An Eggcellent Idea!

12" x 12" double page layout based on a Pagemap.

One of the things I most appreciate about the scrapping community is its enthusiasim and generosity when it comes to sharing knowledge. Wherever you turn (magazines, books, classes or other croppers) there are always tips and tricks being shared. With this in mind, here is my first blog about actually making something: stamped Easter eggs.

I would like to take credit for the idea behind this simple embellishment because I thought it up all by myself while pondering what to do with the stack of new stamps and inks I'd just purchased, however, I know someone, somewhere, before me, has done something similiar, if not identical. So, while this technique is entirely new to me and I feel very clever for working it out, if you've seen it somewhere before, please just smile and shake your head.

Stamped Easter Egg Embellishment

YOU WILL NEED:
paper (I used white cardstock)
stamps (I used Kelly Panacci border stamps)
ink (I used Tsukineko Dew Drops)
ribbon (I used Offray stitched grosgrain)
craft knife or hole punch

STEP ONE:
Draw an oval on the reverse side of the paper.

STEP TWO:
Turn your paper over and stamp images. I used border stamps to create stripes, but your egg will look great with any repeat pattern stamp.

STEP THREE:
When the ink is dry, cut out the egg following the lines of the oval drawn earlier.

STEP FOUR:
Ink the edges of the egg (on the stamped side) and admire your pretty egg while it dries.

STEP FIVE:

With a craft knife or hole punch, make 2 slits or holes at the top of the egg approximately 1/2 inch apart.

STEP SIX:

Slip the ribbon through the slits or holes, through the font, then turn over and slip the ribbon through the opposite slit or hole. Trim ribbon ends.



That's it! Use your lovely egg for embellishments on scrapbook layouts and cards. To create a journaling spot, leave the centre area of the egg clear when stamping.



4" x 5.5" card.



12" x 12" double page layout based on a Pagemap.

If you make your own Easter eggs, post a link to a picture of them!

Happy Scrapping!

Then and Now

Scrapbooking can be intimidating. Often when you see someone else's scrapbook, what you notice more than the cute pictures and funny stories is the artistry of the page and you imagine the person who created it has an amazing, innate talent. I'm a testament to the fact that's not always true. I'd even argue that it's rarely true.

As with any other art or craft, skill at scrapbooking develops over time. Early pages (and entire albums) are like first drafts where ideas, style and technique are being explored and developed. If you're like me, you may look back over your first projects with a mild embarrassment and a sense of "if I only knew then". But of course, that's the point: you didn't know then and it took you a bunch of pages to figure it all out.

My first scrapbook pages are rudimentary and awkward. There isn't much in terms of style going on and they're only distinguished from traditional photo albums by patterned paper and stickers.


My very first scrapbook page. I used purchased ribbon die cuts, but didn't realize until I photographed the page for this blog, that the die cuts are meant to fit together to create 3-dimensional bows.



My second scrapbook page. Notice the resemblance to a traditional photo album and the conspicuous absence of a title or journaling.

It wasn't very long after I first began scrapbooking that I met a Creative Memories consultant. Like many newbies, I thought Creative Memories was the answer to my prayers and giddily browsed the catalogue making a long wish list of things I desperately needed to transform into a "real" scrapbooker. It was also through Creative Memories that I first learned about scraplifting.

Now, I come from the publishing world where we call copying someone else's work plagiarism and it's a serious offence. Students are expelled from universities and writers are sued for copyright. But in the scrapbooking world, copying someone else's work to create your own piece of art is entirely acceptable. You should give credit where's it's due and not present it as an original work (like if you're submitting to a magazine), but generally speaking, scraplifting is OK.

I'd even go further than that and say scraplifting is a great way to hone your craft, build your confidence and get pages done.

My Creative Memories consultant turned me onto Fast Formulas which is a basic step-by-step guide to building pages with CM product. I thought it was great! My pages were more interesting and I was turning out a lot of them.

A layout based on a Creative Memories Fast Formula. (It's got a title, but still no journaling.)

It wasn't until I discovered scrapbooking magazines that I really began to understand the scope of what I could be doing. Friends were kind enough to lend me back copies from their stash and I picked up the odd copies of Scrapbooks Etc., Making Memories and Creating Keepsakes. These magazines opened up a whole new world to me and set me on a new path. I became an avid scraplifter (still am, actually) and as my tally of completed pages increased, so did my skill level. I began tackling new techniques and taking on challenges I never would have thought of trying back in my sticker days.

Based on a layout from Scrapbooks Etc. This was the first time I hand cut a title (from a trimmed portion of a photo showing leaves), used a tag and included writing (a poem about autumn). This is my "I've turned a corner" layout.

These days, I'm a subscriber to two scrapbooking magazines and a host of newsletters and websites that provide me with daily inspiration. There's always something new and innovative to learn; always a new twist on an old technique; and always a rich community of talented scrapbookers to look to for guidance. Whether you're new to scraplifting or have been doing it for a while, there are lots of places to go to inspire you in your next project.

My latest layout. Based on a pagemap from Scrapbooking PageMaps 2.


I have to put in a plug for my favourite scraplifting site: PageMaps. Becky Fleck is a scrapbooking Goddess and the resource she has created on this website is invaluable. It's the first place I go to when I'm stuck and I look forward to the new pagemaps every month.

However your scrapbooking style has changed over time and however your skills have improved, be sure to look back over your early pages and remember though there may be some things that could be improved, those early pages are still beautiful and precious.

I wouldn't change a thing.

So long and thanks for all the brads!

It's depressing. When I started scrapping seven years ago, my first experience in a scrapbook store was on its closing night liquidation sale. At the time I didn't realize local scrapbooking stores were on their way out.

Fast forward a couple of years and there are two thriving scrapbook stores close by as well as the big box chain--you know the one I mean. They were great. I'd run low on cardstock and pop in for some Bazzil basics and come out with a bag full of the latest goodies. It was a joyful experience. Spending an hour or more browsing through the papers, admiring the different chipboards, felts, ribbons, inks, stamps, stickers and trinkets. Leafing through the final sale paper bins one sheet at a time and finding little treasures at 90% off.

Then a couple of year ago, I discovered the joys of online shopping. A whole new world opened up! I found online stores from Quebec, British Columbia, Manitoba and some "local" stores in Kitchener and southern Ontario. These were great, particularly the out of province stores, because of the unfamiliar lines of paper and products. The French lines in particular, which I haven't found available anywhere else, had fantastic and creative designs I had never seen before.

But those days are in the past. The local scrapbooking stores are gone. Only the big box craft store remains. And my favourite online stores are dropping like flies. I was particularly upset by the closure of www.monscrapbook.com. This online store offered a fantastic variety of product and ideas for projects. It also had the best customer service of any scrapbook store I've dealt with--online or in person.

But more than the loss of places to "get my fix", I mourn the loss of the communities around these stores. The online galleries and forums, the local scrap nights, the knowledgeable and creative owners and saleswomen, the beautiful projects and fun classes. It's not just part of the retail market that has been lost, it's a wound to the sisterhood of scrapbookers; a sisterhood that draws many for the community, support and friendships we find there. I think this community is at the heart of why scrapbooking is so popular. It's not just a hobby, it's not just a solitary activity (though it can certainly be those), it's a gathering of women for sharing, learning, creativity and pleasure.

So, when we lose our scrapbook stores, we're not only losing part of that community, we're losing the nucleus of the community--the place where we gather, meet one another and learn new things. If it weren't for the defunct stores The Scrapbook Academy and Scrapbook Emporium I wouldn't have met half the wonderful women and talented scrapbookers I know today.

So, the moral is: support your local scrapbooking store and take advantage of the community in your area.

My Links

Here's a short list of my favorite online shopping sites:
Ninabrook Designs
eyeletcanada.com
The Scrapping Bug
Scrapbooks and Smiles
The Crop Stop
Sassy Scrapping

A Brave New World!

Recently I've been thinking it's time to take my scrapping to the next level. I'm a little stunned to discover the next level has taken me full-circle: I'm back to writing.

In 2010, I set myself the goal of having a scrapbook layout published in a magazine. I entered contests, submitted to calls and after what seemed like many, many failed attempts, my first layout was accepted at Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine. "Orono Fair" appeared in the Fall 2010 issue. What a rush! It was just as thrilling as seeing my name in print the very first time when I had a short story published back in high school.

"Orono Fair" 12" x 12" double layout  published in Canadian Scrapbooker Fall 2010

Through the winter I continued to submit to magazines and am very happy to have two more layouts published in Canadian Scrapbooker: "Mother's Day 2010" is currently appearing in the Spring 2011 issue and "Scraptacular" will appear in the Summer 2011 issue. Back to back issues! That's a rush too.

"Mother's Day 2010" 12" x 12" double layout published in Canadian Scrapbooker Spring 2011

View of inside of flap with additional photos and journaling.

But the bloom has started to fade. Just as when I dabbled in fiction and poetry, I find the reality of a newcomer publishing in magazines a little disappointing. Of course, I love being published. I love sharing my work and having friends compliment me. And I love the emails of congratulations from people in the industry whom I admire. But I do not love the strain on my wallet. It costs me about $16 to send off my layout to be photographed and the "author's payment" is a free copy of the issue the layout appears in. A free copy of a magazine I already subscribe to. (It's all right though--I've got 2 kids, so each will inherit a copy.)

That isn't a criticism of the magazine, by the way. Payment in copies is standards and I'm sure they're working themselves to the bone to produce the magazine and would pay in cash if there were enough of it to go around. There's a reason artists are starving after all.

But my recent experiences have led to me reconsider what "scrapbook publishing" means to me.

I've also gotten a guilty nudge from friends in the writing community I was once a part of. I said I would go back to writing.

So, why not merge the two?

A blog! About scrapboooking. Where I can share my work and thoughts; be a writer and a crafter at the same time.

So, here it is. My first blog. It's a whole new world for me!