Have you been collecting your bits from Christmas?

Well Christmas day has been and gone... how was yours? Mine was good and I have collected a few bits and pieces from wrapping and the like, mostly ribbons I have to say and not the wrapping paper itself as most of it is usually too acid to use for scrapbooking.

Worth keeping if you have plans to make some Christmas cards for next year mind!

However, don't forget the labels on any new clothes you or your children may have received... some clothes labels nowadays are quite "arty".

Then there is the little irritating loops of ribbon in new clothes that have to be cut off anyway, because they keep sticking out of your clothes at the shoulders... they are quite useful for layouts and all for free!

Cords from gift bags... I keep any halfway decent gift boxes for placing things like brag books inside... which reminds me that I must make up a brag book for my hubby. I ran out of time before Christmas.

Anyway... here is the altered notebook I made as a gift for a team mate in my team on UK Scrappers. It was actually inspired by a digital instant page, and when I have the time to remind myself who the designer was I will let you know! Papers from the Scarlet's letter series from Basic Grey.

Christmas Photos and Scrapbooking

Well I'm back after the festivities of the season!!

Here is a layout-in-progress - it is basically finished, and actually I created it whilst showing my family (sister and mum) what digital scrapbooking was all about!

Most of the page apart from the two flowers and the ribbon, is actually a "Beauty Quickpage" by Cinzia Loosemore. I just placed the photograph behind and the flowers and ribbon on top and voila!

I should really put on some information about who it is and when it was... and may be I will shortly... now then... where did I put those chocolates!!!

And a Merry Christmas to you ALL

I have to say that I am not a religious person... however, I am a "live and let live" person (as long as others are not harming anyone.

But I celebrate Christmas as I was brought up with it all, but that was mainly the Father Christmas stuff, etc. Something which I now do with my daughter (hubby not too sure about the whole thing as he didn't have it all as a child, so I take control... no change there then!!!)

But one day I do like to pay special attention to is 21st December - the Winter Solstice... the shortest day. Means we are now on the upturn and the days are getting longer again! Woo hoo. Of course there is no immediate change but it does have a psychological effect on me anyway.

However, this year I am trying to appreciate everything that I already have around me, even down to the smallest little thing, like having hot and cold running water on demand for instance. Stuff we take for granted. Believe me, when you have lived on a motorhome for a year (as I did) you really appreciate a normal flushing toilet and having an unending supply of water at the flick of a wrist! I think everyone should have to do the same, cos it makes you appreciate all that we have... even those on the bread line.

When we appreciate things, especially those around us, we attract more things to appreciate, in other words, more things that we want.

And this time of year is a great time to highlight such things. So take a moment, in between breaths (whilst arguing with the family again! LOL) to appreciate that you HAVE a family... and if you don't... maybe appreciate that!!!

I think my favourite thing about the festive season... is that I love to give presents. I wish I could buy lots more for everyone, and one day I will be able to. But I love to give.

Now then... the picture above is the 12x12 page layout I am giving to my mum as a Christmas gift... I think I am fairly safe in that I don't think she will have time to check out my blog before the big day, so I thought I would share it with you.

And the little picture... well that's little ole me and my homage to tinsel time!!!

So Merry Christmas or just Happy Solstice or May you Live long and Prosper !!! whatever your persuasion I wish you ALL health and happiness.

Settling in

Well I think our puppy, Inde, has basically settled into his new home... don't you think? These some recent pictures taken of him with our other 2 dogs, Toffee the Jack Russell and Harley the old (11 yrs) Labrador. We are now at the stage of taking his cage down, something I plan to do this weekend.

As we have a dog flap, his house training has been very easy really. The odd few accidents, but he just takes himself outside as and when he needs to!

Strangely I haven't made any scrapbook pages about the new arrival yet! But then frankly I have not really had the time! Whatever scrapping I have done has either been for a crop demo or presents or trying to just catch up with all those past events that should have been done by now!

I have just reminded myself of all the pages I have to do, because I have been trawling through the last 2 years of digital photos copying relevant ones onto a disc to put in a digital picture frame. I can feel some digital pages coming on!

Time to squeeze loads of photos onto one page! I do admire the stylish layouts which only have one picture, but at the end of the day, I want to "cram 'em in" to get the event scrapped and available for viewing. And of course with Christmas coming... my digi photo album is getting fat - I don't know about the geese! LOL

Christmas Circle Journal

You can tell it's Christmas time... normal things get shoved aside in the necessity to write cards, wrap presents, put up decorations... all stuff you wouldn't do every day because... you just don't have the time!! But do these things we must!

I have a chocolaty sort of theme going on... gold and brown with bronze on some of the wrapping paper and the tree, don't think my 4 year old daughter is that keen!! Kids always like lots of colours.

Anyway, I thought I would post a couple of pages of a circle journal I did with my Scrapbuddies group back in January. The whole book is posted on the Scrapbuddies website.

The idea for showing you this now..? Prepare for the Christmas layouts... think a little bit in advance (when standing in that looooong checkout queue at the supermarket with a trolley stuffed with food - LOL) about the pictures you could take that are a little bit different from the norm... like different angles, looking down on people, or sitting on the floor looking up at them for instance.

Then there are all the "bits" you can collect, such as little pieces (!) of wrapping paper and cracker bits, wrapping ribbons, product labels (Christmas pud labels/cooking instructions) to use on your backgrounds. Or even make up a background paper by colour photocopying a collage of all these things.

The theme for the Circle Journal was "Likes and Dislikes about Christmas". Quite interesting what people come up with!

Latest Layout

Well here is it... my latest layout. This is the gift for my sister which I am about to frame, and then wrap... although I think I'll actually wrap it tomorrow.

Oh and don't worry about her seeing it... the chances of her visiting my blog are fairly remote!

I have to say that I wouldn't have ordinarily put a coral/orange colour with these blues and greens, but as they were in the photographs, I has to put a touch of it in the layout. I ended up having to recolour a diecut pink flower with some ink pads to match in nearer the colour.

Still I think it's not done too badly!

I have to thank Lucy for lending me the templates for "Me" and "&" - it was nice to have you over to scrap for a while together!

The "my girls" chipboard letters are from Papermania, which I have also recoloured with inks to match in with the rest of the layout.

Christmas Scrapbooking Pages

Ok, it's traditional versus contemporary... most people like one or the other - you know... a bit like marmite... love it of hate it!

Well, a couple of years ago I was making 8x8 albums for the female members of the family and for my mum and sister I decided to make an 8x8 layout about Christmas. So the traditional one was for my mum (as she likes grean!) and the more contemporary (alternative) layout of blues was for my sister.

Both Layouts use the same pictures, but it is surprising how different they can look isn't it!?

So which do you prefer, traditional greens, reds and golds or something different?

The year I made these layouts (Christmas 2005) I made the albums too, and the idea was that the one for my mum... well she scraps (a little bit) so she could fill it with her own pages, but the one for my sister -who isn't "arty" as she puts it - would be filled with page from me occasionally. Not done too well on that score.

However, the album I made for my mother-in-law, I have actually made a number of pages for that album. I made a small one for her... 6x8. That size works rather well, and I give her the odd layout of her granddaughter (mostly) periodically throughout the year.

So buy (or make) an empty album for someone and then Christmas and birthdays... presents are sorted! LOL Well you could try?!

Scrapbooking gifts for Christmas

It's a race against time now isn't it?! Is every Scrapbooker going mad rushing to make Scrapbooking gifts for friends and family... or is it just me?

I know you're all at it!

I've had some 12x12 frames made up especially so I HAVE to do mine - I've got 3 to do. Well actually I have finished one this evening.

Can you see it...? well unforunately no, just in case the recipient is taking a look at this blog! So that will be another item I will be posting a picture of in January LOL!

I am planning on making one for my sister and I will post that one here because the chances of my sister taking a look at my blog are very remote, so I think I'm pretty safe!

As for Christmas cards... good grief no, I haven't even started making or writing any! The picture here is of some I made a couple of years ago... I was trying to use up "stuff" so it was a real mix of styles... still they were liked!

Scrapbooking Pirates - me hearties!

It was my daughter's birthday today... she's now 4! And her party was at an Adventure Island Play Park which has a theme of Pirates. It's an indoor play area. Anyway, my daughter Honey loves it! So I made an iron-on transfer for a T-shirt with Captain Honey on it and ordered Captain Sparrows accessories kit and hey presto - A pirate was born!

Then I made a Pirate Galleon Birthday Cake and she has a good day with her friends and loads of pressies!

Of course, now I have to scrap the photos!! The question is... do I do the "Pirate Themed" papers and embellishments... or do I just keep it tasteful.. ha ha!

A natty way to Store your Ribbons

This is an article I found on the Families.com website. I reproduce it here ... just love the idea!!

How a Kitchen Product Can Become Ribbon Storage
by Nicole Humphrey More from this Blogger
If you know me, then you know there is nothing I love more than figuring out how I can reuse items in new and different ways. I am constantly writing articles for the frugal blog on finding new uses for everyday items. Well, I have found a new use for a standard kitchen item that very quickly can be turned into ribbon storage.
When we became a blended family, we wound up with two of a lot of things. Those are the items I tend to play around with first. Well, we wound up with two colanders for our kitchen.

Even if we had not had two in our possession, you can typically find a kitchen colander that will work great at a discount department store for under $4. So regardless it is a very inexpensive storage alternative. You have plenty of options as well. They come in steel and plastic and you could even paint or alter them in some way to decorate them and make them coordinate. I have not done this yet.

So how does a colander become a scrapbooking storage or organization tool for ribbon? Simple.

Take your strands of ribbon and poke them through the holes in your colander. You can place them by colors or patterns or brands or however you want. I sort of did a cluster of various colors and brands to give you a general idea of what I am talking about.

The best part of this storage idea, or organizational method, is that colander's come with handles. You can tie pretty ribbon or even use chain to hang the colander from the ceiling of your scrap area to utilize that vertical space. You could also just place it on a counter top, table top or bookshelf.

Nicole Humphrey writes articles for the Scrapbooking Blog, for the Frugal Blog, and for the Photography Blog all on Families.com. She also guest blogs on a variety of topics. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.

Digi scrapbooking - lots of pictures

My latest offering - some of this is created using freebies and some items I have purchased.

The template is for an 8x8 page which, unfortunately for here has a white background, so I doctored the jpg for this post by drawing a black line around the edge to define the edges!

I used a layout - SimplySarah_LayeredTemplate16 from simplysarahdesigns.blogspot.com(freebie)

Paper - When I can remember I will note it!! LOL

Buttons - Shabby Princess Festival kit (freebie)

Fonts - IKHIOOGLA (free) Gloucester MT Ext and Arial Narrow

Flower - Cinzia Loosemore "Always" collection (I've recoloured it)

Didn't take long once I got the hang of placing "clipping" and "merging" all the different layers with their photos!

Still got 7 pctures on this little layout... another event covered!

Freebie Scrapbooking

Here are some sites that do a lot of hard work. The authors spend their time searching lots of sites and posting links to all those that have a freebie that day.

Now obviously I am talking about digital freebies, but you can download these and print out a lot of the stuff, ie, some embellishments.

Some digital items can also be taken into programs like "Word" so that you can print them with/on/around or over your photographs.

For instance you can place a frame over a photograph in Word, print it and then cut out the whole lot and place that on your layout!!

Anyway... Well done to these ladies for all their hard work!

Ikea Goddess

Amy W's Scrap-A-Lot

And here is a blog giving away free Christmassy stuff! Digitreats

After Christmas Scrapbooking and Frames

I know, I know... we haven't made it TO Christmas yet, but I am getting a bit frustrated now that I have made some items as presents, but because they ARE presents can't post them on here!

What a nuisance! So after Christmas I will be posting LOADS of photos of Layouts, mini albums, cards and the like!

At the moment I have a number of gift 12x12 layouts to achieve before next weekend, trouble is I haven't a clue where to start! Wish me luck!

The layouts will be in hand made frames, which a friend of my mum makes. I have one (8x8) (pictured) which he made for me to my specification which has swivel clasps on the back instead of the usual pins or staples. This means that I can change the layout inside whenever I wish - and it works really well. So the current favourite goes in for a while and then it's an easy change. And this particular layout in the frame pictured shows that even quite deep embellishments can be accommodated. There were 2 card inserts included to pad out the back in case the layout did not have deep embellishments.

Anyone who would be interested in obtaining these for their own layouts... send me a comment and I can pass on the mail order details.

Christmas Concertina Album Card

Here is the latest creation. It is a Christmas version of the birthday album/card I posted recently (but couldn't post a whole picture because the recipient isn't going to get it till January!

So I promised a similar item in a different form and so here it is!

I have made it using a piece of A4 green card (so rather than a 4 inch album, it is 9.9cm - which is just under 4 inches)

The papers were a freebie from Scrapbook Inspirations - however, rather disappointingly I notice that they no longer have freebie papers, and more recently, no free gift at all!

Anyway, the papers are from Doodlebug Design Inc (last years) and I the idea of this card/album is that it is initially a christmas card, but I will also include instructions for placing small photos of the recipient's choice onto each of the pages, after the festive season.

This is why it seems a little "bare" at the moment. I have deliberately not covered areas of each page so that photos can be added later.

So the card becomes a mini hanging scrapbook album! Good eh?!

Scrapbooking Limits

Below is an excerpt from the "musings" section of the Home page at UKScrappers this week.

I thought I would put my two penneth in here too.!

.... I've been musing on what might be considered "off limits" for your scrapbooks. Are there any topics that you consider taboo? And a natural follow on from that is are there topics that you consider off limits for sharing in online galleries? Every online forum has a wide variety of layouts posted, and rarely on UKS do we get complaint about Gallery posts for the topic or the photo, but it does occasionally happen. There are a handful of topics that push buttons, the most common, the one that strikes a nerve quickly, being layouts made to help cope with grief, especially over the loss of a child. But we have had reports of some of the Breast Cancer Awareness layouts (outrage that children use the site and boobs NOT appropriate), and the recent discussion on the appropriateness of layouts that are "political."

In general, it seems people approach their scrapbooks in a number of different ways - some are more like journals, with layouts on every imaginable topic, expressing the deepest feeling of the creator - no topic is off limits there! Others aim to preserve only the fondest memories, of childhood, of family, a trip, a well-loved pet, a garden. Still others are a mix - realistic portrayals, to the creators, of the ups and downs of life, including both the good and the bad, but not dwelling on either or delving too deep emotionally. We've seen gift albums that are, in a word, "racy" and ones that touch on topics some (but by no means ALL) find inappropriate..."

The main crux here is more about the uploading and sharing of your scrapbooking layouts... because if your pages are for your eyes only (or only a select few) then there is no problem.

Scrapbooking to me is... "Anything goes", but beware of sharing! I have made a (what the UKS author calls) "racy" mini album. It was as an anniversary album last year for my husband. It is for his eyes only as it is what I would class as "X" rated. Now I have no intention of sharing this album with anyone online, however, I would like to encourage other women to do something like it for either their partners... or even for themselves. Take the pictures yourself in the mirror, and/or use the timer facility (on most cameras now) and, if you have one, use a tripod.

Get into the habit of taking your own photos of yourself in private. They don't have to be explicit! just practise that smile that your other half doesn't see much these days! Print it, stick it on a layout and give it to him...

.... just watch his face!

Scrapbooking Embellishments

This was actually a picture I tried to post a few posts back when I was giving a sneeky peek of the 4x4" concertina (accordion) album, but unfortunately Blogger wouldn't take this second photo so I ran with just the one.


This picture shows a close up of some dragonfly brads on one of the pages. They are from a box which was fairly cheap and was in a sale. Classic case of "they will be useful for something".

Then, of course, they sit around unused because they are not suitable for the theme of the current layouts being created.


That's where these little albums come into their own really... the pages can be just a collection of papers and embellishments (and in this case there is a quote rub on included on the page) and your done.


If you are stuck in a rut, can't find your "mojo" as they call it, your creative juices just aren't flowing... then make up a little album 4x4" is ideal but 3x3" is good too. It is then a process to limit what's on each page (not even a photograph on some). In that process you see things such as brads, and eyelets, and other embellishments as features in their own right instead of just an accompaniment to a much larger page/photo.


Use the embellishments not as embellishments, but as the "main attraction" to the page itself! It's quite refreshing!

Scrapbooking the Beauty within

This is a layout by one of my Teammies on UKScrappers. The layout itself is lovely, I'm a bit of a sucker for all things swirly, but the reason I felt moved to post it here to share with you all, was because of the journaling.

As you know I have been reading about and attempting to live "The Secret" - which is actually about the Law of Attraction and this layout fits perfectly into that.

My Teammie's words reflect how we should all feel about our bodies no matter what shape or weight we are. But even more than that her words also are a brilliant example of how we can appreciate anything in our lives.

And the importance of that?

By the Law of Attraction we attract more of what we focus on... focus on how much we appreciate ourselves, our friends, families or even complete strangers (epsecially if they have given us something like good service, or even just a smile) and we will receive the same.

I know this because just thinking about what I appreciate in my life, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant, starts to bring a feeling of warmth into my heart, and as they say... "from little acorns..."

Anway, I leave you with the content of the post as it is on UKScrappers and I want to say a big thank you to ceruleanblue (her UKS name) for allowing me to share her thoughts and her layout with you.

"I've done this LO in response to a challenge on the All About Eve blog - Love Your Body.

The journalling inside the tag reads "I love my body in a practical rather than aesthetic way. I love it for what it can do for me. It carried my child; I can express my love for my husband; it takes me to places and shows me new experiences. I am lucky to be able to use my whole body to move and feel, to smell and taste, to listen and hear, to see and imagine. I love my body because it can bring those visions, feelings and experiences to life: it adds texture and dimension to my emotional and spiritual life. I love my body because it enables me to feed my soul."

The photo was taken when I was a few months pregnant with my son.

I used BG Periphery and DCWV All dressed Up papers, Bazzill bling cardstock, DCWV glittery rubons ; glitter letters are Making Memories cheeky shimmer alphas; I also used Autumn Leaves swirls stamps with blue chalk ink and clear embossing powder but they don't really show up in the photo."

Photograph taken by my Three Year Old

Ok, she's nearly 4, but all the same, she wandered off when we were holidaying in the New Forest (Southern England) back at the beginning of October, with my camera in hand!

Luckily I always insist she has the strap around her neck just incase it should slip from her hands, but still, I was rather nervous of her tripping over a tree root or five actually!

Anyway, off she wandered with my Fuji S602Zoom (my pride and joy!) "I'm just going to take a picture of your cars mummy!"

So she did and this is the result! The Sports car (Celica) is mine, and the Frontera beside it is my mum's - we were holidaying together.

Now the camera did most of the work I realise (as it was set on Auto anyway), and ok, the picture is a little "off vertical", but I was rather impressed with the photograph.

So on the strength of this and other photos she has managed to take recently, I have decided to buy her a digital "point and shoot" camera for Christmas. I was going to get one of those kiddy ones, but the reports are that the picture quality is rubbish, so I will buy a "proper" camera for the less money (the kiddy ones are around £50-60!!) and see what else she comes up with!

Making your own Scrapbooking background paper

I don't know if you remember, but I posted a blog entry about some really colourful stamps I had bought? Link to the post here.

Well I decided to use them as a background for one of the pages in my "hanging concertina (Accordian) Album" that I mentioned in the last post.

After soaking them all off their backings and drying them, I arranged them all on a piece of paper and then placed a sheet of acetate over the top and flipping it all over carefully, scanned it in.

The result is a reusable and very colourful background paper about 6x6" in actual size. Of course you can do this with anything, such as labels, tickets, menus, timetables, etc. Just make a pleasing collage and then scan it in (or just colour photocopy it).

And then you will have a background that is unqie to you. It's helpful to do this if something you want to include in a layout is actually bound into a book that you don't wish to destroy. Just use the same method. Scan it in, or just photocopy it and then make a collage by positioning your other items over the scanned image, then rescan with all your other items in place.

Of course, unless you have a large format printer, these backgrounds will be for A4 (up to 8x8") maximum, but you can always have a border on a 12x12!

Oh and by the way... the little bow embellishment... one of a pair of earrings. I cut off the stem at the back and it makes a lovely "quality" embellishment!!

Sneeky Peek - Hanging Concertina Album (accordian)

Thought I would give you all a sneeky peek of the album I will demonstrate tomorrow at the ScrapBuddies crop! Just for fun!

There is no kit involved, everyone will be using their own stuff - which is the idea of the group - to actually use what we keep going out and buying, instead of buying a kit (yet more stash)!

So my example hanging album - which is 4x4" - is for a birthday and is purples and blues and a little pink and green.

And I think the recipient will like it when I eventually give it to them.

Unfortunately I won't be able to post the whole thing until after I have given to the person in question! But I may have made another by then and can post that instead!

Another chance to say "Ahhhhh"!

Yes... this is definitely a bit of self indulgence!

My daughter, Honey, with my new pup, Inde (who is now 13 weeks old!) That's the pup of course LOL!

Took the picture today, as I thought I should as he has grown so much since I brought him home on 11th October!

See the post back then.

What can I say, they are both cute... however, both will be handfuls if I don't stick to my principles and keep a disciplined household! That's always assuming that Inde is as intelligent as his breed is supposed to be. I am looking forward to having an obedient dog - but I realise I have to put in the hard work now in order to achieve a happy, mentally healthy and loyal border collie... I'm not so sure about the daughter!! LOL!

Autumn Scrapping

I took this picture while it was still dry in my region of the world! Weather cold and wet now!

I took the new puppy and my Jack Russell for a walk this afternoon and got drenched in a cloud burst which lasted just until I stepped foot inside the house again! Typical! Mmmmm the smell of wet dog!!!!

Anyway back to the picture - I am a bit of a sucker for all the lovely russets and ochres of autumn.
"You like dark red don't you mummy?" as my soon-to-be-4 daughter says. I just love the colour of this tree's leaves again the blue sky - fantastic.

I have sunglasses which are a lovely shade of pink and they just make the autumn colours zing with beauty, frankly I wear them whenever I can - nothing like looking at the world through rose coloured glasses!

What's wrong with that is what I say!

I haven't scrapbooked an autumn page yet. Currently I am working on the demo for my next crop at the weekend!

It's a hanging concertina card... will post a picture after the crop on Saturday.

Hybrid Scrapbooking - What's that?

Well Hybrid Scrapbooking is the new term for those of us who combine traditional scrapbooking with digital scrapbooking.

Sometimes it can be mixed in the form of printing out "digi" background papers, or elements and cutting them out. Or, as in the previous post, making up a digital page to "compliment" a paper layout (a hard copy layout?).

Anyway, this isn't a hybrid page layout (just to be obtuse!) but it is another attempt at digi scrapping.

The whole page is made using paper and elements by Cinzia Loosemore, from a freebie “Add On” kit for the “Beauty” Collection.
The Beauty kit is available from digitalfreebies.com

16 Photographs on One Scrapbook Layout - is it a Record?

Well it's a record for me anyway! I have had this page half done for about a year! Yes, you read correctly... a whole year!

I used the initial photograph on top of the patterned paper as part of a demo I gave to my Crop about using patterned paper.

I had the idea then that I wanted the main photo on the front, but wanted to include a selection of smaller photographs taken of our visit to a friend up in Yorkshire in a pocket behind. But that was as far as I got.

Since I have been fiddling with digital Scrapbooking lately, I thought, "Hey! Why don't I do a mini scrapbook page as the tag for the pocket?" So that is what I have done.

Mind you the resulting layout is actually 8x7", so not really a mini page! But there are 15 photos on that and including the main photo, that's 16 !

You might like to know about a little trick I did with the ribbon...

The green and maroon ribbon is one piece of wide ribbon, but it had a thin line of yellow down the middle, which spoilt the page. I decided to cover it with a thin cream coloured ribbon, using double sided tape and voila... the ribbon matched the papers beautifully!

The title "Ilkley" which is the name of the town where we were, I hand cut... no Craft Robo in my house yet!!!!

More Digital scrapbooking - fiddling with Photos

Well I had a fiddle with a photo recently using Photoshop Elements. This photo seemed a prime candidate for making the picture black and white but hightlighting the colourful lego - the subject of the photo! What do you reckon?

Honey and Daddy often spend time making "towers" out of lego and Honay specifically wanted a photograph of this particular creation!

As for scrapbooking... well I may do a layout, but I may just use the picture as the background and embellish slightly. I think using more coloured papers will be too much.

Check out my Slide Show!

I decided to use this program to show a slide show of some of my work... Am currently trying to work out how to get it into the side margin of this blog instead of here as a single entry, I suppose you will soon see if I have been successful!!

Free Digital Scrapbooking supplies

I have been collecting information and freebie downloads for a few months now to enable me to do some digital scrapbooking. And this is not my first attempt, but my second. I have listed below the supplies used on this layout.

It is actually an entry in a book I started for my daughter when we had her naming day on her first birthday. Everyone who attended wrote something on a page in the book and every year since then my husband and I and any other significant person (family member) around on, or near her birthday, writes an entry in the book.

This year I decided to do a digital scrapbooking layout for her 3rd birthday (which I wrote back then, but didn't get around to sticking in the book!). It is 19 x 13.5cm (7.5 x 5.25in) So as her 4th birthday is coming up soon, I will be doing another layout. In fact I may attempt a double page layout! More to say!!!

Anyway, there is an overwhelming amount of digital supplies out there on the web, and I have only fiddled with freebies so far, and am trying to "self-teach" myself how to use Photoshop Elements. I find the program a little frustrating sometimes because I used to work with a professional publishers layout program years ago (£900 worth!) and so find Photoshop Elements (PSE) a bit "clunky". However, if you'd like to dabble in digi scrapping, then PSE is a good one to use (£50). And of course, like me you can have a go for free, by downloading freebie digi papers, elements and alphas just to see how it is for you, as you can use them in programs like Word.

I warn you though, the file sizes for the graphics are huge, and that's before you put any pictures on a layout, so you need a fair amount of RAM. I recently added to mine and now have 750Mb of RAM, which works ok.

So the list of ingredients for the above layout...

Brown crumpled writing paper by Eva Kipler available from Digitalfreebies.com

Swirl frame from the freebie “Festival” by Shabby Princess

Background papers and flower by Tracy Collins (known as Retrodiva) available from Digitalfreebies.com

Another multi photo Layout

I am in a "get as many photos as you can on a page" streak at the moment!

The last post included a double page spread including 14 photos. This one "First Christmas Party" has only 4 but that are all quite big.


I am doing these layouts to show my ladies at the Scrapbuddies Crop that it is very possible to make up pages which can actually hold quite a few pictures, and that you don't have to "hide" them either, in pockets or behind other photos.


Although I do actually like what they call "interactive pages". That is where you have to lift a flap or slide out a tag or whatever it may be.


I very nearly finished this page without my "signature" item... some ribbon!


So I decided to pin some ruched ribbon to the page using brads!

Multiple photo Scrapbooking Layouts

This is the double page layout (DLO) that I finished this week which includes no less than 14 photos, or parts or photos!

Top photograph is the left hand page.

Background paper is from Top Line Creations and the brown stripey paper is from the Basic Grey "Blush" Collection called "Angelic".

The "2" I covered in the basic grey paper, but it is in fact a wooden number (as opposed to cardboard) from a pack I bought in cheapish stationers/craft shop. In the "Items for kids crafts" section.

So technically it is a chipboard letter! Or in this case number!

Anyway, the layout was inspired by a sketch from kiwiscraps.com which included 13 pictures. I thought it time to scrap some pages which were a little more utilitarian in that they stored lots of pictures, and birthdays are one of those occasions where there are lots of photos! I have mentioned this in a previous post.

So I now have to get on an do my daughter's 3rd birthday pictures before she is 4, so I have a month to do it!

Oh So many Layouts for Halloween

There are hundreds are there not? Probably thousands of of scrapbooking layouts for Halloween!

Well I suppose I shall join those ranks soon enough! Today was my first ever "Trick or Treat" outing! This was with my fairly-soon-to-be 4 daughter.

She calls it "Halloween Day".

Sorry about the blurred picture, do you think the camera shake was my husband shaking in fear or two dastardly witches? I think not! Just low light levels and him using the LCD screen on the back of my camera to take the shot. I nearly always use the viewfinder. Having the camera up to the eye helps with stabilisation.

Anyway, I've fiddled with it a bit in Photoshop Elements to improve the blur a bit.

So I suppose I shall be scrapping this picture (or one of the others) in order to record another part of my daughter's life. Talking of which - I managed to finally create a scrapbooking layout of the photos for her 2nd Birthday! And...

I managed to include 14 photographs (or parts thereof)! Rather pleased with myself on that one. I will post the pictures tomorrow.

Quick and Easy Scrapbooking Mini Album - 4x4"

While I was wondering what to teach for the children's workshop (which was last week) I thought a standard scrapbooking layout would be perhaps a little boring. My usual workshop for adults is an 8x8" page and then an A6 card made from the left overs of the kit.

Anyway, I decided that I would show them how to create a mini album.

This mini album is 4x4" and is in fact 2 pieces of 8x4" paper/cardstock stuck together around the edges, apart from the top. This format gives front and back pages and one double page spread, plus 2 pockets for 2 tags.

TIP: There is a trick to this kind of mini album, and that is to make up all the pages first and then and only then, adhere them to the booklet blank. In this way you don't suffer with brads sticking out the other side or the backs of staples showing, etc. Not to mention being able to get your tags in their pockets!

The pictures show the blank mini album, ready for the addition of photos. This type of project is great to give as a gift where the recipient can place his or her photos in the spaces provided.

The link to the photos of the children with their finished work is in the previous post.

I love mini scrapbook albums

On the subject of mini albums, as I was in the last post because of the children's workshop (link here for photos of their work) I held on Thursday, I have included a picture here from a paperbag book, some photos of other pages I have already shown.

The reason for showing this particular page(s) is the "frame" around the photo.

In fact it is a piece of acetate which I dabbed with embossing ink around the end and added gold powder and then heated. Of course the acetate rippled a little bit, but I suppose it all adds character! I have since seen that there is now a heat resistant acetate on the market! Yet to get some and try it though!

Scrapbooking for Children

Yesterday I held a workshop for Kids aged 8 and over at a local library.

Rather than getting them to create a scrapbooking layout I decided to organise a workshop for creating a 4x4 mini album instead.

Now technically it was a card covered on all sides, but we also made 2 pockets for tags.

Anyhow, of the 5 children in the group (aged 8-11) 3 of them were boys! Now I did cater for them in that the kit I produced did have blues and blacks in it, but actually they took to the flowers and girly stuff really well. I was pleased to see how their items turned out and when I post their pictures on the ScrapBuddies website I will post a link over to them.

I think they all did really well. One of the boys flashed through his creation and then wanted something else to do, so I gave him some left over paper and bits and he made me a thank you card! Wasn't that nice.

It was a funny feeling actually, cos I remember doing that sort of thing (making thank you cards for people) when I was the same age! Anyway... it was a pleasant surprise... well done Kynan!