Design Team Blog Hop-Close to my heart

I am taking part in another Design Team.   This time, it is Kathy "Kat" Ancheta's team, and she just started her Close to My Heart business.

The Paper:

Kat sent me some paper's to make some projects, and I had a blast making these project.   Out of a pack of 12 x 12 sheets of My Reflections paper called Avonlea, I made 2 layouts (12 x 12 and 8 x 8), a pocket, 8-3 x 3 note cards, and a card holder (which held the note cards).   I am going to be honest and say that I am not crazy about the colors.  I am a bright and cheery color person (mostly pinks and reds), but when you are on a design team, you may never get to work with you choice palette, and that is something that every designer, no matter what profession you design for.   The purpose is to show those who do like the color combination and make it work for them.   On to the projects.

12 x 12 layout.

The purpose of 12 x 12 layout, in my opinion, is to put as much stuff on the paper, right?   It depends.   For me, it is the perfect size, and I like to fill every inch of space out there.  

I purposely did not fill this page full of embellishments, because who knows what type a budget a person has.  I filled it with just a simple white gel pen.  It still allows you to look all over the page, not in just one area of the page.   I worked with all the greens I have, with little specks of  brown.
My first tip for you is do not throw away the labels on your 12 x 12 sheets, you may never know what you might find on it.  The top of one sheet gave me what I like to call, "a Treasure Trove"  I found the words, "Yesteryear" and "Family" on it.   So I fussy cut them and place d them under and next to two of the pictures.  The Journaling reads:

"There is nothing like a Parade at Walt Disney World.  It does not matter if it a Caravan of Characters (Epcot Pic #1), a hyper Tigger and his sad Eeyore friend, or a bunch of prince an princesses.  Everyone always loves a parade." 

8 x 8 Layout.

Some people do not like big pieces of paper to do their layouts on, but for me, it is a challenge, and I won.

I cut the off white piece of paper down to 8 x 8, and the green pattered paper down to 6 x 6 and put it as close to the center as I possibly could.  I placed a picture of me and my father almost in the center, and placed a cut out word "Family" On top (I know, I should have added ink around the edges-it looks better in person).   the paper pack came with stickers, which was not so sticky.  I had to add more adhesive (glue) on the back of some of the stickers.  Also the word "Ties" was from the same pack of stickers.


Pocket

If you make mini books like I do, you will appreciate this next element.   A pocket.   I was looking on You tube, and ran across this pocket, followed along, and produced this pocket:

I love this project, and it is so easy to make.   there are a number of YT videos that show this particular card, just click on the link.

Note cards

I love make 3 x 3 cards.  just cut one 12 x 12 sheet into 3 x 6 strips, fold in half.   Simple.   Don't forget to decorate your tops and add envelopes along the way.

I decorated mine by fussy cutting the circle from another piece of Avonlea 12 x 12 paper and used the We R Memory Keepers corner punch (Scallops and  clouds (using the scallops side) )  Again, these cards are good as a gift or for a quick note inside.

Card Holder:

I ran across this on Pinterest and had to try it,   again super simple.  the pattern is from the Splitcoast Stampers site.

Take a piece of  12 x 12 sheet of solid cardstock and cut down to 5 x 12. take your score board or trimmer if you do not have one, and score at 4 1/2 ans 6 1/2.  take a punch and make a handle for both sides.   Take a corner rounder to round off the corners (again used the We R Memory Keepers punch)   two pieces of paper  2 3/4" x 3 3/4", and score at 1/4" and 1/2" .  Use score tape or other double-side tape and put on the inside.   secure it down.
I decorated the out side with the designer paper and with a windmill stamp that was given to me.   I tamped with Mementos black ink, and colored with copic markers  G-82 (Spring Dim Green) and B-97 (Night Blue).

I hope you enjoyed this post, and to close out, I will show you a video about the two layouts.

Have a blessed day.

Scrapbooking organization Declutter series #2: Paper

Ah paper, a recycler’s worst nightmare and a scrapbooker’s friend.   Scrapbookers and paper crafters alike use this stuff by the pound, it is not wonder that if you look at the average paper crafter’s room, you will see it everywhere, from tags, sheets of paper, papier-mâché’ boxes, die cuts, card blanks, and a whole host of other paper goods.   They decorate bags for wrapping presents, sometimes the paper are the presents themselves, as well as the card that goes inside the present.   If you are a recycler, this item can be a hit or miss for you.  Paper crafting is not for the faint at heart.

One of the biggest problems, at least for me, is clutter control.   Paper to most people, even at its beauty is considered trash to them, but paper can be contained, and no one can tell that you have paper around.

1)      Find all of your paper.  If you are in the process of a project, the paper is not in its raw state, which is the paper itself, leave it alone.   If it is already neat, get it anyway.

2)      Purge the paper.  I am not talking throwing it away, but decide what pieces you are going to use.   Do not think in terms of what project you have planned or were going to use the paper for at this point, and do not say things in your head such as, “This would make a great layout background.”  If it has not been used, and the original project has left the memory, ask yourself, “Will I use it in a future project?”   If the answer is yes, put it in the “keep” pile.  Do not return it to the original container yet.  If the answer is, no, then put it in the “giveaway” pile.  It no longer has sentimental value to you.

3)      Once you have done that to all of your paper, place the “keep” paper in an area so you can sort it into a system.   You need a system in order to contain it.   We will get back to this a little later.   Let’s tackle the “giveaway” paper.

4)      At this point, you do not have the time to go down memory lane with the giveaway paper.  It is now out of sight and out of mind when you plan your future projects.   Do not second guess your decision.   What you can do for it is to decide where to send it.  Let me give you some hints:  

a.       Your child’s school.  Funding may not be what it used to be when you were in school.  Many programs have been cut, and teachers have to fend for themselves with the salary they are given.  Often times, it may mean buying their own supplies, including art supplies.   It would be a great help if your craft supplies go towards the school.  Call ahead or ask your child’s teacher exactly what is needed.

b.      Nursing homes.   Even seniors need art to stay active, and that is often with art supplies to keep their mind’s going, even if their bodies no longer function like they used to.  Nursing homes and adult day care centers are under that same tax area that the government often uses to cut funding at, and donating supplies do help the burden.  Again ahead to see what is needed.

c.       Rehab centers.   This is for either people who have been injured or someone who has a disability, and they are learning to be a functional citizen again.   Call to see if these places mind having a supply donation or does it have to be monetary.

5)      Sometimes products are too old or out of date to be donated.   For those, just toss in the trash.  Same with anything that is beyond repair.

6)      Next move to the paper you decided to keep. 

a.       First inspect each piece of paper. Not the size and shape of the paper and put lie pieces together.  At this point, you are not worried if the color is the same.  Put small with small pieces of paper, die cuts with die cuts, and so on.  

b.      Next, work with each pile, and put into color families.   Think ROY G. BIV or what I like to call ROY G. BIVN (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, and neutral).  So in an example, you would have a Small paper ROY G. BIVN, a Medium sized paper ROY G. BIVN, and so forth.

c.       Place into containers.  You may have to go shopping at this point.  If so, you will need 8 containers for each separate pile.  If you do not have the budget for that, then just get 8 containers and put each same color piles in a container, but make sure it is a system that you can live with, and not feel overwhelm with it all. 

d.      If you are dealing with lots of patterned paper, try to find a common background with each paper, or separate by brand name.

7)      Last, find a place in your new space where the paper should go.  I am not going to tell you where to put it, as long as you are comfortable with setting, and that it is convenient for you.

Congratulations on organizing your sheets of paper.   Do the same thing with your boxes, tags, and other paper-like supplies.  Step 3 will be trying to organize Ribbons, laces, and other fabric type supplies.   So get ready, and be blessed.  

Scrapbooking organization Declutter series #1: Decluttering

what's in the box?

Hello,

In an exclusive that should be ONLY for a home organization blog (AKA my blog Simply Organized Crafts), I want to bring to those of you, who want to organize their craft rooms NOW, and not in the wintertime.   I do have something for you at the end of the series, so if you stick with me, I hope I do not disappoint you in any way.

Today’s Lesson:  The introduction and declutter the paper stack…

Introduction

So, you want a craft room (scrapbook room, sewing room)?  I can tell and you know why?   Do you have the following problems?

1)      Do you have supplies so old, Methuselah could come and say they are older than he is?

2)       Supplies older than your first born child, and he is 23 years old?

3)      When you craft, do you have to run upstairs for the paper, downstairs for the glue, and in the basement for the album?

4)      When you go into your “space” to do your nightly crafting, do you cry for lack of room to place the sewing machine (die cut machine, paper trimmer…etc.)?

If this is you, stop wondering if you have enough room in the backyard to erect a store (In some cases, I do not think the apartment manager will not allow it).   You do have the room, and you will make it work.  All you need is to do a little purging of the supplies, and maintain what you have left.  This is a baby step process, so if you want to read through what needs to be done first, and then do it, that is perfectly alright.  I am going to refer to my scrapbooking supplies, but this applies to anything crafting medium (i.e. needlework, sewing, wood working)

Step 1:  Declutter

Decluttering the paper (or any supplies) is the hardest thing that a person has to do.   When you first start your craft or hobby, you are so excited, you buy not only the basics, but everything else that is out there in the market for your particular craft.  I like to can this the baby stage.   You do not know what you are doing.   There is nothing wrong with it.  You will get overwhelmed with the new craft, but you learn and you buy (a lot).     Over the months and years, if you do not use it all because you bought a paper here, an embellishment there, a new pair of scissors 15 months down the road, the supplies will build up, and take over your space.   The very first rule to declutter is realizing that you need to declutter.    First of all, say with it with me, “these supplies did not come here overnight, so they will not leave here overnight.”  

Once you realize that, you are only half way there.   Did you know that part of decluttering your supplies is a mental and emotional process?   You may realize it, but are you really ready to get down and toss some stuff that has been sitting there for all eternity?  I have heard some people say that their supplies are put in a will for their children to enjoy long after they are gone.  My question is to that statement is, “will it be the stuff you are currently using, or the supplies you got when scrapbooking became popular?”   If you are not using the paper you bought for a project in 1994, why do you still have it in 2013?   Scrapbooking has evolved between the years, and it is about time you play catch-up.  

As you start to declutter anything, from scrapbook paper to China your grandmother gave you before she passed away, ask yourself these questions:

1)      Am I using it now?

2)      What project would this best fit if the original project ceased or took a different turn for the better?

3)      Do I love it so much that I cannot bear to part with it?

4)      Can it be replaced?

If the answer is yes to any of these questions, or if you have not used it in a year or more, get rid of it.   If not, try to use it with 6 months to a year, and if you have not used it, give it away.   If it is damaged, and it cannot be repaired, why hold on to it?   If it is good, and you do not like it, give it away or sell it.  For craft supplies, that means give it to a school or nursing home that could use the supplies, or sell it on a website like Ebay or Etsy.

Next time, we will start the decluttering and storage process with our first item, paper.   I will show you why you want to declutter, how to declutter, and where to store the paper you kept in hopes you will use it in a project in about 6 months to a year.   Until then, be blessed, and have fun as you create your new craft or hobby room. 

Graduation Party

Well, it is that time of year again, where proms give way to the pomp and circumstance, where the leaders of the school give future leaders a proper sendoff, and mothers still remember like it was yesterday they were sending their graduates off to their first day Preschool, Kindergarten, 1st grade, and so on.
I still remember the day I graduated from Independence High, in Columbus, Ohio.  In fact, two days ago marked my 31st year since that day, where I said goodbye to the staff that dealt with my brand of studying for the past 4 years.   I will save that story for another day.   These days, students have it made.  They get to go out into a world, where technology can be used in every turn, including the classroom.  If I even looked at a calculator hard enough, that was grounds for getting expelled, or at last a day in the detention room.  There was no such thing as bring a cell phone to school.  In fact, when I was 16, I did not know what a cell phone was. (oh, yeah, it was that great big brick they used on the Six Million Dollar Man to call from).  They also need to remember what type of world they live in too.

Anyway, I am attending a graduation party today.  A friend of the family's son is graduating, and of course, like any good scrapbooker and card maker, I made a card for such of a occasion. At first I wrestled with the idea, because I do not make many masculine cards.  But now I have it.  

Materials for this card:

• Card set with card blank and envelop.  I used a brand from Hobby Lobby, but I have also used Recollections from Michaels and the Archiver's   brand.  All three are just a like to me, which are thick and not flimsy.
• Doodlebug's Cap and Gown Collection.   I used the borders for all three and the stickers for the tag.   
• Ranger tags #8 Kraft cut down to fit the card, because I made the pocket for the card from Bazzill Kraft color cardstock.  
• White gel pen.
• The "E" is from an old letter set.  So old that the adhesive (Glue) dried use on the letter, so I had to re-stick it.

I made the pocket using Kathy Orta's hidden hinge method.  If you are not familiar with it, you can view it here.  I am very please with the way the card turned out.
Well that is it for today.  I will show you what I made from the paper pack that I received for the blog hop later, but be sure to come back Next Thursday for the blog hop.

Be blessed.