Nutz about Stamping

How to create a happy and colorful scrapbook page

If you love memory keeping or scrapbooking, I have such a happy and colorful Happiness Blooms page idea to show you today. I used the following products and some scraps of Night of Navy, Whisper White and Call Me Clover - and that's it!

 

Bitty Blooms Punch Pack
$23.00

Happiness Blooms Memories & More Card Pack
$10.00

Variety Pack 12" X 12" Photo Pocket Pages
$7.50

You can click on any of the small photos above to link over to my online store to place a product order - and qualify for a FREE Sale-a-bration item (until March 31st). 

Let me walk you through my design process. 

The first card was super easy to make: I layered Call Me Clover onto Night of Navy and then onto a 4" x 6" Whisper White. The square is for a photo and the remaining white space on the side is for a photo title or journaling.  The final touch on this card was three punched flowers:

The card below used one of the card pack cards with a square of Call Me Clover on top - for another photo. The Whisper White banner and floral embellishment (from the card pack) completed this card:

The card below used one of the card pack cards and I added a Call Me Clover and punched flower embellishment. I could add a photo but most likely will leave it blank. 

The card below is another card pack card with a square of Call Me Clover added on top. I finished it off with a Night of Navy banner and flower sticker embellishment:

The next cards is a 4" x 6" card from the pack. I added a Whisper White layer with a sticker border. This will be my title card for my page. 

The two cards below are for journaling and come from the card pack. I left them plain:

And here is my final Happiness Blooms page using all the cards above - ready for my next adventure. I slid all the page cards into one of the Photo Pocket Pages, ready for my photos and memories:

See how easy it is to create a scrapbook or Memories & More page? Why not give it try and preserve your fun life memories too!

Preserve your memories with this fun layout challenge

If you have been following my blog for the past few years you may have noticed that I have lost my memory keeping mojo - and seldom posted scrapbook or Project Life layouts. 

Well no more of that nonsense. What helped me get my mojo back was joining a Facebook page called Scrapbooking for Newbies. The owner of this page placed an order at my online store and then she invited me to join her group. I happily joined because I wanted to get back into memory keeping simply because I love it. 

Last week Kimberly (the group owner) posted this fun layout challenge:

I decided to give it a go and see what I could come up with to share over on our group page. 

I chose my Best Route product suite to help me with my layout:

Best Route Memories & More Card Pack
$10.00

Best Route Designer Series Paper
$11.00

Best Route Enamel Shapes
$7.00

These products make scrapbooking a breeze! I used one of the card pack cards as my title and a second card for a journaling spot, then used my Tailored Tag punch and left over bits of the Best Route designer paper to punch the shapes across the middle of the page - rather than use squares. 

I am delighted with my page and now need to grab some photos to finish it off:

If you scrapbook, why not join our fun layout challenge on your next page? And consider joining our Facebook group - newbies or not newbies are welcome! 

Here's how to use your colorful washi tape

Did you ever get the urge to create a scrapbook page? I rarely do but for some reason today I knew I wanted to craft using my Best Route product suite and to feature my washi tape in this suite. 

Here's the Best Route suite - products designed for all your adventures! (pages 52-53 Annual Catalog)

And here are the individual products in the suite - yes I own them all!

En Route Clear-Mount Stamp Set
$21.00

I do a fair bit of travel for my day job and have an upcoming trip to Hong Kong. Since I wanted to create a scrapbook page, I thought, why not get a travel page ready for the photos I will be taking while on my trip?

Here's my page - I used the washi tape, the enamel shapes, the designs paper, the En Route stamp set, and the solid cardstock. I didn't use the card pack (forgot I had it, eek!) or the embossing folder but I might make a partner page using these products and see how it turns out. For a fun detail I used Stampin' Dimensionals under the photo layer - I love how it looks in real life!

Do you scrapbook or keep your memories in some way? Leave me a comment and let me know if you have used a product suite on your pages. We can share ideas!

 

How to preserve your amazing life memories: companion page

Yesterday I created a Happiness Blooms memories page to capture some of my recent life adventures. There are so many terms and styles for preserving your memories: scrapbooking, Project Life®, or memory keeping pages, and Stampin' Up!s Memories & More® collections. 

Regardless of how you call it, what I have learned over the years is that your photos are always there but the specific memories may fade away over time: where was this taken? why did I take it? who is this person in the photo? what year was this? (and so on)

In today's video below I am going to show you how to create a companion page for the Happiness Blooms page I created yesterday. The beauty of this page is that you don't need a lot of supplies - not even stamps or ink!

Here are some of the supplies I used to create my page - click on any of them to link over to my Online Store:

Happiness Blooms Memories & More Card Pack
$10.00

Bitty Blooms Punch Pack
$23.00

Variety Pack 12" X 12" Photo Pocket Pages
$7.50

1" (2.5 Cm) Circle Punch
$13.00

 

In the video below my page photo, I walk you through what I did to create each pocket card. 

Here's my companion page:

Happiness Blooms pocket page

Supplies:

Paper and cutting dimensions:
          Pineapple Punch: 4" x 6"; 2 3/4" square; scraps for flowers
          Night of Navy: 4" x 6"; 2 3/4" square; 3 3/4" x 3 1/4" 
          Whisper White: 6" x  1 1/2"; 4" x 1"
          Calypso Coral: scraps for flowers
          In Color 6x6 Designer Series Paper (2018-20, 146963, Pineapple Punch): 3" x 4"

Accessories: Happiness Blooms Memories & More card pack (148531), SNAIL adhesive, Fine Tip Glue pen, Variety Pack 12x12 photo pocket pages (144204), 1" circle punch (119868)

Here's my video tutorial, thanks for watching.

So tell me, which memories page do you like best? The one I created yesterday, or the one today? Leave me a comment under this post to let me know your fave. 

Here's how you can preserve your amazing life memories

Don't let your photographs sit idle on your digital devices or in boxes tucked away in a cupboard! Preserve not only your photos but also your amazing life memories. 

There are so many terms and styles for preserving your memories: scrapbooking, Project Life®, and Stampin' Up!s Memories & More®, or memory keeping. 

Regardless of how you call it, what I have learned over the years is that your photos are always there but the specific memories may fade away over time: where was this taken? why did I take it? who is this person in the photo? what year was this? (and so on)

I love both traditional scrapbooking and the Memories & More system for keeping my memories. I especially love Stampin' Up!s system because it is quick and easy and you do not need a lot of supplies either. This is the perfect system for beginners but experienced scrapbookers can add their own style and embellishments to take each card to the next level. 

Here's a look at the pocket pages system and one example of a card pack. Then keep on reading for one page idea using the Happiness Blooms card pack and how I created some special pocket card ideas.

 

Variety Pack 12" X 12" Photo Pocket Pages
$7.50

Happiness Blooms Memories & More Card Pack
$10.00

 

There are a couple of choices for pocket pages. I prefer the variety pack because I like...variety when crafting. You can also purchase 12x12 page protectors for a more traditional style. 

For today's sample I used one of the variety pages: 

So let's me break this page down for you to show you what I did for some of these cards:

Title card: this card was one from the Happiness Blooms card pack. I added a layer of Whisper White so that I have a title for page. Right now it is blank until I know what photos I want to use for my page. I also added a dotted strip from one of the sticker sheets in the Happiness Blooms card pack to make the title stand out a bit more. 

Next I selected two cards from the card pack that I will use for journaling my memories. I left them as they are because I want to feature what I will write on each card. 

The card below is another from the card pack but I added a few details. First I added a 2 3/4" Call Me Clover square near the top of the card. I will crop a photo to adhere on top of this square.

Then I added a Whisper White banner (hand-cut). Finally I added a flower sticker from one of the Happiness Blooms sticker sheets. 

The card below is another choice from the Happiness Blooms card pack. I added another Call Me Clover photo square, a Night of Navy banner and another flower sticker to the banner. 

The final card for my page is one I created from scratch. I cut a 4" x 6" Whisper White card, and created a final photo square from Night of Navy and Call Me Clover. Then I used my Bitty Blooms punch pack to create three flower embellishments for added interest on this card.

I love this punch pack!

Bitty Blooms Punch Pack
$23.00

There is also room or journaling on the right side of this card:

I added one final Night of Navy 4" x 6" card to hold a full sized photo so no embellishments are needed.

And that's my page. It took me about 15 minutes to make this page but it will take you a lot less now that you know my method.

Do you preserve your memories? Let me know which system you use most by clicking the 'comment' link under this blog post. I love hearing from you!

Do you know how to preserve your travel memories?

It is not as hard as you think. Purchase the Best Route product suite and some 12x12 cardstock and you are good to go for many travel experiences. 

Oh, and you also need to travel and take photos while in all those amazing places!

Here's the Best Route product suite in case you don't know what I am talking about - it was designed for cards and memory pages:

This suite was part of my first purchase in the Annual Catalog because I knew I would use it up in a flash. 

Click here to link over to my online store!

Now let me show you how to use some of the Best Route products to make a travel page.

1. Choose your page layer - I chose Gray Granite because it is one of the colors in the Best Route paper (I have a thing about matching colors!). 
   
   
2. Choose your favorite pattern in the Best Route designer series paper pack. My layer is 8" x 12". 

 

3. Add a strip of coordinating (yes there's that need again!) Best Route washi tape - I added a strip of Gray Granite up my page, where the designer paper meets the card stock base. 

 

4. Choose and create your page title. I decided to use my Large Letters framelits to disc-cut my title - a pricey item but one with no regrets:

Large Letters Framelits Dies
$99.00

Hint: share the cost of this item with your crafty friends and share the letters around as needed!

 

 

5. Create some photo layers: my layers are 5" x 3" with a layer of Mango Melody underneath. I used my Circle Tab punch (another fun product!) to create an additional embellishment to the end of each photo layer:

Circle Tab Punch
$18.00

 

 

Hint: you can create larger photo layers for your page - just tweak the layout. 

6. Add a phrase from the En Route stamp set at the top and your page is done! 

Once I select and add my photos I will have lots of room on the right side to journal - or add a short bit under each photo in the space available. 

Traveling is an amazing experience and I wish you many travel adventures and fun memories to create and preserve in the coming years! Add a comment below and tell us which location in the world (near OR far) that is #1 on your bucket list! I'd also love to hear if you want to see more scrapbook/memory keeping page blog posts!

Mine is: Greece!

How to preserve your amazing memories

If you travel amazing places or love to preserve your memories then have a look at today's project! Stampin' Up! offers four different card packs and when I first spotted the Best Route pack I knew I had to have it for all my travel and life adventure photos. 

The Best Route card pack is part of the Best Route product suite and I used many product from the suite to create my pocket page below. I also created a video tutorial (under photo) showing how I make each card unique.

First, here are the products I used:

 

Best Route Memories & More Card Pack
$10.00

Best Route Enamel Shapes
$7.00

Best Route Washi Tape
$5.50

En Route Clear-Mount Stamp Set
$21.00

Click here to link over to my Online Store to purchase this product suite!

 

Best Route Pocket Page

Stamp set: En Route (146594)

Ink: Blueberry Bushel

Paper and cutting dimensions:
          Whisper White: 3 1/4" square; 1/4" x 3"; 1 1/2" square
          Mango Melody: two pieces 4" x 6"; two pieces 1/4" x 3"; 2" square
          Blueberry Bushel: 3 1/4" square; 3/4" x 3"

Accessories: Big Shot, Magnetic Platform, Layering Circles framelits (141705), Best Route Washi Tape (146901), SNAIL adhesive, Stampin' Dimensionals, Best Route Enamel Shapes (146900), Best Route Card Pack (147036), Variety Pack 12x12 Pocket Pages (144204)

Here's a video showing you step-by-step how to make this page - if you want to see more ideas like this one, leave me a comment under this blog post! 

A cultural experience never to be forgotten

We are so lucky. We have so many opportunities at our fingertips, crafting being just one of them. 

For the past week I was in Cambodia on my first solo tour ever - and this was one experience I will never forget. I hired a young female guide to spend three day with me, to take me to her favorite temples and to share the history of Cambodia with me. How little I knew. And how fortunate I really feel. 

Here are a few photos of my temples experience:

While I was away I promised myself that I would take up memory keeping once more because I know that as I travel some more and other life events happen, memories fade away. I used to scrapbook all the time but at one point I lost interest. It's back!

As soon as I get my photos printed and have designed my page layouts I will share them in a future post. So come on back soon!

 

How to create a sweet treats birthday for a special friend

Today I have a sweet birthday card idea using the Cool Treats bundle and Playful Palette washi tape.  You won't want to miss my video below to learn where I got my card idea! 

Here are the products I used to make my card. You can click on any of the photos to place an order at my Online Store: 

 

Playful Palette Designer Washi Tape
$4.80

Cool Treats Photopolymer Bundle
$48.50

 

Cool Treats birthday card

Stamp set: Cool Treats (bundle available until May 31, 2017: #145181)

Ink: Sweet Sugarplum, Blushing Bride

Paper and cutting dimensions:
          Blushing Bride: 8 1/2 x 5 1/2"
          Whisper White: 4" x 1 3/4", two pieces: 2 1/4" x 1"
          In Color designer series paper: 4 1/2" x 1/4"

Accessories: Big Shot, Magnetic platform, Playful Palette washi tape, Stampin' Dimensionals, Paper Doily

Here's my video tutorial, thanks for watching!

 

Sharing the beauty and wonder of Japan

Hello from Tokyo! I am very fortunate to work for an international education non-profit organization and to travel to different locations to present at conferences. This past week I presented at a conference in Yokohama and tomorrow will be visiting a school in Tokyo. 

Today is my day off so I ventured out into Tokyo to see some of the sights and thought I would share them with you too!

This has been an amazing week and I have found the Japanese people to be lovely. If you have the opportunity to travel this country is a must-see in my humble opinion! I can't wait to return home and add many memories and photos to my Project Life album!

It's Here - the December Paper Pumpkin kit!

It’s been another great year, and now it’s time to save those memories. The December 2016 Another Great Year Kit makes it easy! Simply arrange the patterned papers and window sheets just how you want, embellish with washi tape, stickers, and photos. Then, use the rotary stamp and Basic Black Stampin’ Write® Marker to capture your favorite memories for years to come.

Here's a peek at this amazing kit!

This kit makes memory keeping easy and completely customizable. Use the patterned papers, window sheets, stickers, and washi tape to embellish your book. And, for the first time ever—we’ve included a rotary stamp and Basic Black Stampin’ Write® Marker to help you jot down and journal every moment!

Go grab yours now, and make 2017 another great year! It’s available while supplies last.

Subscribe here - OR - give a subscription as a last minute gift! 

Purchase here: http://ow.ly/GDqD307jfmP and Stampin' Up! will send you an email with a printable gift card and a subscription code.

 

Living in and loving the beautiful Netherlands

Today I want to post something completely different - a peek into the country that I currently live in. I am not sure that you know this but two years ago I was offered an amazing opportunity to work and live in the Netherlands for a non-profit global education organization. I just couldn't turn down this experience so I took my Stampin' Up! business totally online (thanks to all who have still supported me!), packed my bags and jumped right in.

Recently I decided that I had better explore this amazing country so I have no regrets. Two weeks ago I jumped on the train to head to Dordrecht, a city in the south part of the Netherlands. 

Here's my view of this experience - soon to become a series of Project Life pages and memories to preserve forever:

My advice is to take chances in life and see what comes your way. Maybe you, like me, will have amazing experiences too!

 

Project Life layout for a traditional page idea

If you have purchased the Subtles paper stack, you may be wondering how to use all those delicious designs. 

Here's a page idea to capture your memories - this layout will feature the photo instead of detract from it! Don't miss the list of products and step-by-step instructions below. 

 

This is an easy page idea using one of our Project Life Photo Pocket Pages combined with a touch of traditional scrapbooking. Use this layout as a title page in an album or to highlight a special 4” x 6” Photo.  

SUPPLIES

Paper (including cutting dimensions):
Subtles Designer Series Paper Stack Calypso Coral Prints (138437) 3- 4” x 6”, 6- 3” x 4”
Calypso Coral Card Stock (122295) 6” x 8”
Whisper White Card Stock (100730) 5” x 7” and scrap for punching

Accessories:
Stampin’ Trimmer (126889)
Variety Pack 1 Project Life Photo Pocket Pages (135294)
Bow Builder Punch (137414)
Glue Dots (103683)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Slip cut pieces of designer paper into photo pockets arranging prints as desired.
2. Mount Whisper White piece over top Calypso Coral card stock with Glue Dots.
3. Attach this piece to top of Photo Pocket Page with Glue Dots.
4. Punch and assemble bow with Glue Dots.
5. Attach bow to card stock as shown. 
6. Your page is ready for a title or special 4” x 6” photo!

How to make your own matching Project Life cards

This week I had an amazing adventure in the gorgeous city of Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic. This city is a photographer's dream and so of course I took a bazillion photos and plan to record my memories using Project Life by Stampin' Up!. 

I had no difficulties figuring out that I wanted to use the retiring Going Places paper stack for some pocket inserts but I did have a hard time trying to decide on additional inserts that were not simply paper designs. 

I created my own pocket insert and made a video tutorial to show you the steps. I used these products:

And these products - click on any of the photos below to hop on over to my online store. Many of the products I used are retiring at the end of this month:

Going Places Designer Series Paper Stack
$8.00

Chalk Talk Framelits Dies
$17.50

Project Life Remember This Photopolymer Stamp Set
$13.60

 

Going Places pocket card

I love hearing from you, please post your comments under this blog post!

Stamp set: Remember This (135786 - retiring May 31, 2016)

Ink: Cajun Craze

Paper and cutting dimensions:

     Sahara Sand: 4" x 3", scraps for punching
     Very Vanilla: 2 3/4" x 3 3/4"
     Cajun Craze: scraps for punching

Accessories: Big Shot, Magnetic Platform. 1 3/4" scallop circle punch, Banner punch (133519, retiring), Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack (133787, retiring), Variety Pack Project Life Photo Pocket Pages (135294), Chalk Talk framelits (129983, retiring)

Now, for the video tutorial - thanks for watching!

First make memories, second preserve them!

Recently my son and I did our favorite activities together - cook. For years we have shared conversation, tastings, recipes and fun times in the kitchen and when I was back home recently we chose a cooking class at Sur la Table to enjoy together. 

Below are some of my favorite photos from the event. And when I get settled in my new apartment I plan to unpack my Project Life products (Memories in the Making bundle) for some memory making hours. 

***To place an order for Project Life products, click here!

 

And here's a few of the photos I took to capture our time together:

 

Do you have favorite memories you want to preserve too? Consider Project Life - it's fun and it's easy!