Inchies and twinchies....

Okay so even a seasoned scrapper like me can still learn a thing or three. Yesterday I found a challenge using "inchies or twinchies..." To which I had to ask what the heck is that? Simple, they are various inch by inch and two by two squares that are arranged graphically on a layout. Some of them are photos others are embellished...and now having done one of these 'twinchies' layouts, I can say that is the fun of it. I played with my embellies making various designs for each square. It was plain fun, and I love the results! And just think of the points one could rack up..... SO go on -- its hip to be square!

Angles love Curves

I used to cut every photo into a circle or an oval, just because I could get more on a page that way. At the time I was all about as many photos on a page as I could manage. One of the funniest tales my mother can tell you about me was that when Creative Memories first brought out their glass circle cutter I refused to buy it. I was absolutely sure they would invent something that could cut both circles and ovals and I was not going to be the fool and buy the first tool that came out. Besides that if it could not cut my beloved ovals then it was not worth my time. Of course today we have many choices in cutting sytems, from your basic fiskars to the widely popular cricut, cutting any shape is no worry to us now.
  One of the best things I learned from Stacy Julian was her "angles love curves" lesson. It is good for the eye to mix and match the shapes on your layout. It draws your eye across the page and allows you to "rest" on your focus photos. Allow your layout to be chosen by the "shape" of the focus photos. The photos will tell you what shape they call for, you just have to listen.

Play with words to create interest!

Sometimes all it takes is the right words to inspire a creative layout. Most often all it takes is one point of inspiration, a sticker, a pattern on a paper, a title and you can leap from that point. I was recently reminded of a layout I once did by something someone else posted, and it inspired me. It is amazing where we find our inspiration. So go on play with your words, your titles your subtitles.... it creates interest in the page and will make someone stop and look, which is the whole point of our craft anyway.... right?

$7.99 flowers for close to free

Got your attention didn't I? Look out Michael's, I have discovered I can make your expensive flowers with products I already have.... You have seen them- those gorgeous 3-d paper flowers that come 3-5 in a package and cost $5-$10...well I made my own and it was easy!

1. find a sheet of patterned paper with some kind of small writing or type on it- ie: newsprint, small handwriting, tiny words etc, you know you have some...
2.  find a wide petal flower diecut or punch or whatever you want to use, and cut flowers from the newsprint paper
3.cut the same size, shape and number of flowers from a nice cardstock- a good sturdy one, I used close to my heart white.
4. With scrappers glue, solidly glue the patterned paper flower on top of the cardstock one.
5. Ink the petals and the edges of the petals with the desired colors on ink. A sponge works well, or you can just use the pad  against the edge of the petal. Let dry a little.
6. Run the flowers through an impression machine in an impression folder, like a cuttlebug, or sizzix impressions.
7. Slightly bend each petal up around your finger to give it shape. Let them dry more thoroughly.
8. Stack smaller flowers inside of larger flowers with foam tape for dimension.
9. Finish with tiny pearls for the center.

I thought It was going to be more work than it was worth but I have to say I am very pleased with my results!

 

step up your diecuts!

Anyone who has been scrappin as long as I have, probably has collected billions of diecuts. We carry them around stating that "One day I am gonna use that diecut!" Well that day has come my friend. embellish it, we have the tools, we just need to take the time.
I embellished this layout with chipboad negative letters, an old bow punch, and a diecut from the cricut. The diecuts were embossed with versa mark and glitter powder, and then rolled through an impression machine. Add a little foam tape to give it dimension and voila!
I added a bit of "fun" to the title by using the negative of the chipboard letter set, covering it with the striped paper, cutting out the letter and then adding a square of yellow to the back side of the letter. Then, I used the bow punch on corregated red glitter paper and popped up the bows to bring them to the level of the chipboard.  Cute huh?

Escaping the Alphabet trap!

Sticker letters, chipboard alphabets, metal letter sets all of these can drive you crazy when you try to use them more than once or twice. It's what I call the alpha-trap.... two E's? Really? Have they ever tried to spell Happy Birthday with only one Y? It has forced me to be more creative with my letters and substitute other things for the missing pieces.
Here is a layout I ran into this problem with. I was trying to use the title Home Tweet Home, but alas it seemed no matter what letter set I tried to use I was always missing one letter... SO finally it hit me. Substitution. It worked, quite beautifully I might add. Sometimes you just have to think outside the box.

Cardicapped....officially.

So last night I spent seven hours working to create 4 handmade Christmas cards. Only one of which is even remotely nice enough for me to post here. It's a little embarrassing to me, I can scrap all day and all night but ask me to make a card and I lose all creative ability, I have to copy to create even one that I am half proud of.  Even before I used sketches to boost my creativity in scrapping I could never make a decent card. And last night I got to wondering why.  I think its the meaning and the worth behind a scrapbook page that I have sweated over and that I know contains the treasures of my children's childhood and our life today for future generations. Like a treasured quilt of scraps from dresses and cloth long ago retired, it is a handmade with love keepsake for at least the next generation and hopefully for the generation after them.  So pardon my goobered cards- there is some thought and sweat behind them - even if they are no match to my scrappin mojo.