Scrapbook YOU!

There are so many gorgeous papers on the market right now, papers with stitching, glitter, flock, embossed texture.  Sometimes it's hard to cut into these beautiful sheets; we think, oh I have to wait for just the right photos for that, or I need to wait to be really inspired by a fantastic idea to use those.

Well, the time has come!  My challenge to you this month is to cut into your gorgeous papers and create a layout of you.  After all, who better to showcase on some beautiful paper than YOU?!  If you take on this challenge and do some journaling about your thoughts, goals, resolutions, plans for 2011, I will enter you into a drawing for a little RAK from me.  Leave a link to your layout here by the 31st.

Here's my page:

I used this stitched paper from Prima.  

If this is not intimidating to cut into, I don't know what is.  It's gorgeous!

 

Journaling reads: A new year is a time for reflection, new beginnings, a fresh start.  It's a chance to be the best me I can be, to set goals, to aim high, and to make a plan for action.  Only God knows what this year holds, but I know the future is bright. 1/7/11

This entire page is created with the January Elite kit from Scrapbook Heaven.  If you are looking for ways to challenge your Scrapbooking this month, visit the SH forum or blog.

Envelope Mini Album Tutorial

Here is the photo tute on how to create the pocket mini album from business sized envies.  I hope you give this a try, and if you do, please link up in the comments so I can come see it!

 One:

 Just the standard business sized envelope will do.  

I like the self-adhesive ones, so I don't get a paper cut on my tongue :)

Two:

 Three:

 You want the envie open on both ends creating a tube (these will become the pockets).

DO NOT TRIM the third envie to 9" (see next step).

Four:

 This ends up being 4 3/4".  Save the other half for the next page you assemble.

 Five:

Six:

Seven:

Eight:

note: Hold 1/2 envie so that opening is on right.  Apply adhesive to right side and top, bottom, and left leaving a 5/8" margin on the left.  This is where your album's binding will go.

Nine:

Make top and right hand side of each piece flush.  The tab for the binding should stick out on the left.

Ten:

Flip unit created in step 9 over.  Again don't put adhesive on the binding tab.  Glue longer envie (one with 1- 1/2" folded pocket) to this piece making bottom edges flush.

This is what you should have when you are done:

And here are the measurements for cutting the papers to cover the pages:

I cut a little notch out of the top back pocket to access that pocket.

And before I covered the pockets with pretty papers, I did a quick swipe with the paint brush on the edges (or you could ink them).

Here's another look at my finished album:

If you have any questions at all, I am happy to answer them.

Happy creating!

Photo Carousel Class: A Webshow

I am super duper excited to be doing a Web Sshow for Scrapbook Heaven one week from today: Sunday, the 9th at 5:00pm EST. 

Shannon at Scrapbook Heaven put together an amazing Carousel Kit for me to play with.  It is loaded with papers from KI Memories, Tinkering Ink, Pink Paislee, and more and includes Prima's wooden ribbon spool with 6 full spools of ribbon!  The store is saying these kits are sold out, but I am sooo hoping that is not true.

 

Here are some sneaks of the project I'll be showing you how to make on the show:

This carousel project is designed to hold your favorite photos and moments of 2011.  If you are planning to do Project 365 or 52 Weeks or Photo-a-Day then you are not going to want to miss out on this show .

Create Everyday

One of my resolutions (yes, I love to set resolutions) for 2011 is to be creative everyday.  I feel like I already do this, in one form or another.  Sometimes it's an entire layout, or a card, or an embellie for a future project, or a bit of crochet.  A lot of the time it might be an entire project, but sometimes it's just a little something that let's me say at the end of the day, "I was creative today."

Tonight I am so thrilled to have visited Julie Fei-Fan Balzer's blog (I just adore her art) and found her endeavor for 2011:

Oooooh, I am giddy with excitement.  I've never kept an actual art journal.  I've done a few pages here and there, and they're scattered in different books and journals that lay unfinished (I'll share them sometime if I get brave).  But I've never kept an art journal for an extended period of time, and certainly not one that I worked on daily.  This is my year, and if it might be your year, too, please join me (and the hundreds of others).  I'm so excited to see where this leads!

Pocket Envelope Mini and a Reveal

Happy New Year!

It's a new year, a new month, and time for new kits at Scrapbook Heaven.  These kits are beautiful, feminine, romantic, and simply gorgeous.

Since I'm surrounded by the boys over here, I decided to create a little mini just for me.  It's made from business sized envies and was really a snap to put together (especially with the gorgeous papers in this month's Elite kit).

I'm pretty sure I am going to fill it with my 2011 goals and resolutions.  There are tons of pockets to keep track of my progress through the year.  Here's the video I watched to learn how to create the mini:

And there was still lots of product left over to make some layouts.