Wednesday, December 31, 2008

This is the way I need to wake....

I love love love this song by Joshua Radin called "Sky." I can relate to it so well.

After being married for 9 years, the lyric,

"Sometimes I forget to love you like I should, but I'd never leave you, no, I never would"

resonates with me. It seems like you can get into a rut and you don't always remember in the daily routines to show your significant other how much you love them... but when it comes down to it- they are the one you want to wake up next to everyday.

If you'd like to listen to the song, you can hear it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qNxbTmc4IM
(Everything but the tulle comes from the Love Story kit.)

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

A Whole New World

Noel has issued a new challenge, to incorporate a love song into your LO. I took the challenge quite literally and included the lyrics to my wedding song. Yep......it IS the theme song from the Disney movie, Alladin. I was married in 1993, and this was a popular movie at the time. While creating this LO, I read the words again, which I hadn't done in many years, and realized that the words ARE really perfect! Marriage IS a whole new world, and to be honest, I wouldn't have wanted to go on this journey with anyone else but this man.


I used Noel's newest kit, Love Story. (Which is already sold out) I did add the vintage lace and the black glittery thickers from my stash. (Although the Thickers were purchased at Noel's store too!)

Head on over to the Challenge Blog and see what the other gals have created!!!








Monday, December 29, 2008

Embellishment Ideas for Boys' Pages

Several years ago I was sitting at my table working on a scrapbook page about my son. I had my basic design constructed and was ready to begin embellishing my page. I remember feeling frustrated at the products I had in my stash and the items available at the scrapbook store. I felt like everything was geared more towards girls . . .the colors were girly, the shapes were girly, embellishments were mainly flowers, ribbons, trims, fluorishes, scallops, jewels, glitter, etc. I felt like screaming, "Where is all the stuff for boys?!" The scrapbooking industry has come a long way since then, but at the time I began making a list of embellishment ideas that I could refer to whenever I felt stuck for an idea for a boy page.

Here are some of those ideas.

Overall Design and Page Elements

Use Masculine colors. Ignore the pattern and go for a color scheme that screams testosterone. :D Browns, blues, yellows, oranges, reds, greens.



These colors and patterns may seem feminine on their own, but combined in a "boyish" color scheme they work perfectly fine for this baby boy page.

Use patterns that are more generic or geometric. Dots, stripes, plaids, checks, diamonds, woodgrain, etc. Use them alone or combine them with "feminine" papers to keep the page feeling more masculine.



Use a Neutral background color. Patterns and colors will seem more masculine when combined on a background of black, white, grey, cream, tan, or Kraft.

Use a large circular element on your page. This obviously works for all kinds of pages, but can be especially helpful when would like to include a large page element on your layout for a boy.

Use office/school inspired patterned papers. Notebook paper, maps, ledger paper, book paper, music paper, invoices, telephone message paper, graph paper . . . mixing these in with your other patterned papers on your layout can give it a more masculine feel.



Distress! Paint splotches, swashes or drips look interesting. Change the color of something by using paint or ink. You can also ink and distress edges of paper, chipboard, etc.. Sand your paper, stickers or embellishments for a time-worn, rustic look. Crumpling. Rolling edges. Walnut Inks. Dyes. Etc. The list goes on and on.

Build your layout on a sheet of cardboard. Pulling off the top layer in spots reveals the corrugated layer underneath adding a great "boyish" feel.

Use background stamps. There are all kinds of background stamps available. Use these to add an interesting layer to your page or to alter something that is typically considered "feminine" . . . like a flower. Imagine a flower with a graph pattern stamped on it! Cool!

Accents and Embellishments

Ribbon. When I think of ribbon, I immediately think of big fluffy bows tied in little girls' ponytails or around a pretty package. But ribbons can be masculine, too! Tie a ribbon in a knot around a photo or journaling block. Tie a length of ribbon in several knots and use it as a border. Weave a length of ribbon in and out of holes leaving the ends loose and cut at an angle. Staple the ends of ribbon to your page for a masculine feel.Pleat it. Fray the ends.



Flowers. Cut the rounded ends of of flower petals for a more spiky flower. Paint it. Grungy them up with ink. Stamp a pattern on them.

Use Geometric chipboard shapes as page accents. You can also arrange them in a grid, or in rows.

Try using a large descriptive word as a page accent. Or how about the date . . . really big! 1/11/2009 A row of numbers is cool, too!



Tags, tickets or bookplates.

Strips of patterned paper. Cut them straight or uneven.

Doodling/Outlining.

Mini Envelopes or a torn larger envelope.

Large monogram or number. Try the person's initial, age or jersey number.

Buttons.

All kinds of hardware . . . hinges, washers, picture hangers, etc.



Metals and Office Inspired embellishments. Brads, paper clips, binder clips, staples, labels, File Folder tabs, safety pins, stick pins, etc.

Try printing out a quote or poem to fill that empty space.

How about a bunch of messy stitching to add that final touch?

Bare chipboard. Or give it a messy coat of paint.



Zig-zags and ric rac.



Arrows, leaves, trees, stars, animals, bugs, tools, etc.




I hope this gives you some new ideas to try! If you have any other ideas, I would LOVE it if you would share it with us in the comment box, so I can add it to my list! ;)

Happy Scrapping!
Jana

Love is Long



"Life is short, but love is long." That is one of my favorite quotes from a song by Peter Rowan. I've been wanting to use that song line for a long time now, and the current LOVE SONG CHALLENGE here at Noel Mignon was the perfect reason to get it done! :D I used a mostly the Extra Credit Add-On kit with a few pieces from the Homeroom Kit. Head on over to see what the other designers did and to play along!

Have a great day!
Jana

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Getting My Canvas On



So I am addicted...what can i say? Since I did my first xmas Canvas I knew i had to do another one. This time for my mom. The Winter Kit (sold out) came in handy for this. These are soooooo easy to make. It really is only about a 2 hour project from start to finish!!






Yep yet another canvas... I used the chipboard deer and owl from the Love Song (sold out) kit for this canvas. The papers are from my stash as well as the ribbon. I used pop dots to give the canvas a bunch of dimension. I was inspired by here. From the moment I saw that i KNEW i had to do something similiar. I just loved it.

Be back next week with some more stuff from the Love Song kit but until then if you leave a comment on this post I will draw a random winner to receive a cutout so you can make your own xmas canvas or any canvas for that matter. You will receive the swirl frame, the oval stencil to trace that fits perfectly in it and the "peeking out" tree stencil as well so you won't have to try and free hand it.

You have until Next Saturday (Jan 3)at 12 noon CST to leave a comment on THIS POST to be eligible for the drawing. I will post the winner on my Sunday post.

xo
G

Friday, December 26, 2008

At Last

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Ours was so nice and relaxing. We played our new Wii games, checked out our new toys, ate, and stayed in our PJ's the whole day! Woohoo!
Here's a LO I did with papers from the new Love Story kit. This one is sold out already. But I also added a few other extra goodies including the ScrapWorks Glitter letters, Heidi Swapp clock, Making Memories Journaling page, ScrapWorks applique, and Jenni Bowlin music Rub On.


Thursday, December 25, 2008

Merry Christmas!


All of us here at Noel Mignon want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Here is a layout that I created with our Christmas card this year. The colors didn't transfer on camera well -- but I love it - so simple and fast -- took me 15 minutes!


Wednesday, December 24, 2008

A little "love" for you on Christmas Eve

I know most likely, most of you are rushing around getting ready for Santa to come visit your home tonight, but if you've taken a little break to sip some hot chocolate, catch up on some blogs, and rest for a moment, good for you!

I wanted to share with you a couple of projects I've done with the new Love Story kit (I think it's sold out!).




I made this journal with the AccuCut machine and then bound it by punching with a Crop-A-Dile and using Zutter Bind It All rings. Did you know you could use those even if you don't have a Bind It All? I do this all the time!

(The alphabet stickers are Pink Paislee, from my stash.)

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Love Story....

I can't believe that 2008 is almost over. I know it is cliche to say, but where does the time go? I created this LO using Noel's newest kit, Love Story. I decided to do a year in review, using this amazing kit! Because in a way, this is MY Love Story. My wonderful hubby of 15 years, and 2 great kids! (oh, and my pets too!) It was a lot of fun reviewing all the milestones and fun we had this past year!


I hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas!!! Enjoy your time with family and friends and creating all of those wonderful memories!

Monday, December 22, 2008

All Is Calm (Yeah, Right!)

So is everything calm at your house? LOL! Maybe you are one of those smart people who had all of your shopping finished before Thanksgiving. But if you are like me, you still have a few gifts left to get. Trips to the grocery store for recipe ingredients, cleaning up the house and keeping the kids happy while they are home from school is also on the agenda. ;)

But isn't it fun?! It's great to be together as a family making memories and celebrating the spirit and reason for the Christmas season! :D :D :D

I snapped this photo of my daughter the other night and had to scrap it right away. I used the Winter Weather kit along with some felt flowers, lace, and Making Memories Puffy Letter Stickers from my stash. (Sketch by Ally Cope of So Sketchy)



I hope you had a fun weekend! Mine began with laughs and giggles at the Noel Mignon Holiday Cocktail Crop. Thanks to all of you for such a fun night! Here is the layout I did for my Do or Dye Challenge.





Enjoy your Christmas week and take LOTS of photos!
Holiday Hugs to You!!!
Jana

Mini Book from scratch

I figured since Christmas was around the corner you could whip some of these up for a little happy to someone. this was inspired by these cute Kolo albums.

For this I am using the new "Love Story" kit which can be found here. There is only 3 left in stock so if you wnt one i suggest you get it now.

The only supplies you will need for this is:
* Cutting mat
* Cutting tools (eyelet setter or hole punch, craft knife or trimmer )
* Stapler
* Ruler
* Bone folder ( or whatever works for you to make good creases )
* 1 piece of 4.5 x 12 paper
* 3 pieces of 4 x 5.5 printer paper
* Ribbon




1) Take your 4.5 x 12 piece of paper and fold in half lengthwise. Sharpen crease with bone folder.


2) Open up your folded piece and fold in from both ends towards the middle crease. Leave an inch space in the middle ( so .5 inches from each side of crease )


3) Set aside cover piece and take your three sheets of 4 x 5.5 pieces of paper and fold in half lengthwise. Flatten crease with bone folder and 'sandwich' them together.


4) Return to your cover piece and mark spots half way from top to bottom and 1 inch from the edge. ALSO, mark spots directly across 1 inch form the spine. You only have to mark either side because you should be able to use your hole puncher and pnch through the layers. if you are using an eyelet setter mark the font and the back.

5) Punch holes in those marked spots. ( Punch all the way through the flaps inside )

6) Take your inside pages and sandwich them inside the cover page

7) Turn it all over flat so the inside is facing the table and staple twice through the spine. This is to secure your inside pages.

8) Take your ribbon and thread through hole (1) from the outside in. Come up through hole (2) from the inside. Re-enter at hole (3) from the outside then come up through hole (4).

i know it might be hard to see but i penciled the numbers. you will start on the right.



VOILA!!

Done in about 10 minutes... easy quick, cute and a great little xmas happy!!

Sunday, December 21, 2008

LOVE SONG


+

This kit is available for pre-order TODAY ONLY!! So head over here to pick it up before it's gone!! Also, if you spend over $60 in the shop today you will get a free package of Thickers of you choice!




Saturday, December 20, 2008


for the current challenge. You have to use the word "believe" somewhere on your layout. There are endless possiblities with this one so I decided to take the funny route. This is using the Cornucopia Kit.

This is a house i did for a gift. I bought a unfinished wood hanger from the Dollar Tre for $1 and painted it with off white making memories paint and used the new Love Song Kit.

This is my current page to my Forward Progress book.
I used the Blue Skies (sold out) for this page which is 9x9 and done on chipboard.

Happy Scrapping