Friday, January 21, 2011

A Creative Mess

This weekend I am teaching a friend a little about scrapbooking. They have tons of newspaper articles that have been saved from their children's activites. These date from 1996 to 2010 and include honor roll announcements, school plays, sports, etc. etc, even a wedding announcement. Here's a picture of the mess on my dining room table.
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We have sorted them all by year and are in the process of trimming, scanning, printing. Then we'll have the daunting task of mounting them all on paper and putting them in an album. Did I mention that my friend is a newbie at this craft? He called me from Hobby Lobby with questions about paper, album choices, adhesives---you can imagine. And that is not a misprint, my friend is a HE! Although I don't think he'll be coming to my next card class, I hope that he enjoys reliving the memories as he sorts, and the finished product when its finally done.

Including newspaper clippings in scrapbooks can be kind of tricky because of the acid in the paper. You can purchase a neutralizing spray to treat the clipping with so that your pictures and other paper are protected. It will also help to prevent the clipping from yellowing as quickly. The other option is to scan the articles and print them on archival safe paper.

My friend is scanning most of his articles. The ones that take up a full newsprint page are going to be treated with a neutralizing spray and included in a pocket page. But we are also going to take pictures of the page & focus on the area that talks about his son. Maybe he'll let me share some of the finished pages with you once the project is done. We'll see at that point if he allows me to print his name or wants to remain anonymous. :)

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Snow Day!


I love snow. That's really my only complaint about living in Arkansas---not enough snow! So even a small amount brings joy. It is snowing like crazy at my house right now :) I just had to go out and get a picture. This is when the snow had just started. Hopefully we'll get a sizeable amount, or at least enough to make snow cream!

After I took my pic, I decided to share it with you on a page I made using My Digital Studio. It is such an easy scrapbooking tool! Pages come together much quicker for me digitally than otherwise. I know some of you really want that Scrapbook to hold in your hand...and I like that too for some projects. But I find creating digital scrapbooks allows my pictures to find a home faster. I can always print or have them printed and if I want I can embellish them further after I print.

I hope you get a chance to enjoy the gift of snow that God has given us today. And if not, just be sure to thank Him for the other multitude of blessings you have recieved!

Monday, January 17, 2011

Get ready to Sale-a-brate!

Just wanted to remind everyone that Sale-A-Bration starts on January 25 and goes till March 31. This is Stampin' Up!'s biggest sale event of the year. For every $50 you spend you earn a free Sale-A-Bration product of your choice. Host a workshop of at least $300 and earn a free Sale-A-Bration product, in addition to the generous hostess benefits you already recieve. And the free options just get better every year. This year, in addition to stamp sets, your options include a paper pack, a ribbon & button pack, a digital content CD, and even decor elements! I love free stuff!


With February just around the corner, I have been working on some Valentines items. Here's a peek at something you may see again at my next workshop.





This project uses the Greeting Card Kids stamp set. And if you think she is sweet, wait till you see what's inside!


Let me know if you are interested in hosting a workshop during Sale-A-Bration or you would like more information.