General Principals

If I had a motto it would be..do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I'm the person at the grocery store who will reach for something on a tall shelf for someone who can't reach it. I talk to people when waiting in lines trying to say something that will brighten their day. I will drive your kids to school, take care of your dog when you're on vacation or sit with you at the hospital. It's just who I am. I try and see the best in people..but, some days I think that I am naive.

Those of you who know me- know that I invented a "spinning rack" for scrapbook supplies. I knew when I put the first one together that it was a killer idea and that it probably could be profitable. But, I decided to post the step by step instructions for free on Rocky Mountain Hobbies.

The rack was very well received - I got a lot of thanks and even some gifts from people wanting to thank me in the mail. Nearly 50,000 times have the instructions been viewed.

I've had people from Blogs and other Scrapbook Sites contact me asking if they could post the instructions- as long as they linked back to the instructions I had no problem with it. I still don't.

Last week, however, I discovered that a person decided to profit from my idea- without my permission. Not cool. They crossed a line and it's hurtful.

I wrote the person a series of emails and they eventually agreed to stop selling the plans.

What do you think? Was I out of line or do think I did the right thing?

The internet has made it so easy for someone to pass something off as their own. I worry that people will stop sharing their ideas.

Letter Stickers-

I have a love/hate relationship with letter stickers. I think they are great and am amazed at how many wonderful fonts, colors and sizes they come in...but, I hate when I have a ton of letters left over and I've run out of one of the letters that I need to make a title. So frustrating. Then what do I do with all the leftover letters? They are perfectly fine, no way I am going to throw them away. On top of that every sheet of letter stickers comes with numbers. I rarely seem to use big numbers on a layout- what do you do with all of them? As I continue to put together my dream Scraproom- my organizing led me to see just how many partially used sheets of alphabet stickers that I have...it's not a pretty site. So for this layout I decided to do something about it and challenged myself to use leftover stickers. Each "16" comes from a different sheet of stickers. I like the result- hope you do too.

Paper Weaving

Here's a quick and easy tip.... use up left over patterned paper or cardstock strip and weave them together to make a pretty card. I apply a strip of double sided tape at the top fold line of the card and then line up all the strips. Then I begin weaving from the other direction. Finally I adhere the other 3 sides with a liquid glue and trim all the edges to fit the card.

Creature of Comfort

Have you ever stopped and pondered the little things in life that make you happy? Things that if they disappeared from the face of the earth that you'd miss desperately? It's a great topic for a scrapbook page about you. I had to stop and think long and hard about the things that I need to be "Me".
I really enjoyed this project. First I designed the tage. The inside looks much trickier than it really is....


To create the slots inside I used small envelopes called coin envelopes. I cut the flaps off of the top and then glued them together with just a little glue in the center of each and then attached them to cardstock pocket. The pocket it held closed with self adhesive velcro circles. This same technique can be used with any sized envelopes to create places to hide secret journaling or large envelopes can be put together to create entire albums. I love that it looks so complicated - HA!

The last thing I did was make the cards of the things I can't live without to go inside. Each card is the size of a business card. I just went around the house and took photos! That's our rooster Waddle D! Every time he crows I feel myself grin.
I also can't live without denim and keds - can you tell I'm a country girl yet?
Amazing how much you get to know a person by the simple things they love. Consider
taking photos or things you love and making a layout. I promise you won't regret it
and it's nice to make something about the person who is usually the one behind the camera!

From Trash to Treasure

I spend a lot of time sitting in my car waiting for my kids. It's gotten so bad that lately I have taken to packing a tote bag with projects I can do in the car. It can't be anything to messy, or that has to many pieces. There can't be drying time involved and it has to be something I stop doing and then later pick back up where I left off. Lately my car project has been making envelopes. All I need to pack is a marker, a template, and whatever materials I want to use to make the envelope.
My material of choice has been empty boxes. So far I've turned boxes from Coco Pebbles, Strawberry Mini Wheats, and Busch beer into fun, envelopes. I have an envelope template. But, if you don't you can always carefully take apart an envelope you have and trace it. This is a great way to get varying sizes!
For working in the car I try and have the envelope traced onto the box before I go.. then when in the car I cut them out and fold them... scoring down hard on all fold lines. A good strong adhesive is a must. I like using E6000, but not in the car!!
The fumes- enclosed space, not a good picture! So I usually wait until I get home to glue and then set something heavy on top while they dry.

So far my favorite is this one made from a box of Cheweez dog treats. I think the little dog looks so cute. I plan on adding a white sticker to the front of each envelope for the actual address. Not bad for free, huh? And boy are they sturdy!
I'm hoping to make more envelopes from things like old calendar pages and shopping bags and leftover wallpaper. It sure beats just sitting there!

Those Were The Days?

When I first started scrapping I was really involved in Swapping. Oh, how I loved them. You'd sign up for a category or a theme and then what you wanted to make that fit that theme... tags, a topper, a journaling box etc. etc. Then you'd make one for everyone else in your group. Mail them all to a hostess - who would then sort everything and send you back one of everyone else's creations. How exciting it was to get those big fat brown packages in the mail full of unknown scrapping goodies! I was like a kid on halloween with all my goodies sorted and spread out on the floor in front of me!

I am sure that SWAP groups still exist out there somewhere. I currently don't belong to any. Sure they were filled with drama. This person didn't send their things in on time (or sometimes not at all), this person's work just wasn't up to snuff or that person cheaped out on what they were to buy. But, there is something about it that I miss. The exhange of ideas. Once I was signed up for a "slot" in a swap I would begin obsessing about it. (I was partial to doing tags) I would plot and plan and shop for the perfect papers and embellishments to create something I would be proud to share.

Afterall this little piece of me, being sent to Scrappers nationwide might become a piece of a treasured family heirloom. I put countless hours into making and creating unique, can't be bought, original embellishments. Handmade bugs on real sticks with googly eyes, Teeny tiny hand cut and chalked McDonald's french fries, Handwoven minature baskets. These things can't be bought!
Like everything else we've all become caught up in the what's new in the stores mentality. That "got to have it" latest product craze. But, at what price? As
crafters we treasure what we've made and hope that others will too. If even "we" those who craft have foresaken that handmade for that mass produced... who will
cherish our work?

Through swapping I've made friends I hold dear today. Through swapping, I learned to push the creative envelope and try new things. Through swapping I grew a large collection of wonderful things made by women I've never met that I cherish. I look at them and still marvel at home differently we all think and create. Without swapping are we loosing that exchange of ideas? Pictured in the post are some of the things I made for swaps over the years. I would never have made any of them if it hadn't been for a swap and can't help to wonder- what would swapping be like today?
With so many new technique and products available - I think the creations would be amazing. I don't know about you- but, I could sure use a big fat brown envelope in my mailbox full of handmade scrapping goodness. How fun.

Garlands

I have seen garlands made from Scrapbooking supplies here and there... I had hoped to make one at Christmas time - but, time got away from me. So I made one for Valentines Day.
Before I started I needed a plan .. so I measured the width of our Fireplace and added some extra lenght for swoops and dips. Then I decided to use put my message on large tags. I cut these from manilla file folders and then scrunched each tag up in a ball and smoothed it flat before applying walnut ink.

While the walnut ink dried I used Basic Grey letters as templates and traced and cut out the Be Mine letters. Then I had a blast making each tag. All the patterned paper I used as well as the chipboard buttons are all by Cosmo Cricket. I added some old text from an old book and inked and stained and sanded my way to romantic aged effect.

I really enjoyed making the different bottoms to each tag and picking out the ribbons to adorn each letter.
While I had a idea.. I wasn't sure what it would look like all put together until I actually had it hanging up on the mantle. It's a decoration I am sure to put away and bring out each Valentine's Day for years to come.

All the memories- None of the clutter!

I loved this Valentine! He didn't make it in school or for any type of assignment. He simply snuck up to his bedroom and made it from what he had... and that fact that he shared candy ..well, that was unheard of!
I wanted to save the memory- but, there was no way I could save the Valentine. So I photographed the actual Valentine! This is a great way to save the memory without the clutter! I also stood on a kitchen chair to take the photograph of him holding his gift to mimic the feeling of him handing it to me. Me being much taller!

Valentines....

I've been busy creating 15 cards for a Valentine Swap. To make the cards I used cute, cute stamps from Poppy Ink. The scallop across the bottom is a stamp that I used as a guide to cut the edge and then used punches to enhance. The bird in it's cage is another darling stamp that I stamped in black and then head embossed with black embossing powder. I watercolored the background of the card... this caused the paper to curl- but, a quick pass with my iron took care of that! The rubons are from a flea market- 10 cents a sheet... Whoo Hoo! Finally the word "tweet" is cut from Cosmo Cricket paper using the Base Camp cartridge for my Cricut! TFL!

Scrapping Bug

It's February and I've got the scrapping bug! One of the first crafts I can remember working on was a decorated valentine box for school. Somehow the thought of Valentines Day makes me want to create! I've started a bunch of projects and am so excited by them- that I keep hopping from one to the other. I can't wait until everything is done. Do make valentines? I think the homemade ones are the best!