Digi Pick of the Day

Fun Hybrid Projects!!!

Note:  While the papers used in the following projects were standard "paper" scrapbooking papers, you could just as easily do this by printing out some of your favorite digi backgrounds and elements.  My next one is going to feature some adorable  Mary Fran backgrounds.

I got to go to a new crop in Rockaway, NJ this weekend.  I had an absolute blast with my friend Patti and my SIL Tina.  It was Tina's first crop and she did an amazing job on a gift book.  She bought a ton of stuff from our good friend Judy O'Donnell, so I know she's hooked!  Judy Got me addicted to albums made out of words when she introduced me to Chatter Bookz last fall.  Then I went to the Memories Expo this past May and found Creek Bank Creations and their amazing Bloom Book kits.  They can help you put together a kit to make a book out of any word or name and they also have numbers!  As soon as I saw them I knew I had to make a GRACIE album. Patti had told me to keep an eye out for anything new and cool for her so I grabbed her a Keira and Kendall for her twin baby girls.

Well, Patti and I have been wanting to work on these projects together since May and we finally got the chance.  We had an absolute blast, but it was quite a bit of work and a little nerve wracking because we weren't sure we were doing it right.  A couple of times we each cut our letters out backwards and had to redo them and that was before we hit up the Crystal Lite and Vodka!  While the chipboard from Creek Bank is very heavy duty and takes well to thick gluing and sanding, it isn't as smooth as the white chipboard of the Chatter Bookz so I'm not sure how it would look if you wanted to paint instead of paper.  The samples that I saw at the Expo were painted and looked okay, just a little flat.  Maybe a coat of modge podge glossy over the paint would help if you wanted to go that route.  Certainly less time consuming than the paper process!!!

So this is what it looks like before you get started.  The letters are not attached to the lengths of chipboard.  You have to line them up yourself. 

Then you decorate the letters and book pieces separately and attach the letters afterwards.   Here it is with the papers adhered to the letters (all papers are Basic Grey). Look far left and you'll see a little bit of a background from Mary Fran's Summer Breeze peeking out ;-)

Meanwhile over at Camp Patti she got all of her letters done for Keira's book in these beautiful soft and subdued colors....

when she found some other papers they fit her little wild one's personality much better!  She realized the softer colors would work better for Kendall.  Luckily they share some of the same letters in their names so she only had to switch out the I and the R.

Then it was time for us to begin sanding down the edges of the letters to smooth out the places where the paper and the chipboard meet.  That took a TON of time and my arms are still aching!!!  Here's Patti demonstrating her using the table for leverage technique while showing off her new Kenny Chesney T, a constant reminder of her VIP seats at Thursday night's concert ;-)

Sanding completed it was time for me to cover my book pages with paper.  I decided to go with solids for the book pages hoping the letters would stand out more.

Finally I inked the edges of my letters with Walnut Ink from Ranger and glued on my letters.

Patti was finished a little bit behind me since she had decided mid-stream to change color schemes...

Don't they look great???  I started putting in some pix, but didn't take pictures of that yet as I'm still embellishing.  I cannot wait to finish this up!  It was so much fun!!!  I may order the word FAMILY next. What I really like about these books is that the letters start out separate so you can go really crazy decorating, distressing and inking whereas with the other books from Breezy or Bo Bunny etc, the letters are part of the board from the beginning. 

Patti and I have the inside scoop on a local NJ lady that Judy is working with, who is making some really unique chipboard albums.  They will be debuting this weekend at CKC in Valley Forge PA.  We're tying to figure out a way to get out there for the show for some serious shopping!!   I'll link you up when her website is live and you can order from her.  I got a sneek peak at a Star of David album and it was really cool.  I hear she's got albums in the shape cupcakes and ice cream cones she'll be selling at CKC!!!!!

Digi Picks 7/25/08

Kit of the Day
Now that we are into the peak of summer in my area I am starting to see those deep citrus colors sprouting up in other people's gardens.  Mostly I see weeds in mine, LOL.  Anyway, I love those colors so much because they remind me of all of the fun that happens during this part of summer.  The water is warm enough to actually swim in and the cares of winter are so far in the past that every day feels like a vacation on the islands.  This is about the time each year where I change my scrapping palette from pinks and spring greens to the colors found in Cori Gammon's Good Day Sunshine.  Now you'll be singing that song all day like I am!!!  Loving the play of these rich summer hues with the neutral of the cardboard.  That little birdie is so sweet!!!  Not only is this kit adorable and fun, but it also appears to be on $1.00 today!!!

Layout of the Day
One of my goals for the crop I'll be at this weekend with my friends Patti and Tina(also my SIL) is to do a layout that looks like a mosaic.  I've been seeing them all over the place and I really like them.  Poolside by ajaabney is the kind of layout I'm talking about.  Look how she's got the patterned papers and pictures all dispersed on a grid like squares in a mosaic.  What I really like about her look is that the squares aren't perfectly lined up.  They are a little askew and I think that gives the page movement that it might lack if it were
level -perfect.  Now if I were going to try this digitally I might go look for the Emily Powers template she based this on, but I'll be all paper and glue this weekend so it's time to go find that 2" square punch and get gluing!!!!!
 

Digi Picks 7/24/08

Wishing a super happy birthday to my sister-in-law Tina today!  She will be going to her very first crop this weekend with Patti, Sue and I.  I don't know which one of us is more excited!!!  I already gave her a huge bag of the scrapbooking basics as a gift.  I cannot wait to spend the day with her sharing my love for memory keeping.  She's going to work on a book to commemorate her nephew's graduations from Navy Officer Training. 

Alpha of the Day
I'm a big fan of vintage yet edgy looking designs and Shelleyrae's Vintage Alpha is totally up my alley!  This alpha is so well thought out!  Check out the broken letters like the "v". This will give your project an amazing dose of realism and dimension!!!  I've got a bunch of projects in  mind that this will be perfect for.  Must go download right now!

Digi Picks 7/21/08

This just in...

Mary Fran has new stuff up at NitWit collections and my allowance for the week is gone!! I didn't grab All the Buzz yet, but I'm sure I'll be going back for it when I force Gracie to pose for pix with some ants on the deck this evening!!!!  I did pick up everything else that I didn't already have, though!!!!  The The Never Not Collection is just so Gracie y'know?

And now we return to our original blog post from earlier this morning, already in progress...

July 21st???  Really?  Wow.  This summer is flying by!  Last week flew as well.  Sorry about the lack of picks.  I was Plurking my brains out when I would normally be surfing the galleries.  I really am enjoying the conversation there.  I have found so many great writers and just some truly nice people.  Anyway, I did surf the galleries this morning and you'll be pleased to know that  there is a new....

Layout of the Day
If you are smile challenged today, I have the cure!  U Crazy Kid by Cindy732003 is sure to put an grin on your face that will stretch from ear to ear!  What a bold burst of color backed up by an adorable smiling boy!  I love her journaling, which will be fun to look back on in years to come.  It reminds me of pictures of my nephew Matthew shooting himself in the face with a water pistol because he was holding it the wrong way.  I am equally impressed by the list of credits on this layout.  Cindy sure can pull together a variety of sources!  I love how she combined three alphas to make this great looking title!  I've got to start doing that more.  I'm so boring!!!!

New Posts Up At:

Melissa Thinks Out Loud

Digi Picks7/11/08

I'm so glad it's Friday. Not like I worked that hard this week.  I was off on Monday and went to a Yankee game on Wednesday, check out my Jason Giambi mustache photo below ;-)  Anyway, I'm looking forward to a date night with my hubby and a nice weekend with family and friends.  In the meantime...

Kit of the Day
Sometimes cardboard can look a bit too masculine, but Kate Hatfield Designs and Designs by Lili have made it truly lovely and feminine with their Cirlcle of Friends collab. I love the colors which beautifully range from the delicate to the bold. This one is hopping right into my Kaboodle until payday ;-)

Okay, I've been plurking way too much. I've got work to do!  Have a great weekend!!!!!!

Oh, almost forgot.  My Jason Giambi mustache picture.  For you non-Yankee fans, there's been a big push to get Jason added to the All-Star team for Sunday.  He's been sporting a very cheesy mustache this year so at the game on Wednesday they gave out fake mustaches for the fans to wear.  I of course put mine on immediately and took a picture.

Plurking and Picks

I have something new to suck away my time ;-)

Plurk.com

Kit of the Day
I love it when theme kits are done really well.  Shabby Miss Jenn's Little Miss Kahuna makes me want to go to Hawaii just so I can scrap with this kit!  Maybe I can just dress Gracie up in a sarong with a plastic palm tree from a Dora toy instead?  Probably more cost effective ;-)  Seriously, though, this is a great kit to document those fun summer memories, especially if you have beach photos or even just pictures of yourself sipping a tropical drink on the roof of your building!!!  Love the colors and the details.  Check out the alpha....great detail there!!!

Layout of the Day
Remember my rant about multi-photo layouts?  Well here's a great way to jump on the bandwagon.  Find yourself a great template like mummytothree did for her Red, White and Blue Memories and get scrapping.  Just pick the photos that best represent the event and you can then get one of those cool albums I've been seeing where you can put a layout on one side and a photo sleeve on the other!  When I find a link I'll be sure to post it.  I think that might be my new favorite thing.  Saw it in a magazine, but I have no clue which one.  If you know, please comment here so we can all love you!!!!  MummytoThree...loving the layout and the top ten list was a great idea!  It looks like you had a great Fourth, except for that tick thing ;-)

New Post and New URL:
After much debate amongst me, myself and I , we have decided on MelissaThinksOutLoud.com as the url for our new inspirational blog.  I also have a new post up there about something really cool I've been playing with.  Go check it out and leave me some love!!!!!