Description:
Old Memories Revisited.. Greeting Cards.. Successful Experimenting with the Cuttlebug.. New Toys for Scrapbooking..
Contents:
Old Memories Revisited
This afternoon I put my wedding pictures from 1974 on scrapbook pages. I have been divorced for quite a while and in the beginning I gave all my wedding pictures and any pictures of my ex to my daughter. I then decided to get them back from her. No matter how the marriage turned out it was still a chapter in my life that belongs in my “Book of Me”. It was kind of hard at first to go back to that time and put embellishments on those pages of how I felt at that time, versus how I feel now. I put the pages together using words of how a new bride would feel but I did not put any journaling boxes on them, except for our names and the date of our marriage. I guess it would have been much harder if I wasn’t in a new relationship and so happy. It was almost like putting together pages for someone else. The other pictures of me and my ex, I still have to decide if I will put them in my “Book of Me” or if they will go back to my daughter for her to do as she wishes with them.
I am still thinking and deciding on how to make the birthday card for the little 1-year-old. I haven’t attempted to make a new one yet but I will in the next few days.
I watched a new video this afternoon about embellishing greeting cards using “chalk ink”. I had seen it in the stores but never really paid much attention to it. I just assumed it would need to be heat set to dry and I didn’t want to mess with taking the time for that. The colors that she used seemed so much more brilliant and vibrant than just regular ink. She applied the chalk ink with a cotton ball and kept right on working and finishing the card with no smudges or smears at all. I may just have to check in to this a little more.
My wish is that everyone has a good and safe week.
71 total scrapbook pages done in 2008
1 Recipe card done in 2008
1 Greeting card done in 2008
Greeting Cards
I made my first greeting card tonight and it is terrible. I had so many good ideas but I just couldn’t seem to get them to turn out the way I wanted. I will keep trying. I didn’t like my first scrapbooking page either and I think I have progressed to where they are pretty nice or least most of them. Sometimes I still make a page that I don’t like, no matter what I do to it. I have learned to just leave it alone and try another page or wait until another day. That is what I am going to do with making this birthday card; wait until I get another idea or plan better on the ideas I already have. It is for a 1-year-old so she is not going to pay much attention to it but I know her parents will keep it for her until she is older. This card definitely is not for a 1-year-old or anyone else, so back to try again at another time.
Today I went to A.C. Moore to buy a Crop-A-Dile eyelet setter. I saw a beautiful wedding invitation on another blog and it required eyelets to make it and so I decided I had to have one of these new tools. Of course I researched this tool on the internet and checked prices, as I always do. I found there are two of these tools. The Crop-A-Dile regular and the Crop-A-Dile Big Bite. My local A.C. Moore only had the regular one in stock (just the tool only) not the new green handled one sold as a kit with supplies in the package. After carrying the thing around the store for about an hour while looking at other things I finally decided to go the old fashioned way and I bought a small hammer (that my boyfriend is still laughing about) with a package of eyelet setters. I decided with the manual setter I am not limited on where I can set the eyelets as I would have been with the regular tool. I have watched many videos of people using the Crop-A-Dile and it is a great tool and one day I may go back and get one, but this will do for me right now.
What kind of scrapbooking album do you have? I have two right now that I am working on filling up. One is from Creative Memories that I bought from my daughter, which I have no problems at all adding pages to. The other album I have is a post-bound one. Well this week I tried to add some pages to it and I had scattered pages all over the place. The post-bound albums are not the easiest things to work with. After three attempts, I finally got the new pages added and the whole album put back together.
I hope everyone is having a great weekend.
66 Total scrapbook pages done in 2008
1 Recipe card done in 2008
1 Greeting card done in 2008
Successful Experimenting with the Cuttlebug
I am still learning to use my new Cuttlebug and I will admit spending way too much money on dies and embossing folders but it is so much fun. Since I have been a quilter for years, I have tons of fabric on hand and I decided I wanted to use fabric for cutting out letters. I admit I have just about driven everyone crazy on my Yahoo groups trying to help me out. I have the Sizzix Broadway Melody letter set and no matter what I did they would just not cut through the fabric either in the Sizzix Sidekick or the Cuttlebug. I finally decided to invest in a Cuttlebug letter set, with my 40% off coupon from Joanne’s of course and with the assurance that I could bring them back if they did not cut fabric. This time I thought maybe I needed more of a “block” type letter so I bought the Cuttlebug “Red Tag Sale” set. The Broadway Melody letters are beautiful and I will still use them with paper and cardstock but to cut fabric, they just have too many curves and small pieces.
I took three pieces of fabric and ironed wax paper to one piece, Heat and Bond Lite stabilizer on the second and used heavy starch on the third piece.
*The starched piece of fabric with a piece of cardstock for a shim under the die only cut in some places.
*The piece of fabric with the waxed paper ironed on did much better. The pieces were actually cut but there were a few threads I had to snip here and there to get the letters out. Not a problem, this is doable.
*The Heat and Bond Lite stabilizer did GREAT. There were also a few threads I had to snip but fewer threads to snip than the piece with the waxed paper. I think we finally have a winner.
I am a happy camper now and I know the ladies in my Yahoo groups are happy to hear this and that I won’t be bugging them anymore about this.
Well that is all for tonight. Now I have to figure out how to add more pages to my scrapbook album that is laying in pieces all over my desk.
64 total scrapbook pages done in 2008
1 recipe card done in 2008
New Toys for Scrapbooking
I have been busy buying new toys for scrapbooking this past week. I am sure die cutting machines are not new to most of you but they are to me and I am having a blast with them. I first started out researching and trying to decide which machine I wanted. I decided that I really only wanted it for “letters and numbers”. I was tired of finding a letter or number I wanted but not in the right color or the finding the right color but not the right letter or number. I decided on a Sizzix Sidekick. I found what I guess what you would call a starter kit with the machine and a set of letters, numbers and symbols all in one package and with my 40% off coupon from Joanne’s, it was a good price. I came home and started cutting away. Of course I belong to a few scrapbooking Yahoo groups and I started reading more and more about this cutter and embossing machine called “Cuttlebug”. At first I thought I don’t need that one, I just bought one. The thought wouldn’t go away so I started looking into this machine a little more and found that it also cuts fabric. Being a quilter too, I have tons of fabric that I can use with this cutter. So I was on a mission to find the best price I could on this machine. As luck would have it, Michael’s had a 50% off sale on all Cuttlebug products. I found the machine and a few dies and embossing folders I liked and took the empty box to the counter. The sales rep was gone for what seemed like forever. She finally came back and told me she had to hunt it down because it was the last one they had and I got it.
Unfortunately or fortunately depending on how you look at it, when I was looking for my first die cutting machine (Sidekick) I remembered seeing some Cuttlebug dies and embossing folders at Joanne’s that I liked, so I was in the car and off again. Of course they were out of the ones I had looked at before but I couldn’t leave empty handed so I bought a couple of smaller embossing folders and some open stock paper.
When I got home, I thought that maybe EBay might have the embossing folders I wanted and of course they did, so I ordered three more embossing folders through EBay.
I worked on two Easter pages of my grand-babies this afternoon using my two new machines. They both worked out great and it was so much fun. I had a little problem getting the letters adhered to the page because some areas of the letters are very small. I asked for suggestions on the groups I belong to and it was suggested I either buy a glue pen or a Xyron sticker machine. So guess what my next purchase is going to be? I looked online at the two different machines I am interested in. The smaller “X” machine will work for the letters and small die cut I make but the next model up, the model 500 will also laminate which would come in handy for so many other things around the house. I haven’t made my mind up yet on which I will buy yet.
I have to stop buying gadgets and toys and actually start working on pages from now on but now I have tools to make it so much more fun to create with. I am thinking of also making my own greeting cards.
I also forgot to tell you a few weeks ago by boyfriend bought me the “Craft-Lite Cutter” as a surprise. I had heard that this cutter did not work very well and people were not happy with it. In my opinion it works great, at least for me. I really like the six different cutters that come with it.
So now I have told you about all of my new toys. I am going to go and work with them some more. Happy Scrapbooking
54 total scrapbook pages done in 2008
New Ideas Running Around in My Head
Time sure gets away from you when you are busy and here it is right at two weeks since my last post. I have worked on a couple of scrapbook pages; one was taught in the ScrapBookingClasses and the other I have been thinking about for a while. My first love is quilting and since I am using a lot of my quilting tools for scrapbooking, I got to thinking why not use the patterns too? So today I had the time and I made a page with the Double Wedding Ring pattern for my daughter’s wedding photo. I think it turned out pretty well, if I say so myself. I have plans to use other quilt patterns for my lay out’s such as “Attic Windows, Log Cabin, Dresden Plate, and Tumbling Blocks”. I could go on and on but I think you get the idea.
.JPG) I think I have finally figured out why I like scrapbooking so much. It is an almost instant gratification to complete a page. I love quilting but there is much more time and work involved and the sense of accomplishment doesn’t happen as quickly. Now I can actually mesh my two hobbies together and have the sense of being done with a project much sooner. The day I completed (I think it was 11 pages) in one day was the greatest feeling.
I still haven’t figured out how to organize my stickers and embellishments. The letters and numbers are my biggest aggravation. I can’t ever seem to find the style, color or size I want without looking through every one of them. I have tried little baggies – no good. I have tried those embroidery floss boxes and there are not enough places in the box (I ended up with 3 boxes of letters and numbers) – no good. Oh well, I will keep trying to figure out something.
50 total scrapbook pages done in 2008
Not Much Going On
I thought I would add a little bit tonight before going to bed. I haven’t done much this week. I had a dental appointment on Tuesday and had 6 teeth pulled, so most of the last two days I have been in bed heavily medicated and sleeping. All I kept thinking when I did wake up, “what a waste of two days off from work” but then I would go back to sleep. I had to go back to work today. It was slow going because I still had to take the pain medication today.
I tried to organize my stickers and embellishments tonight and that was a total mess. I find I am like a lot of people that if the embellishments are “out of sight, then they are out of mind”. I forget I have them and don’t use them. I am trying to reinvent the wheel concerning organizing them. I don’t really like the storage ideas/books/ etc. that I have seen out there, so I will figure out something on my own. When/if I come up with a brilliant idea, I will let you know.
44 total scrapbook pages done in 2008
Another Week Gone By
I spent most of the week working, of course. I have to have some way to buy the supplies for my new hobby of scrapbooking. Another plus of working at home I can also do some other things while I work. I got my photo editing program ready and set up two files on my computer (Needs printing and Done printing) and while I typed, I printed pictures that I have had stored on my computer and on disks for up to five years. As I printed the photos I would move them from one folder to the other to make sure I did not miss any or print any duplicates. I ended up printing a little over 200 pictures this week. Last night I finished the last of them so now they are ready to be sorted and put on scrapbook pages. I should have sorted them as I printed them, but that would have been too easy.
I did manage to get a few of the photos on scrapbook pages already, which reminds me of a great web site called Scrapbook Scrapbook.com. I cannot remember if I found it myself or if someone referred me to the site, but either way they offer many, many scrapbooking paper designs, clip art, alphabets, backgrounds, etc. and they are all for FREE. You should check it out. I have used some of their designs already because I did not have or could not find exactly what I wanted elsewhere.
42 total scrapbook pages done in 2008
No Electricity in Florida
Other than the usual power outages here and there and when we have hurricanes, very rarely is our electricity out but yesterday a wide area of Florida was in a “blackout” with no electricity for hours. In Fort Myers it was out for only about 3 hours but other places it took longer before the electricity came back on. They estimated over 100,000 people were without electricity yesterday. It is sad in a way, what we take for granted and we assume it will always be there, but sometimes it isn’t. Our ancestors lived without electricity and got along but we are so accustomed to it that we don’t even think about it. We get up turn on a light, TV or radio, coffee maker, etc. without even thinking that it’s not going to come on.
Yesterday I had quite a lot of time to think about it. No computer, no internet, no TV, no lights, etc. I began to hear things that go on in my house that I never hear otherwise. I realized I have very loud ticking battery operated clocks. They just about drove me crazy. With the TV on all the time, I never notice them otherwise. I decided I would read a magazine I had just bought. Although it was day time I still had to go out on the porch to be able to see to read it. I honestly do not see how our ancestors read, worked on sewing or did anything by candlelight.
Another thing I noticed was a lot of neighbors I had never seen before were outside. So here in Fort Myers conversation with neighbors once again came alive, even if only for a little while. The electricity came back on and everyone went back to their own lives, including me.
33 total scrapbook pages done in 2008
Busy, Busy Days
I just noticed it has been over a week since I posted anything to my blog. It sure has been hectic around here. Living in Florida and the northerners coming down here again to escape from the cold weather means my transcription work has almost doubled, so there is not much time for anything else. I do manage to take a day off here and there to do something I want to do.
Last Monday there was no school so I kept both the 2-year-old and the 6-year-old for the day. I am not sure how I did it but I managed to get the space shuttle pages done, along with one from the Titanic Exhibit (7 pages total). That is a record for me.
I see that Cheri from Cheri’s Craft Corner has added a couple of videos on “quilling” with more to come. I haven’t had the chance to view them yet, but I intend on doing so some time today. I hope you will take the time also to stop by and watch her videos.
I went to my daughter’s for a scrapbook workshop again on Saturday. I just love spending time with her and the kids. I completed three pages with pictures I had taken of the kids when they were with me on Monday when I took them to the playground.
Well that’s it for today. I am taking the day off of work and I am going to try to use my time wisely. I hope every one has a good day too.
29 total pages done in 2008
North Carolina Project Completed
I finally got my North Carolina pages completed this evening with the help of my 6-year-old granddaughter. It feels nice to have completed one set of pictures and they are in the album. I have both grandkids this evening. The 2-year-old went to sleep fairly early and that left time for just the two of us to work on the scrapbooking together. She punched paper butterflies, flowers, hearts and snowflakes out for me until her little hands were so tired. She is sleeping now too.
I feel very fortunate to belong to the ScrapBookingClasses group. The other night one of the ladies showed us some of her work and ideas for our “All About Me” or “BOM (Book of Me)” pages. There is a lot of talent among the ladies in this group and ideas, inspiration and enthusiasm was very high among all of us who attended the class. I am filling up my little idea notebook pretty fast and I cannot wait to get started on all my pages.
Tonight in Fort Myers was the Edison Festival of Lights parade which is the final wrap-up of the week-long celebration of Thomas A. Edison’s life. I am not much to fight the crowds anymore so I haven’t gone to the parade in years. They estimated that there were 225,000 people attending the parade tonight. I am more than happy to watch my grandbabies and stay home.
17 total pages done in 2008
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