9 to 5: October Afternoon Sneak!

There is far too much excitement around CHA sneak peeks right now for me to blog about such mundane things as the fox I saw in my backyard yesterday or the fact that I was in bed for the entirety of the long weekend with the flu. Rest assured, I have jumped on the Project Life bandwagon and am documenting all of these things and will share those with you once the CHA craziness has abated.

Today, October Afternoon revealed its first sneak (hello brad, I've been waiting for you for a long time...):

I've seen some chatter indicating that some of you out there in cyber-scrap-land aren't sure this line is for you if you're a stay-at-home mom, or someone who doesn't like her job, or someone who has no work photos and never intends to take photos of work, etc., etc., etc. I can appreciate having those concerns. However...without further ado, here are 10 ways you could think about using the themed parts of this line (and not everything is themed - this is, after all, October Afternoon! :)):

1. Make a layout about your desk, whether you are a "my desk is always clean" type or, like me, a "how many layers under is that important field trip form I was supposed to sign?" type. If you are the former, you'll probably want to take a picture or two for that layout. If you're the latter, you might want to go photo-less (or maybe just apply some glue to cardstock and throw a bunch of office-themed embellishments at the cardstock to replicate what your desk looks like).


2. Make a "congratulations on your new job!" card for anyone you know who's just gotten a new job or a promotion.


3. Scrap your obsession with "Mad Men." Sure, that girl at the desk doesn't have Joan's curves, but she does have the red hair! :)


4. Make a back-to-school layout.


5. Scan and then print out your child's schoolwork or homework (or your schoolwork or homework, past or present) and make a photo-less layout showcasing that piece of schoolwork or homework.


6. Document your work history, with or without photos. I am actually thinking about making a photo-less work album. I've had all kinds of interesting jobs that most people, even my closest friends, don't know I've had (unless I've known them a really long time...you know who you are...).


7. Make a layout about a job you would have if you didn't have the one you have now. I know I would love alternate lives as a food writer, in advertising (although I wouldn't want to work for Don Draper), or as a museum exhibit designer.


8. Use the clock motifs to document a day in your life. Or how you are always early or late. (Or late because you can't find your keys on your messy desk...but I digress...)


9. Make a layout about the family business. For several generations my family owned and operated Boxer's Furniture Stores in Newburyport, Massachusetts, and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. No one knows this. I should write it down. 


10. Make a layout about your budget. Forget the facts and figures: What are you saving for? how have you stayed debt-free? What are your monthly bills? (my kids can't imagine a time before cell phone bills and cable TV bills and the monthly Netflix fee and the monthly Pandora fee and...)


Convinced of 9 to 5's potential yet? I think this line is going to be a great driving force for me to document some memories and thoughts and wishes that I don't necessarily have photos for. Love when that happens - it makes my scrapbooks reflect a more complete picture (even without pictures!) of my and my family's life.

Stay tuned for more October Afternoon sneaks prior to CHA! :)

 

Bella Blvd Sneak Peek: Week 1, Day 3

 
Today is Day 3 of a full two weeks of Bella Blvd sneak peeks. Up today is the Baby Girl collection:

You didn't think Bella Blvd would have revealed the Baby Boy collection shown on Monday without having its feminine counterpart, did you? :) Check out the mix of themed papers, basic prints, bright colors, and fun and whimsical designs! In addition to baby girl layouts, cards, and projects, I can see this collection being used for birthday, Valentine's Day, spring, Easter, zoo, friendship, etc. I know I mentioned this on Monday, but, again, check out Bella Blvd's newest addition to their embellishments: the flags.

I encourage you to click on over to the Bella Blvd blog to see Baby Girl close up and to enter to win the Baby Girl collection!

 

Make Your Own Journaling Cards

There are so many cute journaling cards out there now. Journaling cards are a quick and easy way to add journaling to a layout, a fun way spruce up a card, or a staple if you're doing Project Life.

There are companies, like October Afternoon, that make die cut journaling cards, like these:

October Afternoon Sidewalks Journaling Cards

 Other companies, like Echo Park, make journaling cards that you can cut out:

Echo Park Yours Truly Journaling Cards

While I am a huge fan of these pre-made journaling cards, I am also a fan of making my own. Making your own journaling cards is a great way to personalize your projects and it's also a great way to use up your stash! I'm going to show you my process for making my own journaling cards here.

I'm starting with a really old piece of paper from Collage Press:

Collage Press Margot Malta Spring Paper

While the A side of this paper is gorgeous, it's the B side I was after here. If you look at the folded down corner on the right, you'll see that the B side is plain old cream-colored lined notebook paper. Any notebook-lined paper, grid/graph paper, ledger paper, etc. will work well as a base for making your own journaling cards. 

I started out by cutting the paper into twelve 3" X 4" rectangles. I decided to make half of the journaling cards now, and chose to make them for specific holidays/seasons to use up some of the holiday-themed product from my stash. Here are the cards I created:

Making your own journaling cards is not rocket science, but I'll list some design tips here anyway:

• Hang an element or two off an edge (a label sticker, a punched shape, washi tape, etc.), then turn the card over and use scissors to trim off the excess. I did this on all but the school card.
• Don't be afraid to add dimension with stick pins, buttons, ribbon, layered elements, etc. I did this on all but the Halloween card.
• Use three like or clustered elements in your design. There are three like elements or a cluster of three elements on each card.
• Frame the journaling space, either left to right or top to bottom, to draw the viewer's eye into whatever you will write on the card.
• Don't be afraid of odd-shaped space, as on the Halloween card. Even though this isn't square or rectangular journaling space, there's still room for a couple of sentences to fit in between the embellishments.

Here's a supply list for the cards. Most of the products I used were older, but I threw a few newer items in the mix as well.

Valentine's Card
Sticker + Patterned Paper (My Mind's Eye), Button + "sweet" label (October Afternoon), Baker's Twine (Divine Twine), Heart Punch: The Paper Studio

Spring Card
Stick Pins (Jillibean Soup), Label Sticker + Lace (October Afternoon), Word Sticker (Bella Blvd)

School Card
Patterned Paper + Rub-ons (October Afternoon), Notebook Punch: EK Success

Halloween Card
Tree Sticker + Bat Sticker (Echo Park), October 31 Sticker (Making Memories)

Thanksgiving Card
Rub-ons (Lily Bee), Patterned Paper (October Afternoon), Leaf Punch (EK Success)

Christmas Card
Tape + Stickers (Dear Lizzy/American Crafts)

Happy journaling card making!

 


 

Bella Blvd Sneak Peek: Week 1, Day 2

If you missed it, yesterday kicked off two full weeks of sneak peeks at Bella Blvd. Every day, one set of the collection being revealed will be given away to one lucky commenter over at the Bella Blvd blog. 

Today's reveal is the new Button Market embellishments:
 

 

The Button Market offers a great mix of shapes, colors, textures, and sizes. My favorites are the Masculine Mix and Feminine Mix button sets. Love the variety they offer!

Remember to head on over to the Bella Blvd blog and leave a comment to be entered to win today's Button Market giveaway!

Be sure to check back here later today for this week's Tuesday tip/technique!

Monday Layout

If you are reading my blog for the first time today, check the earlier post for the launch of Bella Blvd's Sneak Peek Weeks.

Now, on to today's layout. Today I'm sharing another layout I made for the September "Design Play" issue over at Masterful Scrapbook Design. 

Patterned Paper:Amy Tangerine for American Crafts (map/blue grid), October Afternoon (cream grid) + Chipboard:October Afternoon + Vintage-print Cards:October Afternoon + Stickers:Basic Grey (letters), October Afternoon (all others)

This layout is a bit of a departure for me, both in terms of the number of photos and the number of embellishments, but I love how it came out! I created this layout to showcase several different design principles and elements (check out the September issue at Masterful Scrapbook Design for more info!). The map paper was perfect here, as right where I stuck the "you are here" sticker it says "Rocky Mountain National Park." :) Considering how close we are to the park (about 90 minutes' drive) we don't get there often enough! 

Be sure to come back tomorrow for more Bella Blvd sneaks in the morning and a Tuesday tip/technique in the afternoon!

Bella Blvd Sneak Peek Weeks Kicks Off!

With just two weeks until CHA, Bella Blvd is starting off the first of two sneak peek weeks today. If you haven't already bookmarked the Bella Blvd blog, you might want to do that. Every day this week and next, one full set of whatever is being revealed that day will be given away on the Bella Blvd blog. That's right, there will be a winner every day!

First up? The Baby Boy collection. As usual, Bella Blvd has a great mix of themed papers, basic patterns, bright colors, and lots of fun and whimsy! While it would be obvious to use this line for baby boy layouts, cards, and projects, I see lots of other potential here: Father's Day, springtime, zoo, boys, birthday, Valentine's Day, etc. Be sure to check out the embellishments - in addition to the old Bella Blvd standby embellishments, flags are new with this release. Yes, flags. The flags come in sets of three and are definitely something I'm excited about!

So...if you haven't already clicked over to the Bella Blvd blog, please do so to get a closer look at this line and make sure to leave a comment while you're over there (not here, although comments here are always appreciated!) to be entered to win the Baby Boy collection!

I'll be back later today with my usual Monday post, so be sure to check back later for that! Also, make sure to check back here and at the Bella Blvd blog this week and next for sneak peeks!

Fabulous Finds on Friday: How to Survive Without Photoshop

Week two and I have already fallen off the blogging bandwagon. Please forgive me! Dusting myself off after an unusually busy week and picking back up with today's Friday finds.

I was long terrified of Photoshop (still am, but finally bought Elements a couple of weeks ago) and managed for a very long time without it. Two free photo editing tools helped me out a lot. 

The first photo editing tool is the online photo editing website Picnik. It's free, although you can upgrade to Picnik Premium and pay a monthly fee for access to all kinds of additional editing tools. The basic editing features can do a lot for a photo with a couple of clicks. The "Effects" tab offers some more sophisticated editing options. There are also tools that allow you to add text, graphics, and seasonal elements to your photos. The best part is that you can upload photos, edit, and then save them to your computer without having to manage yet another gallery of images online. Although, if you want to edit and post, there are buttons that allow you to do that quickly to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, etc.

Picnik even has a handy tool under the frame tab that allowed me to upload and edit a photo and then show the "before" photo and the "after" photo:

The second photo editing tool is the free downloadable Photosheet program. Photosheet allows you to quickly and easily collage photos together by clicking and dragging them into the application. There are a ton of pre-set collages (for example: 4" X 6" with 2 photos, 8" X 10" with 6 photos, etc.) so all you have to do is choose one, click and drag your photos, hit save, and then print it out. I've done more layouts than I can count using Photosheet! 

I know I already shared this layout a couple of weeks ago, but it's a great example of what Photosheet can do. I created a six photo 4" X 6" collage, saved it, and printed it out. The whole process took me about two minutes to do, literally two minutes. Think about how long it takes to click and drag six items, hit save, open a saved file, put photo paper in the printer, and hit "print."

Cardstock: Bazzill Basics + Patterned Paper: October Afternoon + Die Cuts: October Afternoon (cablegram), Silhouette (mustaches, airplane ticket ) + Stickers: October Afternoon + Rubber Charm: October Afternoon + Tin Pin: October Afternoon

Hope that these links prove useful to some of you!