Idea Book Round Up
So when I was a consultant, it was “no biggie” to have my Idea Books floating around my office because I used them all the time. Now that I am no longer a consultant, I don’t really need them floating all over my office or falling all over each other because they don’t stand up very well. A couple of weeks ago I took these CTMH idea books down to the local copy shop and had them ripped apart (the IB’s are not bound the strongest, so they come apart easily), had holes punched in them, and then laminated the front cover of the Autumn/Winter book for each year and the back cover of the Product Review and then had them spiral bound. I used 5 mil lamination sheets. 10 mil would work well, too, but it was twice the price and 5 mil works just great for me. They stand up neatly in the book & magazine section of my closet.If you want to take it a step further, you could punch out some giant tabs and adhere them to the front page of each idea book for quick reference or create and decorate divider pages and have them bound in between each idea book. This was fast, easy, and relatively inexpensive, $15 to bind both years of books. Click on the photos for larger views.
And The Winner Is…….
Wow… We have a WINNER!!!! This was a super fun contest and you know you can count on seeing it again! I counted twice and then had Brent count with me. It was close between the top 3. I counted all of the votes on all the various posts… some ppl voted on other posts in the blog. Here are the 4 runners up: Korin – 17 votesMichelle – 17 votesSparkle – 20 votesAllie – 23 votes and the winner is LIZ BATTY with 25 votes!!! Congratulations Liz!!! Thank you everyone for playing and we will play again soon! Inky Smiles!Erin
Thoughts For Thursday – Thoughts Of The Moment
Today’s TFT is brought to us again by Mary Ihla. Journaling is so important, so for the next couple of weeks I will use Mary’s journaling thoughts… When I journal, sometimes my brain just gets “stuck”. The words don’t flow because I am trying too hard to focus on making my journaling perfect the first time. Sometimes I just want to get the layout finished and into its cozy little page protector and don’t spend long enough focusing on writing my memories and thoughts about the photos I just spent eons carefully choosing and then just as many eons selecting papers and embellishments to go along with them. Free Writing can also be referred to as “Brainstorming” – getting all of your thoughts down on paper in no particular order. It helps us to filter the jumble of thoughts we may have tumbling around in our brains. This always works for me when writing essays (college & hs), talks or lessons for church, correspondence for work, etc. I have a general idea of what Iwant to say, but my thoughts area jumbled mess. I challenge you to try Mary’s Free Thinking Exercise this week as we all work to perfect our journaling and/or get in the habit of journaling. Inky Smiles! Erin PS… Voting closes soon… get your votes in for Sketch Challenge {003} ********************************* Thoughts of The Moment: Free Writing Exercise by Mary Ihla (Used with permission.) Last week I asked you to determine if your scrapbook pages speak for themselves. What did you discover? Even though you may appreciate the importance of journaling, you might still be avoiding it. You’re not alone. A recent survey revealed that journaling is the least favorite aspect of scrapbooking. Word phobia develops when your judgmental left brain dominates your creative right brain. “Free writing” is a process that will help you silence your inner critic and make the act of putting words to paper more comfortable. You’ll need the following for this focused free writing exercise: a kitchen timer a couple sheets of unlined paper a pencil or pen a selection of photos or a completed scrapbook page Find a quiet room where you can write comfortably without being interrupted. (Yes, for some of you that may be the most difficult portion of this exercise!) Prop the layout or photos where you can view them while writing. Make an effort to clear your mind and concentrate on those images. Set the timer for 10 minutes and begin writing. There are a few rules to follow when free writing: Let your thoughts tumble out onto the paper, writing whatever is on your mind. If you can’t think of anything to write, just write, “I can’t think of anything to write.” Don’t worry about spelling, grammar, or sentence construction. Don’t make corrections or judge what you’ve written. Don’t stop writing until the timer goes off. You’ll be amazed at how much you can write in just 10 minutes. Some of it won’t make sense, but that’s fine. Don’t throw away your writing, because next week I’ll show you how to turn those “paper thoughts” into scrapbook journaling. “Write down the thoughts of the moment. Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable. “ ~Francis Bacon
Write In Candidate… LOL!
I had to share this… my friend, Amaryllis, made this really fun layout roughly based on Sketch Challenge {003}. She rotated the Sketch, and used DUCT tape as one of the layers on the sketch. The letters are hand cut duct tape. I love the special touch of duct tape to adhere the vellum journal strip on the page as well. This entry is not eligible for voting, but I couldn’t resist sharing it and had a bunch of emails asking me to post it. Inky Smiles!Erin
Hello from Lake Tahoe & Keep On Voting!
Hey kids! I am on vacation (aka tagging along to a conference with Brent) at Lake Tahoe. It’s been quite the adventure getting here. Can we just say repeat of the St George trip fiasco??? UGH.. more details later… but in the meantime, check out this AWESOME place we’re staying…. The Village At Squaw Valley. Keep on voting! I will be back the end of this week and will post the winner on Friday!! If we reach 11,000 hits to the site by Friday, I might just have to throw a little bonus something into the prize package!
I woke up sick- the photos are coming – working on the post right now.
I’m chugging along on the photos… They will be up shortly!
Thoughts For Thursday
Welcome to “Thoughts for Thursday”… a new feature of my blog where each Thursday I (and various guest bloggers) will highlight or express thoughts on creativity and life. This week my TFT comes from Mary Ihla, a memoir writing consultant, who also happens to be a fellow artist in some online crafting groups I belong to. Sometimes I am sad when I look through the scrapbooks of my own and friends that have wonderfully embellished pages using the hottest new “blingy thing” or technique, but there is not even a date on the pages, let alone a story. I want to know more! Thank you Mary for your wonderful insight! ************************************************************************** The Importance Of JournalingBy Mary Ihla (Used with permission.) Journaling is what sets a scrapbook apart from a photo album. It’s what makes a spectacular layout more than simply a work of art. In addition to the basic “who,” “where,” and “when,” the words on your scrapbook pages perform a variety of functions, including: * Telling the stories behind the photos.* Expressing thoughts and emotions.* Documenting events and activities.* Recording personal and family history.* Delving into the details of everyday life. A catchy title, a name, and a date are seldom enough. So, how do you know if you’ve done a sufficient amount of journaling? If you add oral commentary when sharing your scrapbooks, you probably need to do more writing. Remember, you won’t always be around to talk about your pages. Your challenge this week is to stroll through your scrapbook pages and see if your pages speak for themselves. “Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart…”~William Wordsworth
ROCKIN GIRL BLOGGER – Yah Baby!
I was reading blogs last night and noticed that Allie G nominated me as a THANK YOU ALLIE G!! How cool is that????? K, so now I get to nominate 5 other people… man… tough choices! I have lots of cool Rockin Girl Blogger friends!!! Ok, here’s my list. I can’t nominate everyone, even though I do think EVERYONE who I blog with ROCKS… (This is hard… it’s kinda like choosing who’s in your “top 5” or something. I don’t like to choose friends over each other) so I am going to nominate a couple and let you all start sharing the love…. Here’s a few ROCKIN GIRL BLOGGERS: Susan HankinsKathyKorinJeanneNic Ok… now email me for your badge and go out and ROCK THE WORLD!
Get Your Game Face On…
Ok friends! I’ve received 5 entries for the challenge so far. I’d love to see more! Get your game face on and let’s play! Send me your entries and post a comment to let me know you’ve sent them! For those of you who’ve already submitted entries… collect up your buddies, have a pep rally, and get them ready for voting this weekend! Remember,* entries can be cards or a layout….* there’s a prize pack of assorted goodies waiting for the winner! Inky Smiles!Erin
My Sketch Challenge {003} Card
Yes, Christmas already! Gotta cool off from this wicked hot summer somehow! I drew up this sketch (Sketch Challenge {003}) and then on Friday I got a package from Skipping Stones Design! WOOO HOOO! S* Purses and a couple of stamp sets for me to try out. (soooo coool, btw!) I have been drooling over the Tons of Trees stamp set and decided I had to use it . I used a “new to me techinique” – mixing media… I used FELT on a card… way out of my OCD box. LOL!The new england ivy cs piece is popped out with foam tag and the Christmas Tree is popped out with foam tape, too. I random stamped the cranberry cs with the polka dot texture tree fomr the set. I love the Thickers from American Crafts. They are self adhesive and so easy and fun to work with! The crystalline stamp set from Skipping Stones Design is way cool. I love Christmas trees and this set “Tons of Trees” is whimsical and fun. SSD has quality acrylic stamps and fun designs. I love how they give a nice sharp image when stamped on any paper. (This set retails for $14.50) I LOVE clear stamps – I cut the Oh Christmas Tree stamp apart before I even used it. Papers are CTMH & Provo Craft. Stamp Set is Tons of Trees by Skipping Stones Design. Inks – CTMH, Chipboard Thickers “H” & “O” are American Crafts, the tiny star is from Designer Christmas – CTMH. How’s YOUR sketch project coming??? Can’t wait to see more coming in this week! Happy creating!!