Crop essentials Whats in your Tool kit?

Hi Everyone.  My turn on the blog and this month I wanted to Concentrate on organization. Crop Organization.  I am going to a 3 day retreat at the end of the month.  I get to go to a couple retreats a year.  More if they are local. This one happens to be a 5-6 hr drive away.  But with all the shopping we do along the way it is more like 8 hrs.  I am part of the 50 projects and I am on my 3rd round. So I will be rewarding myself with some scrappy goodies.

For 1 Day Crops I tend to bring my small canvas tool kit with all the basics

ATG tape Runner & refills

12 inch paper trimmer

scissors
Cutting Mat &  Utility Knife

Liquid adhesive

Distress Tools

Punches

Examples of small storage that is in bag

Stamps/stencils

Washi Tape 

stickles gelatos

Inks

Pictures 

This bag is also kept at the bottom of my Fat Max.

For Far away retreats I check to see what supplies will be shared by the organizer sometimes they provide some tools.  It is a good idea to label all your own tools with your name on it.    

My retreat Tool box
To save table space I bring a Fatmax or rolling tool box.
I try to get a spot at the end of the table and open the toolbox up. I pack all my frequently used tools in here.

Here is the top. a Removable tray with chalks, paint brushes, scissors, small tools.

Space under tray holds bulky tools, cropadile,ATG Gun, Stamps.brayer

Divided sections. Inks, blade refills,  Tape refills , glue gun and glue stick, glue, foam pop dots, stickles, gelatos, small containers.

In the bottom I have my small toolbox that holds, paint and other mixed media.  I can also take out and can carry to a scrapbook class if needed. Nonstick mat,  Self healing cutting mat, Score board. 

I don't carry any paper or heavy tools in the fat max.  It can get pretty heavy.  I love that it is durable. I have had mine several years. It wipes clean easily. I also carry heavier bags on the handle when I am rolling in and out of the crops.

Scrap Your Scraps Design Team Member

Using Title Strips

If you are anything like me, you will have a stash of cutoff title strips just hanging around waiting to be used..... look familiar?

Well, I would like to challenge you (and myself!) to get rid of some of this pile by turning them into layouts.... don't cut another piece of patterned paper, but rather use what's in your pile and create some new memories.

I have made three different layouts using strips in different arrangements.

On this page I've just added pieces of different strips at an angle and then combined them with stamped aeroplanes and some stickers. I also added one title strip as a border next to my photos.

On this next page I have stuck a variety of title strips in various shades of blue, pale yellow and green together across my page.  Added a strip of photos down the middle and then embellished with stamping, stickers, brads and diamante.

My final layout is a bit more complicated yet fun.  I dug through my pile and sorted out the colours that would best match my photos.  I then lay them in a sort diagonal basket-weave pattern.  Once happy I interwove the strips, cut them shorter where needed and eventually stuck them all down to the background cardstock.  I finished off my page with two photos, more stickers and a little bit of stamping on the edges.

My pile is not greatly reduced but I can safely say that I feel much better now that I have started making inroads into my stash.  I have a board on pinterest just dedicated to layouts using strips which is where I got the ideas for these three pages from. You are welcome to check it out here.

Get creative and show us your layouts using title strips.

Scrap Your Scraps Design Team Member

Here is a twist by Connie...If you don't have title strips or not enough of those title strips just use the  scraps you have to create your layouts!

I made this page using leftovers from a kit class I had given.  I cut the strips and placed on a heart cutout.  After the heart was covered I trimmed the excess paper off.  

Picture is of my youngest Daughter Cherish. 

Scrap Your Scraps Design Team Member

Scrap Your Scraps Design Team Members Blog Hop... Inspired By

Hello Everyone

Today some of the design team members and I wanted to share a layout on something or someone that has inspired or influenced us or been a part of our lives since our childhood/ teenage years.

I don't think that we as scrapbookers tell our own stories as much as we would like to sometimes so this was a way for me to do that on a personal level.   

As I was doing my daily walk one morning (this is where a lot of my thinking happens! ;)) and listening to U2's thirteenth studio album "Age Of Innocence" I was taken back to my early teenage years and when I started listening and loving U2 in 1983.  The songs are very reminiscent of their early work and I started to think about the fact that they (their music and humanitarism) have been a part of my life for over 30 years!  Their music has always 'spoken' to me and through them I became aware of groups like Amnesty International.  Their music is something that I have always connected with.  I wanted to document this (my love for U2) in a layout.  So this was the story behind how our Scrap Your Scrap blog post came to life.

Scrap Your Scraps Design Team Member

My music teacher in high school was Victor Tallarico, the father of Aerosmith's Steven Tyler.  Mr. Tallarico taught us not only music theory, but also music appreciation.  I could listen to him play the piano all day.  From him I learned that music comes in all forms and styles, and there is more to music than pop.  He taught me to broaden my horizons and take it all in.  This concept has impacted my entire life, and I am more open-minded because of it - and because of him.  I wish I'd had a chance to tell him this in person, but he passed away some years ago.  This layout is a tribute to him, and I'd like to think that somehow he knows just what he meant to me.  Thanks, Mr. T!

Scrap Your Scraps Design Team Member

There are a very few things that I still have that I received as a child.  I guess it makes sense that one of the things that I do have would be something very special to me.  In my religion we get baptized at the age of 8 years old.  When I was baptized my mom and dad bought me my very own set of scriptures with my name engraved on them.  On the front inside cover they wrote their testimony and their hopes and dreams for my life.  As I have grown, gotten married and had children of my own I have always gone back and read what my parents wrote.  I feel so blessed to have such amazing parents that have taught me about God and service and being a little better everyday.  I hope to continue this tradition with all my children.  

Scrap Your Scraps Design Team Member

My Husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary last September.  Our Daughter was playing Soccer in Hawaii and we turned the trip into a better late than never Honeymoon.  My Husband is my person and  "My Love"

Scrap Your Scraps Design Team Member

Here is my blog hop entry for Scrap Your Scraps!  For our theme I decided to focus on my first love, art.  I have, in one way or another done art my entire life.  The last year though has been tough, and I had pretty much given up doing any illustrating or drawing, but I decided to make this page so that I could look at it and be inspired again.  It was a way for me to remember what I have done and to hopefully motivate me to keep going!

Scrap Your Scraps Design Team Member

My layout documents my walk with God.  I committed my life when I was 6 and have been very blessed to know and feel God's hand on my life through good and tough times.  I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for God.  I am truly blessed.

Scrap Your Scraps Design Team Member

I hope we have encouraged you to create some layouts about YOU!

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Scrappin'! :)

Scrap Your Scraps Design Team

Candace Perkin's Blog

Cathy Martin's Blog

Cathy Sanders' Blog

Connie Hall's Blog

Jeanette Giancaspro's Blog

Mandy Reedyk's Blog

Old to new. Upcycle Cricut Cartridge Box.

Hi Everyone.  Connie Here. I am currently getting ready for a big purge of my supplies. I am condensing storage and trying to utilize my space better.  I had a bag full of Cricut Cartridges my nephew was using as building blocks and I knew I could come up with a fun way to transform the boxes. Here is what I came up with.

The embellished Box

Close up of Box with Flower Cluster

Inside of Box. I used Washi Tape. Mini Tag Album fits inside.

Box and Mini Album.

I am working on several more of these to give to my Daughter's Teachers.

Thanks for looking and I hope you find creative uses for your old Cricut cartridge boxes.

  Scrap Your Scraps Design Team Member

Sneak Peak of Scrap Your Scraps Design Team Group Post coming February 16th!

Hello Everyone

Today we are sharing a sneak peak of a group post for February 16th (next Monday).  The idea was to create a layout about someone or something that has influenced us or been a part of our lives since our childhood/teenage years.
We as scrapbookers sometimes don't get to work on our own stories as much as we'd like to (or maybe don't at all).  This was a way to do a page that speaks a little about who we are so that when future generations look through all the beautiful albums we have created will learn a thing or two about the individual who put a lot of love, time and energy into creating those albums!

Thanks for stopping by today and remember to come back on the 16th for the reveal of all these fabulous layouts! Hope this will inspire you to starting thinking about creating your own layouts about yourselves!

Scrap Your Scraps Design Team

Using Overlays on Your Scrapbook layouts

I have a challenge of sorts for you.... attaching an overlay to your layout.  Transparencies are even worse than vellum as they are clear and there isn't usually a large area where you can hide your glue. So here are a just two ways that I have used them:

1. 12 x 12 overlay

This gorgeous Christmas overlay was just calling out to be used as a whole, so once I found the perfect photos my page was almost done.. now to figure out how to attach it.  I put my photos underneath the transparency but then used stickers and the tag on the top and placed my glue under those areas.  As there was a line of dots along the top and bottom of the transparency I used these to make holes and do some stitching through the transparency and attached it to the paper underneath... nice and secure.

2. Photo overlay

On this page I used one of those transparency photo overlays on my main photo... the one with the word CRAZY on it.  This overlay is like a pocket and already has double-sided tape on the bottom, so you just slip your photo inside and hey presto it looks fancy.  There are various overlays like this now available with Project Life kits too so they are super easy to use on a layout.

Hope that these ideas prompt you to pull out an overlay or two and use them on your page.

I have a page created recently that I used a transparency as a frame around the picture.

Creating Photo Flip Pages on a Scrapbook Layout

Hi Everyone. I have a project I would like to share with you.  I wanted to have a multi picture Scrapbook page with lots of real estate for pictures.  I was going to make an accordion pull out but made this flip pages instead. It fits 7- 4 x 6 pictures

Here is the first page opened.

Close up of flower cluster

Close up of flip pages

I hope you find ways to add more Pictures to your pages. 

Measurements for Flip Pages.

Base is cut 5" x 9"

Each page is 5" x 7 1/2

Each page is scored at 1/2  "

First mat is 4 3/4 " x 6 3/4 

2nd mat 4 1/2 x 6 1/4

Pictures 4 x 6

Ribbon 2 - 10 inch strips

First page is added at edge of the base and  following pages are glued under the fold of the previous page at the score mark.