You Be The Judge (April 2010)
04/07/2010 at 7:58 am | Posted in General Inspiration, Uncategorized, You Be the Judge | 3 CommentsTags: CK, Club CK, Club CK Idea Galleries, Creating Keepsakes, Creating Keepsakes magazine, Fresh Face, inspiration, Joannie McBride, Layout, reader gallery, Reader Pick, reader poll, Reader's Pick, submissions, You Be the Judge
Happy April! I can’t believe how chilly it still is here in Utah. What I can believe, however, is the unbelievable talent all of our readers have! It’s such a pleasure being able to view your layouts in the Club CK idea galleries. Your layouts are always fun and inspiring, and they always brighten my day when I’m browsing for layouts or looking for inspiration when creating my own projects.
If you haven’t had a chance to check out all of the beautiful layouts in the Club CK gallery, make sure you do! You won’t be disappointed!
Today, I need your help picking the layout in this month’s Readers’ Pick Poll that will be featured in the October 2010 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine. It’s as easy as going to our You Be the Judge voting page, voting for your favorite, and doing it as many times that you want—there is no limit to how many times you can vote! Check back later this month to see if your favorite layout won.
Joannie McBride, assistant editor
Weekly Warm-Up: Scrapbook Your Story
04/05/2010 at 5:00 am | Posted in General Inspiration, weekly warm up | 4 CommentsTags: Ann-Marie Morris, Brenda Hurd, CK, Creating Keepsakes, Creating Keepsakes magazine, creative editor, Funnest Scrapbooker Ever, Grace Tolman, Jing-Jing Nickel, Layout, March/April 2010, Megan Hoeppner, Scrapbook, scrapbook layouts, Scrapbooking, scrapbooking your story, Terri Davenport, weekly warm up
Take a minute and think about how you’d answer the following questions:
* What do you do each day?
* What traditions do you embrace?
* Which relationships do you treasure?
* What milestones have you celebrated?
* What fun things can’t you resist?
The answers to these various questions are the things that make up who you are. They’re part of your story. In other words, they’re your life!
Sadly, it’s often our lives as scrapbookers that we leave out of our albums, instead dedicating that time to scrapbooking about those around us. Take the kiddos for example. Sure, they’ll love seeing their lives on paper years from now, but it’s your life story that they’ll truly cherish. Trust me on this one.
So, in the spirit of scrapbooking our own lives, we have a few beautiful pages to share with you, each taken from a section of the mondo Creating Keepsakes “Scrapbook Your Life” idea gallery, which we featured in our March/April 2010 issue.
The Everyday
Part of Grace Tolman’s everyday belongs to her position at a local retail store, so she created this cute page. We love how she turned her employee badge into a home for her journaling. Even though so many of us spend a large percentage of life in the workforce, it can be an easy thing to overlook when scrapbooking. Keep your 9-to-5 in mind as you’re scrapbooking your life.
"My Night Job" by Grace Tolman, as seen in the March/April 2010 issue of Creating Keepsakes, page 63.
Traditions
Traditions don’t have to be holiday or event based. Scrapbooking a tradition can be as easy as telling the story of a repeat event, big or small, that brings you joy. In Brenda Hurd’s case, this event is making lemonade at Grandma Cole’s—a sweet moment indeed!
- “Lemonade @ Grandma’s” by Brenda Hurd, as seen in the March/April 2010 issue of Creating Keepsakes, page 69.
Relationships
You’re reading this blog post, which means you likely spend at least some of your time online. From that time, have you built relationships with others? Celebrate those e-connections with a scrapbook layout, just as Jing-Jing Nickel did with this happy page.
- “Panda” by Jing-Jing Nickle, as seen in the March/April 2010 issue of Creating Keepsakes, page 72.
Milestones
You scrapbook the milestones reached by others in your life, so don’t overlook your own achievements. Whether you scrapbook those smaller, personal milestones (certifying in something, finishing a novel, etc.) or life’s larger moments (weddings, graduation, first home, etc.), milestones are an important piece of any scrapbook. For Ann-Marie Morris, it was her graduation from art school that made its way into a album.
- “Graduation” by Ann-Marie Morris, as seen in the March/April 2010 issue of Creating Keepsakes, page 79.
Fun Times
How do you spend your fun time? Don’t worry, nobody’s going to judge you here. Even if you call housework “fun,” it counts as an interest worthy of a scrapbook layout. As our reigning “Funnest Scrapbooker Ever,” Terri Davenport certainly knows what fun is. So she created this heeelarious scrapbook layout about a game of Scrabble she played with her youngsters.
- “Ifoon” by Terri Davenport, as seen in the March/April 2010 issue of Creating Keepsakes, page 83.
Inspired yet? Great, because it’s your turn to scrapbook about . . . yes, you guessed it, you! What will your next “me” page be about? We’d love it if you’d share and inspire us with your ideas.
Cheers!
Megan Hoeppner, CK creative editor
Special Guest Blogger: Mandy Douglass
04/02/2010 at 8:10 am | Posted in fonts, General Inspiration, guest blogger, Holidays, How-Tos, product, technique, Uncategorized | 5 CommentsTags: American Crafts, CK, Creating Keepsakes, Creating Keepsakes magazine, Dear Lizzy, Easter eggs, eggs, Fiskars Americas, free font, Free Font Friday, gift bag, guest blogger, holiday, how-to, Mandy Douglass, photo tips, photography tips, ribbon, ribbon technique, technique
Hey all my favorite CK Readers! It is me, Mandy Douglass! I don’t know about you, but I am so excited for this upcoming Easter holiday weekend. Now that I have two little boys, it just keeps getting more and more fun each year. I love easter egg hunts, easter baskets, easter bunnies, and those little peeks from the tulips that will soon turn into beautiful flowers.
Last year was the first year my son, Bryson, could start to understand the whole easter egg hunt idea. So today, I thought I would share a photo tip and a ribbon tip with you from this fun new page I created about his first hunt!
The Race is On by Mandy Douglass. Supplies: American Crafts.
Photo Tip:
Bryson was just learning to walk, and he really didn’t have enough balance to pick up eggs, so crawling was his only way to get those funny looking round things! I thought this photo was perfect to use on my layout, because it captures his perspective on the easter egg hunt. There weren’t a lot of kids around to “race” him for the eggs, but the faster he got them, the more excited he was. I challenge all you CK readers to get down in the grass this weekend and get some true perspective photographs!
Ribbon Tip:
Next is a fun tip a friend taught me a while back. I often find it hard to punch through a page or get a knotted ribbon to stay in place without gargantuan amounts of glue! So here are a few steps to show you how to get that cute ribbon knot to stay in place and avoid getting sticky.
First cut a piece of ribbon about 3″ long. Then staple it to the area of the page you would like the ribbon to be.
Then simply tie the knot (I usually only tie one knot and it stays in place).
Then cut off the remaining ribbon.
Simple, huh!
Bonus Gift-Bag Topper Tip:
I decided to use the same technique on some cute treat bags for Easter. (Not only did I get a cute bag out of it, but it also gave me a great excuse to open those Cadbury Mini Eggs that have been staring at me for a week!)
To make the bag topper, I made a simple flap using Sizzix’s scallop square die cut, then I folded it in half. I added some darling egg paper from the Dear Lizzy line by American Crafts and stapled the decorated flap to close the bag and keep the ribbon in place.
Last, I made a cute little tag using a Quickutz oval die, some scallop scissors by Fiskars, and Dear Lizzy Dimensional Sticker. Then knotted it all in place!
Such an easy way to do lots of Easter treat bags.
“Hop” that you all have a great holiday weekend!
Mandy Douglass, CK contributing writer
P.S. Don’t forget to download today’s font as part of Free Font Friday! This weeks’ font is CK Day Dream. Download it today at Creating Keepsakes.
Trend Talk: Ruffles
03/31/2010 at 5:00 am | Posted in General Inspiration, Hot Trends | 7 CommentsTags: CK, CK March/April 2010, Creating Keepsakes, Creating Keepsakes magazine, creative editor, creativity, Lori Fairbanks, Megan Hoeppner, Mou Saha, Ruffles, Scrapbook, scrapbook pages, Scrapbooking, Stacy Cohen, Trend Talk, trends
-Megan Hoeppner, creative editor, and Lori Fairbanks, editor
Weekly Warm-Up: Incredible (not so edible) eggs using your scrapbooking supplies!
03/29/2010 at 1:25 pm | Posted in General Inspiration, How-Tos, product, Uncategorized, weekly warm up | 11 CommentsTags: CK, Club CK, Club CK idea gallery, Creating Keepsakes, Creating Keepsakes magazine, decorated eggs, Earth Day, Easter, eggs, flocking, flowers, Glitter, glitter glue, Glue Dots, incredible, ink, Joannie McBride, Megan Hoeppner, paper crafting, ribbon, rub-ons, Scrapbook, scrapbook supplies, Scrapbooking, spring, technique, weekly warm up
Wait a minute! Do you realize Easter is less than a week away? Hopefully you’ve got that extra bit of spring in your step and you’re ready for an egg-xtra fun project! Megan Hoeppner and I had a blast using our scrapbooking supplies to decorate these adorable eggs. The possibilities are endless, and the results are super-way-dang (that’s like the ultimate in cuteness)! We opted not to dye our eggs before decorating them, but remember this is your creative time and you can do whatever you want!
Spot-on
These happy polka-dot eggs were easier to create than you might think. Megan first started by placing a glue dot onto her egg. She then dipped the egg into a small pile of flock, used her finger to make sure it was pressed in well to each glue dot, then gently brushed off the excess and repeated the process.
Absolutely Frilling
Ribbon is one of my favorite supplies, and ribbon scraps are perfect for decorating eggs. My orange egg was dyed using spray ink. Once dried, I adhered a large layer of ribbon around it, then a thin sheer ribbon over the top of the large ribbon. For the green and purple egg, I simply used Smooch ink, from Clearsnap, to create my green horizontal lines. Then I placed strips of ribbon in-between the lines. Finally, I tied a bow with the ribbon and adhered that to the top of my egg.
Rubbing me the right way
You can do so much with rub-ons! Megan created this fun spring scene using these yummy rub-ons from Hambly Screen Prints. The grass on Megan’s egg was created by painting small blades with Smooch ink. This same technique would be super cute on an Earth Day project, which just happens to be celebrating it’s 40 anniversary on April 22, 2010.
Speckles of happiness
This egg just makes me smile. When colors like these work so well together, it’s almost like they were two birds of a feather! Megan sprayed the egg with one color and allowed it to dry completely. Then she lightly sprayed the second color. Remember, sometimes less is more. Create a light mist affect by spraying from a distance rather than too closely.
Blooming with color
Oh my gosh! This egg is cuter than cute and definitely sprouting to the occasion. Nothing says spring like bright vibrant flowers. Add a little sparkle and the world couldn’t get any sweeter! Start by applying ink to create your petals. using a small foam square, dip one side into glitter and adhere the other side to the center of your flower. Hippity, hoppity for sure!
The write stuff
Everything’s better when it’s personalized! You can create these one-of-a-kind eggs for yourself and all your flock too. All you need is glitter glue and a little imagination.
I hope these techniques give you at least a dozen of your own incredible ideas. We’d love to see what you come up with. Share your projects with us in the Club CK idea gallery.
Joannie McBride, assistant editor
Special Guest Blogger: 2010 Dream Team Member Jen Jockisch
03/26/2010 at 5:00 am | Posted in fonts, General Inspiration, guest blogger, How-Tos, Uncategorized | 11 CommentsTags: CK Dream Team, Creating Keepsakes, free font, Free Font Friday, Jen Jockisch, Layout, layouts, paper crafting, paper flowers, Scrapbook, Scrapbooking, techniques
Hi everyone! This is Jen Jockisch. I’m a first time contributor to the CK blog, and a member of the Creating Keepsakes 2010 Dream Team. Today I have a really quick and simple technique to share with you that’s fun and easy.
I love to create flowers with patterned paper, and the flowers I’m going to show you today make great embellishments for your scrapbook pages or altered items.
All you will need is a 12″ x 12″ piece of cardstock or patterned paper, a paper trimmer or scissors, a stapler and some foam adhesive (smaller foam tabs are best).
Choose your paper, then cut a strip of paper measuring 1/4″ to 1/2″ wide. Fold either end to meet in the middle, and staple. (If you want a smaller flower, simply cut your strip before you fold, making it shorter than 12″ x 12″)
Repeat this process four times (more or less depending on how many petals you want), and layer all of the pieces together, overlaping in the center. Staple together. It may take a few staples to get your petals situated where you want them.
Place your foam adhesive on the ends of the petals and adhere to your page.
I like to punch a circle from cardstock and place in the center of the flower and add buttons, brads, rhinestones or other embellishments. If you do this, youʼll want to again use foam adhesive on the back of your circle so you don’t flatten the flower.
Finally, add stems to the flowers using ribbon, patterned paper, or other fun trims.
Thanks for reading, everyone, and have a great weekend!
-Jen Jockish
P.S. Don’t forget to download a new font as part of Free Font Friday! This week, download the CK Broad Pen font here!
CK & Me: March 2010
03/24/2010 at 6:50 pm | Posted in CK & Me, General Inspiration | 3 CommentsTags: Amanda Birchler, CK, CK & Me, Creating Keepsakes, Creating Keepsakes magazine, January 2010 issue, Kelly Holbrook, Latrice Murphy, layouts, magazine, Megan Hoeppner, Scrapbook, scrapbook pages, Scrapbooking, Stephanie Howell, techniques
What is it about Creating Keepsakes magazine that keeps you coming back for more? Is it the incredible creativity of the amazing lineup of scrapbookers we include every issue that has you hooked? Or is the extra motivation to scrapbook you feel after reading an issue? Maybe it’s a combination of these ideas and more. Whatever your answer is, please know that it’s appreciated. We’re overwhelmed by your passion and commitment to both scrapbooking and to CK. And nothing makes us happier than hearing about how an issue has inspired you. In that spirit, let’s check out this month’s CK & Me featured scrapbookers.
This month, we’re switching things up a bit and showing you three fantastic pages from three talented women who were all inspired by the same layout. And that impressive layout is this one by Stephanie Howell, which was featured in CK’s January 2010 “15-Minute Layout” column.
"So Much Fun" by Stephanie Howell, as seen in the January 2010 issue of Creating Keepsakes, page 122.
This page by Amanda Birchler wonderfully illustrates how just about any layout idea can be transferred into a page that meets your unique needs. In this case, Amanda transformed a baby-themed layout into a page about an older child simply by switching out the colors and adding a few funky accents. Beautiful job, Amanda!
Latrice Murphy was instantly drawn to the stacked elements on the side of Stephanie’s page and knew she wanted to try that approach on her design. As her page shows us, you don’t have to stick to the same page sketch when scraplifting. Instead, she turned a single-page layout into this darling two-page spread. Way to work it out, Latrice!
Kelly Holbrook takes yet another approach to Stephanie’s design. In this example, Kelly translated a 12″ x 12″ layout into an 8.5″ x 11″ page. And, guess what?! She really did complete this page in 15 minutes, which goes to show you it can be done. Well played, Kelly!
Isn’t it awesome to see how three different scrapbookers created three unique pages all from the same inspirational layout! It makes you wonder how many more pages can potentially come from Stephanie’s stunning original. I’m certainly curious.
What about You?
What ideas have you seen in CK recently that you’ve made your own? Tell us about it by e-mailing letters@creatingkeepsakes.com for a chance to be featured on our blog and win a Creating Keepsakes special issue.
Thanks to this month’s talented trio for showing us how truly versatile scrapbooking is. We can’t wait to do it all again next month!
Cheers!
Megan Hoeppner, CK creative editor
March/April 2010 Issue: An Insider’s Look
03/11/2010 at 3:52 am | Posted in General Inspiration, Insider's Look, Uncategorized | 57 CommentsTags: Brigid Gonzalez, CK, CK Shows You How, cover photo, Creating Keepsakes, Creating Keepsakes magazine, creative editor, creativity, Donna Creedon, giveaway, Iris Uy, Jennafer Martin, Jennifer McGuire, Kim Watson, Liz Hicks, Lori Fairbanks, Megan Hoeppner, Mou Saha, reader pages, ribbon, Scrapbook, scrapbook layouts, scrapbook pages, Scrapbooking, Shelley Jaquet, spray ink, Stacy Cohen, stamping, Tattered Angels, technique, techniques, Tools & Techniques
Hey there! Are you as antsy for spring as I am? If so, make sure you check out the March/April issue of Creating Keepsakes. It’s got so many great ideas for spring-themed pages and techniques to try on them that you’ll be thinking warm, sunny thoughts, even if it’s still a bit chilly outside.
Here are three of my favorite items from this issue, along with a couple of tidbits from our team:
1. Stamping with a template and spray ink
Spritzing and stamping? Ooh la la! Stamping makes me happy, so I was so thrilled to learn about this technique from Liz Hicks, education coordinator for Tattered Angels. I love how Dream Team member Kim Watson interpreted the idea on her page. Want to learn more? Get step-by-step instructions in this month’s “CK Shows You How” column on page 23, and see Liz’s video demo.
"She Has Spring in Her Step" by Kim Watson, as seen in the March/April 2010 issue of Creating Keepsakes, page 26
2. Lots and lots of beautiful pages
If you need a little scrapbooking eye candy, then you’re going to love our “Scrapbook Your Life” article as much as I do—it’s packed with fantastic layouts like this one from Shelley Jaquet. I love how she fit 17 photos on her layout and that they show so many fun family activities.
"Our Family . . . Everyday Life" by Shelley Jaquet, as seen in the March/April 2010 issue of Creating Keepsakes, page 72
3. Cool ribbon techniques
Jennifer McGuire always has many creative ideas for using products, and this month’s “Tools & Techniques” column is just too much fun. Check out the grass on this darling “Monster” accent—can you believe she created it by fraying green ribbon? Too clever! (You’ll find additional tips from Jennifer on getting more from ribbon in her column.)
"Monster" by Jennifer McGuire, as seen in the March/April 2010 Creating Keepsakes, page 106
Here are some fun tidbits about this issue from the team:
- Creative editor Megan Hoeppner designed the adorable layout featured on our cover—didn’t she do a fabulous job? What you may not know is that the photo on the layout was taken by reader/contributor Brigid Gonzalez. She e-mailed it to us at editorial@creatingkeepsakes.com, and it was chosen for this cover! If you have a great photo with strong eye contact and good lighting, send it in for consideration. Your photo could end up being featured in a future issue!
- Reader/contributor Stacy Cohen found a way to use her instant-coffee purchase on a layout about her morning fix. See the idea on page 108.
- Editor-in-chief Jennafer Martin had a ball working with contributing writer Mou Saha on the “Spring Is in the Air” feature for this issue. “Mou had so many creative ideas and her enthusiasm for this springy topic brightened up the dreary fall when we worked on it,” says Jennafer. See more of Mou’s work in future issues of CK or on her blog.
- There’s more than one way for your page to be published in CK. Fresh Face Donna Creedon, whose “Cheeky Grin” layout is featured on page 96, had originally posted the amazing layout on her blog, where creative editor Megan Hoeppner spotted it. It fit so well with the “Spring Is in the Air” article that we snatched it up right away. You never know when one of your layouts will be spotted by our roving talent reporters!
- Accident or accent? After dropping an ink applicator on her page, reader/contributor Iris Uy turned the unfortunate ink spot into a really cool embossed accent. See it on page 16.
- April Fools for photos. In the editor’s note, Jennafer Martin wrote a sidebar mentioning a couple of sites to play with your photos. “We didn’t end up publishing it, but I played with my photo on Faceinhole.com to become one of my favorite superheroes. You can be anyone you want to be by putting your head on a photo there,” Jennafer says. Try it today!
What were your favorite items about this issue? Leave us a comment by Friday, March 26, 2010, and you could be one of three lucky winners to receive a sampling of some fun, new scrapbooking products.
—Lori Fairbanks, editor
Getting in the Irish Groove
03/05/2010 at 2:36 pm | Posted in General Inspiration, Holidays | 5 CommentsTags: ApplesLovesOranges, Brittany Beattie, CK, CK Pleasing, crafts, Creating Keepsakes, Creating Keepsakes magazine, Disney Family, download, Etsy, Family Fun, font, free font, Free Font Friday, Martha Stewart, Paper Crafts, projects, Scrapbooking, St. Patrick's Day
Rather than bringing in a special guest blogger this Friday, we thought we’d point you to some other great sites on the web that have some fantastic projects you can create for St. Patrick’s Day, which is fast approaching. Check out these projects below, and then head to the links for more details and how-to information.
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Shamrock Boutonnieres from Martha Stewart
Cut or punch shamrocks from green-patterned papers, and then tie them together for a shamrock bouquet or boutonniere like this one from Martha Stewart.
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Swizzle Sticks from Martha Stewart
Enjoy this idea, also from Martha Stewart, of using a heart stamp to create great swizzle sticks for a St. Patrick’s Day party.
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Leprechaun Catcher from Family Fun
If you have little ones at home, they’ll enjoy creating a Leprechaun Catcher like this one from Family Fun.
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Onesie from ApplesLovesOranges on Etsy
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Shamrock Pin from Disney Family
And although you may not have suckers in your scrapbooking stash, I couldn’t resist sharing this idea from Disney Family. It’s easy to turn three green suckers into a shamrock pin that’s good enough to eat.
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—Brittany Beattie, online senior editor
P.S. Don’t miss the Free Font Friday download this week: CK Pleasing.
Layout Design: Using Contrast Effectively
03/03/2010 at 3:50 pm | Posted in General Inspiration, How-Tos | 6 CommentsTags: CK, contrast, Creating Keepsakes, Creating Keepsakes magazine, design, Dorathy Gilchrist, January 2010, Jennifer McGuire, Judy Nieusma, Laina Lamb, Scrapbook, scrapbook pages, Scrapbook Tips & Tricks organization issue, Scrapbooking, Scrapbooking Tips & Tricks, September 2009, technique, techniques
In places with four distinct seasons, March can be a funny month. One day it’s as cold as Christmas, and the next finds you wanting to sack the jacket. As winter turns to spring, we appreciate warmth because we know what it’s like to be cold. Contrast, if not the spice of life, is certainly one of them.
Using contrast to “spice up” a layout can make a huge difference in the effectiveness of a design. Below are three examples of layouts whose colors and other page elements are designed with beautiful contrasts in mind.
Light on Dark
"An Aunt's Work Is Never Done" by Judy Nieusma, as seen in the Scrapbooking Tips & Tricks organization issue, page 81
Tips
- Use light colors for your text and accents against a dark background.
- Use both a large and a small font size in your title or other text.
- Use straight lines and round accents together.
Dark on Light
"Island Boy" by Jennifer McGuire, as seen in the September 2009 issue of Creating Keepsakes, page 47
Tips
- Place brightlycolored photos against a plain white or neutral background. The beautiful colors will grab your attention and draw you into the picture.
- Let the title stand alone so it stands out against a plain background.
- When the subject of a photo is very simple (i.e., not “busy”), use an assortment of accents in a variety of shapes to add texture. Allow some element of the accents, such as color, to be the same as in the picture so the accents meld into the photo rather than distract from it.
Light and Dark
"Mr. Monopoly" by Laina Lamb, as seen in the January 2010 issue of Creating Keepsakes, page 50
Tips
- Make one layer of your background dark and the other light, arranging your layers based on other colors in the layout.
- Draw attention to a focal point in a layout with only two or three main colors by adding a multicolored accent piece next to the focal point.
- Combine straight lines, curves, and zigzags on a layout.
Enjoy experimenting with contrast on your layouts! If you have a favorite trick you use when adding contrast to your pages, feel free to share it by leaving a comment below.
–Dorathy Gilchrist, associate editor
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