Hello, I am posting a quick message: I am finally starting my E-book. I originally started this book in October 2012, and I thought I was ready to take the plunge. I have way too much knowledge about paper crafting to just limit it to just a blog. So I wrote 20 pages of it and I froze up. "What was I doing?" I would ask myself, especially after I read back the intro to the original book. The introduction section to the book was all about me and how I got started, and not at all about scrapbooking, so I shut down the process of writing it.
Fast forward to January 2013...
I found the original manuscript (I guess you can still call it that in the digital world), and the wheels in my head started turn once again, only this time, I looked at it with new eyes. I still did not like what I had wrote so far, but I also started thinking, "if I was new to the world of scrapbooking, what do I want to know about it?" So, to not give away the store, this is what I have come up with so far.... I am at the moment not writing the introduction until the last, because I want the reader to know what this book is all about, and what to expect. Again, I also realized that the intro I wrote in the first book was an about the author, and NOT what the book was about.
Next, it will have a couple of articles I posted either on this blog or on Hubpages with new information added. This includes a product review article I did on the Cricut Expression 2 Electronic Machine and some related products.
One of the tips I got when I first got started, and I want to pass this along to you is , when starting an E-book is make sure you type it in a good word processing program. I am using MS Word. One of the reasons why I am using Word is it has a navigation pane on it. I can put in my headers, and if I want to work on a section I can just go to it without scrolling. I have not decided on the number of pages the book is going to be, but I am planning it as I go along. I am hoping to be done in a month or less, if I do not let everything disrupt me from doing it. When I am done, I will let you know, and where to go get it.
Later on today I have a card to show you.
You have a blessed day.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Thursday, March 14, 2013
For Cricut Lovers: new mats
I just received a new tweet from Provo Craft....Remember the green mats for the Cricut machines? They went by way of the Dinosaur about 1 1/2 years ago, and people were left buying the white mats with the black stripes on them. Ever wonder what those stripes are for? If you own a Cricut Imagine machine, you will know that these stripe are for the printing portion of the full on Cricut Imagine experience and it helps guide the mat a paper in, and it help the machine know where to print.. I personally thought that it was great that all the machines, except the cake machines, which received their own food grade mate, to have one mat. Well not so fast, friend, it seems that it did not sit so well with Provo Craft, so as of today there will be three new lats for the machines. Each one of these mats will be be fore the different types of paper that are associated with them. I assume that the white mat will still be available for the Cricut Imagine, or I am in big trouble when the ones I currently have are no longer usable.
I will have a review when I try them out (money is a little low, and I am not sure when they are available to the stores)
First up is the LightGrip mat. (Light Blue) It is for those papers, which are light to the touch. they are the printer paper, vellum, and other papers that can be easily torn,
Second is the standard grip mat. (Green) This mat is for your stand pieces of paper like patterned paper and cardstock. This is the paper Cricut white mats are used for now.
Lastly, there is the heavy grip mat (Purple) This mat is for you heavy materials such as fabric, light metal, and chipboard.
Personally, I am glad that PC did this, but it makes you have too many mats. I understand why. Currently, I always feel frustrated if I just cut out something, and it tears because the adhesive is too sticky or when the paper moves because the mat has been overused. Maybe they have solved that problem as well. I will not get a better feel for the new mats until I have tried them out myself. I want to try them on both my E2 (Expressions 2) and my E1 (Expressions ) machines. However since they do not have the black lines on them, so, I can not try them on my Imagine machine.
You can order them now on Cricut.com, but at this time I have no idea when they will be released to the stores.
Below is a chart I got from their website: www.cricut.com Have a blessed evening.
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| Light Grip mat copyright Provo Craft and Novelty |
First up is the LightGrip mat. (Light Blue) It is for those papers, which are light to the touch. they are the printer paper, vellum, and other papers that can be easily torn,
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| Standard Grip Mat Copyright Provo Craft and Novelty |
Lastly, there is the heavy grip mat (Purple) This mat is for you heavy materials such as fabric, light metal, and chipboard.
 |
| Strong Grip Mat Copyright Provo Craft and Novelty |
You can order them now on Cricut.com, but at this time I have no idea when they will be released to the stores.
Below is a chart I got from their website: www.cricut.com Have a blessed evening.
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| Paper comparison chart Copyright Provo Craft and Novelty |
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Finished Layout: Splash Mountain
I apologized for not showing you the finished layout from last month. That was very rude of me to forget that. and there was no excuse for it.
Tip #1: Never take a picture against a lit monitor. The picture looks to bright.
The blue background paper is from the Bazzill paper line and is called "Arctic". It matches the picture perfectly against the dark blue sky, which is the backdrop of the Splash Mountain ride at Disney World. I also took a clue from the browns and golds in the picture, and that is how I did the strips of paper. I did a basket weave, but hid it under the picture, which is popped up on foam dots. The printer would not cooperate and printed the picture off center on the printer paper, so I used the copy paper, turn the original photo over and mounted the copy on the printer paper. I took an embellished pocket I made to look like a chalk board, and placed in the corner. I traced a store bought tag with white chalk pencil. The pocket part is half of the second tag. When i actually go to Disney in December, I will be able to put a souvenir from the ride in it. in the corner is a handmade journaling spot, which says :
Splash Mountain:
"My Almost experiences with this ride came in 2004 and 2007. In 2004 at Disney World, I did not ride, because of a health warning sign. In 2007, It was at Disneyland that the ride was closed. I am riding it in 2013. Forget ALL NAYSAYERS!"
The Green pocket says "Making a SPLASH at Disney World."
Last, I have fake stitching around the strips of paper to make it look like I took a sewing machine and stitched around it.
Thank you for looking and have a blessed day.
The blue background paper is from the Bazzill paper line and is called "Arctic". It matches the picture perfectly against the dark blue sky, which is the backdrop of the Splash Mountain ride at Disney World. I also took a clue from the browns and golds in the picture, and that is how I did the strips of paper. I did a basket weave, but hid it under the picture, which is popped up on foam dots. The printer would not cooperate and printed the picture off center on the printer paper, so I used the copy paper, turn the original photo over and mounted the copy on the printer paper. I took an embellished pocket I made to look like a chalk board, and placed in the corner. I traced a store bought tag with white chalk pencil. The pocket part is half of the second tag. When i actually go to Disney in December, I will be able to put a souvenir from the ride in it. in the corner is a handmade journaling spot, which says :
Splash Mountain:
"My Almost experiences with this ride came in 2004 and 2007. In 2004 at Disney World, I did not ride, because of a health warning sign. In 2007, It was at Disneyland that the ride was closed. I am riding it in 2013. Forget ALL NAYSAYERS!"
The Green pocket says "Making a SPLASH at Disney World."
Last, I have fake stitching around the strips of paper to make it look like I took a sewing machine and stitched around it.
Thank you for looking and have a blessed day.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
An Altered Item-Clothes Pins
I am in the altering business for this post, and it is a YouTube swap I am in with Scrapdaworld (TMika), who is the host of this swap. My task, should I choose to do it (and I did) was to make 5 packs of 3 Altered Clothes Pins. Before I show you the end results (all except one, which is for TMika's eyes only, LOL, plus I have not made it yet), I want to talk to you a little bit (just a little) about what the heck you use these clothes pins for ( in addition to the daunting task of hanging clothes up).
Well for one, you can use them in mini albums. All the pin does is hold a photo in place. You can also use it to hold a journaling spot, tags, layouts, bookmarker, post a note pad, and just for decorative purposes. They are fun to make, and for a minute, I thought to myself, "what the heck did I get myself into." I never felt the need for a clothes pin (except to hang clothes), but the more I looked at it, the more I said, "Hum, very interesting", especially after seeing her video on the swap. I love getting goodies, especially goodies I could use.
So, I had three paper brands to work with; Graphic 45, Prima, Recollections (Michaels brand), My Mind's Eye, and Washi Tape. I have the Recollections Garden Florals and My Mind's Eye's Lost and Found-Portobello Road to work with. I thought I would be able to find my Washi Tape, but for some reason, both roll are lost in the abyss of my office, so for the moment, I will make due with what I got to work with. One of the pins, I need to put a little bling on it, and I need to put a topper on the bag, So here is the first one:
These pins were covered with the My Eye paper. With all of them, I cut the paper to size, placed Scor tape on the clothes pin first, then the paper. I tried to paint the clothes pin, which you are welcome to do so, but I left them in their natural state, because for one, there is a bit of a task to painting around the metal wiring, and then letting them dry. I would not recommend using a heating gun for fear of setting the clothes pin ablaze, and I do not think the fire department nor my attached neighbors or my parents, who own this place would be too happy with my decision. I did add a coat of Glue & seal to make sure it was well covered and protected.
The next two sets were covered with the same pink and green paper from the Recollections Garden Floral paper pad. Please note: You can cover 10 clothes pins with one sheet of 8.5" x 11" sheet of paper. The bling is courtesy of the $1 bin at Michael's . I used rhinestones from Studio 18, about a quarter of a inch stud. No bigger than that, or it will not look cute and dainty.
This last set comes from the same paper pad as the last two sets, only I used blue and yellow. If you have been following this blog, yes, it is the same paper that I use in the layout. By all means use up your scraps. If you are giving these away as gifts, no one will notice you used your scraps to cover your pins, unless you tell them, and there is no shame of doing so.
The main point to this project (or any project for that matter), is you are the master of your craft, and no one can say otherwise. I love doing these projects, I love sharing them, so you can know that you do not have to buy the products they advertise. In fact, you can make a kit using these by just customizing your embellishments to your liking. They do not look like the others, and you will have the know how to make things on your own, instead of depending on others.
So let's recap:
Materials and cost:
Clothes pins- $1 at Deals (or any dollar store)
Rhinestones- $1 in the dollar bin at Michaels, Joann's, or LSS (Local Scrapbook Store)
paper -$0 if you are a scrapbooker or crafter and have a stash or scraps. $1 if you do not, look for paper in the same place as you found the rhinestones.
Double sided tape $1-3.50 depending on if you find it at a drug store, higher if you go to LSS. You may be able to get on sale if you have a coupon from Michaels or Joann's.
Overall, this is about a $10 project that you can complete in about an hour. The project is a winner if you want the kids to do it. I would say a 6 year old can do it. Great rainy day project.
Well that is it for now. Have fun, involve the kids, and have a blessed, crafty day.
Well for one, you can use them in mini albums. All the pin does is hold a photo in place. You can also use it to hold a journaling spot, tags, layouts, bookmarker, post a note pad, and just for decorative purposes. They are fun to make, and for a minute, I thought to myself, "what the heck did I get myself into." I never felt the need for a clothes pin (except to hang clothes), but the more I looked at it, the more I said, "Hum, very interesting", especially after seeing her video on the swap. I love getting goodies, especially goodies I could use.
So, I had three paper brands to work with; Graphic 45, Prima, Recollections (Michaels brand), My Mind's Eye, and Washi Tape. I have the Recollections Garden Florals and My Mind's Eye's Lost and Found-Portobello Road to work with. I thought I would be able to find my Washi Tape, but for some reason, both roll are lost in the abyss of my office, so for the moment, I will make due with what I got to work with. One of the pins, I need to put a little bling on it, and I need to put a topper on the bag, So here is the first one:
The main point to this project (or any project for that matter), is you are the master of your craft, and no one can say otherwise. I love doing these projects, I love sharing them, so you can know that you do not have to buy the products they advertise. In fact, you can make a kit using these by just customizing your embellishments to your liking. They do not look like the others, and you will have the know how to make things on your own, instead of depending on others.
So let's recap:
Materials and cost:
Clothes pins- $1 at Deals (or any dollar store)
Rhinestones- $1 in the dollar bin at Michaels, Joann's, or LSS (Local Scrapbook Store)
paper -$0 if you are a scrapbooker or crafter and have a stash or scraps. $1 if you do not, look for paper in the same place as you found the rhinestones.
Double sided tape $1-3.50 depending on if you find it at a drug store, higher if you go to LSS. You may be able to get on sale if you have a coupon from Michaels or Joann's.
Overall, this is about a $10 project that you can complete in about an hour. The project is a winner if you want the kids to do it. I would say a 6 year old can do it. Great rainy day project.
Well that is it for now. Have fun, involve the kids, and have a blessed, crafty day.
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