Category Archives: projects

Sep28

It is taking me a little longer than I thought it would to finish up my latest book about using sketches in scrapbooking. How’d you like to help me decide on the title and cover?

This is what I’ve got right now, which one do you like the best?

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Option 4

Just let me know which one you like most in the comments below.

To tide you over until I get my booked finished, I’ve got a couple recommendations for you.

One:

and two:

Why should you read these two books?

You should read The Happiness Project because of one phrase in particular: the days are long, but the years are short. This was the impetus that started Gretchen Rubin on her happiness and habits journey. This was the idea that made her realize that she needed to pay attention to now, because all too soon today becomes yesterday, and then last week, and last year.

Folks this is the reason we scrapbook. We scrapbook because we know that as soon as we live a particular moment, it’s gone forever, unless we capture it in some way through memory keeping.

We scrapbook because it makes the current moment so much more happy, either because we’re trying to be present and aware of it, or because we’re actively scrapbooking, and making pretty stuff. Making stuff makes most people happy, at least in my experience.

You should read The New Rules of Scrapbooking because Jennifer Wilson is a woman after my own heart. In her book, she lists five basic rules of scrapbooking, that basically tell you to ignore all the rules and all the guilt that you think makes up scrapbooking. It’s a freedom manifesto for the scrapbooker plagued by self-doubt, fear, and guilt. Scrapbooking is a hobby that should help you feel more free. Jennifer’s rules will help you get there.

Sep14

Cook n’ Craft!

Posted on September 14, 2016 by Heather

Cook n’ Craft!

Are you ready for something fun? I’ve had a brainstorm. It could be fabulous. It could tank really badly. But that’s life in general, isn’t it?

Too often, people say they can’t scrapbook, or do anything even remotely crafty because they have no time. That’s also a common excuse for people using prepared foods and eating out a lot. No time to cook. No time to craft.

We’re running out of time people!

But seriously. There are ways to fit in some downtime, whether it’s crafty or not, and eat well too.

Enter my wild idea: Cook n’ Craft events.

We’ll spend about half an hour learning how to make dinner, or some other meal, fast, easy and delicious, and the rest of the evening (or afternoon, or even morning, I’m not picky!) making a related project or two. The kitchen tools will be from Pampered Chef, and the craft supplies will be from Stampin’ Up!

Food and crafting and gathering together always go well together in my world.

There will be themed shows where you learn cooking and stamping techniques, or make use of kits to make crafts you can actually use. I’ll host open houses and workshops and hopefully some of you will want to host an event too. Sometimes you’ll need to pre-order the consumable supplies for a particular project, and sometimes we’ll be raiding my stash to see how you can mix old with new, and turn everything fabulous.

Yes, this is me selling Pampered Chef and Stampin’ Up! products, but the way I’ll be doing it will be a bit different. Of course if you want to host a regular Pampered Chef or Stampin’ Up! show (or both!) I’ll be happy to do so.

I’ve got a few theme ideas to start us off:

1. Gift food with pretty packaging.

2. Fast weeknight meal and using stamps to create your own calming coloring sheets. (and a card!)

3. Meal planning for the cheap and lazy with a recipe keeper like a box or binder.

4. Easy and fancy dessert with a card kit for all occasions.

5. Appetizers for any occasion and party decorations.

This is going to be fun!

Who’s going to join me?

You can find my Stampin’ Up! website here: Stampin’ Up!

I’m using my first party to help fund my Pampered Chef sign up, and you can find the party here if you’d like to order something to help out: Heather’s PC party

I will be working on a way to do this online too, but I want to get the live version worked out first.

Anyone else as excited as I am?

Jun29

Summer Album Share

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Heather

Summer Album Share

Last week, we talked about Amy Tangerine’s Daybooks, and how much fun they are. Want to see one in action? I used one to document our first summer after we moved.

The outside had a fun acetate overlay, and clouds printed on it. I added the labels, and made a sun by cutting two circles out of contrasting colors, laying them on top of each other, and cutting them into wedges. Made it easy to create a quilt-look, and I can make another sun out of the left over pieces! I wonder if I still have the pieces… 😉

Before I even started using the interior pages, I decided to add even more to the book, and glued a paper bag onto the front cover. The card for the pocket it made was made of a scrap piece of printed acetate. For any patterned papers that I didn’t particularly like, there were only a handful, I covered up most of them with a piece of paper, a photo, or a journaling card.

Photos didn’t have to fit exactly on a page, but if they extended past the end of a page, I made sure the photo or paper on the back covered the exposed back. I used a lot of washi tape, and scrap paper, as well as a set of die cuts from the same Amy Tangerine line.

My creative goal for this album was to have fun, and put together an eclectic and messy, yet still visually approachable book. Most of the photos used started as 4x6s, and were trimmed or cut to fit the space. One of my favorite things to do in the album was to have a photo lay across the gutter.

One of the coolest thing about the Amy Tangerine daybook, is the wide variety of paper shapes, colors, and textures. There was even an envelope that made a handy place to store vacation memorabilia.

This was so much fun to put together! Hopefully the kids will be willing to pose for some pictures this year. They’re getting old and crotchety. I’m raising little old men!

Looking at this right now, I’m debating on whether I’ll use the daybook I’ve chosen, which is a spiral bound, or switch to one of the sewn ones I have. I really did love being able to bridge the gutter, but I like the idea of a spiral bound better right now. I’ll let you know what I decide.

How are you going to document your summer? If you want to join me with a Daybook summer album, you can find some on Amazon:

Jun22

Documenting My Summer

Posted on June 22, 2016 by Heather

Documenting My Summer

In order to document my summer, I need a plan. Something small, easily carried, and visually inspiring. Luckily I have a stash that will help me do this.

Are you all familiar with Amy Tangerine’s little mini-albums? I think she called them daybooks. (Check some of them out on Amazon.) Way back when, when there was a local scrapbook store here, they carried many of her mini albums, and I stocked up on them.

I used one to make an album about the summer of 2012, and now it’s time to use one for this summer.

A peek at a few of the pages:

The product packaging for this album consisted of a heavy cardstock actually on the spiral spine, so rather than cutting it off, I cut the hang strip off the top, and covered the product description on the back with the first piece of scrap paper I found that was big enough to cover it.

The plan for this is to use only papers from my scrap bin, project life cards, and whatever embellishments are lying around handy. I’ll print small pics at home, and bug my kids to add their two cents in occasionally.

The point is to make this as free-flowing and unconstrained as possible. we’ll see how that turns out. 😉

Apparently I’ve never shared the previous daybook, so I’ll share that with you all next week. It’s one of my favorite albums ever.

Go make something! I’m going to go play too!

Jan9

No Stress Project Life

Posted on January 9, 2015 by Heather

No Stress Project Life

I have not been doing Project Life on a daily basis. Nor on a weekly basis, or even on a monthly basis.

The thing is, I’m not scrapping all the time. (Shocking, I know!) Sometimes I’m sewing, sometimes I’m making cards, sometimes I’m crocheting. I scrapbook in batches. I find I like how I scrapbook if I do a bunch at a time. Also, I appreciate it more every time I get back to it from some other project. I really do love scrapbooking.

I was trying to write every day when I first started this year’s version of Project Life, but that quickly got away from me. It’s hard to remember to write things down, when it feels like everyday is the same. Wake up, get kids to school, work/write/chores till the kids get home, then nag about homework, make dinner, and chase everyone off to bed.

It sometimes feels like a boring daily slog. But, I am using Project Life to try to remember all the little things that WILL change as the kids grow up.

And that really is what Project Life is to me. A chance to capture details that are going to change, no matter how repetitive they seem now.

During December I found time to catch up on the past two and a half months. Family visits. Birthdays. Exciting announcements.

I had chances to get crafty with both kids for Halloween. Even though my oldest didn’t go trick or treating because he didn’t get armor for his birthday. (Seriously. He wanted chain mail!)