challenge blogs.

there are sooo many out there---heck i run four YES FOUR of them, i know
i am a bit crazy---but hey it helps me scrap what can i say? LOL
do you need some inspiration?
some prompts? something to help you
get that mojo flowing? there are TONS of blogs that help you do JUST that!
here are a few of them, go out there and play along!
happy scrappin'!

the story maters.
one little word.
sketch this.
how much is too much.
random chaos.
color combos galore.
mini mania.
cardalicious.
scrapstars.
creative therapy.
the design experiment.
scrapping the music.
scrapjacked.

here's just a *few*
go have some scrappin' fun!

It's raining, it's pouring...

you know the rest, right? It's Amy here, a little late, but here none-the-less (thanks Trish). I've been so busy with back to school stuff, that I am just feeling like my to-do list is swallowing me up. What do I do when it gets to be too much??? Scrapbook, of course. :) I got my hands on the new Oct. kit, and it is just yummmmmmmmmmy!

I am a super SUPER messy scrapper. Since I've been scrapping away with the new kit, and I feel like my supplies are swallowing me up, I've been focusing on doing a reorg of my supplies. Here are a few of my fav organization tools. This is an ongoing task for me, and I am constantly trying to find new ways to organize all my stuff.

Up first, is the cart that houses my kits. I have found it's easier to keep all the kits together until there is virtually nothing left. These drawers are perfect since they hold the 12x12 paper, and they are CHEAP, which I love!



For me, these work perfect for my ribbons. And they look pretty, too!


And here are some of my fav rooms on 2 peas...be prepared to drool!

Gemm's room
Samantha Walker's room
Seriously, this is a gorgeous room!!!

I'm pretty sure this is my fav room ever!

I know I've linked Stephanie Howell before, but her scraproom deserves a look-see. The way she organizes is magnificent!!!

Do you have any organizing tips? I'd love to hear about them, or better yet, see them. Link them here and I'll send you a RAK for my fav tip ever!! You have until Sun. night.

Have a great weekend!!!

wish list

If you ever meet me in person you'll be sure to see that I'm a total nut about this hobby. I scrapbook almost every day of the week. Some days it may only be for a few minutes, others for hours if I'm lucky. After 2 1/2 years, I'm still as addicted as ever.

I love to try new tools and techniques. Working at a store gives me the privilege of seeing and trying new things on a weekly basis. Here are some of the things I'm excited to try. (and probably buy!)

Versamark Dazzle - Just like the regular Versamark watermark ink but now with either a Pearl (champagne) or Sparkle (frost) finish. Think Holiday card beauty.












GlitzDesigns RollerDoodles - they look so fun and easy. Ali Edwards uses one on her layout pg. 60 Oct 08 CK. (which by the way I'll be scraplifting - love this page so much)




















Zutter Corner Rounder - you can corner round chipboard and acrylic in 2 different sizes. This may be an early Christmas present to myself.















Ranger White Ink Pen - will it work better than the Uniball Signo White? This question MUST be answered in my head. I will need to try one for myself.
















Stampin Up Scallop Punch - I already have the Threading Water punch from Fiskars but being the addict that I am I'll need this one too. Seriously, everyone should have scallop options, right?
(have you ever been to a Stampin Up party? Go - skip the stamps, go straight to the back of the catalog where they sell AWESOME EK Success Punches that you can't buy in stores!)(note: see next obsession below)















and we will conclude will my final obsession...EK Success Whale Punches. I collect these things like candy. Love them so much. They always work and never seem to break unlike stinky McGill punches. I have 8 different EK circle punches and can honestly say that I use them all the time.

I have a Cricut, but hardly use it. Punches are so much easier and faster to use. EK recently came out with new designs and extra large shapes. Some are actually 3" in diameter. I got to try the 3" circle and it works fantastic! No problem punching through at all.

First on my list is the Arrow punch and then comes this cute little flourish. Go to their website to see all the latest designs.

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!