Disney scrapbooking part 2: ideas on how to set up the album

Note: First of all, I want to apologize for the lack of photos.  I am posting through my iPad, and the photos I wanted are on my main computer which is in the shop at the moment.  I did not want to use anyone else's layout because of a possible copyright infringement.

Now, that I have all the problems out of the way ( not that rules and laws are a problem), let me continue with the rest of the post.
Yesterday, I touched on what to put on your Disney pages.  If you have them gathered or know what you want to get when visit the parks, if you will taking a trip soon, it is time for the fun....creating the pages.  Here are the steps and ideas you will need to create those beautiful pages:

1. Plan them out:  I always plan out my pages.  You do not want too many photos of one event.  After all, how many head shots do you really need of the baby with Pluto?  This is a good time to think ahead of weeding out the photos.  While you are at the parks, decide where and when you are going to take the photos.  No one wants to be stick behind the camera ALL the time while on vacation, and you do not want your friends and family to play the "where's Waldo" game on you.  If  you have not gotten to that step, just pick the good ones out for the book.  If you want the relatives and friends to have copies of a photo, write it down, and make that copy. 
2.  Gather your materials.  It would nice for you to have Disney-themed scrapbook items, but it not necessary, especially if money is tight.  Same with the embellishments.   If money is tight, turn to the Internet, but be careful.  Read all instructions on how to use them, especially if they are free.  Free comes with a price and it may mean no sharing on social media like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.  
3. Consider these themes for your scrapbook:  
4. My year in Disney.  This is for people who go to Disney parks all year long.   
5. Park by park.  You may have themes according to each park you visit, including Magic Kingdom(Florida), Epcot, Disney Paris, and so forth.  
6. Day by day.  What did you do on that day, and gear your pages by that.  
7. Land by Land.   Disney divides their theme parks by land, why shouldn't you?  This is a perfect way to divide up one of those maps, and place according to land.

There are many other ways for you to create your scrapbooks.  See what you can come up with to make the book interesting.  My last tip for you is have fun. Have fun on your trip, make it stress-free and light.  Have fun with your family, they are the only people you have, and family does not mean they are blood-related.  I have three families:biological,church, and business.  Everyone in all three families are unique in their own way, and I cannot have it any other way ( oops, sidetrack moment).  Finally, have fun scrapbooking the memories of your vacation.  Memories also does not mean you have to be stuck in the past.  Make the most of every moment and I will talk to you later.   Peace and be blessed.

Disney scrapbooking

I love Disney.  Some people can say that I am a big kid at heart and I am one.  I will admit it.  When I turned 18, I kicked and screamed, because I wanted to be a child for one more year.  You know the old saying,"I cannot wait to turn 18", it was not me in some parts.  Sure, I looked forward to being out on my own, but I just wanted that last year to adjust to being an adult.
This is not about me kicking. And screaming when I turned 18, this post is not about my love for Disney, this post is about your vacation to a Disney park, should you ever go to one, and the pictures you take, and how to scrapbook them.  Yes, I said, scrapbooking Disney.
In two short months, you will no doubt will be making one of the biggest decisions of the year; where to take the family on vacation.  While staycations are still heavily on everyone's minds in the United States, I have not heard of the same situation with the rest of the world.  It does not matter rather you decide to stay around  home this year, or go on that 15-day cruise, the photo is always the same thing; you take some action pictures, landscape picture of the place, children with a character, group photo, and so forth.  After coming home from the trip, you either get them developed ( yes, they still do that), or the photos end up sitting on a hard drive in your PC, tablet, or SD card on phone or camera.  Don't forget abut all of those brochures, you swiped from the place.  If you are wondering what to do about your vacation stuff.  Take time in the winter months and scrapbook everything about your vacation.   It is fun, relaxing, and keeps your mind off of your heating bill.
If you are having problems figuring out what to put in your vacation scrapbook,journal, or whatever you want to call it, here is a list that could ease your mind, and allow you to recall the memories for years to come.  Note:  This works for any vacation not just for the Disney Parks.

1. Park maps and Times guide:  grab 2 for each park you visit.  They must be in mint condition, so the one you used when your 5 year old budding Picasso decided to draw you a picture while on the monorail will not do, unless you want to.   How to use them.... Background paper, journaling prompts, to show where were you when something magical happened, and  retrace your steps.  Cut one up if you decide to have sections in your album of the different parks.  Grabbing more than two shows clutter, so do not go overboard.   Also grab those maps in case you attended a special event during the holidays or ticketed events.
2. Disney travel documents:  How did you book your trip, on your own or through a travel agent? It does not matter, keep a copy for yourself, and place them in the book.  Save anything, including the envelope with the logo ( Disney's or the travel company's), and make a page of just that.  
3. Business cards and other restaurant items:  What eating places did you go to while at the mouse's house?  It is ok to take those business cards with you.  That's why they are there.  This includes chopsticks, napkins with the restaurant's name on it, or swizzle sticks.   Use the same rule as with the maps.  Too many can seem cluttered, so go easy on them.
4. Hotel paperwork:  This is different from the booking stuff.  This memorabilia includes, check in/out paperwork, resort logos, toiletries and their wrappers, coaster from the room, postcards,  and other items not listed on this list.  Again, do not go overboard with it.
5. Other items of the trip: consider these items; box tops from souvenirs, pressed pennies, resort room keys (they have to change the code anyway,so why not,I have mine from Canada), and name tags from tours (yes, Disney has tours, but not for children, it spoils the fun for them). 

Well this is the end of this segment.  Next time will be short and sweet as I will show you how to set up your pages.   Until then if you want to know what is going on with Disney, go to www.disney.com  for all things Disney, or I also have a blog about planning for a trip, which is called, Traveling to the Mouse's House (http://travelingdisneyfun.blogspot.com). Have a happy,scrappy,blessed day.   

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.

New name and something to motivate on.

I know many visitors who visit here on a regular basis are wondering what happened to MDN Creates.  It just went under a name change.  My company's name is now P.Lynne Designs.   So what is different about the company?  Nothing yet.  It is in a slow transformation that is growing by leaps and bonds. In the meantime, I will try to bring to you projects that you can do with ease.   I started this before I left the Card a Day blog design team, and I want to continue it here as well, because scrapbooking and card making can be easy and fun.
When I started this company in 2010 (and this blog), the name came to me because at the time, it was about my three of my loves; Michael, Deonte, and Nine'na, my nephews and niece.  since then, I have added a 3rd nephew, and the naming did not seem right, because I love him just the same.   The name also did not reflect that I scrapbook, make cards, altered other items, and write.  MDN Creates will be on a lot of things I do, but not as much. With that being said, it's a new year, new name, and a new way of thinking.  Let's scrapbook....
On my last post a few days ago, I promised you that I would make something, so I am up for the challenge, and I will show you how....
This is the process I take when starting something new.  When taking on a new layout, card or altered item to redo, I look for inspiration.  It may be something that I experience recently, a photo, or something I saw.
Today, I am pulling inspiration from this one photo that I have saved on my hard drive.  It is a picture of Splash Mountain at Disney World.  I do not take credit for taking this photo at all.  I pulled this photo, because I do puzzle world on Facebook, and I love Disney.In Puzzle World, you can take photos from your hard drive or on your Facebook page and turn into a puzzle, which you try to put together.   Sounds cool, doesn't it.   The other reason for using this photo (thank you to whoever took it in the first place) is I need something to motivate me as I plan  for this vacation that I would very much want to take my family on this December.  What I did was printed out the photo on copy paper (because I am still learning how to print photos on my new printer), then I matted it on the photo paper and trimmed to size.   As you see in the photo, I need to draw on the colors blue, gold, a touch of dark green, brown, orange, red, and yellow.   So here is what I am thinking....Blue for the background paper, with medium blue, brown, and gold for the accent pieces.

I am using two sheets (1 blue floral and 1 yellow and white circle-flower designs) of Recollections brand paper from Michaels Arts and Crafts called Garden Florals.  They come in 8.5" x 11".  The third sheet is from DCWV's Naturals stack that is 8 x 8 (they no longer make this size in their papers) which is brown.  The background paper is Bazzill 12 x 12 sheet of Arctic.  The design I made on the paper is some what  of a  crisscross/basket weave pattern like this:


Almost done- using what you have:  embellishments and adding photos

a little hard to see but
there is stitching
around.

OK, I must admit that I have not done this particular pattern before, but it is similar to what I have done in the past.  Next I added the photo, and I smack it in the middle of the cross pattern.   I added an embellishment, which was a tag pocket element.  I will demo how I made it in another post but for right now, I placed it on the right side.  I wrote the phrase, "Making a "SPLASH" At Disney World", and it written in white pencil to make it look like I wrote it in chalk.  Last in this layout is I did three different types of faux stitching.   Around the blue strip, I put double stitching, around the yellow strip of paper, I put a dot and dash, and for the brown strip, I put single stitching.  One day, I am going to thread my sewing machine, and show you some real stitching.  Now, all that is left is to put down a journal block, some more letters, and this motivational layout is ready for me to look at while I plan my Christmas 2013 vacation.
Stay tuned, because next time, you will see the finished layout and its matching card.   Until then, stay well, warm, and be blessed.

First layout in a while

Hello, and welcome  to the first Monday in June.   Over the past few months, I have either worked on cards, mini books, or something a little more creative.   Today, I went back to my first love, and the thing that got me started, a scrapbook layout.   I am working on my parent's cruise album. (*sarcastic remark coming, brace yourselves*)
February, they left me and my siblings to fend off the cold, cold, harsh winters of Ohio for sunny Florida, Jamaica, and the Bahamas, to ride on some tugboat owned by Carnival Cruises, which is big enough to house two cities to  sun, play, explore Bob Marley's grave site, and eat lavishly.   (Man that was a mouthful.  Intentional run-on sentence, you can breathe now.)What's a daughter to do but to only offer to make their cruise album.   Ok I am only being a little melodramatic here, and I am glad they had fun.   I am grateful to be doing this album.  So this is the second layout.  They went to the first night's cruise dinner, and the attire was after 5.

To make this 6x9 layout (Which was a challenge for me), I use DCWV's Performance paper, and at first I was going to have a double mat.   I measured the layout again, and I did not like have all that black from the album page itself showing, so I took it out and matted it on a longer sheet of the damask red paper.   I used a quote from the paper stack, and I wish I had put it on last so I can lower it more.   Now that I look at it in the photo and in person, I like it this way (even if it covers my mom's arm).  I printed from my printer the word Elegance, and placed two Martha Stewart pearls on the sides.   My mom is coming over so I better wrap it up, so I change my shirt.  Talk to you later.

New Layouts

Hello-

It has been a while since I posted something. I am listening to my IPod (OK, so it is Itunes, LOL). Anyway, things are going fine in my little end of the world. God has kept me alive. As for the rest of life, just fine. I attended a crop yesterday at work. Archiver's for those of you who do not where that place of employment is. I did two sets of double layouts, and a single. I finished up my cards for a card swap (just need to do the blank cards., LOL)

Anyway, here they are:

This first one, Deonte loves sweets, so I dub him the cookie monster. this is Christmas Eve 2008. The tag says:

RECIPE FOR A GOOD COOKIE...

TAKE...

1 bucket of cookies

1 cookie monster

__________
= 1 happy 1 year old!

I made the layout from 12x12 beige cardstock (unknown brand), not sure of the patterned paper, except one is called Let's Bake, and the other is called Cookie Lover. The matting is just from scrap cardstock. The journal block is from Reminince's French Kitchen. The matting is just Cookie Lover, and I put Warm Chestnut from Colorblock around the edges.

This layout is titled A family of hats. My sister got happy with m camera, and had everyone except daddy wear the stupid Santa Hat. As you see, some were thilled about it, and others. well you see the faces, LOL. the background Paper is made from Reminince paper Holly glitter (again! love this brand), and the for background paper is made with Memory Makers Artisian ? paper (trying to read from the receipt, LOL). The Santa hat (there is a second one that fell off), is made from cricut cartridge's Joy of the Season. I do not have it personally, but I borrowed one of the ladies' cartridge. pet peeve time: I was explaining to her that I had my own mat (brought my expression, but had no place to put it, because there were three others up and running (even though Archiver's no longer sells the cricut line) I need to email them about that, the war is over (will explain later). Anyway, I explained to the woman that I found a you tube video where you can prolong the life of your mat by putting 2 way glue on it. Later when the crop ended, I thanked her for the use of the machine, and she said that a ProvoCraft Dealer, who was an expert on all things cricut said that doing things like that, may void the warrenty of your cricut, "just one scrapper to another", she said. My opinion is that is just ProvoCraft's way of making you buy more of these mats, which can sometimes be expensive. well as they say, we pay for our craft. OK, enough with the whining, let's move on...

OK, I loaded this wrong, but only minor problems (still learning how to blog, LOL). This is Nine'na's page. Not sure if I am going to put this in her book or not. I really should not act like that. If I really want one, make a second set of this layout, plus I have the pictures, LOL. anyway. in the crop, I won a baby paper pack. My manager saves the day. the first 12x12 is by American craft, the second sheet is a bazzill Smooth, watermelon, cut down to 11x11. the butterfly paper (unknown), but it is in the baby bay area of Archiver's, cut down to 10x10. the title says, "Princess", and the tag says, "Happiness is a warm blanket w/a binky".

Part two is coming. Having formatting problems.