This new catalog introduces our new colors and many beautiful new products!

If you’d like your own copy of this catalog, please email me and I’ll get one to you ASAP!!

Try these ideas to get it done without making yourself crazy or breaking the bank.

Choose a theme: This may be a year or a single event or a even a single person.  Maybe you want to scrapbook all your family reunion pictures into a single book or create a book for your chlid’s first year?

Choose a theme look: Doing a book of your travels over the years?  Coordinate your papers and embellishments with a single theme like airplanes or maps.  Not only will this make your pages have a consistent look, it can also help you save money.  This is when Stampin’ Up!’s  Designer Series Paper and Simply Scrappin’ kits can come in handy.  These pages and kits are color coordinated and they can really stretch your dollar!

Only work on one album at a time: Most of us are working on 3 or more books at a time.  That’s ok.  But when you are trying to get it done, concentrate your creativity and efforts on one thing at a time.  This will also help when deciding what papers and embellishments you purchase and will keep you within your budget.

Create a budget: Yep, I dared to use the “B” word.  Most of us scrampers spend, spend, spend!  Choosing a budget of $1-$2 per page will keep your album from breaking the bank.

Buy wisely: Now that you’ve set that budget, use it!  If you buy a package of embellishments with the intention of just using one piece on one page, you aren’t making the most of your money or your tools. Also, check out your own stash and see what you’ve got that you can make work.  You may not have to buy a single brad!

Keep your layouts simple: One of the major scrapbook companies had a slogan a few years ago about keeping it simple and getting it done.  I never liked their stuff very much but as time went by I really appreciated their point of view.  Save those layouts you want to copy from the latest magazine for just 1 or 2 pages.  This will do two things: 1) Help keep you sane and away from the perfectionism that cripples a lot of us from getting our albums done.  2) Make those pages even more special.

Don’t expect to scrap EVERY picture: It’s not realistic because not every picture is a keeper.  If you want to include every picture, get some pocket page protectors and put them at the back of the album.

Think about repetition: When I’m designing a scrapbook, I often sketch out just 3-4 layouts that I’ll use throughout the album.  By changing papers, embellishments, and even slightly changing the layout, you can have some consistency throughout the album but also gives each page it’s own identity.

• My Digital Studio software
• Party Hearty and Petal Pizzazz stamp sets
• Whisper White card stock (8-1/2″ x 11″)
• Earth Elements assorted card stock (8-1/2″ x 11″)
• Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, and Tempting Turquoise Classic Stampin’ Pads^®
• Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, and Real Red Stampin’ Write^® markers
• Chocolate Chip 1/4″ grosgrain ribbon
• Real Red 1″ double-stitched grosgrain ribbon
• Button Latte Designer buttons
• Stampin’ Dimensionals^®
• Mini Glue Dots
• SNAIL Adhesive^®
• Business supplies (product catalogs, order forms, training DVD, and other supplies)

Combining My Digital Studio with traditional embellishments and other Stampin’ Up!^® products allows you to not only effectively showcase hybrid projects, but also demonstrate projects using non-digital elements. Contact me today to get started!

After you know what you have, you can begin planning your scrapbook!

Some of the most common ways to organize scrapbook album s are:

• Chronological albums showing your family’s life throughout the years
• Focusing on certain things or events, like the character and personality of individuals or on weddings, births, etc.
• Themed albums about sports, holidays, or seasons are interesting ways to organize your layouts.

No matter what you choose, keep in mind that there isn’t “right way” to do it! You can choose many different album ideas even within the same album!

Use your computer!

If you are like me, you’ve literally got hundreds of fonts on your computer that would be great for your scrapbook pages. Don’t have a printer that can print on 12X12 pages? Never fear! With the use of a paper cutter and a ruler you too can create fabulous pages without having to worry about your handwriting!

Measure the spot for your journaling, then using Word or Publisher or another desktop publishing software, create a text box the exact size you need. Then type up your journaling! I like to use Publisher because of the FIT TEXT feature which sizes the text perfectly to the box. Then, using a similar piece of paper, cut down your paper so that it will fit into your printer and print your journaling.

If you really want to be fancy, do what I do and print your journaling on CLEAR sticker paper! Then cut down the page to size and stick on your page like any other sticker!

I would suggest you use your handwriting for a few of your pages. Some of my most prized momentos are those things written in my mother’s handwriting. I know that my mom hated her writing, but it never fails to bring a tear to my eye when I see my mom’s quirky handwriting.

1. A paper cutter
2. A good pair of scissors
3. Good quality paper
4. A pencil
5. Strong adhesive
6. A ruler

That’s it. You don’t need any fancy tools. Most of us have these laying around the house. And if you have gotten overwhelmed by all the great stuff in the catalog, then know this: you don’t really need stamps at this point.

That’s right. You don’t.

With these few items, you can make all kinds of things: beautiful little note cards, little gifts, a wonderful scrapbook page, the list goes on.

  I’d like you to consider purchasing a basic all-round stamp set too. In the current 09-10 catalog, my recommendation is Fun and Fast Notes (#113500). This little set will work for almost any situation and it very cute.

To make this card:

• Cut all pieces: Pixie Pink: 5-1/2 X 8-1/2 (#105121), Green Gable: 2-3/8 X 3 (#102795), Whisper White: 2-3/4 X 2-1/4 (100730)
• Fold Pixie Pink in half for card
• Using Pixie Pink cartridge (#105203), wheel image over right most part of card using the Stampin’ Around Handle (#102971) and Fast Flowers (#109679) wheel.
• Stamp image on whisper white and color using blender pens (#102845) and pastels (#105542).

I am pretty happy with them myself.   Here’s a complete list of the colors that will retire on June 30th:

• Basic Brown
• Going Gray
• Glorious Green
• Green Galore
• Gable Green
• YoYo Yellow
• Only Orange
• Pink Passion
• Pixie Pink
• Orchid Opulence
• Lovely Lilac
• Brilliant Blue
• Close To Cocoa
• Creamy Caramel
• Really Rust
• Ruby Red
• Cameo Coral
• Summer Sun
• Bordering Blue
• Brocade Blue
• Ballet Blue
• Taken With Teal
• Handsome Hunter
• Pale Plum
• Apricot Appeal
• Barely Banana
• Mellow Moss
• Sage Shadow
• Almost Amethyst
• Lavender Lace

Blush Blossom will be retiring as an official color, but you will still be able to order it.

We will also be saying goodbye to these current InColors:

• Dusty Durango
• Crushed Curry
• Bermuda Bay

So now’s your chance!  If you love any of the retiring colors, be sure to get them while they are still available!  Call or email me today!

Well no more.

Check out the brayered background in this card. A delicate green at the bottom and a gradient blue at the top…

I have to admit that this is not an original idea. I saw someone else brayer the background for this set, Nature Silhouettes and decided that I had to make this card.

I would not have attempted this without seeing a couple of other folks talk about how to get this kind of background. The first is Michele Zindorf.  She makes the most amazing cards I’ve ever seen. I plan to take her class the next time she’s in Atlanta.

Next is Mrs. Lumpy. She took Michelle’s class and offered her own Brayering 101 class here. I owe the look I got for this card to both of them.

And now for instructions:

All products are Stampin’ Up!
Inks: Brilliant Blue, Green Galore, Basic Black
Papers: Brilliant Blue, Tempting Teal, Whisper White
Stamps: Nature Silhouette

1. Fold Brilliant Blue to card size
2. Brayer Green Galore half way up larger piece of whisper white, then brayer Brilliant Blue half way down leaving white space
3. Stamp tree image on card with black ink
4. Stamp deer or wolf on brayered piece
5. Sponge black around tree
6. Cut brayered piece down to 2-3/4 X 3
7. Mount brayered piece to whisper white #2 and mount on card
8. Stamp sentiment on tempting teal and mount on card

One tip: when creating a brayered background, I’ve found that it is absolutely necessary to make my initial piece larger than I want. This allows for the edges to be a little wonky. If you get started brayering, you’ll see what I mean.

Paper is the foundation for all of your creations, so make sure you are using good paper. If you are creating a scrapbook page, use only archivally safe paper. It is generally marked as ARCHIVAL or it will say it is ACID FREE or LIGNIN FREE. Paper that is not achivally safe will not last as long as other papers and will crack or crumble after several years.

I also recommend thick paper over thin paper. For one thing, it looks better and for another, thick paper is easier to manipulate.

If you are stamping, you want paper that is very smooth as any texture will be exaggerated by the ink. The extra smoothness also keeps the ink on the surface of the paper instead of soaking into the paper. Try stamping on cheap card stock and you’ll see that the ink bleeds through the paper and along the individual fibers of the paper.

There are several companies that offer excellent paper for scrapbooking and for stamping. I highly recommends Stampin’ Up! papers and card stock. Not just because I am a SU! demonstrator but because they are just good products. I used the SU! papers for a long time (8 years!!) before I was a demo.

Stampin’ Up! card stocks are made of 80lb cover weight paper and are very high quality. Additionally, Stampin’ Up! card stock coordinates with our markers, ink pads, pastels, ink cartridges, watercolor crayons and Stampin’ Spots. Additionally, it’s acid and lignin free for scrapbooking.

About 8 years ago, I found rubber stamps and found them to be a delightful addition to my scrapbooking. I love to make cards and gifts and I love adding stamp work to my scrapbooks.

This is the first post of an ongoing series that I call Scramping 101 – I hope you’ll enjoy it.