Thursday, January 31, 2008

Terri's Favorite Books

I have been wanting to create an album about my favorite books for a long time, and here is one of the reasons why (I am sure some of you can relate). As I get older, I think about my legacy and what my children will remember about me. My children know me inside out in my role as their mother, but I think at some point they will wonder about other aspects of my personality. I believe the things I love say more about me than I could put into words.

Reading has always been a big part of my life, and I hope this little keepsake of books I love will give my children, and some day their children, some insight into me, and hopefully they will have an opportunity to enjoy these books the way I have.

I've included just a few pages from this album, but I think you can get the idea. The left page is my personal thoughts about the books, and the opposite page shows the book cover.
















Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Jana's Favorite Things

I was so excited about this challenge. There are so many little things in my daily life that seriously make me smile. It was fun to make a little book to celebrate them. :) Thanks for taking a peek!






Monday, January 28, 2008

Use Your Pen!

One of my favorite ways to add detail to my pages is also one of the easiest . . . by using a pen! I know, I know. It can be intimidating at first. Believe me! I use to clam up just thinking about doodling on my pages, but once I practiced a little bit and learned a few tricks, it was easy!

A simple way to add doodling is to outline a few of your page elements. Add a border around a scalloped piece of paper. Add a line around a photo. You'll be amazed at the subtle detail it adds and the way it makes each piece POP! off the page.

Here I layered a thick line and a thin line for some added fun! Add a personal and artistic touch to your page by creating your own design elements. On this page of my daughter I doodled a cloud-like scallop border to frame her photo. I also drew a few flowers, cut them out, and used them to decorate my page.
The scallop border is easy. Use a pencil to draw a rectangle the size you would like your border to be. Remember making those fluffy clouds on your pictures in elementary school? That's exactly what you do! Don't worry about making them all the same size. Just play and have fun with it! Now, go back with a permanent marker or pen and trace the pencil lines you made. Erase the pencil and then cut out your design. You are ready to use it to frame your photo!
Ready to make some flowers? One of my favorite places to find doodling inspiration is from children's items . . . clothing, bedding, home decor. These flowers are from a home decor item from "The Land of Nod". You can even use one of your doodled shapes as a journaling block!
Create the flowers the same way you made your scalloped border. Draw your design in pencil first.
Next, use a permanent black marker to trace the lines. After you've erased the pencil, you are ready to color your designs. I used Prismacolor colored pencils, but your children's pencils will work great, too! I used a colorless blending pencil to make the color look more even. Another fun way to color in your designs is by using watercolors. This is where the permanent marker comes in handy. If you use a water based black pen to trace your designs, they will bleed when they come in contact with the water, so just be aware. Another fun place to get doodling inspiration is straight from your scrapbook papers! These flowers were copied from this sheet of Imaginisce patterned paper.
Use your design on your pages, or create a fun card! Here I outlined the floral design in the 7 Gypsies patterned paper to give it a different look.
Use your pens to outline your letter stickers. I do this a lot! I love that it gives me a completely different look, and it's quick to do.

Last, but not least, use your pens to add your handwriting to a page or project. It's a great personalized touch that will certainly be treasured.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

So Much Love 4 you



I told you to be on the lookout for more stitching from me! This photo looks blue here...not so blue in real life. Anyway, I used paper and the tag from the daisy d's chasing butterflies 8x8 pad, Hambly from the Passionate kit, blue and cream bling blossoms, chipboard circle from Scenic Route, lace from Melissa Francis, and the felt pieces are both from Fancy pants...one from the Christmas pack, and one from this pack.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Totally You



So this is my first venture with 2 new things. the first new thing is the Tim Holtz Chipboard. I totally ripped off Jana on another LO and trimmed my heart so it had an inner opening (thanks Jana for the inspo!!). Then I painted it. This is fun stuff. Very easy to work with!

The second new thing I did was the stitching. I tore into my new sew mini and went to town. WHAT WAS I WORRIED ABOUT?? Super easy and fun! Expect to see a lot of stitching from me in the future!

Supplies I used include Daisy D's Chasing Butterflies 8x8 papers, Making Memories lace along the bottom, Tim Holtz Grungeboard, Making Memories paint, and Rub on frame from this pack of Daisy D's.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Ashley's Top Ten

Here's my take on the favorites album (click on the pics for a better view):



Sunday, January 20, 2008

Noel's Favorite Things...

Here's my favorites mini album. of course these are just a few of my favorite things. I used the BG keyplate mini album. When I first saw this shape I thought "how can I do anything with this??"...but I LOVE how this turned out! Email me if you have any questions about specific products used! Most papers are from the Gingersnap kit and all the embellishments are carried in the store.