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I LOVE PATTERNED PAPER!!!!
*Whew* I got it out of my system. That was me shouting! Of all the yummy paper crafting supplies out there, patterned paper is my absolute favorite... I would live in a house built of patterned paper if I could! (okay, I wouldn’t really, but it’s nice to daydream about) Years ago, when I had a tiny scrapbooking budget, I blew all my allowance on patterned paper. I created whole pages with just paper... no chipboard, no jewels, no ribbon, just paper! I decided to challenge myself to see if I still had that thrifty scrapper in me... turns out I still do! I made two layouts with just paper and letter stickers. Go me!
The first layout (made with the new On the Coast collection) came together so easily... I spotted those huge, gorgeous flowers on the Hibiscus paper and knew they were just calling for me to cut them out! I love hand cutting patterns from paper... I find it relaxing. It’s like scrappy yoga! I cut some cute little seashells from the glittery Low Tide paper, glued it all down around my photos, added some tiny circles from my hole punch, and I was done!
I also love to create texture with patterned paper. I’ve become addicted to my sewing machine, which makes it easy to create lots of layered ruffles, like this:
I added some of those gorgeous glittered flowers from the Jocelyn collection and I was finished.
I loooooove all my chipboard, jewels, ribbon and other scrapbooking goodies that I so happily hoard... but sometimes it’s fun to see what you can do with just one supply. Try it!
xo,
Nancy
Chances are you’ve already considered this question: Why should I scrapbook myself? I’m a huge fan of making pages about me, and here are a few of my reasons:
Reason #1: It’s a Self Portrait
Scrapbooking is all about documenting... and who can document you, better than you? We scrapbook to leave a documentation of our lives, to leave a record of what was important to us. One day our kids or other descendents will go to our albums to catch a glimpse of what our lives were like... wouldn’t you want to include yourself in that? Someday my niece will want to know what I was like in my 20’s, and I’ll be able to show her this layout and say, This was me, then:
(red swirls cut from the fabulous Merrymint paper)
Reason #2: It’s Therapeutic
I’ve learned so much about myself through scrapbooking. When I decided to treat my pages as my journals, I began to explore deep topics, like who I want to be and where I’m headed. So many times I’ve worked through a challenge in my life by creating a layout about it. My pages have become a place to be honest about myself, and that’s helped me become a better person. When I made “Generous,” seeing some of my flaws in a more humorous light helped me to be more patient with myself:
(made with the Moravia collection)
Reason #3: It’s Encouraging
My layouts remind me of where I’ve come from... what a great feeling! I love looking through my albums to remember lessons I’ve learned, choices I’ve made, and dreams I still hope to accomplish. Just reading the journaling on “Happiness” made me remember how much I love my job and how lucky I am to have it!
(made with the Mimosa collection)
Making layouts about myself has been more fulfilling than I ever imagined. I encourage you to give it a try... start with a simple page about what you like, and see how it makes you feel. I’m guessing you’ll feel thrilled to have a part of yourself on paper! Happy scrapping!
xo,
Nancy
P.S. You can check out a tutorial on taking great self portraits for your layouts here.
Afternoon everyone! Thanks so much for all the CHA feedback-and keep it coming! We love hearing from you.
We search the internet, a lot. Can't help it! There are too many interesting things out there. The other day we came across something we thought every one of you should know about! Maybe you guys are ahead of us, but it's peachycheap.com. If you've heard of steep and cheap, it's the same idea, only for scrapbooking! Each day they feature a product at HUGE discount! How cool is that? No SEI sightings yet, but our fingers are crossed for you! So go check it out and grab a bargain. And don't forget about our website, with savings across the board.
When I know a friend or family member’s birthday is approaching I like to come up with a more personal gift than something you just buy in the store. This drives my husband crazy, but I just love creating a gift that will really become a keepsake. Being that I’m in the line of work that I am, I like to create smaller photo albums and give them as gifts. These are usually around 8”x8” and include photos from special events or sometimes even just a bunch of random photos.
In this graduation album I liked the idea of using her school colors, green and white, and then adding black to give it a youthful feel. The black and white photos just seemed to fit perfectly with the overall theme. These are always a big hit and really show that you care.
So, next time you have a gift to give, consider making an album similar to this one. I promise you’ll score some extra points with whoever the lucky recipient is.
One of my favorite things about SEI is that they have the total package - cardstock, paper, ribbon, chipboard, alpha stickers, embellishments, albums, even stamps and ink. It's so easy to finish projects quickly this way - just grab a bunch of stuff from one line (my current favorite is Bridgeport) and go! You can truly get a mini album done in one evening this way.
OR if you're not into the 'matchy-matchy' look, the different SEI lines all work so well together when mixed and matched.
My personal favorite are the letter stickers - different colors all in the same font, begging to be played with.
I mixed and matched:
• Letter stickers from Dill Blossom and Glitzmas give this frame a funky and casual feel- perfect for my daughters room.
• Paper is from Alpine Frost and Lovebirds
• Button from Chick-a-doo
• Chipboard leaf from Bridgeport
In this layout I've used products from 4 different lines.
• Paper is from Bridgeport, Lovebirds and Alpine Frost
• Letter stickers are from Lovebirds
• Buttons are from Alpine Frost & Chick-a-doo
• Die cut bird from Lovebirds
• Chipboard journal tab is from Bridgeport
Not to give it away, but keep checking back this week if you like these layouts!
This year I have high expectations for my resolutions. In addition to scheduling time to straighten-up the house each day I have also scheduled a time for seven different areas I am working on. I plan to spend one hour on a different area each day of the week.
The trickiest area is my family history. I want to have a written & visual history of my family. Right now this seems overwhelming to me since I am already behind. But I found a great solution to this problem... sei’s calendar!
With this calendar you can just start wherever you are in the new year and about go back later. You can hang your calendar in the kitchen or anywhere you will see it often and write in important things as they happen. No worrying trying to remember them later. There are also stickers to mark special occasions or things to remember, along with journaling stickers (great for a written record). The calendar already has 12 patterned pages (one for each month) with places for photos. It even includes basic instructions if you want to dress up each page with the coordinating stickers (great for a visual record). At the end of the year, you will have a completed album and a record of the year! The 12x12 pages fit perfectly into our preservation series album.
I gave my sister-in-law one of the calendars for Christmas a few years ago and she loved it. She has done one every year since and now has a great family history. So give it a try! There is no better time than the present, right? (that's why it's called the present!)
