DT Inspiration: Spring Home Decor

Hello there, everyone!  Jenny here.

Ahhh....it's almost springtime! Here in central Texas, we have been having some gorgeous Spring-like weather in the 70s and 80s. :) I love it!

I don't know about you, but the beautiful weather has me wanting to spruce up my home and yard and tackle a few "spring cleaning" projects. With the inspiration from sites like Pinterest, I have been playing with a few home decor projects. We all love using our scrap supplies for layouts and cards, but home decor projects are certainly doable with the lovely items from our TSR kits too! :)

Here are a couple I have created lately:

For this framed wall art, I bought a $3 black divided frame at Wal-Mart and used leftover pieces from the January 2012 monthly kit. Instead of adding photos in the photo slots, I used my papers and embellishments to create 1-of-a-kind artwork. :)

Also using the January 2012 monthly kit leftovers, I created this:

I bought a 3-pack of super cheap little canvases (again from Wal-Mart), and painted 1 of the canvases dark gray. I then punched little hearts out of all my paper scraps from the January kit and adhered them to my canvas. I also added the canvas letter stickers to spell "love." These letter stickers were also included in the kit, so I already had everything I needed! :) I Mod-Podged over everything and let it dry, and then I set the canvas on a cute little black metal easel. This is now proudly displayed on my fireplace mantle.

So, if you are running out of pictures to go with your kit leftovers...or if you just don't feel like scrapping a page or card with your leftover supplies...try out some home decor projects instead! There are tons of super easy and quick ideas out there, and I hope you are inspired to add a little personal homemade touch to your own home. :)

Design Team Inspiration with Aphra!

Hiya ScrapRoom friends! For my inspiration post today, I wanted to share a technique for making your own diecut butterflies. You'll need paper, a pencil, chalk, and a button.

First, cut your paper down to a smaller size and fold it in half. Draw a half a butterfly along the seam. If you think you might need to erase several times, then draw on the wrong side of the paper.

Cut out your shape and open up to reveal the butterfly. You can trim down the butterfly until you like the way it looks.

Ink the edges with a similar but slightly darker-colored chalk. If you don't have a close enough color, you could also outline the butterfly.

Finally, embellish the center of the butterfly with a button or other circular object.

Here's an example of a couple of butterflies that I created for one of my layouts for this month's gallery.

Can't wait to see your big, beautiful butterlies! Happy scrappin'!

A Little Inspiration from Melanie before the BIG Reveal!!

When I was creating my January Recipe Layout, I realized I "needed" another snowflake embellishment. So I decided to break out my dusty punches and use them :). I just layered my plain and scallop circle punches and added a button on top...easy peasy! Can you tell which one I made????

I decided that worked well...why not try it again. For my sketch layout, I wanted to make Captain America's Shield. (Please tell me I'm not the only Mom that lets her boys play with toys at Target then snaps photos.) I just layered circle punches then added a star on top.

Next time you "need" an extra embellishment, I hope you will try to make your own. Plus can you ever have too many embellishments????

**Don't forget...all layouts are due for our Sketch Challenge and Freaky Fast Challenge TODAY!!! Good luck!!

DT Inspiration: Journaling

It's the beginning of a new year, which for me has meant purging and organizing my home. LOVE that! But for some reason I have not been so good about organizing my scrapbook layouts. They are piled up in several stacks in my scraproom just waiting to go into page protectors and albums. I'm determined to whittle away at the pile all this month until it's gone.

However, one thing that has been slowing down the process is that I didn't always include a date on my layouts. (I didn't think it would be months years before my pages got put away.) So I have to go onto the computer and look up the photos to figure out when they were taken. That brings me to another goal -- journal on every layout!

To help me get a lot of journaling on my layouts without taking up so much room, I used my computer to do some journaling. I typed it out in MS Word, cut it into strips, and added it to my layout. I love the turquoise color on this one.

For this one, I used a fun font that looks a little like handwriting. You can find lots of free fonts online. Here are a few of my favorite sites for downloading fonts: ScrapVillage, Kevin & Amanda, Font Space, and ScrapNFonts. And you can go HERE for a tutorial on how to add fonts to MS Word.

Another technique that I plan to try is to print journaling directly onto my die cuts. I just ran across THIS TUTORIAL to do just that. So exicted!!!

Hope you'll join me in adding lots of journaling to your layouts this year!  Aphra

Freaky Fast Friday and a NEW Monthly Challenge!!

Well, hello there!! It's Friday...It's Friday!! Frances here to share my 2nd layout using January's Freaky Fast Formula!!

Again, here is January's formula.....

1. Cardstock or Patterned Paper Background
2. 1-6 1/2 X 9 patterned paper
3. 1-3 X 9 patterned paper
4. 1-1 X 9 patterned paper

5. 1-1/2 X 10 1/4 patterned paper

And here are the steps to completing your layouts using the January formula...

1. Collect a few pics.
2. Cut your patterned paper to the dimensions stated above.
3. Push the paper around your cardstock till you achieve the look you want, or simply copy my layout below!
4. Adhere and EMBELLISH! It is that easy!!

Here is a look at my 2nd January FREAKY FAST LAYOUT...

Beautiful Snow Angel

This layout was created using the Little Yellow Bicycle Winter Twig Kit in the FOTM kit. And this layout came together even quicker than last week's layout! I just love that this formula has sooooo much patterned paper. And since there is so much patterned paper, it makes it possible to add many photos. Gotta love that!! This layout took about 30 minutes! Whoot! Whoot!

And now for our new monthly challenge...you guessed it! We challenge you to use this month's Freaky Fast Formula to complete a layout...EASY! From now on the challenge will be issued on the first Friday of the month and will end on the last day of the month. This month, the last day to submit your layout will be on Tuesday, January 31st. We are now submitting layouts via our Linky System below...don't be scared...it's EASY! Just follow the directions and your project should show up on our blog. Our design team will then choose our favorite, and that lucky lady will win a $10 gift certificate to our TSR Store!

So get busy creating!! Good luck and we can't wait to see your layouts!

Are You a Project Lifer?

Well, are you? Everybody's doing it! It almost sounds like a "Don't do Drugs" Ad! LOL!

It's everywhere...I mean EVERYWHERE! And it is a bit intimidating, don 't ya think? I don't know about you, but I do totally LOVE the idea. Documenting your everyday? Sure sounds fun, right? And if everyday is a bit much for you (hand waving frantically in the air!), you can do a monthly project life, a holiday project life, a anyway you want to project life! Oh the possibilities. I've been thinking about it...and thinking about it...and blog hopping about it...and thinking about it some more. Anyhoo, here are some great ideas I have found along the way...

Oh ME-O My! I love to organize...this little area is a definite reason why I should be a Project Lifer! There is more http://www.marcypenner.com/

And I just love this chickie's Project Life attitude! She just bought some of the nifty pocked page protectors, and she is using her stash! LOVE IT!!

http://lisadickinson.typepad.com/gettin_by/

And this little cutie! At first glance, it kinda makes me a bit hungry for cheese, but I sure do LOVE the sneaky-peaky it gives!

http://www.beckyhiggins.com/blog/2012/01/project-life-getting-started-in-2012/nicole-reaves/

Some people are using Simple Stories. Hey!! That's in TSR's January kit!! Yep, Tammy is sooo with it!

http://mirandasplekkie.blogspot.com/

Some are doing it the good, old fashion way! You can buy the whole-kit and kaboodle from the Project Life Queen, Becky Higgins!!

http://www.beckyhiggins.com/products/

You can go digital?

http://www.jessicasprague.com/index.php?

And there is lots and lots of journaling...hello, you're telling YOUR story!!

http://www.marcypenner.com/?p=6382

Oh my goodness!! This lady is in it to win it!! She has got it going on in her scrap space!

http://michellewooderson.blogspot.com/2012/01/project-life-organizationmy-work-space.html

This lady is just a school Project Lifer!

http://christie.typepad.com/reconstruction/

And if this is all a bit overwhelming and not for you, I have a GREAT alternative...the TSR Month in Review Album!! Did you know we do this? Well, for years now one of our very talented designers has been creating double-paged layouts to fill up a complete Month-in-Review Album!! Melanie, from now on, will be doing the layouts, and you are sure to see layouts with bunches of pictures, journaling, a title with the month and date, and it is completed with TSR kits!!! Whoot! Whoot! Here is a look at a few from the past...

December MIR by Melanie

November MIR by Tammy

Ca-ute!! And certainly a great alternative to Project Life if you don't have the time or the money to spend on MORE scrappy stuff! I just think the point is to DOCUMENT...DOCUMENT...DOCUMENT your memories!!

I would love to know what you think? I'm still thinking about it!

Design Team Inspiration with Jenny!!

Happy New Year, everybody! I hope this year finds you happy, healthy, creative, and with lots of scrappy time. :)

Here we are in the first month of the new year, and what an awesome kit Tammy has put together for us to kick start our creativity! January always makes me think of SNOW, so I did several snow pages with my kit this month.

Speaking of snow....I love snowflake embellishments, but sometimes they are hard to find, and sometimes I just don't have enough of them or they are the wrong size, etc. So, I found a solution to my dilemma!

I was browsing through some of my Thickers and alpha sets and noticed that almost every pack contained little asterisk-shaped pieces along with the letters and numbers. They looked like little snowflakes to me, so I used them on my pages!

On this layout, I used some of the little asterisks from a set of brown puffy Thickers. One is in the center of the snowflake embellishment, one is by the bird sticker, and one is down at the bottom of the page. This created that "visual triangle" that we are always hearing about from the scrap experts:

For my 2-pager this month, I used some white chipboard asterisks found in another set of Thickers. They added just a "little something" to my big white chipboard snowflakes:

On this layout, I used just 1 little brown foam asterisk (also from a pack of Thickers) above my title, just to fill in a little space and add some emphasis to my title:

So there you have it...use up all those little extra asterisk shapes in your stash of alphas this month! They are perfect little embellishments to add to your January pages! :)

January's Freaky Fast Friday!

Well, hello there!! It's Friday...It's Friday!! Frances here to share January's Freaky Fast Formula!!

And here is January's formula.....

1. Cardstock or Patterned Paper Background
2. 1-6 1/2 X 9 patterned paper
3. 1-3 X 9 patterned paper
4. 1-1 X 9 patterned paper

5. 1-1/2 X 10 1/4 patterned paper

And here are the steps to completing your layouts using the January formula...

1. Collect a few pics.
2. Cut your patterned paper to the dimensions stated above.
3. Push the paper around your cardstock till you achieve the look you want, or simply copy my layout below!
4. Adhere and EMBELLISH! It is that easy!!

Here is a look at my 1st January FREAKY FAST LAYOUT...

What a Catch
This layout was created using the Pebbles Fresh Goods Kit in the FOTM kit. And yes, it was really easy to put together. I just love that this formula has sooooo much patterned paper. And since there is so much patterned paper, it makes it possible to add many photos. Gotta love that!! This layout took about an hour to complete because of the embellishing...quick, quick!!

Hope you are having a great Friday! Join me next Friday for another layout using this same formula and a chance to win a prize!! See ya soon!

January Sketch and December Winner!

Hello ladies!!! It's time for our monthly........
Super fun, huh? Well let's get right to it! Here is a look at this month's sketch...

January Sketch by Frances

And here is a look at our super talented Design Team's interpretations...

Captain America by Melanie

Dashing Through the Snow by Jenny

Happy 4 Snow by Frances

Snow Angel by Brenda

Fall Delight by Aphra

What fabulous layouts? It was really an easy sketch to use! Now we wanna see your interpretation of our sketch! You have until Tuesday, January 31st to leave a comment IN THIS POST with a link to your layout. Your name will then be entered into a random drawing to win a $10 gift cert to our TSR Store!!!!

Sound good? Now get BUSY!!!!

Ok, almost finished. First, I would like to thank EVERYONE, once again, for participating in the December Sketch Challenge...hope you enjoyed it! The winner of our December Sketch Challenge is...
BIG CONGRATS Clare!!

Please email Tammy at admin@scrap-room.com with your real name, email address, and the name of the contest you won. She will in turn, email your gift certificate to you. Congrats again, and thanks again everyone for playing along with us this month!

January's Kit!

Christmas is over, it's a new year, and another kit is up at The ScrapRoom! And this kit is full of surprises! It's not your everyday, run of the mill, winter kit. It's a kit with a little bit of everything! Take a look...

January Flavors of the Month @ $23.95

December DoubleShot @ $15.00

Embellishment Add-On @ $12.00

Patterned Paper Add-on @ $7.00

Cardstock Add-on @ $7.00

Happy New Year and Happy Shopping!!

Sneak #5

2011 Ski Trip by Brenda

Sneak #4

Winter Memories by Aphra

Sneak #3

Sorry so late...

What a Catch by Frances