture those lazy summer days!

Don't you think? ;)

Lisa

Sunday Photo + Words

[photo by: Amy Sorensen]

In Review

Every month I sit to write and I think, "Really? A whole month has already passed?" And then I shake my head, sigh, and recall what a fabulous month it has been.

June began with a fun birthday celebration. After much hemming and hawing about whether it was 3 or 4 (why is it that we turn our birthday number at the end of our year, rather than at the beginning??), we ate some virtual cupcakes and were thrilled to have some new team members, a new gallery, a talent search, and a giveaway! Woohoo! Who cares about the number, after all! We're just happy to be here with you!

With the return of our summer dailies posting series, we have already been honored to learn from Marnie, Vivian, Lisa, Emily, Monika, Diane, Amy, Emily, Paula, Francine, Celeste, our new Valerie, Donna, our also new Teka, and Katrina. We have addressed school's end, summertime, beaches, flags, fathers, and reading. Did you know that this month alone has brought you 60 layouts, 6 mini albums, 3 sketches, 2 cards, and a handful of ideas for home decor, and project life. We are doing our best to keep your summer filled with scrapbooking tips and inspiration that is doable, and fun!

 

There are only seven more days until our new gallery, so we wanted to take one last look back at our gallery. Shall we go together?

Last month, as we walked through the gallery, we put together lists of page starters, prompts, or ideas, separated by our three site themes, write, click, and scrapbook. We thought it was helpful to re-examine the layouts with a different perspective (and fun, too!). Did you agree? We hope so, because we are doing it again!

This month, we are going to start with journaling. Without further ado, here are 25 stories to write:

1. a time we changed a tradition (Christa)
2. the story of our pet coming to our home (Celeste)
3. a snapshot of my day told in words (Donna)
4. if I were a pet, I would... (Lisa)
5. document a family first (Paula)
6. how I celebrated my birthdays as a child (Deb)
7. how has your style changed over the years (Kelly)
8. how you prepare your home for visitors (Valerie)
9. a scaled back celebration (Francine)
10. the favorite beverage in your home (Diane)
11. when I was small, I loved to pretend that... (Vivian)
12. document a ritual that you have in your home (Keshet)
13. what it means to you to have a sibling (Monika)
14. record something that is ending (Kathy)
15. how do you feel about your children right now (Teka)
16. tell of a family trait that you inherited (Marie)
17. make a list of things you would like to do this summer (Lisa)
18. use one word to capture your child's personality (Sarah)
19. list 5 things that describe each member of your family, right now (Emily)
20. something that made me happy today was... (Katrina)
21. your favorite mode of transportation (Erin)
22. something that changed between last year and this (Amy)
23. I witnessed a miracle when... (Emily)
24. how you feel when all your kids are getting along (Marnie)
25. a new family tradition (Karen)

 

Moving on to photos... Here are 25 photos you could consider taking so that you don't end up with the same photos day after day. (Oh wait, that's me. sorry... teehee!)

1. your child at play from the backside. be sure to include some of the surroundings. (Christa)
2.  headshot of your favorite pet (Celeste)
3. a snapshot of my day told in photos (Donna)
4. soaking up the sunshine (Lisa)
5. the food you ate at a summer event (Paula)
6. a summer beverage (Deb)
7. a cute outfit (Kelly)
8. a child practicing a skill (Valerie)
9. a photo mid-action (Francine)
10. your family eating breakfast (Diane)
11. a field trip photo (Vivian)
12. you wearing your favorite top (Keshet)
13. your family just being together (Monika)
14. a final event (Kathy)
15. a selfie with someone you love (Teka)
16. someone resting (Marie)
17. an usual pose (Sarah)
18. a coordinated clothing photo (Emily)
19. something you know you will miss in five years (Katrina)
20. photograhic evidence of the reason you are tired (Erin)
21. a person-less photo that helps tell the story (Amy)
22. freshen your makeup and do a selfie! right now! (Emily)
23. your people in the back of your car (Marnie)
24. your table (Karen)

 

Lastly, our gallery is filled with great design. Here are some tips and ideas to try to keep your pages fresh!

1. trend alert: rulers and measuring tape (Christa)
2. try cutting your title out of some patterned paper and using the negative (Celeste)
3. use your favorite stamp (Donna)
4. use the same patterned paper in two places, but in different proportions (Lisa)
5. frame out your photos (Paula)
6. repeat your elements in three places on your layout, creating a visual triangle (Deb)
7. create a focal point on your photo without cropping it (Kelly)
8. add small embellishments that help tell your story (Valerie)
9. try layering your photo mattes, tipping each layer slightly askew (Francine)
10. paint your letter stickers (Diane)
11. layer your letter stickers onto your photo (Vivian)
12. use a circle garland to help lead you into the focal point of your photo (Keshet)
13. get out your label maker and put it to use! (Monika)
14. trim your photo to an unusual size (Kathy)
15. trend alert: wooden embellies and people chains (Teka)
16. use your washi tape for journaling strips (Marie)
17. create a border with 7 scraps of paper (Lisa)
18. create a triangle mosaic (Sarah)
19. create a mirror image layout (top to bottom or side to side) (Emily)
20. create a layered embellishment collage (Katrina)
21. rounded corners are still in. have fun! (Erin)
22. use three patterned papers of varying colors, but with similar scale and cut to similar sizes (Amy)
23. trend prediction: quatre foil is the next big graphic (Alexandra)
24. use a number in your title (Emily)
25. use a long descriptive title (Marnie)
26. embrace some white space (Karen)

So many great ideas! I am thinking I might take one from each list, put them together and make a layout! Will you join me?

 

As a thank you for joining us this month, Monika has put together a printable for you to help celebrate the perfect pairings in your life!

You may download it here.

 

And here is a sweet layout that she made using it!

Love the idea of shoes. Perhaps it is also that I cannot resist a little bit of word play!

 

Before we go, one last reminder that the clock is ticking on our Talent Search. Hurry and get your audition tapes ready! (just kidding about audition tapes, but not kidding about the deadline drawing near!)

Have a great weekend! And thank you for joining us for this magnificent start to our summer series!!

We had a SMASHing good time!

Summertime is the perfect time to plan adventures! Whether you're packing your bags for a fabulous vacation, or exploring your hometown during a staycation...adventures & fun memories await! Need an easy, low-stress way to document your good times? Grab a SMASH book, or other small journal, and start scrappin! 

I'm thrilled to be heading to Costa Rica next with one of my besties. Barb & I have dubbed our vacations, "Barb & Kat's Excellent Adventures" (Quick! Name the movie reference!). We started with a whirlwind tour of San Francisco & wine country last summer, and followed up with a Chicago weekend last fall. We SMASHed our way through that weekend, but left some room to add in the SF adventures (somehow, we didn't know about SMASH books back then). Here are a few tips to using your SMASH books to document your adventures-

 

Choose (or create) a book.

SMASH books are a favorite of mine, but really any blank journal will do. You can even create your own SMASH-style book by trimming a variety of patterned paper & cardstock to the desired size, and binding it all with book rings or ribbon. The key is to keep is simple and leave lots of room for photos & journaling. 

Start SMASHing!

The number one rule for SMASHing is this: there are NO rules! This isn't about trendy techniques or complicated layouts. This is about documenting good times! Glue & go, baby! Include people, places, things...and, of course, food! Did you notice that it's WCS's own Emily noshing on that cupcake? 

 
Go on a SMASHing photo walk. 

I adore photo walks. You can do this anywhere - even in your own neighborhood! Simply grab your camera (or even your iphone) and start clicking. Look high, look low. Notice colors, textures, and culture. Really, just keep shooting! One of the things that I love about traveling with Barb is that she never thinks that it's odd when I stop to photograph a parking sign or a billboard. Want to get the kids in on the fun? Turn your photo walk into a scavenger hunt! 

Collect "stuff" to SMASH.

I like to pick up menus, business cards, and other bits & pieces when I'm traveling. I never really wanted to put this kind of emphemera on a traditional layout. SMASH books are the perfect place to keep all of the "stuff" that you collect. Oh, and if you're wondering, that IS a 2nd cupcake shop in the photos above. Cupcakes are always a part of our adventures!

 

Be a tourist.

When Barb & I visited San Fransciso, we went on a tour of Alcatraz. What's unique about that? Well, I'm a California native, and I'd never been! Adopt a "when in Rome" mentality and explore all the tourist-y sites. For our Chicago adventure, we included a cheesey "gangster tour" - complete with fake gunshot sounds, and really bad mobster jokes. Even if you're staying local, pretend that you're new in town, and take in the local vibe. 

I'm downright giddy about adding a Costa Rica chapter to this SMASH book. I'll be sure to come back & share the results! 

Where will your SMASHing adventures take you this summer?

happy travels,

Beach Layouts

First, I wanted to start off letting you know how happy I am to be here sharing a blog post with you today! This being my first official post on write. click. scrapbook. it just wouldn't feel right starting without saying hello before we dive into the scrappy goodness.

As I was deciding what this post should be about I kept running the word 'Summer' over and over in my head. Living in Florida it took me all of 5 seconds to come up with the idea for a Beach Theme. Nothing screams summer to me more than the smell of sun screen, beach towels, flip flops and ice cold fruity beverages. This summer so far I have not been to the coast but luckily I remembered that I do have some photos from last year that I have really wanted to scrap. They are extra special to me since they are of our daughter Charlotte's first time at the beach. This was during a visit from my husband’s sister, Clara, and really wanted to layout to capture all of us instead of making it solely baby-centric. Here is what I came up with:

layout by Teka Cochonneau

 

I love making themed pages without using thematic papers. I tend to stick to B-Sides and I enjoy matching the colors in the photos to whichever papers I have in my stash. So don’t worry if you don’t have any papers or embellishments that scream salt and sand. Let your photos speak for it instead. Here are some other examples of beach themed pages using non-beach themed papers and embellishments:

layout by Lisa Ottosson

 

layout by Celeste Smith

 

layout by Diane Payne

 

The great thing about the beach is that it is a great family outing. Between swimming, sand castles, sun bathing, and sports it really helps get the extra energy out.  And if you are anything like me (which I am sure you are since you are reading here) every one of those activities can also be considered a photo-op.  Here are some fun pages about the kids at the beach:

layout by Paula Gilarde

 

layout by Francine Clouden 

 

layout by Kathy Martin

 

Also, let’s not forget the vintage photos of ourselves, moms, dads and other extended family members. Summertime can be pretty nostalgic for many of us just on the heels of Mother’s and Father’s Day. So break out those super old photos of times almost forgotten and get them down on a page.

layout by Sarah Pendergrast

 

layout by Diane Payne

 

Thank you for joining me today. I hope this post gets you inspired to record some of your past or pending beach plans!