In Love With Mini Albums

     I have to admit that the thought of making mini albums didn't appeal to me for a long time. I know they're all the rage, and many in the paper crafting universe have truly elevated them to an art form all their own. I thought they would be hard to store and really labor intensive. I was right on both counts, but once I made my first one last summer, I was hooked. I enjoy each one more than the last, and my kids ADORE them. Having something small with plenty of room for storytelling and interactive elements thrills them, and they read them over and over!


     My latest album was created with an old board book from the thrifty that I peeled and recovered with Pink Paislee's Butterfly Garden paper. The theme of the album was a tea party we had one afternoon, complete with characters and accents. We had a blast!

     The cover is coated with vintage girlie goodies ... watercolored and glossed roses, "rusty" hinges, a book plate, and lots of trim. The charm is attached to the inside of the book and uses several fragments and tea-related charms and gems.

     Here are two of my favorite pages. Both have pull-out tags on both sides with journalling space on the back. I adore this paper!

     I had so much fun making this project and the memories that inspired it, and guess what? I've already started another mini album. :)

Established Elegance

     I've had the Established Elegance stamp set from Stampin' Up for months, but my card mojo has been MIA. I finally decided to get the creative juices flowing by casing some designs from catalogs and sites I visit frequently. Sometimes that's the best way for me to just get back into card-making mode.


     The first design is from the regular Stampin' Up catalog, and I can't wait to demo this one! Distressing the card base nearly to death was a blast, and the images in the set are just so fun. Nearly every inch of this card was soaked with water at some point!

     The second card was inspired by l_burkitt on Splitcoast Stampers. I used some old DSP and an embossed frame after stamping my images. I think the dress form is my favorite!

     I was almost out of cards, so I'm glad to have a few to add to my box, and I've had fun finally using this gorgeous set. Thanks for stopping by, my friends!

New Goodies!

     I had a great time this weekend playing with some new Stampin' Up goodies! Gia came over for dinner and a crafting date, so that made delving into the box even more fun. We had fun with the new Framelits and Edgelits dies and the Apothecary Art stamp set, and I got some free goodies from Sale-a-bration too!


     This card is a case (with a few variations/simplifications) from the cover of the Occasions Mini Catalog. I used Pool Party and Blushing Bride paper along with my new dies and matching embossing folders. I love the soft, pretty colors in this card! (Notice the soft Versamark pattern on the blue background. Why do I always forget I can use Versamark for something other than embossing?)

     The second card uses the same colors, along with the Kindness Matters set I got from Sale-a-bration. I've had my eye on this one in the regular catalog, and I was super excited to get it for free! This matches the layout of a card in the Sale-a-bration brochure, and again I changed the colors and put my own spin on the design.

Thanks for stopping by, my friends! I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Only Two Seasons Behind!

     Today I want to share a board book mini album that I started around Halloween time and just finished up in January. I always seem to craft a season or two behind everyone else, so I'm sure that means I'll have Christmas layouts to share eventually!


     I used Graphic 45's Halloween in Wonderland paper pack for this mini, along with a few Authentique and Tim Holtz goodies and a children's board book I found at the thrifty for a quarter. I peeled and sanded the board book, recovered it with paper, and added some fun interactive elements and tags on the inside. I didn't photo every page, but here's a shot of the cover:

     My favorite element is the charm on the spine, which uses a Tim Holtz fragment, key, and glass bottle filled with glitter and labeled "drink me."  This mini album was a smash hit with the kids, who love not only the photos but all the fun pockets and interactive elements inside.
 

     I have two more mini albums underway, and I can't wait to share them. Thanks for stopping by, my friends!

A Little Posh

     It finally snowed in my mountain hometown today! We've had such an unseasonably warm winter that I've found it a little depressing. (Weird, I know.) I've been doing a lot of scrap therapy lately since I find myself hit with the winter blues. Life is totally crazy with my hubby going on eight months of job hunting while I work two jobs to make up the difference.  I find myself creating worksheets late into the evening just to squeeze it all in. I'll be so glad when I'm able to focus all my mental energy on my piano studio again!


     I had a blast getting out of my shabby chic scrapping zone long enough to make a totally "posh" page! This page uses the bright, bold colors in Theresa Collins Posh Collection. The  graphic style of this collection reminded me of my daughter, who is a fashionista extraordinaire and lover of all things pink!

    Since this page is about how much I love teaching my daughter to play the piano, I had to create some sheet music print to include. I used my Cricut and Storybook cartridge to create the corner element and large lettering and then glittered the heck out of them. The page has a swing element with a space for journaling just to make it a bit fun and interactive.

I had a blast making this page, and I've started a posh mini album with the same theme. Can't wait to share! Thanks for stopping by!

   

Scrapping Like Mad!

     I've enjoyed my subscription to My Creative Scrapbook absolutely beyond words! Something about having  a gorgeous kit arrive every month keeps me inspired to create more consistently, even when I'm using other things from my stash and not just my kits. 

     This week I worked up a couple of school themed layouts. I bought Graphic 45's ABC Primer Line ages ago and finally found "the" photo for it. This layout is about a special themed story my daughter wrote made up of several adorable installments. I created a folder pocket on the adjoining page so I can keep copies of her story as she writes them.

     For the second set, I used some of Stampin' Up's retired Designer Paper (Play Date) to create a couple of fun and bold pages. I love the bold primary colors in this set of paper, and a few Lime Ricky accents I had left over fit right into the color theme.

     The simple, rather unembellished style of these pages pushed me a little outside my usual comfort zone, but  I've kept my resolution thusfar to journal on every page. 

     Hope you all have a wonderful week filled with joy and family!