Halloween Scrapbook Challenges

Hallow Scrapbookers….

We are finally down to the last few days before Halloween and our Scrapbooking Minds are starting to spook even us out.  We are dreaming up new layout ideas, new scrapbook page designs, new everything and anything Halloween.  But then we are hit with the “I can’t get started” bug. So what do we do?

We stop – and do a Halloween Scrapbook Challenge.

All you have to do for our Halloween Scrapbook Challenges is complete the challenge of your choice – post a summary of it here (in the comments section) and provide a link to the Image in a public gallery (you may use ours or another) and that’s it.  We will select our favorite….THEN…

Our winner will receive a free Christmas Scrapbook Digi-Kit and will be featured in our newsletter,

PLUS our top 25 winners of all challenges – will be featured in our Scrapbooking Directions Favorite challenges book – and they will ALL get that book for FREE!

Halloween Scrapbook Challenge #1 (WebSite Challenge):

Take inspiration only – from this image from Better Homes and Gardens and make it your own.  Share your finished scrapbook page with us (by leaving a comment with details here) and check back for our chosen winner.  Note: To win – you have to come up with the most creative evolution of this page as possible. That’s it, that’s all. Enjoy.

Halloween Scrapbook Challenge #2 (Image Idea Challenge):

Now this one is going to be a little trickier.  I am assuming this will be an Advanced Scrapbooking Challenge for most of you – but I encourage everyone to try!

The goal…to incorporate this backlit filigree idea (from Martha Stewart.com) into one of your scrapbook pages.

Perhaps you want to do it in a Scrapbook Title  – in a mat behind one of your primary photo’s or perhaps within a photo itself?  Hmmmm….what will you come up with?

We can not wait to see!

Again – please come back to this page and leave a comment detailing what you have done – and a link to a photo display of the final project.

We are very excited to see what you come up with!

Are you up to the Challenge?

Happy Halloween Scrapbooking!

Halloween Scrapbook Planning

The countdown is officially on for Halloween friends and for many of you it’s going to provide some of the best photos to Scrapbook let alone stories to share!

But do have a plan in place to maximize all that you get out of this halloween scrapbook?

For instance….Have you figured out what kind of album it will be? What kind of layouts you will create? What photos would be perfect? What patterned papers, stickers, rub on’s, accents, embellishments etc you will use?

Are you good at making lists? Maybe you can try for this project and see if it helps.

My list would probably start with what photo’s I would use. Here are some that come to mind right now….

Decorations in the house
Decorations outside of the house (our neighbors go all out each year)
The kids getting ready
Us getting ready
The final halloween costumes
The houses around the neighborhood
Our kids Opening their bags for candy
Our kids eating candy
Hubby and I sneaking candy to eat (lol)
The kids taking off the face paint
OR the kids sleeping with facepaint if we are all too lazy
And every great moment in between and after

You get the point right. The goal is get what you want from the event and make the absurd best out if in the scrapbook.

So what is your plan for this years halloween scrapbook? We’d love to hear about it- please comment.

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)

Halloween Scrapbook Papers

Looking for the perfect Halloween Scrapbook Papers this year? Want vibrant colors of orange, green, purple and black? Want abstract patterned papers, scratched and dusty background papers, or damask papers?

Well look no further – we have all that you need and you can get all the Halloween Scrapbook Papers you need RIGHT NOW (by digital download)! Don’t miss a moment more searching for papers – we have the perfect 49 piece Halloween Scrapbook Paper package for you! INCLUDING Halloween Brads and Patterned Halloween Flowers! FOR ONLY $3.99

Click to view larger sized image.

Get yours today and make that perfect Halloween Scrapbook Album without any further delay!

A Year In Review Scrapbooking

To all of you who frequent my site(s) or blog and to those of you have stumbled upon it for the very first time, I want to wish you a very Happy New Year!

I am sure you, like myself had found 2008 a very crazy year. Mine was full of really large UPS and really big DOWNS. Every year has been really. I went through a ton of emotions with a high paced – worldwide career, a very active family and all that comes with the two great children.

I have been way less active than I would have ever liked to be on this site (let alone my other hobby sites) – (especially the more FUN aspects of the business (like this blog)).

I have done much less scrapbooking and card making than I ever expected to as well. (I think one of the last big projects I did was  a lot of Paper Bag Scrapbooks…and Mini-Cards).

I wanted to create a picaboo album for the family this year and had much of it started – then I lost it all somehow (once again) and got completely discouraged.

And so the story goes….

But here are some of the most amazing parts of 2008 that have lit the FIRE under me -  I would like to share in my Year in Review Scrapbooking post here….2008 marked….

1. A rekindled relationship with my husband (that I can’t wait to journal into a romantic scrapbook for the two of us)…we decided to work MORE on us in 2008 – since parenting, leisure & work took over in 07.
2. A new found love for my children. *They have both finally reached that age where we can hang out like friends and have fun together for much longer periods of time – without exercising discipline or life lesson training.
3. A new appreciation for being HOME ….(I recently counted 23 stamps on my passport that was issued in 2007! Which means for a min. of 1 week – 2 weeks at a time – I was NOT at home at least 23 times between 2007 and 2009). Need I say more?
4. A new appreciation for SELF…I learned MORE about myself in 2008 than I had in my entire 33 years of life! I now know what I want and don’t want from life, love and all that surrounds me…but more important I know what I want FROM myself and I am all the more grateful for that now.
5. An intense love for vacationing! WOW! I never knew how therapeutic a real vacation could be! I have taken many trips to see family and to work across the globe…but having taken 3 vacations in one year (in 2008) alone to places like Hawaii, Mexico and Disneyland…I can’t wait to take more. In fact I have committed to taking at least one VACATION to a dream destination each year. I can’t wait to start planning 2009 already!
6. A new love for my friends. After being with my husband for 12 years and having 10 years of parenting on my belt now…I finally learned how critical it is to have your friends around and keep them close…no MATTER what path your life takes. They bring you peace when you no longer feel that you get any, they bring you conversation that you can’t always have at home or around the kids (or even with the hubby…right Girls!!!), they also keep the FUN FACTOR going – even when you feel incredibly burnt out or even “stuck in the same ol’ same ol’ routines of life” – - they help you break the chains of the life you created – and remind you that you CAN and should always maintain a life of your own. Thank you friends! Thank you!.
7. A new love for dogs. I grew up with dogs…and then cats…and for many years had NO PETS…I was happy with that so naturally along the way I lost sight of how cool dogs could be. Our new family addition (Hershey)…is one of the most loyal friends I know. He loves us in a way that no human ever would. He follows me everywhere I go. He cries when I leave him and he kisses me when I cry (to movies of course). He’s 8 in human years…but plays like a puppy! He’s also incredibly intelligent and has so many dimensions to his personality it amazes me every day!
8. A new appreciation for work. I know that sounds insane on many levels…but I do love the work that I do…and I appreciate having that work in times of economic crisis. It gives me and my family a sense of security that I could never find in all of my years as a solo-prenuer.
9. A new appreciation for TIME. Time is one of those things we can never get enough of – but I now fully appreciate the time that I do have. And now – finally….I don’t have regrets with how I make use of the time. If all I want to do is sit and do nothing…then I am overjoyed to allow that to happen now. I no longer look back at that time and think of the many OTHER things that I could have done with that time. I am now at peace with how I spend it. (Why, because I have finally decided to THINK about how BEST to use the time I do have since it is so limited…and I am much better for it).
10. A new appreciation for Organization. I know that one sounds silly too…but I have more clothes and items in the home than I do space (because all I do is shop on these trips away from home). In 2008, I finally encountered that feeling of having every inch of my walls and storage taken up by something (and a lot of it JUNK!)…so one of my 2009 resolutions is to RE-ORGANIZE. From my closets and dressers to the scrapbook room, my walls and even my outdoors. I figure that an organized environment = more time, more productivity, more freedom! So…Cheers to that!
11. & A new love for fitness. So here’s the deal with this one….I am one of those people who pays for gym memberships for YEARS and never goes. I keep the membership because I know I should go and like the idea of “being able to whenever I want to”. But I make ton’s of excuses why I can’t go. (ie: Too busy, too tired, feel sick, not motivated, gyms are boring…blah, blah, blah)…but then I found the Nintendo Wii & Wii Fit! Its pretty phenomenal actually. After only 644 hula spins on the Wii Fit (Super Hula)…my abs are killing all over and I am excited to go again. I am also excited to do all of the other fitness activities that my kids have unlocked (as soon as my Mii can unlock them!). I can’t see any reason why I would make excuses for this one – as the interactivity of a Wii Fit workout – is exactly what I need to get me over the most common of issues I normally have with workouts! Wii Hoooooo! Gotta love that right!).

And that’s it friends. That’s my core list of things I appreciate after my Year in Review for 2008. I look forward to appreciating all of these much more in 2009 too.

So…what’s on your appreciation list? If you are willing to share it…please do so in the comments area…if not…it might at

Grandaughter Scrapbook Page

One photo scrapbook layout – paper – grandmother and granddaughter.

Something I find very humorous about this page is that when I created it I was so incredibly pleased with the outcome that I went on paper scrapbooking hiatus for quite a while.  I was very afraid to break the mold. LOL.

As you might be able to tell I am fanatical about bring colors in my scrapbook pages.  And I think that’s what makes this page so powerful – especially when paired with a black and white photo.

Anyhow…for this page I used rubber stamps from StampinUp! This includes the stamped CHERISH text on the top left which I watercolered and glossy accented.  This also includes the pretty flowers on the right of the photo – which I also watercolored and added clear glitter to.

Beneath the photo are 3 white mini-brads which I love!  I think they add that special something.

Finally, I topped the page off with a few additional elements (stickers, silk flowers, clips and ribbon) and viola – a simple but very elegant masterpiece was created.

Scrapbook Layout – One Photo

One Photo Layout – Paper Scrapbooking

This was my absolute FIRST scrapbook page done with paper.  I had to do it.  This was one of my favorite photos of all time.  It reminded me of a television commercial that would leave a warm and fuzzy feeling in your heart.  Don’t know why.  Anyhow…reflecting back I would have spent a little more time making sure that everything was properly placed (not crooked) on the page.  I probably would have scanned the photo and made it much larger as well.

On this page, I tore handmade fibre paper (the red and gold on top and bottom) and I bent wire to spell out the word cousins.  I also printed the journaling onto a manilla folder.  This page took a LONG time as I wasn’t very happy with a LOT of it as I was building it out.  I had ZERO direction on it – other than the fact that I loved the photo.

What I do love most however is the fantastic colors I chose.  The green, red and gold with hinds of orange are just FANTASTIC!  Hopefully this one inspires you in some way.

Black Background Scrapbook Layout

Digital Scrapbook Layout – Black Background – One Photo

Again, more fantastic page elements and design from designer digitals made this page possible. The caption, the swirls, the blue and white flowered background as well as the amazing orange flowers were all from them.

But what got me going on this page – was that I loved the caption! That’s where my true inspiration came from. I knew I had to have the perfect photo for it as well since my daughter is just so incredibly animated.  She loves taking photo’s and doesn’t care what she looks like in them.  It makes it really easy to make a lot of pages around her.

Anyhow…the photo itself was originally taken as my daughter was laying down on my hardwood floors in the kitchen.  I used the magnetic lasso in photoshop 7.0 to crop away the wood floor and then I added this insane sunset photo I took.  It certainly allowed me to stay true to the caption.

Scrapbook Layout – 3 Photos

Digital Scrapbook Layout for Girls – Using 3 Photos.

Again, this is one of my early attempts at digital scrapbooking.

My daughter drew the sunshine (at age 5 or 6) – inspired by the basketball page layout I did with my son’s basketball drawing and she asked me to find a way to create a page with her drawing as the focal point.

I could have gone bigger with it – now that I reflect back – but I still managed to produce a pretty cool layout that I really enjoyed.

All other elements on page were designed by myself (font excluded of course).

Scrapbook Layout for a Blurry Photo

Scrapbook Layout – One Blurry Photo – Great Digital Elements (Thank you designer digitals)

This layout was a lot of fun for me.  I used a lot of elements from designer digitals on this one.  I did a bit of resizing and a bit of retouching – but the goal was to be able to use this really blurry photo in a way that made it NOT MATTER that it was blurry.

Thanx to the great designs at designer digitals I was able to find some great elements to breath a new life into this scrapbook page layout.

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