Merry Christmas! My first 2012 December Daily Mini Album Post

Merry Christmas everyone!
It's 4:30pm and Lola FINALLY decided to take her nap.
I had to drag her through half of Manhattan before she finally gave in.

I spent a lot of time dragging various family members through the cold streets of this city this week.
I didn't get a lot of actual crafting done but I got lots of photos so next year I'm GOLDEN.

Here are the three pages I've managed to finish for my December Daily album.
Never mind they are out of sequence- my printer ran out of ink so I used what ever photos came out with the least amount of streaks.

December Daily 2012- Day two. Thai chicken noodle soup.
6 by 8 paper from Paper Source. Crafter's Workshop stencil,
Wood letters and snowflakes from Studio Calico. Scrap FX chipboard design.

December Daily. Day 3. Visited Rockefeller Center during the day.
Crate Paper vellum numbers, Paper Source peppermint coaster, fabric tag and home flag from Ormolu.

Day 19. With Dad working 7 days a week, we treasured the moment he got home.
Fabric swatch from Ormolu, Red tag from Scrap FX, Maya Road transparency,
hello word bubble from Freckled Fawn.Date stamp from American Crafts 

I could write something deep and introspective but I lack the brainpower and energy.
I hope you and your family have a wonderful, meaningful and safe holiday.
I hope you get snow if you want and wine if you'd like and LOTS of sleep.

Never got around to painting these.
Ornament sized wood bird houses from Michael's.
30 cents each on clearance!

Thank you for your continued support and reading this year.
2013 will be AWESOME.

Newsprint wrap from Home Goods- I get the look without the negative headlines.
I finally used my triangle punch on one of the presents.
Letter stickers are fast and fun!

Cheers!!
Michelle

Scrapbooking Graduations and New York City

Today I want to share some scrapbook pages I made for a client here in New York City who wanted to surprise his girlfriend.

More on that story later!

I really enjoyed making this book.

Not only was I going to tackle a whole book at once (until now I usually worked on individual pages) but I also had to make themed pages about graduation and prom- subjects I haven't scrapped before.

The actual design work was easy!
What I found difficult was trying to interpret the needs of my client into something that would please not only him but the person the book would eventually belong to, his girlfriend.

Finding colors and titles for pages were the hardest. I wanted to stick to a clean color palette that would please both men and women and I very much wanted to stay away from overly sentimental titles.

Here are two pages from the book:

Many of the photos had specific themes and were easy to group into cohesive story pages but photos for "New York Living" were by necessity, quite random in subject. I was worried this would be difficult to scrap till I realized the client knew where these were all taken and didn't need me to spell things out. I added a few journaling spots to write in particulars and got out his way. Then I thought- isn't that how our memories work anyway? We don't remember every single detail of the night we went to dinner but snippets from one memory lead to others. I used a LOT of Ormolu products on this book- their small size and modern design were perfect for pages with lots of photos. The flair badges are from a Flair For Buttons (which can be found on Etsy or 2 Peas In A Bucket).

For this page I cut into a sun-ray print from Studio Calico and added a polka dot background paper with a more subtle print. I used some of the fantastic ephemera my client has saved over the years- these were tickets from his commencement from George Washington University. I was very impressed with the variety of stuff he had saved- I wish my husband and I had the forethought to save bits and bobs from the beginning of our relationship 13 years ago!

Overall a fantastic client and experience.

I am now available to work on other projects. so if you are looking for help with your project or even for friendly advice on how to get started please don't hesitate to drop me a line.

My email: [email protected]

Have a great wednesday everyone!
Michelle

Scrapping through your mistakes- a Scrap FX and Ormolu scrapbook page

Happy Monday morning folks!
Today I am sharing a page I did for Scrap FX using Ormolu products.
In case you haven't heard- Ormolu is having a DT call.
I applied.
I just love their products SO MUCH! I had to throw my hat in the ring.
Last terms' team was amazing but hope springs eternal and all that.

Page up:

Materials: Echo Park Boy's Life paper, Scrap FX  Mixed tags- kraft model# 2012042 K, Playground chipboard model#2012295, Playground alphabet- small Model# 2012306, Ormolu Bungalow Dots & Spots, Fact or Fiction Flappers, Line and Letter Storytellers and Bungalow Flappers.

My article for Scrap FX was all about mistakes made while this page as under construction.
I love the final product but even I must admit- my "mask" technique needs some work
Case in point:

A fine mist right over Lola's face. Does it bother me? Yes. Will it bother me a week from now?
We'll see. I'm already thinking it's no biggie but don't bother sending this in for publication without reprinting that photo.

Also- I need to work on my penmanship.

First draft off the page!!! This is a mistake of pure sloth.

Tonight I have some time to scrap again.
I will be using those new Studio Calico droppers and lots of gesso.
I've been making so many clean and simple pages lately I miss getting my hands dirty.

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! I sure did!

We visited the Empire State Building for the first time ever- I KNOW!

Michelle

Scrapbook Basics- Movie ticket and Broadway show stub page

Hello!
I've been furiously working on my first client based scrapbook so I've been even MORE invisible and distracted than usual.
This is my first continuous scrapbook project- ever.

What?
It's true.
I scrap.
I usually make 8 to 10 pages a month (which isn't much considering I'm on 4 design teams).
None of my personal pages ever make it into an actual scrapbook.
They go into a memory box or on several easels I have around the apartment.
So this project was a true challenge and very exciting.

Some facts:

• My client has been saving all sorts of bits and bobs since high school. 9 years ago.
• My client handed over a folder with over 50 movie ticket and Broadway show stubs dating back to 2005.
• I have free rein over what will go in the design of the book as long as I don't go completely theoretical (you KNOW what my "theoretical" pages look like. This guideline was necessary.)

Not sure why this photo is out of focus- the file on my desktop is completely crystal clear. A reshoot is obviously in order.  For this page, I used a tape runners to mount the tickets onto an Amy Tangerine paper from the Ready Set, Go line and used a thin washi tape to define the borders. I think the black color is too strong. What do you think?

I turn in the completed assignment today and I really hope it is well received.
I am extremely nervous- what if my eclectic style doesn't fit the client's vision?
I didn't design a series of two pagers so no pages in the book "match".
There is no "page flow"- I wanted the book to look like something which took a very long time to make- years.

Isn't that photo the cutest thing EVER? They are SO HAPPY!
Ormolu tags bring s little more focus to the photo.
 I had to print it very small because of it's low resolution.

What I avoided:

• Paint, drips, gesso and 3D flowers. (If I got the look wrong it would be a disaster)
• Anything that would pop off of the page.
• Using a bazillion products- I stuck to a "kit" to economize and to make things easier since I had 15 pages to make in 3 weeks (in addition to my regular assignments- no pressure!)

My experience:
The "kit" took the longest!!! The hardest part of the job by far.
The first page took 2 days.
I freaked out over "What would my client do?" and second guessed everything down to the choice of glue. GLUE!!!!!
It was a dark couple of days.
Keeping my young and urban client in mind, I used lots of bright pops of color and white space.
I snuck in some hearts, paper doilies and fussy cut flowers- you can't leave ALL romance out the book!!!
This was an amazing experience.
At one point (since I had no personal memories to get in the way) I was meditating on the beauty of family, love and tradition and all KINDS of ideas started to percolate.
Scrapping as yoga- believe it!

Gratuitous Lola SHOT!

Little miss is BRAVE. Here she is climbing rocks in Central Park.
I didn't take this photo. I am INCAPABLE of taking this photo.
 I would never let the kid get near that rock. Thanks Dave.

Fingers crossed.
Michelle

What I learned: A travel themed mini book

Hello everyone!
I've been holding this project back for over 3 months but I decided it was time to share it and get your feedback.

I've made mini books before- my December Daily project from 2011 is an all time favorite of mine.
But this mini about our family road trip from New York to Salt Lake City was a challenge.

Here's a look:

I found you CAN spray Hambly transparencies!
Just let them dry out over night.
Materials: Hambly Screen print cover, Maya Road Tangerine mist, washi tape from Target,
American Crafts layered embellishments and Ormolu journaling spots.

I wanted try out two things with this new book:
1. A transparent Hambly Screenprints cover with a machine stitched spine
2. Border sewn and gessoed interior pages for an art journal look.

I used brittle vintage travel magazine pages for the inside of my book so
I covered most of them with gesso to guard against breaking.
The resulting pages are a joy to turn!  

The sewn spine became a challenge when I tried to run the finished pages through my sewing machine.
As I quickly found out, hand sewing a couple of stitches to keep the pages together BEFORE you run the whole thing through your machine is a very good idea- especially when working with slippery transparency material.

The mini quickly became an art journal project. Here I'm using a chipboard stencil from Retro Cafe Art.
 I also tried to make a confetti page with a glassine envelope but the resulting look was down right ugly so I ripped half the envelope off and just left one side. 

I made three false starts and punched holes all over the place before I got anything resembling a straight line.
Washi tape now covers the holes.
Unlike fabric, paper does not recover from a missed seam.

The gesso also provided plenty of journaling space for my travel memories. I really wish Hambly hadn't gone out of business- I love their products so much! A left over piece of their "Uncharted" design holds two of my favorite photos from our family vacation.

Stitching the gessoed page edges together made them sturdy and gave them the flexibility of fabric.
I no longer worried they would crumble apart and HUGE bonus- it feels great to touch and turn the pages.

Also, Hambly transparencies don't bend very well.
I used my Martha Stewart Score Board to make the spine but the material is so thick it resists permanent bending and doesn't close properly.
I used a piece of washi tape to hold the book shut this time but next time I plan to make a little fabric button hook for the closure.

Jenni Bowlin Studio kraft tags and Studio Calico car veneers-some of my favorite CHA summer 2012 items. The quote snippets from from a Glitz print from 2011- I wish I had gotten an extra sheet because the quotes are amazing.

Photographing the book was a dilemma as well. 

Since it doesn't lie flat I had to hold it while shooting.

Next time, I will use a knife to score a line on the transparency which should get it to lie flat for photos (and reading!)

The mini has very few actual embellishments. I used a pack of October Afternoon die cuts, Hambly camera rub-ons and  an arrow from A Flair for Buttons. The compass stencil on the right-hand page is from Prima. Stamps are from Studio Calico, Studio AE and Viva Last Vegas Stamps (which is awesome- check out their website)

Here is the back cover- I loved the texture from the stenciled gesso so much I left it mostly blank.

The Greek coffee cup was such a New York City corner deli thing!
It's not really available anymore so this stamp from Viva Las Vegas has major nostalgia factor.
The bubbles stencil from Studio Calico is AMAZING- I just reminded myself I wanted to try it again on another vintage paper project- the writing shows through the borders and looks really beautiful.

So what do you think?
Any tips?

Lots of tape used in this mini. Most of it came from Target and the Recollection's
brand sold in Michael's but I also used American Crafts Amy Tangerine tape and
Tim Holtz NYC subway tape (FAVE!!!!)

I'm very glad I pushed my technical limits with this project. 

I loved working with gesso even if I had to wait 48 hours for it to dry evenly.

And the final take away? Never be afraid to make mistakes while making what is essentially a "memory" project.

You can always go back and fix those mistakes.

Or you can decide- like I did- that the mistakes are part of your process.

The next book will be better but only because I took so many "risks" with this one.

Halloween cards made with Paper Source die cuts and stamps.
(Someone's been having fun at work!)

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Working Moms and scrapbooking: A space and time dilemma

HIYA!
The last friday of June! Aeeee!
Where did my favorite month go?
It's been so CRAZY here!
I'm working 10 hour days and on my days off I have to do the laundry, the grocery shopping, the last minute scrapbook assignment finishing(not a good way to work AT ALL) and squeeze in Mom and wife time as well.

A page I made for the Gauche Alchemy newletter.
New washi prints are in at the Gauche shop! Thereare also new individual rolls available.
Swing by and check out the offerings! Gauche Alchemy on ArtFire.

I had NO IDEA how organized and truly amazing some of my favorite bloggers where till I tried working full time myself.

WAIT! Before I annoy a lot of people- being a Mom is full time but my two year old naps twice a day. I used nap times to do the chores so my evenings and weekends were free.
Well no more!

I'm on my feet most of the day- when I get home all I want to do is lie down and feel sorry for my poor exploded feet.

THANK YOU Aerosoles! I found shoes I can stand on for hours.  Soft soled, comfortable leather
and the color is awesome- yes they still look sort of grandma like but WHATEVER!
I need my feet TILL I am a grandma! :)

I'm having so much fun it's hard to admit I'm letting people down. The work I'm making could be better, the family wants me to PAY ATTENTION, my friends are all wondering where the heck I went.
Something has to give.
I salute the women who "play this game" every day- you are AWESOME! You are MORE than AWESOME!
You are heros.

AAAA!!! LOVE!!!! From gifbin.com

I'm currently working on a schedule of ALL my time and how I spend it.
I can't believe how much awful tv I watch and how much time internet shopping eats up!
The click through time and the waiting for photos to load is also telling me I need update my computer.
And my shopping was already a problem so it's getting cut off from the schedule entirely! (Except for Two Peas newsletters. I need to keep up somehow!)

I'm a hard worker but even scrapbooking can turn into a chore if you have to schedule it in.

Chevron paper is from my LLS- I believe it's intended for invitations.
I used my Smash tape for the first time- the machine is kinda flimsy but I love it anyway.

Is that the world's smallest violin playing JUST for me?
I take that jammy and SMASH it on the floor! Like THIS: SMASH SMASH!!!
No. self. pity!
I'm gonna WIN at this working Mom stuff!
All I need is a better schedule and I must admit- a strict routine.
Instead of seeing that as a bad thing I will remember I don't HAVE to scrapbook- that I love it and that  routine will enable me to keep doing it and getting better at it (which was my goal with this blog and with joining DTs in the first place)

So wonderful friday readers- what do YOU do to ensure you create consistently? Any hints on scheduling or organizing your space for most efficiency? Let's chat!!

So this is why I got myself into the busy mess I'm currently in.
Family.
The number 1 priority.

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Vellum circles ROOOOCK!

Over the weekend I had sort of a mini scrappy break down.

I gave away 3 boxes worth of stuff to my aunt who wants to get into scrapbooking.

I threw out a lot of "scraps" I had been saving for Project 360.

Have you noticed I haven't posted a Project 360 page in over 6 weeks?

It's just so much effort!

I think I will re-imagine the project as simple paper and photos- no matching embellishments. 

Just till I get back into the swing of things. 

I LOVE looking at the 8 pages I have from January but they took several days each to complete.

Here is a quick page I made while Miss Lola napped for today.

Materials: Crate Paper, Gauche Alchemy washi tape, Ormolu fabric strips and journaling spots,
Ali Edwards sentiment stamp (I wish my hand writing looked like that), Fancy Pants coffee filters,
Smash arrow clips (LOVE!!), vellum and Fiskars circle punches. Also the new K & Co label maker.
 I LOVE that thing!! It's so easy to use!!!

This is just a fun page to get the creative juices flowing.

I only made 4 original pages in May! 

Scrappy disaster! Everything else was a redo- all I see in my pages lately are the mistakes.

The photos on this page were taken with the Photobooth app. 

The photos are incredibly well defined for low rez so I think I will be using that app more often- each photo in the strip is 600dpi do you can enlarge them to 3 by 4 with very little noise.

A few detail shots:

Loving turquoise and red together lately.
K and Co arrow shaped paper clips will need to come home in multiples.
They are so tiny and perfect!

Punching vellum should have occurred to me sooner! I love using transparent items on my
pages because they add so much detail without cluttering things up. I'm given to adding
and adding till I just can't fit anything else so making pages like this is new for me.

So what did you accomplish this lovely long weekend?

The Eastern Oracle by Heather Hart over at The Brooklyn Museum.
You get to climb a roof! Awesome sauce!

MuChOs SmOoChEs!

Michelle

Mod Thank You cards (a washi tape post)

Remember a while back I collected addresses for a "post card project" so I could send cards to all who responded?
Guess what?
I didn't make a single one!
WHAAAT?
I know!
So I'm starting it up again.
THIS time I WILL send the cards out!
Why? Because I will make it EASY.
Last time I was doing all this fussy cutting and layering and THINKING.
It was turning into this whole THING.
I hate "things".
They're stressful.
Now I have more of an idea of where I want to take this project.
Add some Gauche Alchemy washi tape and it's looking like I can bang these out in minutes.
A good thing for when you need to make 35 cards.
I'm starting with these two because they are for give away winners who've been waiting WEEKS to get their packages. Sorry ladies!
Carmen your's is next!

Ashli Oliver's (SoapHouseMama) card.
 5 minutes!!! I love it! I promise not to keep it!
Materials: Bazzil cardstock, Gauche Alchemy metallic and grid tape combos,
Recollections arrow tape (from LLS), Hello from a post card advertising a store.

Quick note- Gauche Alchemy has LOADS of fantastic theme pack washi tapes available including  fun ones including GRID, METALLIC SOLIDS, Whimsy (cupcakes and confetti) and mail art prints.

Scarlett's (Scarlettsscrapoirs) Card.
10 minutes and only because I was having a hard time letting go of that Ormolu arrow tag.
WHY? Is this photo fuzzy? The photo is perfectly crisp! DARN blogger!
Materials: Bazzil white cardstock, Ormolu "Go" negative tag, Gauche alchemy washi tape and punchinella,
"graffiti" washi tape from my local scrapbook store "Paper Presentation".

I don't want people thinking I'm some kind of flake.
Wait- it's too late for that!
Ok I want everyone to know I'm WORKING on ABOLISHING all signs of flake-tude.

Awesome photo taken by Instagram friend Aye'Shanti.
Who's beautiful Etsy you should visit- MangoPaperScissors.
Thanks lady!!!

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Ormolu Friday (so it's a DOUBLY GREAT day!)

I'm not even gonna front.
This is me hoping I can somehow land a spot on the Ormolu design team this summer.
I love Ormolu.
I love how versatile their products are.
How green the print process is.
Ormolu prints on recycled cardstock with soy inks.
They even use wind power for the process!
I love their clean and simple designs and their blog.

SO the question is- WHY haven't I submitted yet?

Here is a card I came up with last night:

ALL my current faves!!! Ormolu, Hambly, chevron and washi tape! WOOT!
Materials: Ormolu Fact or Fiction journaling spots, flair button and kraft letters from packaging
tags set, Hambly transparency, Stayz On Dove Grey ink, Studio Calico Chevron background
stamp, Orange/Yellow washi (from Target!), grey washi (from Gauche Alchemy),
Green washi (from Amy Tangerine's line),

I made this for a certain love of my life who's been especially awesome lately.
Thanks Dave!
Here's a quick close up of a fun trick I often do when encoutering an alphabetic bind:

I wanted the card to have an unusual message and I wanted to use the color palette set by the journaling spots from the Fact or Fiction line.
I had the kraft tags- these:

I. LOVE. the new Hispstamatic Loftus lens!!!

So I took and H from the "Happy" tag and a U from the "About" tag, layered them, cut the H down and boom- instant M.
Now the colors are consistent since I seem to have billions of Thickers but nothing in that Kraft color and COOL font.

GRATUITOUS CUTE TODDLER PHOTO!!!!!

Noemi was a year old lipsticked menace once.
(hee hee! She's gonna kill me!)

I wanted to let you know about a new FABULOUS company with incredibly exciting scrapbook products- it's Polish and it's AMAZING.

Swing by Sod^licious to check it out for yourself!
(I didn't want to step on any copy right toes by putting photo without permission here- sorry)

I just need to figure out how to import their entire catalog without robbing a bank first because their stuff is bright, modern and completely fresh.

MuChOs SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Fun news! Ormolu reader feature

Just wanted top drop by and give a small toot that I'm featured over at the Ormolu blog today.
Yaaaaay!
I LOVE Ormolu products- they are the perfect small size, super bright and GREEN!

This page caught me completely by surprise.
I started by getting all Jackson Pollock on a piece of Jillibean Soup kraft paper and almost threw it out when I thought it looked to messy.
I starred at it for a while telling myself- SELF- YOU CAN'T THROW THIS OUT!! That paper was a DOLLAR.
I'm kinda strange.... But you knew that.
I then added the tone on tone Scrap FX chipboard which immediately focused the page and added the Studio Calico stamp on the bottom right to anchor the design.
The Sassafras Lass triangles went next to add some contrast to the chipboard and lastly I added the night photo, Ormolu "Super cool" tag and fabric flag on top to give it more pop.

The paint is watered down acrylic- the only thing that will show on kraft
I took apart an Amy Tangerine layered embellishment for the
"wish you were here".

When I was done I realized I was working with my lizard hind brain again- going forward with no real plan.
Very cool.
So thank you Ormolu- I got a lift on a rainy day!

GRATUITOUS CUTE TODDLER SHOT!!!

Learning to skip rocks.

MucHoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

Scrap FX. RAD awesomeness- scrapified!

Scrap FX is having a design team call.
Their first ever.
This. is. monumental. Exclamation points. Many. Lots.
I love Scrap FX product. As in, I LOVE it.
I don't USE it.
I COLLECT it.
Like my Mom collects Lladro porcelain.
Like a jealous squirrel preparing for a long winter.
Have you ever gotten between a squirrel and her winter hoard?
It's not pretty.
Squirrels are TOUGH and they jump pretty far.
STOP LAUGHING.
A chittering squirrel advancing upon you in short barky hops is TERRIFYING.
You know it's giving you the old-school dress down.
Especially Manhattan squirrels- such SNOBS.
A. NY.WAY
5 projects are needed for the application.
This is my first:

You'll be able to see this page in the August 2012 issue of Scrapbook Trends Magazine

I've had that New York chippie in my stash since summer 2011. I bought it in Salt Lake City for 5 entire dollars.

Yes that's FIVE DOLLARS. FIVE! I loved it too much it had to be mine.

Materials: Scrap FX New York Chipboard,  Jillibean Soup Fresh Mushrooms paper,  Sassafras Lass In Retrospect paper (diamond stars), bicycle clip from World Wide Co, Studio Calico Awesome stamp, American Crafts Zing powder in black, Ormolu chevron fabric flag, tin pin and "cool" spot, Amy Tan hearts fabric strip and "wish you were here" sentiment, My Mind's Eye journaling card, white acrylic paint for splatters

I have weighed the ramifications stemming from an application for weeks.
Do I have the time to participate?
Do I have good ideas to to share and break out into tutorials?
Am I able to sell the product in my writing because I use it and love it so much?
Yes, yes, Oh HECK yes!
Am I awesome enough?

White acrylic paint watered down just a bit. All white colored
mist products just disappear into kraft card stock.

That last question is of most importance. I can't really answer it.
I have decided to just go ahead and throw my hat into the ring anyway.
Fingers crossed they will like my artsy urban Brooklyn girl style.

Things I love:
Insta frames, stamps,  iPod photos, the word awesome, woodgrain,
arrows, fabric embellishments, pop up elements and kraft paper. 

If you haven't heard of Scrap FX before, let me show you why I love them so much

(All product photos copyright Scrap FX).

These are my favorite products from the latest release:

Brick pattern good for mini book covers, misting to use
as a template or RAD city life themed projects!

Chicken Wire- I like to break these up and add them as layering to a page.
 Like here: (click on this link- please? smiley face)

I love all the different styles in this mini pack.
Great for adding emphasis to journaling,
pointing out the funny bits in a photo or to sprinkle
on a page to give it graphic UMPH!

Ampersand. Scrap FX offers an ampersand pack with
a different fonts- imagine that!
You could sprinkle them all over the page like HERE. 

The deadline is March 9th.
Are you awesome enough?
I think you are.
Go on and apply.
Here's a US distributor if you need to hoard up.

GRATUITOUS CUTE BABY PHOTO!!!!!

New Hipstamatic Loftus lens and DC film from the Foodie SnapPak.
LOVE the lens blur and crisp color!

MuChoS SmOoChEs!