Scrapbook Your Thoughts

Your thoughts are the reason you scrapbook.  You see an event to take place and you want to preserve your memories (your thoughts), you watch a television show that makes you think about the people you love and how you can show it and share it, you meet a new baby and you want to follow the life of this child in a way that help them learn more about themselves as they grow older…

Whatever the reason…you think about something and how you can make it a lasting moment of your life.

Scrapbooking your thoughts will do exactly that.  It will make all of the moment’s you live through or live for – a lasting moment.  You can relive every thought, every feeling, every sense – in a way that could never be done otherwise.

So what are you thinking about today?  Are you journaling that?  If not, maybe its time to create that journal.  Maybe it’s time to put your thoughts on paper – even if you can’t get them onto a layout yet.

Journaling is one of the most important parts of scrapbooking.  So if you love scrapbooking – you should appreciate the value in storing your thoughts on a daily basis until you have time to scrapbook.

You should start today too!

Happy Scrapping!

Digital Background Freebie

Calling All Scrapbookers!….

ScrapbookingDirections.com has a NEW LAYOUT CHALLENGE for you!

We are pretty certain this challenge is UNLIKE ANY OTHER SCRAPBOOK LAYOUT CHALLENGE ONLINE!! PLUS along with the challenge, you get 2 FREE Digital Background Papers to help you along with the design!

All you have to do is

1. visit this page: http://scrapbookingdirections.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-45
2. Preview the instructions….
3. Register to become a member of the gallery
4. Copy and paste the free digital page URLs (right click them when open and save them to your desktop or documents folder where you will find them again)
5. Create YOUR Layout (based on the Layout Challenge) (as I did)
6. Then POST your layout to the same album!

And that’s it.  Your visitors and other members to the gallery will then be able to rate your layouts and comment on them.

And IF we get enough entries, we may spice up the offering of freebies (or prizes) on the next one.

Scrapbooking meets Twitter

One of my favorite things to do for my scrapbooking business is to be social! I socialize with REAL PEOPLE just like you Face to Face (not just through IP addresses) but also with my Virtual Friends (those would be the IP addresses – probably where I know most of you from).

The most exciting is by far and wide Twitter. I can be found on Twitter by the Username lovetoscrapbook.  I can also be found on Facebook by the username and page for Scrapbooking Directions .

I am pretty much posting all the time.

But what I love most about Twitter (and the status updates in Facebook for that matter)  is that I am forced to keep it simple! Which means I can be quick but also smart about my efforts.  Not to mention witty from time to time.

(I think it’s possible that my wittiness can get me into trouble – but so what, I am human and PROUD to be WHO I AM!!!!).

ANYHOW…the point of this post is to tell you about one of my favorite people to follow on Twitter…you might know of her…she can be found on twitter by the username czdesign (http://www.twitter.com/czdesign) she is otherwise known however by the name: Cathy Zielske.  She is hilarious.

She is so down to earth its great.  She’s certainly my kind of lady, she keeps me laughing and smiling all day long with her random tweets and she doesn’t even know me (at least I don’t think so).  Possibly after today she will.  Who knows.

Anyhow…if you don’t know Cathy yet, you should.  She is the owner of Bits & Pieces and she is a big picture scrapbooking contributor.  Cathy is taking this whole concept of twitter into a NEW realm!  She’s hosting a 4 week workshop on it and if for no other reason than how much FUN she is…I think you should join.

I might even catch you there.

Mothers Day Scrapbook

That time of year is rapidly approaching now.  You have less than a month to plan and prepare for that perfect mothers day. So how are you going to treat your mom this year?

(Yes, you can plan for your own mother’s day as well… but lets focus on your mom right now.)

You could treat her to a spa day for sure.  What MOM doesn’t appreciate that.  But what if a spa day is a little out of the price range?  Or what if that’s NOT your mom’s sort of thing?

The answer is make a Mothers Day SCRAPBOOK of course.

You can make 1 page or you can make an entire album.  You have time.  Your scrapbook for mom can also be as simple or as intricate as you want it to be.  The only rule is: it must be FOR MOM!

So ask yourself the following questions before you get started:

1) What is moms main character  type?

2) Is she classy & formal in an old fashioned way? *If so, then she would probably like a very classy scrapbook page or album.  Possibly with soft and elegant floral print papers and lace, pearls or jewels for embellishments.

3) Is she corporate and business like? *If so then mom would probably like a very modern contemporary look and feel.  This mom’s scrapbook would include lots of geometric shapes, structured / neutral color blends (blacks, whites, reds, & grays or browns, beige’s, whites or blues, gray’s and whites with brown accents etc). Nothing too crazy when it comes to embellishments though, so keep it simple.  Stick with one ribbon per page, or a few simple tabs (office style or ribbon style).  She might also appreciate hidden journaling (under pictures or embellishments).  (Keep this one clean and organized).

4) Is she casual and / or down to earth? * If so, your moms scrapbook can probably include any color theme (including those above) and any embellishments can go!  This page or album can be as simple OR as cluttered as you want it to be.  Have fun; these are my favorites.

5) or…would your mom be pegged more as a WoodStock Woman or a Merrit Music Fest Kinda Gal? *If you answered WoodStock you should probably take advantage of the great psychedelic works out there.  Tie Dies, Pop Art, Wild Multi-Colored Geometrics. Etc. Lots of vibrant colors, paisleys, peace symbols, and even the more earthier elements like hand made accents.

*If your mom is a Merrit Music Fest (Country Music Festival) kinda gal…she might appreciate some of the more rugged types of Scrapbook items.  Sure she will appreciate a few flowers (wild flowers of course) and some foilage – but she will also dig the distressed, crackle, mega texturizing that you can do to the pages or accents as well.  She will probably appreciate accents like mesh, leather, suede, big buttons, brads and random objects.  Don’t be afraid to throw some charcoal and wood into the mix as well.  Let alone the old pop can and fruit tin tabs. (Those are great!!!).

Whatever Mom is like, make sure that when you make your Mothers Day Scrapbook (page or album) for her that it stays true to who she is.

Happy Scrapping~!  Happy Mother’s Day!

P.S. Don’t forget to post your finished scrapbooks for mom on our gallery.  We would LOVE to see them!

Mothers Day Scrapbook Layout Challenge

Now that was a mouthfull!  Say that 100x. Tee Hee.

Okay. Now seriously – if you want to make something really special for mom this year (or even a very close friend, like I did) and you want to challenge your scrapbooking skills to new lengths…I highly recommend that you join our scrapbooking photo gallery and take advantage of this challenge!

http://scrapbookingdirections.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-85

It’s inspired by one of the coolest Web Promo’s I have ever seen.  The website is from Cirque Du Soliel but the imagry (of course) is so incredibly beautiful.  It’s a watercolor splattering full of inspiration for sure.

You can do your layout on paper or digitally – its entirely up to you…my interpretation was a digital scrapbook layout.  I profiled a friend and I. Of course….I will do one for my mom as well; don’t worry.  I just wanted to match the colors of the page with the photo I had.  Now I have to find a photo of mom that can do the same.  (Or perhaps a black and white…hmmmmm yes, that will do).

Anyhow…enough of my ranting…

The Cirque designers did such a great job with the page that I choose to stay very close to their original myself.  I must admit I am very proud with the finished result. I can tell that my own scrapbooking skills are getting way better thats for sure  Check it out.

http://scrapbookingdirections.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pos=-86

Rate it, leave a comment – let me know what you think please.

Digital Scrapbooking Takes on New Meaning!

Whether you are brand new to scrapbooking, new to digital scrapbooking or have a lot of experience in all things scrapbooking (including digital scrapbooking) – you will forever be on the hunt for the next best thing in  Scrapbooking!

This is for sure!

So, we think we’ve got it.  It’s not an outrageous concept.  It’s probably been thought of by others already…but for us here at ScrapbookingDirections.com is the scrapbooking idea of the day that simply had to be shared.

Here’s what we’ve come up with…(hope you like it!)…

But first, let us ask…

Have you ever wondered how you can use your Digital Scrapbooking Pages outside of the your computer, online galleries or print on demand books?

Have you ever thrown in the towel on putting your ALL into creating digital pages because printing them is simply WAY TOO costly?

Well…

NOW you can take your digital scrapbooking (and even paper scans) to the next level – beyond computers, galleries and POD books.  You no longer have to PRINT your digital scrapbook pages either – to enjoy them!

Starting today we want to send you on a brand new mission with your Digital Scrapbook Pages!

Now…you can design them to the MAX and display them right in your home for everyone to see!

Are you ready for your mission?  If you wish to accept, your duty today is to honor your Digital Scrapbook pages and load them up to your Digital Photo Frames!

AHA!

The bigger that frame the better of course~!

But how creative!!!  Now you have a REAL reason to try digital scrapbooking if you haven’t already!  Now you have a REAL reason to put effort into filling up that digital picture frame with STUNNING images…not just your personal library of photos!

But what if you want your digital scrapbook pages to display in something bigger than a standard 8×10 frame?

What if your NEW DIGITAL PHOTO FRAME is your 27 or even 40 inch LCD, HD TV? What if you load your scrapbook pages onto a USB stick and display them all RIGHT THROUGH YOUR TV!!!! (Like a screen saver!).

How cool would that look?

I bet you are dying to know if you can make this happen now…so don’t let us stop you!  Check your Television for a USB input!  Many of the newer ones have this!  And if that fails, you can always put your images on a DVD and display it like a screen saver this way (through your DVD player/PS3 system or whatever).  You could even load music with it this way too!

Whatever you do though…we want to know about it!!!

PLEASE do come back and tell us about it if you were able to create success with this!!!  We want to hear everything!

Happy Scrapping!

Christmas Scrapbook / Card Making Mix

Are you getting ready for the Holiday Season yet? Are you looking for a really unique and creative way to share a few treasured photo’s or stories with your loved ones (when they visit; or by way of a gift to them)?

ScrapbookingDirections.com is getting ready. We’ve combined the amazing joy we have for Card Making with the admiration and pride we take in Scrapbooking.

Together – these two skills create the perfect Christmas Cover Story.

The Christmas Cover Story is a Scrapbook Page – using a HandMade Card as a cover to the “story”.  (In other words; when the card is opened; there is a Christmas Photo (usually of the kids and Santa) and there is a warm Christmas story by way of a journaling piece on the opposite side of the card as well.

This is a great way to profile the artistic side of scrapbooking and card making – - and turn the page into an interactive experience for viewers.

As alternatives to keeping this page to yourself and locking it away in your scrapbook album (behind the covers and under a protector) – you may wish to present it as a gift to someone else.

If so…you could attach 2-3 pouches of Hot Chocolate inside the card with a warm and cozey sentiment for the holidays.   OR you can turn the card into and envelope of sorts for wallet sized photo’s of the kids (as a Christmas Gift).

**If you DO exercise the alternatives – you will most probably need to adhere the page to a canvas (purchased at a local craft store) – and package it with care so that nothing falls out of it or gets ruined in transit.

The details and step by step instructions behind this cover story will be shared in a Christmas eBook by FaveCrafts.com this year and we are very excited about the opportunity.

We will be doing a lot of external giving and sharing this year in fact.

Stay tuned for more!

Halloween Scrapbooking Ideas

Halloween is FAST approaching and before you know it – it will be here. So what are you going to be doing for Halloween? Do you plan a big halloween party? Do you create your own posters or hand made halloween invitations? Perhaps you create or decorate halloween treat bags? Or even MAKE halloween treats as well?
Whatever you do it must be wildly creative and fun for you; otherwise you wouldn’t be doing it right…

So we decided to show you OUR Halloween Fun side too. Here are our top 3 Halloween Decorating Ideas to get the fun started today….(there will be more to come as the days go by).

=========================================================================== Hanging JackOLanterns Anyone?

Find as many of these regolit lampshades from Ikea ($4.00 USD) as you can fellow crafters and get the orange, yellow and black paint out so that you can turn your lampshades into REALLY cool pumpkins for display in or even outside the home on halloween eve. They are just soooo cool! They scream Halloween don’t they? EXTRA COOL TIPS: Try hanging these shades from a string of other lights (such as white christmas lights or halloween bulbs bought at specialty stores) and get the light flowing too. Also – if you want to get the kids REALLY going – add some Glow In The Dark paint for the eyes and mouth! ===========================================================================

NightMare Before Christmas Tree Of Your Own?

Now what about this. Start looking at that pot holding the ultra chic branches for design in the house a little differently for this Halloween… Why not turn them into your own personal “Nightmare Before Christmas” tree – and get the decorated sachets or remodelled (painted in halloween colors) christmas balls up! TIP: You may also want to make your own ghosts with stuffed cheese cloth or linen and wraphia nooses around the neck….and hang those too. ===========================================================================

Try This Mini Scrapbook Album with a BIG Spookiness About It.

Your halloween mini scrapbook album could be really creepy like this one … or it could be full of fun colors and cooky critter accents. Its entirely up to you what you do with your mini album for Halloween. If you get started your Halloween Mini Album today – and you have a solid plan for that Halloween Scrapbook Album – when you get the kids ready on Halloween you will know exactly what photo’s to take, why and in what sort of modes (tones , colors, angles, fstops etc)…and all you have to do is print, crop and place them later! TIP: We have the perfect Halloween Scrapbooking Papers for your album too! ===========================================================================

Halloween Scrapbook Titles In Need?

Try these Halloween Scrapbooking Titles in that Mini-Album too! With a little cracked glass, glossy accent or 3D foam – you can take these digital images to a whole new dimension on your Halloween Scrapbook Pages! ===========================================================================

What about READY made Halloween FUN STUFF for the Kids?

On another note; if making the time to be a creative designer or decorator this halloween is NOT on your side but you still want to have fun this year – in a creative way …you may wish to consider our Ultimate Halloween Party Collection for some cool treats! Included in this Halloween Party Kit are 96 pages of Halloween Games for Kids. Over 200 pages of Halloween Recipes and Crafts for ALL AGES, Halloween Safety Tips and 3 Free Printable Halloween Cards /Invitations. All for the incredibly low price of $14.99 (before discounts are applied)!!! ===========================================================================

Happy Hallo-Scrapping Crafty Peoples… :O)

CuttleBug Embossing Machine To Die For!

Okay so…I will openly admit that although I LOVE card making and scrapbooking to no end…I am NOT the expert I hope to be yet.  I believe this is because once you learn one great scrapbooking technique – or scrapbooking tool – out comes another and another and another.

That’s why I spend an AWEFUL lot of time reviewing what other people do in scrapbooking.  I collect books, supplies and tools like there is NO TOMORROW.  I can’t get enough scrapbooking and paper craft ideas that’s for sure.

This is a multi-billion dollar industry that appeals to many creative people.

If you aren’t creating scrapbook layouts – maybe you are making cards with

scrapbooking supplies.  If you aren’t doing either, perhaps you are designing scrapbook papers or embellishments or creating new machines like the  AccuCut or CuttleBug.

Or maybe you are taking it all to this whole other level!  Perhaps you are making paper mushrooms or paper houses – because they are super cool to look at!

But if you happen to be one of those people who just like to see it all and get inspired by it all…then there is absolute MUST see site for you!!!  Be prepared to have your MIND BLOWN however…this stuff is absolutely FANTASTIC!

Check it out CuttleBug Embossing Die Cutting Everything fans … I had to share this link!  I was blown away from first SIGHT!

This site is a great review of cuttlebug’s capabilities but also a fantastic sourceo of ideas for all of you diecutting, embossing maching fans.  You will love it.

Kudo’s to you Maggie Lamarre: Owner of http://cuttlebugchallenge.blogspot.com/ , you are offering great value with your blog! 

FYI: If you click to visit this blog, you may find yourself clicking on an off of the site to view some of the projects – but it’s definitely a site worth bookmarking as it will lead you to all of the great cuttlebug samples tips and ideas you could ever need!