Write. Click. Scrapbook.

Last Minute Change of Plans

Good morning, glories!

We've had a slight change of plans at Write. Click. Scrapbook. today. You see, Jody Wenke (otherwise known as USAJody, or Miss USA, or One of the Two Awesome Jodys, er, Jodies) was supposed to be your hostess this week. You can imagine her (and our) horror to learn that her entire scrapbook area—a room lovingly and beautifully carved out of her basement—was the victim of a burst water pipe just after Christmas. While she and her husband (and their insurance company) work to repair the damage, I'm filling in with a little help from my friends! We thought it would be nice to let Jody know we understand her frustration. Those of us who have been there got together to cheer her up with our own home disasters!

12 x 12 page by Elizabeth Dillow

A few years ago, we discovered that our basement water heater had bottomed out—the second time it had happened to us (though in two different houses). During the discovery, hand-wringing, clean-up, and completion phases, I didn't take a single photo—but that doesn't mean I can't include the story in our family scrapbook. I actually did blog about the incident, so pulling the journaling straight from my blog made this a quick and easy page to create. Luckily (knock on wood)(there will be a lot of knocking on wood today) we haven't replaced a water heater since!

11 x 8.5 page by Jody Dent-Pruks

Jody documented her family's swimming pool disaster with her trademark sense of humor—and had the presence of mind to take photos of the aftermath of their collapsed pool. According to Jody, "the pool collapsed in the middle of the night (such a loud crack and so much water pouring everywhere). Insurance dithered for 7 weeks and then said no – too old, rust present, yadda yadda! Not a problem, we will just pay to put a new one in but now it’s school holidays, the weather is hot and the pool suppliers close down during Christmas and the first 3 weeks of January. So here we are, hot days, no pool and sad kids!"

Jody also documented a more dangerous, scary home disaster that occurred in 2007 when her family's shed (think detached, large garage with storage) caught fire and burned to the ground on their property (farm). Not only did it destroy outdoor equipment, but all of her Christmas decorations and many sentimentally valuable papers and ephemera from her sons' lives. With the pictures she took, she created an album to document the devastation and rebuilding process—a truly therapeutic endeavor!

mini-album by Jody Dent-Pruks

 



 
Sheds are pretty important in Australia. So important, they have their own associations!

In Vermont, Katrina deals with a different kind of challenge: spring flooding, dangerous ice, and foot after foot of snow (which might be pretty and calming once in a while, but try driving to work every day in it). Using a few photos of her driveway and neighborhood looking more like a lake, she documented a facet of her life that might otherwise have been lost!

8.5 x 11 digital page by Katrina Simeck

Emily Pitts might not have a disaster on her hands, but she sure has a house that requires a lot of special knowledge and care to live in it (which, after a long day, might feel a bit disastrous, right?) Documenting these quirks now will ensure her family will remember the experience of living there in so much more detail one day.

12 x 12 page by Emily Pitts

Instead of one disastrous occurence, Erin Sweeney documented a multitude of catastrophes on her page, where you can almost relive each and every hour of those terrible 24 along with her. You might not think you'll want to relive experiences like these, but sometimes these are the stories that become the stuff of family legend—and can strengthen a family's bond just by merely surviving it all!

8 1/2 x 11 page by Erin Sweeney

Sara Winnick decided to spin our last-minute assignment a different way: she will be prepared the next time diasaster strikes with one of these:

card by Sara Winnick

Don't you just need a card like this on hand? I know I would have felt better the day my water heater came crashing down had someone handed me a "sorry about your water heater fiasco" card. : ) 

What about you? Have you had any home disasters or other catastrophes that you're far enough removed from now to document? These debacles are part of our life's story just like the happier (and drier) moments are too, and it's worth sitting down to document them. Help Jody know she's not alone and share your story this week in our Flickr gallery! And if you don't have a disaster to document... well, now's the time to knock on wood again!

Welcome, January!

As the new year enters in, our thoughts turn to things we want to change. Resolutions fill our minds, with hope for a better tomorrow. But as we improve some things, other things, our favorite/favourite* things, comfortably, and gratefully, stick around. So before we spend the month thinking of all things bright and new, we wanted to spend a day thinking about those things that make us happy, no matter the date on the calendar, the weather, or our mood.

* to our international readers, please do not think us unkind if we omit your "u" in the spelling of favorite

What are your favorite things? Do you have a favorite photo? A favorite treat? A favorite guilty pleasure? An un-favorite?

A favorite memory recorded? A favorite moment savored?

A favorite what-did-you-just-say?

A favorite moment of introspection?

A favorite old page upon which you still love to gaze? or one that still makes you smile?

A favorite new page that might have to stay out for special viewing for just a minute longer?

A favorite product? or products? A favorite journaling strategy? A favorite design? A favorite mini-album?

A favorite style?

A favorite season?

A favorite bit of current life? of everyday living?

Do you play favorites?

Are your favorites fickle?

Or everlasting?

Do you have favorite people?

A favorite layout of your favorite people in your favorite photo?

A favorite layout that just brings together all sort of your favorites?

Does thinking of your favorites make your mind swirl and whirl with thoughts of journaling and photos and pages yet to be made? Me, too! So whether today begins a new 365 project, or a 10 on Tuesdays, or just a commitment to be more aware of your surroundings, perhaps your first page of 2010 can celebrate a favorite part of you and your incredible life. As you browse our January Gallery of Favo(u)rites, one common thread you might notice is how easily and happily a layout about favorites, made with favorites, comes together. So while wearing your favorite shoes, and your favorite shirt in your favorite color, raise your favorite glass of your favorite beverage to a glorious new year! Happy New Year to you, our favorite readers and friends! May it be a great new year of creating and crafting together!

give.away.day. featuring IMAGINISCE

Let's begin with a holiday song. Channel your best Jingle Bells Tune...

Dashing through the week
Trying to stay ahead
Getting little sleep
Much to do when kids are in bed.

Make sure no one is missed
There's wrapping still to do
But today we here all insist
That it is time for you.

Oh, GIVE AWAY
GIVE AWAY
It's GIVE.AWAY.DAY.
This one's for you
Some fun for you
On this Holiday Countdown day!

Oh! GIVE AWAY
GIVE AWAY
It's GIVE.AWAY.DAY.
Just for you
Cuz' we love you
A GIVE AWAY today!

For our giveaway today, we are excited to present

imaginisce is a longtime fan favorite and has some fun lines on current release. They kindly sent a sampling of their product to our designers so that we could work some of our magic with their lovelies. Here is what happens when great product meets some amazing talent:

page by Aly Dosdall

page by Erin Sweeney

page by Ann Costen

card by Celeste Smith

 

page by Cheryl Overton

page by Sara Winnick

page by Autumn Baldwin

page by Francine Clouden

page by Cheryl Overton

hot chocolate pouches by Aly Dosdall

page by Jody Wenke

page by Jody Wenke

candle decor by Cheryl Overton

mini-album by Francine Clouden

Christmas Organizer by Melissa Kaiserman

For our giveaway today, one lucky person will receive a sampling of imaginisce paper and products and the star on the tree is that the box will also include an

This amazing little tool creates brads in three sizes, allowing you to make all sorts of lovely projects. The i-top Brad Maker family includes the i-top Brad Maker, Brad Daddy blanks and paper punches in 3 sizes; 16mm, 22mm and 28mm. Now you can customize that extra little bit of texture and sweetness that brads provide. And not only can you use it on your scrapbook pages

page by Marnie Flores

but you will also quickly discover many other fun uses for covered brads.

headband by Marnie Flores

(First, cover headband in fabric. Next, stack 6 red imaginisce flowers on top of 2 green imaginisce flowers. Cover medium brad with same fabric used to cover headband using your i-top tool. Pierce flower centers with covered brad. Adhere to headband. Wear and enjoy!)

The imaginisce team has also done some amazing things with their i-tops. (WARNING: Once you click over you will get a bit lost in the wonder, so be sure to come back and leave your comment so you can win!)

If you would like to be considered for today's giveaway, please tell us what scrapbooking product you are hoping to get this holiday season. If it is something with a link, leave it so we can see it too! Comments will close at 8:00 pm PST and the lucky number will be posted tomorrow. Don't forget to check back to see if you are the lucky number as you only have until Saturday at midnight to claim your gift! Can't wait to see what's on your lists!

Happy Veteran's Day!

Happy Veteran's day! I'd like to publicly say "Thank you!" to the many men and women out there who are currently serving or have served our country. Your sacrifice and service is an amazing offering of yourself and does not go unnoticed around here. (Photo of the Vietnam War Veteran's Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C. Courtesy of Elizabeth Dillow.)

I personally have a brother who has served in the Air Force and is now in the National Guard (way to go big brother, Brian!).




And my father-in-law served in the Army 40ish years ago (yeah, Boyd!).

This is a photo of Emily Pitts' great-grandfather and his buddies in WWI:

I've always wondered what I could do with my limited resources and skills to let these amazing people know how loved and thought of they are. Recently, a fellow scrapbooking friend sent me the link to an amazing organization who sends cards that scrapbookers/crafters/cardmakers have created, to people who are serving in all branches of the United States military. (Photo of Sec. 1 of Arlington National Cemetery. Courtesy Elizabeth Dillow.)

Operation Write Home is an organization with a mission "To support our nation's armed forces by sending blank greeting cards to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them." What a cool, and might I say, simple goal, that each of us can get involved in! I encourage you to take some time to look around their website, to learn the guidelines and then write an "AnyHero" greeting to let these unsung heroes know they are thought of warmly. If you're a little more ambitious get out a few more supplies, a cup of cocoa and create a bundle of blank wintry-themed cards, blank thank you notes or blank birthday cards for the soldiers to use. This is just what I did! On Monday afternoon I held a card making party at my home where my friends and I made 50 thank you cards for our Troops who are currently serving in the military! Thanks, ladies!

I challenged my fellow WCS team members to create at least one AnyHero card to send out and they came up with some amazing cards! Thank you, Ladies!

Card by Angie Lucas

Cards by Celeste Smith

Cards by Elizabeth Dillow.

 
Cards by Sara Winnick.

Since today is Veteran's Day, remember to thank someone who is serving our great country. Heck! Throw a card-making party yourself and then go to our Flickr Gallery and show us what you've made. This is a great way to use up your extra scraps AND brighten someone's day.

While you're making these cards, remember to involve your children so they will learn to love and respect our military men and women.(These girls live in my neighborhood and joined in on the fun.)

Women in Military Service to America Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery (that's Maddie and Gracie looking into the water!) Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Dillow.

If you don't live in the United States, remember that you also have amazing men and women serving in your country's military. WCS team member, Melanie Louette, lives in Canada and her community throws a Remembrance Day Parade every year in honor of their veterans. Melanie and her family attended the parade this past Sunday and she was kind enough to share her photos.

thank you for a great week! and a winner!

Good evening, friends!

If you're checking in, you're likely wondering who the winner is for this week's challenge. I write the names of the layouts from the gallery down and drew one out of a hat. How's that for totally unscientific & totally random. :)

The winner is...
HANNAH!

She created this darling mini album for her BFF, remember? In case you forgot, here's a little peek at the cover and one of the inside pages. I love how she adapted the recipe to work for her circle album.

Hannah, please leave a comment below and I'll email you to get your shipping details. :)

In case you're wondering what she's won, here's a peek:

All of the above are from another favorite company -- Little Yellow Bicycle. My favorite nearby scrapbook store always carries their stuff. I just love all the different pieces!

Thanks for a great week, everyone, and a special thanks to those of you who took part in our challenge this week! I look forward to the next time I get to blog with you. In the meantime, check back tomorrow for a whole week with a different designer.

Happy Saturday Evening!

OH! I promised an oatmeal cookie recipe, didn't I?

Here it is. 

Just Right Oatmeal Cookies

1 c. butter

¾ c. sugar

¾ c. brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 ½ c. flour

1 1/8 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp ground cloves

3 c. oatmeal

1 c. pecans (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Cream the first 3 ingredients together until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla.

In another bowl, sift together the following: flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Do not over mix.

Add in the oatmeal and finely chopped pecans. Fold in until combined.

Drop cookies using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 8-10 minutes until lightly brown. Cool on a rack before serving or freezing.

And for those of you who'd rather download the printable version, here you go -

Download Just Right Oatmeal Cookies

(I tried to make it cute like the bean salad recipe, but my Illustrator decided it needs to be reinstalled. Sorry!)

Have a good night! :)

scraps: part 2, and reader showcase!

  Happy Saturday morning, everyone! I'm looking forward to our last day  together -- lots to share! I have a few more Cosmo Cricket projects to share, along with another designer's album, which you're SURE to drool over! But those will have to wait until the end of my post. I simply can't wait another second to share the goodness from the Flikr Gallery!

Have you been checking the gallery lately? If you haven't, you're in for a sweet surprise. The responses to the recipe challenges have been awesome and so inspiring! Check it out!

(Click on the images to view them larger)

 

By Annie

By LambChop

 

By Hannah

 

By MayaLime

 

By Aly Dosdall

 

By Heather C.

 

By Amanda V.

 

By Etta Linton

 

By Danascraps

 

By Stephanie D. Shepherd

Awesome work! That was fun! Thanks for participating, everyone. I'll draw a random winner this evening at 8:00 and will post the winner shortly after. If you're still working on a challenge, you have until 8:00 tonight to post it in the gallery. Don't forget to write the word "recipe" in your title so that I can find it, or link me in the comments. :)

......................

Raise your hand if you know the sweet and talented Marnie Flores? She's had a super busy week, but still managed to pull this little baby together using the Cosmo Cricket Girl Friday line AND the Snorkel line.

 

 

Isn't that adorable?! And did you notice she used the same scallop album as found in the give away? So cute!

As if that isn't enough, check out her take on the recipe album:

 

 

What sweetness! And you'll notice Marnie covered the backside of the pages with coordinating patterned paper. Very cute, indeed!

......................

Let's end today with a few more projects, shall we? Two are made from my Cosmo Cricket scraps, and one from my random basket of scraps.

Here's my layout using the Girl Friday line. You can see I used it for a layout about my son. I think it works. ;)

 

You also may have noticed by now that I used the recipe on this page. Remember this?

 

I just switched it around a bit. I put my multi-photo grid on top (I created another one to work with the photos I had of my little guy), and my journaling strip down the left hand bottom side. I created my layout as a 8x6, just like the mini album, then mounted it on another piece of patterned paper.

I just love recipes!

Speaking of recipes... I also love baking! Especially cookies! Which brings me to a gift idea I just couldn't wait to share with you all.

 

The cookie scoop is an essential tool (I believe!) in any cookie baker's kitchen. To spruce this gift up a bit, I made a batch of my favorite oatmeal cookie dough and packaged it up in a freezer container. I created the label in Adobe Illustrator (but you could use Word or Photoshop) and attached a strip from the Girl Friday sticker page. Voila!

Finally, a little something anyone can make with the scraps from their scrap pile.

 

I started with a 3x6 piece of lined patterned paper and folded it down the center to make a standing card. Then I cut a circle in the front using my circle cutter. I added a squiggly rubon from American Crafts, along with some of their felt letter stickers, a flower and a brad. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy (as my kids would say)!

Thanks for spending the week with me, everyone! Don't forget that your challenges need to be posted no later than 8:00 PM PST if you'd like to be elegable for the drawing for a surprise prize from me (think mini album stuff, folks!).

I'll be back after 8:00 tonight to announce a random winner.

Until then, HAPPY SATURDAY!

scraps: part 1

WHOA! That was some give away day yesterday! If you missed yesterday's give away, remember to come back next Thursday for another fabulous give away!

Before we head away from the topic of mini albums, I wanted to share a little about how I store them. My mini albums have been homed in a number of places -- around the house standing up (this worked when there were just a few), on my bookshelf (this worked when they were all rectangular and flat), and in a drawer (this worked until I forgot where I'd put them). So these days my mini albums have been upgraded to a more prominent and most importantly, accessible spot.

I give you... the dining room table:

 

Those that know me well know that I'm not a huge fan of trinkets, so finding a spot for my mini albums where they would be visible, but not collecting dust, was a challenge. Because of the nature of these little books, they don't always stand up neatly, or fit together on a shelf without falling over. I decided, after searching through my containers and baskets that this pewter tray would hold them just right. I just pile them in there, mini album on top of mini album, in the center of my dining room table. Because they're contained in the tray, they don't overwhelm me. Best of all, they're visible enough that my family can actually enjoy them -- unlike when they were tucked in a drawer. The bigger mini albums (like the ones in the AC Modern Albums) are on a shelf with my regular scrapbooks.

If I can encourage you in one way today, I hope you'll make space for your mini albums where your kids and family can enjoy them. :)

Moving on...

So today we talk about scraps. Honestly, the Cosmo Cricket kit was so completely generous, that for today's post, I limited myself to using the scraps from the paper and materials I'd already used on the "I Love This About You" mini album from yesterday. Come back tomorrow for "Scraps: Part 2" where I'll post a layout (using the recipe) along with a super yummy homemade birthday gift your friends are sure to love.

Let's dive into today's projects! (Click on the photos to view larger)

Project #1: Girls' Night Invite

We all love hangin' out with our best girl friends! It just so happens that my favorite ladies don't all love to scrapbook and craft, which means most of our girls' nights are spent snacking, chatting and catching up on the latest Bachelorette gossip. :)

Here's what you'll need:
1 scrap cardstock - 8x6"
1 piece of white cardstock
1 scrap of super cute paper
1 digital frame -- I used these, by Kate Teague

Project #2: Girly Gift Enclosures

These are just fun to have around. This is a fun little project that takes only a few supplies and very little time. And yes, I know they're painfully simple. That's what makes them so fun!

Here's what you'll need:
1 piece of smooth white cardstock - 8.5x11"
This download -- Download Girly gift enclosures2
Fun little stickers like these ones by Cosmo Cricket

I was planning on sharing two more projects today, but I'll save them for tomorrow, including a layout and that delicious project I told you about on Monday which incorporates scrapbooking AND cooking. I promise your friends will love it, so please check back!

Finally, don't forget! All pages in the gallery that come out of this week's challenges (below) will be featured in tomorrow's post, and a random winner will be chosen to receive a little something in the mail from me just for participating.

In case you forgot, here are the challenges (take your pick!):

1)Create a single layout OR a complete mini album using the recipe used in the mini album above.

2) Create a single layout OR a complete mini album using the multi-photo template.

Upload your pages or albums to the gallery and be sure to work the words "recipe" in the title so I can find them.

Thanks for hanging with me this week, and THANKS again for all of your comments the other day. If you have any questions about today's post, be sure to leave it in the comments and I'll do my best to respond quickly.

Looking forward to seeing your work in the gallery!

And Happy Friday!

i love this about you: step by step

Hey everyone, and welcome back to Mini Album Week.
Thank you, thank you for all your comments. I love the excitement over mini albums!

As promised, today I'll share the mini album I created this past weekend, and walk you through how I did it - step by step.  Let's get started with a look at the album, shall we? :)

(Click on the photo to enlarge)

This is the cover. I often create the cover last.

Page 1.

Page 2.

Page 3.

Page 4.

So by now, you're starting to catch on to me and my little bag of mini album tricks, aren't you? :)

Like the albums I shared yesterday, this one follows a recipe and is repeated again and again. And like the albums I shared yesterday, I used just one photo on a page.  Now I've got a little trick to help those of you who like to use lots of photos, but I'll share that with you in a minute.  Let's go back to the beginning, and I'll walk you through each step.

Step 1: The Recipe (a.k.a. "The Sketch" or "The Layout")

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, the recipe is a central part of my mini album planning. Knowing my basic design ahead of time allows me to move quickly. And if you're like me, time is money. OK. It's not really money, since last time I checked I wasn't being paid by the hour to do laundry and play Legos, but you get my point. Time is precious!

Here's the sketch I created for this album:

A couple of things here. Notice my recipe is simple. I do this for a couple of reasons. The first is a simple layout means fewer products, usually. And as you may have noticed on day 1, I like mini-mini albums. The smaller the better. Since I'm not working with a lot of space, it's best to keep the embellishments to a minimum, in my humble opinion.

The other reason I keep things simple is this... I'm eager to finish. That's right! A huge part of the enjoyment for me is in the final product. I love looking at my completed albums, which means I need to finish it. Hence, simple = complete album. Gotta love that!

Step 2: Choosing My Topic

Now I know. Most of you will be driven to create a mini album based on a topic first. So if you need to do a little switch-a-roo and swap steps 1 and 2, I won't mind. ;)

There are lots of ways to chose a topic. For me, knowing I would be sharing this as a little tutorial, I wanted to create an album using 4x6 photos because we all have access to 4x6 photos. Recently I had gone on a Sunday-walk with my daughter, Anna, in hopes of getting a few snapshots of her. I decided to combine a few of the photos from our walk with some favorites taken earlier in the summer (she's even wearing the same top in each of the photos!) to use in the album. I brainstormed some ways the photos were connected and came up with my title, "I Love This About You."

Step 3: Choosing My Papers/Embellishments/Album

This was the fun part. I knew I wanted to use papers that were girly, since my album would be featuring my daughter. I also knew that I wanted the album to come together quickly, so I decided to use a kit from a favorite single manufacturer, Cosmo Cricket. Those of you who already know Cosmo Cricket know they consistently put out collections that are both colorful and unique. I had been eyeing the Girl Friday line for a long time and finally decided this album would be the perfect place to use it! I was lucky enough to get my hands on their Girl Friday Crafting Kit, which, in addition to 12 darling double-sided papers, comes with a coordinating sticker sheet and coordinating tags. Perfecto!

For my album, I chose the Ethan's Blackboard Album, also by Cosmo Cricket. It's 6x8, which fit with my recipe and allowed me to use a 4x6 photo without any trimming or cropping. If you haven't seen these albums in person, believe me when I tell you the black is such a cool change from the usual kraft chipboard!

Finally, for my embellishments, I pulled out a leftover canister of Prima flowers and found they coordinated perfectly with the darling Girl Friday papers. A couple of stray brads and voila, I had all I needed to complete my album in record time.

Step 4: Journaling

I don't know about you, but for me, when I'm working on a project journaling either comes or it doesn't. In this case I was having trouble putting my thoughts into words. I knew I wanted to keep it simple, but somehow the words just came out sounding too formal. I decided to type in all lowercase as if I were talking to my daughter, rather than writing. This small change gave me the nudge in the right direction, and before I knew it, the journaling was flowing. It's not poetry, but that's ok. I didn't want a silly thing like formality to keep me from telling Anna just how I feel.

Now if you're looking at my typesetting and thinking it looks kind of familiar, I borrowed the dotted line down the left hand margin from the pdf of a tutorial our dear Cathy Zielske created for Ali Edward's Blog. When it comes to type, Cathy's a genius! I used Adobe Illustrator, but you could easily duplicate this look in Photoshop. Just type a series of ..................., change the color and rotate them so that they're standing perpendicular to your text.

Once I had my journaling block all set, I printed it and trimmed it 3.25" wide (the height depends on the legnth of your journaling), then rounded the top two corners.

In case you're wondering which fonts I used, they're Teletype and Futura Light. I use them a lot. A. LOT.

Step 5: Puttin' It All Together

Since I'm a visual learner, I thought some of you might like to see the recipe labelled part by part. Here's how it all came together.

 

I started by adhering the photo and the patterned paper rectangle, then trimmed the corners to match the rounded edges of the album page. I added a 6" border from the Crafting Kit to separate the photo and the patterned paper. In some cases, I trimmed the border legnth-wise to double my borders. Then I added the journaling block and the flower embellishment.

Multi-Photo Option

I usually use single photos on my mini album pages. I don't really take tons of photos, so I often don't have a lot to scrapbook. However, every once in awhile I go crazy and have stacks and stacks of photos (digitally, of course) that I want to use in an album. In the case of this album, I've created a storyboard for Photoshop users, which will allow you to drop in 5 photos per page. The final product should yield a decent replacement for a single 4x6 photo. Up until the other day, I'd never created a storyboard template of any kind. But, thanks to the talented Cathy Zielske and her multi-photo grid tutorial, I was able to create a template using the same principles explained in her video. If you haven't tried it yet, you've just got to do it! I was amazed at how easy it was! Best of all, I now have a template that can be used again and again. Gotta love that!

You can go watch Cathy's video and create your own (just size it to 4x6), or you can simply download the template I created using her video. Here's what it looks like:

 

You'll need to watch Cathy's tutorial for instructions on how to layer the photos.

Here's the above template (blank) for those who prefer to download it.

Download Wcs mini album photo grid

Whew! That was a lot to get through in one post. I hope I didn't loose anyone! If I did, I'll be around to answer your questions, so just post any you have in the comments section and I'll do my best to answer them.

Now I know some of you have been hanging out waiting for a challenge. Here it is (actually, there are two):

1)Create a single layout OR a complete mini album using the recipe used in the mini album above.

2) Create a single layout OR a complete mini album using the multi-photo template.

Upload your pages or albums to the gallery and be sure to work the words "recipe" in the title so I can find them.

All pages uploaded will be featured in Saturday's post, and a random winner will be chosen to receive a little something in the mail from me just for participating.

Now DON'T FORGET! Tomorrow is give away day!  Remember when I said the give away this week is outta this world? Well, here's another hint. If you've caught the mini album bug, this give away will be right up your alley!

See you all tomorrow. And don't forget to participate in the challenge! And then I'll see you all again on Thursday to show you how I'm using the scraps from my super cute Girl Friday Crafting Kit. :) The fun never ends...

Happy Wednesday!

play it again, sam.

Quick! Name that movie. If you said Casablanca, give yourself a big pat on the back. Did you know that the line, "Play it again, Sam." is actually a misquotation? The original line is, "Play it once, Sam, for old times' sake." A little trivia for those of you who like that sort of thing. ;)

So welcome back to day 2. I'm so glad so many of you stopped by yesterday, and even more excited to share my process of how I create mini albums with you today and throughout the rest of the week.

Ready to get started?

Let's play a little game, shall we? I'll show you a couple of mini albums, and you see if you can spot how they're alike.

Mini Album #1 (Places We've Called Home)

 

 

Mini Album #2 (My, How You've Grown!)

 

 

What did you see? Did you notice the following?

• One page of journaling, one page is photo-only
• Both use repetitive elements on each spread
• Both albums are small -- only a handful of pages

There's no magic formula here. All I've done in each of these albums is to create a single recipe and re-use it again and again, changing an element here or there on occasion, until my album is complete. 

Take a closer look at the "Places We've Called Home" album. At the time I created this mini album, I had just brought home the cutest little chipboard pieces from FontWerks. The scallop circle and the house chipboard spoke to me, and I just knew I needed to use them in a project! In this case, my album topic was actually inspired by the product. Knowing that I wanted to highlight the little house, I decided to create a mini-album to share the details of the many places Mike and I had already called home.

Once the topic of my album had been decided, I found one element that I wanted to use as my focal point, and created a double-page layout based on this element. The element I chose was the scallop circle which in the following page layouts translated to the circle journaling block. Once I had the first page layout designed, the rest of the album came together in a snap! I completed this album in less than a few hours, thanks to a little recipe re-using.

Here's the recipe (a.k.a "sketch") I used in creating my pages:

You can see I changed the left-hand side a bit to work for my introduction page, and used only the right-hand side of the recipe for my cover. You certainly don't have to stick to a recipe like glue! The point is that having one makes creating the album easier and faster because you don't have to spend time deciding the layout of your pages. For me, this is a total plus. I'm limited on time and attention-span, so the less energy I have to spend on those elements the more time and energy I have to spend on the journaling, choosing cutesy papers and, best of all thumbing through my final product!

Now before I forget, remember the commenter who asked about acrylic albums? I've only created one acrylic album, ever. I created it a few summers ago after a trip to the Washington Coast. Here it is below.

 

I had absolutely no idea how I was going to create my cover on acrylic, until a friend suggested using Staz On and rubons (stamps, rubons and label here are FontWerks, as well). I was a little wary at first, because I only had the one album, and there was no room for error. She was right! Staz On worked, much to my surprise, and the rubon idea... genius!

Now, if you're wondering if I used a recipe on this album, you're right! Maybe I'll share the inside pages later in the week.

Now that I've got you thinking about recipes, how about another little download? This is a recipe of a different kind. In fact, it's one of my favorite summertime side-dish recipes.

And if you're like me, and you like to print things out, here's the download. :)
Download Beancornsaladrecipe

Come back tomorrow for a step-by-step look at how I created this mini-album.

Sneaky, aren't I? And if you're hanging out waiting for a challenge, that will come tomorrow as well.

Until then, happy Tuesday!

mini-albums = mini-vacation.

Hi everyone! I'm looking forward to our week together! I have some fun things planned for us focusing one of my favorite topics...

Mini albums! 

For those of you who like to look ahead, here's a little overview of what I've got planned for us this week.

Tuesday: I'll share a little bit about my process and how I go from a stack of photos to a finished mini-album in a matter of hours (yes, hours!).

Wednesday: I'll share an album I created this past Saturday and show you step by step how to make your own version.

Thursday: Give-away-day! If you've loved the give-aways from the past, you're going to love this week's awesome give-away. The only hint I can give you is this -- it's really outta this world! (I promise there's a hint in there somewhere.)

Friday: I'll show you some great ways to use your scraps from your mini-album, including a favorite homemade gift idea that combines two of my favorite hobbies -- scrapbooking and cooking!

Saturday: We'll have a little challenge showcase and another little *surprise* give-away!

Sound good? :) Awesome! Let's get started!

...................................................

I have to get this off my chest. I'm a little type-A (didn't you gather that from my day-by-day play-by-play above?), and it's something I am constantly striving to embrace and work on simultaneously. But as I write this (it's Sunday evening as I type), my hair is frizzy from a day spent on the lake with friends, my laundry is piled higher than it's been in years, and for the first time ever I had to dash out to the pet store because Daisy's food-canister was bare! 

See my kids? Do they look at all bummed that their favorite shorts and t-shirts are buried in a pile of stinky laundry? Do they care one oodle of a noodle? Not a chance!

Now what on earth does this have to do with mini-albums, you ask? You see, I like to think of creating mini-albums as a little mini-vacation from the usual scrapbooking. And just like my little jaunt from my typical type-A behavior, the deviation from the usual can bring forth the sweetest rewards!

You'll see. :)

I'll talk more about my process tomorrow, but to finish off today's post, I'd love to share a few links to some of my favorite albums.

Kolo Noci Album - This one holds 4x6 photos and comes in some pretty awesome colors (I love the chartreuse!).

FontWerks 4x4 Album - I created my favorite mini (Places We've Called Home) awhile back using this album. It's chipboard, it's versatile, and best of all, at $2.50 a piece, it's a bargain! This one is especially great for albums with fewer pages.

Cosmo Cricket - Their blackboard albums are just so clever. Cool shapes, and I just love that they're black! Another great option for the smaller albums with fewer pages.

Viovio - For those who love to create digital albums, these albums are terrific! Best of all, their tiniest mini-album is just 3.5"x3.5" small. Now there's an album you can truly carry around in your purse or your pocket.

And last, but not least, I just adore the American Crafts Modern Album - This one comes in all sizes, but since we're talkin' mini-albums, the 6"x6" album is just stinkin' perfect all-around, especially if your mini-album has a lot of pages. This one can handle them!

Those are my favorites, but I'm always on the lookout for more. If you have a favorite album you want to share, link me in the comments. I'd love to hear about them!

Finally, for sticking with me, I've got a little present for those of you who like things a little organized. ;) I glue a copy of this on the back of each of my layouts to help me remember which materials I used on my page. 

Download Materials list

Just print and trim. There are 4 on a page. I keep a stack on my desk so that I don't have to print new ones each time I complete a layout. 

And with that, I look forward to sharing a bit about my process with you all on Tuesday. And a heads up, there will be another download and a challenge to look forward to, so stay tuned.

Happy Monday!