Weekly Warm-Up: Scrapbook Your Story

04/05/2010 at 5:00 am | Posted in General Inspiration, weekly warm up | 4 Comments
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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

March/April 2010 Issue: An Insider’s Look

03/11/2010 at 3:52 am | Posted in General Inspiration, Insider's Look, Uncategorized | 57 Comments
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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

Choose Our Cover

03/09/2010 at 11:05 am | Posted in product, Promo | 18 Comments
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There’s something really liberating about having choices, isn’t there? We know it’s satisfying to pick out just the right ribbon or button as a finishing touch for our pages. So we wanted you to gain that same satisfaction from choosing a part of our upcoming special issue.

The second of four Scrapbooking Tips & Tricks special issues for 2010 is almost ready to go to the printer. But . . . it’s missing a cover. And that’s where you come in. We’d like YOU to tell us which cover to put on this issue. “But Jennafer,” I can hear you saying, “how can I choose the cover when I don’t even know what the issue’s about?” Great question! Here’s a little bit of info to help you.

In case you missed it, the first Scrapbooking Tips & Tricks special issue was all about organization. This is its cover:

Adorable, right?

This second issue is all about paper. Patterned, shaped, laced, and die-cut papers, scraps, and more—this issue has hundreds of ideas for how to use this wonderful supply in unique ways for your scrapbook pages. We asked three talented scrapbookers to create layouts for this issue’s cover, and they are all so adorable—we just can’t decide on a favorite!

So we need your help. Which one should we feature on the cover? See the covers and take our poll between now and March 15, 2010, to let us know your vote.

Thanks for your help!

—Jennafer Martin, editor-in-chief

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