Sneak Peek #5: Jillibean Soup Happy Campers (DS)

"2013_08_02  Project Life" by Theresa Sovacool

"Smores, flamingos, cute campers - oh my!" -- Bean Talk

Sneak Peek #2: Echo Park Paper Here & Now (DS)

"It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This" by Theresa Sovacool

"Here & Now is full of bright colors, word bubbles, chalkboard and trendy elements. The stickers are playful with every-day memories themes. There's lots of graphic and trendy elements - feathers, arrows, banners etc. It also includes a nod to Project Life with a sheet each of 4x6 and 3x4 journaling cards." -- The Scrap Review blog

Listen To Your Kit

Well, look at it anyway.  Take a good look - it might just inspire you to try something different than you had planned!

The August Doubleshot kit had a few elements in it that really grabbed me.

Now, I have a weakness... call it a fondness... for office supplies.  And when I saw this rolodex card chipboard sticker in the American Crafts Mayberry kit, my whole layout just spun out from this:

 

I cut paper to look like a file folder and added in paper clips, staples, tabs, and stacks of paper - I wanted this page to look like a work in progress, a pile of papers and pictures that had been tucked away in a folder and was just rediscovered.

When I was down to just scraps left of Fancy Pants Wonderful Day, I wanted to make a few cards.  And since this kit was full of arrows of all kinds... I decided to just go with the arrow theme and had a lot of fun with these gift cards!  The base cut is a Silhouette pattern and it didn't take much to finish them off.  A heart, some twine, and a few more arrows and I was done in an instant.

Sometimes it really is easier and faster to get more pages (and cards!) done if you don't think about it too hard.  Just listen to your kit.  You'll love where you end up!

- Theresa/Savi

Scrappin' the "Stash" - Inspiration

Hey, all!  Theresa here... just wanted to share with you how I'm playing along with the Scrappin' the "Stash" Challenge here at The ScrapRoom!

As you know from following along here on the blog and on Facebook, Tammy has challenged herself to use what she has (pictures and kits), with sketches in hand, and time set aside every day.  Tammy has also encouraged us to all look at this wonderful hobby and make it work for ourselves and the time we have.  I *love* this idea.  Heck, I love anything that keeps up scrappin' and happy, to be honest.  I think getting our memories recorded is some of the most fulfilling "stuff" we can do in our spare time.  (Can you believe it?  Pawn Stars doesn't actually need me to watch them... hahaha!)

So here's how I've been inspired...

My problem isn't actually getting myself to scrap... if I'm home and have the pictures.  Since I really can't quit my job (with the recently added travel) and I really don't want to stop going on vacation (no, nuh-uh, no way!), I needed a way to keep the paper mojo flowing while on the road.  Oh, and I really needed to set my foot down and keep up with the photos.  It is seriously hard to do Project Life without pictures.  LOL

Theresa's Scrappin' the "Stash" Rules:

1. Order photos every Sunday evening.  This is a task I hate, but with only a week at a time to work with?  Easy peasy.  Whether it's one photo or 35, it's a pretty manageable chunk.  
2. Create a go-bag with card making supplies in it.  You know how Tammy has a pile of sketches for her challenge?  I have one go-to card pattern that I love (here's a great tutorial).  And it gobbles up kit scraps like crazy - which leads to the final rule:
3. Kill kits.  As many as possible!  Which means that my older kits and my kit scraps are getting consumed quickly.  Which means more space... for more kits.  YAY!  I sure do love the paper...  

So, how's it going for me?  Pretty well, actually!  I love receiving my photos weekly... and having them ready and waiting for me in their PL pocket pages is super motivating (and I can work on whichever page I want - that's some nice freedom, too). 

And so far I've made this boxful of cards on business trips and vacations:

I've sort of started up a little "card ministry".  My church keeps a list of members that are no longer able to attend services in person - and I'm working my way through the list, sending a card or two as time permits.  I love being able to combine my love of scrappy supplies with a way to spread some happiness and cheer!  *big smiles*

Oh, yeah, and I've killed 13 kits this way.  WOW.  And yes, I need to get over to the Message Board and record those kills in our tracking thread.  While I do that, enjoy this final look at my Fancy Pants Swagger kit... from our last camping trip:

I think he's inspired by the "Stash" challenge, too!  LOL

- Theresa/Savi

The ScrapRoom Sketch: August (and a Winner!)

Feeling like getting a little scrappy today?  Well, why not?  We've got a great sketch and a great prize to motivate you!  Tammy has another versatile sketch to help you get more pages done - check it out!

August Sketch by Tammy Harp

"Tuckered Out" by Tammy Harp

"Summer Smiles" by Jennifer Moore

"I Heart Summer" by Melanie Call

"Halo Burger" by Theresa Sovacool

Whether you follow the sketch exactly or just let it guide you with paper placement... we want to see what you've created!  And if you do?  You've got a shot at $10 to spend at our TSR Store.

This month, our winner is kissmevodka with this layout documenting the truly important things in life... among them, time with friends.  *love*

"BFF" by kissmevodka

Congratulations, kissmevodka! Please email Tammy at admin@scrap-room.com with your name, address, and the name of the contest you won. She'll get your prize to you right away. Happy shopping!

- Theresa/Savi

P.S.  Don't forgot to link up your layout in the comments below!

Sneak Peek #3: Fancy Pants What A Wonderful Day (DS)

"Halo Burger" by Theresa Sovacool

"A bright, sunny, cheery line that will make your summer photos POP off the page...it's just as fun as the fun you'll be having this summer!" -- Fancy Pants blog

Sneak Peek #1: American Crafts Mayberry (DS)

"Wild Flowers" by Theresa Sovacool

"Mayberry highlights the simplicity & sweetness of a neighborhood summer. Floral patterns, strawberries, cherries, bicycles, and pinwheels are brought to life in brilliant shades of cornflower blue, golden yellow, blush, and pistachio green. Pour yourself a glass of chilled lemonade and indulge in Mayberry." -- American Crafts Studio Blog

Photo-less Scrapping

Sometimes I have events to scrap about but no pictures.  And sometimes I have paper I want to use but nothing matches (yes, I'm one of those matchy-matchy scrappers *wink*).  The Bella Blvd kit in the July Doubleshot was like that for me.  Around here, if I take a picture of anything, it's either orange, safety yellow, brown, or pink... not so much red, white, or blue!  And I did consider taking some of those photos and turning them black & white, but for me, colors are part of the story.  So what to do?  Well... back to the first thought:  scrap an event that doesn't have pictures!

On 10/10/10, one of the topics on the Message Board was to list 10 things that defined your life at the time.  So I did... and I snapped a screen shot of it and saved it for just the right page.

Oh gosh... only 32 posts!  Awwww, I was just a baby MB'er.  LOL

And here's what I did with this and the Bella kit:

So the next time you have paper you want to use but nothing matches... or you want to scrap an event that's important to you but there's no pictures... Grab yourself a ScrapRoom kit and get to work!  Sure, a picture may be worth a thousand words, but I'll argue that any memory will trigger about that many words, too. 

Want to see more examples?  Check out some more of my pages (you can always click on them to see them bigger).  I love looking at these now.  And yes, the words alone trigger enough memories to make me smile!

I'd love to see any photo-less layouts you come up with; share them below!

- Theresa/Savi

July ScrapRoom Sketch... You Know You Want To

Not much for a subliminal message, is it?  LOL  But seriously, this sketch is completely awesome and I made a page in less than hour with it (which is like a miracle for me, just so you know).  If you want to get more pages done (and who doesn't), check out this sketch:

July ScrapRoom Sketch by Tammy Harp

"2nd Grade Swagger" by Jennifer Moore

"Video Game Ninja" by Theresa Sovacool

"Happy Easter" by Melanie Call

"Hello Freaks" by Tammy Harp

Okay, seriously... this sketch is your friend!  Take three blocks of color and just add some photos (or maybe just one), a title, and a little sprinkle of embellishments, and you've got it.  And if you just take one your TSR kits... you've got three different patterned papers and the sprinkle of embellishments already.  Yep, just another way we make it easy to get more pages done!

Once you've got *your* page done, link it up in our comment section below, and one lucky someone will win some TSR cash... and this month, our winner is Rebecca Geile with this totally hilarious look at everyday life in the Geile household... pants optional!

"Dressed for Success" by Rebecca Geile

Congratulations, Rebecca! Please email Tammy at admin@scrap-room.com with your name, address, and the name of the contest you won. She'll get your prize to you right away. Happy shopping!

- Theresa/Savi

P.S.  Don't forgot to link up your layout in the comments below! 

Sneak Peek #4: Teresa Collins Summer Stories (DS)

"Finally Stuck" by Theresa Sovacool

"I was inspired by my daughter Gentry's upcoming Summer wedding. I wanted a line that was could be universal in theme, but would be a beautiful mix of Summer colors.  I decided to do yellow for sunshine, summer and to "catch" the feel of all things pretty." -- Teresa Collins

Sneak Peek #2: Bella Blvd All American (DS)

"Things That Define My Life" by Theresa Sovacool

"All American is my debut patriotic collection; you’ll be seeing stars in the July sky this summer as scrapbooking and paper crafting stands united with All American!" -- Bella Blvd Studio blog

Tips & Tricks: WRMK For The Record

I learned a few things while putting this recipe card layout together, so I thought I'd share!

(Wait, have you seen our recipe cards?  You can access cutting instructions and photo sizes used - getting more pages done doesn't get any easier than that!)

The first thing I learned is that 12x12" paper doesn't fit in my printer.  I know, right????  LOL  I'm so used to doing 8.5x11" pages that printing my journaling is just one of those things I don't think about.  I loved the WRMK just as is, so I didn't want to cut it up just to make it easier to work with.  Except... I *could* cut it up if I was careful!

The first thing I always do, especially if I'm going to print my journaling right on the paper, is lay out my pictures and figure out where the journaling will fit.  Sometimes I just measure it, other times I'll make a few light pencil lines.

I cut the paper right along the line WRMK gave me.  *grin*  You can see I have a few pencil lines drawn for my journaling space.  I knew it would get confusing if I cut up the paper and tried to remember which edge was what without the guides.

I journaled and printed onto some plain printer paper.  Next step is to tape the good paper on top - I use a lightbox, but a window works really well, too!

I sent the good paper (taped onto the printer paper) back through the printer and taped it all back together.  You can see the pencil lines really helped me line things up!

And this little date/title block?  Oh, I could hand-write in there... but that totally freaks me out!  My brain can't handle too much handwriting (I think it's because I'm a control freak *wink*).  So I did the same trick here:  cut out the element, printed up some journaling to fit, and then printed on the block. 

Back in place.  You can't tell, especially once it gets put into a page protector. 

The other thing I learned is that sometimes things happen that you *can't* control.  GASP!  I know, right????  My pleated cardstock strip is an example of that.

I intended to just sew one nice straight line of stitches through the center of the strip.  Well, I got it, sort of, but my machine was making this horrible noise and it was eating thread like crazy.  And I was a little annoyed.  I got a bunch of beautiful variegated silky thread for Christmas and it was just whizzing off the spool!  I turned over the paper and discovered that the tension was really messed up and made this amazing loopy texture.  Hmmmm... that would look really cool on TOP of my page...  So I turned the page over, crossed my fingers, and sewed near my first sewn line.

And it worked!  And I have no idea how to do this again on purpose.  But I'm glad I ran with it - this ended up being one of my favorite pages of all-time.

Oh, and the photos?  I don't have Instagram (maybe I'm one of the last people on the planet?) so I downloaded a free app named Pixlr-o-matic onto my desktop.  Tons of fun filters and effects!  And you can turn your rectangular photos square, too!

Hope you are inspired to try something new - or to turn a stumbling block into a jumping off point.  You may just love what happens next.  *big love*

- Theresa/Savi

Sneak Peek #2: Pebbles Lakeside (Doubleshot)

"NSD Life" by Theresa Sovacool

"Spend a day at the lake and sing around the campfire at night with Lakeside, a new collection from Pebbles. Icons of canoes, wildflowers and camping gear in forest green, salmon pink and brilliant blue are grounded by organic brown and chalkboard black. Complimented by gingham, polka dots, woodgrain and florals, Lakeside is ideal for remembering sweet, summer days spent outdoors." -- Pebbles blog

Project Life Pictures...

Are you doing Project Life?  Or maybe something like it?  Are you a huge fan?  GREAT!  I'll share my picture taking method with you to keep you going if you need some inspiration.

Are you a Project Life hater?  Did you try and fail?  Or are you staying far, far away from all the stress and drama of having to take a picture every day?  Well, I won't promise to change your mind, but if the picture taking thing was the issue, maybe this post will help you, too. 

(Wait.  I just used the "fail" word.  There's really no such thing as a "fail" in scrapbooking.  I know this is true because I have NEVER heard of the scrapbook police coming to take someone away.  It just doesn't happen.)

THE NUMBER ONE PICTURE TIP:
You have to use your camera to get pictures.  So if that fancy-dancy camera is too honkin' huge or fragile to go places with you, stick that point-and-shoot or phone in your pocket.  Insist on using that fancy-dancy camera?  Then get a camera purse or camera cozy and take that baby everywhere!

THE NUMBER TWO PICTURE TIP:
You have a perfectly fantastic life and it is NOT boring or dull or stupid.  It is silly, touching, hilarious, annoying, messy, dirty, beautiful, and REAL.  So take a picture of it.  Whatever it looks like to you.

BUT THAT'S THE PROBLEM... I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO TAKE A PICTURE OF!
Everything!

NO, REALLY.
Really.

There are many websites out there that have photo prompts, but I tend to just imagine the conversation in my head about "here's what happened to me today" (or "you will not believe what's going on here!" if it's been that sort of day...).

Imagine your bestie says to you, "So, what happened with you last week?"  I bet you can rattle off a bunch of things.  The baby puked on your sweater.  The dog ate your shoe.  You saw a rainbow.  Your son practiced trombone.  There was a fire alarm and fire trucks at work.  You made an amazing meal (hey, you want the recipe?).  Your dad sent you a completely random picture.  The laundry was piled *up to here*.

Yes, my dog really did eat my shoe.  I threw my shoe away, and then remembered it would make a great photo.  So I dug it out of the trash and set it next to him.  I swear all I did was ask him, "What did you do???" and he gave me this great pathetic shot.  Yes, it'll be in my Project Life pages before too long!

Okay, it doesn't look like much, but the family RAVED.  And asked for seconds on... salad?!?  Okay, so that has to be recorded for all time (as well as how I made the dressing - better be able to repeat that, right?).  Chicken pilaf, salad, yogurt/fruit coming to a Project Life page near you!  Um, and maybe to my dinner table tonight.  Now I'm hungry...

You thought the fire truck at work thing was far-fetched?  Hey, that's life, right?  And look at me, I have a camera with me wherever I go!  I figure I spend an hour in the car every day and most of my waking hours at work.  That's my life.  And with that in mind, I snap a lot of pictures of what I see out the car window or what I'm doing or seeing at work.  So, yeah.  Fire trucks at work!  Project Life, baby!

I will be the first person to tell you my life is not that exciting.  But it is *my* life (and my family's life), and that's what makes it special and precious - and worth recording.  So maybe you still don't want to do Project Life.  That's just fine.  But maybe you'll want to take a few more of those daily life photos?  That's also just fine.  And awesome.  *big smiles*

- Theresa/Savi

The May ScrapRoom Sketch... and Winners!

You've been eyeing the sketch on the sidebar for a few days now, I'm sure.  I now declare this sketch challenge officially "open"!  This sketch is brought to you by TerryB., our Message Board Moderator, and as usual, the DT rocked the challenge:

May ScrapRoom Sketch by Terry Boyer

"Spread a Little Sunshine Wherever You Go!" by Brenda Carpenter

"We Love This Place" by Theresa Sovacool

"Splash 'n Slide!" by Melanie Call

One photo or two, right-side-up or spun upside-down, however you want to use this sketch is fine with us!   Give it a try for a chance to win a $10 gift certificate to The ScrapRoom Store.  Just link up your take on our sketch in the comments below. 

And speaking of winners...  

The March Sketch Challenge winner is Cynthia B. with this layout which documents a surprising, "awwwww"-inspiring moment aboard a cruise ship.  Love the colors of this one (and the adorable little towel animals)!

"Towel Animals Gone Wild" by Cynthia B.

Our National Scrapbooking Day winner is Rebecca Geile with this tone-on-tone celebration of her husband's birthday.  Love all those circle embellies and layers (and the dinner)!

"Birthday Fun" by Rebecca Geile

Congratulations, ladies! Please email Tammy at admin@scrap-room.com with your real name, address, and the name of the contest you won. She'll get your prize to you right away. Happy shopping! Don't forget to link up your sketch layout for your chance to win a shopping spree next month. Good luck, and have fun with it!

- Theresa/Savi