Write. Click. Scrapbook.

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!

Write.

Maybe writing a post that starts with running on a scrapbooking site is a strange thing. Stick with me, though, because I’ll bring them together! I came across something in my new copy of Runner’s World magazine that struck me about scrapbooking. The editor was writing about George Sheehan, who was a doctor, a runner, and a writer. "To me," David Willey (the current RW editor) writes, Sheehan "personified the idea that running and writing have something in common. Something approaching soul."

This idea stayed with me for several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that I (although famous neither for my running nor my writing) totally get what he means: partly I run because I like writing about running, and they each make the other better.

The same thing goes for scrapbooking. It is the space where art (photography and embellishments) and writing have something in common, and they each make the other better. If we just had words, we’d only have a journal; if we just had art we’d only have something pretty. But when we put them together: well. Now we have soul.

I kept this idea in mind when I was working on my layout for the gallery this month (you can see it here). It’s about how one of the things that makes it feel like spring to me is our tradition of watching for the little crocuses in my front flowerbeds to bloom. We watch & wait & anticipate, and on the day they finally bloom it’s like a sigh of relief: spring’s coming!

The idea for the photos came from Lisa’s Click. post in March. I mean—part of the tradition is taking pictures when they bloom, but I realized I hadn’t taken any pictures of them yet this year. So I got some, and then I wrote what I felt, and then a few weeks later I made the layout. That process—that, to me, is where the soul part comes in.  I’d taken some photos before. I’d not ever written down the story. When I did both I made something that has a stronger impact than the two would separately.

Which is why, in my mind, scrapbooking wouldn’t be as cool without the words.

After I made my gallery layout, I started paying attention. What spring traditions had I not told the story of? I made a list of the small and simple ways I celebrate spring:

1. A strawberry themed dessert or two. Or five.
2. New sandals. (This stems from my mom’s tradition of putting sandals in our Easter baskets.)
3. Making sure I wear something pastel on the first day of spring.
4. Sitting on my front porch steps when both sides are surrounded by blooming hyacinths. Is there anything sweeter than that smell? Maybe only lilacs!
5. Watching the kids in our neighborhood gather again at our old apple tree.

I have pictures for some of those stories—but I’ve never written them down. So I picked one, wrote the story, found some photos, and made a layout:

 

Paula did, too:

And that’s my challenge to you on this gorgeous April morning! Make a list of the small, simple things you do to celebrate spring (or fall if you’re on the other side of the world). Pick one and write the story. Look for some pictures that go along with the story, or watch for the chance to take some this spring. Find your soul in the process!

Raise Your Hand If You Have Too Much Patterned Paper!!!

I'm telling you, if my husband ever found out how much patterned paper I have...  Welcome to day two of "use your stash" week. Today we're going to see what we can do about using up some of that patterned paper we have accumulated.  

Now that I mostly scrap from kits, I find myself using most of the paper I purchase. When I get a new kit, I search through the patterns and if there is some I know that I'll never use, I take it out and put it into my "revisit later" stack. These are papers that I need some help using. Sometimes I have much more success with the "b" side of a paper, and will be able to use that. I've also found that if I am using a smaller piece of a paper I can sometimes make it work. Here are some examples.

Layering your patterned paper is really popular right now, and a great way to use several patterns on one page. In this layout, I wasn't a big fan of the apple patterned paper, but I found that using a strip accross under the photos really added to the autumn feel. Layering several patterns behind my photos really got me to use most of the paper that was in the kit.

 

Here is a layout that I used the "b" side as my background paper.

Look how many different patterns Amy managed to use on this sweet layout!

 

Deb sent along some great examples of using up your pattern paper.  She does such a great job with patterned paper as a background, and her layering is just perfection.

I also found that using punches or a diecut machine is a great way to use up some of that patterned paper. I love being able to cut my titles and different accent shapes out of patterned paper. On this layout, I cut out some embellishments and my title from patterned paper.

Don't forget about the stash challenge to take home a gift certificate to Chic Tags! You have until Friday, just link your project up in the comments. Can't wait to see what you create!

Pretty Paper: Home Decor

Hi Everyone! I'm back today to share some home decor projects created with patterned paper. Pretty paper is an easy, cheap way to decorate and personalize your living space. You can dress up frames, canvases, printer's trays, letters or anything you can think of with patterned paper. Pinterest is an amazing source of inspiration for home decor projects, and I have a pin board filled with all kinds of things that I'd like to make to jazz up my house. Sometimes I copy the pins just as they are, but more often I change up the design to make it my own.

 

Frames

Frames are super easy to decorate and alter with patterned paper. You can cut paper to replace the photo mat in glass covered frames, you can create your own mats to transform a vintage frame into art, or you can frame a beautiful piece of handmade art.

 

 

 

Sarah created this amazing alphabet art using patterned paper and QuicKutz dies. Seriously gorgeous!

 

 

 

You can also use 12x12 frames to turn your scrapbook layouts into wall art, or use vintage supplies to create something new. 

 

 

 

Emily S. made some super cute frames to decorate her space as well:

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, if your life is as crazy and chaotic as mine, you can provide a little order with a large 18x24 inch frame, some patterned paper, letter stickers and a dry erase marker. 

 

 

Canvases

Canvases are a quick and easy way to decorate your space. I made this very simple art for my youngest daughter's bedroom with a pre-made 18x24 canvas, patterned paper, ribbon, a button, and mod podge.

 

 

Sarah created these awesome pixilated canvases for her son's room with a square punch and patterned paper:

 

 

 

Christa created this fun spring piece with patterned paper and bright embellishments:

 

 

 

Letters

There are no shortage of letters of every size available at craft stores. Adding patterned paper to wood, plastic, or chipboard letters with a little mod podge is a super easy way to turn letters into home decor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Printer's Trays

Lisa O. created these gorgeous printer's trays with pretty paper and other embellishments. Printer's trays are an easy way to give your home a serious wow factor.

 

 

 

If your home is feeling a little bland and you are on a budget, grab some pretty paper and create something fun and easy to spruce up your space! I'll be back tomorrow with some party decorations made with patterned paper.

 

Pretty Paper: Patterned Paper's Plethora of Purposes

Hi All! Katie Ehmann here with you for a week filled with the beautiful, the versatile, the jack-of-all-trades, the mother of all scrapbook supplies--patterned paper! Pretty paper is what sucked me into this hobby, and it keeps my creative mojo on its toes with its never ending patterns and multitude of uses. I'm pretty sure I have over one billion sheets of patterned paper, each one prettier than the next. Here's what is on the docket for the week:

 

• Monday: Scrapbook Layouts made with 99.9% paper
• Tuesday: Home Decor
• Wednesday: Party Fun
• Thursday: Giveaway Day (!!!) Featuring the gorgeous Darling Dear line from Studio Calico
• Friday: Holiday Trimmings

 

 

So, let's jump in, shall we? Patterned paper is often a key ingredient in the recipe of a well crafted layout. It works as a layer, a graphic element, an embellishment, a journaling spot, a title, or an overall complement to that perfect photo. More often than not, I begin my layouts by weeding through my billion-paper stacks and choosing a few pretty papers that work with my photo. I'll then select some embellishments, arrange everything on my page, add a title, some journaling, and I'm good to go. For this week, however, I decided to challenge myself to create some layouts that used 99.9% patterned paper--as backgrounds, as embellishments, and as titles. And I got some of my talented WCS teammates to play along!

 

Punches and Shapes

 

For this layout I cut strips of paper and weaved them together to create a unique patterned paper background. I embellished with more patterned paper punched into stars, and added a title. Hidden journaling is tucked behind my photo. Using foam adhesive can help turn paper into a dimensional element on your page. Using a die-cutting machine, like the Silhouette Cameo, can quickly turn paper or cardstock into a title.

 

 

I broke out my star punches and foam adhesive on this Halloween layout as well. This time I used the stars and the negatives to add even more interest.  

 

 

 

Emily S. used punches and negatives on her layout, "Daddy Kisses." And could the photo be any cuter? Seriously!

 

 

Paper Strips

 

For the next layout, I used the cut-off strips from the bottoms of 12x12 patterned paper and adhered them in a striped pattern on grey cardstock. I added my brief journaling to one of the strips, added a small button and a die cut shape, and called it good. Super simple, but a fun way to show off this instagram pic from last Thanksgiving. Plus I used those strips that I'd otherwise have tossed in the trash.

 

 

 

I also used left over strips for this layout, but these were created when I used an edge punch to make some confetti. They were so pretty I couldn't bear to throw them away, so I glued them down, added some stars punched from vellum and more paper, cut a title, and again hid my journaling behind my photo.

 

 

 

 

Emily S. also rocked the patterned paper strips in this layout:

 

 

 

 

 

Blocks and Layers

 

Patterned paper can also be used in blocks or in layers on a layout to give it a clean, graphic feel. Deb's layouts use blocks and strips of paper to complement her photos beautifully. I love her bold, graphic, signature style!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Emily S. showcased patterned paper on these layouts by also choosing big blocks:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And on this layout by using smaller squares:

 

 

 

 

Amy used smaller, more organically shaped patterned paper pieces on her layout. I love how she used the twine to "tie-in" her title!

 

 

 

Thanks for joining me today! Have you made layouts with 99.9% patterned paper? Leave me a comment and tell me about it! I hope you'll be back each day this week for more pretty paper projects!

 

Glitter Tutorial

I have a confession to make: I was wrong about my dislike of glitter.  I am not sure what brought about my change of heart exactly, but now I look forward to finding opportunities to sprinkle this sparkly dust everywhere I can. So, while thinking about what I wanted to share with you today, I thought why not share a tutorial my recent venture into crafting with glitter? 

Today, I am going to show you how I made this card below with a wooden sun and glitter:

Instructions

Step 1. Let's gather our supplies. Choose the object that you want to cover with glitter. For me I chose this wooden sun by My Minds Eye. The other supplies are a paint brush, Mod Podge, and Glitter.

Step 2. Next, grab your paint brush and fill it up with the Mod Podge.

Step 3. Liberally paint it onto the shape, making sure you get the edges as well.

Step 4. Before we get to applying the glitter I highly recommend laying down a piece of paper or cardstock to catch the glitter that doesn't adhere.

Step 5. Sprinkle, Sprinkle, Sprinkle! (This is the fun part. ;) )

Step 6. Now, we wait for about 10 or so minutes. (This is the least fun part. But don't skip it!) Then turn your shape sideways and shake off the excess glitter.

Step 7. Now you are done and capable of going forth and making shiny projects with your sparkled up embellishment.

And there you have it! 

 

Using this technique on your layouts

If you would like more inspiration on how to use this technique on a layout instead of a card, here is a page I made recently for the Crate Paper blog using their Little Bo Peep line. The wooden frames worked perfectly for a base to adhere the glitter.

Here is a close up:

I hope you enjoyed the post today and are inspired to make your cards and pages just a little more sparkly!

recycling your designs

Last month I kicked off my series on easy summer scrapbooking by sharing a sketch with you (find it here).  This month I am back with another one of my favorite ways to get pages done quickly - by recycling your designs.  Essentially, scraplifting yourself.  I know it's nothing new, but, it works!  Ask anyone who scrapbooks a lot and often and they will tell you that this is the secret to getting pages done fast. 

For my example today I have two layouts to share with you.  The first one I made a couple of months ago

It documents the feelings of joy we felt at Samuel's arrival into this world.  He's grown so much since then!!  Just yesterday he rolled over for the first time.  And he started scooching too.

{As an aside, my two older boys were early crawlers and early walkers.  My days are numbered folks.  Pretty soon this one will be on the move!}

I wanted to scrapbook these photos of my middle son giving Sam hugs and kisses.  There were two photos and I thought they would both look best cropped to squares.  I immediately thought of the layout above and decided to just reuse that design.  Here is the finished layout

Nathan was very welcoming to Sam when we brought him home.  He loves to give him hugs and kisses.  We've had to teach him to be gentle though, since he does get a little too excited about it sometimes!  It is so precious and sweet to see how much he loves his baby brother.

But, I'm supposed to be talking about scrapbooking... sorry!  I want to say that sometimes I reuse a design by breaking it down into its most basic elements (photo, journaling, title).  Almost like reverse engineering a sketch.  Other times I use the design almost exactly, so I'll look at how I used the pattern paper and how I embellished a layout.  This layout came together pretty quickly for me because I chose to do a more direct scraplift.  

You might be able to tell that I have baby on the brain this summer, can you blame me?  I mean, isn't he a cutie?  But really, I want to hear from you!  What are you scrapbooking this summer?

Baby Layouts Galore!

Hi!  Welcome to our final day of Baby Week!  Whether you are mother, a mom-to-be, a grandmother, or a friend of someone with a baby, I hope you have been inspired by some of the baby-themed projects and ideas you have seen here this week.  To conclude our Baby Week we will be featuring my favorite baby-related scrapbooking project: baby layouts!  Before I had children, I swore I'd never be one of those people who only scrapped photo after photo of her kids.  Then...I had kids!  I bet you can guess who the subjects of the vast majority of my layout are now!!  I just can't resist sweet little baby faces, and neither can a lot of the scrappers here at write.click.scrapbook!  Here are some great baby layouts from myself and other members of the W.C.S team!

 

Baby's First Days

There is nothing more precious than a newborn baby. If you are like me, you are busy snapping away with the camera, knowing that this stage of life flies by way too quickly!! Team member Celeste Smith created this beautiful digital layout of baby's first photo. I love all the lovely light pastels to showcase this beautiful newborn!

 

I created this layout with photos of my daughter's first hour and included her name. We were so sure she was going to be a boy, that after she was born, I kept repeating, "You're a girl?!" 

 

I absolutely love this two-page layout by team member Lisa Kisch.  She scrapped both her daughter's birthdays on the same layout, even though they are two years apart.  What a wonderful idea!

 

Lisa also created this sweet newborn boy layout. The pacifier in the bottom photo may have originally been a tiny distraction, but instead Lisa incorporated it's teal color into the color scheme of the layout.

 

I made sure to take a photo of my husband and my son exactly 24 hours after he was born. I included the clock to show the time. I showcased the photo in this mist-filled layout!

 

Milestones, Memories, and Firsts

It seems like every day a newborn baby has changed or is doing something new! Keeping track with a baby book, a blog, or some other system is an excellent idea so that when you go back to scrap the photos later you will have all the dates handy.  On Wednesday Keshet shared some ideas about taking monthly photos of your child. Think about how you could incorporate those kinds of photos into a single layout.  

In my layout, I included a photo from each of the first nine weeks of my daughter's life.  They don't all match, but I tied it all together by using both black and white and color photos and also using colorful patterned paper that would include the variety of colors in the photos.

 

First events are also perfect to scrapbook! My next two layouts document my daughter's first bath and first smile!

 

Finally, be sure to document those moments that you maybe wanted to forget at the time!  Life is not perfect, so don't be afraid to embrace it!! I have layouts of temper tantrums, injuriles, and ones just like this one of Celeste's, which includes four photos of messy dinnertime, something all parents have had to endure!

 

Motherhood

Looking through my baby layouts, I realized that many of them were not about the babies, but actually about me and my thoughts on Motherhood and the incredible sense of love and awe I am constantly feeling for my children.  Here are four of my layouts featuring my innermost thoughts on motherhood!

 

Lisa Kisch created this layout about why she is a "baby person." The journaling is so incredibly sweet!

 

W.C.S team member Lisa Ottosson's daughter is far from a baby, but that doesn't stop Lisa from fondly remembering those baby times. She created two layouts that look back to the past when her daughter was much younger.

 

Baby Boys

To conclude our baby week we simply have some cute baby layouts that will hopefully inspire you!  First, we have Amy Sorenson's layout, which is such a perfect boy layout! I love the little blue banner!

 

Finally, I have three more layouts of my son to share!

Baby Girls

Our digital extraordinaire Celeste has three more perfect girl layouts to share, as well. I especially love the non-traditional "girl" colors she often uses!

 

I also created a girl layout with some non-traditional girl colors. Blues and greens are not just for boys!!

 

The embroidery on this next layout by Lisa Kisch is divine!  It adds so much to this already beautiful baby girl layout!

 

My final girl layout is super simple! Not surprisingly, I found myself scrappping with a much simpler style once my life was suddenly taken up with feedings and diaper changes and, of course, snuggles!  

 

Thanks again for stopping by Baby Week at write.click.scrapbook!  We would love to see some of your favorite layouts that you have created about your favorite babies!  Have a wonderful Friday and a great weekend!

Mama-razzi

Hello, everyone! It's Keshet Starr here to continue Baby Week with some tips on photographing that little munchkin and using the photos on some fun projects!

My baby is less than three months old, and according to my Picasa albums, I've already taken over 1300 photos of her. Oy. Some of my favorites of those shots of her, though, are the "monthly" shots, since they highlight her growth so clearly.

Each month, I gather my photoshoot tools--plain white long-sleeved onesie, sticker with the appropriate month (found on etsy), matching headband, beautiful quilt (handmade by a very talented friend!), chalkboard, and (hopefully) a cheerful baby.

Here are my first attempts at getting the money shot:

Not exactly what I had in mind, but hey, it's still pretty cute, right?

Eventually I bribed my kid by nursing charmed my baby into a less angry pose. . . 

To give you a sense of what my little "photoshoots" look like in action, here's a pullback:

Gotta love the awesome apartment carpeting!

I had a lot of fun using the photos to create a layout with more information about my Ellie at a month old.

Here's a close-up (and if you're wondering, the adorable "1 month old' card is from a set by Elle's Studio!

Just a few days ago, I took Ellie's two month photos, and I was surprised by how different the experience was! Let's just say I had to bump up my shutter speed significantly to keep up with her!

When it comes to photographing babies in general, I'm really learning as I go!  Whenever I have a happy baby and pretty light, I take advantage of it with the camera.  Even adding a cute headband to a onesie is a quick and simple way to have a girly photoshoot. 

One of the most helpful tips I've learned is to position your baby to face the light source.  Aside from that, rules are rules--capture the little things you want to remember, good light or not.

 

Marnie had a few photo tips for newborns. First,don't forget the little details. Think of all the little parts you love to touch and admire. Then snap away.

 

Next, don't not take pictures because of bad baby acne. It happens. So can photoshop.

Baby P had a bit of acne. We tried to put her good light so that there wouldn't be dark shadows. I did my normal photoshop routine. Then a took that photo and ran it through a smoother (The one in the new PicMonkey, actually!) Then I laid the super smoothed over the other in photoshop and cleaned out the parts that I didn't want so smooth. And here is what we got.

It looks a bit ethereal against the other, but P's mom was happy to have a clean one she could blow up and put up on the wall.

 

Marnie also noted that when she does a baby shoot, she plans no fewer than four hours. Sometimes the magic needs a little (or a lot) patience.

 

And lastly, babies are so tiny but that can get a bit lost if they are alone in the shoot. That something you add in for scale can be a beloved item, a tired parent, a sibling, a grandma, or some furniture.

 

Before I go, let's talk about one more way to use baby photos--announcements! I didn't use announcements for Ellie, but Marie Taylor shared some adorable ones with me.

This first one was created in Photoshop--how adorable is that shot?

(Also, please note Jack's awesome birthday.)

And this next one was created with this Tia Bennett kit.

Such a sweet robot:)

Thanks for joining in the Baby Week fun! I hope this gave you some good ideas for photographing the wee ones in your life. Have a great Wednesday!

Keshet