Falling for Fall...

This time of year happens to such a favorite. In northeast Ohio, it was on the chilly side today and so I broke out the Fall decor and went to work with home decor. It takes 2-3 days to transform my house during the season, and after looking at the same old stuff for months, I welcome the change...

I made several of these today using these jars from Ikea (thanks, Jen!) and orange m&m's. The velvet scalloped ribbon was perfect for this project, and I rolled the stem and glued it in place on top of a flower on the lid...I also couldn't wait to make these favors from the Martha Stewart Halloween line found at Michael's. Man, have you seen the stuff there? I went overboard and got a few items that spoke to me, and you'll see more to come here on the blog...
If you're looking to get plugged in to the Halloween spirit a little early, be sure to sign up for Martha's Halloween newsletter. I love all the creative ideas over there...

And speaking of creative ideas, I started this class today with Pattie and I'm so excited I could burst!! The possibility of learning photoshop elements in addition to the editing program I have now (HP software that came with my computer printer and Photoshop 7) have me jumping out of my chair. If you haven't signed up for the class, it just started, and it comes with the most awesome templates from Pattie, who is a designer over at Designer Digitals. There is an active forum over at Get it Scrapped related to the class, and there is also another private forum over at Willow Traders if you decide to take the plunge. I hope to see you there!!

Heading into my favorite season

and that is fall! Tina here to share some inspiration for fall... I just love the colors, the weather and the holidays that are associated with fall, it is just a perfect time of the year. Halloween is a family favorite for decorating the house and making treats for and with the kids. From making haunted gingerbread houses to sewing pumpkin bags for treats we love all the possibilities of fall.

These pumpkin treat bags have been a favorite of my kids for years. Each year I would make them for all the kids in their classes and when they were both at the elementary school that was over 50 pumpkins I made! It was something that I could work on while watching tv or waiting for kids at their outside activities.

Two pumpkins can be cut from one piece of orange felt and their faces can be carved/cut from a piece of black felt with a green stem added at the top. In the winter I use white felt to make snowman faces, more on those at a later date...
Another project for fall I did using wood nesting boxes that I had and some of the papers from the September kit. I would measure each section of the box and cut the paper a bit small so some of the wood would still show. Then before adhering with mod podge I would ink the edges of the papers.

October Sneak...Part 2...

Here's a peek at the Add-On kit for October.

I've been a kit-packing fool today. And how do you like the 2 posts in one day!! Woohoo!

The colors in the new College Press Camdyn line are so appealing to me!! Lots of goods in this one...

Enjoy your evening!!

Well, well, well...

Look at this month's Guest Garden Girl over at 2Peas!!Our one and only design team member, Francine Clouden!! Way to go girlie!! Be sure to check out her wonderful creations--it is easy to see why they selected her! Huge congrats to you!

I'll be back later today to show you more College Press goodness for the October Add-On kit! (Seriously--you're gonna die...)

Have a wonderful day!

Jana's Projects with the September Add-On Kit

Happy Weekend, Everyone! I had a lot of fun playing with the September Add-On kit (with a few sprinkles of the Main kit and a few sprinkles from my stash) this week and wanted to share with you the projects I made: a quick layout, a magnet for holding school papers, and a fun mini-book.

This layout is about my son's search for the perfect walking stick on a recent vacation. :D The red patterned paper and loopy letter stickers are from the Main kit.
You know all those papers that start coming home from school with your kids that the teacher wants you to read and sign? As my three children empty their backpacks each day they start throwing them at me and things tend to get lost in the homework chaos. I decided I would make a magnet so that they could pin them up and they wouldn't get misplaced or forgotten. (The Jenni Bowlin letter stickers and Deluxe Designs chipboard arrow are from my stash.) To add thickness to the magnet I mounted the journaling block on the light green cardstock backing from the packaging for the Making Memories letter stickers.
This last project is a mini-book of sorts. I LOVE mini books, but I don't seem to use them as fast as I buy them. LOL! I decided to take an accordion album from my stash and make a record book for my son to motivate him to read 10 chapter books. When he is finished I will take him to buy a special prize. :D (The cork star is from Joann's dollar section. The twill and Jenni Bowlin letter stickers are from my stash and the green Thickers are from a previous WIP kit.)



My son is excited to get started on his reading goals and now my daughter is begging me to make one for her. :D I think I'll use the Main kit for hers! :D

See you again soon!
Jana

October Sneak...

Just wanted to give a little preview of the papers in the October Main Kit from WIP. We will be featuring the brand new College Press collection called Jackson Lodge along with several other manufacturers. And the alphabet you see there is one of THREE alphas in this kit. SO excited to dig into this one!!Have a wonderful Friday!!

Scraps and Snaps

Hi Everyone! Colleen here! How ya doin?

Piggybacking onto Trish's post on photos...I have to admit that I've been thinking a lot lately about pictures too. I'm no photographer, by any means. I have a Nikon d40 that I still leave on auto. Sad, but true. But what I've noticed lately is that until recently, I hardly appear in my photographs.

I think that most of us scrap our families and/or those special events that happen in our lives, those places we go and the people we see, but we rarely show up in the pictures. If you are me, you don't like to have your picture taken. Not no way, not no how. You'd rather be sitting safely behind the camera where no one will see you except when you tell them to say cheese. But what happens years from now, when people look at your albums and don't see you...will they know who you are? That's why I'm starting to put myself more in the pictures I'm taking.

Here's how...

First, you can be in the shot without being in the shot. If you look at the reflection in her sunglasses...that's me!
Of course, you can do it the old fashioned way and schedule a photo shoot in your bathroom studio. Just be sure and have those special things that your inner diva demands. My inner diva demands twizzlers and Apple Raspberry Vitamin Water, and you better have them on hand when she's ready or else!
You can photograph you in action
or chillaxin (feet shots are my absolute fave. I love them.)
you can hide in the shadows
and then there's you out in the open with the people you love the most...
The important thing is to snap and scrap you too!

Photography, Post Processing and Pictures

I've had a bunch of emails regarding these topics the last two weeks, and I wanted to share some information on the subjects today.I get a lot of my photographs printed at scrapbookpictures.com. One of my favorite things available on that site is the ability to add borders--and there are many to choose from. I recently got the above pics delivered to my doorstep, and I love the creative options they offer. (Note that if you want the border, go all the way to the "checkout" option--that is where you can view them). And at $2.00 shipping for your whole order, it's the bargain of the century...
I love Costco and get most of my everyday prints there. In the past year, they offer 8x8 options (above) along with a full 12x12 page for us scrapbookers. I do use my hp photo printer for smaller sized options in a pinch, but now that they offer the collage option (below) it is just as easy to cut something like this up and use them. They can also be printed out in poster form to make a statement in a frame. The borders come in a variety of colors and they're really inexpensive.
The editing software I use most often is the one that came with my printer. I love it, I'm well-versed in using it, and the thought of not using it makes me sick to my stomach. That being said, I also realized that at some point, I would have to learn Photoshop. So I took the plunge and have been learning a bit on my own and through the help of good friends who know more than I do. I have also signed up for this class and am SO excited about the prospects of learning about templates. (Thanks, Laina!) Pattie is also a local gal, so I look forward to being a student of hers.
And speaking of Pattie's class, hers is one of several new ones available in the fall at Get it Scrapped. I heard a rumor there was going to be a photography class coming up over there (by someone a lot more knowledgable than myself!), along with an art journal class and a Vacation Journal taught by Debbie Hodge herself. Be sure to sign up for her mailing list--you never know what good things happen over there. (wink.)

I also took the plunge on CZ's class. Oh, and don't forget the continuation of the wonderful Sketches 101 in the Sketches 102 class here. Oh, and of course Karen Russell's Photography class here. Oh...the possibilities!! This whole online class thing is really something...

If you have any other online class suggestions, I'd love to hear them! And let me know if you've signed up for any of the above classes and I'll look for you, okay?

Have a great day!!

Happy Labor Day!!

I hope you're all having a fun, relaxing weekend! I hate posting without a photo, so I thought I'd share one of Jana's creations from the September Main kit--isn't it a beauty?

The newsletters for September will go out mid-day, so be sure to be on the lookout!!

I've received a few emails about Back to Class. Yes, registration is still open (you download everything and can print out the information and can do the project whenever you like!). We're starting Week 2 today, and so far it has been a blast! The gals over there area wonderful and they love free stuff...hee hee!! I have to say I LOVE the whole online class thing!! You just may see more of this kind of thing from me in the future...(whee!)

And for you locals, I have posted 2 Fall Crops at the Waterbury Community Center over at the site. Registration is open and those of you on my mailing list should have received an email about this already. The spots are filling up and I thought I'd mention that space is limited, so if you are thinking of coming, please shoot me an email at Turay413@gmail.com. I will be doing a break out class (a Halloween Project) at the September crop that is also optional. And as always, the $25 fee includes snacks, beverages, lunch and dinner along with 12 hours of crop time. Hope you can make it!

Have a super day!!

Time Flies...

Doesn't it though?

My dear friend Tina stopped by yesterday and showed me this beautiful creation. I had to take pictures and do a special blog post on it, as it inspired me on so many levels. Tina's daughter Chelsea left for college a few weeks ago, and Tina mentioned how cathartic making this book was for her. And it got me thinking. I'm pretty good at documenting day-to-day stuff. But seldom do I stop and take an over-view of one person through the years.

Here is Tina's mini, made with the on that comes in the September Work in Progress Project kit. I absolutely love the way she made the pages interactive...She started off with a current photo of her daughter and included a list of her favorite childhood things...
Then she moved onto baby pictures...
She then included an accordion fold out inside to add a bunch of wallet sized pics...

She trimmed some of the pages down to create interest and edged them with decorative scissors...
And she cut some of the pages down and adhered them to companion pages to create pockets in the mini...
She made pocket pages and cut the opening on a diagonal to hide the journaling...
She found a creative way to tuck in more photos here and there too. Love how this pocket page opens from the side and is tabbed...

Thanks for the inspo, Tina!!

And as a side note, congrats on making the COVER of the Holiday Issue of Scrapbook Trends with that amazing ATC Carousel!! Can't wait to get my hands on a copy. And you know the best part? She was solicited by the editor directly--it was not a project she submitted. How cool is that?

Be sure to check out the WIP September Gallery for more fun ideas. I posted the gallery a bit early due to the holiday and all. There are a few of the Project Kits and Add-ons still available on the website--and sneaks of the October Kits will start popping up next week as well. Check out all the DT creations--they did a bang up job with this month's kits!!

And a special HUGE thanks to Emily for the awesome new blog look!! Love what you did with it girlie!!

Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend everyone!!