The day after Thanksgiving my family and I made the trek to visit my grandparents. They live about an hour away from our home, unfortunately we don't get to see them as often as I would like to. This particular day we ate, visited, watch some old home videos and then later in the afternoon we helped Grandma put her Christmas decorations up. As I was in the back of her closet getting Christmas decorations out I came across these: (which is why I'm telling you about what happened last Thanksgiving ;) Well, I knew I couldn't leave them there so I grabbed them along with a stack of Christmas decorations and went back downstairs. As I opened the albums my jaw dropped. One of them was filled with more recent color photos (from the 70's and 80's) and the other two were chock full of beautiful, beautiful black and white photos. Isn't she beautiful?!?! The sad part is that we have no idea who she is. There are many photos like this but also many that were written on or had writing next to them. I poured over each page in every album. Inside I was sick, I knew that these photos were crumbling because of the albums they were in. About 30 years ago in the late 70's early 80's manufacturers made what were called 'magnetic' albums. These albums were made from a thick cardstock, almost like chipboard material covered with thin strips of adhesive, very acidic adhesive. The adhesive is what was causing my family photos to fall apart. Covering these adhesive pages is a thin layer of plastic. Some of the plastic covering is made of PVC and some were made of Mylar. I don't know which plastic was on my grandparents album but either plastic is not good. The plastic keeps the acidic fumes close to the photos and therefore the photos deteriorate even faster. If you look at the edges of the adhesive papers in these photos you can see the edges of the pages are already yellowing and starting to crumble. When I saw the pages and some of the photos starting to yellow I knew I had to get them out of the albums. I asked my grandma if I could take the albums and restore them for her. Her reply made me smile, "sure, I'm so glad that you care enough about some old photos that you'll take care of them" Me, care about photos?!? My life pretty much revolves around photos. I stuffed the albums in my bag and headed home. As we drove home I poured over the photos. I grew more and more apprehensive of this huge project I had just created for myself. When I got home I put the albums in my bedroom and let them sit. I just had a hard time wrapping my head around how I was going to get so many photos into albums. I knew I couldn't scrapbook them all in traditional layouts so they sat there in my bedroom. One day I was thinking about this massive project and then it dawned on me. Pocket pages! Yes, that was my answer! I could put the photos into pocket page protectors. It would preserve them and it wouldn't take nearly as long as making traditional layouts would. Once I had a plan in my head I started gathering supplies. I knew I wanted beautiful high quality albums, so We R Memory Keepers came to mind. It's no secret that their albums are beautiful and the best quality. WRMK also has pocket page protectors and journaling cards. I also wanted to make sure there was a digital copy of these photos because most of them are one of a kind. I bought this Photo, Slide, and Negative Scanner and I must say that I was thrilled with the way that it worked. It scanned the photos directly to a memory card and all I have to do is upload those files to dropbox and then my entire family can have access to these priceless photos and it was only around $40.00. I also had one other supply gathered for this project. It's a little strange but it was a necessity. Yup, it's dental floss. Unflavored, please. Oh, and band-aids. Don't forget band-aids. Over the next couple of weeks I'll have more details about the entire process we went through to restore these old albums. (Yes, I said we. This is a project that took an army to complete.) Make sure you stop by next week for Part 2 of Restoring Old Photo Albums into Pocket Page Scrapbooks. (Update: Part Two and Part Three) Here's a list of supplies that I gathered for this project: We R Memory Keepers Albums We R Memory Keepers Photo Sleeves Photo, Slide, and Negative Scanner Waxed Dental Floss Project Life Journaling Pens We R Memory Keepers Journaling Cards Self Adhesive Photo Corners band-aids

Welcome and a very happy Valentine’s Day to you wherever you live in the world. May your day be filled with love, flowers and chocolate, lots and lots of chocolate………..! Tin…

It was a great afternoon for me ^_^ I got to sleep in and then DerRick comes in with breakfast. I got breawkfast in bed? Oh yes....that was very sweet... It's a good thing I got to sleep in too because after I created a layout and Skyped with Essense, I played Mario. Then watched The Nightmare Before Christmas (such an artistically inspiring movie by the way) with DerRick. i didn't go to bed until 1......or 2 lol! So yeah, I appreciated this surprise. On a creative note, I did do a layout last night. Cut & Paste style lol.......

I hope everyone had a nice weekend! We had a wonderful Fall weekend with the kids, we spent the day on Saturday at Wonderland (a local theme park) with our girls and a few of their friends....took lots of photos (so I've got lots of fun pic's to scrap! :) Today I'm sharing with you all a layout I made as Guest Designer for Once Upon a Sketch! For those of you who are not familiar with this amazing sketch site, just click on the name above to take you to the challenge. I love this challenge site because not only does it provide you with a beautiful sketch to work with every month, but it also encourages you to journal on your pages, in this way making your pages more meaningful! Below you will find the sketch as well as the quote you can use on your page which you can use pieces of or in it's entirety. I read the above words and thought, I would have to scrap about my oldest daughter who just started high school this year. I'm just so very proud of her, the year has just begun but already in two of her classes (Math & English), the teachers have taken her work and held them up to her class as examples of what the students should be working to achieve! I know I'm bragging here but if you are going to brag, let it be about your kids right? :) Anyway, I love that Chloe is such a positive person, and that her focus is almost always on the good things, she never lets negative talk get her down or get involved in a lot of 'girly' drama. She has a good head on her shoulders and a really awesome group of friends. For my layout I used a bunch of my favourite products. Some of the newest Websters Pages papers and embellishments as well as my favourite chipboard, Dusty Attic (Skeleton Clock Faces, Mini Birdhouses, and Arch WIndow Set #1). The soft appricot pink blooms were made from one of the WP Parkdrive papers, using the Spellbinders 'Rose Creations' die cut. I just cut a bunch of the smaller sized flower shapes using the die cuts on the 'Margaret' paper. I inked the centers of the cut flower shapes with a bit of Victorian Velvet Tim Holtz Distress Ink. I then lightly crinkled the petals to give them an embossed look (lightly spritzing the petals with water helps shape them). I glue 2 layers of the petals together and added a small white rose bud to the centers. Here are some close-up pics.... A really sweet blogger (Beverly) asked on my last layout about that butterfly (above) that I like to use on many of my layouts. It is actually a butterfly that I had scanned from a Webster's Pages patterned paper that I just loved! I made up a contact sheet with the butterfly in a whole bunch of different sizes that I could cut out to use on my layouts. I especially like to use these butterflies on my Webster's Pages design team layouts, they just seem to go well with so many of Brandin's beautiful designs! Here is a picture of my contact sheet, if you like you can right click on the picture and 'save it to your computer', then just print it out on a 8.5 x 11 inch piece of smooth white cardstock and use it to make your own butterfly embellishments :) (right click on photo and save to your computer to print off and create your own butterfly embellies) Above is a close-up of the Websters Pages and Dusty Attic embellishments I used for this page....as well as the journaling I used from the Once Upon a Sketch journaling prompt (handwritten around the clock design) Supplies use for this page: Patterned Paper: Parkdrive and Royal Christmas Websters Pages collections Chipboard: Dusty Attic, Skeleton Clock Faces, Arch Window Set #1, and Mini Birdhouses Stickers: WP Parkdrive Phrase Sticker, WP Parkdrive and In Love alphabet stickers Cameo: Websters Pages Perfect Accents (from In Love Collection) Stamps: Websters Pages Diamond Tag Stamp, Bo Bunny Midnight Frost and Et Cetera Stamps, Prima You-Frame-it Stamp. Flowers: Med. pink blooms are handmade using WP paper and Spellbinders Rose Creations die cuts, Large and tiny pink blooms are Prima as is the pearl flourish. Other: Burlap, kitchen twine, bulk lace and pearl strands. If you'd like to try out Nadia's beautiful sketch and quote and play along this month (and have a chance at the AMAZING prizes they offer, be sure to stop by her challenge site and link your work to the blog!) Happy Scrapping! xo

Привет!!! Не смотря на то, что за окном настоящие крещенские морозы я же хочу показать вам летнюю страничку)). Я, кстати, ни разу не пробовала нырять в прорубь, потому что жутко боюсь холода! Мне хватило пару раз посмотреть как это делают другие, если честно, мне показалось, что это зрелище не для слабонервных)), особенно в мороз! В общем такие развлечения не для меня)). Ну да ладно, рассмотрим страничку подробнее. Делала для Kaisercraft, нужно было использовать специальный лист с перфорцией, имитирующий старые письма. Как таковых писем на страничке нет, лишь небольшой кусочек)), который вы вряд ли заметите в слоях. Я просто вырезала некоторые элементы для украшения странички. Kaisercraft Products Used: Telegraph P2223 | Postcards P2230 | Specialty Perforated Letters PS476 | Sticker Sheet SS329 | Collectables CT872 | Cherry Tree Lane 6.5″ Paper Pad PP1012 | Sparklets RS419 | Mini Alphas MA502 | Flourish Pack Hello FL592 | Pearls – Latte SB715 | Clear Stamp CS279 | KAISERmist Olive KM118 | KAISERmist White KM111 | Small Ink Pad Bark IP724 | Background Script CS257 | Decorative Die Ornate Doors DD788 | Template Mini Mix IT921 | А вот и лист с "письмами". Детали странички... Сегодня, кстати, День рождения мамули, побежала готовиться)), а вам желаю отличного дня и не мерзнуть!)) ♥ ♥ ♥ Скетч Московского СК I Kropka Wyzwanie #41 Słowa

Having the perfect embellishment for your project can add just the right finishing touch. With these 7 tutorials you can make any of these cute little details to your pages or cards in no t…

For MK's middle school years scrapbook when Maji first came home to live with us Used [url=https://www.digitalscrapbook.com/marisa-lerin/kits/the-good-life-september-2021-bundle-travel-fall-life-red-orange-yellow-green-mint]The Good Life September 2021 bundle[/url] and Marisa's [url=https://www.digitalscrapbook.com/marisa-lerin/designs/layout-templates-34-template-d-graphic-2-photos-journaling-orange-green-pink]layout template #34D[/url] turned upside down

**If the store shows a "maintenance" page, it should clear in about 5 seconds - I'm so sorry for the inconvenience** &nb ...

Hi stampers! Happy Friday....and what a happy Friday it is now that you can order from the new Stampin' Up catalog! We hope to see some of the new items on your submissions this week and next! We also hope you enjoyed our small break last week. We will take them from time to time to let the DT get some rest and relaxation so they can continue to bring you FABULOUS inspiration :-) But, for now we are back at it and have a sketch for you this week! And here are the pretty pictures: Mindy Backes Cindy Beach Justin Krieger Amanda Mertz Brenda Myers Amy O'Neill Marla Reed Pam Steckman Jan Tinklenberg Wendy Weixler Now it's your turn! Here are some things to keep in mind when YOU play along: 1. Enter your project in no more than two other challenges. 2. Link back to the Fab Friday site in your post. 3. Display our challenge logo on your post (this is the sketch or colors). And although we are Stampin' Up demonstrators you may use any brand(s) of product you choose. The challenge will close at 8am on 13th. Our Fab Faves will be announced on June 14th. Happy stamping!

This is my first page working with the new Webster's Pages 'Western Romance' Collection!! I got my design team package last week in the mail and was just giddy pulling out all the beautiful products that have just come out! Yep! new cameo's (Silhouettes), GORGEOUS laces and trims! Soft and pretty bloomers and the cutest cameo pins! If you like collection packs you are going to LOVE these new ones that Brandin has put together, this time around she has put in 2 of every patterned paper, 1 Die Cut paper (the one in the photo above is from the Western Romance collection), the alpha stickers (my Favourite scripted font!!), a sampling of the new WP Bling!, 2 x 12" strips of Bloomers, and some coordinating Fabric tickets!) I think these collection packs are a great bargin and give you a taste of so many of the pretty things Websters Pages makes. I made this page up for my oldest daughter Chloe, she recently turned 13 and although I don't like to put a lot of emphasis on 'outward' beauty when dealing with my children, I had to make up this page because as I was looking at these pic's I recently took of her, it dawned on me how Chloe doesn't follow the trend of so many of her classmates in wearing heavy eyeshadow and liner, dark lipstick and a lot of makeup.....yep, so many of the 13 year olds I'm seeing are just over the top with trying to look older. I'm grateful that Chloe is happy to just put on a little lip balm and off she goes. The emphasis of the title is not so much the 'beauty' but the 'natural' part. To me her beauty comes from her inner self, the kindness she shows to others and how she applies herself to her schooling and studies. Supplies used on this page: Webster's Pages papers (Western Romance Collection), WP alphas, WP Silhouettes, WP Bloomers, WP Trim (gold lace along bottom edge and gathered to make bloom in top right corner), Dusty Attic Chipboard (circle frame), Baroque corners (framing the cameo piece), cardstock. Here are a few close-ups... I have one more project to share with you and that is a card I made for a very special little girl. Olivia is a little girl who would be starting kindergarten in a few days but is presently in the hospital undergoing surgery for a brain tumor in a very critical part of her brain. Her family has asked if we would be kind enough to send her some cards to cheer her up. Here is a link to her story Olivia Here is the card I made for her and will be sending off in the morning... If you would like to join in and send this sweet child a card you can send it to this address: Cards For Olivia c/o Stacy Rodriguez 3122 9 1/2 Street Rock Island, Illinois 61201 Thanks for stopping by! And a big thank-you for all the kind comments, I love to hear your feed back on the work I share!

Click on the sketch to enlarge: Back to Sketches

I found this old photo of our dear Mocha (she passed a few years ago), she was a super sweet dog, fiercely protective but did not have a lot of tolerance for children's shinanigans (did I actually use that word? lol!) ....If there were too many kiddies running around like at this summer resort, she would quickly tuck herself under your legs to hide (not the best of things when wearing a skirt!!) Well, I tried to come up with a good title for this one but my husband finally came up with 'Leg Warmers' which I thought was a good fit :) To make this page I used some papers from Websters Pages 'Postcards from Paris II' and 'A Christmas Story' collection. I embellished with some new goodies from Dusty Attic designs. Above you can see the Cyclone Wire fence chippies (I like to cut them up in little bits to use on my pages). Another new chipboard design that Dusty Attic just put out is the 'Chevrons' in a variety of sizes. For mine I first gave them a coat of Gesso, then added a coat of 'Oceania' Dusty in Color Paint and used a white Gel Pen (Signo Unibal) to put some dots on the design. I finished it by adding a nice thick coat of Dusty Attic Gloss medium. Here is another view of the chippies and floral embellishments. I first gave the base of the page my own unique background design by starting with a basic soft brocade paper. I then added some inking on the borders with some Tim Holtz Broken China Distress Ink applied with a make-up sponge. I used a Crafters Workshop 6x6 Circle Grid Stencil/Mask and black ink applied with sponge in corners and edges fading in as I go...I dabbed a little of the Broken China with the black ink. I used a make-up sponge to apply the Broken China ink around the area of my photo/embellishments as well. I also used another couple of stencils on this page with texture paste. The 6x6 Crafters Workshop 'Ledger' stencil and the Tim Holtz "Measured" stencil (under the photo area). One of my favourite chippies from Dusty Attic has always been the Vintage Hinges, well now I'm so excited because they have come out with the 'Mini Hinges' as well! I love them! Although I used them for a layout here, I can totally see me using them in cards, ATC's and OTP's (of the page projects!). I dabbed on some copper 3D T-shirt paint and some more of the 'Oceania' Dusty in Color paint to get the above effect. I hope you enjoyed my project today. If you are looking for Dusty Attic products you can check out their website HERE, you can find retailers for Dusty Attic in North America listed in my right side panel of my blog (I believe Janene from The Scrapbook Diaries has the mini hinges in right now :). And you can find Websters Pages collections HERE. Thanks so much for stopping by! xo

Good morning Paper Peeps. I’m sharing a project I created especially for Graphic 45. They asked us to create a pocket style scrapbook project….which is very new to me…but I had lo…

We had so much fun designing with the Main kit for April at My Creative Scapbook, the feature papers are the Bo Bunny Gabrielle collection with a little Prima thrown in....and loads of awesome blooms and embellishments too! If you are looking for the Gabrielle trinkets, they are in this kit and so cute!! I made the above l/o of my oldest daughter using the papers and the lace paper doily (I trimed down the outer edge of the doily to make it a little smaller (and idea that orginated with my friend & team mate Gerry V. Gent, thanks Gerry!) ...and then tinted it with some brown chalk ink. There are loads of wonderful Prima blooms in the kit but for the above layout I wanted to try out another design using some Recycled Dryer Sheets. BLOOM TECHNIQUE: I added a few drops of Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink (Pink Sherbert) to some water in a cup. I dunked the dryer sheets in the liquid and blotted dry on some paper towels. Cut your dryer sheets into strips (you will need about two 1.5 inch strips to make the larger flower. Using a slip stitch just gather both long edges of the strips, bringing the edges togther. Tighten the center, then adjust the outside gather so that the bloom sits flat before you tie-off that edge. Add some beads or adhesive pearls to the center...Done! The effect is sheer and soft....give it a try! I've been asked about the yellow diamond pattern paper inside the circle design This is actually a scrap of one of the Bo Bunny papers. I cut it in a circle design and then with a pencil and ruler drew a diamond pattern. I didn't measure, just basically 'eye-balled' the design. Then I took a brown pen (I used a Martha Stewart Brown fine tip pen) and drew a squiggly line over my pencil lines, then went over the line again with another squiggly line, this ends up give the design a sort of 'stitched' look. It's a very simply way to add an extra pattern to your layout :)Another page I made using this beautiful kit was using the Bo Bunny die-cut paper called 'Mocha'.....I just had to do a layout about my dear pup Mocha who this paper was named after. I was so touched that Bo Bunny named this paper after dear Mocha, I miss her so much..... Here's a few close-ups of the kit embellishments, love those diamond dusted roses, the pearls and the trinkets! A third layout I made with the Main kit, I used the gorgeous new Parfait blooms from Prima (also included in the kit)....the bloom my youngest daughter is holding in the photo is a giant DinnerPlate Dahlia that she and her Grandfather grew in her little garden..... TIP: I made the pink butterfly embellishments by scanning the pink chipboard butterfly into my computer and then printing a whole bunch of them out in different sizes on some white glossy cardstock. I then cut them out and bent up the wings and attached to the page to create a 3D embellishment. Another wonderful kit I got to work with this month was the Limited Edition kit....this kit was packed and I mean REALLY PACKED with beautiful Prima blooms, papers and embellishements! And such unique pieces too, in the layout below I combined cut paper blooms with the fabric roses in the kit and added some of the unique and pretty metal blooms also found in the kit. TIP: I used a pink Sharpee market to tint the clear crystal flourish (also in the kit) to coordinate with the colors on my page. (Copic markers can also be used to get the same effect) A second layout I made using the LE kit I went with the blues and browns in the kit and accented with yellow. The other set of blooms in this kit have such a sweet homespun look to them, the yellow bloom gave me the idea to add a little yellow cardstock to the page (the photo is of Chloe and her best friends horse Darla).... And finally a 3rd layout I made with this pretty kit I used more of the pinks in the kit. The photos are from a few years ago when Meagan was in a little ballet/dance class. I thought the soft pretty blooms would work well with the ballet theme.... I loved the pretty combination of the soft celery green with the pale pink and deep rose blooms. The little vine I created using the small bulk roses (also in the kit). I used a little floral tape to create the vine. You can see a video tutorial I made up on how to make the vines HERE. I'm looking forward to seeing what you all create using these beautiful kits, so don't forget to post your work in our gallery over at MCS! Thanks so much for stopping by my blog and for your kind and thoughtful comments, I read them all! ~Gabrielle xx

So I've got to tell you about my experience being the Guest Designer over at The Flying Unicorn Kit Club for this month! What a lovely group of ladies!! Sometimes I'm told in advance what to expect in the kit when it arrives, but not this time! Alda (the super sweet ladie that owns the kit club) let me know that she loves to keep the kit ingredients a secret until it arrives in the mail......and now I know why! I have to say my jaw just dropped when I got my Flying Unicorn GDT kit in the mail a few weeks back!! A huge box appeared on my doorstep just PACKED with gorgeous papers and embellishments. Along with package after package of beautiful papers, blooms, flourishes, trims, coordinating cardstock and even art supplies (liquid pearls, Glimmer Sprays and shimmer paints!) there is also a beautiful OTP (off the page) project, in this case a lovely wooden shadow box! The above page is the first page I made up using this lovely kit! Now, I know that this kit club does not have strict rules for their DT and guest designers to use only the kit ingredients on their pages, but the truth is that I really had to use almost nothing from my own stash to make up these pages....there was just so many beautiful things to use! For these pages, I did scan a couple of the butterflies in the patterned papers and printed/cut them out for embellishing my layouts, so other than this and one Dusty Attic hinge that I used on one of the pages, everything on my work is from the goodies sent to me for this months Guest DT work! There is this really cool case of pearl/shimmer paints included in the kit (I can see dipping into this thing over and over in upcoming layouts!) ...I used some of the shimmer paint to tint the layered yellow bloom in the center to draw in some of the pinkish tones on the page. There is a wonderful words/quotes rub-on sheet in the kit as well! I have forgotton how much I really loved to use rub-on's on my work in the past until I got using them with these pages! For this page I combined a variety of the florals and branches in the kit, and liberally used some of the beautiful rub-on quotes. There is also an awesome package of antique crochette lace in the kit that I just loved and used over and over in my pages! Check out the cute sheer ribbon and pearl blooms in the kit! I just thought they made the cutest page accents! I really love butter yellow with soft blue as a color combination, so for this page I chose the elements in the kit that favoured these colors. And finally a 3rd page I made using this kit I went with the fresh and pretty white blooms with the hint of cornflower blue. And how cute are those vines?! Here are some close-up pic's of the page and the goodies from the kit... For the punched circle design, I used the Crafters Workshop Circle template to draw out the circle (I used the 6th ring from the center to make this design. I used the Martha Stewart Swirling Lace corner punch to make the edge design. Just cut out the circle using the 6th ring from the center of the template. Then use the corner punch putting the edge of the punch design along the edge of the paper. Line up the edge of the punch to slightly overlap the outer edge of the punch design. There will be a little gap on the edge (see diagram above) Happily using this size circle and this punch the design lines up perfectly to make this circle. (If the design doesn't line up at the end, you can always cover the small gap with some blooms or embellishments when you place it on the page). All I can say is that I wish I had more days in a month! I still have so many papers and goodies left over from this gorgeous kit (not to mention the shadow box I'm still wanting to play with!). If you haven't checked out this amazing kit club yet, go have yourself a peek (and check out the work of the rest of the super-talented design team when you are there, I'm sure you will be so inspired!!) Flying Unicorn Kit Club. (I've added pic's of the kit and it's add-on's below just so you can have a visual of the yummy goodies!) OCEAN BREEZE & SUMMER SKIES JUNE KIT OF THE MONTH The wait is over, and its time to introduce Ocean Breeze and Summer Skies, our June 2012 Kit of the Month. This month's kit is filled with so many goodies that inspiration and creativity will be falling off your projects! Kits are available now in the store and its first come, first serve. There are no lists or signs ups, We believe that scrapping is a passion and not an obligation . Hurry and get yours today , tomorrow could be too late ! The favorite part of the Kit- the OTP ( Off the Page) and this month we are featuring a shadow box, manufactured by Darice. BUT WAIT THERE IS MORE !!! Do not forget about the add ons FLOWER ADD ON Petaloo Vine, Prima Painted ladies, Prima Fairy Belle, Prestige Mini by Wrights, Petaloo Peony EMBELLISHMENT ADD ON Butterflies by Petaloo, ZVA Creative Crystal, Tattered Angels – Chalkboard Mist, Vine by Petaloo, Rub Ons Kaiser –Rustic Bird House, Hero Art Lace, MM Glitter Brads, Chipboard Alphas Mini Flowers by Wright PAPER ADD ON Kaiser – Secret Bird – Private, Fairy Belle- Marcelle, Bo Bunny – Garden Almanac garden Vines, garden Weathered Kaiser madame Butterfly – Camisole,Bodice, Blouse, petticoat, Kaiser Up Up and Away – Rollercoaster, Moon Ride , Kaiser Blae and Ivy – Field CARDSTOCK ADD ON Ming, Periphery Gold, Reflections, rosemary, latte, Tangerine, Scotch, Sugar and Spice, Whitewash, Palm Grove And here are some examples from the Creative Team Thanks for having a peek! xx