Irish Soda Bread Paper Recipe Album

I posted these pics to Facebook, but never got around to posting them to the blog. There's quite a few, so I'll post my faves here. You can view the rest on Facebook.

So, here's the backstory: in late autumn, my sister's boyfriend Dave began expressing an interest in Irish Soda Bread. He likes to cook and bake, so I think he was trying to figure out how to make it. Everywhere Amy went it seemed - restaurants, get togethers - she sleuthed for info about the bread and recipes.

Late autumn means holiday shopping, right? Traditionally, we exchange gifts with everyone on my side of the family. When Amy started interrogating people about the bread, the wheels in my head began to turn. In want of an original Christmas gift idea for Dave, I asked Amy if he had an Irish recipe book or something similar. Since he didn't, I decided to make one using the Spice of Life Paper Album Kit.

I culled together various images and clippings I found online. I printed the pictures using my Kodak printer, cropped them, and, along with the paper and stickers that came with the kit plus a few other embellishments, created a one-of-a-kind keepsake.

I wasn't sure I'd get it finished in time for our holiday get-together, but I did, with a LOT of help from Adam! This product resulted from our joint effort. He sacrificed much of his time (and sanity), so I could finish it. What a great husband!

The whole thing only took me about 2 - 3 days to complete. I started with the history of Irish Soda Bread, which I printed on vellum. I added a basic recipe plus a few variations, including one involving jalepenos!

I included definitions of the different types of bread plus mixing and baking techniques.

I even put a space in the back for Dave to slide in his own recipe cards using a memorabilia pocket! How nifty is that?

I used an X-acto knife to cut a slit along the folds of the inside front and back covers to slip in the ribbon. Then, I adhered the ribbon with adhesive.

The icing on the "bread" was that Dave absolutely loved the recipe book! We even got him a large cast-iron skillet to go with it.

Turning Tricks Part 1

In honor of Memorial Day (and also because I haven’t resumed work yet on the Biltmore album), I thought I’d share some of the veteran pages I completed from 2001 and 2002 using the power layouts method, which I first mentioned in A Breakthrough of Dr. Phil Proportions. This truly is a speedy way to complete albums, particularly if you’re a commitment-phobe like me.

I’ve loaded most of the pages onto Picasa, but selected these few because they illustrate some tips and tricks I wanted to share.

Trick #1 – Make an all-journaling page interesting



This page started off as a ruled canvas. Even though the layout has been done for months, I just populated it with journaling this afternoon. I can hear you all groaning. Journaling can be a challenge, and some of you may be thinking an entire page with just writing, yea right. Before you blow off the idea entirely, how many of you spent 15 – 45 minutes recounting a story or anecdote about an event or day in your life to a friend or family member over the phone or in person? I’d be willing to bet a lot. There isn’t much difference in verbally telling a story and writing it down. Your journaling doesn’t have to be eloquent nor qualify for the Nobel Prize nor does it even have to be grammatically correct (gasp!). Yes, that’s right, I am actually encouraging – no endorsing – writing the way you speak. It’s you on paper, and that’s what preserving memories is all about. If you don’t trust yourself to write it in your perfect way the first time, then write it out on another piece of paper or type it beforehand. Put your journaling down first, then develop the rest of the page around it.

For this page, which is the story of how Adam and I met, I typed out the details first. I kind of had to do it this way because I previously laid out the page. I feigned writing the first line onto the black ruled paper by writing in the air just over the paper (hoverpen!) to gauge how much would fit on the first line. I counted the characters including spaces, and concluded that I could fit one full line from the typed text to one full line on the page. However, I had more typed lines than page lines. I began to edit my text for unnecessary words and phrases – or phrases that really didn’t contribute much to the telling of the story. Then, I began writing with the silver metallic pen, editing as I went along. Fortunately, I had enough lines for the words.

I know what your next question is: Isn’t an all-journaling page kind of droll? There are two answers to that question. Yes, to you it may seem kind of dreary con weary because you want to see pictures, mon! But stop for a minute. Imagine what it will be like for your great-great grandchildren to read this witty, insightful passage into your world. It will NOT be dreary con weary for them, I can assure you. They’ll run their fingers over your old, clumsily written words, and feel they are peering through a window beyond which you are the view. Ok, did you get tingles? Because I did!

Ok, now that I’m over that, I didn’t just mean how to make an all-journaling page interesting to read. I also meant how to make it interesting to see. One way to do this is to find a sheet of background paper with a noisy pattern. Place the journaling block over it, so that part of the paper peaks out at the top and bottom. Add a vellum accent to the page (like a callout) to help attract those coveted eyes. Use an eye-popping color of fine-tip ink to makes those same eyes do a double-take.

Trick #2 - Be the next design star with your layout

Sometimes, just putting this here and that there can be kind of drab, right? Background paper, few pictures, journaling box, embellishment. Background paper, few pictures, journaling box, embelli … zzzzppp ….

Rejuvenate your album by creating an entire room or object in which your pictures or memorabilia are merely props. Here are a couple of examples:



I had some memorabilia from a production of Hair I saw at Playhouse on the Square in Memphis in October 2001 that I wanted to incorporate on page two of a two-page spread. These included the playbill, my ticket and a fold-out poster of the 2001 – 2002 Playhouse on the Square season. In my stash, I had the sticker border of people occupying theatre seats facing forward as if they were watching a show. I decided to prop up the playbill and poster within a large memorabilia pocket as if they were on a stage. I placed a full sheet of light gray card stock in the background. Then, with my trusty pencil I etched out the dimensions of the stage on dark gray and red cardstock. I trimmed the red into a rectangle with the 12-inch straight trimmer and the dark gray in strips with an angle at the bottom to give the stage depth. Then, I adhered the memorabilia pocket onto the stage, inserted the memorabilia, and embellished with the ticket and two comedy and tragedy stickers (donated by Kathy H.). My final touch was to clip the playbill down on the right so when the page is turned in my book, the playbill won't slip to the left. Ta-da!

I had been working on several Christmas pages when I got to this page and was ready for something outlandish. I was willing to gamble. If it didn’t work out, I reasoned, I would figure something else out. I outlined the shape of a Christmas tree with my pencil onto a piece of evergreen cardstock and cut out only the openings for the shape of the branches with the multi-purpose scissors. This became my background paper. I had three vertical pictures to incorporate, so I cut them into ovals with one of the custom cutting system oval patterns and blue blade. These would serve as ornaments for the tree. I cut one slightly larger oval in gold metallic paper with the red blades. I adhered the ovals and pictures with tape runner. Using an eyelet setter, I created holes for gold eyelets at the top of each picture so they would look more like ornaments. (Incidentally, I also thought about putting ribbon around them, but didn’t have the right colors at the time.)

To further trim the tree, I punched white, french vanilla and cranberry circles with the circle maker and mini circle maker. I pieced the white and french vanilla together with frosted splits to make little popcorn and alternated the popcorn with the cranberries to make a primitive-style garland. I added a few sticker ornaments from my stash, and using the same oval patterns cut strips to fit around the picture ornaments for captions.


Trick #3 – Mix it up with a split page

Have you ever had multiple good shots of the same subject but not sure what to do with them? Looking for a unique way to create an intro page or title page? Try your hand at this little twist.

Mark a regular refill page (in my case their 12 x 12) at the centermost point. Be sure to include the reinforced edges in the measurement. Trim the page at the mark with the 12-inch straight trimmer. Add tape runner to one side of one of the halves then place the other half over top and press together. Be sure the page loops are on one side and the curved reinforced edge is on the other. You can protect the page by trimming a page protector in half. Now you have a cute double-sided insert!



These are extra pictures of alligators we took when we went to visit my grandparents at their home in Wildwood, Florida in 2002. Using the custom cutting system oval patterns and blades, I cut all but one picture into an oval shape and also cut a background for each. Then, using the meadow micro maker, I punched shapes of a frog, fish, butterfly and flower to embellish.



During the same trip, we visited Epcot Center. I had quite a few pictures for this side trip, so I wanted to create an interesting intro. I professionally cut the letters to spell E-p-c-o-t. I also selected an image from my library that resembled the Spaceship Earth. I cut the foreground in gray card stock and the background in brick card stock. I placed one picture on this side of the split. On the reverse side of the split, I used a few random shots that identified Disney and Epcot Center. I charged two of the pictures with aquamarine photo mats and added a strip of mediterranean card stock to the left.

Look for Turning Tricks Part 2 within the next few months!

Earth, Wine and Tier

[Saturday evening, February 23, 2008]

It's another get-my-stash-out-of-hiding session. It'll be a few weeks before my next self-hosted event (Mar 22 - Crop Till Ya Drop - be there or be square), so I have time to comfortably spread out and get some more cropping done.

Mom is here. She just finished going through the new Creative Memories spring/summer catalog, marveling at everything that is changing. For those who don't know, CM now boasts true 12 x 12 pages, albums, and power palettes, so everything is interchangeable with other scrapbook suppliers.

Before I begin working on my next page layout, I contemplate what to do with the keepsake photo of Jennifer, Leslie, Shannon and I inside Biltmore House in front of the Winter Garden. My goal is to incorporate it into the album seamlessly so no one perusing it has to fumble with pulling it out of a sleeve yet can still view it in its original form.

Kathy H. recently suggested that using ribbon I could somehow bind it to the ruby album. I run upstairs and rummage around in my wrappings "organizer". I quickly locate some gold and burgundy ribbon. Back downstairs I secure the gold ribbon around the picture (burgundy was too short), tie a knot and slide the picture + ribbon over the album binding. I open/close the picture-folder a few times, then slide another original 12 x 12 page over it. Everything fits beautifully and the pic-folder opens with such ease! Kathy, GINORMOUS props to you for this fabulously creative idea! (images 1, 2, 3)

Since the next part of the album is the tour of Biltmore, some of it will be illustrated with postcards, some with photos (because we weren't able to take photos inside). The first page is the main entry. I previously copied the as-builts from the tour program, so I start by cutting the as-built of the main floor and add that to my layout. (image 4)

Since I'm using an original white 12 x 12 page, I'd like to create a background or mat for it. I consider using a double mat with two sheets from the Cottage Storybox. I also consider a single mat for the as-built and postcards with a sheet of background paper. Because the postcard images are quasi-busy, I have to be careful the print on the background paper doesn't trump the postcards.

While the various papers jockey for position on my page, I inadvertently knock my glass of wine over and it splatters up the wall and into Charlie's dishes below. Reacting quickly, mom grabs some paper towels, and I wipe up what I can. I rinse and wipe out Charlie's bowls lest he get a little drink in him and start howling at the moon. (Now, that I think about it, maybe it would actually silent his incessant barking.)

When I return to my page, I'm not closer to selecting paper for my page but the aroma from the spill is wafting around the room and into my nasal passages, sending me into reverie about our aventura de vino, an a propos inspiration for my work.

The palette will most certainly be earthy. (Too bad I don't have the new Earthy Power Palette yet!) I find a sage-checked paper that will help bring out the green felt on the pool and carom tables. I also decide on a woodsy brown to backdrop the winter garden. I may use the same woodsy brown to deliver the title "Main Floor." (image 5)

Unfortunately, the lingering aroma of the Woodbridge White Zinfandel isn't enough to keep me awake, so I bid Mom adieu and head to bed.

[Sunday morning and afternoon, February 24]

I've been randomly visiting my scrapbook area this morning hunting for various paper and other papyrus embellishments. (It's akin to grazing and meandering about a party buffet.) I ultimately decide to use vellum to print out some of my journaling, which primarily comprises the descriptions on the reverse side of the postcards.

After Adam leaves for work, and I put Summer down for a nap, I set to work. Because I want to conserve the vellum (printing only once), I carefully space out each passage, so I can fit several onto one sheet of vellum. For the first two, I measure the areas where I'll adhere the vellum, then in MS Word, I create text boxes to fit those specs. Then, I play with fonts and font size, finally choosing Book Antiqua. (image 6)

I decide to add numbers in the journaling boxes corresponding to the numbers on the as-built. I save the file and return to the page layout. I adhere everything else with tape runner. I happened upon a specialty paper in my stash with orange hues and one with brown hues, both flower-shaped. I decide to attach them together with an eyelet. The eyelet will make the entire floral embellishment appear that it is secured to the page with the eyelet itself. I have a silent setter (convenient when Summer is napping - otherwise it would sound like Handy Manny's tools inhaled a little too much sawdust). I adhere both "flowers" together with tape runner. Then, I make the hole using one of the cutting attachments on the setter. (image 7)

I place a brown eyelet in the hole, turn the entire embellishment over and using the setting attachment that corresponds to the hole, force the eyelet backing into "wings." (image 8)

Before I adhere this to my page, I turn my attention to the title. The position of that will affect where I place the floral embellishment. I don't have any clover, pistachio or mandarin ABC/123 stickers open, so I go upstairs to retrieve a set of each. Ivy would probably be best but I don't have any on-hand (mental note to order some). Pistachio proves too soft. Clover doesn't coordinate either. So, the verdict is mandarin.

To place the letters evenly, I use the Titletopia Circles & Banners aligner along with the multi-purpose tool and clips (see Favorite Page and Favorite Tool for how-to recap). With the letters/title adhered, I place the floral embellishment. The final element will be journaling, which I may do later or after my next layout. Haven't decided. (image 9)

Mom arrived some time ago and is trying to determine what color letters to use on a bright blue background paper. She is working on a two-page spread. The other page with pink on pink-checked paper. Her choices are royal blue, bubblegum or black. None of those seem to work, so I suggest yellow, which she has, but she asks to see what else I have. I show her an array, and she selects blueberry as well as a few others.

My next page is simple. I adhere a sheet of background paper and using one of the large memorabilia pockets, I display the tour program guide. Both the small and large memorabilia pockets afford the inclusion of memorabilia that we don't want to permanently adhere but still wish to incorporate into our albums. The title for this page will be "Take the tour with us," and I'll be using ABC/123 stickers in wine. (image 10)

I stop here for now. Summer will be waking soon, and I need to start dinner.

Once Summer has had her bath and is in bed for the night, I print the vellum with journaling descriptions and finish the first page I started. I cut the first vellum box to fit a green-checked tag I had previously reserved for this page. I adhere it with frosted photo splits so the adhesive "disappears." I use the silent setter cutter attachment to "punch" a small hole where its outline is on the tag. Then, adhering 3-D dots, I affix it to the page. (image 11)

I cut the next piece of vellum to fit the space just above the billiards postcard. Same as the previous piece, I adhere it with frosted photo splits. I wanted to handwrite the unborrowed journaling for the page, so using the leftover strip I cut from the green photo mat, I scribe re: this part of the tour. I choose the copper metallic fine-tip pen b/c it ties the color scheme together. I adhere the strip to the page with tape runner and slide the page protector on. (image 12)

Charged with scraplifting in the first degree

[January 21, 2008]

I've finally managed to eek out a few hours since the holidays to continue work on my Biltmore scrapbook. As with previous moratoriums, I must spend a few minutes re-acclimating myself to my stash and photos and wiping the cobwebs off my tools. It is akin to piddling.

Adam, my faithful companion, is providing me with good company. He's online and just discovered a military patch that has eluded him for years. He's also watching Gunsmoke - one of his favorite TV shows of all time. We're both enjoying some time off work today. We sent Summer to the babysitter to play with her little friends this afternoon. I wish we could have about a month of days like this.

While piddling, I remember that I left off at the Winery tour/tasting, which means I can now move onto the tour of the Biltmore House. I begin by sifting through my pictures, which are quite a few. I might need to edit them lest I have 6 - 7 pages of just the tour. A quick count reveals 24 pictures. I review my stash for mementos and any embellishments. I already know I have the pic of the four of us in the Winter Garden inside the house and the program guide to include. These items may go in a clear portrait sleeve or memorabilia pocket. Because we couldn't take pictures inside the house, I know I'll have a few postcards to illustrate our journey within the house. I've organized the postcards in the order that follows the tour of Biltmore House. I contemplate copying the as-builts to go along with each page. Before I begin journaling this section, I decide to re-read the guide book to Biltmore, to recall the facts, stats and trivia of the house.

The first page will need to contain a title which I haven't decided on. I also want to include one of the smaller postcards of the facade. Because my camera doesn't have a panoramic option or a wide-angle lens, I often try to snap long scapes with multiple exposures. It doesn't always work, but, this time, it worked out pretty well. I use two of the pictures along the bottom of the page. (image 1)




Aunt Judy just returned my call to say that Bob is home now. Uncle Bob had a heart attack over the weekend and was in the hospital. "It's like nothing happened," she said. "He never wasn't himself." Adam and I are both glad Bob is recovering and that the blockage didn't require him to have surgery.

For the title, I consider "Biltmore House" and, using Titletopia, wrap the letters around the small postcard. I would then have room under it to transfer the text from the reverse of the postcard. That would leave the top right of the page for journaling. With my plan in place, I focus first on cropping and arranging my jerry-rigged panorama. I decide to cut around the house, leaving only the edifice itself, reasoning, as usual, that if I don't like it, I always have the other two copies of the pictures. After I cut out the sky using the multi-purpose scissors, I line up the two images and join them at the point of intersection with tape runner. I use a leftover strip of olive single color paper to anchor the image visually. (image 2)




I change my mind re: the large space for journaling. I decide instead to use the brochure on this page with a memorabilia pocket. Scrapbooker's block creeps upon me, and I get stuck rearranging the items, so I take a break to pick up Summer.

[January 26, 2008]

At times, it is easier (for me) to play with a layout mentally, mull it over, while occupying myself with other tasks away from the page itself. After some inspirational reading, I decide the layout is lacking something, a controlled image, perhaps. Now, ordinarily, a background paper with an image would suffice, but, after leafing through the Guide to Biltmore, I decide to create a backdrop which will mimick the sloping spires on Biltmore House. I'll achieve this with varying colors of single-color paper.

This new idea means that both the postcard and brochure are out. Since this is an intro page for the series of House tour pictures, one image, a title and a large journaling box should complete the layout. I set to work on the backdrop, trimming one sheet each of smoke, fog and key lime single-color paper. I cut triangular shapes from smoke and fog, where I've drawn faint pencil lines.

In order to adhere the backdrop, I first need to scraplift the panorama at the bottom of the page. Scraplifting is very simple, especially if you've used tape runner. Slip the multi-purpose tool (or your fingers) under the adhered element and slowly pluck it from the page. If any adhesive is left on the page and you don't want it there, remove it with the pick-up square (or scrape it with any fingernails you might have). Since I need the adhesive, I leave it. I connect the three sections of roof with photo splits. (image 3)



With a pencil (my indispensible tool), I lightly draw in the edges of the shingles. I'm fortunate to have been blessed with some writing ability because if I had to make a living drawing, we'd surely be destitute. As I clumsily make the rhythmic lines, I consider employing a straight edge to help me, but after a couple of the too-perfect lines, I concede they will look too contrived. While I fill in the remaining lines, Summer toddles over and sees me "drawing." She walks over to where her AquaDoodle hangs on the wall and lifts up her arm, indicating she wants the water pen so she can draw, too.

When I'm finished, I go over the roof lightly with my eraser to diminish its definition. After all, the naked eye rarely captures each precisiver line of a rooftop. Satisfied with my above-par work, I'm ready to add the trim. (image 4)




I cut two 1/4-inch strips of key lime paper, line them up, marking where they meet at the top with my pencil. I trim off a little corner of one with the multi-purpose scissors so they easily fit together. Using the mini tape runner, I adhere both strips to the roof. (image 5).



Kathy has come to visit and scrap with me. We chat about having too much stash to sort through when we are working as well as the deplorable state of network TV, including the uncanny longevity of ER and the desperation of shows like The Moment of Truth. Could anyone really be stupid enough to throw his entire life away for a little cash? It violates man's last right to privacy.

To give my page relief, I affix dimensional adhesive to the backside of the previously constructed panorama.

For the journaling, I can't decide which color paper to use: lavender or eggplant. I try eggplant first with the copper metallic fine-tip pen, but the ink doesn't show very well. I write over it with the silver metallic fine-tip pen, and it looks better, but I still don't like it. I start over with the lavender paper and the purple fine-tip pen. I write the passage using journaltopia, so the lines are straight. Then, I add some dimensional adhesive so it is the same relief as the panorama. (image 6)


Kathy solicits my advice on her current page, which is a concert. She has cropped her pictures down, so she is able to fit 12 - 15 on the two-page spread. She has a knack for this kind of stuffing, because her pictures never over- or underwhelm her page. "Should I put the pix of people on one side and the bands on the other or mix them together?" I reply, "I vote for mixing them together because it would be more visually interesting. Specifically, I think a grouping of the five band pictures that are the same size would look great in a horizontal row across the page."

To complete my page, I professionally cut letters for the title "Biltmore House." To make them pop, I ink the edges with the purple round-tip pen, then affix dimensional adhesive to each letter to achieve the same relief. (image 7). I slide a page protector on, thankful to be acquitted.