scrapbooking

Scrap With Me: CSI Case File 255

In The Studio

I think the last time I did a paper scrapbook layout was about this time last year, when CSI invited the AIRS to participate with them once before. It was a fun change, getting back to my “roots” with scrapbooking, so when the opportunity came up again, of course I said yes!

Case File 255 had a decidedly vintage look to it and it reminded me of these pictures from my own childhood where I had on this fun, frilly ice-blue dress… and the layout just went from there.

From the evidence list I used:

  • Solid white background
  • Rhinestones
  • Stars/starburst/asterisk
  • Texture paste
  • People embellishment

And I used the Sparkle inspiration work for the Testimony portion of the project.

Make sure to check out the CSI blog to see what the other artists came up with and even participate yourself!

As promised in the video, here is everything that went into this layout:

Imagine Supplies:

Walnut Ink – Lilac
Fireworks! Shimmery Craft Spray – Summer Sky
Creative Medium – Iridescent Purple, Silver
Memento – Lulu Lavender, Summer Sky
Memento Markers – Summer Sky, Desert Sand, Elderberry, Rhubarb Stalk, Potter’s Clay, Dandelion
VersaColor – Hyacinth, Polar Blue
On Point Glue
Tear It! Tape
Palette Knives
Craft Mat

Other Supplies:

Cardstock – White, Pale Blue, Pale Purple
Studio Calico – By the Numbers set
Julie Nutting for Prima – Calendar Musts! set
Stamper’s Anonymous – circle and stars stamps
Water Brush
Uni-Ball – Signo White gel pen
Darice – self-adhesive crystals
Buttons
Fiskars – Scissors
Helmar – 450 Quick Dry, Zap Dots

Scrap With Me: CSI Case File #231

In The Studio

http://csichallenge.blogspot.com/

Imagine teamed up with CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration to solve their June 1st Case File. I used to participate with CSI as a digiscrapper, but it’s been a few years since I was last on that site. And now, as part of the Imagine team, I needed to drag out my old school supplies to go back to basics for a traditional scrapbook layout!

Case #231 is super hero-themed, and it just so happens that the 2017 Rose Parade was also super hero-themed, and we had Duncan with us, so I had perfect pictures for this assignment.

The fun twist to the CSI challenges is that it’s more than merely a sketch and/or color scheme (though that’s part of it). To solve the case you have to use at least three pieces of “evidence” (that would be elements or supplies) and give appropriate “testimony” (aka journaling, and they give you prompts to choose from).

As per my usual these days, I ran video for this layout (considering how long it’s been since I’ve done a physical scrapbook page, this is right up there with historical documents!). Take a gander to see how I planned out the page and put the various pieces together.

The supplies in my CSI kit were:
Imagine Supplies:

Other Supplies:

  • Paper: khaki, red, white, yellow chevron (DCWV)
  • Stamps: Geek is Chic (My Favorite Things), Woofers & Tweeters (Paper Smooches), Make a Wish (Studio Calico), Speech Bubble (unknown), Clickable Typewriter Alphabet (Contact USA, I think…), Foam Stamps (Making Memories)
  • Paint Brush
  • White Gelly Roll Pen (Sakura)
  • Embellishments: Star brads (unknown), Epoxy brads & Camera clip (Paper Studio), Metal letter brads (JoAnn Scrap Essentials), Ribbon and Twine (Dollar Tree?), Wooden starburst (Michaels?)
    Adhesives: Create a Sticker 150 (Xyron), Tape runner (Home & Hobby)
  • Cutters: Scissors & Paper Trimmer (Fiskars), Craft Knife (Xacto)
  • Upholstery Needle
  • Adhesive Pick-Up Block
  • Acrylic Block
  • Bone Folder

The Cake Was Not a Lie

Everyday Adventures

And it was good…

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Obviously I went with store-bought (I mean, sure, I could make something like that, but I wouldn’t normally). And not even because I was late getting home from the knitting event (because I had the date wrong and it was Tuesday night, not Wednesday–oops!), simply because the indulgence was all the sweeter for not having a kitchen to clean up afterwards.

One of the things that afforded the possibility of going to an after-work event was that Duncan has been given elevated privileges while we’re gone. After a couple of crate mishaps (the calm only lasted a couple weeks, apparently), Todd opted to sequester him with his bed, bowl, and toys in the back hallway and his dog door open for side-yard access. While we suspect he spends most of his days moping that we’re not there, he seems to be enjoying the change.

It meant we could go out to dinner on Friday night and not worry so much about him being cooped up for another hour or so. It also means we need to actually puppy-proof the back hall and side yard because, while he hasn’t destroyed anything yet, we really shouldn’t give him the opportunity if we can help it. I also worry about him being a nuisance outside, barking at the neighbors when they’re in their own backyards–just another reason to get that privacy fence up sooner rather than later, right?

And speaking of the pup, I made my first layout with the Project Life App of some of the pictures we took of him on Monday night.

pl_20160824T213226

The app does have some drawbacks compared to digiscrapping in Photoshop. Pictures are only pictures unless you buy the overlay packs, text only fits in the designated journalling spaces in the journaling cards, and of course there are no additional embellishments. But the pro column is stocked with all my photos at my fingers since I can pull from Google Photos (where both my cell photos and my “real” camera downloads are archived). Plus, it’s on my phone, which is with me pretty much always, so I could scrapbook on my lunch break or in the car (when Todd’s driving, obviously!). Plus, the necessarily simple layouts make getting the basics down quick and easy.

I think my plan would be to start on the app, then export it so I can add embellishments or other bits in Photoshop before uploading them for printing.

Sure, most of the pictures I take these days are of food or design team projects, but the app might also help me remember to take more candid, everyday photos, not just special trips or assignments. Certainly couldn’t hurt!

2015 Digital Scrapbooking Day

In The Studio

A lot of people, when they hear my blog name or email address, assume that the “scraps” in Scraps of Life refers to scrapbooking. That’s not the case (it actually represents the bits and pieces–aka scraps–of time and experiences that make up our lives) but it’s true that I’ve been into scrapbooking since the late 90s, back when the landscape was wild and the supplies were few. My how things have changed (in, um, 17 years).

If you’ve hung around here long enough, you know I’m the crafty sort and I do love my papers and glue and for the longest time I swore I’d never give them up! I still haven’t, but I did broaden my horizons back around 2006 or so when I started fooling around with digital scrapbooking–turns out, I really liked it!

Even though I have most of my supplies for traditional, paper, scrapbooking I mostly use them for other projects these day. Instead, I’m 99% digital when I do make the time to scrapbook. Why?

  • Digital elements don’t get used up
  • Digital elements don’t take up a lot of space (well, physical space… my external hard drive is another matter, but storage gets cheaper every day!)
  • You never run out of glue
  • You can change the color of a paper or embellishment if it’s not quite right
  • Unfinished layouts are easy to save and come back to

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve held onto a particular piece of patterned paper because it was so pretty and I didn’t want to use it up because it was now discontinued. Or how I once borrowed my mom’s SUV to go to a scrapbook retreat because it meant I could bring more supplies. OR how frustrating it is to have the perfect thing for a layout but it clashes horribly with everything else I want to use. The struggle is real, and the supply bills are high!

Digital kits and elements also tend to be a lot less expensive than their physical counterparts. Add to that the fact that most of our photos these days are digital, you save money by not having to make prints for scrapbooking (not to mention the ease of resizing images to fit just so) and you can still print out your pages and put them into albums.

An unexpected benefit from digital scrapbooking was learning to use Adobe products (I took a course from Scrap Girls back in the day on how to scrapbook with Photoshop Elements 3.0–I think 12 just came out? No, wait, we’re on version 14 now) that made it so much easier when I started my webcomic and needed to do some digital post-processing. I’ve also dabbled in creating my own digital papers and elements, including this little mini kit (from back in 2012) which is kinda perfect for this time of year! In honor of Digital Scrapbooking Day (which is the first Saturday in November, aka tomorrow), I’m putting this little set up for grabs (for free!).

HMD_harvestfruit_preview600Get your free kit here!

More recently I got bit by the Project Life bug. I love that it’s quick and easy and the templates are so much fun to use. I bought a physical kit to put together an album of years of family photos for Mom a couple years ago, then I switched to their digital options for my own stuff. Here’s a smattering of some of my recent layouts

From our wedding album (which I really need to get on the ball with!)

From our wedding album (which I really need to get on the ball with!)

From our honeymoon (I still have a lot to do on this book, too)

From our honeymoon at Disney (I still have a lot to do on this book, too)

Halloween 2015! After all, the everyday is what makes the most memories...

Halloween 2015! After all, the everyday is what makes the most memories…

And one of last year's conventions.

And one of last year’s conventions.

Will you be doing any scrapbooking this weekend, digital or otherwise?

I’m Creating Magical Memories, Today!

Just for Fun

Or, rather, Mary, the Head Cheese in Charge over at Creating Magical Memories asked to interview me for their Creating Disney Memories feature and the post is up today!

It’s always nice to get these sorts of requests in my Inbox and I was happy to answer her questions and share some pictures.

A lot of people think that my site name, Scraps Of Life, is because of scrapbooking. It’s not, but I have been a scrapbooker (in the modern sense) since 1998, so it’s not like it’s totally unrelated, either. Before picking up my first scrapbooking kit, I was always saving bits and pieces of mementos in journals and then I spent time as the Historian for my high school Latin club (which included creating a scrapbook of the past year’s activities to take to the state-level competition each spring. When my Latin teacher retired a few years ago, she contacted me to see if I would be willing to take the scrapbooks for the years I was there because the new teacher would likely not keep them. She knew I’d appreciate them, so I’ve been hauling them along through the last 3 years.

scrapbooks have come a long way since the early 90s...

scrapbooks have come a long way since the early 90s…

Yes, one has a heavy-as-sin tile on the front, all three of the ones pictured have wooden covers. They’re ridiculously heavy and full of so much construction paper it makes my acid-free side cringe. The other two are more normal and still packed up from the move.

One of these days I’ll start loading the pages into my scanner for posterity (and sharing with friends on Facebook, of course).

I posted layouts and blogged about my digital scrapbooking before, but it’s true that I don’t make the time for it I used to. In some ways my autobiographical comics were a form of scrapbooking–well, memory keeping at least–only I didn’t have to have pictures available of the events, I could just create them myself. Now that I’ve stopped drawing those, I’ve been feeling the itch to scrapbook more. The answer, I think, is to set aside some time–like a Saturday each month–just for srapbooking so that I can maybe, someday catch up on the albums that are in progress as well as the ones I’ve yet to start.

While I don’t see having the time this month, I’m thinking August is a good contender. And even if I don’t have all day, the great thing about going digital is that it’s just so easy to save a file mid-project and come back to it later. Which reminds me–I have a layout that just needs some journaling waiting to be finished…

Happy Scrapping!