Friday Finds

I love this big world wide web of crafting inspiration, but I thought I would post links to a few new and favorite local spots to hang out at on the web.

First up - the DC Paper Craft Examiner - this column at the Washington Examiner on-line is a good one to check periodically to find out about local crafting stores and events.

Next up - the Scrapbooks Plus Store website. As anyone who has been scrapbooking for a few years knows, local scrapbooking stores (LSSs) have been going out of business in droves. Scrapbooks Plus located in Chantilly, Virginia is a bright exception to that rule. I love this well-stocked store with friendly and helpful staff. Check out their class schedule and kits.

Finally, a few blogs from local stampers and stamping stores, always great for inspiration.

Melinda's Musings - Melinda teaches cardmaking classes using Amuse stamps

A Happy Stamper - this is the blog for Angela's Happy Stamper, a rubberstamping store in Reston, Virginia. I'm planning to check it out really soon.

The Queen's Ink - I can just spend a fortune in this great store (and I have). Check it out if you are ever in the Baltimore/ Washington D.C. area.

What Size Are You?

We scrapbookers tend to sweat the small stuff a lot. Case in point - I've read numerous articles, blog entries and message board posts debating what size paper one should use to make a scrapbook page or album. Of course like all great "debates" there is no right or wrong answer to the question. As for myself I mostly use 12x12 inch paper for my scrapbook pages. This is the most common paper size used by scrapbookers and most companies sell their paper in this size and make albums to accomodate this size paper. I like the standard 12x12 inch paper because it gives me plenty of room for photos and journaling. The drawback with 12x12 inch paper is that it is big and takes up a lot of storage space, and the albums don't always fit on bookshelves.

I started off scrapbooking on 8-1/2 x 11 inch letter sized paper, and I still like to scrapbook on this size paper, especially if I am only using one photo or if I don't have a lot to say. Letter sized paper is great if you do a lot of scrapbooking on the computer because it allows you to use a standard sized printer. Letter sized paper is also easier to put in albums. For one thing you can put a piece of letter sized paper in any loose leaf binder you have on hand and in a standard sheet protector. Of course scrapbookers today have many more options than just these 2 sizes of paper. Scrapbook companies make albums and paper in many sizes including 6x12 inch, 8x8 inch, 9x9 inch, etc. While I rarely deviate from my two favorite sizes when doing everyday layouts, I like to experiment with new paper sizes and albums when I make smaller vacation or mini-albums. Lately I have been doing layouts on letter sized paper and I thought I would post a couple of creations.

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Mother's Day today. Here is a card I made for my mom.

Messy Memories - Week 18 Sketch

I'm on a roll - 2 weeks in a row I have completed the weekly layout for the 52 Week Sketch Challenge going on at Classy Coordinates. This is my interpretation of the Week 18 sketch.
Layout uses cardstock from American Crafts, button embellishments from Sassafrass Lass, "Messy" was cut out with my Cricut using the Cuttin Up cartridge. Pattern paper and chipboard letters are from Pink Paislee. TFL!

Memories Monday - Scrapbooking Old Photos

A couple of months ago I read an article in the February 2009 Creating Keepsakes Magazine by Ali Edwards called "Scrapbooking Childhood Photos" and her message of focusing on the stories and not spending too much time "fixing" the old photos really stuck with me. Over the last few months I have received some wonderful old photos from a number of family members. Most of the photos are faded and not particularly well composed. At first I would scan these photos into my computer and spend long periods of time trying to make them look like "new", usually ending up frustrated and not doing anything else with the photo. But after reading her article, I decided to go with what I had, and since then I have enjoyed pulling out these photos and just scrapbooking the memories they recall or the feelings they evoke. It's been said before and I think it's true sometimes we make this hobby harder than it needs to be. So try pulling out a few of the older photos you may have, scanning them into your computer and just start scrapbooking. Your memories are waiting.

Another Classy Sketch and Layout

I got this done and uploaded a little later than planned, plus this layout is actually more like 12.5 x 12 inches instead of 12x12 because I didn't realize the paper had an attached label on the the other side, but here is my take on the Classy Coordinates Weekly Sketch. This is based on the Week 17 Sketch. The papers are a little different from what I usually use, but I like how this turned out.

Awesome Craft Convention in D.C.

Now you know I don't necessarily consider scrapbooking a craft. I consider it recording memories in an artful way. For me the recording part comes before the art part - of course a quick review of my work makes that obvious. But I digress. I was on the train yesterday and read about a really cool handmade craft convention that will be in Washington, D.C. this weekend. It's called Summit of Awesome - I would love to check out the documentary or even attend the Show of Awesome, but my weekend is already looking a little overbooked so we'll see. But I thought I would share, since it does sound pretty awesome.