Saturday, March 31, 2012

Today's the last day of Scrap Madness at www.bostonscrapfanatics.com.  I had a blast and think others did too.  There was so much inspiration posted this month and some great layouts in response to the challenges. Thanks to everyone that participated.

But wait!  That's not the end of the fun.  We have the two year Anniversary Bash celebrating our new forum, followed shortly after by our National Scrapbook Day party.  Phew!  One thing is for sure - BostonAreaScrapFanatics are serious about scrapbooking.  If you haven't checked us out, it's not too late.  And, don't be misled by our name.  We are not just from the Boston area.  We have members in California, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire and Canada to name a few!  So what are you waiting for - come join the fun!

Off to get dinner ready and then work on another layout!  

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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Woot Woot - It's that time again.  Another sketch is up at www.twistedsketches.org.  Be sure to check it out.    And if you work on it, please send me a photo so that I can post it here.  I would love to share your work with others.

Here's my take on the sketch:


And, as usual I have to apologize for the low quality photo.  I really really need a new camera.  One of these days I'm going to take the plunge and get myself a SLR.  The problem is I'll have no clue how to use it! And, it'll always be on the 'auto' setting!  Oh well ... such are the woes of a technically challenged girl!

Also, just a reminder:  if you have not checked out the forum at www.bostonscrapfanatics.com you're missing out on a whirlwind of inspiration.  Our month-long Scrap Madness event has surpassed all of our expectations.  As I mentioned on the forum, if you can't find inspiration to shake up your mojo this month, then there's just plain something wrong with you!  There are still 3 days to go and I look forward to seeing what else Tina has planned for us.  So if you haven't checked in at the forum, you're missing out on a wonderful opportunity!  

See you there!





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Sunday, March 25, 2012

It's been a crazy week here.  There have been ten hour work days, nine hour Emergency Room visits, marathon cooking sessions and last minute scheduling chaos.  All leaving me with very little time to scrap!
Finally, yesterday I was able to work on something that's been running around in my head for a while now.  I originally saw this idea on Pinterest and knew immediately that I just had to try it ...

This is what I'm talking about: 


I just love how the background bloom came out.  And it was so easy to do.  I simply printed out the image of the bloom, placed it over my cardstock (on the backside) and pierced the outline of the image onto my cardstock.  Once the outline was done, I removed the copy of the image and just filled in the bloom with multiple random piercings, again all done on the backside of the cardstock.  When the image was filled in, I turned the cardstock over and this is the final result, a nice textured, raised bumpy background.  Can't wait to play more with this idea!

Now that that's done, and my new layout for Twisted Sketches is on the way to Anam, I'm heading back to my work table to finish up some stitch work on another layout.  I'll be posting that this week.

See you then!


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Saturday, March 17, 2012

There's something about Saturdays that I just love. Maybe it's the fact that I can linger a bit longer with a cup of coffee without needing to rush around to head out the door to work.  Maybe it's knowing that in between my chores and other responsibilities, I will have a little time to do the things that I enjoy.  I'm not sure ... but there's a certain comfort in Saturdays.

This morning, I woke feeling grateful.  Maybe it's because others around me are struggling right now.  It seems that so many in my life are being challenged with situations beyond their control.  Since the first of the year, a friend has suffered multiple tragedies, another friend's life is in turmoil due to the disease of addiction, another friend is home with her father who is in his final stage of lung cancer, and another friend is wrought with worry over her daughter's life choices.  Whatever the reason, I am reminded to not sweat the little stuff and to embrace each day for the gifts that it brings.  That is the thought that I will try to carry with me today.

Yes, there is a certain comfort in Saturdays.

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Friday, March 16, 2012

One of our Scrap Madness challenges at www.bostonscrapfanatics.com was to alter an altoid tin.  I love to alter things - any thing.  As soon as this challenge was presented, I knew what I wanted to do.  A dear friend of mine had her first grandchild a few weeks ago and I wanted to do a purse-size brag book for her - something that would hold up in a purse while bumping up against stuff.  Because of this, I kept the cover and outside of the tin rather plain - intentionally.  I'm so happy with how this came out.  What do you think?


This was so much fun!  Measurements for cuts: 3 1/2 x 12, scored every 2 1/8 inches, corners rounded to 1/2".

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Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Hey gang!  The new sketches are up at www.twistedsketches.org  Jump on over to check them out.  Here's my take on Sketch 142!  I had so much fun with this one.  The stitchwork was done using a design I copied off the web and then transferred to my cardstock.  The twist this time around was green, thus the green stitchwork.


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Saturday, March 10, 2012

It's official.  My term with Twisted Sketches has begun.  Here's the layout that got me placed on the team.  The twist related to this sketch was "feathers."  I chose to 'feather' out the journaling strips.


The next layout sketch will be posted on Monday, March 14th.  Stay tuned!  I'll give you a little hint - I had so much fun with it ... I did some 'twisted stitches.' LOL

To see the coordinating sketch for this layout go to:  www.twistedsketches.org

See you there!

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Monday, March 5, 2012

I'm wanting to 'step up' my pages a bit, so I've decided to work on dimension and texture techniques.  For this layout, I ripped off random pieces of masking tape and stuck it to some chipboard.  Then I covered that with a light coat of Gesso followed by some ink.  It's a beginning ...


This photo of my daughter, and my dear friend Mary, is one of the rare occasions that Anna actually sat for a photo.  Thanks Baby Girl!

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If you're like me you struggle with those around the page punches.  Here's a handy size guide to help lessen the confusion.  Not all punches work the same around the page.  Who knew? LOL

http://www.paper-castle.com/2011/05/31/martha-stewart-punch-around-the-page-paper-sizes/#more-581

And, while we're at it, how many folks have the awesome Crop-A-Dile by We R Memory Keepers yet have no idea how to use it?  Here's another handy tid bit I'd like to pass along:

http://weronthenet.com/File/View/4f07f2d2-0cc8-4e7f-b9cf-8bf64dcfe773

For other hints and tips, be sure to visit our forum at www.bostonscrapfanatics.com.  Our month-long Scrap Madness fiesta is full of great tips, ideas, challenges and other fun stuff!

See you there!

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Saturday, March 3, 2012


Scrap Madness is in full swing with games, challenges, helpful tidbits, sketches to get that mojo flowing and tons of other great ideas.  So if you haven't been to the forum, you're missing out on loads of great inspiration!  Hurry up - what are you waiting for?  www.bostonscrapfanatics.com.

One of the challenges posted by Tina is to create an ATC outside of your usual style.  Tina does not usually create vintage pieces so she challenged herself to do just that.  Here's a peek at her finished work.  Not too shabby, huh?



Great job, Tina!

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So today I have some fun news to share with you all.  I've been accepted to the Layout Team over at Twisted Sketches!  Yup, that's right, me!  I love sketches and the sketches over at Twisted Sketches are so much fun.  Not only do we get great sketches to work with, but there's always a fun 'twist' to incorporate into the sketch.  My first layout isn't due until March 14th, but in the meantime why not zip on over to www.twistedsketches.org and check out the weekly layout and card sketches!  See you there on the 14th!

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