Scrapbooking Tools: Paper Piercers

I was asked the other day about paper piercers..... What are they?  What you can do with them (besides stick your finger)?  Where can I get one?

Well, in its simplest form, a paper piercer is a handheld tool that looks like a large needle with a handle. It works a lot like a hole punch, but on a much smaller scale. The purpose of a paper piercer is, as its name indicates, to pierce paper, but instead of creating an eraser-sized hole (like a hole punch), a paper piercer makes a pin-sized hole.  


A lot of scrappers will use it to make a hole in their cardstock when attaching brads because brads by themselves aren't sharp enough and have a tendency to rip your precious scrapbook paper.  A paper piercer will make a nice pin-size hole in your paper for the brad to fit in. You can also use it to make starter holes for thread work, if you like to embellish your scrapbook layouts with fancy thread or ribbon. 


You can find paper piercers at about an arts and crafts or hobby store and even on Amazon. They're inexpensive and a must, in my opinion, in any scrappers tool kit.

Happy Scrapping!

Sun Days....

Sun Days...., a photo by choubox on Flickr.

Here's a layout based on this week's sketch of the week!

Sketch of the Week: 2012-01-15

This week's sketch is a 12" x 12" single layout with four pictures!  The great thing about 12" x 12" layouts is that they are easily modified for those that prefer the 8" x 8" format.  In this case, the 5" square photo would become a 3" photo and you only use two 2" photos instead of three.

In either format, you can also swap out patterned paper or embellishments for the smaller square pictures and get creative with the title.  You've got lots of space!

Don't forget to vote each week!  Happy Scrapping!!

Sketch of the Week: 2012-01-08

It's not often that there are enough votes for an 8.5" x 11" sketch, but there were this week!!  Vote early and vote often for your favorite layout and you can help decide the next free layout sketch of the week!!

Happy Scrapping!!

A Year in the Life - Week 1

So, I'm a week into my Picture-a-Day challenge and it is well....a challenge. By the end of the day, I usually have a picture to use, but I determined very early on that it's easy to take a picture, but I'm trying to take a picture that is representative of the day....or a tradition of my family.....or something particularly striking. So far, I've taken several pictures of my boys, an incredible sunset, a thermometer and a book. As I've gone through this week, I've also made a list of those things that I could or want to take a picture of. For example, I always have a Starbucks in the morning and my current favorite is a skim cinnamon dolce latte, so I take a picture of the cup every morning....just in case I don't get anything else for the day. Of course, when that actually happens, I'll have to find a new "go to" picture. :-)

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year Everyone!!  I trust you had a safe and wonderful evening (and may still be recovering)!!  :-)  Here is this week's sketch - an 8" x 8" Double Layout - based on your votes.  If you'd like to see a different sketch - don't forget to vote.

Have a great week and Happy Scrapping!!

Christmas Cards

Now, I realize that this is a little late, but better late than never, right?.....  These are the Christmas cards that I made this year.

They are little pouches and I actually used the same design for baby announcements earlier in the year. The finished product is a 5" x 7" card that is made from a 5" x 10" strip of paper with a 4.5" x 6.5" inlay.  To finish up the card, fold up the bottom 3" of the 5" x 10" paper strip.

I've found that double-sided paper with a solid color on one side work best and the pouch format is great for those Christmas pictures!! Happy Scrapping!!

2012: A Year in the Life

So, it's no secret among my family and friends that I've been known to take a picture or two....of normal and, not so normal, things ( I have more than one picture of manhole covers....yes, manhole covers). So, when I saw a recent blog post about a "Photo a Day - 365 Project", I was intrigued and thought this coming year as good as any to take on this kind of project.

The advent of smartphones with their built-in cameras means you always have a camera with you and since I end up doing a "year in review" for our annual Christmas letter anyway, I will be doing all my prep work throughout the year instead of all at once.

If you haven't heard of it, the challenge is to take at least one picture a day. It's very much like a diary, but in this case, a visual one and one that I will be sharing the progress and sketches for the resulting scrapbook pages. It starts on January 1, 2012 and I hope you will join me on this adventure!! Happy Scrapping!

Back from....the Other Side of the World

Hi!  I'm sure some of you are wondering whether I fell off the face of the Earth, but in fact, I just traveled to the other side of the Earth.  Every now and then, my "real" job takes me to far away places....places I've never been and this is no different.  As a result, though, my love for scrapbooking (and being able to post sketches and scrapbook ideas) takes a back seat as I rack up the frequent flyer miles.  :-)

In this particular instance, I spent one week in Little Rock, Arkansas and promptly turned around and spent a week in Seoul, South Korea.  I had never been to Asia before and it was a great experience, so I will definitely be going back (when it's warmer)!!

The good news is....the very long plane ride back allowed me to work on more sketches, so while my plan of handmade card sketches every week during the holidays kind of fell through, there will be more of those and of regular scrapbook pages coming very soon.

I hope everyone has an excellent holiday season and Happy New Year!!

Handmade Cards

I used two of these three templates for Thanksgiving cards.  I used small 4" x 5.5" cards. The same templates can be used for Christmas cards too and are super easy to make!!

Sketch of the Week 2011-11-13

OK....so I "sort of" lied.  Last week, I said I'd be switching to holiday card templates/sketches this week, so you can all start working on cards to your loved ones....and we will!  Just wanted to post one more scrapbook sketch for those of you that voted this week - the winner is a 12 x 12 (Double).  The first card template (and finished product) will follow shortly!

Hope you all have a great week and Happy Scrapping!!

Choubox Sketch Pad

Sketch of the Week 2011-11-06

Since one person made the effort to vote for their favorite format (6x6 Double) five times.....that's what we went with for this week's sketch (12x12 Single was a close second)!! ....and from here on out, since we're in the holiday season, the sketches are going to focus on handmade card templates - either to "Give Thanks" at Thanksgiving or wish friends and family "Happy Holidays".

Happy Scrapping!!

Sketch of the Week 2011-10-23

I oops'd last week and didn't post the Sketch of the Week on the blog!  So, here are both this week's and last week's sketches.  This week's is an 8" x 8" and last week's was a 12" x 12".  The voting results were literally split right down the middle this week, so I flipped a coin!!  Make sure to keep voting for your favorite!

Have a great week and Happy Scrapping!!

Sketch of the Week 2011-10-09

Wedding Vow Layout

One of the most common wedding pictures is of the bride and groom's hands, intertwined, with shiny new wedding bands. It's a simple, yet, powerful picture symbolizing their love and new life together. The vows spoken during the ceremony are equally powerful and the perfect journaling to accompany the "ring" picture, especially if the vows were written by the bride and groom.  The layout itself can be simple....no need for a huge title or lots of embellishments....the image will "do the talking" with the vows serving as an appropriate complement. The colors you use are up to you....you can use "traditional" wedding scrapbook paper in black and white, go metallic to match your rings (with brads and eyelets to match) or use paper that matches your exact wedding colors. You may even want to frame the end product and put it on permanent display in your house as an ever-present reminder of your love for each other. Happy Scrapping!

A Twist on The Clothes Pin Game

We've all played it....whether at a baby or bridal shower. Everyone is handed a clothes pin and you get to take others' when they say the "secret" word. The person with the most clothes pins at the end of event wins. Pretty simple, right?  Well, let's kick the "baby shower" version up a notch and make it something you can put in a scrapbook.

In my twist, everyone at the shower gets a large tag with a ribbon that they can wear like a lanyard. The tag has the baby's name or baby related words on it. Instead of starting out with a clothes pin, everyone starts out with one or two letters on their tag (attached using repositionable adhesive tabs). As you've probably figured out, the goal is to get other people's letters to complete your tag...if they say the "secret" word, you get to take one of their letters. The first person to fill up their tag WINS!!

The great thing about this version is that everyone gets to take their tag home to scrapbook as a remembrance of the event. Have fun and Happy Scrapping!!

Scrapbook Consistency

I was asked the other day whether a themed scrapbook has to be consistent from page-to-page. As with all things scrapbook, I truly believe there is no right answer, but here are some guidelines that I go by.....

Page layouts, with the exception of the Title and Closing pages, should be two-page layouts. This gives you maximum space for pictures and journaling, while focusing on a single topic that allows for a smooth flow in your visual space. Single page layouts are still doable, but, to me, limit what you can put on a page....usually just a few pictures and a title.

Colors should be as consistent as possible, but it also depends on your pictures. If your pictures allow for the use of a few main colors, with coordinating patterned paper for accent, that will allow for a nice color scheme throughout the scrapbook.

As for page order, chronological order fits most themes, but you can always mix it up if you think certain items are more important than time-based order.

Happy Scrapping!!

Valley Forge Review

Let me just get this off my chest, and I promise I won't mention it again, but next time I consider driving up I-95 in the summer - on a weekend - please stop me. I spent more than eight hours getting to and from Valley Forge. Fortunately, though, while there were storms, none were strong enough to knock out the power. :-)

So, you're wondering, how was it?...

Overall, I'd rate it a B. I could never rate (1) an opportunity for "me" time or (2) the opportunity to scrap or shop for scrapbook supplies in peace badly. But, while I made some really great layouts and bought A LOT of really cool scrapbook supplies, I was disappointed that I didn't learn more technique-wise, though it does harden my determination to go to CKU next year for sure!

Here's a review of all the clases:

A Thing or Two about Boys - This was sponsored by QuikQuotes. This was simply a process of building layouts based on their kits. The one thing that I did get reinforced is a neat way to make slide mounts match your layout.

LuCKy Girl - This was sponsored by CK and taught by Creating Keepsakes, Managing Editor, Brittany Beattie. We made a little scrapbook of the things were are most grateful for that fit in a little tin. Definitely very cool scrapbook...I see Christmas presents

All About Heritage - This was also sponsored by QuikQuotes. Again, it was simply a process of creating layouts. Neat way to do photo corners out of vellum.

Boys Go Zoom! - This was a class on board books, which I wasn't quite expecting. The board book was made with glossy chipboard - I had been thinking of natural chipboard. But...I did learn a cool way to make photo corners with ribbon (if enough people are interested - write me to let me know - I'll write something up about this, the vellum photo corners and slide mounts).

You've Been Framed! - This was a class on creating unique frames with your scrapbook supplies and was sponsored by Simple Scrapbooks. Nothing fancy or complicated, but a super-cool idea!

10 Things Every Scrapbooker Should Know - This too was taught by Brittany Beattie and was full of great little tips that "every scrapbooker should know," such as...it's OK to scraplift, it's OK to create a layout without pictures, it's OK to take LOTs of pictures and more! Definitely recommend it if they offer again next year.

Now, by the time I was coming to my last class...I was exhausted and knew that I had a long drive in front of me, so what probably would have been a lot of fun ended up being disappointing in a way.

Keep it Simple, Make it Quick, Get it Done with Metropolis - It's a really long title and was set as a two-hour class, but as the title states, it was simple. In fact, too simple for my liking at the time. I wanted to be challenged, but instead I was given a pack of Scenic Route scrapbook supplies with instructions to make four two-page layouts. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining about great supplies, but I wanted to learn something different and quickly realized that wasn't going to happen in this class. So, about an hour in, I decided to pack up and hit the road - even if I was giving up the chance to win a door prize.

Another year is done and I look forward to what next year will bring in my scrapbook education!

Valley Forge (Part Deux)

I'm heading out this afternoon for my second Creating Keepsakes Convention. Much like last year, I've loaded up on classes (I've always liked school). To be specific, I'm taking the following:

• A Thing or Two about Boys
• LuCKy Girl
• All About Heritage
• Boys Go Zoom!
• You’ve Been Framed!
• 10 Things Every Scrapbooker Should Know
• Keep it Simple, Make it Quick, Get it Done with Metropolis

While my true goal is to make it to CKU one day, my experience last year was incredible and I learned so much (and came back with so many scrapbook supplies...I'm still digging out of that pile). Just keep your fingers crossed that the power doesn't go out!!

I will report back as soon as I get home on Saturday evening and share with all of you what I've learned.

Happy Scrapping!

Harry Potter Month

Platform 9 3/4
Originally uploaded by choubox

July 2007 is officially Harry Potter month!! With the release of the seventh and final book and the premiere of the fifth movie, it's all about Harry!!

Watch for Harry Potter scrapbook layout ideas all month long on my site!!

Sketch of the Week

The votes for this week's Sketch of the Week are in and it's another 12" x 12" double page layout. This sketch calls for four photos and has LOTS of room for journaling.

You could use this sketch as a basis for a layout to scrap your children's end of year party at school (focal shot is a class photo and the smaller ones can be more candid shots).

Or...you can flip your focal shot to make it vertical and it can be used for a birthday layout, with your child's birthday photo along with more pictures from the party.

Happy Scrapping!

Need Sketches?

Recently, as part of the voting for the Sketch of the Week, I've noticed that a lot of you are looking for a variety of sketch sizes, from 6 x 6 to 8.5 x 11 to 8 x 8, yet the 12 x 12 typically wins out in the voting.

So...I'd ask that you take a minute and fill out this little survey to see if we can make everyone happy.

I'd love to hear from you. Happy Scrapping!

Sketch of the Week - 27 May 2007

I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful Memorial Day (and getting a little extra time to scrap). This week's Sketch of the Week is an 8.5" x 11" single - many thanks to those who voted this week. While I do love to make 12" x 12" sketches, it's a nice break every once and a while to do something different. :-)

I chose a single photo layout, as one of the voters asked for it specifically. Each of the strips behind the picture is .5" high. The gray corners can serve any real purpose you'd like to, but are meant to just create a little visual interest by displaying a different color or pattern underneath the primary background.

If you'd like to vote for the Sketch of the Week, please check me out at the Choubox Sketch Pad.

If you have any general scrapbook questions, please don't hesitate to drop me a line!

Precious Moments

Precious Moments
Originally uploaded by choubox.

To all the Moms and Moms to be, wishing you a very Happy Mother's Day!

Sketch of the Week - 22 Apr 2007

This week's sketch is another 12" x 12" single. If you like this sketch, and want more like it, don't forget to vote for the Sketch of the Week at the Choubox Sketch Pad.

I've also started a new feature on my website - Scrapbook Challenges. The current challenge is using lyrics in your scrapbook layouts.

Happy Scrapping!

Sketch of the Week - 8 Apr 2007

Sketch of the Week - 8 Apr 2007
Originally uploaded by choubox.

It's beginning to look a lot like....Easter...but the first "white" Easter that I can ever remember. I'm just hoping we're not going to redefine the meaning of snow bunnies tomorrow morning.

Any who...here is this week's sketch a little early, as I'm sure we'll be otherwise occupied tomorrow. Wishing you all a joyful Easter!

Happy Scrapping!

Planning a Layout

I first want to thank all of you who have submitted article requests, whether they are for tips and techniques or general content. I am posting them as quickly as my little fingers can type along with articles I already had in the queue.

But, over the past several weeks, several of you have requested articles that all revolve around the same theme, planning layouts. So, in the coming weeks, I will be making these articles my priority as, in the end, the basics of designing layouts are at the heart of scrapbooking.

Thank you again for all your input and Happy Scrapping!

Sketch of the Week - 18 Mar 2007

Sketch of the Week - 18 Mar 2007 #2
Originally uploaded by choubox.

This sketch, along with its 12x12 cousin, are this week's sketches.

You're getting an 8x8 single page layout because that's what my son picked, but you're also getting a 12x12 version because of his twin brother. :-)

I have to admit....it's been a crazy month and while I've kept up with my sketches...I've been lagging behind in just about everything else, thanks in part to a week's worth of illness and the preparations for my boys' 3rd Birthday Party. It seems like these past two weeks have gone on forever, but I'm very glad that they're over (and that the birthday party was a huge success). I'm very much ready to get back to my "normal" schedule.

Hope you have a great St. Patrick's Day!! Happy Scrapping!!

How Do You Make Your Scrapbook Layouts?

I was posed this question today by a fellow scrapper. Well, I do a mix of digital and traditional (paper-based) scrapbooking. I do digital because it saves me time and traditional because I still LOVE to work with my hands.

If I had to define my own style, I would describe it as simplistic with a BIG focus on pictures. I don't have a set way in which I create my layouts (I don't do them the same way every time), but I do follow a few simple rules…

(1) Always keep the focus on the pictures.

To me scrapbooking is not about getting as much "stuff" (embellishments) on a page as possible, but it's about telling a story…preserving your family's history. So when I create a layout, I make every attempt to use as many good pictures as possible. I won't try to put every single picture from an event on a layout, but I will try to put more than one. I will also make room for journaling or, at the very least, a quote, song lyrics, etc. that convey the way I feel about the event, person, etc. in the pictures.

(2) I like lines…

There is a common held notion that using lines helps to move people from one design element to another. Whether it be scrapbook layouts, brochures or any type of graphical design, our eyes will naturally follow a line from one item to another, so whether you use ribbon, embellishments or just strips of paper, a line in your layout will help the "flow."

(3) I also like squares…

Huey Lewis once said that it was hip to be square…and I tend to agree. I usually create 12x12 layouts because it gives me the most space to play with, but I also love the smaller sizes like 8x8 and 6x6 because it forces you to be more efficient. You don't have a lot of extra space on the smaller formats, so you don't necessarily have to worry about filling your page up with a bunch of embellishments. You get a picture or two on there; a title and some journaling and you're done!

(4) I love to play with color…as long as it matches.

I'm a big believer in experimenting with colors, but I'm also a big believer in less is more. To me, when using color, there is a fine line between just right and too much. As such, I will let the "colors do the talking" when I create my scrapbook layouts. I will find two to three colors that will really make the pictures pop and stick with that instead of going hog-wild with five different patterned papers. You'd be amazed at how much patterned paper alone can do for a layout.

(5) I like to "live" with my layout for a few days.

I was working on a layout for a recent article and once I got the basics down (sketch, title and photos)…I walked away. I didn't look at the layout until the next day and then added the patterned paper…and walked away until the next day and then I added the embellishments. I was absolutely thrilled with the finished layout because I took my time.

I do this partly because I don't necessarily have a ton of time (in one uninterrupted block) and I've found that I am SO much happier with the end result when I don't try and rush things. Are there times when I can sit down and, from sketch to finished layout, have one done in 30 minutes?… Sure, but I don't want to finish a scrapbook layout just to "pad my stats" and say I created 200 layouts in a year. I'd rather take quality over quantity. Why? Because what's the point in hurrying to finish a scrapbook layout, if after three days you look at it and say, "Oh, well, I could have done this…" or "I could have done that to make it look more balanced." I just like to take my time. If that means I only do 50 layouts a year – so be it.

I hope this helps to provide a little insight into the scrapbooking side of my brain. If you have any questions, please don't ever hesitate to send me an e-mail.

Happy Scrapping!

Sketch of the Week - 25 Feb 2007

Sketch of the Week - 25 Feb 2007
Originally uploaded by choubox.

As I mentioned in my previous post, most of you have asked for future Sketches of the Week to be 12x12 double-page format. So....here you go! I hope you enjoy it.

Also as a request of your requests, I'm in the process of finishing up my "Let's Get Organized" section and just launched my latest set of articles on scrapbook Tips and Techniques.

Have a great week and Happy Scrapping!!

The Masses Have Spoken...and Keep Speaking!

Sketch of the Week - 18 Feb 2007 (#3)
Originally uploaded by choubox.

I've had a great turnout to my Sketch of the Week Survey. I thank all those who have participated for sharing your thoughts!!

As you can see, when you complete the survey, most of you scrap in a 12x12 "world" and tend to make double-page layouts when you do. So...my future Sketches of the Week will tend towards that trend.

But...since this is a scrapocracy and I always learned that you have majority rule with minority rights, I will be mixing in some of the smaller sizes along with sketches for cards.

As always, if you haven't filled out the survey...let your voice be heard...you may end up swinging the balance to another size layout!

Happy Scrapping!!

Sketch of the Week - 11 Feb 2007

Sketch of the Week - 11 Feb 2007
Originally uploaded by choubox.

This week's sketch is a 6x6 double-page layout and I'm sure you're all wondering...what is a journaling flap?

Well, it's pretty simple actually (and a great use for double-sided cardstock). You just take a piece of paper, cut it to the size you need and then fold it in half. Why?... Because then you've just doubled the space you get to work with and since a 6x6 is pretty small, you can use all the space you can get.

You put pictures on the outside of the flap and have journaling on the inside or have photos on the inside and the outside. It's all up to you!

In this example, since the finished size is 2.5" x 2.5", you would need a piece of paper 2.5" (w) x 5" (h).

Let me know if you have any questions!

Valentine's Day

It's just around the corner and while I used this design as a recipe card, it can do double-duty as a Valentine's Day card with a few modifications.

I used the new "Smitten" line from Paper Salon. Specifically, I used the Tiny Dot, Polka Hearts, Posy Paisly and Heart Paisley papers. This is a great double-sided cardstock line, so the inside of the card is a dark red pink.

Happy Scrapping!

They Grow Too Fast....

When my two precious boys were little, they would always sleep with their arms above their heads and their hands in loose fists (call it a product of being twins - they have a need to stretch)...both of them in the same crib able to fit (lengthwise) across the width of the crib. Yesterday, I went to check on them before going to bed myself and noticed Zach sleeping with his arms above his head and his hands in loose fists, but now...almost three years later...he's almost the entire length of his toddler bed.

Where does the time go?... and can someone please tell me how to slow down the clock?!

Six 6" x 6" Scrapbook Layout Sketches

In one of the responses to my Sketch Survey, I was asked for some ideas on how to make 6" x 6" scrapbook layout pages.

As you have seen, I do tend to focus on 12" x 12" layouts, but I will be the first to admit that smaller scrapbook pages are actually much easier to make. You don't have to focus so much on filling space, so you become very efficient and your emphasis is turned automatically to the pictures.

Since you don't have that much room to work with on a 6" x 6" page, the biggest picture you can use is a 4" x 6", which is perfectly acceptable (and makes the same kind of visual impact that a big picture would make on a 12" x 12" layout), but leaves you with little room for any journaling or embellishments.

So...that leaves us with 3" x 5" pictures or, better yet, wallet-size pictures. I love wallet-size pictures! Why? They have the same shape as a 4" x 6", but they take up less "real estate," so you can put lots of pictures on big scrapbook pages and more than one picture on a 6" x 6" scrapbook page.

While it's hard to find on my site, I do have a collection of sketches that I did almost a year ago (click here to open the file) that includes a set of 6" x 6" sketches. I just haven't gotten around to getting them loaded into Flickr.

To the person that asked, I hope this helps (and I'll work on getting more 6" x 6" double-page layouts drawn up), and to anyone else who has any other questions...don't ever hesitate to send me e-mail, I'm always ready and willing to help!

Winter Has Arrived...

OK... For those of you in the mid-west, winter arrived a long time ago and you're more than ready for it to leave. But...it's snowing on the East Coast!!! :-)

I'm very big on needing my four separate seasons and a winter without snow...well, isn't winter in my book. So, I am happy to report that it is snowing in VA - FINALLY!

Now, let the fun begin as the meteorologists begin to hem and haw over how much we might actually get!

Sketch of the Week

I hope you are all enjoying the Sketch of the Week and that it's helping to get your creative juices flowing. I realized that while I tend to live in a 12" x 12" world, there may be some of you out there that prefer to scrap on a smaller scale.

So...help me, help you. Take two seconds to answer these questions and future Sketches of the Week will lean with the majority. This is a "scrapocracy" after all!

Happy Scrapping!

I'm Back...and so is Jack!!!

Hope you all had a nice week. I'm back from what can only be described as a somewhat lackluster trip to Atlanta. I will admit...the onion rings at The Varsity are the best I've ever had and the CNN tour is a must see, but the weather was yucky, so it put a little damper on our trip.

Anywho, I'm back and trying to catch up on things. Since I'm buried beneath five piles of laundry (and Jack Bauer (24) is back tonight), my Sketch of the Week will be up tomorrow instead of today.

And since tomorrow is Martin Luther King Day, let us take a minute and remember the sacrifices of those who came before us. As I sat in Ebenezer Baptist Church on Friday evening, they had one of Dr. King's sermons playing and his words, spoken more than 40 years ago and during a very different time in our country's history, were eerily relevant. He spoke of today's young people being cynical and disillusioned and our men only having war to "look forward to." Let us all be thankful for the freedoms we have, for the freedom our Men and Women in uniform continue to protect and for those who are willing to stand above the crowds and have the courage to give those who still don't a voice...a chance.

Take care and happy scrapping.

Sketch of the Week - 7 Jan 2007

Sketch of the Week - 7 Jan 2007
Originally uploaded by choubox.

Here is your sketch for the week. I realized after I posted this that I forgot to put the measurements on here. The big picture is a 5"x7" and the three small pictures are wallet size. The thick black stripe is 3" wide and the smaller gray stripes are 1.25" high.

I'll be partially out of the loop in Atlanta this week. After my success in Vegas at a LSS, I was hoping to stop by the Archiver's down there, but it's just too out of the way... Oh well, I don't need anymore paper anyway.

Happy Scrapping!! :-)

Blue Man Group

Blue Man Group
Originally uploaded by choubox.

Yes, I did actually go to Vegas...which is why I'm way behind on my sketches. :-)

Merry Christmas

Christmas Cards 2006 (Version 1)
Originally uploaded by choubox.

As the card says, "From Our Family to Yours...." Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year.

Happy Scrapping!

Christmas Layout Idea Mini-Book

Bonus Sketch
Originally uploaded by choubox.

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the scrapbook layout opportunities come flying at us as fast as Santa's sleigh. Some are for gifts and others are just additions to our ever-growing collection, but there never seems to be enough time.

So...instead of stressing about how you're going to scrap your children's Christmas pictures or pictures from a recent cookie exchange...get ready to celebrate the 12 Days of Christmas - Choubox Style.

Get your copy of the Choubox Christmas Scrapbook Layout Idea Mini-Book Today!

Sketch of the Week - 26 Nov 2006

Sketch of the Week - 26 Nov 2006
Originally uploaded by choubox.

OK...The turkey is all but gone and your shopping is done, so it's time to work on those Holiday Cards. If you need some ideas...here are a few to work with. All of the colored areas are either solid cardstock or patterned paper.

Check back later this week for some "finished product" examples.

O Tannenbaum!

O Tannenbaum!
Originally uploaded by choubox.

I love Christmas...more than any other holiday during the year and now that I have children, it's even more special. Now, if I could just order up a white Christmas....

This layout was created based on my current sketch of the week. It's a digital 12x12 layout that I created using some great paper from www.scrapbook-elements. com and embellishments from Atomic Cupcake.

The Digital Alternative

Wondering if digital scrapbooking is right for you?... Check out my article on why digital scrapbooking is a good alternative or supplement to traditional (paper based) scrapbooking.

Family Recipe Scrapbook

Family Recipe Scrapbook Title Page
Originally uploaded by choubox.

Thanksgiving is on its way and what Turkey Day is complete without food. So, this year, start work on your Family Recipe Scrapbook.

Sketch of the Week - 22 Oct 2006

Sketch of the Week - 22 Oct 2006
Originally uploaded by choubox.

I'm still on a big/small streak, but in this sketch, I decided to move the focal picture to the right and have the title and the journaling be the first thing you see.

Happy Scrapping!

I Want Candy

I Want Candy
Originally uploaded by choubox.

As we all prepare for Halloween, take a moment to think about your childhood and all the goodies that you loved to get while Trick or Treating. My favorites were SweetTarts, Smarties and Starburst.

Happy Scrapping!

Falling Leaves

If you're looking for ideas for fall scrapbook layouts, check out my recent article in Scrapjazz.

I discuss ideas on fall foliage layouts and scrapbooking food.

Happy Scrapping!

Scrapping for a Cure

If you love digital scrapbooking and are looking for a unique way to scrap your support for a cure... Check out my digital breast cancer background pack.

It's on sale for only $.50 in celebration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which starts tomorrow.

Each paper pack includes five digital backgrounds and a FREE embellishment.

And coming in October... be on the look-out for my Scrapjazz article on ideas for memorial and celebration layouts.

Happy Scrapping!

New from BasicGrey

When I was at CKC-Valley Forge, I took a class that featured some of the new papers from BasicGrey. Specifically, we made this great little mini-book with Bazzill Basics accordion cardstock and the new LilyKate line. The papers are absolutely beautiful and a perfect compliment for a baby girl or boy layout.

Happy Scrapping!!

Bazzill Basics and SEI

Back in July, I wrote about the partnership between Bazzill Basics and BasicGrey. Well, it's not really a partnership, but a way to make our scrapping lives a whole lot easier.

Now...Bazzill has formed a similar "partnership" with SEI and provided us with an invaluable list of cardstock colors that match some of SEI's most popular patterns.

Enjoy!!

Aunt Gertie's Garden: blossom, light taupe, leapfrog, french vanilla, bark

Be Bop: rosey, lima bean, pear, teal, twig, bark

Doodley Doo Boy: grenadine, aztec, lemonade, bazzill green, leapfrog, navy, sea water, java, whipped mousse

Doodley Doo Girl: romance, white, fire hearts, aztec, lemonade, pear, pansy, heidi, sea water

Fruit Stand: hot pink, rose, papaya, squash, green tea, navy, heather

Grandpa's Attic: light taupe, dark black, snow, red robin, yellowstone, splash

Granny's Kitchen: light taupe, light black, teal, french vanilla, bark

Groovy Gal: petunia, vintage, peach, adobe, pear, bark

Hippy Chick: emma, beetle black, ruby red, green tea, splash, french vanilla, bark

Holiday Hoopla: pomegrante, lemonade, limeade, patch, splash, espresso

Paisley and Petals: light black, apricot, squash, canteen, fresh, teal, cream puff, dark chocolate

Penelope's Potpourri: piglet, white, blackbird, grenadine, yellowstone, canteen, pear, whirlpool, sea salt

Seasoned: cajun, rusted, light butter, dark spruce, evening sky, dark chocolate

Serendipity: ruby red, lemonade, fresh, boogie board, powder, icy blue

Sweetie: quartz, snow, ruby red, pumpkin seed, pistachio, bark

Twitterpated: petunia, red hot, true teal, french vanilla, espresso

Winnie's Walls: barkley, fire hearts, peach glow, canteloupe, lima bean, leapfrog

P.S. To tell you the truth, you will be hard pressed to find a patterned paper that doesn't match with any of today's hottest patterned paper. Thank you, Bazzill!

Embellishments...The Oriental Trading Way

I can't say that Oriental Trading is totally new to me. I've actually been buying party supplies and favors from them for a while now, but when I received their latest scrapbooking catalog I realized how many cool embellishments they offered - especially brads.

Of course, they have your traditional brads in a myriad of colors (how does 150 for only $2.95 sound...), but they also have jeweled brads and ones that look just like eyelets. And what's even cooler are their themed brads like...

Candy Corns,
Christmas Trees,
Neckties and Bow Ties (for Father's Day),
Dog Bones, and for all your Las Vegas Layouts...
Casino Brads in the shape of poker chips and dice.

Check out Oriental Trading today!

I Found Them!!

The unfortunate thing about records, especially older ones, is that sometimes they're wrong. Even census records aren't correct 100% of the time (or consistent from census-to-census). So, when I went looking for my great-great grandfather's grave in Collegeville, I came up empty-handed using records that I thought were accurate.

But, as if he was leading me to him, I accidentally drove to Norristown while looking for a supermarket in King of Prussia one day (while at CKC-Valley Forge). When I got home, I started digging and found information that lead me to believe he was buried there...less than a mile from where I had been. Arrgghhh!!!

Fast forward to my second trip to Philly in less than a month.

With the boys napping in the car, and time to kill before the Wiggles concert, we drove up to Norristown to check it out. The cemetery is huge and the main office had yet to return my inquiry, so I was crossing my fingers that I would find him (and anyone else that was related). As we drove through the cemetery, I gave my husband strict instructions on what names to look for, oh and we were finding them,...all but the one I was really looking for. To quote me, "He's so close I can taste it," and as if he heard me from above, I look up to see a huge family marker. "Yes, Yes, Yes!!!" I tried to contain my excitement as the boys were still sleeping. I scrambled to find a place to park and grab my camera and hoped that my great-great grandparents were there...and they were, along with my great-great aunt and uncle. Relief set in as I was able to verify another fact in the family story.

Scrapbook Sketches: Opposites Attract

Just doing some sketching and thought I'd share... These two sketches are for a single, 12x12 layout and feature one large photo and several small complimentary photos. Enjoy!

On Being a Perfectionist

It stands to reason that scrapbooking and an overwhelming need to have everything be "just so," just don't mix... Yet, here I am, it's 10:00 at night and I'm coming to grips with an ever so slight laminating glitch on something that in a day's time my two-year old boys will not even notice. They're going to be squealing with joy because they have a portable picture book of their favorite "Things That Go" - the trash trucks and motorcycles that we look for every day on the way to school.

Scrapbooking isn't about being right, perfect or precise, it's about the person that benefits from it being perfectly happy that you made them something.

Staying in Fashion with Pantone Color Reports

Looking to spice up your scrapbook layouts with some of the hottest colors of the season. Check out Pantone's Fall 2006 Color Report.

Text Circles in MS Word

Looking to make a text circle for a CD cover or to put a cool twist on your scrapbook journaling, but don't have scrapbook software? Not a problem - text circles can be easily created in MS Word using the Word Art function. Just use the following steps:

In Word, go to the View Menu - select Toolbars --> then Word Art. On the Word Art Menu, click on the Blue A (it's kind of tilted to the side).

That will bring up the Word Art Gallery dialog box. You want to select the third option from the left in the very first row. It doesn't have a specific name, but it looks like bowed text. Click OK.

You will be then prompted to insert your text. Click OK.

Your text will not automatically appear in the shape of a circle, but it's easy to do. You will notice white guide boxes that surround the text that would form a triangle if you "connected the dots".

One of these boxes, on the left-hand side of your text, will appear as a yellow diamond. You want to left-click on the diamond(hold the mouse button down) and pull down.

You will then see a dashed line start to wrap around to form a circle. Once it's all the way around, you can let go.

Your text will look like a flattened circle at first, but your white guide boxes will help to fix that. You should see two in the middle of your text image.

You want to left-click on the bottom one (again hold down on the mouse button) and pull down again. Once you let go, you will see it's more in the shape of a circle. You can then click on the other white guide boxes to fine tune your circle.

Happy Journaling!

CKC - Valley Forge Review (Friday)

One of the benefits of taking so many classes was that you get free entry into the vendor faire and early entry into the vendor faire on Friday morning. So…since my first class on Friday wasn't until 11:00, I was going to take full advantage of the early entry to get some shopping done.

As I drove up to the Convention Center at 10 minutes to 9:00, I saw a mass of women standing outside the building. "Oh no," I thought, "…It's going to be a mad house in there", but honestly, was I expecting anything less? Not really. So, I took the bare essentials, headed towards the doors and who do I see, but Lisa Bearnson (founding editor of CK) signing autographs. I snap a few initial pictures – you didn't really think I'd go without a camera did you... and find the end of the line. No sooner had I done that did I hear that the power was out in the convention center and they had no idea when it would be back on (hence, Lisa was outside signing autographs, which was very nice of her).

Resigned to our "fate", some of us stood in line waiting to meet Lisa, others chatted with their friends and others burned over-priced gasoline sitting in their air conditioned cars. I don't know how long it really took for me to actually meet Lisa, but I'm pretty sure it was at least 45 minutes…and still no power.

So, we continue to "hang out" in the ever-increasing heat and humidity….waiting. I chatted with several different ladies and just took everything in. For so many women being kept from scrapping and/or shopping, not a one was cranky, feisty or in a bad mood. It might have been the free ice cream sandwiches that the folks from Skinny Cow were handing out. Who can turn down free ice cream at 10:00 AM?!

Another hour passed and they finally let us in. We were all admittedly drained from the heat and giving each other a pass on not being as "flowery" as we would normally be. Given that it was already 11:00, I was headed straight to class as opposed to the vendor faire, but after I got into class, I was so glad to be there, as this was a really cool one.

It's All About You Ruler Book (5 out of 5)… Our instructor was Debbie Hill – lead designer for Junkitz – and she was just plain cool. She had us laughing from the get-go, insisted that we get excited if we won a door prize and took us step-by-step through a GREAT project. It helped that we had two hours to complete it, but my thoughts are that each class should be at least an hour-and-a-half.

In Living Color (5 out of 5)… They warned us that the Bazzill + BasicGrey class was fast-paced, but it was nothing compared to this one. Despite the circumstances, you couldn't help but feel for our instructor… She had just come back from CHA, so she had probably been home for all of two minutes – just enough time to switch the clothes in her suitcase. It took her 22 hours to get from CA to PA and when she arrived the power in the hotel was out, so she had to sleep on a sofa in the lobby. And… to top things off, her new boss provided her with the ideas/supplies for kits, but hadn't bothered to put the kits together. So, her assistants were building them on the fly. The great thing was it somehow worked. As crazy as things seemed, we made six layouts in a little over an hour and all I have to say it keep your eyes out for the new Scrapworks paper because it is BEAUTIFUL!

Accordion Mantle Book (5 out of 5)… When I walked into class, I was exhausted from the day's events, but encouraged to see Debbie from my other Junkitz class was our instructor. Secretly, I was doing jumping jacks as I loved her class from earlier in the day. In this instance, she had asked for some help, so several of us volunteered to get things set-up, which, if asked, I recommend doing because as I quickly determined you get free supplies as "payment".

Despite the crazy start, Friday was by far the best day out of the three and I had to laugh at my appearance by the end of the day. I had somehow managed to get ink all over myself – it was even on my arms – so I resembled the name of the ink we had been using all day – black soot. No worries though, because I had two altered books and six layouts to show for it!

CKC – Valley Forge Review (Thursday)

Having never been to one of these types of events before, I loaded up on classes to get maximum impact and took a total of nine over the three days. I was/am still exhausted from the whole experience, but had a good time, got to create beautiful layouts and mini-books, but more importantly, it forced me to make the trip to Collegeville, PA to visit a town rich in my family's history. I had many questions answered, some still remain and some new ones to research, but that's the beauty of genealogy. Just when you get think you've got it all figured out…a new twist gets added to the fold.

I arrived in Pennsylvania late Wednesday night, so I wouldn't have to rush Thursday morning to make my 10:00 appointment at Ursinus College. And so we begin…

Thursday was almost a blur thanks to the oppressive heat and humidity and the Pennsylvania roads. I will preface what I'm about to say with the fact that I normally don't get lost, in fact, I consider myself quite the "navigator", but someone must have slipped Jack Sparrow's crazy compass into my car, or into Google Maps…, because I ended up everywhere but where I needed to go. I'd turn one way only to find a dead end. I'd think I was back on the right track only to find that the street I thought I could use was one way – in the wrong direction. Let's just say it got to the point where I broke down and made a $12.95 investment in a Metro Philly map, and yet… that didn't even seem to help, so I guess I'll chalk it up to good old O.E. (Operator Error).

I did make it to Ursinus, but with just enough time to walk across campus to the library, where I was to meet with the school historian to go over some of my ancestor's records. The experience was amazing. To quote Jack Nicholson, reading about my great-great grandfather, "…makes me want to be a better man", or in my case, woman. He had an amazing, though short, life and made such a contribution to his community. It made me think seriously about what I could do to "make a difference", if even just to one person, so we'll see where that takes me, but for now I'll concentrate on my two little buddies. Despite all the information I was able to gather from the school records, a few inconsistencies remain, so my search continues.

By the time I had finished in Collegeville, I had a little extra time, so I headed towards Valley Forge, hoping that the hotel would let me check in early – they did. I only had two classes on Thursday evening….CK's Block Party and Monogram Madness.

CK's Block Party (3 out of 5)… I can only describe the instructor for this class as the Energizer Bunny on a sugar high. I don't know if she was nervous, or just wasn't a good instructor, but she was talking so fast and taking breaths so infrequently, that I felt out of breath by the time our class was over.

Out of all the classes, this was the most design based and focused on how you can use squares and rectangles in your layouts to create movements and symmetry. The layout was pretty cool, but we got so wrapped around the proverbial axle (at all the wrong points) that we never got very far, though we did have the instructions, so I am in the process of finishing it up.

Tips from class - You can use the index prints from your developed film as additional space fillers/embellishments on your layouts. Also, you can stamp an image on a square piece of paper, cut it into four pieces and then used glossy accents over top of each piece to make them look like tiles – very cool effect.

Monogram Madness (2 out of 5)… This class was slightly misleading. I figured we'd be making one of those super-cool chipboard monograms that are embellished to the hilt, but alas, this class focused on stamps and we spent the first 10-15 minutes cutting out stamped images. The layout that we made was OK, but I found the most beneficial information came in the form of some cool tips that our instructor shared with us. For those of you that stamp a lot, this was probably obvious to you, but to a "non-stampers" they were some pretty neat tricks.

For example, to add a pattern to stamp, you do the following:

Ink up your primary stamp (like a letter stamp).

Ink up a portion of a patterned stamp (like a script block) in a different colored ink.

Then, apply the patterned stamp to the primary stamp.

Finally, stamp your image.

You can "kick this up a notch" and add a border around your image by taking a dark marker and coloring the edges of the stamp (kind of like you would do to a piece of paper and an ink pad).

Who knew stamps could be so versatile?!

Friday started with a bang…literally – courtesy of Mother Nature. A line of violent storms came charging through Valley Forge during the VERY early morning hours on Friday. It woke me up and, as I would find out later than morning, knocked out power to the convention center and adjoining hotels. Let's just say we were all a little worn out by the time the day actually started.

More to follow…

A Trip Back in Time

Tonight I'm off.... Off to "touch and feel" some of the results of my genealogical research and to enjoy a weekend away at a scrapbook convention.

My Destination: SE Pennsylvania (more specifically...Collegeville and Valley Forge)

The former to visit Ursinus College and have some fun digging in the archives to learn some more tidbits about my ancestors. The latter to go to the Creating Keepsakes Conventions - three days, nine classes and more scrapbook supplies than any woman should be allowed near with a credit card. :-)

I haven't finished packing, but that's OK...that's normal. I've packed for a week long trip to Germany in less than an hour before, so I should be fine, as long as I don't forget my glue dots!!

More to follow....

Wedding Anniversary Journaling Checklist

Whether it's your first, fifth or fiftieth wedding anniversary, you can get so caught up with the day-to-day activities that you don't realize how much actually changes in your lives.

So, why not make a "Then and Now" scrapbook layout and use the following questions to spark your journaling (and see just how much has transpired, since you both said, "I do"):

What jobs did you have then and what jobs do you have now? You may still be with the same company, but has your position title changed?

How has your family "structure" changed? What pets (if any) did you have when you got married? What (if any) do you have now? Do you have children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren?

Where did you live then? Where do you live now (and how many moves were there in between)?

Take a trip through the history books and compare the events of the past to current world events. For example someone married during the height of the Cold War would have been hard pressed to go along with the idea that "The Wall" would ever come down and yet…here we are.

NOTE: Don't limit your trip through time to political events, but look at businesses that were around when you were married or your hometown sports teams. When the Senators left Washington, D.C., no one thought baseball would ever return, but again…here we are.

What were your favorites (music, movies, food, etc.) then and what are your favorites now?

Happy Scrapping!!

Starter Tips for Photoshop Elements

You've been saving up for a copy of Photoshop Elements (PSE), so you can dabble in a little digital scrapbooking, but you open it up and have no clue where to begin. You're probably wondering... What is a layer? What is a filter? And how do I do something as simple as changing a photo to black and white?

As the process of learning PSE can be daunting, we thought we'd share a few tips with you to get you going.

To resize an image, you can use Alt+Ctrl+I or go to the Image Menu, select Resize and then Image Size. The same dialog box will appear with either option, it just depends on whether you like to use Shortcut keys or not. You then have the choice of resizing your image by percent, inches, centimeters, etc.

To change your photo to black and white, go to the Enhance menu, select Adjust Color and then Adjust Hue/Saturation (or Ctrl+U). You then want to pull the Saturation setting all the way to the left (so it equals -100).

To create a sepia-toned photo, you open the Adjust Hue/Saturation dialog box (Ctrl+U) and click on the colorize checkbox. Then, drag the hue slider from left to right until you find the color you like. For a brown tone, the hue value should be around 40. To create a deeper or lighter tone, just adjust the saturation slider until you get the effect you like.

NOTE: These effects will change the actual pixels of the image. If you just want to create a layer, that will leave the original image intact, you can create an adjustment layer that will create the same effect (Layer Menu --> New Adjustment Layer or click on the half-black/half-white circle in your layer window and select Adjust Hue/Saturation).

Happy (Digital) Scrapping!!

Come Join Us at Flickr!

We have set up a layout gallery on Flickr and we'd love for you to stop by for a visit!!

The Main (Scrapbooking) Event

Creating Keepsakes has just unveiled a centralized website for all of their events - conventions, cruises...you name it, it's there. They will even be providing online eduction opportunities starting this August.

Happy Scrapping!!

There's Nothing Basic about Bazzill Basics Cardstock!!

Do you love BasicGrey Patterned Paper?! Do you spend way too much time in your LSS finding cardstock that matches perfectly? Great news… Bazzill has done all the work for you and come up with a list of coordinating cardstock to BasicGrey's wonderfully wild paper.

Enjoy!

Blitzen: grenadine, ruby slipper, pear, dark olive, hillary, avalanche, powder blue, jet stream, waterfall, lakeshore

Color Me Silly: candy apple, red devil, butterfly, sunshine, bumble bee, limeaide, icy blue, true teal, mardi gras, brocade

Fusion: piglet, strawberry, gumbo, orange crush, burnt ember, cocoa butter, canteen, wild pansy, mardi gras, pansy

Hang 10: yam, lemonade, pickle, salsa verde, anchor, dock, dark denim, light house, buttercup, hershey

Lollipop Shoppe: chablis, red hot, maraschino, dandelion, green tea, pistachio, teal op, true teal, raindrop, lavender twilight

Lucky: rose, hot pink, watermelon, pomegranate, dandelion, macintosh, guacamole, starlight, pearberry, concord

Oh Baby-Boy: tropicana, squash, dark tangerine, apricot, limeaide, apple green, grass green, wave, sparrow, jacaranda

Oh Baby-Girl: pollen, squash, melon, apricot, light rosey, dark rosey, ruby red, bubble blue, katydid, heather

Phresh and Phunky: mauve ice, petunia, cucumber, fern, ivy, waterfall, jacaranda, stonewash, lighthouse

Skate Shoppe: cream puff, limeaide, sea breeze, pistachio, turquoise mist, icy blue, artesian pool, starlight, mocha divine, dark chocolate

Urban Couture: firehearts, watermelon, red hot, sunbeam, green tea, breathtaking, rain drop, iced cocoa, mocha divine

Vagabond: yukon gold, curry spice, honeycomb, buttercup, leapfrog, fern, dark taupe, windy, sapphire, nightmist

For more information on selecting colors for your scrapbook layouts, check out our article on color!

Free Digital Scrapbook Download - Yellow Ribbon

As we all prepare to celebrate America's birthday, we know there are more than a few family's out there with a son, daughter, husband or wife who is serving our Country in the name of freedom. For you, and anyone else that is working on a digital scrapbook layout for their Soldier, please feel free to download this yellow ribbon for use in your layouts.

There is no charge to you and you can download as many times as you need to. Just right click on the picture, select "Save Picture As" and save it to your hard drive. The *.png file is only about 29 KB, but is saved at 300 ppi and the background is transparent (despite it's appearance here on the website).

We here at Choubox Scrapbook Design wish you and your family a very happy and safe Independence Day!

Father's Day Gift Idea

You've given him the obligatory tie... You've given him a set of grilling tools... and now you're looking for something different, something more personal.

Why not try a "scrapbook" gift? It doesn't have to be complicated. In fact, it's very simple and can be done in less than an hour.

Take your favorite pictures of the kids from the past year and make your Dad, Father-In-Law, Husband or Grandfather a 12*12 "Year in the Life" scrapbook layout (see sketch for layout idea). Then, put it in a frame, so they can show off their beautiful family at the office!!

Big Bix Bargains

When we think of Wal-Mart and Target, we don't necessarily think of scrapbook supplies (like we would of our local craft store), but you'd be surprised at the bargains you can find!!

Target, for example, has an actual scrapbook section, but if you go a few aisles over to the card section, you will find some cute epoxy stickers...that always seem to be on clearance. You can also get paper clips in a variety of shapes and sizes in the school supplies aisle:

A 5-count pack of primary color, jumbo clips is $1.50,

A 48-count pack of tropical color, geometric shaped clips is $2.00, and

A 50-count pack of metallic, circle clips is $3.00.

The options are obviously limited, but whose not for saving a little money every now and then!

Wal-Mart, too, has a good selection of scrapbooking basics and some of the best prices we've seen. EK Success Adornaments Scrapbook Fibers are only $5.00 and Vario Tab Refills are less than $6.00 - both $1.00 plus less than what you'll find at most stores.

Happy Saving!!

Making Your Own Patterned Paper

Announcing Baby's Arrival

Looking for a unique way to add a baby's birth date to a scrapbook layout or handmade announcement?

Just go into Microsoft Word, or your word processor of choice, and type in baby's birth date in various font types and sizes (even do different date formats). Do about five lines to create some variety, copy and paste it several times to create a large block of text (your pattern) and then print it out onto cardstock that will match your layout. Then, all you have to do is cut it to fit the size of the scrapbook element (e.g., a 2" x 8" strip).

Toddler Art

If you have a toddler around the house that is just getting into crayons, have them create some patterned paper for you! Just sit them down with a sheet of white cardstock, some crayons and let them color away.

Take pictures of them while they're doing it and you've got the makings of an adorable layout!!

Subscriptions for Soldiers

Are you looking for another way to support our troops? Send a Soldier a gift subscription to a magazine. Primedia, Inc., publisher of some of our favorite scrapbooking magazines (Creating Keepsakes, Simple Scrapbooks, Paper Crafts), has made 47 of its magazines available for free to any active-duty Soldier serving overseas.

For more information on the program, including how to make a donation, go to Subscriptions for Soldiers. For Soldiers interested in signing up for free subscriptions, send an e-mail to information@subscriptionsforsoldiers.com.

Grass Stains - Guaranteed

Do you have a little soccer player in your family or a little boy that loves to play outside? Feel like you're always trying to get grass stains out of their clothes? Well, take those unsightly stains and transfer them to your scrapbook pages. That's right...re-create grass stains on your scrapbook layouts using Tim Holtz's Distress Ink. Specifically, using the Peeled Paint shade, just drag the ink pad across your scrapbook element or journaling mat at a 45 degree angle (like you were sliding through the grass). It's a great shade of green - guranteed to create grass stains that will last for years to come!

A Little Scrap Can Go a Long Way...

In the 1800s, scrapbooks first got their name from the different "scraps" (tickets, clippings, etc.) that were contained within them. These days one could make a case for scrapbooks getting their name from the amount of "scrap" paper that gets generated in the process, and before you stick that next strip of scrap paper in the trash, think about it's possible uses...

Testing out new tools and techniques

Imagine... You just bought an embossing heat tool and are anxious to use it on a layout for your wedding scrapbook. Are you going to give it a test run on fancy paper that cost you $1.00/sheet? Of course not, that's what scrap paper is for! You can use those small pieces of excess cardstock to test out edging scissors, die cut machines, stamps, chalks, paints and inks.

Layout Templates

We are firm believers in the saying, "measure twice, cut once". Often used by carpenters, it can apply to just about any other craft, especially scrapbooking. You wouldn't cut into an expensive piece of paper, if you aren't quite sure exactly what size it needs to be. So, take some scrap paper and create your own layout template system. There's no need to spend $60, $80 or $100 dollars on a store bought version, when regular old cardstock will do the trick. Just cut out various shapes to represent the pictures and some basic scrapbook elements (paper strips, mats, etc.) and you're on your way.

Embellishments

Save those scraps of fancy patterned paper, and even good quality cardstock, to create your own embellishments. You can use small pieces of paper to cover a piece of chipboard, create a frame or die-cut shape or mat stickers for a title.

No matter how insignificant it might seem at the time, even the smallest pieces of paper could be used in another layout, especially if it's a basic color that you use on a regular basis.

Happy Scrapping!