Write. Click. Scrapbook.

Maximize your stamps Day 3 Home decor projects

It´s time for some home decor inspiration all made with the digital version of the "Eat more cake" stamp set from Kellie stamps.

For my home, I like to add simple designs that I can make myself. And it doesn´t get any easier than with a digital stamp! For this poster I simply opened a WORD document on my computer and added the "it´s your day" stamp from the set to the document and centered it. For a little more interest I added a border around the actual image (also in WORD) before printing it. I printed on A4 paper, but I am going to also be printing this on a larger paper size later. Here I have just added some washi tape to attach the poster to my wall. Doesn´t it look fresh and fun?!

Here I have added the same poster into a simple easy frame and put it in two different places in my home just to show you how nice it looks in a frame too!

Kim made this lovely banner with the digital version of the stamp set. 

Besides using digital stamps as photo overlays or bases for journal/filler cards, there are bound-less ways to use these modern, amazing tools for memory keeping. I also created this 'Celebrate' banner. After downloading the whole word,  I split each letter into its own file so it would be easier to maneuver them in my online Cricut software. Enlarging each to about 6 inches tall, I electronically cut each letter in pink and also it's shadow in a darker shade to add depth. Attaching to a white square of cardstock, the short pentagons on bottom part of the flag in stripes and dot grid gold, add just the right amount of accent to this all purpose banner. From birthday parties to everyday instances we commemorate,  it's a welcome addition to our house party decorations!

I have one more quick and easy project to share. These cute flags are so cute to add to a bouquet of flowers as a hostess gift or to a houseplant too.

I just printed a few of the sentiments aligned to the left to have room to fold them in half. Then cut them in strips and cut the little banner edge, folded them in half and with double sided tape I attached them to a grill stick.

See? Quick and easy is my middle name! Well maybe not easy :)

 

What would you make?

A week of sketches Day 1

Hello! Welcome to a new week and a new theme. This week we are working with sketches. Today I am going to show you one sketch and how I worked with it.

For me, sketches are a great help to get started with a project. I first had a hard time with them and it would usually help me to see a finshed layout to be able to either lift it and/or be inspired by it. But the more I scrapbooked the more confident I became in my own style and then I thought it was eaiser to use sketches. 

When I first started to prepare for this week, I thought I´d maybe make a few sketches myself. But then I stumbled over the Big Picture class Start with a sketch and Jen Chapin share so many fun sketches. I just picked two of my favorites! I´ll share one now and one a little later this week. Note: This is not the sketch from the class! I have done one based on the sketch.

Here is the first sketch I picked out. It jumped out at me because it uses the elements I usually would use on a layout. A very linear design with the option to use more than one photo is what appeals to me. 

Here is what I did with the sketch! Since I don´t scrapbook in a 12x12" size I didn´t print my photos in squares, but rather 3x4" so it would work with my 8.5x11" size. As you can see I opted to use two photos instead of using all four slots. I think it would be fun to do a series or perhaps family photos too. Instead I used patterned papers for two of the slots. For this layout I had some longer journaling that would not fit on the actual page, so I did what I usally do when I end up with this "problem"; I typed the journaling out and just tucked it behind the layout in the page protector. 

Jennifer H also played with the sketch and I love her page! Using tape for the photos just makes me happy! And I love that she has those colors pop out from the top and bottom. 

 

Ok, so feel free to get inspired and if you do anything with the sketch please share in the comments so I can come see it!

Have a great day! 

Lisa

 

Click.

 

Welcome to February´s edition of Click. 

While going through the latest gallery I happened upon Diane´s page . First, I am so doing a page like this! Second, I love the grid those squares make. So today let´s talk about a few creative ways to get griddy with your photos!

Link 

 I browsed Pinterest and found the photo above. They had used a big cardboard box to take each photo and then added everyone together to form this collage. I think it is a very clever and fun way, isn´t it!

 

But if you are like me and won´t be buying a TV or something else big enough to come in a huge box, here is another way! The different pocket page protectors that comes with a Project Life style makes it easy to do this. Like what Elise Blaha Cripe did here. Just take portrait photos up against a white background, be a little creative with where you look and then when you insert the photos. 

I made a different version. I used an app on my iPhone called Pocketbooth to take photobooth photos. 

This makes an instant grid. Here is how I used them on my layout!

 

I love that we are so goofy together! Oh, and that #love card is by our Francine that is making one journaling card each day of February and share them all as downloads on her blog!

I also wanted to share a great blog post from Paislee Press. They shared how you can take photobooth-like photos with your regular camera, and make it cute! 

 

Have fun! 

 

Lisa

 

 

 

Finding your Mojo Online.

My kids like to tease me about being "older than the internet." They can't quite grasp what it must have been like to function without the world at their fingertips. They think that it must have been torture. Wanna know a secret? I tend to agree with them! I'm pretty addicted to having access to information & inspiration 24/7. Like most of you, I turn to the internet when I find that my mojo is lacking. After the usual stops - write.click.scrapbook (duh!), my favorite scrappy blogs, & Pinterest, I've got a list of sites that never fail to get the creative juices flowing...

COLOR - Despite my affinity for kraft cardstock, I do love color! I adore finding a fresh & inviting color palette that I can use in my crafting. A few of my fave colorful sites...

Creature Comforts - simply GORGEOUS inspiration boards - a great source for colors & patterns. 

Pantone - since I work in cosmetics manufacturing, I always have a Pantone book by my side. The Pantone site is a great resource for color trend & color combinations!

DeGraeve - Need a little help matching colors to images? Check out this site! You'll need to upload your photo to an online storage site (Flickr, Photobucket,etc) so that it will have a URL assigned. Input the URL, and DeGraeve will show you what color palette matches the image. Brilliant! (ColorHunter offers a similar tool)

TYPOGRAPHY - Who's addicted to type/text/fonts? I'm totally raising my hand. Clever use of type can make a title just jump off of your scrapbook page. Check out these sites for inspiring type treatments...

Wander - Such awesome typography & graphic treatments!

TYPEInspire - Want more typography mojo? Typeinspire is a great source for clever use of design and type.

FOOD - Huh? What does food have to do with scrapbooking? So much! The staging of food photography is endlessly inpsiring for me. I love studying the use of texture, color, and pattern. Okay, and yes...I also love to eat. A couple of yummy food blogs...

Sweet Paul - Download the Sweet Paul mag, and enjoy! (oh, and search back issues for the crab risotto cakes. Delish!)

Tartelette - my first love when it comes to food photography. Simply divine!

Now it's your turn to tell us...

Where do YOU find inspiration on the web? 

Please note - the blog images used above are borrowed for inspiration only. Full creative credit goes to the blog owners. They just rock my socks off. :)

 

Summer Reading

Vivian here to talk with you today about summer reading: thoughts, ideas, and reading-related projects. School has been out for a week and a half already in our neck of the woods, so summer reading is already very much on my mind. The kids have made lists of the books they want to read this summer and we've visited our local library and signed up for their summer reading program. I also printed out copies of the Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Journal and the kids have started to fill those out. (Free books people, free books. Just sayin'...:))

Last summer I made summer reading lists for my kids to fill out and they loved them. So...I decided to make lists for them again this summer:

These were super easy to make. I started by choosing three of my favorite fonts (Dock 11, Pacifico, and LD This and That), typed three words, and added a numbered list with blank lines. After that I dug into my stash to find reading-themed patterned papers. I changed the colors of the words to match the patterned papers and printed the lists out on white cardstock. I added a 1.75" wide strip of patterned paper at the top of each list and a .75" wide strip of patterned paper at the bottom. Done! I already know I'll have to make each of my kids a second list (and, hopefully, a third!), but that will be easy as I've saved my template.

After making the lists I had all of this lovely patterned paper strewn across my desk, so I decided to create some layouts about the summer reading experience thus far:

 

Okay, now that I've shared some projects, here are some summer reading ideas, some reading and scrapbook-related, some just reading-related:

1. Read to your kids. Have your kids read to you. Take pictures while you do this (or have someone else take pictures) and use them on a scrapbook page.
2. Write stories, or get your kids to write stories, and then read your stories to each other. (If your kids aren't old enough to write, write for them and then have them illustrate their stories.) Create a no-photo layout using one of your stories in place of a photo.
3. If you haven't already done so, check to see whether your local library offers a summer reading program. If they do, sign up! While you're at it, check to see if there are any special summer events. I bet there are! (Even if they only have summer reading programs for kids, no one says you can't play along as well, even if you're not eligible for prizes!) While you're at it, check with your local independent bookstore(s) to see whether they offer a summer reading program and/or any summer events. Take pictures while you are there and signing up and make a layout about it, or, better yet, a mini-album including a page for each book read across the summer.
4. If you have a Barnes & Noble near you, go back up to the top of this post, download the Summer Reading Journal, and get started! (Remember how I said "free books" up there?)
5. Read these two blog posts I've written across the last few months in which I recommend books for children: Cool Books for Kids, Round One and Cool Books for Kids, Round Two.
6. Use reading as travel. Pick a country you've never been to (or a state, province, region, etc.) and look for a book that provides an overview of that country and a cookbook with recipes from that country. Travel by reading, looking at pictures, and cooking and eating. To round out your experience, see if you can find a work of fiction set there as well and/or a book designed to teach basic phrases in the language spoken there. You could even make a flyer, or have your kids make a flyer, to announce/advertise your "trip." Take pictures of your "trip" and make a layout or a mini-album about it.
7. Don't get hung up on fiction. There's so much more out there! Pick up a biography, a colorful encyclopedia with great illustrations, a how-to book, an atlas, etc.
8. Tie reading to family movie night. Pick a book that's been made into a movie and have everyone read the book before watching the movie. Vote on whether the book or movie is better. Complain about how they are different.Take pictures of everyone reading the book and watching the movie and create a layout about the experience. Don't forget to include the voting results and/or a list of complaints!
9. If you have a reluctant reader, or an emerging reader, encourage him or her with incentives. Check out the coupon pack I made my reluctant-reader daughter last summer. (She is now a voracious reader. I'd like to think the coupons helped with that. :))
10. Stop before reading the last chapter or the ending of a book. Write your own ending. Read the actual ending and compare it with your version. If you have time, write your own sequel. Take pictures of the writing process and make a layout with a pocket to hold your ending or your sequel.

Whatever you do with books, papercrafting, or books and papercrafting this summer, have fun!

scrapbook!

Welcome to Scrapbook! Saturday. Are you glad to be back to the land of scrapbooking? Thank you, again for spending your week with me!

 

This week, we are loaded with goodies. A sketch by Donna, a design challenge, and a printable! Scrapbook Saturdays are the best!

 

February Sketch

Donna has created a sketch for us based upon her layout in the gallery. Here it is.

And for those who prefer, we have again created a layered digital template for you to download and enjoy! You may download it here.

 

Design Challenge

Did you notice how many layouts this month contained lists? Whether randomly scattered, listed in a column, placed inside a design element, or created with visual cues, there are many ways to write out a list of items. This month, especially, lists seem appropriate and helpful.

 

Printable

A couple of music things for your pages. Enjoy!

You may download it here.

 

Here are my challenge layouts:

1. February Sketch

I changed it up a little, squaring off the tipped photos, and switching up their sizes a bit. I tried to leave the photos askew but I just couldn't!

2. Design Challenge

Lists. Such an efficient way to journal.

3. Printable

Here is my layout using one of the elements from the printable.

Thanks for stopping by!! Before you go, I wanted to let you know about some fun things going on at reneepearson.com.

First, this weekend they are running a contest to win a seat in Molly Newman's new class. Here's the skinny.

Want to win one of three seats in iShot That, the iPhone photo class by Molly & Jim Newman? Then you want to participate in our iShot That Twitter Contest. All you have to do is:

1. Go to their contest page and answer the question, “What’s your #1 iPhone photo subject?”
2. Follow @reneenews and tweet about the contest.

The contest ends this Sunday. They’ll announce the winners on Monday, February 20^th.

 

Next, there are two new classes open for registration.

• iShot That by Molly and Jim Newman  -  Start date February 20 
• It’s Elemental by Tiffany Tillman  -  Start date March 12

 

Please take a minute to stop by and visit Renee's site to see the class descriptions and details!   

 

We hope you enjoy the sketch and printable; please remember they are for personal use only! That's it! Three more challenges to help get your ideas moving and those pages finished!

Have a great week! I'll be back next week!

Love week | day 4

"My Darling, Darling I love you madly!" That is what my sister said to me when I was very young and the nickname stuck. To this day all my relatives (grandparents, dad,mom even my brother-in-law!) calls me Darling :) My nieces and nephew talked about Darling at their kindergarden and when I went to visit not long ago, their teacher said: Oh, YOU are Darling, we thought it was a cocker spaniel :) hehe...

Today on my last day of blog hosting, I thought I would share a few ideas for Guerilla Love. What is that you ask? Well, let´s just say it is a very fun way of spreading love and goodness around you. I have followed Patience Salgado on her blog kindnessgirl.com for a while now and I love how she gives example after example of how kindness changes everything. Her latest mission was to suprise the garbage collectors with a thank you note. I have been known to do a little Guerilla love myself :) It is simple really: leave a note in a library book, put a heart on a mirror or chalk up a sidewalk. 

 

Before Christmas I made these small envelopes and made them really pretty. Inside I tucked a little encouragment message for whomever would find it. I found some awesome free printables at a blog called Kind over Matter  there are a couple of downloads that are cards you just cut out and you can use them in Guerilla loving! Go check them out! 

 

Another place I have found lots of ideas is Color me Katie . For example she painted hearts on rocks and placed them in the cracks of a pavement "I made sure to fill some cracks in the sidewalk with the rocks for people who feel so low they just can't look up." How sweet is that?!!

 

Sherri from the blog Families are Fun! made this simple craft with her kids and had them put up the magnetic smiley caps to share smiles around town. 

 

There are so many small things that you can do to share the love with others this Valentine´s Day or anyother day for that matter! To get you started, here is a short list:

leave messages in library books or books at the bookstore

leave cookies or other treat for you postman/woman

leave new (or old ones you have read) magazines at waitingrooms

leave a note in someones pocket before they leave home

write a message on the bathroom mirror (we do that all the time!)

write a message on the street with chalk

I could go on forever! And don´t forget to include your children, it is such fun thing to do together! 

 

I will leave you with this sweet video from Patience with a great project to do on Tuesday (Valentine´s Day! 

 

Thank you all for a LOVEly week!

CHA Armchair Attendee Week: Write. Click. Scrapbook. Team Members' "Must Haves"

Welcome to the last day of CHA Armchair Attendee Week! I hope you've enjoyed our week this week - I had a lot of fun checking out all of the sneak peeks, pics and video from the CHA show floor, and sorting through all of that to find the key trends I shared earlier this week.

For today's post, I (Vivian) asked Write. Click. Scrapbook. team members to tell me what their top "must have" is from this set of CHA releases. The only parameter I set was that they had to choose a product from a manufacturer whose design team they are not on. Some team members had an easy time doing this and were able to instantly name a favorite. Others took some time to think it over. Some of us had a really hard time and listed more than one product since our top "must have" was, in fact, a tie amongst several "must haves." Some are still thinking about it. Some lines were pretty popular amongst the team, as you will see below.

Without further ado, here, in alphabetical order by team members' last names, are our "must have" products:

Francine Clouden: Studio Calico Abroad Thickers and Alpha Stickers

Paula Gilarde: Crate Paper Storyteller Collection (especially the chipboard)

Donna Januzzi: Simple Stories Documented Mix & Match 6" X 8" Album

Vivian Masket: Dear Lizzy Neapolitan Date Stamp and Echo Park This & That Charming Collection

Lisa Ottosson: Pink Paislee Prairie Hill Collection (12 x 12 papers)

Christa Paustenbaugh: Crate Paper Storyteller Collection and Dear Lizzy Neapolitan Collection

  
Diane Payne: American Crafts Amy Tangerine Sketchbook Collection, in particular, the Remarks Pigment Stickers (the set at the far right)

Katrina Simeck: Lily Bee Double Dutch Collection

Celeste Smith: Studio Calico Abroad Collection (the papers, in particular)

Amy Sorensen: Bella Blvd Sopisticates Collection High Five Alphas

Emily Spahn: Heidi Swapp Instaframes and Bella Blvd Designer Tape

Keshet Starr: October Afternoon 9 to 5 Collection and Studio Calico Take Note Collection

Erin Sweeney: Studio Calico Classic Calico Vol 2 (especially the chevron mask and the washi tape) and Take Note Collections and the Crate Paper Storyteller Collection

 

Feel free to share your "must haves" in the comments below - we want to know what's caught your eye, particularly if we've missed seeing it!

I hope you've enjoyed CHA Armchair Attendee Week here at Write. Click. Scrapbook. this week! I don't know about the rest of you, but I can't wait until some of this new product hits stores!

CHA Armchair Attendee Week: Trends, Part III

Vivian here, welcoming you to Part III of the CHA trends report. Today we're going to take a closer look at trends in the types of products offered. (If you missed Monday's and Tuesday's posts, Monday's focus was on pattern and motif trends, and Tuesday's focus was on theme trends.) A reminder that I'm not aiming to be comprehensive in these posts; instead, I've chosen to comment on a few big trends to give you a taste of what's being released at this show. Today I'm going to focus on just two trends.

Our first product trend is one that I thought had already reached its apex, but I have clearly been proven wrong. Banners, flags, pennants, and garlands are everywhere! As I've done the last two days, I am going to share with you where I'm seeing the unique takes on this popular trend.

First up is Epiphany Crafts' Pennant Shape Studio Tool, which creates epoxy pennant shapes (click here to see a video of it in action):

Bella Blvd's new flag embellishments, which come in a huge variety of themes, are another fun take on this trend:

If you are interested in decorating your own flags, Maya Road's Kraft Flag Pins offer a great blank canvas option:

Another twist on this trend is the ready-to-go garland, like these two from the American Crafts Dear Lizzy Neapolitan line:

 

One more for this trend that I feel compelled to share...pennant buttons from the My Mind's Eye Follow Your Heart collections (look at the bottom row of buttons in each set):

On to the second trend for today: washi tape. Wow. There's a lot of it out there. A lot.

Let's start with Queen & Co's six different sets of Trendy Tape, which I feel safe in saying offers something for everyone:

Aly sent me a photo showing the fun way these tapes were displayed in the Queen & Co booth:

Bella Blvd's Designer Tape comes in two different widths:

Crate Paper is offering Decorative Tape as part of both its Storyteller and Pretty Party lines:

October Afternoon is also offering washi tape, like these tapes that are part of the 9 to 5 collection:

I could go on and on here, as there's lots more washi tape out there, but hopefully the images above give you a good sense of the variety of tape that's being released at this show.

What do you think of these product trends? What other product trends are you noticing? Leave a comment and let us know.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for our weekly give.away.day. I'll be back with you on Friday to share write. click. scrapbook. team members' "must haves" from the CHA show.

Welcome to CHA Armchair Attendee Week!

Welcome

Welcome to CHA Armchair Attendee Week! I'm Vivian, and I will be your host this week. As most of you know, the Craft and Hobby Association’s winter trade show is taking place this week in Anaheim, CA. Companies that manufacture craft products  -- including our beloved papercrafting products -- show their new releases in booths visited by retailers, who place orders for the new products. Lots of other folks figure into the mix as well, as craft publishers are represented, design team members help to staff booths, and celebrities usually figure into the mix. (I still have my piece of Paris Hilton scrapbook paper, signed when I met none other than Paris herself at CHA a few years back. Rumor has it that our own Marnie Flores may cross paths with Tori Spelling this time around.) 

I’m not at CHA this year, but have been having a lot of fun following all of the hoopla online and am excited to share some of that fun with you this week. Here’s the plan for this week:

 Monday: Introduction and Trends, Part I: Patterns and Motifs

Tuesday: Trends, Part II: Themes

Wednesday: Trends, Part III: Products

Thursday: CHA give.away.day. (yes, that’s right, as in goodies straight from the show floor!)

Friday: Write.Click.Scrapbook. team members’ “must haves” from CHA

 

Introduction

Getting on with our introduction…some of you may be wondering what it means to be an “armchair attendee.” How can you “attend” the show if you’re not there? Well, here’s my process.

• In the weeks ahead of the show, I regularly frequent websites that compile manufacturers’ sneak peeks. Most manufacturers “sneak” their new releases prior to the show via their company’s blog/website, Facebook, Twitter, etc. and that can be exhausting to follow without the aid of websites that do the work of compiling sneaks for you. Three good websites for this are Scrapbook & Cards Today, Scrapbook Update and The Scrap Review. Each presents the sneaks a little bit differently: Scrapbook & Cards Today provides clickable links by manufacturer, Scrapbook Update provides a clickable list by date of sneaks, and The Scrap Review blogs sneaks as they appear.

• As I look at sneaks, I make sure to check out both official product images as well as any projects showcasing the new products. Often a line or a product that doesn’t grab me at first looks different when I see it on a layout or a card.

• Once the show starts, I watch online for photos and videos from the CHA show floor. Not all companies do sneak peeks or extensive sneak peeks and seeing new products together with projects made with them in the booth can inspire. You can try searching #CHAshow on Twitter, check magazines' and manufacturers' Twitter feeds/Facebook pages/blogs, or follow targeted CHA forums (like the CHA Winter 2012 forum at Two Peas in a Bucket or Studio Calico's CHA forum).

• Most important, I make my wishlist! That was made much easier this year by Pinterest. I started a CHA Winter 2012 board and every time I looked at sneaks I pinned ones that grabbed my attention. (Don't worry, I won't buy it all!)

 

Trends, Part I

Now let’s take a look at trends in patterns and motifs. I am not going to attempt to be comprehensive here, but have selected three trends that have caught my eye and will share those with you. Beware, lots of images forthcoming!

The first trend I want to share with you is chevron. Chevron patterns started appearing recently in scrapbook products, but they have really taken off with this show. While chevron up until now has been primarily a single color chevron stripe paired with a neutral, this time around it seems to be “chevron with a twist.” Let me show you some examples.

This paper from Lily Bee's Buttercup line features a text-print chevron pattern:

This paper from My Mind's Eye On the Bright Side line features a fun multi-colored chevron pattern:

How cool is this quilted chevron from Pink Paislee's Prairie Hill line? When I first saw this sneak I had to stare at it for a bit to figure out all that was going on here!
Let's move on to look at another trend: clouds. I don't know about you, but cloud patterns just make me happy. I'm seeing a lot of patterned clouds this year.

This fun paper from GCD Studios' Oh Happy Day line features chevron clouds.

This sticker sheet from Echo Park's Hello Summer line features three different patterned clouds - one with a text print and the other two with different grids:

This piece of paper from Bella Blvd's Sunshine & Happiness line combines polka dot and chevron clouds with solid clouds, some with tiny hearts:

This paper, from My Little Shoebox's Happy Go Lucky line, features polka dot clouds, clouds with a doodle swirl pattern, and, while it's hard to tell from the sneak image (one of the limits of being an armchair attendee!), I think some of the clouds have text:

One more pattern/motif trend that is popping up all over the place: honeycomb/hexagon.

I first noticed this trend with these two stunning papers from the My Mind's Eye Follow Your Heart collections (note that these papers also follow the quilted trend that we saw earlier in the Pink Paislee chevron pattern):

Another interesting take on this trend are the Jenni Bowlin Quilted Stickers, which come in four different designs:

Hambly also has an interesting take on the honeycomb/hexagon trend (and more chevron!) with one of their patterned cardstocks:

 

I could continue commenting on pattern/motif trends and pasting examples here for days, but hopefully this will give you a taste of what's out there and coming to stores soon.We'd love to hear from our readers - which of these three trends is your favorite? What other patterns and motifs are you seeing across sneaks?

Stay tuned for tomorrow's Trends, Part II, which will focus on product line themes seen across companies.