Memory Makers with Crystal Jeffrey Rieger

My To-Do List (for the week)

2008-05-09T10:18:10.3590000-04:00

Fall directly on head; do not pass go, do not collect $200		This one is slightly painful but might be worth it ???
Have someone steal $1300 from bank account		Oh, I highly recommend this was just to see how high your blood pressure can go – really it is like a health check that should be done once a year!
Host impromptu late night party for small, sick kidlets from 12:30am to 3:30am		No prep required really – just make sure you fall asleep first so it feels like a surprise party!
Get zero scrapbooking done all week so you have nothing to blog about on Friday		I bet you really appreciate this one! ;)

Editing to add:
Hubby nearly dislocates jaw at Karate today – now it doesn’t close properly!		And he wonders why I don’t want to join Karate!!
But even more important to add:
Bank has caught the bad guys and put the money back in our account!		Hurray!
Kidlets are feeling better. After 3 days of Harper being really sick the meds are starting to work and she is less like a zombie!		She never gets sick so when she does it is a doozy – glad she is on the mend!
Sun is shining and it is 70°F outside!		I’ve taken the kidlets outside for some fresh air and it is doing everyone some good!! Ahh, spring!
And really awesome to add:
Totally forgot it was Mother’s Day this weekend so guess what I am asking for??		Oh ya – some scrappin’ time!! (Oh and some breakfast in bed of course!)

So Happy Momma's Day to everyone out there who is a Mom! Hope you get spoiled. :)

I Fell ON My Head!!

2008-05-08T09:46:02.6250000-04:00

Not I bumped my head, banged it on something or even fell and then bumped my head. No, it was more like – Go straight to falling on head; do not pass Go, do not collect $200!

Want to see whose fault it was?

I am pretty sure he is toying with going to the dark side. Just look at him mocking me with what looks like a thumbs up! Remember you heard it here first - Obi Wan Kenobi is thinking of going over to the dark side!

So this is how it went down. I was innocently walking through my bedroom and was unaware of Obi Wan’s evil plan. You see he was laying waiting in the middle of said floor and I was barefoot. As any parent knows stepping on a toy such as this will cause weirdly strange pain (especially if contact with the bare arch happens!) So I stepped, Obi Wan got my arch, and I tried to make a strange hoppy movement to stop the crazy, weird pain. I, of course, lost my balance and instead of falling like a normal person I went directly down on my head. Right in the middle of the forehead. Now that is pain! My hands did try to stop the fall but they were useless. (I am pretty sure Obi Wan knew this would happen!) I have to admit that even in the pain I laid there thinking – wow! I wish someone had seen that ‘cause that was hilariously funny. I mean movie funny. Like that could only happen in a movie and no real person falls that way.

Again, I am pretty sure this was Obi Wan’s plan all along. He is going to be one evil dude if he converts to the dark side.

So, throbbing headache still, I am taking it easy today. Was supposed to be making some scrappy stuff but my head is hurting too much.

So today I will share another sample for a class I am teaching.

This is from my class Paradise Point. It is offered at all 4 GASCs but I believe both Arlington, TX and Chantilly, VA are sold out. That leaves it open to the folks from Grand Rapids, MI and Chattanooga, TN.

Class is sponsored by Fiskars and Heidi Grace and we make a really fun mini album. See for yourself.

Lots of fun texture, clear pages and easy to make - great for any photos.

The class is offered on the Friday of the above shows – 4:00-5:30pm.

OH and one more thing. I have had some inquiries if I am going to be selling some class kits online to people who live too far away from the GASCs.

I am looking into it. Some of the products in these classes are donated so I obviously cannot sell any kits that have this but I am looking into getting everything figured out. So if you are interested in any of the class kits you see posted, then shoot me an email. I have started a list. There is no commitment – if I can get it arranged I will email you and you can decide then. If you change your mind I will just move to the next person on the list. OK? Questions? Email me. I don’t bite ;)

How Many Times Can I Say "Supporting"?

2008-05-07T07:16:22.9030000-04:00

So yesterday I feel like I made a PSA (public service announcement)!! I had no idea how much everyone was going to like the stapling/cutting idea for rub-ons! I have so much positive feedback that it makes me want to go look through my scrappy stuff and see what else I do that you might like. :)

So a couple quick things today.

First - registration for the Grand Rapids, MI Great American Scrapbook Conventions opened yesterday (July 25-26). I have a bunch of classes that I am teaching there so if you live nearby check it out 'cause I'd love to see you.

Second - I have a new article up at takegreatpictures.com.

Obviously, it is about the supporting photos that you want to take for your scrapbook pages. You know - the ones you take to highlight the details of your main event. These photos play an important roll on your pages but sometimes we don't give them the attention they deserves.

As I was writing the article I felt like I kept saying "supporting" over and over. There just wasn't another way to put it!

So I have a deal for you - go read it and then the first person to report back here how many times I used the word "supporting" will win a prize. I have one mini kit left from the other day- the sample that I made up to show you - that I will send you.

Go. Read. Report back here. :)

(the tally includes the titles, the intro and article - really any time you see "supporting" on the page!)

Rub-ons Rubbing You the Wrong Way???

2008-05-06T09:59:55.6690000-04:00

Do you hate this as much as I do?

You have to cut apart the sheet so you don't accidently transfer a rub-on that you don't want to transfer. And then this?

Trying to get the darn thing back in the package but of course it won't go easily cause it is all weirdly shaped now!!

This is how I solve the problem.

I cut them apart and staple the backing to the transfer sheet.

This way they don't get ruined because they are shifting off the protective backing and you don't need to scream everytime you have to put them backing in the packaging! (You've heard me, right?!!)

Pretty easy to move them around my page until I get the spot I want and then I just quickly remove the staple.

Simple but effective.

Happy Scrappin' everyone!

**Just editing to add - after I cut and staple them I toss them back in the original packaging. This way they stay together, don't get damaged and I can easily store them.

Crafty Hangovers Anyone???

2008-05-05T09:41:42.9030000-04:00

So did you spend Saturday or part of the weekend scrappin'? Feeling happy and on a creative high or completely spent and slightly bleary eyed this morning???

Either way, I hope you got some time to enjoy this hobby we all love so much!

I did get to scrap this weekend. For quite a bit of time actually. It is so nice to scrap for more than a few minutes here and there. I love to be able to sit for a couple hours in a row and really get into a project. It is a real luxury which I am grateful to my husband for. He kept the kidlets occupied Saturday morning and I got crafty. Made a mini album (more about that in a minute) and later that evening after the kidlets stayed in bed I got to play again and made another mini album! Oh ya, I was in the zone! LOL

I did feel as if I had a crafty hangover Sunday morning when I sat to work to on some pages (kidlets were out!) and I just sort of sat there pushing things around. Felt nicely all used up from the day before. I said to my hubby it is not often that I get to say I need to take a break cause I have done so much scrapping! LOL Was a nice and contented feeling.

I did do some more scrapping last night after the kidlets were in bed and I think cause I had taken a break during the day (and spent the day before being creative) I felt like I was on a creative high. I ended up creating a page that really made me happy. I mean every little bit of it was just right to me. It has been awhile since I have been so creatively satisfied with a page. Since before that crazy creative overflow a few weeks back actually.

And you know what is great -the page is for someone else. I was creating a page for someone and it is a wonderful feeling that it turned out so right. I am mailing it off to her today so once she gets it I hope she will let me share it here. I definitely want her to see it first. :)

So, now I need to show you some of my creativeness from the weekend!

I worked on class planning for the GASC and created this mini album for my Heart & Home class.

This class is sponsored by MAMBI and it is going to be awesome!

I love this little book and the products we are using.

In this class we will be making a little album that is all mixed up! Some pages are house shaped, some are circles and some are hearts. Plus there are some clear pages as well as some made of chipboard. So fun to work with albums like this because even before you decorate it they look good! As you can see it is full of bright colors and will really suit any family theme.

This class, called Heart & Home, will be offered at both the Arlington, TX and the Chantilly, VA Great American Scrapbook Conventions. Times and dates as follows:

Arlington, TX - Thursday June 5th - 11:00-12:30pm
Chantilly, VA - Friday June 20th - 6:00-7:30pm

I hope to see you there! :)

Oh and a reminder - registration for Arlington, TX closes Thursday May 15th at 11:59 EST - so if you were planning on coming you better get a move on! LOL There will be class registration the day of the show but your best bet is to register now to make sure you have a spot in the class you want. Most of my classes are either sold out or almost sold out so get your butt in gear and sign up! Pronto! I want to see you :)

And We Have A Weener...

2008-05-04T21:10:41.1060000-04:00

Drumroll please....

And the winners are.....

02/05/2008 11:11:43 AM

Very cool!

Kelsy
04/05/2008 3:51:37 PM

So cute! Thanks for the chance

Raquel G
04/05/2008 4:06:58 PM

Wow those are too cute. Would love to win one :)

Robin Orgera

>
02/05/2008 10:14:34 PM

These are so cool. Happy National Scrapbooking Day and Celebration!!!! Thank you for doing this.

Debby L
03/05/2008 3:56:59 PM

these are so cute! thanks for offering, hope I win!
Meg

Megan

I will contact those who left their emails and if you didn't leave your email and see your name here email me. I will send them all out tomorrow!

Hope everyone had a great weekend scrapping :)

(winners picked with this)> > >

National Scrapbook Day Blog Giveaway!!!

2008-05-02T09:21:41.5310000-04:00

So in honor of NSD tomorrow I thought I would do a little blog giveaway. :)

I made up some little mini kits that I am going to give away which are perfect for a little brag book or even a mother's day gift.

There are 10 kits in total and they are all different. I am going to give away 5 on this blog and 5 on my MyCraftivity blog.

All you need to do is post a comment on either blog (or both if you want!) and I will draw names Sunday night at 9pm EST.

And this is what the mini kits will make up.

Hope you have a great day tomorrow with lots of scrapping. :)

May 3 - Editing to add: You do not need to leave your email address when you post a comment if you do not want to. I know they show up and if you are not comfortable then just skip that step. Your comment will still post. BUT you do need to post your full name (so I don't have 7 Sally's and not know which one won) and will need to check back to see if you won. :) Hope everyone is having a great day!

Do You Know What This Says To Me?

2008-05-01T11:48:39.9313750-04:00

Progress. :)

These are my book layouts. All of them. Some I haven't seen for a year! Approx 18" tall!

Returned to me because my book is done! Woohoo. You see your art gets sent in for photography and then they need to hold it just incase something needs to be re-photographed. When your book is finally printing they send it back to you. This is progress. Book progress. :)

And it makes me very happy. :)

So, enough about me. What are you doing for National Scrapbooking Day? Scrapbooking I hope.

Me? I'm hoping to get the kidlets occupied and spend some serious time with my scissors, paper and adhesive. They miss me. I've been neglecting them.

Today’s Pep Talk Brought to You by the Word...PROGRESS

2008-04-30T10:31:19.5560000-04:00

So here’s the deal. I’m a blog surfer. I love creative blogs. I love to see what people are creating and their thought process. It sparks my creativity. It drives me to get my butt in gear and put my ideas together in some form.

BUT. Seeing all the amazing creativity can have its down side. It can make a person feel inadequate. Like you cannot possibly ever measure up. Like you would have never thought of making “that” in a million years and "it" is so amazing. Do you know what I mean? I am sure you do ‘cause everyone has insecure days. You have to be pretty thick skinned not to.

So here are my thoughts on the subject.

I know you are not supposed to compare your creativeness to others ‘cause we are all individuals, yadda, yadda, yadda! But come on. It is seriously impossible not to sometimes. It happens to us all.

BUT TO ME creativity is about progress. Yes, today’s word. What is important in being a creative person is that you are making progress. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned pro I would hope you were always making progress in your craft.

So yes, it is good to have inspiration in others you admire – something to push you but it is not good to get bogged down in not being as “good”. Ok, repeat. Seriously. It is so obvious but sometimes I need to be smacked in the head with it.

So the best way to feel good about your creativity? Look at your progress. See where you were and where you are now. So start at the beginning.

Here is the first page I ever created.

Yup, the very first.

So I look it over with a critical eye. Not a negative eye. Just look for areas I would do differently now that I have been making pages for awhile. I know some who would be embarrassed to show pages from the past because they feel they look dated or amateur. But I say look at it as progess. There is that word again. Progress. Where you were in the past and comparing it to where you are now.

So these are the things I see.

I never wrote any journaling on it. Always meant to but never did. Something that I would never let happen now. It is way too important to me.

My craftsmanship. Wow. has this improved over time! I had some serious glue issues but now I can wield glue with ease.

Floating photos. I know how to anchor items visually on the page now as well as how to make a page flow.

I could go on but you get the idea now. So then to confirm my progress to myself I look at a recent page I have made.

Big difference. Progress.

Journaling – check. No stray glue – check. No floating photos – check.

I know this shows an extreme difference but I want to hit myself over the head with it. J I could even do this with a page from a year ago and see progress.

So when I am feeling like – why am I creating? I’ll never measure up - I can perform a progress check-up and realize that there is always room for improvement. That should be my goal. Not to be as “good” as_________.

And that’s it. Simple but it is helpful to me and maybe to you.

(I am writing this down today so it will be here when I need a pick me up and also for you. So if you ever need a pick me up you can come back and read it. It is hard to remember in the moment of feeling negative to remember this. So bookmark it. Label it – Creative Pick Me Up. Then come back and read it. Hopefully it will make you feel more positive.)

Real Birthday + Challenges?

2008-04-29T09:36:52.3688750-04:00

So today it is official. It is Magnus' "real" birthday. I had trouble explaining to Magnus that Saturday we celebrated his birthday with a party but his actual birthday was today. He responded with, "So I am having a fake birthday and a real birthday?" Well, I guess. Kind of. So hard to explain these things to a four year old who sees in black and white. I have to say his logic did make me smile.

And today he woke up asking if he was getting a real cake today for his real birthday. I think he has probably been reading this book too much. All about a real vs. pretend (great book by a Canadian author)

And the best moment from his birthday party on Saturday?

When he opened the above present and exclaimed that he had wanted it for years! Made everyone laugh with that one!

And now I wanted to ask you - Should I start up the Friday Challenges again? I sort of stopped cause I got really busy but there were a bunch of you playing along and must have a little book half full and waiting for more. Let me know in the comments if you want to do them again or email me.

Oh and don't forget to visit me at MyCraftivity. You will see I have turned into a Crazy Craft Stalker there - read here to find out more. ;)

Quick Cropping Tip

2008-04-28T10:27:00.4001250-04:00

You may already know this but I bet there are some out there that don't so I thought I would share.

A lot of times I crop my photos directly on the computer before printing but that it is not always possible, especially when printing a lot all at once. So sometimes they getting printed even though I know they would look better with some simple crops to take away distracting background details. For example see the photo below. It would definitely look better with some of the bold background taken away.

So I make manual crops with my paper cutter. But it is easy to crop to much or too little - and the cuts are permanent! So I use these.

Pretty boring looking aren't they? I made them myself out of black cardstock and they are about 2" wide. I just used some scraps. But look what they can do for you quickly.

By moving them around it is easy to get a visual of what the photo will look like cropped. Once I have a crop I am happy with I just make small marks in the corners and then get busy with my paper cutter!

So simple and so easy to make. Hope it helps someone :)

(Oh and thanks to my sister who is the person in the photo - she made a great photo model for this demo!)

Scrap Supplies - For More than Scrapping!

2008-04-25T16:46:46.4782500-04:00

So we are prepping for a big day in the Jeffrey Rieger household. Tomorrow we celebrate Magnus turning 4. Every birthday party for the last few months has been torture for Magnus as he struggled to understand that is wasn't his birthday yet. But now the big is almost here.

Yesterday we went and chose the cake and spent way too much time in the party store deciding on a theme and decorations. :) After much deliberation on his part he finally decided on a "Cars" party. Believe me, it was a hard decision! And then Magnus wanted a new shirt for his birthday. A Cars shirt to be specific. To match the cake and the decorations. We went and looked and looked and nothing. (Funny - and irritating - that you can not find things you see all the time when you need them!)

So as an alternative (and because Magnus is learning his numbers ) I altered a t-shirt for him. He has been facinated with the number 4 (go figure!) so this is what I made him to wear to the party.

Yup! Felt letters that I normally use on scrapbook pages have made their way onto this cute little t-shirt. I just pinned them in place and handstitched around each letter with embroidery floss. Took about 25 minutes and now he is the proud owner of this personalized tee. I like this better than a boring old Cars t-shirt anyway!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Tag. You're it!

2008-04-24T10:51:32.5578750-04:00

Do you play tag?

With your photos that is?

[LOL You thought I was going to play tag with you didn't you? I so wish we could have one big scrappy tag game - imagine the giggles! Winner could take home a bag of scrap goodies and losers would have to clean up after the crop! OK - meet you in my front yard in half an hour ;) ]

But I digress. I was going to ask if you regularly tag your digital photos with key words? I have found this practice so helpful - especially because I take A LOT of photos. When I want to find photos from an event I just do a quick search and it pulls up the photos.

I just use the program that was on my computer (Microsoft) so check to see of the program you use has this feature. If not there are a lot of programs that do. I just add very simple tags that will help me narrow down my search. I do it whenever I upload photos to my computer so I stay on top of it.

For example Harper was on TV the other day so I snapped a few pictures of it so I could make a scrapbook page. (She was on TV with her school to promote a running/self esteem program she belongs to called Girls on the Run.)

(Yes the photo isn't great but I wanted to record the moment and it still captures that for me.)

I uploaded the photos from my camera and there were over 30 pictures (she was on 5 times in an hour). Even before I went through them to delete the ones I didn't like or need I tagged them.

Just a simple tag - Harper on TV. Sometimes I just type the kids names or words like - Spring, Museum or 4th birthday. Words that I might use to search my computer with. Sometimes when I search it pulls up a lot - depending on how generic the word is but that is good sometimes when I am not looking for an event photo but more of a photo to suit a story I am telling. For example, I may be writing a scrapbook story about how I hate winter so I search "Spring" within my photos and it pulls up everything I tagged with spring. I then can pick photos that work with my story. Same goes for birthdays, holidays or other events in our lives.

I love this system.

And then when I have a few moments I do go through my photos and delete the ones I don't want. I don't always have time when I first upload but I do try to do it somewhat regularly. I take a lot of photos and if I don't delete I end up with too much (overwhelming) and there is no point in keeping the ones I will never use. I have two steps to this. I do a "first delete" which is the really obvious deletes - like duplicates of the the same moment (I have a habit of taking two of every picture to make sure I "got" it) or really out of focus or "bad" shots. Then later when I go to print I get more critical and start figuring out what I really want to print or keep and what I really don't need. Sort of like when you are cleaning out the closet. First step, toss away everything you hate. Second step really ask yourself, "Are you really going to wear that again?" Same with the photos. Best done in two steps.

So basically try and find out if your program has this feature and try it out. Don't worry about tagging the backlog of photos if you find the task overwhelming. Just start with the new ones you upload from today on. As a scrapper I bet you like it - no more searching forever for that one photo of Jimmy that you know is there somewhere! Hope this helps someone, somewhere. :)

And remember I said I was going to scrap last night for the first time in a bit. Well I did. I got a page done that is a gift for someone (can't show it until she gets it) and I am really happy with it. It had been half done for awhile but I was stumped on one part. Inspiration hit last night and I am really happy with the way it turned out.

And then I started in on some more class stuff. I worked on the embellishments for my Altered Canvas Memory Clock class (offered at all four GASCs). Just love the way these turned out. We will be making them in the class to be used on the canvas.

And then I need to do some number organizing for the class. Some yummy felt numbers.

And now I am off to go cake shopping with Magnus. It is his birthday soon and we are celebrating this weekend and he gets to pick his cake today. Can we say excited???

Psst, There is a Book Giveaway...

2008-04-23T21:52:56.7922500-04:00

Not my book since, well, it isn't finished printing yet but over on MyCraftivity there is a chance to win a copy of Debbie Hodge's new book Get It Scrapped!. Here's a little blurb about the book.

Do you have stacks and stacks of photos just waiting to be put to good use? Author and artist Debbie Hodge has your solution! Whether your photos are digital files or prints, everything you need to know for organizing your images, analyzing what you have and making a plan for the layouts you'd like to create is right at your fingertips in her new book, Get It Scrapped!, due out this week. Inside you'll discover a wealth of information on basic page formats, photo storage and organization, creative journaling, photography and more...

Seriously. Who doesn't need that? I don't know one scrapper who couldn't use some help gettin' it scrapped!

So all you have to do is post a comment on this blog entry and you are in a random drawing. Winner is announced Friday. When I was there there were just over 50 comments - pretty good odds I think!

So that is it for today folks. I have had one of those super busy days where I did a million things and still feel like I got nothing done! Now, though, the kidlets are in bed and my hubby is reading so I am off to scrap! Feels like forever and I am so excited. Might be a late night for me :)

Photographing Your Scrapbook Pages

2008-04-22T08:34:03.7766250-04:00

When photographing your scrapbook pages do you get this?

Weird angles and distortions? Then this is for you. I have been asked to become a contributing editor for TakeGreatPictures.com and have my first article up and guess what it is about?

Yup. If you have trouble photographing your layouts then read the article and your photos should improve immediately. Go. Read. Leave your feedback. Let me know if it helps you.

I am going to be writing regularly for TGP - all scrapbooking/photography related articles so be sure to check back at the site. And for those who are curious people here is a little about TGP...

About Us
The PhotoImaging Information Council (PIC) is a consumer-driven education program supported by America's two leading photographic trade associations. At the heart of all PIC programs is the new PIC Web site, which has broad consumer appeal. The PhotoImaging Information Council is sponsored by PMDA (PhotoImaging Manufacturers and Distributors Association), PMA (Photo Marketing Association) and leading manufacturers in the photographic and digital imaging fields.

AND

Take Great Pictures.com offers you Photo Tips and Techniques from Master Photographers, the latest news on new products, events, and artists, photo contests, reviews of photography books for your coffee table, columns on digital photography, taking a digital picture, scrapbooking, a calendar of photogenic events and destinations throughout the world, a place to share your own images with others, and helps you in taking great pictures. Brought to you by the PhotoImaging Information Council, Take Great Pictures aims to inspire, inform, and educate those with an interest of photography regardless of picture taking skill level.

I like that last bit - regardless of picture taking skill level. So basically a site to help you take great pictures. Hmm, I wonder where the name for the site came from????

This Is It!

2008-04-21T13:15:09.0891250-04:00

My final cover! My editor sent it to me last week and I thought I would share. It is being printed right now and I cannot wait to see it as a book! Woohoo! I am so excited **insert me doing a happy dance**. You can pre-order it on amazon.com and a few other place I believe but it will officially be available in July. There will be copies available at the GASC when I am there so save some of those scrapping pennies and you can pick up a copy.

So what did you do this weekend? I spent a good part of it doing yard work. Clearing up leaves from the fall and clearing out the gardens. I am certainly feeling the aches of it today! LOL. It is not nearly complete and I spent the morning on it again today but it is totally satifying. Though the work is hard it is nice to see the yards looking tidy and it is wonderful to uncover tiny plants that have been growing under the winter mulch in the gardens. It definitely feels like spring and there is no going back to winter now. THAT makes me very happy!

OH and a new, especially funny "funny" from Magnus. We went to the museum on Friday and for the first time went to the Egyptian section the museum. Who knew we would spend the entire time there trying to explain the difference between a "mummy" and a "mommy"!! Very difficult for a three, almost four year old to understand!

We explained mummification (there were some drawings on a chart) and tried to get him to hear the difference between the two words to no avail!

I then told him this particular mummy was a boy and he just kept asking how did he turn into a girl after he died, lol. Austin and I laughed and laughed over it. And he still does not get it but it is just too much for him to understand right now.

My husband also got a good laugh at me while there too. I had a slightly embarassing moment in the Roman statue gallery. Magnus was asking questions about, ahem, the body parts on the statues and while I am not one to fudge things with my kids, there were others in the gallery and there was a slight echo in the place. So in an effort to be discrete I tried to answer Magnus' questions honestly but my effort to censor myself because of the others around caused me to be slightly flustered and I ended up "shouting" out a male body part's name. (Not the proper name either which shows how flustered I was - a slang name!) I disagree with the shouting part but my husband insists that I shouted it! Plus the echo...you can imagine the embarassment now right?

Now Austin loves to walk past me when no one is around and echo the word at me. I have to admit now that moment is over it makes me laugh cause it is something out of a book or a movie but at the time I am pretty sure my face was bright red!

So the moral of the story for me - just go with what I always do. Be honest with the kids. Body parts are not something to be embarrassed about and are not something that I am normally embarrassed about. I talk freely with my kids and I need not censor myself because of the people around me. My trying to censor probably made more people uncomfortable than if I hadn't!

I am pretty sure they went home and told their families about the woman in the Roman statue gallery who shouted out the word...

(I also wish I had take a discrete photo of the statue in question just so I could make a scrapbook page with this story!)

Using Up Scraps

2008-04-18T16:15:50.0775596-04:00

I save my paper scraps. But of course they build up faster than I can use them. So what to do with them all?

Well, Magnus uses them a lot. He is just at that age when scissors seem to hold magic wonder. He loves to sit on the floor next to me with scissors and just cut. Little bits and pieces until there is a giant pile.

But sometimes we do take them out to make actual crafts. Yesterday was a crafty day for Magnus and I.

Magnus discovered glitter. Oh did he ever discover glitter! Glitter + glue actually. I am still discovering it all over my house! LOL

Here is part of the glitter mess.

The paper I put under the project did quite contain the glitter! It is the really fine stuff so it is everwhere now - Austin somehow had it in his hair this morning and I noticed some in Magnus' ears after his bath today!

And Magnus might have discovered that if he added this to his hand....

he would get this....

See what I mean about really discovering glitter + glue? I have to admit that there were a few moments where I was cringing over the mess but I decided that the exploration was worth it and he really had a blast.

Plus he sang under his breath the whole time, I am scrapbooking with Mommy, I am scrapbooking with Mommy...in a little sing-songy voice. How could I begrudge a little mess for that? I love to get him involved in my crafts but he is a bit too little to make scrapbook pages for himself so this was perfect. He was using MY supplies so that meant scrapbooking to him.

And then I got this picture which made my whole day.

There he is with his new crown, cutting paper for the next craft and concentrating so hard his little tongue is hanging out. SO CUTE to me!

And the we continued to use up the paper scraps and made this little caterpillar friend.

Magnus also discovered how to sucessfully tear tape from a dispenser so he taped everything! You know, instead of the tape ball thingy that kids love to pull out of the dispenser! The caterpillar is wearing sunglasses (umm, tape) because it is a sunny day. You can't see in this picture but the caterpillar is also carrying some shovels and pails (stickers) cause he was headed to the beach. I so love kid imagination!

So just a suggestion for using up some scraps - get your kids making their own "scrapbooks". :O) Crafts don't have to be fancy for kids to love them. Actually, messy might be the only requirement!

Happy Weekend everyone!

Crochet 101

2008-04-17T10:47:30.6706250-04:00

I have been asked a bunch about the crochet flowers that I made recently so I thought I would post some info today in case you want to try it yourself.

Of course the first thing you need to know is how to crochet. Don't worry if you don't know how. Crochet is super easy to learn and is really a small investment if you are interested in learning - all you need is a hook and some yarn!

So here are some links on the basics of crochet to help you get started or if you need a refresher.

Check here, here or here. I have to tell you I have not gone through their tutorials but they look like they cover the basics. If anyone finds one better than the other let me know and I will highlight it.

Now before you get overwhelmed there are just a few things you need to learn to make flowers. Learn these things and you can ignore the rest for now.

Need to know:

How to make a chain (how to start)
How to crochet in rounds (make a circle for the flower)

and then you need to learn a few basic stitches such as

single crochet, double crochet, slip stitch and a triple crochet

If you find a stitch in a pattern that you don't know such as a half double crochet then just google it. There are tons of tutorials online. You will also need to learn how to decifer a pattern (which for me was the hard part at first).

It seems like a lot but once you master the single crochet everything else is very similar to it.

One word of advice if you are trying this for the first time. Try with a simple yarn that is not too thin. So no fancy feathery things sticking out of the yarn cause it gets frustrating to see your stitches until you have some experience.

So then once you have mastered these you can try some patterns. Here are some links to some that I have made but if you just google - free flower crochet patterns - you will bring up a lot of options.

And some easy ones to start with...

So that should get you started on patterns. I have to figure out how to write out the patterns I made up in my head. I will see if I can do that.

Now what did I use to make my flowers?

I have used embroidery floss in the past but this time I tried craft thread which is about the same thickness at embroidery thread.

Don't worry if you have never heard of it. I hadn't either until I went exploring at the craft store (do it sometime - it is fun to go in aisle you never go down!). I found it near the embroidery/stitching area in Michaels. It is 2-ply and has a nice twist to it - more like a yarn then the embroidery floss. I bought an assorted bag that had a whole bunch of colors for about $6. There is also thin crochet yarn that you can buy but the colors are usually limited and with this craft thread you can get a bunch of really great colors. I also looked at the pearl cotton from DMC but since I wanted an assortment of colors I tried this and love it.

So then you need a hook. I used a tiny little hook - a #4 (1.75mm) with this thread mainly cause I already owned it ;). I think I will now get a few more tiny sizes to experiment with since they are less than $1 each.

That's it. Long ramble I know but that's how I roll! I am a talker!

So I hope you try it. Let me know how you make out or if you find something new by playing around.

OH and one more thing to share. Look what I discovered on my walk around the farm yesterday. (Did you know that I live on a farm????? Sometimes I just need to say it out loud 'cause it shocks me sometimes 'cause I grew up as a city girl, lol)

The trees are starting! Woohoo! I cannot tell you how excited I am about this.

But unfortunately the grass still looks like this. Could use a little green I think!

That is view from my backyard. I am one lucky girl.

Back In The Saddle

2008-04-16T12:40:31.4987500-04:00

Well, for today at least. I actually sat and scrapped. My rhythm was a little wonky and I had flow problems with my page but at least I was scrapping. Weird to feel creative but not able to be creative. Oh, the drama of it all! LOL

So here is the page. Not totally happy with it but that happens sometimes. The point is that I got the story down and I have captured the moment. I think we all feel pressured sometimes to make "perfect pages" but that is not what scrapbooking is about. I want my pages to look nice of course but scrapbooking is a way for me to express my life on paper - record my thoughts, my memories, and other such gushy/weird stuff! I struggle with this all the time because of course I put my pages out there for publication BUT I always try to remember what it is about for me. Not just a pretty page for publication. OK, sometimes I love to make a pretty page - just for my own joy but it is more to me. More than just stuff on a page. It really is me in paper form. Yup, that about sums it up. Me in paper form. I like that. I think I will add that to my little book of notes. Scrapbooking: Me in Paper Form. Can't you just see it as a title of a book??

But I digress. This was supposed to an intro to a scrapbook page. Instead I got all philosophical on you when all I wanted to say was that it was ok to not make every scrapbook page into a masterpiece.

Stop. I am just going to post it. ;)

This is Magnus playing the other day in one of the toy buckets. Happy as can be - picking out toys from the bottom and happily talking to himself. Totally cute.

And now I off to think deep thought about the meaning behind scrapbooking. Remember, me in paper form.

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Are you sick of me yet? I think the sunshine had gone straight to my head! Ta ta for now! :)