January Sneak Peek #5 (Doubleshot Kit)

designed for the manufacturer's blog...

Our final Sneak Peek for January features one of two lines in our January Doubleshot Kit. Can you guess the name of this paper line? Stay tuned for the full reveal on the website tonight!

January Sneak Peek #4

created for the manufacturer's blog by designer, Jennifer Chapin

And the name and manufacturer of our fourth and final January Flavors of the Month Kit line is.....?

January Sneak Peek #3

created by designer, Lisa Dickinson: from the manufacturer's blog...

Can you guess the manufacturer and line for our third January layout kit?

January Sneak Peek #2

And a line to honor the winter weather...

by Celine Navarro from the manufacturer's blog...

Can you guess which new line is featured here?

January Sneak Peek #1

from the manufacturer's blog

Any guesses as to the line... it will be perfect for January!!

Project Life Reflections

Today I thought I'd share the last page of my Project Life 2012 album.  I used a variety of elements from the December kits.  Basically, anything that fit the grey and green color scheme went down.

Hello 2013

Now that I have finished (Yayyy!!!  SO excited about that!) my first Project Life album, I wanted to share with you some reflections or things that I've learned as well as my plans for 2013.

1.  Week at a Glance:  Although I stuck with this format for most of the layouts in the album, I found it difficult sometime.  Some weeks I had more photos than I could fit on a spread and other weeks I barely had enough.  Because I was working on last year's photos, I would also have a hard time keeping up with the week numbers.  I think I used the same number for a couple of the spreads.  Oops!  My plan for 2013 is to create event layouts for each month.  In other words, I will create however many page spreads that I need for each month.  The title card for each spread will contain a title, the same type of title I would have used on a scrapbook page.  The large journaling card will contain the date.

2.  Process:  When I first started my album, I did a lot of prepping and planning the pages.  For instance, I sketched out pages in a notebook and listed which photos went on the page. 

What I quickly discovered is that the planning was taking up way too much time.  I started printing out all my photos, one month at a time, and learning to just make them fit.  When my kits arrived, the photos were already printer, corners rounded, and inserted into the page protectors just waiting for cards and journaling.  This system also enabled me to work on my spreads over the course of two weekends, usually not back to back either.  I was able to continue this routine for the entire year, despite my full time job, my kids' activities, and my husband being gone half the time. 

3.  Page Protectors:  When I first started this project, I bought the Becky Higgins Big Variety Pack of Page Protectors.  What I found is that I had to force myself to use ones other than Design A and Design F.  Those are my two favorites.  When it was time to buy refills, I bought a pack of all Design A's.  In my 2013 album, I am going to use only Design A.  And the occasional insert.

4.  Memorabilia:  One thing that I didn't do well in 2012 was include memorabilia in my album.  You know, things like kids' artwork, ticket stubs, report cards, cards, etc.  I hope to do better in 2013, but it all depends on how much "stuff" I saved this past year.  However, I am going to be more mindful of keeping and organizing artifacts for 2014.  I am going to use this system for saving everything.

Toni at A Bowl Full of Lemons uses this magazine holder and file folders labeled for the 52 weeks of the year to house all the paper stuff she wants to include in her album.  I am going to simplify her system a bit by having a folder for each month.  Hopefully, having a place for all that paper will make it easier to save.

5.  Corner Rounding:  I rounded all corners in 2012 and was debating whether I wanted to continue doing so in my next album.  After my EK Success corner rounder broke and I couldn't a replacement for it, I was thinking of giving up on the corners.  Having matching arc's is important to me, but finding a suitable tool was not happening.  Until . . . I found this baby.

I found this at Michael's and bought two of them for less than $15.  Yep, I'll be rounding corners again this year.

6.  Backwards and Forwards:  I have enjoyed this system of documenting life SO much that this year I plan to work on my 2013 and 2014 photos simultaneously.  Now that I have one year of photos under my belt, I think I can do it.  Especially since I plan to organize my spreads by months, not weeks.  I'll keep you posted!

Happy New Year!  See you soon with the title page for my 2013 and 2014 albums!

December Sneak Peek #4

And our final December Flavors of the Month Kit Sneak Peek is brought to you from designer, Suzanne Sergi on the manufacturer's blog. And yes, since the layout is digitally stamped with the name of the manufacturer, there is no guessing involved today. The fourth and final December line is Teresa Collins' Santa's List - lots of red and white and kraft and a little bit of bling!

And if you guessed Bella Blvd. Christmas Countdown yesterday, you were right!

Check the website on the 30th for the full reveal of the December kits!

Happy Thanksgiving!

December Sneak Peek #3

Our third December Sneak Peek comes from the manufacturer's blog and was created by their design team member, Jodi Wilton. Any guesses?

Yesterday's sneak peek layout featured products from Simple Stories' December Documented line, so kudos to you if you guessed correctly!

December Sneak Peek #2

Today's Sneak Peek is brought to you from the manufacturer's blog, but the designer wasn't listed. I do love this layout! I'll bet you can guess this manufacturer from the signature style of their papers and embellishments...

And, if you guessed Webster's Pages "It's Christmas" line from yesterday's peek, you were right!

December Sneak Peek #1

Today's Sneak Peek is brought to you from the manufacturer's blog by designer, Jill Cornell.
Any guesses about the name of this line?

"Stash" Challenge Update (Week 7)

Good Morning Friends! Today's blog post wraps up the second round of my "Scrappin' The Stash" Challenge. I got several pages done over the course of the past seven weeks and loved the time I had to reconnect with the memories from the photos and with my "creative-self," which often takes a backseat to my cooking-self or my business-tasking-self or my track/soccer-mom-self. :) I got (4) more pages done this
week, and I find myself within striking distance of having all of my 1999 photos and corresponding memories documented!

Variation on Sketch #6

Kit: 7/13 DS Kit

Photos from 2001

Sketch #2

Kit: 7/13 DS Kit

Photos from 1999

Sketch #2 (in 8.5x11 size)

Kit" 7/13 DS Kit

No photos yet. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with this page in 8.5x11. I just liked the 12x12 layout above and had extra paper, so I created another, smaller version.

I'm still trying to decide how to tackle my personal memory-keeping for 2014 - what size and format for journaling and photo-taking... so I'll be taking a challenge break over the Holidays to ponder and prepare for keeping up in 2014 before I announce my next "Stash Challenge" after the first of the year. Start thinking about joining me in 2014 as we "get more pages done!"

Tammy

"Scrappin' The Stash" Round 2 Total: (20) pages and (12) cards... not too shabby!

Magic Monday Member Steal

This week's Member Steal has a slightly different twist. It is more of a preorder with special pricing through Friday, November 22nd for our quick-and-easy DECEMBER DAILY PROJECT KIT.  If you've ever wanted to try your hand at a December Daily album but wondered how to organize it and how you could possibly keep up, then this just might be the perfect kit for you. Complete with a beautiful red 6x8 red faux leather album, (2) packs of 6x8 protectors and a pack of Simple Stories December Documented Snap Cards, this kit will make setting up and FINISHING your December Daily album a snap! The 3x4 cards included in this pack are numbered 1-25, perfect for using on one page each day. The divided protectors will allow you to easily include 1-2 photos per day with additional space for journaling and embellished cards. You'll love the simplicity, and keeping up will be quick and easy!

DECEMBER DAILY ALBUM KIT: $25.99 (17% Discount!)

(1) 6x8 Simple Stories Snap Faux Leather Album

(1) 6x8 Simple Stories Multi-pack Protectors (10-pack) (comes with album)

(1) 6x8 Simple Stories 3x4 & 4x6 Protectors (10-pack) (perfect for December Daily project!)

(1) pack December Documented Snap Cards

(includes: 10-double-sided 4x6 cards and 28 double-sided 3x4 cards) 

This kit will ship out with your December monthly shipment - and a little bonus information - your December FOTM Kit contains a layout kit filled with additional Simple Stories December Documented papers and stickers if you want to expand your December Daily album with coordinated products.

You can purchase this kit by e-mailing me at admin@scrap-room.comadmin@scrap-room.com or you can order through our shopping cart HERE. (These kits will ship out on December 6th with the monthly shipment.) Orders placed BY Friday, November 22nd will receive the Steal Pricing of $25.99. Orders placed AFTER November 22nd will be at retail price ($31.99)!

ScrapRoom Steal

This week's ScrapRoom Steal consists of (4) different BasicGrey Page-of-the-Month Kits. The regular price of each kit is normally $19.99, but we are offering of the (4) kits below at only $12.00 each. Follow the link to our TSR Store to see the list of kit contents, and shoot me off an e-mail to add any (or all) of these BasicGrey Page-of-the-Month Kits to your December shipment! (Steal prices good for TSR members through 11/17/13.)

Face & Fiction Class Kit: $12.00 (ScrapRoom Steal Price)

True Love Class Kit: $12.00 (ScrapRoom Steal Price)

Lucille Class Kit: $12.00 (ScrapRoom Steal Price)

Aspen Frost Class Kit: $12.00 (ScrapRoom Steal Price)

"Stash" Challenge Update (Week 6)

I know, I'm a little late posting my completed layouts for Week 6. It was shipping week around here, and of course, getting the kits shipped out always takes precedence over everything. :) And now, with the kits all on their way to their happy homes all over the world, I can get back to my regularly scheduled early morning scrapbooking and blog posting! I only got (3) pages done last week, but I've got another 2-pager put together on my scrappin' table, just waiting to be glued and embellished. I was hoping I'd get that one finished for this post, but it will have to wait until next week.

I used the Bella Blvd. All-American kit from the July Doubleshot Kit (love those papers) and some random embellishments from my stash. I used one of The ScrapRoom's journaling card stamps from who know what year (love that too; I'll definitely have to put those journaling stamps in a place where I remember I have them so that I can use them. It made journaling easy and filled that space nicely with something other than straight lines and words.)

Sketch #7

Kit: 7/13 DS Kit

Photos from 2001

And, here's a little 8x8 cutie for my Snapshots album. I only have a few pages left to scrapbook to complete those albums from 2008 and 2009. They are my favorite albums. I have a journaling page on one side, with highlights from the week and one scrapbook page on the other side with a photo or two from the week. I kept up with the journaling all year long and added the scrapbook pages as I found time. (Why oh why didn't I keep up with that every year??? It's because I always wanted to try my hand at 12x12 Project Life, and so far, that hasn't worked for me... Hmm... I'm trying to determine my approach for 2014. Not sure yet.)

Variation on Sketch #1

Kit: 7/13 DS Kit

Photos from 2009

Tammy

"Scrappin' The Stash" Round 2 Running Total: (16) pages and (12) cards

Welcome Guest Designer, Rochelle Spears!

I am so excited to welcome longtime TSR member, Rochelle Spears, to our Design Team as a Guest Designer for the next three months! She consistently creates beautiful pages with our kits, and I am thrilled to be able to feature her work in our Idea Gallery. Rochelle agreed to give us a little "get-to-know-you" interview for the blog, and she sent along a few of her favorite layouts to share with us. For a closer look at Rochelle and her inspiring pages, check out  her blog at www.rochellespears.blogspot.com.

How long have you been scrapbooking and how did you get started?

I’ve been scrapping since 2003. I started when I met my husband.  I wanted to document my life differently then I had before and that brought me to Michaels and my first purchase of an 8.5 x 11 album, a glue stick, glitter, deco scissors and paper.  I scrapped quietly and it wasn’t until a few years later when I decided to search for scrapbook forums that I met one of my closest scrapbooking buddies who introduced me to the online community and the scrapbooking industry. 

 

Describe your scrapbooking style.

This is, by far, the hardest scrapbooking question for me to answer!!  Lol.  I don’t have a specific style.  My style changes depending on my mood, the subject I’m scrapping or the product I want to use.   I love bright colors, shabby chic, messy and playful layouts, and sometimes I love to just go simple and clean. 

Favorite manufacturers and why?

Oh wow!! I have way too many to name, but my all time favorite manufacturer is My Mind’s Eye. I love the quality of their paper and the variety of their designs.  You can always find a collection that works.  Others manufactures that are my favorites are Pebbles - love their bright and fun patterns, Echo Park - great boy collections, Fancy Pants - they have a lot of matching embellishments and super cute collections, and BoBunny.... just a to name a few! :) 

 

Which scrapbook page designers do you admire or who influence your style?

Well, maybe THIS is the hardest question to answer! Lol. There are a lot of designers whom I admire, but the names that come to mind right now are Heidi Swapp, Donna Downey, Amy Tan and Liz Hicks.  Heidi Swapp was one of the first “celebrity” designers I fell in love with back in 2005.  I remember having an opportunity to meet her, and although it didn't happen like it was supposed to, she sent over a signed copy of her book.  I was so very excited!!  To this day, she still inspires me with all of her products and her creativity.  I love the mixed media creativity from Donna Downey and Liz Hicks, and I love the designs of Amy Tan. 

Which scrapbooking and/or crafty blogs do you follow?

I follow a ton of crafty blogs!!  I follow all my favorite manufacturers, a lot of crafty friends, and a few challenge blogs.  I help manage a couple of blogs, Scrap our Stash (challenge blog) and Paper Secrets (online store).  I also run a monthly challenge with my other scrappy friends on my personal blog.  Yes! Love bloggers! :) 

 

Any other tidbits our members want to know?

I am a mother of 5 children; 24, 20, 14, 7 and 5.  I’m a SAHM that spends most of the day scrapping while the kids are in school.  I have a wonderful supportive husband who loves to show off my scrapbooking! I couldn’t ask for anything more. :)

Magic Monday Member Steal & Some New Singleshots!

Happy Monday! We're busy this week getting the November Kits ready to ship out on Wednesday, but I wanted to take a quick minute to post this week's "ScrapRoom Steal." Up this week is a set of (2) WRMK Patterned Paper Packs, featuring the Happy Campers and For The Record lines. The regular price of each of these paper packs is $9.99 per pack, but this week's steal will get you BOTH paper packs (24 sheets) for only $7.99 - that's 60% off of the retail price! If you are a TSR Member and would like to add this steal to your November shipment, e-mail me right away at admin@scrap-room.com.

WRMK For The Record Patterned Papers

WRMK Happy Campers Patterned Papers

Also, for blog readers, below is a Sneak Peek of (4) of our New SingleShot Kits that are being uploaded this week. I'll be adding more SingleShot Kits to the website later today and tomorrow, so be sure to check out the Singleshots Section of our Store today and tomorrow for the best selection!

My Mind's Eye Cut & Paste "CHARM" Collection Kit

My Mind's Eye Cut & Paste "PHRESH" Collection Kit

My Mind's Eye Cut & Paste "FLAIR" Collection Kit

My Mind's Eye Cut & Paste "ADORBS" Collection Kit

November 2013 Kits

Fall is full swing here, and the trees are really beautiful this year, decked out in their finest colors, and we're celebrating the vibrant colors of autumn with our November Kits. They are full of color and texture and variety, while still providing a lot of mix-and-match potential - and they're live! We'll start shipping on Wednesday, so there is still time to add some of the great coordinating add-on kits or individual coordinating items from our store to your November shipment. I will also be adding some amazing new SingleShot Kits to the TSR Store this weekend, and since you're a blog reader, you're the first to know about them. Quantities of SingleShots Kits are extremely limited (sometimes only one of each), so be sure to check out the TSR Store's "New This Month" section to get first pick! If you are a TSR Member, just e-mail me to add anything from our store to your shipment.

So, without further delay, I present our November Kits. Be sure to follow the links and visit our website to view all of the kit contents and see our amazing kits in action in our Idea Gallery. 

November Flavors of the Month Kit

Member Price: $23.95 / One-Time Price: $27.00

November Project Life Kit: $17.99

(Club is full; e-mail us to get on the Waiting List!)

November Embellishment Add-On Kit

Member Price: $12.00 / One-Time Price: $13.00

November Patterned Paper Add-On Kit

Member Price: $7.00 / One-Time Price: $8.00

November Cardstock Kit Add-on Kit

Member Price: $7.00 / One-Time Price: $8.00

November Stamp Kit: Pink Paislee Icons Sentiments

Member Price: $6.00 / One-Time Price: $7.00

November Doubleshot Kit

Member Price: $15.00 / One-Time Price: $17.00

Project Life (or card) Sketch

Hi there ScrapRoom peeps.  Aphra here today to share another Project Life sketch with you.  I used the sketch as the basis for my title card for my Week 47 spread, but you could just as easily use it to create a card or for creating a title area on a layout.  

 As you can see, the basis of the sketch is a polaroid die cut.  I used the one that came in my Jillibean Soup Flavors of the Month kit.  If you don't have a pre-made, you could use your square punch to create one or you could cut one on your die cut machine.  The other shapes on the sketch are simple ones that you could duplicate with your punches or die cut machine as well.

 Thanks for stopping in today.  I hope you are able to use my sketch for one of your projects.  Happy Scrappin'!

"Stash" Challenge Update (Week 4)

Good Morning, Scrappin' Peeps! I am happy to report that this has been one super-successful scrappin' week for me. I got a whopping (7) layouts and (8) cards made, using my sketches and my photos from 1999 and 2001, and I had a blast! I'm figuring out what works for me right now, and I am totally lovin' my layout-creating process.

While I've landed on some key "this-works-for-me" things over the past several months that you've heard about repeatedly (pre-selected sketches and pre-selected photo groups), I have continued to struggle with a consistent time slot that works for me. Guess what I discovered this week - that 5:30 AM is the perfect time slot for me to scrapbook! I have become a morning person over the years, so I thought I'd try starting out my day with some scrapbooking to see how that would work - and what do you know - it worked! I get up at 5:00 AM, brew myself a hot mug of fresh coffee  (and tidy up the kitchen while I'm waiting for my coffee to brew). I head down to my scrapspace in the basement by 5:30 and have an hour to work on layouts before anyone else in my house wakes up. It's enough time to really get into a layout, but not so much time that I don't get anything else done. It is bliss, and I am really starting to look forward to that creative hour by myself in the morning.

And, while I got (7) pages and (8) cards done and totally used up the entire November Doubleshot Kit this week, I'm only going to share one of the layouts with you today. I'm saving the rest for the big reveal of the November Kits on the website tomorrow. So, consider today's "Scrappin' The Stash" update this morning your final sneak peek at the November Kits. This one is from Echo Park Paper's So Thankful line.

Sketch #1 (This was a fun one!)

Kit: 11/13 DS Kit (Sneak Peek)

Photos from 1999

Tammy

"Scrappin' The Stash" Round 2 Running Total: (13) pages and (12) cards