Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Droppings and Scrappings

[Friday, July 31, 2009]

Remember as a kid when everything we did revolved around toys and amusements? The interest level of any activity was measured by how many toys were on-hand (or how many could be acquired), if there were any games or treats or rides or playgrounds. Nothing else existed. Times when we were forced to acknowledge those alter-realities became countdowns to bliss.


I was reminded of this blissful ignorance when we visited Havre de Grace yesterday. From the moment we arrived, the only thing Summer saw was the playground. Forget wildlife. Forget sailboats. Forget ice cream. Is that a playground? Are we going to the playground? I want to go to the playground. Is it right there? Can we get out now? Look, Mommy, there's swings! Come on guys, let's go!

Once we were on the playground, Adam and I seated comfortably on a bench, I was able to appreciate her persistance as passion and, more basically, zeal for life. Do I get that excited about anything anymore? I wondered. The responsibilities of life creep into our playgrounds, slow at first, like clutter. Not knowing how dense and unmanageable the chores will eventually get, we're meticulous in pruning them at first. A little pruning every day, and then we can play. It's acceptable. We tolerate it because we don't want to lose sight of the playground. It takes us months, even years to realize that each day we spend more time pruning than we do playing. Finally, we let it go, pruning only what's necessary to walk by the playground until one fine day, with one little shriek of delight, our children uncover it.

I immediately jumped off the bench to swing with Summer.

We were able to finally coax Summer off the playground, only by promising her that we'd return again later in the day. We ate lunch outside at Promenade Grille, where we found a mother duck protecting her eggs in a large planter. We walked the boards to the lighthouse, stopping in the Decoy Museum on the way. We practiced our duck calls, and eventually made our way back to the dock (and the playground). We ended the day with a sail on the Skipjack Martha Lewis. Adam helped hoist the sails. I got showered with bat droppings! It was hot but fun. Our pictures are posted on Facebook. When we arrived home, we found Summer's sunflower had bloomed.

Some might dub the table I use to do my scrapbooking as my playground. It's certainly rich with amusements and surrounded by various crafting tchotchkes: in the built-in shelf underneath the table, in the rolling 8-drawer cart to the right, on each of the chairs around it, on the large 3-drawer Pier 1 wicker cabinet (a $60 steal) to the left, and on the floor behind me. This work area seems to acquire new items every day.


Over the many pages of the Biltmore album, which I've been assembling using former 12 x 12 pages, I've been collecting remnants of background papers. (Note: With the new true 12 x 12 sizes, this is the thing of the past.) Today, I decide to use them in combo to pay homage to page gone by - preserving a memory of my scrapbook in general on a single page: a scrap page. I arrange the strips symmetrically. (image 1)







After arranging them I realize I need one more strip. Before I trim that, I adhere the rest with tape runner so I'll know exactly the width I'll need. (image 2)




Since the background is so busy, I cut photo mats from black card stock with the straight trimmer, so the pictures will stand out. Then, adhere them with tape runner. (image 3)



I reprise my epiphany from a previous page and write captions on strips of vellum. To adhere, I cut frosted photo splits in half, apply, then remove the backing. As designed, they dissolve into the background so vellum maintains 100% translucence. With that, this simple page is done. (image 4)






For those power-preservers who regularly exhaust all pictures and are looking for new challenges, consider retaining and gathering remnants or "scraps" from current projects, taking pictures of each of your projects and design pages that recount or retell the story of a project: how long it took, obstacles you faced, why it was important, etc. It will make a great commemorative reference album to all of your projects and help orient future generations to your stories.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Scrap Rap: Autumn/Winter Edition

In this issue of Scrap Rap:

Bulletins – Need-to-Know Info
Specials
New products for autumn/winter – Heather’s Top Picks
Tip of the Month – Fun with Fonts
What I’m Working On

__________________________

Bulletins

I’m moving Scrap Rap to my blog for easier reading. It made sense for me to combine both of these communications into one location. By posting Scrap Rap here, I can also add links, formatting and sound bites that I wasn’t always able to via e-mail. I realize fewer and fewer of you are truly reading e-mail these days, so this way, the newsletters are always accessible!

My blog is now available as a podcast. You may have noticed the little icons throughout the page. You can subscribe by clicking the link on the right side or you can visit my Odiogo Page to subscribe and listen on the go. The podcast is also available free through iTunes.

The former Creative Memories Photo Center is now the Creative Memories Digital Center. The new URL is creativememories.com/digital. New features include: 10-minute gift ideas, click-to-enlarge tool for easier viewing, slideshow feature for viewing photos and storybooks, new “my projects” section, new flipbook feature, highlighting digital product ideas. Check out the specials available on this site just in time for the holidays.

Specials

#1 Receive FREE Winter Reflections 8-Sheet Paper Pack with any purchase over $50* (while supplies last)

#2 FREE gift wrap for any offline purchase now through December 31, 2009.*

#3 FREE Daisy Luggage Tag with purchase of Daisy Weekender, Project Tote or Wheeled Cart.*

#4 $5 OFF 7 x 5 and $7 OFF 8 x 8 softcover storybooks purchased through CM Digital Center (Expires Nov 30 – CM Digital ID: 94484775)

#5 FREE Jewel Paper Ribbon & Envelopes with Christmas Cards Featured Project ($27) – create 18 unique Christmas cards following simple step-by-step instructions at Creative Memories Project Center

#6 – FREE Expressions of Those We Love vellum accents with The Little Things Featured Project ($22) – create a paper album suitable for mailing to family members or friends

#7 – FREE Wavy Blade with Primary Bordermania Featured Project ($48) – create several autumn- and winter-themed borders using the included 12-inch rotary trimmer and primary autumn and winter additions

New Products for Autumn/Winter – Heather’s Top Picks
(View the new mini catalog online)

Power Palette Sets – These well-coordinated sets put you in the driver’s seat based on your time and level of interest. Each power palette now has a simple set ($25 includes tone-on-tone paper, photo mats, and journaling boxes), enhanced set ($14.50 includes designer-print paper and decorative ABC stickers), and a decorative set ($21 includes three photo-safe paper embellishments – ribbons, flowers, buttons, tags and/or frames). Items within each set can also be purchased separately.

Memory Mate Daisy Totes – Weighed down by scrapbooking baggage? Travel in style with CM’s new versatile organizational totes. Whether you need a little or a lot of storage, CM has the solution. Choose from Daisy Case, Daisy Weekender, Daisy Tools Caddy, Daisy Project Tote, and Daisy Wheeled Cart. There’s also a coordinating luggage tag that you can use to identify your stash! ($15 - $145)

Custom Cutting System Jumbo Oval Pattern ($14.50) – great for creating your own decorative cardstock!

Pocket Snowflake Punch ($12) – Folds down for easy storage and makes solid snowflake shapes

Check out all the new items on my website. (Choose “Shop Products” from the top navigation menu. Then choose “New Products” from the left navigation menu.)

Tip of the Month – Fun with Fonts

Creative Memories uses a variety of resources to create its printed and electronic pieces. If you are looking for fonts to use in your digital layouts or on vellum, consider searching online for fonts that have unrestricted use. To learn about fonts and font usage, consider the Fun With Fonts (PDF) handout.

Other font sites:

About Desktop Publishing

All Good Things Typography

All Graphic Design

Dafont

Esperfonto Typeface Selection System

Font Garden

Linotype

My Fonts

Veer


What I’m working on

Those reading The Scrapbook Stand know I’m continuing to work on a traditional scrapbook (12 x 12 Album) of my trip to Biltmore Estate. I’ve completed 11 more pages, and I'm nearly finished. My goal is still to complete it by year end (hey, I do have until the 31st!)

I have one of those traditional store-bought photo albums where I’ve been storing my pix from the 2001 trip to Kauai, Hawaii. Well … not surprisingly, it’s falling apart. Those things have a short shelf life, unlike CM albums which are guaranteed for a lifetime. So, I’m using one of CM’s PicFolio Max covers, pages and memorabilia pages to transfer the photos and also incorporate my memorabilia. Fortunately, I did write captions for the pictures, and I've already planned the layouts, so all I really have to do is trim a few background papers (like Tiki, Aloha, Delight Surfer Girl and Delight Designer prints), add titles and re-scribe the journaling using photo-safe fine-tip pens. I also kept a 35-page journal while I was on the trip, so it will be great to incorporate those memories also. Once completed, I'll have added 62 pages to my page completion challenge total!

I made a few baby journaling boxes for a surprise baby shower for one of my co-workers at the office using cardstock, some of the delightful paper flowers and the scallop maker. I solicited “tips from the trenches” from other co-workers, and I added them to the Treasured Memories journal jar as a gift to her. The journal boxes will coordinate with the colors of the baby’s bedding. The tips were a big hit, and everyone enjoyed reading everyone else’s tips.










In keeping with tradition, I made Summer’s birthday party invitations also. This year, we are having her party at Kids First Swim School, where she is taking swimming lessons. I created the front with die-cuts and the tearing tool. I printed the party details on vellum for the flip side and adhered with eyelets.







*Available only through CM Consultant Heather Walls

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