Write. Click. Scrapbook.

In Review

Hello and welcome to our final September Saturday! We have had a wonderful month here and hope that you have had as well. While we love our Summertime Dailies, our week long author weeks are near and dear to our hearts, and this month has been spectacular! Marnie got us off to a good start with a week of preparations for a "new year." Then Francine provided us all with a much appreciated photography skills week. Monika spearheaded an inspirational week demonstrating the many uses of twine which lead us right into this technique week filled with Kathy's amazing talents, hints, and suggestions.

And as if that wasn't enough, we had our Saturday workshop challenges. Did you practice adding in details as per Amy's helpful article? Or maybe you were inspired by Lisa's monthly photo challenge? You still have a couple of days before the calendar changes to put together a plan for the month of October... Lastly, Marnie brought you three more page starters, with a sketch, a color combo, and a design trend.

It really has been an incredible, information-packed, inspiration-filled month.

Before we welcome October, as with each month's end, today we are taking one last walk back through our gallery. Let's look back at Looking Back!

 

This month we are going to maintain our lists, but with a twist. Using our gallery layouts, we've put together three lists of ten things we can try on our layouts.

1. make a list of things that you mightn't have expected from your life Diane
2. find a childhood photo and let your mind wander. spend 10 minutes recording memories. Vivian
3. write about something that affected you greatly Celeste
4. find a childhood photo. write down the thing that first comes to mind. Deb
5. relate the story of a skill that was acquired Erin
6. find a then and now photo pairing and record the changes Christa
7. write about a recent event as if it had happened longer before. see how (if) your perspective changes. Alexandra
8. record things about your older children that their younger selves would have loved Amy
9. compare and contrast a photo from now with a photo taken on the exact day two years earlier. Marnie
10. document your ongoing (or everchanging!) food loves Francine

 

1. use a now and a then photo Francine
2. find an photo that you haven't scrapped that shows a snippet of real life Emily
3. gather a selection of photos that span a year and use them all on one layout Jennifer
4. use a photo more than 15 years old Monika
5. find friends who have shown up in photos over the years. put the photos all on one layout. Paula
6. enlarge a closeup photograph Teka
7. find a photo from the same day two years earlier. use both on one layout. Marnie
8. ask your parents for a photo of you as a child with your grandparent(s) Kelly
9. go take a photo of a place you used to live/visit/spend time (even if it doesn't look the same) Katie
10. take a photo of your rearview mirror or side mirror to help emphasize a reflective layout Diane

 

1. use a graphic element three times in varying proportion Katie
2. mask and mist Valerie
3. punch an element out of your patterned paper and then use the punched piece elsewhere on the layout Lisa
4. use patterned paper that helps tell the story of your layout Kathy
5. use a calender element on a page about change Christa
6. use varying shades of the same color Sarah
7. try out a new size Alexandra
8. trim your photos and papers in varying sizes of the same shape Jennifer
9. keep all your page elements in a central column Teka
10. use two primary colors and one secondary Deb

 

30 more reasons to scrapbook!! And to help you create some fun pages we have a new printable for you that accompanies our theme of Looking Back.

You may download it here. And for extra points, see if you can name the tv show that inspired the 90s tag!

Have a terrific weekend and we will see you back Monday for our brand new gallery!

Go.Shoot.Now | Photo Challenges

Good Friday morning! Are you ready to go out there and shoot some photos? well good, because I have some assignments for you. Just over a year ago I wrote this post about shooting from varying angles, and today I am challenging you to do just that. 

 

 

1. Capture the details

I talked about this in my post from yesterday. I really love zooming in on the details of an activity or my surroundings. These are the photos that make for great introspective journaling, because you can use the photo as a symbol of something bigger. Here is one that I took this summer

When I scrap this photo I can talk about not only this specific cheesecake, but also my love for cheesecake in general. Or maybe about how making cheesecakes used to be my specialty, but lately my husband has been the one making them and wowing everyone!

Here is a layout that Deb made using a close up shot of her favorite summer treat.

2. Shooting from above

Taking a portrait from above gives such a different perspective of your little one. In this case it showed just how little he still was just one year ago.

This is the layout I made using it (you might remember seeing it here)

If your little one isn't that little anymore, you can always achieve this by standing on a chair. Or how about the window upstairs like I did in this shot of my guys having breakfast outside?

3. Shooting from below

Steps are great for getting this kind of shot.

Here's one that Christa took of her daughter

 

4. Quirky Family/Group shot.

What do you do when you want to take a family shot but don't have a remote or a friend to help out? Find a mirror of course! This is still one of my favourites from last year

You can see how I used it in a layout here in our gallery from August.

Here are two more

 

So go crazy and look for reflective surfaces everywhere!

 

5. Wide Angle Landscape

Have you heard about the Rule of Thirds? 

The guideline proposes that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally-spaced horizontal lines and two equally-spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections.^[2] Proponents of the technique claim that aligning a subject with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition than simply centering the subject would

Say what? Basically you imagine your viewfinder to be divided up like a tic tac toe game, and use the lines or the intersection of those lines, to position the focal point of your photo.

Source

For landscapes this means not placing your horizon line in the middle of the photos, as we are naturally inclined to do, but along one of the lines as above.

 

Before I say good bye, I want to link to two of my favourite photography resources. The first is a standard photography book: Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson. This is the book that really helped me understand shooting in manual. If you want to learn more you should definitely check it out. The author does a much better job of explaining it than I did!

The other is more scrapbooking related: Real.Life. Photography by Rebecca Cooper, available from Ella Publishing.

One last thing: I didn't touch on photo editing at all because it is such a large topic. But if this is something you would like to learn more about, let us know so that we can address it separately in a future photography week!

Thanks for hanging out with me. And Go.Shoot.Now!

PREPPING FOR A GOOD YEAR day three: school

Welcome back to our week of planning! Thank you for all your kind comments yesterday! I hope that yesterday sparked some ideas for you and helped you think of new ways to tackle repeating events, sporting or otherwise!!

Today we are moving on to another set of pages that could be preplanned: school events. My children's school puts out a yearly calendar that includes all the classroom, PTA, and extracurricular events added by date for the entire school year. As I was dragging and dropping said events into our personal calendar, I made a list of things that would be going on for my kids. Here is that list:

1. day one
2. meet the teacher
3. book fair
4. fall party
5. winter party
6. valentines party
7. spring concert
8. teacher appreciation
9. field day
10. last day

I know that I will bring my camera to these events, and that I will want to document their details. So I am going to build ten layouts that can sit and wait for their photos.

But how will I know what the photos will look like? Well, chances are most of my photos will be horizontal. And having been through a couple (or more!) school years, I have a pretty good idea of what the pictures will be. As for color choices, each of my kids has their favorites, which means their clothes are pretty predictable as well. Further, the parties will match the seasons. I think this gives me enough to get started, and I can make some some small changes or additions later if necessary. Of course, if I know the colors on the layout, I can always dress them accordingly, right? heehee!! (so not above that one. so not above.)

Now, I hear a few of you wondering why not wait for the event to happen and then scrapbook it with pictures in hand? Well, remember yesterday when I noted that event layouts are neither my forte nor my favorite? Well, I'm quite sure that without these ready to go pages, the photos will sit in well organized folders waiting for their day. And despite my good intentions, history has proven that fear of event layouts trumps intention. Nearly without exception.

Until now! Because I have taken this understanding of my weakness and embraced it and figured out a way around it! Hooray for me! Hooray for nearly done pages!!

Here we are! Ten layouts ready for their closeups, Mr. DeMille.

1. day one


2. meet the teacher


3. book fair - For this layout, I looked to Lisa's layout for basic design and structure


4. fall party - I created this one based upon an August Becky Fleck Pagemap


5. winter party


6. valentine's party - this one is from a layout of Deb from the same post as Lisa's layout I used in #3 (I love the weekend posts... You, too?)


7. spring concert


8. teacher appreciation - I recycled an old layout for this one! sneaky...





9. field day - This layout is based upon Valerie's page in our Summer Lovin' gallery





10. last day
    
    

How about your school year? Have you checked your calendar to see what pages you could make ahead? Feel free to copy mine if you would like. I'd be honored that you might want to! I would love you to be this excited for a school's year beginning!! And if you have no school kids, yet or no longer, perhaps just having 10 new layouts is reason for happiness??

I hope you will come back tomorrow for another day of planning and prep! Don't you love the feeling of success on the horizon??!!

A demain! (until tomorrow)

Sunday Photo + Words

Should you shield the valleys from the windstorms, you would never see the beauty of their canyons.

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Welcome, September!

September is here. This month, not only will the leaves begin to change; so, too, does our format. We hope you enjoyed this year's summertime dailies. A delightful smattering of technique, permissions, and inspirations, our summertime dailies are a carefree schedule for a carefree season.

But school is back in session and so are we! Our weekly author series return beginning Monday. This month, you can look forward to the reading the wit and wonder of Marnie Flores, Francine Clouden, Monika Wright, and Kathy Martin.

They have four weeks of top notch content ready for you--we look forward to seeing you each day as you stop by for some scrapbooking fun and learning. If you haven't already, you may want to consider subscribing to the our feed, then you won't miss a thing! Just click the subscribe button up there and to the right in the grey navigation bar!!

 

A new month always brings a new gallery! And this month, the theme is Looking Back. September seemed the perfect season to look back and document a change, a memory, or something that you hadn't yet. We hope you enjoy our layouts! And now, you have two ways to enjoy the layouts. You may scroll below, or you may click over to the photo album! The layouts will be full size in the photoalbum and the journaling will be available there, too! But now, you may stay right here and get a taste of each layout. We hope that allows you to comment on the projects more easily and to let each designer know how much you appreciate the time and effort they spend to bring you a little artistic love! Enjoy!

 

The More Things Change | Francine Clouden

12x12 | materials patterned paper (October Afternoon, Studio Calico, Crate Paper) + chipboard stickers (October Afternoon) + stickers (Glitz Design, Authentique) + Bingo Card (Jenni Bowlin) + button + spray inks

A Note from Francine
This page documents Kieran’s abiding love for hummus. He is 8 months old in the first photo, and 21 months old in the second. Looking back at the first photo from the perspective of the second is when I first realized how much he had changed from being a baby!

September Fun Fact
I can’t believe I am saying this but I am actually looking forward to cooler autumn days. Not winter though, never winter!

 

 

Little House | Katie Ehmann

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Echo Park, My Mind's Eye, Tim & Beck for Studio Calico, Simple Stories) + embellishments (My Mind's Eye, Studio Calico, Freckled Fawn) + stickers (American Crafts, October Afternoon)

A Note from Katie
I took this photo of my grandparent's old house a few months before it was demolished. I spent much of my childhood visiting this house, and am so grateful that I have these memories documented. I hand cut the big patterned paper heart with pinking shears and then cut it again, flipping the outer heart to make the contrasting border. I used wood veneer hearts as embellishments to tie the theme together.

September Fun Fact
I love September because it is the start of the college football season and I get to watch my alma mater, the University of Michigan Wolverines play in The Big House! There is nothing like cheering them on with over 107,501 screaming fans! Go Blue!

 

 

Looking Back | Diane Payne


12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (October Afternoon, Pebbles Inc.) + embellishments (October Afternoon, A Flair for Buttons, Studio Calico, My Paper Shop, Milky Way Jewelry, Whisker Graphics) + stickers (October Afternoon, Basic Grey)



A Note from Diane

With the theme this month I thought it would be fun to reflect on where I've been since I was a little girl and what I wish I would have done a little differently along the way. I hope this layout will give future generations a better idea of what I find important.


September Fun Fact

When I was a little girl, my parents took us on two week long summer vacations by car. It brings back fond memories for me and is probably why I love road trips so much!

 

 

Remember | Emily Spahn



8.5 x 11 | materials {Gossamer Blue kit}: patterned paper (Echo Park, Pebbles, My Mind’s Eye) + cardstock (Stampin’ Up!) + buttons (October Afternoon) + resin flowers (Prima) + chipboard buttons (My Mind’s Eye) + chipboard alphabet (American Crafts) + twine (October Afternoon) + die cut (October Afternoon) + metal flower (EK Success) + journaling sticker (My Mind’s Eye)>



A Note from Emily

A long time ago I printed out a bunch of 5x7 photos. I don’t know why I love this one so much…something about the “everyday-ness” of it all. It’s even more special now, as our dog in the photo passed away earlier this year. I love recording these simple ordinary memories.






September Fun Fact

September is my favorite month. It’s my birthday month, but I especially love it because it signals the beginning of fall! I can’t wait for sweater weather, football games, changing leaves, and all of the other amazing parts of fall.

 

 

First Father's Day | Valerie O'Neall

8.5 x 11 | materials cardstock (American Crafts) + patterned paper (Sassafras, My Mind's Eye, and Crate Paper) + circle tags (Elle's Studio) + mask and mist (Studio Calico) + alpha stickers (October Afternoon) + stamp (American Crafts Dear Lizzy) + other (buttons, shipping tags, twine, and date stamp)

A Note from Valerie
I don't have a school-age child yet, so I decided on this photo to look back on from my hubby's first Father's Day. I started with a very neutral black and grey color scheme, but a little color ended up finding it's way onto the layout.

September Fun Fact
I'm canning for the first time ever this year. I've had a garden for four(?) years now, but this is the first time I've had enough excess for canning and been brave enough to try it.

 

 

Then - Now | Lisa Ottosson

8.5 x 11 | materials patterned paper (Amy Tangerine) + embellishments (Sweet Shoppe.com Kristin Cronin-Barrow, iloveitall on etsy)

A Note from Lisa
Late August always makes me look back on the year and several years as my daughters birthday is August 31st. This year she turns 13…

I wanted to quickly add that the now and then circles are from a digital kit that is called For the love of: conversation. It was bought at Sweet Shoppe.com.

Also, when I went to look for older photos of Myrra (the dog) and Stina (my daughter) I couldn´t find any although I know we have several. I really wanted to include some of them on this page, so I dug out our old home videos and took screen shots! The photos are terrible of course, but the memories are surely not! The older photos are held in the glassine bag.

September Fun Fact
Right now I am freaking out about officially being a mom of a teenager!

 

 

A Day to Remember | Vivian Masket

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzill Basics) + patterned paper (October Afternoon) + mini-album pages (October Afternoon) + die cuts (October Afternoon) + stickers (October Afternoon) + chipboard (October Afternoon) + pen (Sakura) + font (Typenoksidi) 




A Note from Vivian

Mini-album pages, used as both a journaling spot and patterned paper, helped me to pull this layout together quickly.

September Fun Fact

I created this layout while on vacation at my parents’ house, not far from the beach where this photo was taken.

 

 

Third Grade 2012 | Jennifer Larson

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzill) + patterned paper (Pebbles, October Afternoon) + tags (Elle’s Studio, Studio Calico) + stickers (Pebbles) + floss (DMC) + templates (Bazzill) + pen (Zig)

A Note from Jennifer Larson
I am terribly behind on school photos. Rather than going back over a year to create layouts for each milestone event, I put them all on one page, using a circle ( and many more circles!) to symbolize the year.

September Fun Fact
I teach high school English, and let me tell you, the teachers are just as nervous and excited on day one as the kids are!

 

 

here's the story | Celeste Smith

12 x 12 | materials kit (One Little Bird & Sahlin Studio Worn at The Lilypad) + masks(Robyn Meierotto Cut It Out at Design House Digital) + stitching(Robyn Meierotto In Stitches Neutrals at Design House Digital) + frame (Kitschy Digitals Vintage Photo Frames at Kitschy Digitals)

A Note from Celeste
This is the last photo I have to my mom and dad with me. We weren't much of a photo taking family. I wish I had more! Unfortunately, this story is a little sad. My father is now having chemotherapy and has a long road to travel. We are hoping for the best!

September Fun Fact
My oldest started middle school this year. It's amazing I'm excited and nervous for him all at the same time. Let's hope he catches on to it quickly - he's my forgetful one!

 

 

8 Years | Kathy Martin

12 x 12 | < b>materials cardstock (Bazzill Basics) + patterned paper (Little Yellow Bicycle) + embellishments (American Crafts, Jillibean Soup, May Arts, Bella Blvd)

A Note from Kathy
This October marks eight years since we moved cross country from Hollister, California to North Carolina. It’s amazing to think back through these years and how much has changed and how we’ve grown as a family.

September Fun Fact
There’s actually a Hollister, California, but it’s not a beach community like the famous Hollister clothing company. We lived in Hollister for six years. It’s a small town between San Jose and the Monterey Bay surrounded by world famous farms. Most notorious are the strawberries from Watsonville, but there’s also Gilroy, the garlic capital of the world and Castroville which is the artichoke capital of the world.

 

 

Looking Back | Monika Wright

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Pebbles) + embellishments, letter stickers, border (Pebbles) + flapper, flair button (Ormolu) + sewing machine (Singer) + punch, die cut (Stampin’ Up) + shipping tag, chipboard (craft supply)

 

A Note from Monika 
Looking Back...this month’s theme. So I literally went looking back to a stack of photos that have been calling out for some attention and pulled this photo of my now 20-year old son. This photo was printed 3 years ago at which time I sat down and wrote some journaling about the photo. How’s that for looking back on a photo taken 17 years ago and journaling written 3 years ago finally coming to life on a layout.

September Fun Fact 
I haven’t ridden a bike since I was in my teens. My husband earned incentive points through his company and chose a bike for me, which I am guessing means I need to get my little tooshie on and actually now ride. Watch out girls, Mama’s on two wheels!

 

 

My Fish School Bag | Deb Duty

8.5 x 11 | materials patterned paper (Studio Calico, American Crafts, October Afternoon) + embellishments (Studio Calico, October Afternoon, Prima, My Paper Shop) + letter stickers (October Afternoon) + stamps (Studio Calico)

A Note from Deb
With the theme this month, I decided to go way back. I've been scanning old photos from my mother's house. This was the first day of preschool when I was about to be four. I have such a bad memory so it's really nice to have old photos to help remind me of things I had forgotten.

September Fun Fact
When I was little I so wanted hair like Marcia Brady. I was very happy when I got my first Chi flat iron about ten years ago. Finally I can have straight hair! I've been flat ironing it ever since. I wear it curly (which is better described as frizzy) very rarely.

 

 

Looking Back | Paula Gilarde

12 x 12 | materials template (Meant to Be Layered Template (Katie Pertiet)) + metallics (Lynn Grieveson) + labels (Banner Labels No. 1 (Katie Pertiet)) + title stickers (Wooden Alpha No. 8 (Katie Pertiet))

A Note from Paula
I can't believe I've know these girls for almost 20 years. It makes me feel old! We got together recently and it made me think about all the fun times we had over the years.

 

 

Blessed Love Happy | Teka

8.5 x 11 | materials patterned paper (Jillibean Soup) + embellishments (My Minds Eye) + Bling (Recollections) + Twine (Jillibean Soup)

A Note from Teka
I love using products on a page that are leftovers from other projects. Makes me feel "green". The kraft banner is actually a page left over from a mini I did for Jillibean Soup.

September Fun Fact
I always feel the most creative in the morning after a fresh cup of coffee.

 

 

Little Red Tricycle | Erin Sweeney

8.5 x 11 | materials patterned paper (My Mind’s Eye, Studio Calico, American Crafts) + embellishments (K & Company) + letter stickers (American Crafts) 

A Note from Erin
I printed these pictures 2 years ago, yet somehow they never got scrapbooked. As Mackenzie will be turning five soon, it’s fun to look back at her as a toddler.

September Fun Fact
I lose things. Often. I’ve lost two sets of keys with the remote keyless entry – both after driving home. How does that happen?

 

 

& Time Flies I Christa Paustenbaugh

12 X 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts, Crate Paper, Echo Park) + patterned papers (Studio Calico) + stickers (Crate Paper) + wood veneer (Studio Calico, Studio Calico) + brads (My Mind’s eye) + chipboard (American Crafts, Studio Calico) + flair (A Flair for Buttons Etsy Shop) + wood veneer (Studio Calico) + twine (Ormolu) + die cut machine (Silhouette SD)

A Note from Christa
The theme for this month came at just the right time for me, but also broke my heart in half too. My oldest is getting ready to start her final year of elementary school so I dug up an old photo from when she was starting her elementary school journey at the ripe old age of 5. I see the physical changes in her, but also remember all the emotional and mental changes too. She’s starting her 4th different school this year and I couldn’t be more proud of how resilient she is!

September Fun Fact
I love September: the crisp air, football get togethers and a regular routine in our house. This year is a bit different though: no crisp air in September in a tropical climate and those football parties will be during the week after the games are already played in the States! It’ll be a new normal for us!

 

 

1976 | Sarah Pendergrast

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Studio Calico, Basic Grey, Jillibean Soup, My Minds Eye) + embellishments (October Afternoon, Studio Calico, Banana Fish Studio, K & Co) + stickers (American Crafts. October Afternoon) + tools (QuicKutz, Silhouette, Martha Stewart)

A Note from Sarah
My design was inspired by a Hambly overlay. I used butterfly punches and die cuts to replicate the design using a yellow gradient.

September Fun Fact
I’m the youngest of five kids, and the closest to me in age is seven years older. It was a happy mix of being a bit spoiled as the “baby” and an only child at the same time!

 

 

Looking Back | Alexandra Sirigue-McLeod

 

Still Here | Amy Sorensen

12 x 12 | materials paisley stamps (Close to My Heart) + round swirly stamp (Hero Arts) + fleur-de-lis and bird on a stem stamps (unknown) + StazOn ink (Tsukineko) + markers (Copic) + clock hands (Silhouette) + ribbon + Samo Sans and Janda Stylish Script fonts

A Note from Amy
For the stamped border, I wanted a colorful swirl of pattern and bright hues.To make it, I stamped with big stamps, letting the images come out a little messy and soft so they could blend into each other. Then I just had fun coloring in all the blank spaces. I wrote the journaling in a similar way, with run-on sentences and ampersands and a stream-of-consciousness feel.

September Fun Fact
My September goal is to finally finish the quilt I've been working on for my seven-year-old. Since he was four. The only good thing about my procrastination is that now I know to make it bigger than I had originally planned. Someone should check up on me!

 

 

Two Years Later | Marnie Flores

8.5 x 8.5 | materials patterned paper (Creativity by Crystal, Crystal Wilkerson) + fonts (Josefin Sans Std, Bebas)

A Note from Marnie
I thought for this month's gallery, I would be putting together a layout comparing all three kids on their first day of kindergarten. But when I opened the folder for Poppy's first day, I saw this picture. And knew that this was the story that needed to be told.

September Fun Fact
I have something every single day this month. And on a couple of days, we have three places to be at the same time!! It's going to be a fun month!

 

Bike | Kelly Jeppson

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (American Crafts) + letter cut-outs (BasicGrey) + circle punch + white gel pen

A Note From Kelly
My parents gave all the kids in my family a cd of "vintage" family photos, and this is one of my favorites from the collection. It's a photo of me and my cousins with my grandpa, who passed away when I was pretty young. We used to all go on bike rides together, with me on the back of Grandpa's bike because I was too young to keep up with the big kids. I know that the photo is grainy - it was probably taken circa 1980.

September Fun Fact
My husband just bought me a road bike - I'm still trying to figure out how to shift! And I think she needs an Italian name, as she's a Specialized "Dolce" model. Any suggestions?

 

Thank you, write. click. scrapbook. team for creating a most beautiful gallery! And thank you, dear readers, for spending your precious time with us! We hope you feel inspired to create some fun today!

In Review

Summer lovin'
Havin' a blast
Summer lovin'
Happened so fast...

Grease had it so right! Our Summer Lovin' gallery was a total blast and it all happened so fast. August has somehow melted away but before we go, we need to take one last look back at our beautiful gallery and its lovely layouts!

 

This month our gallery featured 11 single photo layouts, 14 multiple photo layouts, and 1 minialbum. If you copied each layout, you would have scrapbooked 86 photo and told no fewer than 25 stories. This month brought lots of geometric shapes, brought to you by misting, cutting, and silhouetting. There were also a handful of negative shapes, with color peeking in from behind. Color was ever present, with nary a black and white photo to be found! Instagram continues to trend with phone photos giving our digital slr's a run for their money!

As we look back through the gallery project by project, let's compile one last set of inspiration lists! (Unless of course you want more? and then we need to hear your comments letting us know that this is a feature you would like us to continue!!)

 

First up, 26 journaling ideas for your summertime pages.

1. Francine - write about a single moment on a family vacation
2. Vivian - a trait about you or your child you notice while away from home
3. Deb - let your title help tell the story
4. Alexandra - capture a change of thought from times' past
5. Kathy - do you cheat on your summer foods during the remainder of the year?
6. Diane - tell what you see every single summer
7. EmilyS - tell of an unplanned tradition
8. Celeste - do you have a con artist in your family? details, details....
9. LisaO - seeing your hard work pay off
10. Valerie - the ease/unease of seeing old friends
11. Katie - the season that best fits you or your family members
12. Christa - soccer moms unite! tell what you do for your children!
13. Paula - tell a time when the weather got in the way
14. Teka - what is your favorite summer footwear and why
15. Erin - today we took a spontaneous field trip...
16. Sarah - relate your childhood to a current moment in your children's lives
17. Amy - in between moments, stages, ages, and their trials
18. Monika - this week my kids got along/didn't/something in between...
19. Katrina - describe a summer scene you see every single day
20. Jenny - ask each member of your family to relate their summer's top 5
21. Kelly - make a list of things you remember from a summertime outing
22. Keshet - make note of a new favorite food stop
23. EmilyP - capture a story from your grandmother
24. Donna - compare this summer to last
25. Marie - write a bitty love letter to someone special in your life
26. Marnie - find a photo from summer that you love and write about it

 

Next, 26 photo ideas for your summertime pages.

1. Francine - take a photo of a time that might have been frustrating
2. Vivian - snap your subject and then snap the sky
3. Deb - put your camera on "running man" mode and snap away
4. Alexandra - include some background that will give your historical perspective 
5. Kathy - prove it's your favorite food by showing it from different occasions
6. Diane - take an action photo from the back. try to capture the feeling of the movement
7. EmilyS - take a photo of a sign
8. Celeste - goggle shots rock!
9. LisaO - take a picture of the food you grow
10. Valerie - follow around some little friends and capture their bond
11. Katie - watermelon eating is sloppy and colorful and makes for a lovely shot
12. Christa - take a series of photos that includes a detail shot, a macro shot, and a few backgrounds
13. Paula - take a photo of something that challenges the season
14. Teka - shoot down - feet and shoes!
15. Erin - don't forget a family shot
16. Sarah - turn up your shutter speed for a fast action shot
17. Amy - photos of having fun
18. Monika - capture the emotion of a relationship
19. Katrina - the view out your car window on your commute
20. Jenny - place your subject in the lower third's grid intersection
21. Kelly - capture everyone who came along for the trip (you, too!)
22. Keshet - something new to you
23. EmilyP - flower by flower, or food by food, or person by person
24. Donna - let a background help provide size perspective
25. Marie - find a repeating event but capture it from the front, back, top, bottom, side, ...
26. Marnie - take a photo before you grab a napkin for a summer drip

 

Lastly, 26 bits of design inspiration.

1. Francine - use the bottom strip from your patterned paper
2. Vivian - hang your photos from a laundry line
3. Deb - use different fonts for your title
4. Alexandra - mist an embellishment but not completely
5. Kathy - use two contrasting patterns in balanced sizes
6. Diane - mist over stickers and then remove them
7. EmilyS - tilt away: the cropping of the photos, the placement of the photos, and all the papers around them
8. Celeste - coordinate your colors to those in the photo
9. LisaO - use a title font that mimics your design asthetic (rounded for rounded, squared for squared)
10. Valerie - add a date to your layout
11. Katie - balance an oversized title with a small subtitle
12. Christa - pick a focal photo and find a way to bring attention to it
13. Paula - use a photo as your background
14. Teka - use a repeating graphic element in an unusual way
15. Erin - round two corners while leaving the other two square
16. Sarah - add a speech bubble
17. Amy - use a set of photos from an outting as a backdrop for a related story
18. Monika - crop a photo so the angles are askew
19. Katrina - draw a color pallette from your photo
20. Jenny - incorporate a list
21. Kelly - use a map as your patterned paper
22. Keshet - find paper that allows your photo treatment to shine
23. EmilyP - stitch a border around a photo
24. Donna - add a doily to a boy layout
25. Marie - add an icon to help support your story
26. Marnie - "cut out" a title digitally by using inner shadows

That's it! 78 ideas to help keep your pages coming! No ruts allowed!!

 

As a thank you for the time you have spent with us this month, Marnie created a printable for you to help you with your very own Summer Lovin' pages.

You may download it here!

Thank you for stopping! We would love to see your inspired pages!

layout a day

Hello everyone! This is Deb with another summer daily. I want to share with you how I spent part of my summer. July was a busy month of scrapbooking for me. I decided to challenge myself to make a layout every day for a month. I ended up with 20 scrapbook layouts and 8 Project Life pages. Okay... so maybe 20+8 doesn't exactly equal 31, but it was a great experience... lots of fun and I learned a little about my scrapbooking self. You see, I'm in my third year of Project Life, but I just started getting back into scrapping regular layouts earlier this year. I think I'll be able to scrap a little faster now after figuring out what works for me, what I like, and what I don't like.

It just makes me happy to see them all together in a collage. :)

Want to know what I learned from this fun experiment? Here's what I concluded after my month of focusing on scrapbooking--

1. Computer journaling takes too long so I'd rather just write it by hand.
2. I like to use labels especially for noting the date with my date stamp.
3. The 8.5x11 size is fun and a little easier to work with, but I like 12x12 too. Variety is good.
4. The verdict is still out on whether or not I like misting.
5. I like scrapping the same season I’m currently in even if I’m scrapping photos from prior years.
6. I love scrapping really old photos (I only did one this month, but I will definitely be doing more).
7. A layout isn't complete without at least a bit of stamping.
8. I enjoy plain white backgrounds, just not every time.
9. Lots of little embellishments are a good thing.

Before I go I'll share one of my favorites from the month. I scrapped a photo from 1961 of my mother bringing home her baby boy from the hospital in their '56 Ford Fairlane.

It just so happens that this layout contradicts with some of what I just listed above. There's no stamping, no label with a date stamp and I printed my journaling on the computer this time, but that's okay. It reminds me of one more thing I learned. Exceptions to the rule can be a good thing too.

Welcome, August!

This month, we are giving in to the heat, the humidity, and the final few lazy days. We are hoping to put our feet up and breathe in the last sights and sounds of summer: the squeals of outdoor laughter, the roar of the lawn mower, the glorious long golden light of summer evening skies, the warmth of the suns rays on our healthy summer glowing skin. Soon, alarms will be ringing, backpacks will be zipping, and school busses will be arriving. But for now, we will revel in summer's greatest glory: its parting days.

This month our team put together a gallery for you that celebrates all that is summer. Its sights, sounds, memories, and rhythms. We hope you enjoy our hard work and hope it inspires a few pages of your own!

Introducing, Summer Lovin'...

Thank you for stopping by to take in the new gallery. This month, we would love to hear about something that caught your eye as you browsed through our pages. Please leave us a comment or two with things you loved. One lucky comment will take home a few scrapbooking goodies from EK Success! Look for a lucky number on Saturday, August 4th! Thanks, again, for stopping by. We adore you, our loyal, delightful, wonderful readers!

In Review

July is finishing, the Olympics beginning, and school is just around the corner. With so much going on, this month's theme, Five is Fun! is perfect as we take our limited items and create some simpler works of art to help us complete some summer pages and document those memories before they fade away into a summer sunset.

Let's put on our fanciest flip flops, and our most comfy summer whites, and stroll through our gallery one last time. Together. The way we like it best, no?

 

Before we begin our prompt lists, let's do a bit of trend spotting. There are many multiple photos layouts this month; 12 in fact. 5 use grids. 6 use linear stacks. If you copied each of these 12 layouts, you would be scrapbooking 57 photos. Imagine how freeing it would seem to have 57 photos properly preserved?

For a mid-summer gallery, the colors are also light and bright. Lots of pastels and muted brights here. Right on trend according to Project Runway this week!

Let's get to our lists! First up, journaling prompts.

1. have you a dream? (Francine)
2. thoughts on the gender of your children (Deb)
3. the personality of your pet (Lisa)
4. a way that your child is changing (Emily)
5. a Fourth of July tradition (Celeste)
6. documenting something you have been waiting for (Diane)
7. look deeper at a field trip detail (Vivian)
8. a current creative stage of you or your child (Kathy)
9. document how a tradition began (Paula)
10. a treat and why you love it (Teka)
11. different aspects of your child (Valerie)
12. capture a moment of zaniness (Emily)
13. look at your child. what do you see? (Sarah)
14. party details. bare bones. (Donna)
15. journal the start of a conversation. the photos will be the end. (Erin)
16. record a gratitude to your child (Marnie)
17. document a special relationship (Christa)
18. a summer delight (Amy)
19. something that makes life good (Monika)
20. a list of a few goods and bads from a day of vacation (Marie)
21. record some details from a touristy day (Kelly)
22. your thoughts as you look back at an old photo (Alexandra)

 

And your photography prompts:

1. stand by a window for a selfie (Francine)
2. take a portrait shot of each of your kids with the same background on the same day (Deb)
3. take a series of photos to help better tell the story (Lisa)
4. be higher than your subject (Emily)
5. have your subjects lay down and stand over them (Celeste)
6. use a fun filter (Diane)
7. take two: one up close, one far away (Vivian)
8. use a white background for a detail shot (Kathy)
9. get a series that help tell the story (Paula)
10. foodie photos. yum! (Teka)
11. block a chunk of time, patiently sit and capture expression changes (Valerie)
12. before you clean, click! (Emily)
13. take an everyday shot of someone you love (Sarah)
14. the birthday candle, before and after (Donna)
15. look back through your photos and match them up for a page (Erin)
16. same subject, front and back (Marnie)
17. look for a moment that you can capture the essence of relationship in a photo (Christa)
18. summer food eating action shot (Amy)
19. set your scene with near, far, up, down, left and right (Marie)
20. tourist day: remember the people pictures, too (Kelly)
21. remember to add in the background for an additional bit of preservation (Alexandra)

 

And lastly, 22 things to try when you scrapbook this month:

1. use an unlikely thread for a banner (Francine)
2. rounded corners on your photos, squared corners on the mattes (Deb)
3. use the negatives of a punch (Lisa)
4. create a photo strip by reusing the same photo 3 or more times (Emily)
5. keep your layout in the upper half of the page, with lots of breathing room below (Celeste)
6. try a black photo matte to help your colorful photo pop (Diane)
7. emulate a graphic on your photo with paper (Vivian)
8. enlarge a photo with unusual proportions (Kathy)
9. have a perfectly centered and symmetrical layout (Paula)
10. use patterned tape on top of patterned paper. i dare you! (Teka)
11. jump the gender gap with products (Valerie)
12. tip your photo away from the lines of your layout (Emily)
13. use a reference point in your photo in the background decor (Sarah)
14. keep an uniform margin in a block of photos (Donna)
15. let an embellishment aid in your storytelling (Erin)
16. use a ribbon in lieu of a patterned paper (Marnie)
17. journal round your photo (Christa)
18. use a graphic element three times (Amy)
19. place your title over a strip of washi tape (Monika)
20. place your photo grid on the lower left hand corner and then use your journaling and embellishments to create a visual triangle (Marie)
21. journal on our photos (Kelly)
22. use those old decorative scissors! (Alexandra)

 That's it! 66 ideas to keep your juices flowing and pages coming!

 

As a thank you for the time you have spent with us this month, our lovely Monika created this printable for you and our Five is Fun! theme.

You may download it here.

Thank you for stopping by! Have a terrific weekend!

Instagram and Pixlr-o-matic

 Hello everyone! It's Deb and today I want to share a couple of my favorite ways to add a bit of personality to my photos. Sometimes my older photos don't look the greatest. Even my more recent photos don't always turn out quite right. I don't always want to spend time trying to fix them in photoshop. That's where some fun editing programs/apps come in.

My favorite is Instagram. When I want to spruce up a ho hum photo, I just email it to myself, open it on my phone and apply an Instagram filter. The Earlybird filter is my favoite for sure. You can put your phone in airplane mode if you don't want the images published to your feed. They'll still be in your camera roll.

 

Here are a few layouts I've made with photos after adding instagram filters.

If you aren't on Instagram, there's a free download called Pixlr-o-matic. It's available as an app for iPhones or androids, but the good news is you don't have to have a smart phone to use it. There is a vesion available for download to your computer or you can even use the online editor. Click here to find out more about it. If you want to download it, just click on the Pixlr-o-matic tab. Some of the effects are a little wild, but there are some fun ones too!

For the photo in this layout, I used the Julia filter and the Nolaroid frame. I love how it made this beach photo look a little bit vintage.

So if you have some photos you'd like to scrap but you're not happy with, try adding some filters from instagram or pixlr-o-matic. You may be surprised with the results!