Kiss and Tell Scrapbooking

Word Nerd

My sister, Jenny, will beat you at any word game.  I should know - she's been beating me at Boggle for our entire lives and lately she gets something like triple or quadruple my score in Words With Friends.

Supplies:  October Afternoon, DCWV, We R Memory Keepers, and Me and My Big Ideas / MAMBI.

 

 

 

Loving the Double Wide - This Month at Get It Scrapped

Hey Scrapbookers!

Most of the scrapbook layouts I make are single pagers; however, lately, with the inspiration over at Masterful Scrapbook Design / Get It Scrapped - I'm loving the double wide again:

One reason I'm loving the two pager again is that I'm thinking of this set up more as a one page layout with a supporting page. 

So the left part of this 2 pager could totally stand alone as a regular one page scrapbook layout:

In this case the supporting page includes lots of journaling, but more often than not my supporting page includes a ton of photos.

I had lots of random memories that I wanted to jot down so doing this journaling only page was a great way to get them down on paper.

One more thing, I used an original photo on this page!  I sewed a part of a plastic pocket onto the page so that the original photo was safe and sound - the stickers are on top of the page protector for that photo rather than right on the photo:

Want to see more 2 page layouts?  Go check out Loving the Double Wide at Masterful Scrapbook Design. 

Want to hear more about one page layouts versus two page layouts?  Go check out The Scrap Gals Podcast: Episode 67: Real Life vs. Pros which includes a discussion about the 1 versus 2 page layout.

Want to see my process video for making this page?  Go to my You Tube Channel:

 

Thanks for stopping by!

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Happy Mother's Day!

This was Mother's Day 2012 - this year we did the family photos with my new selfie stick which I'm having a lot of fun with - just check my Instagram account if you are curious about what kinds of pictures I'm getting.

And just as I am posting this - my daughter came in and said "Happy Mother's Day" again and gave me a hug.  That's all we really want, right?  I am so thankful to be a mother - it really is the best thing I've ever done.

The layout design for this page was inspired by the Spring Colors line over at The Digital Press - loving the triangles.

Here's the scrapbook process video showing how I made the page:

 

Happy Mother's Day!

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Loving the Double Wide at Get It Scrapped

So this month at Get It Scrapped / Masterful Scrapbooking Design, it's all about two page layouts or as Debbie puts it: "Loving the Double Wide"

Here's my take (in the form of a scrapbook process video) on Emily Pitts' advice to border the entire two page layout to give the layout a cohesive feel:

This was layout #3 in my 9 layout series using my DIY / Make Your Own Scrapbook Kit Series inspired by Crate Paper's Journey collection.

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New Create Your Own Scrapbook Kit Inspired by Crate Paper's Journey Line

Hello Scrapbookers!

I'm loving my new system of creating my own scrapbooking kits and making 9 layouts from the kit - I'm on the third "Create Your Own Kit" kit!  This one is inspired by Crate Paper's Journey Line embellishment pack - and it is so cute!  Take a look:

 

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8.5 x 11 Scrapbook Layout: Amazing Grace

Everything old is new again.  When I started scrapbooking, I did 8.5 x 11 layouts - and I still do them from time to time, but the majority of my pages are 12x12.  I've noticed so many 8.5 x 11 layouts on Pinterest this year - I think this size is definitely making its come back.   A few of the things I like about this size are that the pages go together quickly and they are easier to store than 12x12 layouts.  What size layouts are you making?  Leave a comment, I would love to know.

This page is all about my Grandma Grace who never stopped talking - thus the "blah blah blah" patterned paper was so appropriate for this layout.  She was also a collector of stuff - she was an expert at squirreling things away in drawers and closets.  She loved an abundance of stuff - thus the little to no white space on this layout matches her personality.

I miss her so much.

I thought I made a process video for this layout but I can't seem to find it - but here's another layout I made about my Grandma Grace with the Jenni Bowlin October 2014 kit:

 

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20 Scrapbook Process Videos in 1 Week!

Over the past week or so I've been making my own scrapbook kits using a 6x6 paper pack as inspiration for theme and color and then challenging myself to create 9 layouts with the kit.  So far I've made two kits: the first inspired by Kelly Purkey's Mon Ami line with Basic Grey and the second inspired by Dear Lizzy's Serendipity and Polka Dot Party lines with American Crafts.  The result has been an explosion of creativity for me!  I made 9 layouts with the first kit and 11 with the second kit (and one more to come so that will be 12 with the second).  Want to see how I did it all?  Well, I also made 20 scrapbook process videos - you can see how I made the kits and how I made the layouts. 

Fair warning:  my videos are intentionally unprofessional - I make my videos so they are in real time so scrapbookers can see how long it actually takes me to make a layout - so for the most part so the videos tend to run long (like about an hour) - some people like the longer format so that they can watch and think of me as their virtual crop buddy.  And like a crop buddy - I talk about all sorts of things from what I'm doing to make the scrapbook layout, to news from around the online scrapbook community, to which movie my family watched last night and  how we liked it, to the ups and downs of homeschooling - really it is whatever pops into my mind.  Nothing is rehearsed or planned - I just press record on my ipad (which is  what I  use to film the videos) and start scrapping and talking. 

I realize that many people do not want a long video - if you are in that camp - just watch the first 2 or 3 minutes of the video - I make that part of the video at the end of my process so that the long video starts with a short - here's how I made this layout and what the finished result looks like - I know some people who just watch that part of the video and  then maybe skip ahead to the parts that interest them. 

Want to start with a shorter video (6 minutes) that recaps a bunch of layouts?

 

And here's a more typical longer scrapbook process video (45 minutes):

 

Thanks for stopping by - please leave a comment to let me know what types of scrapbook process videos you'd like to see.

 

Create Your Own Scrapbook Kit with a Paper Pad

Hey Scrapbookers:

I've been scrapbooking lots in 2015 but blogging has fallen off my radar - time to get it back on. 

I've been working on making my own kits inspired by paper pads - there are lots of videos over on my You Tube Channel:

 

With each homemade kit, I'll be creating 9 layouts which will include videos.  So come and play along - I've found that making a kit and then challenging myself to create a set number of layouts is a very easy way to get a ton of layouts created in a short time.  #fasterscrapping

Thanks for looking :) Katie.

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If you'd like to pick up some of these delightful papers (or anything else you might need), check out the Amazon affiliate links:

 

Happy 2015! & Back To Blogging

Hey Scrapbookers!

2014 was a little sparse on the blogging front.  I'm hoping to change that in 2015.  I'd like to re-create a place where I document my scrapbooking adventures and my real life.   A little of both is probably my happiest place - in the beginning it was mostly real life and in the past few years it's been more about scrapbooking.  I'd like to get to some sort of happy middleground of both.   I'm planning to create a blogging schedule (both here and at my professional law blog).  It is probably going to take some doing - which I'm going to have to be OK with.  Lots of changes are coming for 2015.  Good Change.  Honest Effort.  And my word of 2015?  BRAVE. 

So here's a quick recap of 2014:

1. School for Mac was a challenge, I did in school tutoring which was helpful but not the solution.  We made a decision as a family to home school Mac.  That starts tomorrow.  Brave New World.  We don't have a solid plan, but have a rough outline and we're going to do what works.  Allison made a plea for her to homeschool starting next year and we gave her a definite maybe.  

2. We did lots of traveling: Utah for skiing; Spring Break road trip to Missouri; Allison and I did an epic 20 day road trip up the East Coast (I still need to scrapbook this - or at least do an epic photobook);  the whole family went to the Keys right before school started.  And we already have wanderlust for 2015 - we're talking about getting our passports again and going to Iceland, Eastern Canada and the Bahamas.

3. Work was ok - we need to ramp things up in 2015. 

4. Charlie spent lots of time with his parents, helping his mom transition to getting a live in helper for his dad who has Alzheimers.  They are 90 and 94.  His dad  is like a busy toddler on a mission and his mom was really stressed out - the live in helper is making things lots more tolerable. 

5.  While we technically got our dog, Jessie, in 2013, it was over this past year that she really warmed up to us.  She was a rescue dog from Alabama with an independent disposition.  After having labs, I sort of missed the snuggly nature of my old dog Dandy (a yellow lab who only wanted to be with us and eat), it took me a while to actually fully love Jessie, but now I do and she does and she even snuggles with me on occasion - for a very brief time - but it is something.  And sometimes Charlie calls her "black Dandy".   I've really fallen in love with Jessie.  

6.  I didn't do as much scrapbooking as usual in 2014 but I did make more scrapbooking process videos than ever.  I hope to increase the frequency of my scrapbooking in 2015 and to maybe put forth some kind of overarching story telling plan. 

7. I still didn't "lose the weight" in 2014 - I still want to lose 50 pounds - but 20 pounds would be nice.  That didn't happen in 2014 despite trying Jenny Craig and a few other things.  Going into 2015, I've been back to Bikram Yoga and I'm planning a daily fitness routine with Mac.  I think if I could lose 25 pounds this year that would be amazing.

8.  I did do lots of work on genealogy by using Ancestry DNA and I made lots of discoveries.  I want to start scrapbooking more of those stories in 2015 - and put some of the stories into context - like fables or morality plays - focusing on the takeway lessons - here's what we can learn from so-and-so's life.

9. On the never-ending war with clutter - I did make a lot of progress with the office file storage room but I have a long way to go - we aquired some things from Charlie's parent's house.   I need to do some clean sweeping both at home and at the office.  My prime time for this is usually April and October, but I'd like to focus on one area a week so I get a little something done throughout the year. 

10. The year ended with (knock on wood) my kids getting along with each other really, really well.  I want to focus on our family's relationships during this next year - the whole family together but also individual relationships and I've made  a family goal of each of us having "one on one" time with each of the others of us each month in 2015 - and I'm going to keep track of this time.  For example, I'm planning 16 dates with my husband this year; no kids - just us.

11.  Expanding social circles: I want to figure out how to do this for all of us and each of us.  This might mean more parties - it also might mean more extracirricular activities.

12. Learning something new - ok I realize this went from a 2014 recap to a 2015 goals list  - but I think that we each need to focus on learning new things in 2015.

13. Everything is good - granted we had a lot of challenges in 2014 and no doubt we'll have more challenges in 2015  - but all things considered, everything is good.  We're lucky people.

14. Wishing  you an awesome 2015!   

 

 

P.S. We finally got our 2014 Christmas photo today!  Far from perfect - but mission accomplished on getting it taken before the tree came down!

 

 

 

Scrapbooker's Blog Tour

I am excited to be participating in the Scrapbooker's Blog Tour today! What fun.  Michelle Houghton tagged Sue Althouse who posted last Monday. Michelle and Sue are on the creative team at Get It Scrapped! and are among the talented teachers at Creative Passion Classes.  If you are interested in Copic markers, artistic doodling, or mixed media, you'll want to be sure to check out Michelle's classes.

Thanks for inviting me to be part of the tour, Sue! Now, on to the questions: 

1. What Am I Working on Right Now?

Is it ok to say nothing?!  My sister was in town over the weekend to see the Tom Petty concert.

We had a blast.  So I'm taking a day to get back to my routine and I'll be back to scrapbooking again tomorrow.

 

I am taking a little break from a daily scrapbook process video series that was inspired by Get It Scrapped's Story Play to work on a project for Jenni Bowlin.  This video shows all about how I clear off my desk from an ongoing - and messy - project to switch gears to a different project; and I threw in a comments Q&A.  Once I'm finished with the Jenni project, then I'll be able to pull out the DIY scrapbook kits I made for Story Play and continue with the daily scrapbook process videos.

2. How Long Does It Take Me To Create A Project?

I used to say that it took me about 30 minutes - but that was when I had a stand up scrapbook room space.  Since moving my scraproom about a year ago, my process is a bit slower and I'm blaming that on the fact that I now sit down to scrapbook.  The other thing that happened when I switched scrapbook spaces was that I started making scrapbook process videos - and I think that also slows me a down a little bit.  So now I'd say anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half per scrapbook page - but I'm enjoying the process for the most part so I am happy even with my slowed down pace.   Here's a look at the current scrapbook room:

 

3. What Are My Favorite Things To Create With At the Moment?

My husband gave me a Silhouette Cameo Die Cutting System for Christmas (see affiliate link below) and lately it is probably my favorite thing - especially since I can cut very specific items:

Like the axe and the family tree title that I used on a page about Lizzie Borden - whom I just discovered is my second cousin six times removed.  And my other current favorite thing to create with is the Ancestry DNA kit and the family tree - I keep buying the kits and we are getting more and more family members tested and my family tree is growing like crazy - don't worry - we don't have too much crazy in the family - and Lizzie was found not guilty - but we also have the likes of the Roosevelts; the Wright Brothers; lots of Mayflower Pilgrims; and country pop singer Taylor Swift.  So Ancestry.com seems like an unlikely scrapbooking pick - but my research there has provided me with endless inspiration for scrapbooking my family history.

4. How Does My Creative Process Work?

I go with the flow - sometimes I am very inspired and prolific and other times it is a struggle.  When it is a struggle, I sometimes take a hiatus - but not for too long.  I think that scrapbooking on a daily basis is a wonderful habit and when I can fit in physical exercise and scrapbooking into my daily routine, I am a happier person.

As far as approaching scrapbooking pages - I am not consistent - sometimes I start with the story; and other times it is the photo or the product.  I do consistently film my process so that you can see the various ways I approach scrapbooking on my You Tube vidoes.  Here's a peek at one of my scrapbook process videos:

 

5. How Do I Become Inspired and Stay Inspired?

I feel so lucky to be a part of the Get It Scrapped Creative Team.  Debbie Hodge is endlessly inspiring and the live chats that she does for Masterful Scrapbook Design always leave me feeling in the mood to scrap.   I love the challenges and assignments we get on the creative team - and I love creating my own scrapbooking challenges.

6. What is My Signature Style?

This is my least favorite question in scrapbooking.  I'm sure I have a "look" but I'm not too worried about it or about having a signature style.  I like to mix it up.  I like to approach each page depending on my mood.  I like to think that I don't have a signature style; but here's a peek at some of my pages - maybe you notice my "signature style" - but if you don't, well, I'm completely happy not to have one.

Now it's time for me to tag three scrapbookers - and truth be told - I had so much fun with my sister this past week that I didn't do this part.  Don't worry - I won't be the end of the blog hopping chain letter - I'll get three scrapbookers shortly and update this post - and they'll continue the fun next Monday!

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Related articles

Get It Scrapped Post on Scrapbooking Embellishments

Kiss and Tell Scrapbook Kit Club: Layout #3: Driveway Cafe, Calais, Maine

Get It Scrapped CT Blog Hop

Get It Scrapped Post: Ideas for Recording the Weather on your Scrapbook Pages

More DIY Hexagons with Jenni Bowlin's Wren Line for Whim So Doodle & Scrapbooking the 1940 Census

Get It Scrapped Post: Make Scrapbook Pages That Record Your Everyday Places

Scraplifting Get It Scrapped's Story Play: Scrapbooking with a Timeline

This page was made for a Get It Scrapped Blog Post about using a timeline to tell a story on your scrapbook page. 

 

 

Scraplifting Get It Scrapped's Story Play: #epicroadtrip

I'd like to say this page was inspired by Get It Scrapped's Story Play - but it is just a timeline of my summer road trip with my daughter.  I'll take some GIS inspiration for tomorrow's layout.  This layout was a good way for me to remember all the details and dates of our trip.  I haven't gotten all of the photos printed yet, so this will be a good "table of contents" type layout for our road trip album.  I also made some square punches from the travel brochures and just tacked them to the back of this layout for potential use on a future page about this trip:

Of course I made a scrapbook process video:

(coming soon)

 

 

Scraplifting Get It Scrapped's Story Play: Metaphoric Symbols

Can you guess the metaphoric phrase I used on this layout?  It was inspired by Noell Hyman's scrapbook layout in Get It Scrapped's ebook: Story Play. 

I paired a traditional 12x12 layout with a divided page protector so I could get more pictures included.   I even put more pictures on the front side of that divided page protector:

Here's a closer view of the 12x12 layout:

And of course I made a scrapbook process video while I made the page:

 

Scraplifting Get It Scrapped's Story Play: Bedside Table Aspirations

This page was inspired by Story Play at Get It Scrapped - although it is very different than the layouts that you will see there - many of the Story Play layouts incorporate poetry prompt challenges - and poetry is a bit challenging for me - so I took the poetry inspiration and translated that to using the title pages from some of the books on my bedside table.

Of course I made a scrapbook process video:

 

Scraplifting Get It Scrapped's Story Play: #mynewnormal

The subject of this page was a post by Debbie Hodge over in the Get It Scrapped's Forums.  I used the hashtag #mynewnormal for a bunch of photos that I took on 9/3/14 and uploaded to Instagram; then I got onto my computer later that day and printed a screenshot on my home printer.

Of course I made a scrapbook process video: