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 Thursday, February 28, 2008
Looking Back on Your Style
2/28/2008 12:22:09 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00) I have been feeling a bit nostalgic lately as I organized my scrapbooking supplies (finally) and stumbled on some of my very first layouts. I wanted to share a few of them with you,  because I think it’s so helpful to look back at some of your early pages to see how your style has changed, or ways that it hasn’t. I began scrapbooking for the first time when I returned from a two-year missions trip from Italy in 2004. As you can see in the two 12x12 layouts to the right, the only thing I had was some colored paper, a glue stick, one rub-on and a pen. I think it’s fun to see that even before I knew that brads existed, I was drawing little circles in the corners of my titles for an added touch. After I began working at a scrapbooking/country gift store, I discovered my passion for scrapbooking. I bought my first 6x12 album and started creating pages about my life and some of my adventures. In the two layouts below, I can see how my love for rub-ons and eyelets were growing and as well as my love for distressing pages. My style has continued to evolve since then, but it’s fun to look back to where it all began.  How has your style evolved over the years? Are there supplies and design elements that you can see through a lot of your pages? Has your style changed dramatically or not? I hope you join me in looking back on some of your first pages to see what still works for you now, and what doesn’t. Even though I look at my first pages and chuckle, I know they still tell the stories as well as the ones I create today. Create Something. Inspire everyone. GinaMarie 
2/28/2008 12:22:09 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00) 
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Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Paint Palette Personality Quiz
2/27/2008 9:19:43 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00) For the past two mornings on my morning drive to work, my favorite local radio team has been promoting PPG Industries' special Web site called the voiceofcolor.com, which features a 7-question quiz to reveal your perfect paint palette for you. With my love of pithy quizzes that are designed to provide personal insight, I checked it out. It appears that I'm "Almonds and Honey," which really shouldn't be surprising, given that we just painted our hallway a light honey color. These colors, along with the "Al Fresco" greens, are also showing up in some of my recent scrapbook pages.  Hope you have a colorful day! Best, Beth
2/27/2008 9:19:43 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Tuesday, February 26, 2008
March/April Issue Recap
2/26/2008 3:02:36 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)  I’ve been eagerly waiting for spring, so it’s wonderful to finally have the March/April issue in my hands. It’s our green issue, and it’s packed with environmentally friendly ideas and the fresh feeling of springtime. (No matter that I see melting snow, fog and rain outside my window today.) I’m going to share some of my favorite aspects, behind-the-scenes bits, etc. So, grab your issue, a comforting beverage of your choice, and let’s dig in! Pg. 8I find that mini-albums are a joy to put together. For a different twist on making minis, check out our Create a Keepsake Web exclusive at memorymakersmagazine.com/hotoffthepress. Pg. 10Staci Etheridge’s Mister Frog layout grabbed my attention right away. I love its bright colors and playful feel. Visit the forum to participate in Staci’s March/April Master’s Challenge. Pg. 14This month’s calendar has some great ideas to spark creativity. The prompt for April 15 especially speaks to me: “Scrap a page about your favorite books.” Pg. 19If you’re feeling like I’ve been feeling, you’re ready to see some flowers and sunshine, instead of gray, dreary days. (This week, I bought purple tulips for my dining room table, and every time I see them, I smile.) If you’re looking for spring inspiration in the form of supplies, check out this issue’s free featured font: Kalocsa Flowers by No Image Fonts.Assistant Editor GinaMarie Reda picked this fresh font because it reminded her of bold, graphic spring flowers and offered plenty of possibilities. Here are a few of her ideas (and an example of how she’s used the font): • Use the font to frame a part of your photo. • Enlarge the font and use the flowers as digital embellishments on a layout or photo. • Use the flowers as a border around a photo or the edge of a layout.  Pg. 20I love the board books from Cloud 9 (especially the Kraft book). I want to create a mini-album about my favorite city cafés, including my local Starbucks, and I think the Kraft board book and coordinating box will be the perfect home for such a project. (Check out the post below to see how Art Director Christy Miller used one of the board books.) I also love the earth-friendly cards from Green Field Paper Company. What a wonderful idea: Send heartfelt thoughts to a friend or loved one that they can then plant and watch bloom! Pg. 25Have you downloaded our free Wild Sorbet kit by Michelle Coleman? See what others have been making with the kit, here. Pg. 30The moist earth and bright orange carrots pictured on Kari Hansen’s Carrots Are Tops layout make me wish I could spend the day outdoors. To find out how to create lively triadic color schemes (like Kari did on Carrots Are Tops), check out her article, A Spirited Trio. Pg. 46Who doesn’t have junk mail laying around at some time or another? In Reduce. Reuse. Recyle., you’ll get great ideas for transforming unwanted mailers, ads and other household items into art. Pg. 60What do your scrapbooking tools say about you? Take our quiz! Pg. 70 For more great green scrapbooking ideas, check out this issue’s Reader Idea Gallery. My personal favorite: Using Starbuck’s napkins to create a background that looks and feels organic and earthy. I’ve added a few napkins to my own scrapbook stash, so I can duplicate Summer Ford’s innovative idea. Check out her layout, Just Breathe, Just Because, on page 75. I've enjoyed taking this time to share some of the highlights in our March/April issue. It's my hope that the issue will give you a little taste of spring, as it did for me, and, of course, that it will inspire you to create. Leave a comment, and let us know your thoughts on this issue. I'd love to hear what caught your eye, what idea you can't wait to try, etc. All the best, Katie
2/26/2008 3:02:36 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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chipboard mini book
2/26/2008 2:27:17 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00) When asked to create a card for my friend's 30th birthday, I knew I
wanted to create something that she'd cherish for years to come. I've
been wanting a reason to use the Cloud 9 board book. Here's a little recap of how I created it.
I chose a mostly pink color palette, because it's Andrea's favorite
color, and also because it complements the photo of her from her
childhood. I needed lots of space on the inside for her friends to
write birthday wishes at her surprise party, so I used light colors
that can be written on and journaling tags with lines. It's hard to
believe that this project was all white when I started :)
For the outside of the box:: I glued down patterned cardstock,
and then designed her photo and background in InDesign. I painted over
white lace cardstock with acrylic paint, glued down buttons,
rhinestones and ribbon, and painted the chipboard "a".
For the outside of the book:: I layered pink patterned papers,
lace cardstock and other textured paper. Then added some handwritten
journaling and adhered the frame and chipboard numbers.
For the inside of the book:: I layered black and white
journaling tags on the left-hand pages (giving them color by hand
coloring little details) and covered the right-hand pages with
patterened paper. Then I added rub-ons, ribbon, and rhinestones to add
color to the pages.
     
Have a great day!
Christy
2/26/2008 2:27:17 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Technical Update
2/26/2008 8:25:19 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00) Dear Readers, Thanks to our rockin' IT team, they've got our email servers up and running again. If you received an email message that a submission you sent for a page call was undeliverable or delayed, please resubmit it to: editorial@memorymakersmagazine.com with the appropriate page call information in the subject line. Thank you for your patience and understanding, and we look forward to seeing your layouts. Peace, Patty
2/26/2008 8:25:19 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Monday, February 25, 2008
Technical Difficulty
2/25/2008 12:33:10 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00) Dear Readers,
We're experiencing technical difficulty and understand that many of you
are receiving error messages when submitting layouts for calls. We hope
to have the problem corrected within the next 24 hours. Please wait to
resubmit your pages until Tuesday 2/26 at the earliest.
We're extending the deadlines to at least 2/27 for:
Life Without Kids call
All SBIG calls for categories
In the unlikely event we're still experiencing technical trouble on 2/27, we'll reconsider the deadline then.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Peace,
Patty
2/25/2008 12:33:10 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Friday, February 22, 2008
Friday Fun: 15-minute Challenge
2/22/2008 3:59:04 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00) On this cold, rainy, snowy Friday, we decided to have a little fun with a Friday challenge. The rules: Create a card in 15 minutes. (The gathering of supplies was not included in the time limit.) The participants: Christy and GinaMarie The photographer: Katie The videographer: Patty (We almost had a video, but Patty forgot to press the record button!) So, without further ado, here's a little photo story of our 15-minute challenge:  Some of the supplies And they're off! GM is concentrating. Christy is, too. Time is running out!
And now (drum roll, please) the finished results: GinaMarie's card.
(I love the foam letters and the rub-on stitching.) And check out the inside (I think she thought I was judging or something!)   Christy's card(I love her use of felt.)
What the participants had to say about the challenge:
Christy: "So, I called for a fun 15-minute challenge, thinking that it would be fun, fast and easy ... It was fun and the time flew by, but it was harder than I thought. I usually create pretty fast, but I think it was the constant verbal countdown by Patty and Katie that made me sweat  I think I've gotten so used to taking my time when I scrap that I felt rushed and pressured to create something stellar."
I am going to be practicing at home for the next 15 minute challenge!
GinaMarie: “It really was a challenge for me. I’m the kind of person who could spend hours on one card, so the time limit made me so nervous, I began to sweat.”
If you're looking for a creative way to spend a dreary Friday, or just looking to have a little creative fun, try our 15-minute challenge. Then, post your projects in the forum. Have a great weekend, everyone. Until next week, Katie
2/22/2008 3:59:04 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Thursday, February 21, 2008
How to Scrap a Quirky Habit
2/21/2008 11:12:42 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)  As I was trying to organize my scrapbooking supplies and photos, I stumbled upon some pictures my Dad took of me playing volleyball when I was in high school. I didn’t want every volleyball layout to talk about the good old days of high school, so I choose a consistent pattern I found when I looked through the pictures. After I noticed my tongue was consistently hanging out in several photos, I knew this was something worthy of scrapbooking. I still have a habit of sticking out my tongue when I am concentrating on something. I also included a close up below for good measure. When you look back at pictures from your past, do you see any patterns? Is there anything fun and quirky that you want to capture in a page? I hope this inspires you to do so, and have fun documenting what makes you, you! Create something. Inspire everyone. GinaMarie  Supplies: Adhesive: Tombow Patterned Papers: K&Co., AdornIt, Love, Elsie and KI MemoriesButtons/Embellishments: Love, ElsieFoam letters: American Crafts
creative prompt
2/21/2008 11:12:42 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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notebook creativity
2/21/2008 10:26:54 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00) I love finding plain, little notebooks and decorating them. I found this one at Target. For some strange reason, it's more fun to write in something pretty and in something that I added my own little personal touch to :) Now that all the new products from CHA have been released I have found some stuff that I really like. The American Crafts chipboard letters and embellishments and ribbon are just a few of the thing that caught my eye. I added some patterned paper from K&Co. and the KI Memories lace cardstock as a background. Nothing fancy, but I love pulling it out of my purse and writing in it. Apparently, I am not the only one that decorates notebooks! I was reading Michelle Coleman's blog and she has a new hybrid project called Cheeky Little Notebooks, which was inspired by both of her girls' love for writing and drawing in notebooks. My sister is about ready to buy her first house and I think I am going to make her a personalized notebook for her to record all the stuff she wants to buy for it. Have a great day! christy 
2/21/2008 10:26:54 AM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Back by popular demand ... general submissions!
2/20/2008 12:42:19 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00) We hear you saying you want to be able to send us your favorite layouts for possible publication, even when they don’t fit a specific page call. We’ve always wanted to see your best stuff, cool techniques, layouts with new products and old favorites, but until now we couldn't process the influx of so many pages. But we have a plan that will allow you to submit to your heart’s content, and allow us to review as many pages as possible. Come to the forum to read the guidelines of what we’ve fondly named The Sky's the Limit page call. We’ll also be posting more specific page calls regularly for upcoming issues, so check back often in the forum on the page calls thread for specific pages we need. Here’s a big THANK YOU for your patience and input as we continue to work to make Memory Makers the best darn scrapbooking magazine in the business! Peace and love from the whole MM team, Patty, Beth, Christy, Katie and GinaMarie
2/20/2008 12:42:19 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Sunday, February 17, 2008
On a Windy Night
2/17/2008 9:35:45 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)  The wind is howling outside, and I'm grateful to be cozy inside with a hot mug of peppermint tea, new scrapbook supplies, good books and, of course, my kitten, Mia. It's the perfect night to do some crafting before retiring to bed with a stack of books. I hope you've been enjoying your weekend. —Katie
2/17/2008 9:35:45 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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Friday, February 15, 2008
Must-see CHA Winter Video
2/15/2008 5:35:03 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00) This video gives you a true taste of the exciting products exhibited at the CHA Winter show this past week in Anaheim. Hope you enjoy! Products and people in the order they appear. - Graphic 45
- Crystal Jeffery Reiger ('07 Master) signing the Ask the Masters book.
- Molly West Handbound Books
- Pink Paislee
- ScrapOnizer
- Jenni Bowlin
- Paper Trunk
- Making Memories
- Claudine Hellmuth signing her book Collage Discovery Workshop: Beyond the Unexpected.
- Luxe Designs
- Technique Tuesday
- Me, Eileen (Technique Tuesday), Beth Williams (executive director, MM)
- K&Co.
- 7gypsies
- Sissix
- Scenic Route
- October Afternoon
- Sandylion
- Me and Beth Mauro (executive director, Scrapbook Retailer)
- Lisa Pace ('08 Master) and Beth Williams
- Staci Etheridge ('08 Master)
- Little Yellow Bicycle booth
- Crystal, Katrina Simeck ('07 Master) and me.
For more pictures from the show, check out Master '08 Caroline's blog here. Create something. Inspire everyone. GinaMarie
2/15/2008 5:35:03 PM (Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00)
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