Pete and Repeat

There’s no such thing as too much of a good thing.  Anything worth doing is worth doing to excess, right?  When it comes to page layouts, I think so!

I’ve mentioned before that I like to repeat layouts.  Sometimes I just don’t want to think too hard; I want to get the page done and move on to the next project.  And if something worked once, chances are it will work again, and again, and again.

I didn’t intend to repeat the same page layout three days in a row, but when I got to Day 24 of LOAD, I made what I thought was a really cute page.  And then when I sat down to work on Day 25, I was really busy, so I just made a few changes and copied it.  So then, when I sat down to work on Day 26, can you believe what the prompt for the day was?  You guessed it – Scraplift Yourself!

Here they are…three not-so-identical triplets.  As you can see, they are alike in many ways, but each page still has a personality of its own.

Day 24:  Overheard conversation

Lain challenged us to use snippets of over-heard conversations for this page, so I chose to concentrate on my daughter’s first words.  I wanted to keep the page simple, but cute.

Day 25:  Taste

I got really busy on Day 25, so when Lain prompted us to use the sense of “Taste” for our layouts, I was at a loss until I ran across some pictures of my son making a mess while eating.  And rather than waste even more time trying to come up with something original, I just opted to repeat the previous day’s page in a mirror image.  The two layouts will wind up in two separate books, so it really doesn’t matter that they are the same.

Day 26:  Scraplift Yourself

Imagine my surprise (and laughter, too), when I discovered that Lain’s prompt for Day 26 was to scraplift the previous day’s page.  Uhm…hey, Lain…I already did that!  Never-the-less, I had fun creating this page in triplicate, and I doubt it will be the last time I copy myself (although it probably won’t be on the very next day!)

Garage Sale

If you are in the Dallas area next weekend, stop by our Scrapbook Garage Sale at 6001 Summerside Drive, Dallas, inside the Joann Fogg Girl Scout Service Center.  We have about 20 sellers who are anxious for you to come see all their old scrapbooking supplies, tools, and embellishments.  Unfortunately, we do not have any space for more sellers, but there will be lots of good deals, and you do not want to miss out!  For more information, please visit our website.  The sale runs from 10:00 AM until 3:00PM.  Please use the entrance at the rear of the building.

Scrapbooking Cruise

Yep, I know…I sound like a broken record.  But did you know that we still have space on our 2012 scrapbooking cruise and time is running out to get in on this great deal!  We had some cancellations last week, so we now have 6 cabins we need to fill.  Give us a call or email before July 1 and we will make you a very sweet deal!  Payment plans are available, and you will not find another scrapbooking cruise at this low, low price!

Breast Cancer Crop

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Pam’s Pals, it is our annual breast cancer benefit crop.  In the past, we have given the proceeds to breast cancer patient, Pam Wilemon, but now that she is celebrating FIVE YEARS of survival, we want to help others be survivors, too!  All profits are donated to breast cancer charities.  So come out and help us celebrate by helping us raise money to save more lives!

See pictures from our 2011 crop here: http://www.craftyneighbor.com/images/retreats/pp2011/index.htm

Four LOAD Layouts

Okay, so I started a post on Father’s Day that was going to include the next three layouts for LOAD 512.  Coincidentally, they were all pages themed for men.  And of course, I never got them posted.  So here’s three masculine layouts from LOAD, and a bonus ½ page:

Day 20:  Sketchy Sunday

For Load 512, every Sunday is Sketchy Sunday and our challenge is to work from a sketch.  I work from sketches all the time and have become pretty adept at transfiguring them into something entirely different.  This layout isn’t entirely different, but I did make a few changes.  This is a very simple layout for me.  I didn’t use a lot of embellishments or paper.  I wanted the focus to be the photos.

Day 21:  5-5-5

This challenge was a little harder, though.  I’ve mentioned before that I’m not a very fast scrapbooker.  That’s one of the reasons I like doing LOAD, because it forces me to make decisions and get the page put together quicker than I might if I weren’t tryng to beat the clock.  This time we had 5 minutes to choose the photos, 5 minutes to choose the products, and 5 minutes to journal.  I am very pleased to say I managed to do exactly that – barely.  Lain had some great tips for helping us break that speed barrier, including using song lyrics or lists for journaling and using kits for product selections.  I did us parts of a kit for my products – they went perfectly with the photos.

Day 22:  Inanimate Object's POV

The suggestion for this page came from the messy girl herself.  When my daughter was little, she would carry-on whole conversations with herself while she rode in the back of the car.  She had lots of different and very distinct voices and it was all we could do to keep from just busting out laughing at some of the things that came out of her mouth.  She could imitate just about anyone, and she was quite the little comedian.  So when I needed to do an inanimate object page, her messy room was a total no brainer.  I love doing stuff like this because not only does it put a little levity into our scrapbooks, which makes them more interesting for others to read, but I also love creating that little glimpse of our personal lives so that we can look back on it with fond memories.  It’s not enough to just have some pictures of her messy room with a block of journaling that says it’s messy.  That doesn’t tell us anything about the person that Christen is (was), but by making fun of her messy nature in this way, you can really see just what kind of personality she really does have.

Day 23:  Half-Sized Page

I thought I’d throw in one more for today so that I can keep the next set together (you’ll see why in my next post).  This challenge was actually something I had just asked another scrapbooker about a few days before – half-sized pages.  One of the bloggers from LOAD adds a lot of 12x6 page layouts to her albums.  This half-sized format is perfect for those times when you have a little bit that needs to be scrapbooked, but you don’t want to make a whole page out of it.  I don’t know how many times I have scrapbooked a page only to find some random photo or piece of memorabilia MONTHS later after it’s much too late to add it to the already existing page.  I don’t want to change a layout that I’m perfectly happy with to make it fit, nor do I want to make a whole 12x12 page out of it.  Making a half page is a great idea and you can add it between the existing pages.  I was really excited to try this format when it popped up as the challenge – it worked perfectly for this page at the end of my cruise.  Oh, and you can purchase the 12x6 page protectors at Scrapbook.com

Next up:  some more Pete and Repeat...sort of....

I {Heart} Stamp Club!

Have I ever mentioned my stamp club?  I am so lucky that I get to play hostess to a group of ladies every month for a Stampin’ Up card/stamp club taught by the one and only Sharon Armstrong.  I love getting together with a lot of crafty people and learning new crafty things!  We have a card swap each month, using a pre-set theme, and then we make cards or other projects that Sharon brings us.  Here’s a few of the cards we swapped this month.

I just love seeing everyone else’s interpretation of the theme, which, if you couldn't tell, was "Invitations".  These are some really crafty ladies!  And in case you didn't notice, that last one is actually made from a coaster!  Our very own Christen made that.  Isn't it just too cute?!

Another thing I love about stamp club is that I learn something new just about every time we get together.  This week, we learned a little about Stampin’ Up’s new ink pads.  They’re made out of a new felt-type material, so they are really juicy and you don’t have to tap your stamp into them as hard as you did with the older pads.  Here are the cards we made tonight.

Before all the stamp club ladies got here today, I was going through some emails.  One of my discussion groups has been sharing photos of their work spaces and I shared a link to my blog where I had posted some pictures of the crop room a while back.  But as I typed up my reply, I took a look around my room and was kind of shocked and ashamed at what a mess my room was.  Of course, I had to clean it all up before the stamp club ladies got here.  So I guess one of the things I really like about having stamp club here every month is that at least I know my room will get cleaned up before hand! 

Seriously, though, if you haven’t joined a scrapbooking or cardmaking group, you are really missing out.  Everything I know about scrapbooking I learned from other scrapbookers, and if you are crafting alone, then how will you ever learn anything new?  I encourage all scrapbookers and cardmakers to get out there and find a group where you can socialize, try new products, and learn how to create all kinds of things.  Organized crops and events are a great way to learn new ways to use your old supplies.  Some groups have swaps, and many even trade supplies!  Meetup.com is a great place to look for groups in your area, or check your local scrapbook store or in-home consultants like Creative Memories, Stampin’ Up! And Close to My Heart.

If you live in the Dallas area, don’t forget to come out for our scrapbook garage sale!  We’ll be at the Girl Scout office at 6001 Summerside Drive, Dallas from 9:00 AM until 3 PM, Saturday, July 7.  All our seller spaces are full, so that means there is going to be a ton of stuff for you to buy at dirt cheap garage sale prices!

Also, registration is now open for our Pam’s Pals benefit crop to fight breast cancer.  Come on out and spend the whole day with us raising money for this great cause.  For more information, check out our website at:  http://www.craftyneighbor.com/retreats/2012/pamspals12/2012pink.html