Write. Click. Scrapbook.

give.away.day. featuring BLOG DESIGNS BY TWO HAPPY MAMAS

Do you have a blog? Does it reflect you? Does it show off your scrapbooking style? Would you love to move from plain and generic to stylized and cool? Then this is the
for you. Today we happily present

Have you ever wanted to makeover your blog but weren't sure how? Well, now is your chance when you take this brand new class taught by Crystal Wilkerson & Kristina Proffitt of Blog Designs by Two Happy Mamas. We'll walk you step-by-step through the blog design process! By the end of the class you'll have a super cute, updated blog that includes a customized background, banner, profile picture, signature, post divider and "happy art". And the best part is you'll have the knowledge to change it whenever you like in the future!

This is a self-paced course so you can take it on your own time and can refer back to it whenever you'd like. You'll have access to it forever! You'll also have access to our class forum if you have any questions. Included with the class are SIX new blog designs! :-D

There is also a Mega Blog Kit that is for sale for $20 that has 20 different blog designs to choose from that you can mix and match!

Crystal and Kristina are incredibly talented and on the Write. Click. Scrapbook. favorite designers list! Crystal is the genius behind Creativity by Crystal and designed the Echo Park Sweet Summertime line. Kristina is an accomplished scrapbooker, photographer, and designer.  They are not only providing one spot in their class, but TWO! Woohoo!

Think of your blog as your online home. What does it say about you? Our personal style is reflected in the clothes we wear, our glasses, our shoes, our hair. Our homes show off our talents as scrapbookers. It's time for our blogs to represent! Kristina and Crystal can help show you how! Think of it as taking your blog to the spa!!

If you would like to be considered for this double-the-fun giveaway, please leave us a comment summing up your personal style. And then tell us something in your home or closet that best defines that style. We can't wait to get to know you better!

Comments will remain open until 8:00 pm PST. Two lucky numbers will be drawn at random and posted tomorrow. Remember it is your responsibility to check back and then claim your number by midnight Saturday!

Display It: Day 3, Project Go

PREPARE and POPULATE

Prepare

Now that you have a strong concept for a shadow box, and you have started looking around for goodies to populate it is time to create your foundation. If you are not interested in changing the starting look of your display box then you can move right along to populate. If you want to alter the foundation of your box, now is the time.

A few basic altering suggestions are

• cover with paper
• paint
• distress

This is what I did for my two projects using the Adorn It divided shadow box.

Our Family

Remove the shelves

Painted the box a Fresh Foliage Folk Art green

Sanded the edges of the box and a little bit of the sides using emery boards

Applied a wood walnut stain to distress and age the box

Box done-I suggest using a spray sealer to add a shine and protect the finish

Time to cover the shelves. I used book paper making sure the direction of the paper matched the direction the shelves were going to go

Now I am done with the foundation for this box

Christmas Traditions

I wanted to have one large open space so I cut down two of the shelves using a jigsaw-

This is how it looks with the two shelves cut down.

Next I painted everything white, shelves and box included.

Since this was for Christmas I wanted to add silver to the box, but not cover it completely in silver so following a current home decor trend I translated it into the box.

Just on the lip of the box I applied a product called RubnBuff, Silver Leaf following the directions.

I wanted the back of the box to be silver also. To acheive the look I wanted I started with piece of wrinkled kraft wrapping paper and painted it as described below.

Steps

1. completely cover wrinkled paper in white paint, do as many coats as needed
2. paint a layer of silver acrylic paint
3. following the package directions apply RubnBuff to backgroundor other silver product
4. add a few drops of pumice stone Distress Ink, rub around with dry cloth
5. keep applying until you achieve the desired look, sand lightly
6. adhere to back of box using glue stick or favorite adhesive

All the shelves are in and the foundation is complete!

(Wow that is a lot of photos and info, if you need a quick laugh go here and here)

Populate

Next it is time to populate the box with objects. Looking at the items you have gathered for display divide them into three groups, three layers (remember, you can do whatever you want, this is just my suggestion)

 
1. Flat layer such as paper, stickers, etc.

 
2. Important objects- these are the ones that tell the story, communicate your theme

 
3. Embellishments/filler

Start Layering:

I have noticed that displays seem to be built in layers and that is how I went about designing my box displays. Start with the flat layer. Trim down the paper to fit into the cubbies. Place the flat layers in the cubbies and move them around until you like how it looks.

Once you are satisfied adhere the flat layer.

Keep in mind you will be adding dimensional objects on top, if you know which object you want in a cubbie then make sure the flat layer will complement it.

Begin positioning (avoid adhering until you are find with the placement) the most important objects layer (similar to floral arranging) in the cubbies, move around until you like it. Consider grouping smaller objects together.

If you want to hang any of the objects affix a hook or other hanging mechanism and position object to your liking.

Take a step back and look at your project, do you need to adjust any of the important objects? Make sure you are varying the heighth of the objects and placement for maximum visual interest.

Walk away from your project for awhile, when you come back you will have fresh eyes to start the filler layer.

Day 3 Assignment:

• Prepare display box
• Divide trinkets into three layers, flat, important objects, and filler
• Position and adhere flat layer
• Position important objects layer (do not adhere)

Thanks for spending time with me. What projects are you excited about?

PS- don't think I forgot to show you images for my library project, oh no, I am holding off until my last day and I must tell you it is adorable!!

Display It: Day 2, Photo Displays

As scrapbookers the majority of us love our photos and displaying them is one way to extend our scrapbooking passion into our home. Consider unexpected ways to incorporate photos as well as traditional ways.

I love WCS contributor Jody's wall of photos.

 

 

 

This display is so beautiful and it makes such a statement!

From WCS contributor Monika Wright:

Monica shares the info behind her photo ledges,

"After a bit of searching and price comparisons, we chose to purchase our ledges and frames both from Pottery Barn. The cost was a little higher than we wanted to pay, but we felt that if we would want to purchase additional frames or ledges over time, we could do that without too much fear that the items would be discontinued. These frames are a season-to-season basic for PB.

The layering of the frames are a take-off on an idea sheet included with each PB frame. None of the frames are nailed to the wall, they rest against the wall and then some of the photos are placed in front of other photos.

We don't often add anything to the display. We really enjoy the simplicity of the arrangement just as it is, especially in our bedroom. My favorite part about it all is when I lay in bed at night, just before sleepy time and look at those photos remembering where we were when they were taken, the personalities of the kids at the time of the photos, how their personalities shine through in each of the photos and how lucky we are to have them all."

Do It Yourself photo display projects

Polaroid Magnet Board:

From WCS contributor Angie Lucas:

Supplies:
one piece of pre-cut sheet metal from Lowe's (approximately 25 inches by 25 inches)
two sheets of fabric paper from American Crafts' Dear Lizzy line
one package Tim Holtz Tissue Tape
drill
Multi-Purpose Felt Pads
Crop-a-Dile
wide grosgrain ribbon
two wire baskets (original purpose: holding soap or sponges in the shower)
magnets
glue gun
Polaroids or other photographs

Steps:

1. Measure the number of fabric-paper strips you'll need to cut in order to cover all edges of the sheet metal. Cut them. (My strips are about 3 inches wide, making a 1 1/2-inch border on the front and on the back.)
2. If desired, cut around the polka dots freehand for a scalloped look.
3. Fold each strip of fabric paper around the edge of the sheet metal, covering all exposed metal edges. (This helps protect your walls from being damaged by the sharp metal.) I recommend fabric paper here because it's self-adhesive and sticks easily and securely.
4. Run Tissue Tape around the edges as well for extra padding and a fun decorative touch.
5. Drill two holes in the sheet metal for your ribbon to go through. (I backed the holes with felt pads which had been punched through the center with a Crop-a-Dile—this keeps the sharp holes from cutting through the ribbon.) Thread ribbon through the holes and knot. Tie the ribbon in a bow and trim the ends.
6. Add additional felt pads to pop the magnet board out from the wall just a bit. 
7. Decorate the wire baskets if desired and use hot glue to attach magnets to the backs
8.  Tie the ribbon in a big, loopy bow. Hang your creation on a nail or a hook on the wall.
9. Select eight favorite Polaroid shots and put them on display. Fill the baskets with extra Polaroid shots (or regular prints if you wish), so family members can regularly switch out the featured photos. 
10. Enjoy!

  Visit Angie's blog for more photos and tips.

Fabric Frame:

A simple playful photo display I like is to take large frames and wrap them in fabric then add some wire and you have an instant display. I attach photos with clothespins. It is super easy to swap photos out. I want to cover a wall with these- but haven't collected enough frames yet.

(forgive the photo quality, my battery died so I had to use my son's camera)

This would make a fun (and inexpensive) display in a bedroom and you could include memorabilia, artwork, and photos.

Spool Frames:

I did a TV segment last month on how to make spool frames.

I have made some sets as gifts and they are adored, check the project out.

Now for some yummy displays I found on the web.

Oh my this is lovely, the question is how long would it last at my house?

I like the idea of photo plates, however, you would have to crop very carefully.

The classic wire and clip display is simple and eye catching.

A grouping of these would look so nice, could even be scrapbook layouts. ( I think Layle did this somewhere on her blog)

Simple and vintage single photo holder, how to here.

I leave you with this awesome idea-

pretty unexpected and resourceful.

The big question is, which one are you going to make?

Display It: Day 1, Project Intro

Display It

Wow- how fun to be blogging here at WCS- fun to share with all of you, fun to include other WCS contributors, and fun to finish a few projects so I could share with you!

Last Christmas I gave my sister a shadow box that I made as an I spy display and game for her and her kids.

Along with the display I gave her a search notebook which listed different objects to find that represented events, milestones, activities, from her life. She loved this gift and I loved creating it.

That experience is what launched the idea for this week's blog theme, Display It. We make beautiful albums and lovely layouts, however, rarely do we place these around our home. I want to encourage you (and me), to create and share memory displays around the house.The schedule for this week is below.

Day 1 Project, concept and gather

Day 2 Photo displays

Day 3 Project, prepare and place

Give.away.day

Day 4 Memorabilia displays

Day 5 Project, layer and display

Feel free to work alongside me and share your tips with all of us. Enough explaining, time to get started!

CONCEPT and GATHER

Concept:

Before you start ask yourself these questions to narrow in on a theme for your display.

• who is it for?
• why are you making this?
• where will it go?
• what do you want to display?
• how large do you want it?

Gather:

Now that you know the why it is time to start gathering goodies to go inside. Print photos, find patterned paper, look for small trinkets, and select embellishments that might fit the theme. Gather more than you think you will need to keep your options open.

A few suggestions for dimensional items

game pieces

trinkets

flowers

fabric scraps

souvenirs

memorabilia

Now that you have your items gathered decide what display product you are going to use. The selection for display products has never been greater than it is now, so make your choice.

Display products on the market that I recommend:

1. Doodlebug Designs offers two different sized shadow boxes, 8" x 8" and 12" by 12"
2. Adorn It has a divided shadow box that I am going to be using for my projects
3. Configurations is a Tim Holtz product that is newly on the market
4. Etsy seller, Selina, offers these display boxes
5. 7Gypsies has a handful of awesome products
6. Maya Road has a trinket display box

What catches your eye? Maybe you have been lucky enough to find a cool vintage tray- if so use that!! Also check your craft stores and framing stores for shadow box and display offerings.

Day 1 Assignment:

• Determine project concept
• Gather photos, memorabilia, and display objects
• Select display box

Come back tomorrow to see some awesome photo display ideas.

The Bee

photo by Mary MacAskill

B is for BOOK

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read." ~Groucho Marx

Wow, it's Saturday already! I hope you've had a great week.

I'm going to leave you with a set of terrific layouts all celebrating the love of books.

The first three are from Mary.

In this one, she documented all of the titles she read in 2009 - a total of twenty-six--impressive! I love the way she used a photo without her face in it. It makes the page feel so universal.

This next one melts my heart. What sweet photos!

In this one, Mary documents her baby's love of pirate books -
 

Monika's older daughter was home sick form school and chose to spend her day in bed reading -

then her younger daughter decided to join in the act, so Monika created matching pages for them. Great use of time and energy Monika!

And finally, Candice created this page to let her son know how pleased she is that he likes to read. That yellow paper with the red title work so well together:

Thanks for joining me this week. And special thanks to all the WCS gals who pitched in to create such inspiring layouts for us. I hope you'll take a chance to document your family's favorite books and the influence they have in your lives. It's been fun!

A book reads the better which is our own, and has been so long known to us, that we know the topography of its blots, and dog's ears, and can trace the dirt in it to having read it at tea with buttered muffins.
~ Charles Lamb, Last Essays of Elia, 1833

B is for BOOKS

"There's nothing to match curling up with a good book when there's a repair job to be done around the house." ~Joe Ryan

Have you ever read the picture book Olivia by Ian Falconer?

My girls and I have enjoyed them for years, they have such a fun sense of humor. But it's the pictures which really make it work. I have loved the two-color feel of them ever since I first saw them, so I thought it would be fun to challenge myself to use those same colors to make a layout:

(Hmmm....for some reason the image appears much more orange than it should.)

It was a blast to make. In fact, it was so much fun that I did it again:

Emily was inspired by this fun illustration by Cate James

to create the layout below. Notice the similar strips across the bottom, and especially how Emily has the photo of those cute girls sticking out into the frame just like the wolf is poking out the window. So clever!

Candice chose to use a favorite quote from a book, the Bible in fact, for her layout about what's most important to her, her treasured family. It works beautifully!

In this page, Elizabeth makes comparisons between her daughter Maddie and a heroine from one of Maddie's favorite series, Nancy Drew. Those two images back-to-back have great impact, don't they?

Now that you've seen how our favorite books have inspired us, it's your turn! Go to your bookshelves, choose a favorite book and think about what you like about it - is it the illustrations? the title? the theme? a memorable character? Let it inspire you. We'd love to see what you create. Upload it to the gallery with BOOK INSPIRED in the title.

"A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face. It is one of the few havens remaining where a man's mind can get both provocation and privacy."~Edward P. Morgan

I'll be back again tomorrow for one more visit,

and the giveaway goes to . . .

Holy Nicholas Sparks' lovers Batman! Who knew so many of you loved his books?

With much cutting and pasting, here is a list of everything suggested:

Favorite Titles:
Pillars of the Earth
The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
Evergreen (Belva Plain)
Wuthering Heights
All's Quiet on the Western Front
The Confessions of Catherine De Medici (CW Gortner)
Cedar Cove series (Debbie Macomber)
Book Amos (Stanley Gordon West)
The Book Thief
The Gift of an Ordinary Day (Katrina Kenison)
Anne of Green Gables
The Time Traveler's Wife
Gone With The Wind
The Art of Racing in the Rain
The Horse Whisperer
The Notebook
Eat Pray Love Nancy Drew
A Swiftly Tilting Planet (Madeleine L'Engle)
Harry Potter
Outlander Series (Diana Gabaldon)
Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
The Girls from Ames
To Kill A Mocking Bird (Harper Lee)
The Help
The Wedding (Nicholas Sparks)
The Witch of Blackbird Pond
The Great Gatsby
Les Miserable
Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë)
Who Moved My Cheese
The Black Dagger Brotherhood
An American Tragedy (Dreiser)
Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand
Catcher in the Rye
Lord of the Rings
Christy (Catherine Marshall)
Water Music (T.C. Boyle)
Hunger Games trilogy
The Road
Shutter Island
Are You There God? It's me, Margaret
Three Cups of Tea (Greg Mortensen)
The Handmaid's Tale
Jennifer Government
Jurassic Park
Stephanie Plum series (Janet Evanovich)
Redeeming Love (Francine Rivers)
Their Eyes Were Watching God (Zora Neale Hurston)
Twilight Series (Stephenie Meyer)

Favorite Authors:
Dan Brown
Kate Mosse
Janet Evanovich
James Patterson
Louisa May Alcott
Julie Garwood
Wally Lamb
Gail Tsukiyama
JD Robb (Nora Roberts)
Ann Patchett
Douglas Preston
Lincoln Child
Agatha Christie
Anne Perry
Francine Rivers
Karen Kingsbury
Jill Kargman
Marion Zimmer Bradley
J.R.R. Tolkien
Umberto Eco
Isaac Asimov
Anne Rice
Sophie Kinsella
Ken Follet
Joanna Trollope
Jodi Picoult
Alice Hoffman
Dan Brown
Terry Pratchett
Luanne Rice
Lisa See
Jeffery Archer
Barbara Taylor Bradford
John Grisham
Mary Higgins Clark
Michel Faber
Steinbeck
John Galt
Walden
Tami Hoag
Deborah Wiles

Favorite Childrens'/Juvenile Fiction Titles:
The Folk of the Faraway Tree
Dr. Dolittle series (Hugh Lofting)
The Railroad Children series (E. Nesbit)
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Zen Shorts (Jon Muth)
Pippi Longstocking series
The Little House of the Prairie series
The Boxcar Children
A Year Without Michael
Wizard of Earthsea
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Winnie the Pooh
Redwall series

Favorite Childrens'/Juvenile Fiction Authors:
Maurice Sendak
Sandra Boynton
Kevin Henkes
Dr Suess
Jordan Sonnenblick

And without any further delay...congratulations to Laura as you are our lucky number today! 

Please email your contact information to us at writeclickscrapbook at gmail dot com so that we may get your new art to you!

Thank you to everyone for taking the time to comment. More books and Kim coming up soon....

give.away.day. featuring ETSY ARTIST MONIKA WRIGHT

We have been so impressed by your deep love of reading and thank you for your title suggestions. Thank you! In trying to reward your commitment to scrapbook about books and reading, we put our (rusty) thinking caps on and it went a little like this...

Books. books.
Words. words.
One page books. one page books.
Ah! Posters. posters.
Full of words. full of words.
MONIKA!

And she said yes! So for our

we are proud to present

i love it all is the etsy shop of our very own Monika Wright. She has created some wonderful wall art filled with words and typography. They are exceptional. She is exceptional.

For our giveaway today, Monika is generously providing one of you with her most popular family rules poster.

Monika didn't want anyone to be left out, so she is also offering a 20% discount off any one item in the shop, before shipping, to all of you! (See below* for details.) This offer is valid through Friday at 8:00 pm EST. Just look at some of the fun items you could save on:

If you would like to be considered for this giveaway, please leave us a comment telling us your favorite author, book, or reading memory. We can't wait to fill our dance cards with your suggestions!

Comments will remain open until 8:00 pm PST and one lucky number will be drawn at random and posted tomorrow. Please remember it is your responsibility to check back and to claim your number by midnight Saturday! Thank you!

*The discount code is SCRAPBOOK. If purchasing through Paypal, send Monika a message, or you may include it in Etsy transaction. The 20% discount will be refunded by Monika through PayPal after confirmed payment. The offer expires Friday, September 24, 2010 at 8:00 pm EST.

B is for BOOK

"Many people, other than the authors, contribute to the making of a book, from the first person who had the bright idea of alphabetic writing through the inventor of movable type to the lumberjacks who felled the trees that were pulped for its printing.  It is not customary to acknowledge the trees themselves, though their commitment is total."  ~Forsyth and Rada, Machine Learning

Have you ever had the chance to meet one of your favorite authors? Jody Dent-Pruks and her son had that experience just few weeks ago. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and Jody created this fabulous layout to help those special memories remain crystal clear. Notice how she used a photo of a poster for the event for her title and a quote form her son for a subtitle.

Angie wasn't quite lucky enough to meet her favorite author, but she did get an email from him! She wrote him about her appreciation of his work, and to her delight he actually responded! How cool is that? She's preserved the email conversation along with a photo of some of his books.

Switching gears now. Do you have a budding illustrator at your house? Maybe some day he or she will be famous. You'd better do as Monika did in these two layouts and preserve those early creative works.

I hope you've gotten some useful ideas today. Tomorrow is give.away.day, but I'll be back on Friday.

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.
~ Charles Eliot