Valentine's Card Crop-- Sign up by January 31st to save your spot!

What: Let’s get ready to send our Sweethearts their annual Valentine with a Card Crop!!!

When: Monday, February 6th. 6:30pm -8:30pm 

Where: 17 Powsland St.  Portland Maine

What's included?:  For $10 ALL stamps, inks, embellishments provided for a night of card making.  (You supply cardstock, trimmer, and adhesive.) –Sample cards provided to inspire you!  Snacks and Refreshments included too!

Make all the cards you want in 2 hours!!

How?: Sign up at Scrapbookingstory.com under Events: 2 Hour Card Crop.

Here is a sample of some of the stamps and paper we will be using!

Saturday in the Slumps...

Hi Everyone!


Sorry I didn't get a chance to show you the stitching I was working on.  This week has just been super hectic. 
I was able to spend the night with my big sister and my new niece. She is so adorable but, a lot of work!
I will be scrapping MANY pages of beautiful Annaka that you will get to see eventually. 


With the craziness of the week that means I had to play catch up today.  Catch up on chores, catch up on plans, and catch up on errands.  Unfortunately, I was only able to finish 2 pages.  But, I'm just happy I was able to finish them at all!


My first page is "I Pick U"...
This page is the first time Nic and I went Apple Picking.  We love apple picking it has now become a tradition for us that I hope we're able to continue throughout our lives. :)

For this page I've used Bazzill Paper for my background, and, of course---my favorite, Sassafras Lass paper. For this page I stamped hearts then cut them out and used a sewing machine to sew around the edges.  It was difficult--to say the least. But, I'm glad I tried! I'm my head I wanted this page to look a little different.  I think I'm not lovin' the orange background  but, I chose it to make you remember Autumn.  And, I think the top heart is in the wrong spot.... I may still move it.  What do you guys think?  

Moving On.... My 2nd page of the day.  I am MUCH happier with this page... "Wicked"....

This Wicked page is dedicated to the Broadway Musical Wicked.  I LOVE the theater... absolutely adore it! When I lived in Seattle my friends and I would try to go every time a new musical came out.  I think a night (or day) our at the theater is one of the most magical days.  It makes ordinary days special. 

And seeing Wicked....ah!  Leaves me speechless!  Everyone should make an effort to see it... this is a beautiful, wonderful play!

For this page I wanted to make sure I used all the green I could find!  I used Sassafras Lass paper, and Graphic 45 buttons.  I'm proud of this page, I think it's pretty!

Stay tuned... tomorrow will be the BIG work day!

Still Waiting Saturday

Hello Scrapers' Allison here!

Alas, this weekend I will not be able to show you completed pages.  I've ordered my pictures online and, yes,  ClarksColor.com is VERY fast, VERY well priced, and VERY good quality (in my opinion) but, considering I ordered my 100+ photos on Wednesday I guess hoping I'd make the Saturday delivery was a bit silly. 

Either way, I stayed busy yesterday.  I completed getting the rest of the pages ideas, paper, and embellishments together. You'll see my packages below to complete once my photos get here.  11 Pages to go and 2009 is complete!  --Minus my wedding album which will be a 2013 project. 

As far as I'm concerned the hard part is over.  For me, the hardest part is the planning.  Sorting through every piece of paper and scrutinizing over which pink is best... blush or bashful (Any Steel Magnolias fans out there?). :)

Today I am going to start the next biggest part of the process.  I'm going to start stitching the pages that I will want stitched. I decided that I want to do this technique on quite a few pages. So, by doing it ahead of time I'm going to save myself a lot of time later on.  My hope is to just be able to glue everything down once the pictures arrive.=

Well off I go, I've gotten a bit of a late start today so I'm going to have to make up the time. Productivity is key!

Happy Sunday to all!  

Stay tuned for the magic of embellishments!

Prep Photos

As promised... 

Here are  pictures of my sketches.  

And here are my "kits"....

Till next time... Stay Tuned...

Prep Week

Hello Scrapbooking friends! Allison reporting from the front lines of my couch.


After a crazy weekend of scrapbooking I realized that I'm out of photographs... at least I'm out of the photo's I want to use.  So, I had to figure out a way to be productive and not loose my steam without any pictures. 


Normally, I wouldn't be able to do this AT ALL.  When I scrapbook, I scrap for the photograph.  I match the paper with what compliments the people and pulls colors out of the photo that I want highlighted.  I'll match the paper and embellishments for the "mood" or "theme" I'm trying to evoke.  So, being without photos poses a problem for me. 


But, last night was Wednesday my week is ticking away.  I got out of work at 3:30.  I had free time so, I knew I had to get going because I have more pages to complete than I thought I had for 2009. 


I pulled out some scrap paper, pulled out my scrapbooking magazines for tips, and pulled all the creativity I could muster. 


Next, I started sketching and plotting out what each page should look like.  I got through about 6 or 7 pages.  Then decided to start choosing paper.  The three pages I completed getting together last night were "I pick you" ( apple picking pictures), "I remember..." ( a dedication to a dear friend who passed away in 2009), and "Wicked" ( a page about seeing the Broadway show Wicked).  I was able to cut most of the paper and get prepped for the pages.  


Tonight, I will either work on getting more pages put together or start stitching for these pages.  My new obsession is stitching....look forward to seeing MANY pages with stitching. 


I will also post pictures of my sketches and packages so you can get a better picture as to what I mean. 


Stay Tuned...
~Allison

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

Hello, Scrapbooking Friends! 

Allison here! I have been a busy bee this weekend.  I was able to complete 9 pages total!  I started one last night, and put the finishing touches on it this morning. Then, while Nic was watching football, I just kept scrappin' while alternating between Law and Order: SVU and 30 Rock for company.  :) 

Anyway, my first page is titled "Philip Island."  While I as in Australia, Nic and I tried to take as many weekend getaways as possible so I could see Victoria. In Melbourne, there is a place called Philip Island. I loved it there! It was very beautiful, relaxing, and cold! We went to the zoo, and got to see pretty much every single Australian animal ever---including wombats, and the penguin parade. The penguin parade is when these tiny little arctic penguins come onto shore every night.  It was awesome!

The photo below was taken at "the Nobbies". The Nobbies are these cliffs where the seals hang-out.  It's pretty cool, because you can see seals down by the rocks and are able to walk this lovely path through the cliffs (it make me think this is what Ireland would be like). 

Here is my page! I wanted to make it very serene and beautiful. I hope that came across. 

Here you can see that behind the photo is a journaling tab of our adventure! There you have it! This page has a Sassafras Lass chipboard journaling sticker and Sassafras Lass paper.

Up next, that's right, you guessed it!  "Yes" is my engagement page. Now, something you must know about me, and will realize over time, is that I pretty much like to use 2 colors: pink and blue.  Back up colors red, yellow, and green. I do not like to use brown. And, to add to that, I loathe the combination of PINK AND BROWN.  I don't know why...I just do. However, in this case, because of the colors in the photo, of the paper, and of the embellishments, I desperately wanted to use, brown and pink were the color answers to my problem. 

There you have it!  "Yes."  This page has a Daisy Bucket rub-on quote from Hope Floats, and a Sassafras Lass chipboard journaling sticker, Graphic 45 flowers, and Sassafras Lass paper.

Page three is titled, "3 Dayz in R.I." I loved so many of these pictures, but I didn't want to do a double layout. So, I had to make it work. I decided to skip any journaling and make this a self explanatory page. Pretty much, we spent 3 days in Rhode Island.  Providence is actually where Nic proposed to me.

I'm super excited about this page because, I did a technique that I've never done before...stitching! I used an electronic sewing machine to stitch together the 3 hearts you see in the bottom right hand corner.  The paper I used was Sassafras Lass trim.

Page four is called, "You Make Me Happy When Skies Are Grey." It's easy to see my meaning on this page. The photo is from another date Nic and I had in Australia. We took a lot of cute pictures that day, but I just love this one and the grey skies behind us. We went up to Mount Dandenong for lunch, and walked around the gardens. We took lots of silly pictures with over-sized chairs and bronze statues. It was a great day!

Again. I didn't do a lot of pictures or journaling on this page. I wanted the technique of negative space glimmer mist to show through.  I also used Jennie Bowlin Studio letters, Crate Paper paper and Sassafras Lass paper to cut out cloud shapes. 

Last, but not least, is page five. Nic grew up in a city called Chelsea, Australia. Chelsea is a small beach town. The water was about a 20-minute walk, if memory serves me right. Sometimes, on nice days, Nic and I would walk down to the beach for lunch and a stroll. I was there in Fall and Winter, so it was a bit too cold to swim. 

MANY of the beaches in Australia have boat sheds that are passed down through generations.They are worth a lot of money. Most of the sheds don't hold boats. They are actually like little houses for you to escape from the hot, summer sun. Australians live for fun, and in the summer they like to spend the whole day at the water. These sheds offer the comforts of home and the joy of the beach.  

For this page, I wanted to bring out the vivid colors of the boat sheds.  First thing I did was find a blue and yellow that would bring out the brightness of the shed directly behind us. I had this great Sassafras Lass paper and the two corners of the paper stood out to me. Instead of using strips, I wanted to change it up and I cut out the pieces I wanted.  Then, I used a small star punch and punched out some stars with some scraps of Crate Paper paper and Sassafras Lass paper.  

I'm pretty happy with these pages. I think they evoke the emotions I'm trying to get across.

What are you goals, when you sit down to do a scrapbooking page?

Scrappin' Saturday

Hello, Everyone!

I love seeing that people are being inspired to be crafty!  I love crafts and hobbies!  

This morning I had a nice little sleep-in. Then, I woke up and got all my scrapbooking supplies together and organized! Now, I'm not gonna lie, I'm not a super organized person.  I am messy---I admit it.

So, I had to spend a good 30 minutes going through everything and sorting it all out.  I haven't  scrapbooked since  August 2011, so all my stuff was a bit disheveled.  After organizing, I went through embellishments and papers and photos and picked out what inspired me. 

To let you know, in 2009 (where I'm starting my scrapbooking mission) I was in Australia for about six months. I lived there with Nic for a little while, after our wedding.  So, I'm going to be scrapping a lot of Australia. :)  

This first page isn't as good as it looked in my imagination, but when I don't scrapbook for a while it takes a few pages to get my creative juices flowing. 

On my "Bride to Be" page, I have a few pictures from my Bachelorette Party, or what Australians call Hen's Night. Originally, I planned to have more detail and embellishments, but I love this Crate Paper piece so much I wanted to show it off! 

This is a very simple page, but I like it. For my title, I used my Bride-to-Be crown that my mom and sister gave me when we celebrated in America.  Then, I used some awesome May Arts Ribbon (that I'm now out of and NEED more of) to frame the photos to give it a "photo strip" look.  Overall, I think it's cute and fun---just like my Hen's Night!

Penny wanted to be a part of the Scrapbooking. <3

The second page I finished today is of my first Australian Rules Football game. We had really great seats, and it was a fun night. AFL is a great sport. I actually enjoy watching this. Nic, my husband, played AFL, or footy, when he was a kid and in high school. Most of his friends are footballers too, so everyone in his group loves footy. 

On this page I tried a technique that I've never done before, and subsequently failed...haha. I tired leaving the negative space of the word "bombers" using Glimmer Mist. I think this didn't work, because of the background on the photo.  I thought it would be dark enough, but it turned out it wasn't. Next time, I'll try it on a solid. I also used come cork board paper, and tried to make it look a bit like the ticket is pinned to the board. Along with that, I used Glitz Design Paper, because the Bombers colors are red and black, and Graphic 45 Chipboard Buttons. 

Last but not least, in fact, this in my favorite of the day.  Page three!

This page is about Caulfield Cup. Caulfield Cup is one of the main horse races at the Spring Carnival in the Melbourne Horse Racing Tournament. This is a great day. Everyone in Melbourne gets dressed up in big hats, nice dresses, and nice suits. It's a pretty fun day. For me, all these pictures were taken at the beginning of the day before things went a bit sour, and I got in a fight with some of Nic's friends. Oh well! It must be my Hispanic temper that just couldn't contain itself any longer. Sorry guys!

In these pictures are myself, Nic, Tracey, Paul, Hannah, and Jacqui. I did not fight with any of them. :)

On this page I used some of my favorite items.  I'm going to list them off; Jennie Bowlin Studios Vellum Butterflies, Sassafras Lass Sunshine Paper, Sassafras Lass Static Paper, Sassafras Lass Indie Girl Banner, Crate Paper, and Sassafras Lass Burlap Alpha Stickers.  I am pretty much in love with this page! The only sad thing is, now I need to buy another set of those butterflies. I used my whole package, and I KNOW I'll want them in another page! 

All right friends, you've seen what I've completed today. It's only 7:30, so I may try to get one more done tonight, while Nic watches the football game. 

Stay tuned for---hopefully---what I complete tomorrow!

What ideas are you working on?

New Years Resolutions

When I turned 20, I decided to do "21 Things To Do Before Turning 21." It seemed like a good way to get some items off my Bucket List, and I thought it would be a nice way to get ready for life as, what the U.S. Government believes to be, a true adult. 

I was pretty successful in this task. I completed most of the goals, and was comfortable with the ones I couldn't complete. I decided to just roll them over to the next year. Since then, I've been trying to do this every year, instead of the usual resolutions.

My outlook on resolutions is that, for me, I never complete resolutions because they're things like lose a million pounds.  And, let's just be honest here, I LOATHE working out. So, for some reason, mentally having these goals/things to do just makes me accomplish more. (I love "to do" lists!)

Well, this year I think I've outdone myself...

I may have bitten off MUCH more than I can chew...

I may feel like a big loser at the end of 2012...

BUT

I'm going to try my hardest to accomplish my goals.

Here is part of my list of 27 items, sans the personal items----I don't think we know each other well enough to share that much, yet. Heck, you already know how old I am. How much more can I give you? My biggest fears and weight? I don't think so. :)

1. Read a minimum of 10 books. 
2. Pay off some debt!
3. Write down things I'm thankful for weekly, if not daily. (Hmm...that would be a good  scrapbooking page!)
4. Go to an NBA game.
5. Do a snowy photo shoot.
6. Save for my next tattoo.
7. Visit Quebec City for our wedding anniversary.
8. Complete my 2009 Scrapbook.
9. Complete my 2010 Scrapbook.
10. Complete my 2011 Scrapbook.
11. Complete my Europe Scrapbook.
12. Complete my niece's Brag Book.

Now, scrapbooking friends, you may notice I have 4 FULL scrapbooks on here, PLUS a brag book. You may be thinking I'm crazy.  Heck! I think I'm a bit crazy. 

How in the world am I going to COMPLETE 4 FULL SCRAPBOOKS???

Determination. Patience. Creativity. and many Crockpot Meals. And, lets not forget, no social life...unless you want to scrap with me!?! 

So, with the help of the beautiful products from ScrapbookingStory.com, I can and WILL accomplish these goals. 

Here is my loot of goodies from  scrapbookingstory.com! Can't wait to get started!!!

Look at all my awesome embellishments and materials! I got everything from Black Precision Pens, to Glimmer Mist, to Jennie Bowlin Studio Chipboard flags, and these adorable Sassafras Lass Blooms!

  

I am in love with all of this paper.  I almost want to just frame it and 
stare at the Sassafras Lass paper, because it's so pretty.

You've seen the goal.

You've seen my first shopping spree from ScrapbookingStory.com.

Now, stay tuned for my first page!

Do you have any paper crafting goals for 2012?

The New Kid on the Block

Hey, Everyone!


My name is Allison. I am Joy's youngest daughter. My mom has passed on her love for paper crafting to me! I am no where near as talented as she is, but I do enjoy scrapbooking.  


I'd like to give myself credit for scrapbooking becoming a part of our lives. Many years ago, my mom was looking for a job and there was a little store in town that I'd see when I would walk to the movies with my friends. It looked interesting, like a whole new world of wonderful hobbies. We walked in, and mom got a job!


After that, she became an avid scrapbooker. Everyday she came home with little treats and new projects. Before we knew it, she was teaching classes and fell in love with the craft. Because my mom and I are so close, I naturally became interested. Then one year, when I came home from college on Christmas break, POW! there was an entire scrapbooking store in our spare bedroom. Thank goodness it wasn't my bedroom!


Her personal "store" was filled with many goodies I intended to borrow and never return. :)


Since then, I've been "borrowing" lots of product, and making lots of scrapbooking pages with my mom and her personal collection.  BUT now, as a married woman with a decent career, I've realized I need to purchase some of my items and scrapbook on my own.  That is why it is so great my mom opened Scrapbookingstory.com, because now I buy exclusively from her actual store and still do a bit of "borrowing" from Mom's personal collection.  


The New Kid is signing off! Stay tuned for my Extreme New Year's Resolution blog!