Days to Remember Project

I wanted to design a project using the new Calendar background stamp set, so I decided to make a ‘Days to Remember’ book. The recipient can use this book to record special days such as birthdays, anniversaries and other holidays. Since the dates are not calendar specific (each month in the book starts on a Sunday and ends whenever), this can be used year after year. It’s just the dates that are important, not the days (hey…I guess I should have called this ‘Dates to Remember’ instead!).

This project took a VERY long time – there is a LOT of stamping to do. By the time I got to the inside pages, I decided to keep them very simple and just use a series of black and white photos taken from one day at the beach. But you could use a photo each month of someone whose birthday is in that month – that would be a wonderful gift!

So…here’s how it turned out:

I realized that I should have oriented the book cover sideways to match the inside calendars, but I think it’s cute anyway.

Instead of varying the color scheme of the months (which would look REALLY good), I kept the colors the same throughout the book. Like I said, this was a LOT of work.

Just a couple of pages to give you an idea of the inside…I couldn’t use too many embellishments because I didn’t want the book to be too thick.

I used a Stampin’ Up! art journal as the basis of the book and have MANY more blank pages at the back. Maybe you could use these for notes or as a journal – or to record the gifts received and given for each occasion.

Torrence Family Frame

Just a quick project I did the other day to show at my Stampin’ Up! Open House next week.

I’ve been dying to use the new All In The Family stamp set for a little project, didn’t have the time until now (well…I actually still don’t have the time, but the laundry can wait, right?).

I picked up several of these plain, magnetic frames at the Target Dollar Spot last year:

And was waiting for a project to use them. I thought they’d be so cute as a family frame to hang on the fridge (this would make a great gift for a neighbor or new family on the block).

I just covered the frame with paper and stamped a little family portrait to put inside. Oops – I forgot to put glasses on Mike – I’ll have to add that when I get a chance…

For this project, I used all the new In Colors for my color palette. I watercolored the images with ink from the pad and a blender pen. I also tried dying one of the ‘Pretties Kit’ white flowers for the first time. I used the Purely Pomegranate ink refill and an aquapainter – it was actually VERY easy and I had total control over how light or dark the flower turned out.

Love Walked In

I finished another book this week – Love Walked In by Merisa de los Santos.  I picked it up on a whim when I bought a bunch of other books.  The other books I purchased that day were more serious with heavier topics – this one I thought would be a nice, light read.

And that’s pretty much what it was, but different from most books where it’s just a boy-meets-girl, boy-and-girl-fall-in-love, something-keeps-boy-and-girl-from-getting-together, love-wins-out-in-the-end story.

Love Walked In is about a single, working woman named Cornelia who is looking for love and thinks she finds it in Martin, a sophisticated, witty man.  But when she finds out that Martin has a daughter, Clare, that he hasn’t told her about…and when Clare’s mom has basically a nervous breakdown and abandons Clare, Cornelia steps in as a mother figure and uses maternal instincts that she didn’t know she had. 

It’s a pretty good story, but…why is it whenever there is a man and a woman in a story who are good friends, they have to end up falling in love with each other in the end?  Why can’t they just stay friends?  In this book, Cornelia ends up falling in love with a childhood friend (who also happens to be her sister’s husband) and I wish she didn’t. 

Other than that, this was a nice summer read.

My Day At CKC- Valley Forge

I had SUCH a great time yesterday at the Creating Keepsakes Convention in Valley Forge, PA! 

First of all, I loved it because there were rows and rows of scrapbooking vendors – so much to see (and buy!).  I did buy just a few things…oh- who am I kidding, I bought WAY too much stuff!!!!  I bought mostly paper – have I mentioned that I have an addiction to patterned paper? 😉

Actually, I have an addition to paper crafting supplies in general, and taking me to the CKC was sort of like taking an alcoholic to an open bar – it was insane!

I bought some beautiful new papers from Basic Grey, SEI, My Mind’s Eye and K & Company just to name a few.  I also did a couple of make-and-takes – during one of which (SEI’s iron-on accents), I managed to burn my arm on the iron – OUCH!  But I didn’t have time to nurse my wound – there were too many more booths to visit!

The best part of going to CKC was volunteering to work there.  If you sign up as a volunteer, you get lots of little free goodies and special discounts too – can’t beat that for working a four hour shift!

I worked in the CKC store where they sold Creating Keepsakes and PaperCrafts books and magazines as well as T-shirts, tote bags, pins and other souvenirs.  While I working, I coudn’t help but talk up Stacy Croninger’s book, 40 Techniques for Making Cards.  I just love this book – I used it as a basis for a series of technique classes I offered last fall and winter. 

Well…lo and behold, who is working at the information desk, but Stacy Croninger herself!  Not only is she the author of this fine book (which I managed to sell a case-and-a-half of, no less), but she is also the editor of my favorite magazine, PaperCrafts!

Stacy also has a new book out, Scrapbooks to Cards, which was my first purchase after arriving at the convention.  So…since she was there, I had her autograph my copy and took a photo with her as well:

After I left the convention, I thought that maybe I should have given her my business card and a link to this blog and my gallery, but I was so excited to meet her, I didn’t think of it.  Maybe I’ll follow up with an email to her…that’s not stalker-like behavior, is it?

It’s just that I’ve been published in several magazines now, but I have yet to be published in PaperCrafts (did I mention it’s my favorite magazine?).  I have submitted a few things, but they only take digital submissions or photographs and I have never heard a single word back on any of the entries I sent to them.  So…if you’re reading this Stacy, can you take a look at my SCS gallery (link is on the sidebar) and see if any of my projects are PaperCrafts worthy? 😉

In addition to meeting Stacy, I also worked with Janice who has a chili recipe in Paper Crafts Gourmet:

Janice was so much fun – if I volunteer for CKC next year, I’ll request to work with her in the store again!

A New Puppy in the Family

No…I didn’t get another puppy (although I have considered it 🙂 )! Andrew’s dad and stepmom did! Last Thursday, they went to Berlin View Kennels (same place we got Daisy) and picked up their very own goldendoodle, Bella! Bella is just 14 weeks old and is the same golden color as Daisy.  Bella is so cute – we had a little puppy playdate this weekend with her, Daisy and my neighbor Chris’ basset hound, Dudley.

And speaking of Miss Daisy, this week she graduated from Intermediate Puppy Class – yeah, Daisy!!!!

Daisy will start the advanced training class in September and will hopefully pass the Canine Good Citizen test at the end of the class.