Scrapbooking Tips

TIP TIP TIP

I love using CHIPBOARD LETTERS on my titles!

These are so inexpensive and easy to apply.

However, some of them can be rather large

so fitting an entire title of big chipboard letters

into one title would overwhelm my photos.

I like to use only ONE chipboard letter to begin my title.

The other letters in my title can be created with

stamps, stickers, or diecuts (as I've used here.)

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TIP TIP TIP

Stumped on embellishments?

Slap on a sticker or two!

I don't always match every single aspect of my page.

As you can see here, these stickers

don't coordinate perfectly with the other page elements.

That's okay.  The little orange fish pops and looks adorable!

In Love Half My Life...

My Best Friend and I have been together now for

nearly TWENTY YEARS

and I want to surprise him with some fun lovin'

the week of our celebration.

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I've created this fun little "pop-out box"

that will explode when he opens it.

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Once open, this cute little exploding box

will contain a sweet sweet message...

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along with some of his favorite sweets!

I plan to make some of his favorite "cookies"

(I know... very appropriate, huh?!)

and place a couple of them on top of the little card.

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Then, of course, I will treat him to lunch!

Aren't these papers and cards just adorable?!

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My sweetie's favorite cookie...

CLEAN COOKIES

1 box cake mix

(any flavor, but his favorite for this recipe is white or yellow)

4oz whip topping

1 egg

Mix all together.  Roll into 3/4"-1" size balls.

Roll in powder sugar.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

YUM!

My son calls these "clean and dirty cookies" because

the chocolate ones look "dirty" and the white look "clean."

he he he.

"Pop-Out Valentine" at Lavender Sentiments

You seriously HAVE to join me

this Thursday at Lavender Sentiments

this Thursday at 6:00pm

to create this adorable Valentine card!

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When folded, it looks like this "sweet heart" pictured above.

When opened...

POW!

It explodes into this amazing 12x12 bundle of hearts!

And it is so fun and easy to create!

You will love the pattern!

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Along with the "Pop-Out Valentine,"

we'll also create this 2-page 12x12 spread

of lovey dovey goodness...

 

I hope to see your "sweet heart" there!

Blessings!

Scrapbooking Tips

TIP TIP TIP

Along with one of last week's tips

about using STICKER LETTERS

to speed up the scrapbooking process,

this week's tip is about sticker letters as well.

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What to do with all of those left over letters?

COMBINE THEM.

Create a title using two to three different colors

(and yes, even two to three different styles)

of sticker letters.

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With Cheerful Sympathy

It seems I've been having to make

so many sympathy cards lately.

I thought I'd take a break from

the usual "lovely" floral design I usually create

and try a more cheerful look.

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Here is wishing you and yours a "cheerful" day!

Scrapbooking Tips

TIP TIP TIP

You ready for this one...

DO NOT BE CREATIVE!

Yes, I can hardly believe those words came from my mouth.

If you know me personally,

you know this is not something I would usually encourage.

Hear me out on this one.  he he he.

There are so many amazing designers around!

Let them create for you!

COPY COPY COPY!

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Sometimes I will create from a skeleton sketch

(such as the ones you see on Triple the Sketch or Page Maps)

and sometimes I will create from a finished page of someone else's.

My paper and embellishments can be completely different.

My placement of those items can be exactly the same.

I get so many pages completed using this tip!

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TIP TIP TIP

"Stick to it!"

Using sheets of sticker letters really speeds

up my scrapbooking process.

I actually prefer to STAMP my titles because

I can create a much more eye-catching title with stamps.

However, since I have SO MANY photos

I'd like to have in albums and

very little time to get them there,

I need super fast techniques to speed the process.

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When I am scrapbooking multiple pages at one time,

I will use the same sticker sheet on many of my pages

(especially if the theme is the same.)

This may seem a bit boring to some scrapbookers

but again, I'm going for speed.

And let's face it, when my family members

are looking at my albums long after I am gone...

the great great grandkids aren't going to notice

that Granny used a certain lettering system over and over.

he he he.

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Scrapbooking Tips for the New Year

In 2010, I plan on scrapbooking much more than I use to.

I LOVE scrapbooking!

It is such a fun way to remember!

I've also decided to share some scrapbooking tips

with you, my friends/readers.

Not that I am an expert on scrapbooking by any means...

these are tips that encourage me to preserve memories

in a way that enrich not only the lives of my own family members

but of those I know and love as well.

How can I resist sharing with YOU?!

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TIP TIP TIP

Top loading albums are my favorite ablums to use

when I preserve photos into a scrapbook.

These albums give you the chance to "go back"

and add, take away, or rearrange pages if you need to.

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I have created scrapbook pages within hinged albums

only to end up finding a few photos that were misplaced

or were chronologically out of order.

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Top loading albums make my scrapbooking

chronologically easy to stay "on track" with scrapbooking.

Hinged albums are very nice.

I personally prefer top loading albums

due to the reasons stated above.

  

TIP TIP TIP

I can save money and card stock by utilizing

BOTH SIDES of my scrapbook page.

Notice the base of these three pages is

a bright orange card stock.

My first page (titled "fun and games") is actually

the reverse side of my second page (untitled.)

NOTE...

This technique can only be performed

when my pictures are in chronological order

and I know for sure I have no other pictures to add within the

time frame of the pictures I am working with at the time.

Celebrating through Scrapbooking

Our family had such a fun time celebrating

the New Year with dear friends.

I believe God blessed us specially this year

to celebrate with long-time friends

as well as new ones.

If that is a sign of what's to come for 2010,

I'm already grateful!

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I am very excited to get my photos developed

for my 2010 scrapbook page!

I used an MOSD intricacy sheet & stick ons

to make my page lively and fun

(which is exactly how the celebration went!)

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Here's to wishing you 2010 blessings

(and even more than that!)

Happy New Year and the winner is...

Congratulations, Shirley!

You've won my BLOG CANDY!!!

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Thanks to everyone who dropped by to comment.

It's so fun to see where everyone is from

as well as check out other blogs and blog candy.

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Enjoy your new toys, Shirley

and

HAPPY NEW YEAR

to everyone!

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Lavender Sentiments Valentine Class

Sweet... indeed!

Join me at Lavender Sentiments Scrapbook Store

Thursday, January 28th at 6:00pm

 as I show how to create these two sweet 12x12 pages

and a "pop-out" Valentine greeting card.

Check back soon to see the "pop-out" card.

Call Lana to save your spot...

945-0790

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May your "sweet heart" be blessed!

Festive Favorites-Mini Album of Recipes

One of my favorite traditions about the Christmas holiday season

is all of the yummy yummy family recipes!

I decided to create a little mini album full of all of our favorites.

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I used the Mini Flip Cover 2 Cover acrylic album from

MOSD.

(Psst... Lavender Sentiments lovers...

talk to Lana about getting some MOSD goodness in the store.)

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As you can see, the front and back covers are acrylic pieces.

I love how my the fun colors and patterns of my pages

show through the acrylic panels!

The pages of the album come in thin but sturdy card board.

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Covering each page was a cinch!

I cut my patterned paper to measure

the same width as my album page.

Then I cut it the length I wanted it so that it would

fold up without getting in the way of my three punched holes.

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The little inside piece that holds my recipe

measures a perfect square so I can easily fold it in half.

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I used my Stampin' Up! punches to decorate my tags.

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I tried to keep the majority of my recipe on the

inside portion of my tiny card stock.

I wanted the outside to be saved for some

fun fact about the recipe.

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I used regular paper clips embellished with some

lovely Stampin' Up! gingham ribbon.

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The Mini Flip album by MOSD

comes with the three holes punched and black rings.

I switched out the black rings for some red ones.

Festive, yes?!

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Once I trimmed my patterned paper to size,

I adhered it to the album page

and trimmed the excess so my corners were rounded.

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I used my own handwriting but

you could always use a computer font if you prefer.

I personally love handwritten recipes.

Those are ones that are usually "tried and true"

so you know they are going to be oh-so-yummy.

Not to mention, I enjoy how seeing people's handwriting

makes our memories recall that very person.

Isn't it true?

When you see your mother's handwriting,

don't you immediately think of her?

Or when you see your best friend's handwriting,

aren't you flooded with cherished memories?

I love that!

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I sponged my tags as well as my recipe cards

 to coordinate with this fun and yummy patterned paper.

Creamy Carmel was my ink of choice for this task.

It always gives such a warm and lovely "warn" look.

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The chipboard sticker pieces coordinated with the paper.

If you know me at all,

you know I am a sucker for coordinating paper crafts.

That is one thing I love most about Stampin' Up!...

everything coordinates!

Makes things so much easier.

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This will be my last post for the year.

I plan to take the rest of the year

and simply enjoy it with my family.

Be sure to check back in on January 1, 2010

when I have a brand spankin' new

MOSD

project for you to check out and be inspired by.

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Until then,

I wave good-bye just like this adorable little snow person.

he he he.

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Merry Christmas!

And may the true Reason for the season

open your eyes to the depth of God's blessings.

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THE END

(for now)

Why I love mini albums...

I love mini albums because...

1. they are super fast to throw together!

2. my photos are IN AN ALBUM!

3. they are so cute laying around my home!

4. they make quick and easy gifts!

5. they "theme" my photos nicely!

6. I can scrapbook ANY of my photos ANYTIME!

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This is an album I created with

MOSD's "Perfectly Shaped" pages within

the "Build a Book" series.

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As you can see above,

my album is a looooong album.

After easy assembly, it measures 6x12.

Here is how I did it...

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I used clear packing tape to bring together

two Perfectly Shaped pieces.

This ends up creating ONE of my album pages.

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For extra support, I added tape to both

the front and the back of my finished long page.

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Some tape may stick out from the edges.

I simply trimmed this excess away.

After securing each of the pages,

I then covered them with patterned paper.

If there were edges that showed,

I used a sanding block to quickly sand them away.

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I kept the spine of my album uniform

with the same Perfectly Shaped

("Tabbed") piece from MOSD.

This made it easier to bind with the Spiral Binding Rings.

Then I used a different Perfecty Shaped piece

for each page of my album.

This creates that eye-catching layered look seen

in each of the photos shown here.

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Mini albums are so fun to create!

Be sure to sign up for the Vintage Retro album

at Lavender Sentiments Scrapbook Store!

More details here...

http://dancingwithstamps.blogspot.com/2009/11/tuesday-december-15th-class.html