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The Savvy Window Tutorial :: Conclusion

 

We're almost at the end. I have one more final page for you this evening before concluding the Savvy Window Tutorial. It just so happens to be my very favorite from the album, though be warned, it does entail a bit of work and a couple additional windows that may require an unexpected hunt for actual "real-life" mini size frames. What exactly are these frames I speak of? Well, they're not entirely impossible to find as they're from an established, popular manufacturer that most of you are already familiar with - Melissa Frances. Quite a while ago, she coordinated a delightful set of white distressed pieces that have been wildly sampled and displayed by the likes of Melissa Phillips and other expert card makers. As I've watched them make multiple appearances on various blogs and magazines, I've been intrigued by them myself. At one point, I actually included a set of Melissa's frames in one of my kits. It was of a larger frame that found it's way into one of my mini albums. Since my first run-in with this particular frame, I've always wanted to experiment with some of her other frames. Sure enough, this tutorial came along and guess what?! Within a few short days, upon visiting a local scrapbook store and by sheer surprise, I made acquaintances with a freshly stocked "Melissa Frances" display arrangement that housed a plethora of her white vintagy frames. I immediately gravitated toward the set of four miniature "vintage frames". In that instant, I knew for certain they'd be the ideal direction for the last page of my album, so I brought them home with me. I'm hoping that since I was able to locate them locally, you'll also be able to locate them somewhere near you or online. They're the highlight of today's final installment of the Window Savvy tutorial!

 

In addition to these cute lil' windows is another frame inspired by the Polaroid Camera, a quick cardstock number that sort of happened by accident..thanks to my much neglected 2" x 2" square punch. I've posted full instructions for creating the frame a few paragraphs down.

 

First lets focus on building the background of the page. You'll want to use a ledger style pattern paper for this step (Studio Calico :: Roundabout - Retired?). I chose one enhanced by a vertical row of lettering. Pre-measure, trim and adhere a section of the paper to the page as shown.

I downsized my photo so that I could fit it beneath the flap of the lower half of the page. It's sized at around 2" x 2.25". Resize your chosen image either the old fashion way or on the computer and adhere it off center on top your paper.

 

Because the ledger pattern paper is of a neutral color, select a bold, lively pattern paper to house along the bottom of the page (KI Memories :: Sweet Life - Gumdrops). Trim it 1" in height and layer the very top edge with light blue paper and Brown Polka-Dot pattern paper (hand-trimmed using Fiskar's scallop edgers)(SEI :: Happy Day - Trick Candles). Carefully add it to your page after applying only a minimal amount adhesive to it's backside (see image above). Leave the top half of paper free of adhesive (for tucking things beneath it - acts like a flap).

 

Remember the quick mention of the Polaroid Frame from above? Well, here it is!! It's a wee bit on the small side, but could easily be converted into a larger size frame if your photo happens to be bigger. You won't have the convenience of a paper punch to assist in creating the frame, but that's what exacto knives are for, right?! Anyway, this Polaroid wanna-be is constructed from Vanilla cardstock. Simply punch a square from the cardstock (leaving enough room around it for trimming the actual frame) and then, carefully trim the open square area from the cardstock with your paper trimmer. Does this make sense? Man, what a tough technique to describe without photos. Punch first. Cut second. 

 

As you probably already know, we're going to use the polaroid frame to highlight our photo. Though, before adhering the frame to the page, we need to add some items to further accentuate both the photo & frame. 

Trim a small section of Pink Distressed pattern paper (Basic Grey) to fit the lower portion of the frame's opening. Use your frame as a guide for sizing and trimming the paper. Adhere the paper piece just below the photo. 

 

Create a large flower to the left of the photo - I used a variety of elements in this step. I started out by adhering a Jillibean Soup Journaling Sprout (Pasta Fagioli - Brand New!)

 

I then added to it the following items: 1.5" Fuchsia circle, 1.25" Olivine scallop circle, three hand-trimmed vintage paper circles & one large fabric brad (K & Company/Amy Butler).

 

You're more than welcome to leave your polaroid frame "as is", though I chose not to. I added a "phrase/word" sticker to the widest part of the frame and backed it with an old My Mind's Eye transparency. Trim the transparency to size and instead of adhering it directly to the backside of the frame, adhere it to the page first with small glue dots (corners!). Use your frame for placement guidance. Don't adhere the frame yet to the page!! 

 You might notice that a pink flower (My Mind's Eye :: Quite Contrary - Mary Mary "Best of Friends") has popped up suddenly. Find one in your own collection that best suits your large flower and add it as shown. 

 

Maybe you've thought to do or maybe you haven't...stamping on labels! It's not an impossible feat if you decide to try it out. Some labels have a non-absorbent, shiny surface that doesn't always take well to ink, so plan to use either "Staz On" ink or "Pigment Ink"/Embossing Powder for stamping on them. My chosen label was of course, slick and non-ink friendly. I stamped it with clear embossing ink & "Mushroom" embossing powder (Stamps :: Creative Imaginations). I then layered the label with Gray cardstock and adhered it to my page as shown. 

 

Finally, place the polaroid frame over your photo & embellishments with strong wet adhesive. Hold it down for at least two minutes to ensure it's secure and in position. 

Adhere one of Melissa Frances's vintage frames on top your stamped label - have it sit horizontally.

 

Create a third flower and trim it (oh yes, trim it!!) so that it sits up against the right edge of the polaroid frame. I used three misc. items to create this third flower; Green Starburst Flower (Echo Park :: Summertime collection - cardstock stickers), Pink Open Circle Chipboard Piece (Heidi Grace :: Valentine's Day - Chipboard Stickers) & Green Traditional Flower (College Press :: Sweet Shoppe collection - Sweet Shapes)

 

Lastly, create a fourth small simple accented circle to tuck beneath our handmade flap as shown above. The circle combination should include some Pink.

 

We're nearing the finish line you guys! Hang in there! Adhere two more of Melissa Frances's vintage frames as shown. Don't be afraid to add a frame on top the large size flower. It's really ok to do so and it actually looks pretty! Yay!

 

I introduced this white overlay product a post or two ago - it's from My Little Shoebox (Flawless collection). Trim the word "Bloom" from the overlay sheet and adhere it as shown using small glue dots. 

Congratulations my friends! You have survived another one of my mind boggling tutorials. Laugh. Actually, this has been so much fun and I'm so very sad to see it come to an end. It represents a point of transition for me. I'm expected on campus at 8:30 am tomorrow morning to partake in a day of "Welcoming" festivities. All new students are required to participate in the "all day" event. On Thursday, I'll be reacquainting myself with the classroom. It's been nearly eight years since I last stepped foot in one, so it should make for an interesting day. You'll definitely hear about the experience here on my blog - so stay tuned! Wish me luck you guys! Here I go.... 

The Savvy Window Tutorial :: Part Six

We're nearing the end my friends of the Savvy Window tutorial. I've decided to present one more page and then begin my new journey in the wayward direction of school, which starts this week (Wednesday)! I can hardly believe I'll be lugging around a backpack containing twenty pounds of textbooks, binders and notebooks in less than four days!! I'll be an official student once again and man, am I ready or what?! I can't tell you how excited I am to redirect my energy toward something new..this has been a long time coming and I'm so looking forward to it. I've already prepped my bag with the basics. I pick up my parking permit on Monday and textbooks on Wednesday. It's going to be a hectic week I tell ya! This is why I've decided to finalize the tutorial Monday night. It'll be the last page of the album and quite possibly, my very last tutorial until I have a better understanding of my school schedule. Not entirely sure how my schedule will work out once I'm doing the full time thing. I'll keep you posted though!

Remember how I mentioned in my last post that this next page would be super easy? Well, it is..you probably won't have to read the instructions to make it either, but I organized them for you anyway..just incase! Our next window was actually one of the very first window ideas I had prior to beginning the album. I've been liking this Sassafras number card for quite sometime and when I pulled it out for the project, I thought to myself, "This would be a breeze to turn into a window/frame and the colors are simply splendid!" I kept the card near me on my desk while waiting for the right page to use it on. After the last album page, I thought it was about time for a break..we're simplifying the design process today. Anyone can muster up a page like this...

 

This was one of those images I couldn't quite size correctly for the album. Instead, I cropped it just slightly to fit my page as shown (around 4" x 2.75") and went with it. Because we're adding only one main element in conjunction with the image (the card), there's plenty of room for a large size photo here.

 

We're going to remove the number "7" from the card. Grab a 1 1/8" circle punch and punch the number from the card as I did - try to preserve the stitching if possible as it serves to define the shape of our new window.

Select a likable pattern paper to sit beneath the circular opening (Not sure who is the manufacturer of my chosen pattern paper..possibly "Making Memories"..anyone know? It wasn't labeled..strange.). Trim it to size accordingly and add the paper and card to the right side of the page. *Note: the card is adhered with foam core pop dots.

 

Because the two boys look like they're having so much fun together via running around and chasing whatever it is they're after, this pinwheel does an excellent job of supporting my image. The pinwheel is from Echo Park's "Sweet Summertime" collection (Element Stickers). Trim a good portion of the holder from the pinwheel. Carefully tuck the pinwheel into your circular window. Add a simple, relevant phrase/word sticker over the word "seven" near the bottom of the card (Creative Imagination).

 

Now feel free to decorate your pinwheel to your liking. I opted to layer a a medium size epoxy brad (not sure of the manufacturer - My Mind's Eye? My brads are stored away in a plastic container without their packaging) with a small hand-trimmed Olivine cardstock circle and a second "rick-rack" circle hand-trimmed from light yellow distressed pattern paper. I layered all three elements together via the brad and adhered them on top the pinwheel with a large foam core pop dot. See below:

 

That about it! Not too bad, eh?! Can you tell I'm from Minnesota? Everyone I've ever met outside the Minnesota zone knows almost immediately where I'm from based on my good ol' "watch'ya doing?" Minnesota accent. People get a chuckle out of it..though I don't seem to notice the telltale syllables that give me away. I will openly admit that my accent isn't nearly as bad as Sarah Palins', but that's a discussion for a different day. For now, just accept the fact that listening to me talk is sorta amusing for most outsiders. Think Saturday Night Live and then you'll know what I mean...I'm also a huge fan of Minnesota Public Radio :)

I'll see you guys in another day or two! If you've had a chance to finish up a page or two, I'd love to see them! Send images to retrospection30@gmail.com - I'll try to post a few later this week since we're without a flickr group this time around..thanks ahead of time! Hope you've found a moment or two to relax this weekend and are maybe squeezing in some scrappy time. I'm certainly trying...bye!

The Savvy Window Tutorial :: Part Five

So far, we've experimented with a variety of materials in creating our frames including transparency, a die-cut journaling tag, a pre-finished small chipboard frame and my favorite, a bingo card. Today, we're going to work with a material that remains a staple for many scrapbookers - chipboard. To be more specific, naked chipboard. As a contributing designer to GCD, I have a significant stash of their chipboard designs on hand. One of my favorite chipboard designs from them are their "Small Frames".

 

The Small Frame set includes a nice variety of open window frames that are both large and small in size and of varying shapes and styles. Because this set contains a wonderful assortment of frames, having them available to use is extremely convenient, especially for this particular project. The frame I chose for page four of my album is the rectangle frame with the curvy, label-like opening. It's included in the package.  We're going to dress it up with cardstock and give it an aged appearance via Distress Ink & Clear Crackle Paint. If you don't have this exact chipboard frame on hand, feel free to substitute it with a different frame. The frame itself is 2" x 2.75".

 

I'm going to begin as I always do - establish a background for embellishing. Pre-measure and trim your selected B & W photo and pattern paper (SEI :: Mimosa collection - "Chartreuse") to cover the chipboard page as shown and adhere them down.

What do you think of the golden olivine pattern paper? Isn't it exquisite? It's a color not commonly found on paper, so it was extremely difficult for me to cut into it. I held my breath, closed my eyes and let go of some of it, finally. I'm going to hang on to the rest for future use..

 

Our frame needs to be outfitted! Trace the frame onto Vanilla cardstock, including the opening of the frame. Carefully (I mean carefully!) trim the tracing from the cardstock - you'll want to trim the tracing a centimeter or two smaller as the tracing itself is slightly larger than the frame. You could also adhere the frame to the cardstock and cut directly around the frame using an exacto knife. Don't forget to cut the center area from the frame also.

To smooth the edges of your paper/chipboard frame, sand them with a nail file - move the nail file in in a downward motion (not up!). When sanded, the cardstock takes to the shape of the chipboard piece beneath it and loses it's noticeable hard edge.

Distress the edges of the frame with Ranger Distress Ink using a sponge dauber - less is more in this case.

Finally, paint the frame with an uneven coat of Crackle Paint (Ranger :: Clear) and set it aside to dry for at least twenty minutes. If you'd like to hasten the drying process, use a heat gun, but sparingly (hold it about 8" away from the surface of your frame). Be warned, if you're working on one of those handy-dandy cutting mats, remove the frame from you mat prior to using your heat gun - it will warp your mat!

 

This is one of those optional steps, so if your without a thick transparency or acrylic piece, don't panic! I just happened to have it sitting in one of my drawers and because I've yet to create a literal window, I thought I'd experiment with it to find out what kind of effect it would have on the contents beneath it.

If you have a thicker transparency material available to you, trim it to fit just over the opening of the frame and adhere it the frame's backside. I opted to use glue-dots for adhering the two items together.

 

Locate a "ledger" style pattern paper or die-cut you think would best work with your frame and page. I chose this really cute journaling tag from Elle's Studio. It's brand spanken' new and is one amongst six different tags included in the "Sweet Summer Journaling Circle Tag" set.

When thinking in terms of patterns, you aren't necessarily relegated to only pattern paper. Even though we automatically assume that pattern paper is the best option for locating patterns in which to use on our projects, there are an assortment of other places to find patterns. I often resort to rummaging through my color coordinated die-cut drawers to find unique and fun patterns because they're usually smaller in size and vastly different from what's printed on regular ol' pattern paper. Next time you're looking to spruce up a background or redefine a space, visit your die-cut collection...you'll expand your pattern options tenfold in doing so!

Select an area amongst your ledger paper that best suites the opening of your window. You may want to trace the chosen area on your ledger item so that you know where the window sits because you're going to be adding some items to this area.

 

Keeping the window simple time around, trim a section of a single color rub-on set (Studio Calico :: Buttons - Gray) to fit within the confines of the window. Apply the rub-ons to the ledger background while paying close attention to their location. Think of both the frame and background as placement is really important here...the same goes for all future steps!! This is a tricky one..I know, why couldn't I just do something simple? Wasn't this suppose to be simple? Laugh. It's not as bad as it looks..promise.

 

So, I'm going to confuse you some more...just know that there isn't an exact science to this..at least not this page anyway. You're going to have to work on instinct temporarily as we go about setting up this next step.

If you haven't done so already, trace the frame onto your ledger background. We're sizing the ledger area to fit beneath your frame so that it's not noticeable from the front - getting rid of the excess! Trim the tracing from the ledger paper and dispose of the excess.

Trim a small section from a large vintage inspired journaling tag (Sassafras :: Indie Girl - Journaling Tags) as I did above. Add the small section beneath the right edge of your ledger paper. Again, refer to the frame to ensure the placement of the small sticker section is where you want it.

 

Apply a phrase/word sticker (Little Yellow Bicycle :: Fresh Print Clothesline collection - Fresh Verse) to your work-in-progress as I've done above. This particular sticker should sit beneath the frame's right, lower edge.

 

Thinking in terms of patterns again, trim a thin 3" strip from The Girl's Paperie "Pink Ruler" border sticker (Paper Girl Collection - Sticker Market). Without this sticker? Find a pink/brown/black striped pattern that might make a great substitute for the sticker. It doesn't have to be the exact same stripe style either - mix it up! Work with what you have!

 

Layer the bottom edge of the strip with Gray cardstock. Adhere your pretty pink stripe strip in a not-so-perfect fashion to your project as I've done above. So, are you still with me?! Laugh. Honestly, this is where the whole labor of love thing comes into play - once this is done, you'll be set to finish the page!

 

To further accent our pink stripe strip, trim and add a section of Doodlebug's zig-zag Paper Frills (Lily White) to it's gray border edge (if you look real close, you'll see it!).

We're about ready to adhere the items of our page together. Before doing so though, tuck a Sassafras Indie Girl flower sticker between the actual chipboard page and frame set-up (lower right hand corner).

 

Adhere the background elements to your chipboard page..**use your frame for placement reference. Add another phrase sticker as shown - accent it with a small circular epoxy sticker (SEI :: Retired).

On top of all of those elements, finally add the frame with strong wet adhesive :)

 

Build up your flower arrangement. Layer the large flower with a smaller sized flower (Sassafras :: Indie Girl) and a matching epoxy flower (Anna Griffin). Apply an additional tiny flower (Sassafras :: Indie Girl) just beneath the top right corner of the frame.

 

Because I felt the page needed a lil' something extra..you know me, I can't help but layer some more..apply a small title just above the lower corner flower (American Crafts :: Cindy Lou - Silver).

That's it! We're done with the page! This is by far the most detailed page in the album thus far - if you survived it, you'll more than likely breeze through the rest of the album without issue. Tomorrow's page is much easier..it will take you all of fifteen minutes to finish! Consider it a sort of break from all the craziness here. I'll have it posted for you tomorrow late evening!

If any of you have questions about products, please feel free to email me. I'll do my best to answer your questions! Have a lovely evening everyone! We're off to the State Fair tomorrow..after a round of vaccines..yikes!

The Savvy Window Tutorial :: Part Four

 

Well friends, we're moving forward with our next page. It's all about crystal clear acrylic today - do you remember the stuff? Are you still using it on your projects? To this day, I remain a huge fan of transparency. It's a quick, simple way to bring more texture to one's project. It's glossy surface pairs well with matte pattern papers and other items without the lack luster sheen commonly affiliated with transparency. It has a magnification quality I really enjoy also. When applied on top of other elements, it tends to bring them forward (just slightly), which is sort of interesting to me. I find myself intrigued by the contents that lay beneath a transparency because it often highlights their best features; color, pattern & shape. So, I thought why not use a transparency frame for this next page? I located one in my transparency drawer from Fancy Pants (this frame is retired folks! If you don't have one, make one - 2.75" x 2.75" with an opening of 2" x 2"). I backed it with an assortment of items, including pattern paper, a vintage flashcard and a dotted pink journaling tag (Elle's Studio). Feel like revisiting your transparency stash? If so, follow along below! We have much to do...

 

 

Let's quickly set-up the overall page before discussing the frame and it's contents. Prep your photo (may have to downsize it some to fit as shown) and Fuschia cardstock (skip the dots - you won't really see them anyway) as shown and adhere them to the backside of Monday's chipboard page.  

 

 

How do you like the torn frame? Yes, it's not perfect, but you know what?! It does the job fabulously, so it turned out to not be that big of a problem (I was afraid it would be). Plus, it was the only one I had, so a girl can't be too picky, can she? 

We're going to back the frame with a few items from Elle's Studio (Love Elle! Her pink tissue packaging automatically deserves a reorder and the candy is another huge plus!). The journaling tag is here and the vintage flashcard card, here.  Hold on to these items though - don't adhere anything together yet! We have polka-dots just over the horizon!

 

 

Trim this *uber* cute polka-dot strip from Bella Boulevard's Sunny Happy Skies "Border N' Blocks" pattern paper. Trim a section of the dotted paper to fit inside the top portion of the pink journaling tag and adhere it as shown. 

The dark brown background of the polka-dotted pattern paper is key here as it contrasts well with the pink journaling tag. If you're without the paper, find another dark color polka-dotted pattern paper you think might be a good replacement. 

 

 

Pre-measure and trim a section from the flash card to fit the bottom portion of the journaling tag. Of course, select a word that best describes your subject matter. Adhere the trimmed flash card to the tag as shown. 

This is where I'm going to provide you an option as I think it will make you're life easier and help you to avoid a major letdown. If you take a peek at the photo below, you'll notice an attractive pink lil' bird (American Crafts :: Botanique collection - Aster Phrases). Well, he's a rub-on and unfortunately, I didn't add the lil' guy until after I stapled the frame to my decorated tag. The staples became a barrier to my applying the bird in a sensible fashion. If seeking to be smarter than myself, rub the lil' bird on now and then add the frame as I did above using a couple of staples (I have Tim Holtz's mini stapler..it's not required to complete this step - a regular ol' stapler will work!)

 

 

Oh, don't forget the branch as well! Laugh. Without a bird and branch rub-on? I bet you own a small chipboard/die-cut bird and a branch of some sort (stamp? rub-on? etc.) - heck, birds have been around forever and we still collect them like candy..well, at least I do anyway. Laugh. They're a neutral enough embellishment that they work great on any project!

 

 

Notice the abuse my rub-on endured as a result of my "not thinking ahead"? Luckily, the rub-on held it together long enough to avoid my ruining the page...it was seriously a close call folks!

 

 

Now that we've substantiated what sits beneath the frame, how about embellishing it from the top? Pre-measure and trim a small strip of Green crosshatched pattern paper (Bella Boulevard :: Sunny Happy Skies - Magic in the Sky). Layer the bottom edge of the strip with white scallop border (Doodlebug :: Lily White Paper Frills). Adhere the strip to the your page as shown using large foam core pop dots. 

 

 

Trim another strip from Brown cardstock to fit the very bottom of the page - it should sit slightly beneath the scallop border. You'll want to tuck it beneath the scallops!

 

 

 

This is one of those optional steps you can skip if you're without the punch I'm about to mention. It's from EK Success and is titled "Photo Labels". Focusing mostly on the small, long label at the very top of the punch, punch a label from Gray cardstock. Layer the label with a tiny Blue label sticker from October Afternoon (Ducks in a Row collection). Adhere the label combination to your page as shown using good ol' wet adhesive. 

 

 

This is probably where you'll have to do some substituting as I organized a couple of misc. items for this next step (and the following). Find either a chipboard or die-cut piece that looks similar to the Vanilla chipboard piece in the image above. It should kinda look like an old fashion label. 

Embellish the label shaped piece with an epoxy sticker (KI Memories) that's been layered with Fuschia cardstock. Select an epoxy sticker that best matches the page's color palette. 

 

 

Adhere the label shape piece to your page as shown using wet adhesive. Further accent it with Light Turquoise Rhinestones (My Mind's Eye :: Lush Collection - Blue). Vary the size of the rhinestones for added interest. 

 

 

I almost stopped creating the page at this point, but for reasons I can't explain, I felt the urge to add a bright yellow sun to the very top corner of my page. The bird was calling for a nature friendly backdrop (besides all the crazy cute dots!) and a sun seemed fitting. You might have to muster up an unusual combination to create a sun similar to mine. I layered a KI Memories epoxy sticker with a a small floral sticker from Echo Park's "Sweet Summertime" collection. Adhere your one-of-a-kind sun concoction to the page using a foam core pop dot. 

We're three pages into the album and we have another three or four to go...like I already mentioned yesterday, I want desperately to have this album finished for you by Sunday. We'll find out sooner rather than later if I'm able to reach this goal...lets keep our fingers crossed, shall we?! 

Thanks for the kind mentions about my hair..yes, it shall eventually find it's way to my shoulders, but not for the next couple of years my friends! Laugh. It is seriously beyond short, but I'm love 'en it and so is my pomade collection. We're surviving my new short & choppy, messy hair together. I think in another week or two, I'll like it even more..it's already growing like a weed! Thanks again for the rave reviews you guys! You're all so sweet! 

Before we call it a night, there's one lil' surprise I failed to share with you yesterday - The Creative Connection event is less than a month away!! I received an invite recently to contribute to one of their latest ongoing blogs titled, "In Your Own Words". If you'd like to check it out, visit the blog here..if you'd like to learn more about the event, visit here. It's pretty darn amazing...still working my way into the event. I'll keep you posted!

The Savvy Window Tutorial :: Part Three

Before we even discuss the third installment of the ongoing tutorial, I first have a confession to make. Nearly a week ago, I made the decision to have my stylist streamline my fine, fickle hair which hasn't been doing anything for the last month or so. I felt the urge to go shorter. Well, unbeknownst to me, my hairstylist chopped off a whopping three inches and left me running from the salon in a complete state of panic. Fast forward a week later and I'm still adjusting to the ultra short hairdo. I wouldn't say that I don't love it because never before has getting ready in the morning been sooo easy. It is on the "short" side though, which will more than likely result in my finding zero boyfriends...not that I'm looking. Laugh. 

 

 

 

 

We're doing something a little different with the window concept today. Instead of focusing on a single window, we're going to create multiple windows from an old fashion bingo card! I'm almost 100% certain that most of you have a large stash of bingo cards laying around. I know that I do and for the most part, they're ignored. I thought it about time that this bingo card hoarder use one of her bingo cards on a project, so I came up with the idea to trim multiple peek-a-boo windows from one of the cards and then refurbish it with pretty, dual-layered butterflies. It's actually the focus of today's "part three" tutorial - let me show you how I did it and then I'll fill you in how to create the rest of today's page.

 

 

Now, isn't this the cutest bingo card you've ever seen? I mean seriously, My Mind's Eye (So Sofie) must of been reading my mind because this bingo card would make for fabulous pages in a mini album..another idea to take home with you today. I decided to trim the card in half because I didn't have the space for the entirety of the card on my page. After you've trimmed it in half, using a sharp exacto-knife, hand-trim five "number" sections from the card as I've done above. 

 

 

Back the card with brightly colored Olive Green polka-dot pattern paper (Luxe Designs :: Simply Luxe - "Simply Dot Lime" - Retired). Feel free to use a subtle colored pattern paper if it's more to your liking, though be aware that in doing so, the window openings will be less noticeable. 

 

 

Select and round the corners (upper right & lower right corners only) of a 2" x 3" B/W photograph. Layer the left side of the photograph with a thin strip of Gray cardstock. Adhere both your bingo card and photograph to the page as shown. The photo should sit just slightly over the top of the bingo card. Only a miniscule amount of the gray cardstock will show..don't be surprised by this. Feel free to have more of the cardstock showing if your heart so desires...

 

 

Utilizing Martha Stewart's popular butterfly punch, punch ten butterflies from a finely detailed Pink pattern paper (Bella Blvd. :: Estate Sale - "Billboards"). Adhere five of them to your page as shown above using your favorite wet adhesive. Each butterfly should have it's own window :)

 

 

We're now going to dress up our next five butterflies with a sprinkling of White glitter (Doodlebug :: Lily White). Carefully apply wet adhesive to each butterfly and sprinkle with glitter. Shake off excess glitter (be warned -- you'll be a glittery mess after this is done!!) and allow your butterflies to fully dry before moving on the next step. 

 

 

This can get a little bit tricky here folks, so you may want to break out your most comfortable pair of tweezers. Bend your butterfly wings slightly forward with your fingers. Adhere each of the gently folded butterflies to the page as shown using only a small amount of wet adhesive (a dot will suffice) beneath each butterfly (along it's crease). 

 

 

We're going to add a couple of embellishments, though I kept them fairly simple since the butterflies are the defining feature of this page. Layer a small "word or phrase" sticker (Bella Blvd. :: Sunny Happy Skies collection - Alpha + Bits) (that best coincides with your photo) with a perfectly fitting label sticker (Girls Paperie :: On Holiday Embellishment Pack). 

Ok, so I spend hours searching for perfect product combinations..I know, no one in their right mind would scrapbook this way, but pairing products is honestly the easiest way to layer. It's like fitting two perfectly paired puzzle pieces together and by the time your done, you're more familiar with your vast array of scrapbook supplies than you could of ever imagined! Which I consider to be a huge perk!! So get searching!

 

 

Not sure if you've acquainted yourself with these sheer embellishments previously, but they're one of my secret faves..wish My Little Shoebox would come out with more of these as they're far superior to white rub-ons. They're titled "Flawless Overlay" and this is the only set I own. See the outlined medium size flower in the image above - trim it out with your scissors and layer beneath it a similar sized Blue flower (Sassafras :: Indie Girl - Indie Sweet Treats).

 

 

Create and trim a small scallop strip from ledger pattern paper (should fit the height of the page - around 3" or so) using Fiskar's Threading Water border punch. Layer the bottom edge of the scallop strip with Gray cardstock. Apply a cutesy Turquoise/Blue patterned border on top of the scallop strip as shown (My Mind's Eye - Quite Contrary - Little Boy Blue "That's My Boy" accessory sheet).

 

 

Let's finally add the pieces we've been working on to left edge of our page. First, add the phrase sticker and flower as shown.

 

 

Overlapping the phrase sticker and flower, adhere your beautiful scallop border combination as shown. After you've done this, apply a small green floral layer to your pre-existing flower with a foam core pop dot (Sassafras :: Indie Girl - Indie Sweet Treats).

 

 

Lets dress up the flower a little more - throw on top of it a 3/4" bright Fuschia circle and bright Turquoise button. 

 

 

Dress up the inside of the button with an embellishment of your choice. I went with a tiny 3-D sticker from K & Company (Poppy Seed Grand Adhesions) and a Green circle epoxy sticker from EK Success (Sticko - Halloween Dot). I squished (and glued!!) the 3-D sticker inside the button. The green gem then simply fell into place. 

 

 

Finally, the very last item you'll need to add to complete your page are small hearts trimmed from Sassfras's Indie Girl pattern paper (Affection). You could easily trim your own if you're without the paper or use a small heart punch instead. Trim a total of five hearts and adhere one to each butterfly as shown. Embellish each of the hearts with a single medium size Olive Green pearl cabochon (Basic Grey).

 So there you have it, page two is behind us, which means we're officially ready to begin page three..I'll have it posted by late Tuesday evening. I'm going to attempt to post the remainder of the album this week (by Sunday) because mid-week of next week, I'll be in school!! Yikes! Can you believe it?! I thank you for joining me thus far though...great to see that so many of you visiting for the tutorial - hope you're enjoying it! We'll see you Tuesday!

The Savvy Window Tutorial :: Part Two

 

 

 

 

The second page of a mini album is always a breath of fresh air because it's usually entirely different from the cover. It doesn't require an extensive amount of detail as does the cover and it opens up a vast world of other potential ideas you might of had in mind that you couldn't fit on the cover. It also leaves lots of room for journaling, which makes for less space to embellish - a small sort of break after developing a heavily embellished cover. 

Because of space limitations, I opted to create an example of a smaller size window instead of one that takes up nearly the entire page like that on the cover. This particular window caters to a long row of exquisite florals and blades of lush green grass. The florals are further accented by tiny cabochon faux pearls, which are best applied with either tweezers or a steady hand. The window itself is of a simple chipboard rectangular frame from American Craft's Letterbox collection, which I carefully tucked beneath one side of the photo. Good adhesive is key here! Follow along closely: 

 

 

On the back side of the cover, trim and adhere a neutral Gray cardstock piece to your chipboard page. Be sure to round out the corners with a small corner punch before adhering down. Also, which I've yet to mention and probably should of earlier on, most items I've included in the album have been distressed with Ranger Distress Ink (Burlap), though just barely. Use a sponge or dabber to apply the ink and do so sparingly. Tap the sponge/dabber directly on the ink pad and brush sponge along edges of item'(s). 

It's time to create a space to house our journaling. Adhere a Large Journal Die-Cut Spot on the left edge of the page (it should hang over the edge ever-so-slightly and be at an angle)(My Mind's Eye - "Quite Contrary" collection)

 

 

We're going to work on an overlapping piece for the right side of the page. For size recommendations, please review the main photo, though I'll still do my best to to provide accurate sizing for this section of the page. I'd suggest pre-measuring and marking your trim lines before preparing the section. 

Trim a 3.25" x almost 3" piece of Gray Polka-Dot pattern paper (October Afternoon - "Cherry Hill" collection :: Sunday Dishes). Set it aside as we'll be using it in a second...

Using EK Success's Dotted Scallop Edger Punch (EK Success now has an online store so you can buy direct!), punch two 3" strips from distressed Light Yellow pattern paper (Daisyd's - "Wonder Years" collection :: Sunnyside Up - Retired). Trim a 3" x .5" strip from a piece of Plaid Geometric Olive Green pattern paper (Sassafras - "Indie Girl" collection :: Affection). Layer and adhere all three strips beneath the left edge of the Gray Polka-Dot pattern paper we just cut in the last step. 

 

 

Carefully adhere the Gray Polka-Dotted pattern paper creation to the right side of your page. When doing so, only apply adhesive beneath the Gray Polka-Dot pattern paper and not the strips - we're creating a slight pocket here for the placement of one or two items we'll be adding a little later on. 

On a side note, anytime I feel uncertain about whether or not I'll be tucking something beneath another item, I'll carefully consider the placement of my adhesive. In doing this, I save myself from having to break out my adhesive remover or permanently damaging my project-in-progress. I dislike tearing things apart because once you do, repairs or coverups are almost always necessary..to avoid such messes, think ahead and pre-plan!

 

 

We love stamps, don't we? Well, I love'em..not sure about you. They're reusable, easy to apply and are available in an assortment of styles. Some of my favorite stamps include those from American Crafts. They're often contemporary & clean, and amazingly, super affordable! They really pack them in with their larger stamp sets, which I often track down via my local scrapbook stores and at Michaels. This particular set is titled Enjoy and is from their "Letterpress" collection. We'll be using the floral border stamp included with the set. Prep the stamp for use in our next step.

*Ignore the zig-zag edging of my Vanilla cardstock piece - you'll not need to worry about it. Trim the cardstock piece using a regular paper trimmer. It should be 2.75" x .75". Distress the cardstock piece with Distess Ink.

Using a wildly bright Fushcia/Rose dye-based ink, stamp a row of florals onto your Vanilla cardstock piece. Allow it to dry just a wee bit before moving forward. 

 

 

*Don't adhere your photo down yet!! Use it as a placement reference for the chipboard frame and the items inside the frame, including the stamped floral design we just created. Adhere the stamp floral design to your page as shown above.

 

 

Trim two blades of grass (one light green/one dark green) to layer over the lower area of the florals - Light in front & Dark in back. Bend the blades of grass slightly forward using your fingers. You may have to pre-pull the grass blades apart before bending them forward. They're still attached together from the die-cut process. (Doodlebug - Paper Frills :: Limeade).

 

 

Apply a series of both small & not-so-small size pearls on top the florals as shown (Kaisercraft).

 

 

 

The remainder of the page if fairly simple from this point forward - it's so easy that you probably won't have to read the rest of the instructions to finish your page! Add the American Crafts Chipboard Frame ("Letterpress" collection) over your grass and florals as shown. Apply a liberal amount of glue to your frame and hold in place for at least two minutes before disengaging pressure from the frame. The goal is to make sure that the frame is entirely adhered to the page and is flat and even. My frame was slightly bent, thought I didn't realize until after I had adhered it down. Arg. 

After the frame is permanently in place (not moving at all!), finally add your photo to the page using a strong dry adhesive (my favorite is Scrapbook Adhesives!)

 

 

I chose to limit the number of embellishments this time around because I wanted the focus to be entirely on the journaling and photo - and sometimes the popular motto, Less is More, actually works for me...though only on occasion. Laugh.

Create a small dimensional area of embellishments in the upper left corner of your photo. I tucked a Yellow Scallop Circle sticker (SEI - Fruit Stand cardstock alphabet stickers - possibly retired) beneath our hand-made pocket. I then added a 3-D Light Blue/Pink Floral sticker on top the scallop sticker (American Crafts - Dimensional Stickers :: Giddy). Because the rule of thirds normally applies in most situations, I adhered & layered an additional two small yellow chipboard pieces both on top and below my flower (Crate Paper - "Cottage" collection - Chipboard Accents). I then finished the corner via a small phrase sticker from K & Company (Amy Butler - "Lotus Faded China" embossed stickers). 

 You are officially done my friends..at least with page two anyway..laugh. I'll bring you page three either this Friday or Saturday depending on how chaotic things are from here until the end of this week. You never know what life has in store for you until the very last second :) I do thank-you for stopping by and hope that the many of you have a light, relaxing Thursday...Good Night!

The Savvy Window Tutorial :: Part One

 

 

 

 

There is a very special post that I wrote for Elle's Studio a month or so ago about journaling. I volunteered to take part in their "Journaling: in Your Own Words" series upon being asked because it's something I don't often think about "out loud" with myself. I found the class questions to be insightful as they helped me to further understand and realize the importance of this hobby. You may feel the same after following this free online class: Elle's Studio.

Speaking of classes, allow me to present my final tutorial before the start of the school year..that's correct, this will more than likely be my last extensive tutorial to you. Consider it not a farewell, but a temporary "time-out" from my regular ongoing presence here at my blog. You will find that in September, updates here will be once a week and they'll be less participatory than usual. I can't promise amazing layouts every week, but what you will find is the occasional layout and my own personal story in surviving college as a single woman on a mission to finally once and for all earn her bachelor's degree. So, enjoy this final piece of inspiration...It's all for you. Thanks you guys for your continued support and sharing in my passion for this hobby! 

 

 

 

Windows are magical. They're shielded spaces filled with stories and materials that feel hidden from the naked eye. You can't help but want to peek in and find out what's going on inside of them. I'm an avid of fan of creating windows on my projects. They assist in supporting the subject matter of my project and are ideal for housing subtle details that relate to project's overall surrounding design. They can be either small or big and created from a multitude of things including die-cuts, chipboard, rub-ons, stamps and more. You can also make them by hand via pattern paper and pre-existing die-cut designs that aren't necessarily frames per say. The purpose of this tutorial is to demonstrate various ways to work with windows using frames either already made or self-created. Frames are available in a vast variety of styles & sizes and no two are ever truly alike. Each one offers up a special place that is in need of filling...I'll show you how to fill'em using materials and elements that one might not ordinary think to use inside a window or behind a frame. I'll also demonstrate various techniques for building your own one-of-a-kind frames! Each window will be presented via a single mini album page which will ultimately turn into a full mini album. So, sit back and enjoy and watch the glorious world evolve of window making...

 

 

 

You're probably expecting a supply list, but because this project is still "in progress", I'm going to hold off on providing an extensive supply list at this time. I'd rather forward it to you as I'm presenting the tutorial; page per page. There are few basic things though you might consider organizing to complete your own mini album. Here's but a small list:

Bazzill 3" x 5" Really Big Chips "Silhouette" (Pages of Album)
Neutral Color Cardstock/Flat Cards (Page Background)
Acrylic Paint & Paint Brushes (Painting Chipboard Pages)
Pencil
Journaling Markers
Hole Punch (We R'Memory Keeper's Big Bite)
Small Corner Rounder Punch
 Ranger Distress Ink & Sponge (If you like the distressed look)
 A Good Paper Trimmer (Love Tonic!)
 Exacto Knife/Ruler
 Small Fine-Tip Scissors
 Adhesive (Dry for Photos/Wet for Paper & Elements)
 Glue Dots (Large & Small)
 Foam Core Dots (Large & Small)
 Variety of Border Punches
 Variety of Circle Punches
 Your Favorite Die-Cut Machine (If you have one)
 Coordinated Pattern Paper & Embellishments
 Stamps & Inks
 Matching Cardstock
 Summer Photos (2" x 3" Vertical/B & W)
Nail File

 

 

This is usually the not-so-fun part..at least for me anyway. Laugh. Paint the edges of your album pages (I painted a total of six/seven) a coordinating color to coincide with the overall design of your album and selected project materials. Apply a good two coats - you may need a half of a bottle of paint to finish this first step. Allow your pages to dry on a top an absorbent surface like a paper towel to keep paint from reaching your work surface. 

 

 

Trim and adhere a layer of cardstock on top each chipboard page (back & front). Make sure to the round the corners of your cardstock using a small corner punch. Set your pages aside accept one, which we'll use for creating the cover. 

 

I'm feel innately happy whenever I look at the cover of this album. It's of a large size window trimmed from a long narrow die-cut card that I embellished with a lively picture of "Home Life". It's quaint, cute and perfectly inviting..shall I share with you how to make one for yourself? It's not as difficult as it looks..follow along with the images below. 

 

Trim a 3.25" x 2.5" opening from a large die-cut card (MME/Sophie Collection) or ledger pattern paper. Use the opening as a guide for creating your cover.

There is one rule you'll need to follow in window building - always use your window as a guide for trimming and combining elements which you plan to house behind and inside your window!! You don't want to end up with too small a background or not a long enough border. Pay attention to sizing and use a pencil to mark your trim lines before making that final cut. Always ensure that "size" is taken into perspective before finalizing your window design. 

 

 

Layer lower portion of window with yellow floral pattern paper (Digital). Lay paper beneath opening as I've done above, trace opening of window onto the paper and trim paper piece as shown. Set yellow paper piece behind lower portion of window, though don't adhere in place yet.

 

 

Layer upper portion of window with light blue geometric pattern paper (MME/Lush "Blue Damask Paper"). Trace once again, trim and set aside.

 

 

Our pretty yard is in need of a fence. Select a border punch (Martha Stewart) that best represents an old fashion fence and punch a length of border from Light Blue/Blue-Green cardstock. Back the punched border with Vanilla cardstock. 

Trim a small length (that equals the length of your Yellow Floral pattern paper piece from the previous step) of Gray cardstock as shown above and adhere it beneath the top edge of your Yellow Floral pattern paper. 

Now adhere fencing beneath the top edge of the Yellow Floral pattern paper& Grey cardstock strip as shown above. 

 

 

Adhere a section of brightly color pattern paper or a Sassfras Die-Cut Paper Whimsy Card (Your Turn) to the Light Blue Geometric pattern paper from the beginning of the tutorial. It should sit center and along the very bottom of the paper piece. 

Adhere your pretty fencing creation on to the top the very bottom portion of Blue Geometric pattern paper/Card as shown above. Use your window opening as a guide for fencing placement to ensure that the fencing shows as desired. 

 

 

These sweet delicate stickers are a new offering at Jo Ann Fabrics and are manufactured via EK Success/K & Company. They're housed in lil' drawers for easy finding..if you're without a Jo Ann Fabrics in your area, you may have to seach these out online at Ebay. You could also substitute the house with something else..maybe you have a house from a different set of embellishments that is usable for this project. You could also die-cut a small house or search out the sticker section at a store/or online for a small house you think might work. I like this one because it's the perfect size and is 3-D! 

 

 

Adhere multi-layered background on top of page as shown (Fencing Creation). Again, use pre-cut window as a placement guide before adhering down your background. Add house just above fencing.

 

 

Create your very own series of trees from Olive Green Cardstock using the following circle punches: 1/2", 5/8" & 3/4". Punch one 1/2" circle, four 5/8" circles and three 3/4" circles. Combine them as show using foam core pop dots (though don't adhere to page as of yet). 

Hand-trim four tiny trunks from Brown cardstock using a fine-tip scissors. Adhere trunks and tops to your page as shown using wet adhesive. Carefully watch the placement of all these items so that the trees all fit inside the window.

 Finally, adhere handmade frame/window to your page with a fare number of foam core pop dots. Trim pop dots to size if needed in order to fit them beneath your frame so that they don't show through to the front. You're window is almost complete!

 

 

In order to finish the cover, you'll want to include a few additional elements both inside and outside your window. Select and apply a couple a phrase stickers that best describes your album's subject matter (K & Company/Serendipity Embossed Stickers)(GCD/Homespun Chic Word Strips). I adhered the "made with love" phrase to my page with small foam core pop dots. Lastly, add a small felt flower to the left of the middle phrase (Making Memories/Flutter Felt Stickers) as shown above.

 

 

Because I felt like the cover desperately needed a little more decorating, I quickly put together a flower using a small set-up of three different size circles trimmed from one of Basic Grey's solid color pattern papers. They're not expected to be perfectly circular, so when trimming your own, do so quite freely. Sand the edges of each circle with a small nail file and combine them together with a medium size fabric brad (Making Memories/An old collection of fabric brads once available exclusively at Michaels). Attach green leaves to the back of your flower with glue-dots and adhere the flower to the lower right corner of your album via multiple large glue-dots. 

We're almost done - one last defining touch to further bring our window to life - adhere three photo corners (I don't remember the brand of my photo corners - they're obviously die-cuts and possibly from an old Making Memories collection) slightly over the three corners of the frame (bottom left, top left & top right). Add one more phrase sticker to the lower inside area of the window (October Afternoon/Cherry Hill Cardstock Stickers). My phrase is "Summer". 

Here's the cover in it's entirety - as you can see, it's seeking a page-mate or two..we'll work on page two this Wednesday! Hope you'll join me again...

 

 

 

 

 

First Day of the Savvy Window Tutorial is....

TOMORROW!! Yeppers, I spent a good portion of the weekend working on the mini album because my ultimate goal was to begin the tutorial this week. I plan to present three pages of the album over the next seven days and then each remaining page thereafter, so you'll have lots to peek at and enjoy the next couple of weeks on my blog! To up the excitement some, I've posted a small glimpse of the album cover with this post. It's definitely not one of my typical mini albums in that I chose to create something on the cutesie side and that's more streamlined and graphic. It's theme is "Summer Days" with the focus being primarily on the finality of the season's end (Summer is almost over for us Minnesota folks! We're attempting to fully embrace what is left of it..). If you're thinking about following along, I'd recommend gathering a series of favorite Summer photos and sizing them at 3" x 2" (mostly vertical) and converting them to black and white. I've not solidified a photo count as of yet, but I'll keep you posted while moving forward with the tutorial. 

 

 

Ok, so here's a look at what I've been working on...Adorable, eh?! Just wait 'til you see the entire cover..it's going to melt your heart and have you rethinking windows via a more tiny, personable perspective. You'll feel right at home in this place...it's quaint & cozy as "home" should always be. 

 

 

Did you notice this latest release? Have you been secretly filling your favorite online shopping cart with these goodies or are you patiently waiting for your local scrapbook store to sell them? Well, I caved when my one of my local scrapbook stores updated their customers via email about My Mind's Eye's newest collections having arrived (Thank-You Scrapbooks Too for religiously carrying MME!). I brought the little guy with me on Saturday and we trecked to the lss to pick up bits and pieces of the new collections. My fave item are the brads..seriously, are these not the cutest brads you've ever seen? I'm a sucker for epoxy, but throw in flowers and you better believe that I'll fall head over heals in love with whatever encompasses the two elements. Not only that, but I'm now tempted to start experimenting with my massive size brad collection. If a manufacturer can find ways to dress up brads then so can I! I'm on it...

 

 

 

Look at what else I found at the lss? Upon running into them I thought, "Are you for real?! No way!! I'm so buying these even though I really shouldn't.." And yes, I did buy them after multiple attempts at telling myself "NO..put them back!" Laugh. So much for listening to my subconscience superego.  

 

 

From time to time, Ethan will find his way to my scrapbook desk and create his own work of art. I provided him dinosaur paper, chipboard letters and punched shapes to use and he of course concluded the experience with a new art project to display on our fridge. It now hangs on the freezer door for us to admire every time we visit the kitchen...it's precious.

   

 

I'm leaving you 'til tomorrow...I'll return tomorrow evening with the beginning of the "Savvy Window" mini album tutorial! Take care and have a wonderful start of the week! Woops! Almost forgot..if you haven't seen Eat, Pray & Love and are in a place of transition, I highly recommend the movie...wow, it opened up a lot of doors for me..I'll share more about my experience watching the movie in the near future as I'm still processing much of it..never has a movie hit so close to home for me.

 

The Savvy Window Mini Album Tutorial

 

Good news on the home front here at Retrospection Central (my ol' blog name way back in the day..well, it wasn't that long ago). Thought I'd end the month of August with a bang and premier a new mini album tutorial that focuses primarily on the concept of window creation and filling them with layers galore. If it's the sort of tutorial that you think might interest you, then tune in beginning next week for the follow along and watch as I put together a multi-page mini album all about windows and the pretty stuff we love to put inside them. I do hope you'll join me..below are a couple of extra pics I took today of a few of the supplies I'll be including in the album - they're very much subtle and sweet, though alive with color! 

 

 

 

 

  

 

More to be posted a lil' later on..before I cut this short, I thought you might be curious as to what arrived in my mail box this week. I hadn't expected them to find me so quickly..but, they did. Thank-you Caroline at Maya Road - these will certainly find their way into the new tutorial...doilies :: take two. 

 

 

 

And you may find this stack of books to be semi-interesting and maybe even half-entertaining. My dear MIL shared these with me just prior to my not-so-successful trip last week. I was suppose to pick one or two to read, though I've yet to decide which ones I want to borrow at this point. Out of the many choices presented, I of course opted to look at the "Worrywart's Companion" book first...I've been known to worry about things that have little relevance in life and for it, I have wasted much time. Hoping this book will tell me how to kick the habit...the next book on my list: Saving Fish from Drowning (anyone read it yet? Reviews?)

 

 

I plan to focus the next couple of days on developing the album. I'll return this weekend with new images of the project-in-progress and more specifics about the tutorial...do hope you'll join me! See you soon!