Write. Click. Scrapbook.

scrapbook!

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

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

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

 

THE SKETCH

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

 

Here is her sketch.

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

 

ROYGBIV

This month the color palette

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

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

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

 

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

 

TRENDING

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

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

 

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

Enjoy your day!

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

Mother's Day Celebrations

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

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

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

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

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

 

LAYOUT IDEA: GRANDMOTHERS

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

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

 

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

 

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

Mmm. Love that.

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

 

MOTHER'S DAY GIFT IDEA: BIRTHDATE ART

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

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

 

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

Welcome, May!

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

A new month brings a new gallery.

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

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

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

The Family that Types Together | Aliza Deutsch

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

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

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

 

Love To Run | Christine Newman

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

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

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

 

Everyday | Celeste Smith

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

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

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

 

Every Day | Valerie O'Neall

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

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

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

The Reader | Katie Ehmann

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

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

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

 

The 4 O'Clock Stare Down | Diane Payne

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

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

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

 

InstaLife | Lisa Ottosson

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

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

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

Errands with Boys | Jennifer Larson

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

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

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

 

Everyday Moments|Amy Coose

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

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

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

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

 

Rise and Shine | Celeste Smith

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

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

 

Everyday | Jennie McGarvey

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

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

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

 

Have a Good Day | Deb Duty

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

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

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

 

A-Okay | Kelly Jeppson

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

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

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

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

 

The Best Part | Sarah Pendergrast

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

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

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

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

Little Moments | Francine Clouden

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

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

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

 

Almost Everyday | Paula Gilarde

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

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

 

Everyday He: | Amy Sorensen

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

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

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

 

Hanging Out | Marnie Flores

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

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

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

 

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

Mother's Day Celebrations

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

LAYOUT IDEA: CELEBRATE OUR MOTHERS-IN-LAW

Here are some journaling ideas to get your pages started:

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

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

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

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

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

MOTHER'S DAY GIFT IDEA: COUPON BOOKS

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

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

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

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

Teacher Appreciation Week

Welcome for our final day of teacher appreciation. I hope that you are having fun remembering your own school days and that you are having fun making pages for your childhood or that of your children.

 

LAYOUT IDEA: TEACHERS IN COSTUME

For today's layout idea, we are going to take a minute to remember, applaud, and memorialize those teachers in our lives that go by other names: coaches, instructors, mentors. My kids all do sports and they have terrific relationships with their coaches. My little Lavender spends 15 hours a week in kindergarten, and 9 at gymnastics. It would be foolish of me to not understand the impact that her gymnastics coaches have upon her.

Having a boy in middle school, I have been reminded of the importance of having good coaches. Men (and women) who encourage our children to be their better selves. Adults who can mentor and cheerlead. Who demand improvement. And work to earn respect and who encourage your children to gain their respect. I appreciate the back up for early bedtimes, good sportsmanship, and healthy lifestyles. Then, you get to go to a game and watch your son determinedly earn the respect of a coach; it's a proud parent moment indeed.

(This layout was totally inspired by Lisa's layout design from her Digging Deep week. Thank you, Lisa!)

 

Other relationships you might want to remember are sunday school teachers, primary teachers, day care teachers, after school class instructors, student teachers, regular substitute teachers, and youth group leaders. I feel a whole new set of layouts coming on!!

 

TEACHER APPRECIATION GIFT IDEA: BOOKPLATES

We are blessed with an amazing school system. Our teachers have filled their rooms with books they own. I thought that perhaps a few bookplates would be helpful for them. They could stick them in the classroom books so that they don't get lost in kids' book boxes.

Here is the book plate I designed.

I am going to print them on this sticky back paper. I can get 9 to a sheet so I think I will do 3 of them.

Once I trim them, I can stack them up, and tie them with a ribbon. Poppy is going to pick out a book for her teacher to finish off the perfect gift for Mrs. Johson. I will put it in a brown paper bag and tie it with my favorite red and white twine! Perfect!!

 

Thank you for spending some time with us this week! I hope we have given you some useful ideas for celebrating the teachers in your lives. As a parting gift, let me leave you with two other gifts you might print.

First, if you need a little something to frame, I found this lovely lovely print.

It was made by Megan from the Balancing Home blog. They have it as a free download. So gracious of them. Be sure to leave a bit of thanks--I'm sure they appreciate thanks for freebies as much as we do!

 

Lastly, this one made me laugh out loud. In ways I can't even tell you!! It comes from SkipToMyLou.

Seriously, so very funny!!

 

Happy Friday!

Teacher Appreciation Week

Welcome to day four of our week of teacher appreciation! Have you had your imagination sparked yet? I loved Kelly's idea of documenting favorite college professors. While I have no photos, I am thinking that google would help me be able to find a few! And Amy's water bottles filled with candies were brilliant!

I must admit that I felt a pang of guilt as I read that the first day of school wasn't the best day for photos. Then I remembered that our photos were taken on the "meet your teacher" days that our schools host the week before school starts; and I breathed a huge sigh of relief! I try so hard to not be overwhelming with my camera in the classroom. I have even considered leaving my big camera at home and just taking my little one, but then I remember that when I do, I am inevitably disappointed with the quality, so I just pull up my big girl panties and do my best to not feel awkward.

I digress...

 

LAYOUT IDEA: JUST THE FACTS, MA'AM

I have a list in my head of all the teachers that I had throughout elementary, junior high, and high school. But the other day I asked my 14 year old if he could remember his second grade teacher and he could not. Ah!!! Appalling!

I am teasing. But I must admit I was a bit surprised. Seems like you might want to be able to look up your teachers' names quickly, no? So our layout idea for today is to create a layout that lists your teachers. You could add a snippet of info for each one, if you would like, or not. No rules.

Here is mine.

Sadly, I did have to call my mom and have her pull out my school memories book for some names. I had completely forgotten a handful of them. So sad.

 

And I thought I may as well use a similar format for my kids. Here is Nigel's (redacted) page in progress.

This also makes me think I would like to put together a page that puts all my schools down on one page. I don't have photos of mine handy, but will dig some up the next time I go home to my parents'. Because even though I like to pretend things won't change. They do. My elementary school is now an alternative school for people who cannot attend regular school. My junior high was torn down and rebuilt a few years ago. My high school has new wings and additions that make it much less the school than that which exists in my mind. Knowing this, I figured I may as well make the same sort of layouts for my kids. Because chances are good that their schools won't remain the same either. 

 

Amy made a page for her elementary school teachers. Isn't she a lovely little bitty?

I hope you might consider making a page such as these. It shouldn't take too long. Unless your mom is chatty, of course!!

 

TEACHER APPRECIATION GIFT IDEA: Chocolate

I have yet to meet someone who doesn't appreciate a little chocolate. So I put together a little wrapper for a hershey bar. I made it for the big one. Hopefully you will be able to find that size where you are!

I added a copy for you in our printables if you would like to download one. You should be able to print it, trim it, wrap and adhere. Ca c'est tout!

Thank you, always, for stopping by! I hope you have an awesome day!

scrapbook!

Spring is here! It's official. It might feel more official if there wasn't a freeze and frost pending all weekend, but I am so happy that the grass is green and the trees in bloom that nothing could bring me down!!

 

I love scrapbooking. I just haven't said it lately, and wanted to. I was very touched by Lisa's week, and her thoughts on memory keeping. I feel energized and renewed in my commitment to make pretty pages! I hope that our three scrapbook! Saturday starters will help you want to make some, too!

 

THE SKETCH

This month, Diane created a sketch

based upon Lisa' happy layout, New Family in our April gallery, Shapes.

Want to see some awesome variations? I thought so...

 

Celeste added an extra matte below her photos, and deleted the row of vertical triangles on the right hand side. I love how the spritzing behind the photos and mattes softens the layout and draws your eye inward.

 

Lisa swapped triangles for a strip of washi and used one horizontal photo rather than two vertical, but otherwise stayed pretty true to her original. I love the bursts of yellow against the black and white. (I am having a bit of a love affair with that exact shade right now!!)

 

Aliza played this month, as well. She stayed very true to Diane's sketch, and it looks like it was the perfect starter. This layout has a sweet story... I encourage you to read it!

 

Our next variation comes from the sketchmaster herself, Diane. I love how she uses two sizes of triangles. And how she outlined a random assortment of the tiny ones. Clever. And it captures a great story of how our world is changing.

 

And here is mine. I added a couple of extras and moved the journaling to the side. I was impressed at how versatile this sketch felt.

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

 

ROYGBIV

This month the color palette

is based upon Deb's Shapes layout, Happy Dog.

It's got that lovely color of the year, emerald! I loved how the colors pop so well on the white!! (Though without the white it looks a little in your face, no?)

As I went to make my layout, I realized that I loved the little color sampler and I just went ahead and added it to my layout!

Do you think it looks okay?

 

TRENDING

This month there were several layouts with repeating layered shapes creating corner to corner movement. Katie, Jennie, and Lisa have the most obvious examples.

You can also see it the layouts from Erin, Aliza, Celeste, Valerie, Diane, Paula, and Lisa. Sometimes it is more subtle, or goes from top to bottom, rather than corner to corner, but the pattern is there!

 

Here is mine. I had fun making this one! I went with squares, a bit by accident, but am pretty happy with how it ended up!

I hope that you have had a fun Saturday! Thank you for stopping by! I hope to see your layouts when you are done!! 

Welcome, April!

April is here and we're not fooling! We are so very excited that a new month is upon us. This month we are looking forward to Kelly, Lisa, Teacher's Appreciation preparation and Mother's Day preparation. We hope to inspire your spring pages, and help you get ready for the holidays ahead of us.

 

The first also brings us a

This month we are celebrating shapes: circles, triangles, hexagons, squares, stars. Whether the graphic elements be big or small, our pages love them all. Here is a look at our gallery as a whole!

And here are the pages one by one. Please click on over to the gallery to see them bigger, and read the journaling! 

That's it! We hope you have found a layout or two, or twenty, that will appeal to you and your scrapbooks! We look forward to seeing your "inspired by" layouts! And please let us know if you like the new cards.

scrapbook!

This is one my favorite times of year. Breaking out of the winter doldrums, and seeing the sunshine would be joy enough.  But it is also a time of peaceful interlude for school, sports, and family. A status quo month with few changes and few hiccups in the schedule. Which is a good equation for getting to scrapbook. And this month I have been so inspired by all the mini albums. I have lists of new journaling thoughts for layouts, and new colors schemes, and new design ideas. Looking through the minis also gave me some ideas for taking photo series. Oooh, I love percolating creativity!!

 

For our scrapbook! Saturday, we have our favorite three offerings: a sketch, a color palette, and a trend watch. Three more ways to inspire you and help move you to scrapbook.

 

THE SKETCH

This month, Diane created a sketch

based upon Amy's beautiful layout from her blogging week last month.

And look what our amazing team did with it.

 

Celeste stuck true to the sketch cleverly making a digital title that mimics a cut file. Celeste always has such nifty ways to incorporate trends whilst sticking true to her style.

 

Lisa made a vertical rectangle layout substituting one of the photos for a journaling card. I like how she striped the washi tape and stamped over the edges of the tags.

 

Monika also put a lovely and spring-y layout together. She added a matte around the sketch, and dropped one of her photos down. A fun twist on the sketch for certain.

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

 

ROYGBIV

This month the color palette

is based upon Deb's mini album cover.

Doesn't it feel so current and trendy? I couldn't wait to use it on a layout! I have had these pictures waiting for something soft and light and black and this set of five colors was absolutely perfect!

I used the same kit that I used for my mini this past week. Being digital means I can use the color balance to match the colors on the palette. Teehee. So sneaky!

Did you notice that Deb and I used nearly the same arrow? Love that. Great minds, and all that... :)

TRENDING

This month I noticed many cut elements in our mini albums. There are lacy doilies, cut files, and laser cut wooden veneers. They remind me of acrylic chairs: add just what you need without adding visual clutter. I was excited to try my hand with some digitally created cut elements. (I know, I know, I could just use my Cricut, but I'm out of adhesive... :) ) I did the title and then decided it was the perfect thing.

I hope that you have had a fun Saturday! Thank you for stopping by! I hope to see your layouts when you are done!! 

In Review

Have you had a delightful month? We hope that you have learned much and giggled oft as you have spent your time with us each day. Have we mentioned lately how much we love our readers? Yes, you! We do love having you stop by. 

 

It's that time where we link arms and walk back through our gallery. We hope that you have your comfy shoes on! Let's begin...

 

1. record a trend. Lisa's One Direction layout could fit many of our children's albums right now. Have you taken a moment to record their current media crushes?
2. record something goofy. and then don't add lengthy journaling if it isn't needed. Jennie's layout is perfect with nothing but her title. High-lair-ee-us.
3. make a list of oft heard phrases. Sometimes we hear things so often that we can't imagine that they will one day fade from our memories. Feel free to ask your spouse for help like Diane did.
4. record a conversation line by line. Valerie smartly recorded the conversation and used stamps to help convey the speaker. Darling.
5. write from the heart. Go there. No matter how it hurts. You will be glad later. Christine's layout is proof enough.
6. make a list of the words your baby knows. And then write them out. And one day, scrapbook them, like Paula did!
7. record your tactics. Sarah's layout is a humorous retelling of her persuasion techniques. Too funny.
8. eavesdrop. and then write down what you hear. especially if you have two little people chatting together. You will giggle. Just like Erin did.

 

1. honest photos. Aliza's layout shows us just how fun in-the-moment photographs can be.
2. take a headshot. then pair it with something that you hear. Katie's layout shows us that the photo that you use doesn't need to have been taken at the moment of the conversation that you are recording.
3. hilarious moment recorded. Don't forget to take pictures of the crazy antics of your housemates. Chances are this photo will haunt Christa's daughter for years to come. Perfection!
4. conversation baby photos. You might need two of you for this one. While one engages the baby in a conversation, the other records it. These photos, like Keshet's will become treasures.
5. action shots. They are easy to take and fun to scrapbook. Just pick a few and get going like Jennie did.
6. take a screenshot of your texting convo. Amy's idea is fantastic! As is her layout!
7. take a photo at the beginning or end of an event that you cannot attend. Kelly's photo of her son coming home from camp helps tell the story even though she didn't get to be there the whole time.
8. let your conversation be your photo. Sometimes you don't need a photo. Sometimes you can find one. But don't let the lack of one stand in your way. Marnie didn't.

 

1. use an element unexpectedly. Look at how Aliza uses the polaroid frame with the attached sentiment. It sits empty in the lower right hand corner. Without framing a photo. Interesting...
2. find a small element that helps to tell your story. Like Celeste's car. Helps us to catch that this conversation took place in the car. In case you forget to read the title.
3. embellish with color. Jennifer does a great job with black and white photos, a grey background, and then all sorts of color pops in her embellishments. Perfect!
4. stamp a date with tiny little date stamps. Francine's round little bitty yellow numbers with the red dots in between are the perfect additions for both color and style. Lovely.
5. Christmas photos. Let Amy's layout be some inspiration for you to scrapbook your holiday photos.
6. Let conversation bubbles be your text boxes. Then you can add lots of journaling that is unrelated to each other. Just like Emily did.
7. use enamel dots to support your color story. Deb is a master. Learn from her.
8. edit your photos in an artistic manner to help with your story telling. Christine's layout is so much more fun with her oversized affected photos.

 

Thank you, again, for stopping by! We hope that these prompts will help you make better use of the gallery and all that it has to inspire!