5 - Better Scrap Newsletter Project

Have you signed up for the Better Living Through Scrapbooking newsletter yet?  There's loads of inspiration every month, tutorials, and sometimes even a monthly prize.  Go to the right sidebar of the Better Scrap page to sign up.

Here are the details for the newsletter challenge. I highlighted in red the ones I chose to use:

Hate growing older? Try to remember it for the good times you had.
Scrap your favorite Birthday memory!

Options (choose two):
1. Paint on your page using object other than brush (pencil eraser, q-tip, bubble wrap, etc)
2. Make an embellishment entirely from cardstock (okay, so I cheated and used some patterned paper, too!)
3. Use multiple layers of cardstock for a photo mat - try ripping, using a border punch, die-cut machine, etc, for fun!
4. Journal on a shape
5. Use a very bright color palette - vibrant yellows, reds, blues, and greens!

Aynyone that knows me well knows that I don’t ever have a big to-do on my birthday. I like to celebrate peacefully with just my husband and son. But boy, do I like to throw a party!! One of my very favorite memories is Shane’s 5th birthday back in 1994. It was the spring after my father passed away, and I thought we needed a good party to bring everyone together. I ordered up a clown, and we had everyone from both sides of our family in attendance. Shane also had loads of his little friends there to help celebrate the day. This party accomplished all that I wanted it to – Shane had a fabulous 5th birthday, and everyone that came that day had lots of good laughs!


Sponsor Supplies Used:
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock “Polka Dots Evening Surf, Sunflower 80#, Brilliant White 80#”
Embellishments: Charlene’s Button Box
Adhesives: Plaid: All Night Media “Pop Dots”; Mod Podge “Dimensional Magic”

Additional Supplies Used:
Patterened Paper: Close To My Heart “Animal Cookies”
Printable Stamps: The Cutting Cafe “Birthday Fun”
Embellishments: Close To My Heart “Foam Numbers, Sunflower Waxy Flax, Organdy Ribbon, White Daisy RicRac”

Better Living Through Scrapbooking Reveal Day

I hope you that you are thinking about your Bucket List layout from last week.  You've got until the end of the month to submit to Better Living Through Scrapbooking to be eligible for a prize!

This week we are challenging you to scrap about your charity work:

“The Greatest of These is Charity” challenge
One way to make your life better is through scrapbooking, another way is to do something nice for someone else. Scrap about something you do or have done for someone else. A loved one, a neighbor, a charity, etc.
Choose 2 of the following: (I've highlighted the ones I did!)
1. Print an element of your page (NOT a photo) using your home or office printer. This can be your title, your journaling, an embellishment, or anything else you can use on your page, but not a photo!
2. Use three brads somewhere on your page.
3. Use a chipboard letter or shape on your page.
4. Use the following quote somewhere on your page or in your journaling: “If you haven’t got any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble. . — Bob Hope””

It is so amazing to be involved with a charity! I am sharing this layout about one of the things that is truly near and dear to my heart. Do you ever go to the mailbox and just hope there might be a card or letter for you? Of course you do! We all love happy mail. It can pick us up on a hard day, and it helps us remember that there are people thinking of us – even if we don’t know it. My layout is about just that. I send handmade cards to Operation Write Home and Share-A-Card. Both organizations are tremendous and really have found a way to help others that truly need mail.

I created a kind of unique background for my page. I found this idea in Creating Keepsakes special issue, “101+ Creative Ways to Use Your Scrapbook Supplies” (page 54). I adhered several different pieces of chipboard to my kraft cardstock. Then I painted the paper and chipboard with Apple Barrel paint. When it was dry, I covered that with gloss mod podge. Now that takes a little time, but what a unique background with a fun 3-D effect! As you can see, my layout is pretty simple from there. I created my own embellishments using vellum, flowers, buttons, and ribbons. So fun to just pile things on!!

Sponsor Supplies Used:
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock “Kraft #80, Black Linen #80,Primary Red Vellum”
Embellishments: Charlene’s Button Box; Discount Cardstock “French Vanilla Bazzill Flowers”
Adhesives: Plaid: All Night Media “Pop Dots: Mod Podge Gloss
Paint: Apple Barrel “King’s Gold”

Additional Supplies Used:
Cardstock: Close To My Heart “White Daisy”
Embellishments: Close To My Heart “Sparkles, Dimensional Elements”; May Arts “Black Wrinkled Ribbon”
Other Tools: Making Memories Slice; Making Memories Slice Design Card “Think Pink”

Better Living Through Scrapbooking Reveal

“Favorite Recipe Challenge” at Better Living Through Scrapbooking
Create a page showcasing your favorite recipe that you received from your mother, grandmother, or other relative or family friend.

Choose at least 2 of the following:
1. Include a photo of yourself preparing the dish, or a photo of the completed dish.
2. Include a photo of the person who gave you the recipe.
3. Make a copy of the original recipe, or hand write the recipe on a card and include it on your layout.
4. Use cardstock as your background, but ink, stain, paint, or color-spray it to make it unique.
5. Use a shape punch or border punch somewhere on your page.

I guess I started using this recipe about 12 or 13 years ago. On Christmas morning, we always went to my in-laws for brunch, and my mother-in-law made her traditional brunch. As Shane grew, we decided to start staying home for our own traditional brunch. And that’s what this quiche is. I make it every single year. I also use this recipe when we have company. It’s so easy, and it’s a press-in-the-pan crust. No rolling pin!! Really don’t you think it looks yummy?

I have used three of this week’s options in my layout:
#1 – I used a photo of the finished dish that was taken last Christmas
#3 – I die-cut a fancy recipe card using my Slice Bon Appetit card and hand-wrote the recipe for the layout
#4 – I used kraft cardstock for my background. I so seldom do that! It was fun to paint it using the big circle mesh. I let the mesh dry and added that to the page as well. The splatters in the corners are from an All Night Media background stamp. I love that one!!

Can I tell you a secret? I have really been challenged this month designing for Better Living Through Scrapbooking! I am not much of an emphera girlie, but these challenges have helped me grow and learn more about myself as a scrapbooker. I truly appreciate that about BLTS, and I hope as you go through the challenges you learn more about yourself, too!!

Sponsored Supplies Used:
Cardstock: Discount Cardstock “Kraft 80# 12×12, Really Red Cardstock 80# 12×12″
Stamps: For the Luv of Art “My Favorite Things stamp set; Plaid All Night Media Splatter Background stamp”
Papers and embellishments: Gauche Alchemy “Acme Mixed Media Paper Crafting Kit (mesh); Kitsch Delish Mixed Media Paper Crafting Kit (Basic Grey rub-ons, Nook Pantry paper; Graphic 45 Domestic Goddess paper)”
Paint: Plaid “Apple Barrel: Antique White”

Additional Supplies Used:
Embellishments: American Crafts “Chocolate Ribbon”; Making Memories Slice “Bon Appetit design card” Colorbox “Chestnut Roan ink”

Better Living Through Scrapbooking Reveal & A Winner!

What is your favorite color?  That's the challenge at Better Living Through Scrapbooking this week - show us your favorite color!  Here are the details...


Create a layout dedicated to your favorite color.
Choose at least 2 of the following:

1. Journal on the layout as if you are speaking directly to your favorite color, and tell it why you love it, and what it means to you.
2. Take a photo of something you love that is in your favorite color, and use it on your layout.
3. Use rounded corners somewhere on your layout.
4. Create hand-doodling somewhere on your page.
5. Make the name of your favorite color a prominent part of your title.

Hmmm…my favorite color. I know what my favorite color is, but I wanted to show you something vibrant, something bright. Wouldn’t you love to see bright pink, maybe a purple, or sunshine yellow? However, the truth of the matter is that I love brown. All things brown – no matter what shade – make me feel peaceful inside. So I am bringing you a layout that is somewhat (ok, extrememly) unconventional for me, but definitely highlights brown!

Plaid is one of our sponsors this month, so I wanted to show several different ways to use paint on a layout. The base sheet is a kraft cardstock, and I painted the edges. If you look closely, you’ll see that I also stamped a splatter stamp on my base and on the corrugated cardstock. I stamped with paint. It gives my layout just a little more texture, I think. That huge leaf is actually a stencil. After painting it, I put some dimensional magic here and there to give it some shine. Do you see the interesting bits and pieces on my layout? How fun are they? They are from another one of our monthly sponsors, Gauche Alchemy, and I am crazy about all these types of embellishments! I used old book pages and a simplicity pattern to make the flowers.

I sprayed the book pages (and the tickets) with Coffee Shop glimmer mist. Once I created the darker flowers, I randomly applied dimensional glaze and some antique bronze stickles. I aged the simplicity pattern flower with chestnut roan ink. Using Norma Kennedy stamps (yet another fabulous sponsor!), I created the journal spot and stamped on the lace. I have to tell you, the black lace is what wrapped my Gauche Alchemy package! How pretty is that!! I’ve used two options this week on my layout . First, I rounded the corners on the journaling tag and secondly, I used the name of my favorite color in my title on that journaling tag.


Plaid Products: Apple Barrel Burnt Umber Paint, Mod Podge Dimensional Magic, Fresh Foliage Stencil, Spouncer, All Night Media Splatter Stamp
Gauche Alchemy Products: Ouchless Cardboard, Book Pages, Simplicity Pattern, Pin, Tickets, Lace
Norma Kennedy Stamps: My Favorite Things
Discount Cardstock: Kraft 12×12
Other: Fancy Pants Buttons, Colorbox Chestnut Roan, Tattered Angels Coffee Shop Glimmer Mist, Ranger Antique Bronze Distress Stickles

Go ahead and give it a try!  We'd love to have you join us!  Check my right sidebar for the monthly sponsors and prizes!!


And now for the winner of last week's blog hop prize!  Through random generator, the winner is:

Kim said...

I love your new blog colors! This photo of you and Jerry is precious! You know how I simply adore your style!!!!This layout is just another gorgeous example of your wonder and talent!!!!
Those flowers are scrummy, I must get that die!!!!
Blessings,
Kim xXx
September 26, 2010 8:21 AM

 
I will get that prize in the mail to you tomorrow Kim!  I know you are going to do amazing things with all the goodies!