Challenge Wednesday on Saturday

I am so sorry!  I have no idea what happened, I thought this was scheduled to post... The winner of the May Challenge was Tessa Oxford!  She made a beautiful and colorful card using inspiration she found in a magazine advertisement!

Here is her card...

 

And here is her inspiration...

 

 

Thank you to everyone who played along last month.  And don't forget to check out Gia's great challenge this month and try something new!

 



Creative Friday!

Hello!!!  Are you ready to get creative?  I am!

This week I've been playing with my Sn@p album.  I noticed when going through photos that I have photo after photo of my family, granddaughters, even myself in the kitchen.  You'd have thought the light bulb would have gone off months ago when I realized this.  I love to cook and bake.  I love spending time in my kitchen with my family.  So a Sn@p album titled In the Kitchen With Grammy was born.

This photo features my old kitchen, but I loved the action in the shot.  I'm using some Sn@p 24/Seven papers, as well as some Sn@p Life papers.  The colors all work together so well.  

I started with the Christmas Meatballs.  No, they're no different than meatballs I make any other time of the year, except that we make lots and lots of them for Christmas dinner, which features meatball sandwiches.  Over the last few years, my niece has been my assistant making the meatballs.  She loves helping, and I love spending time with her in the kitchen.  

Some photos of my granddaughters doing their favorite thing when helping me bake--licking the spatula.  I've left space for another recipe here.

More pages featuring space for recipes or other photos if I choose.  I love using the journaling cards to say something fun.  My hope is that my kids and grandkids will appreciate the recipes written in my own writing and the photos of them I pop in here.  This will be an ongoing project, great for whenever I have a little time to scrapbook.

I hope you find some time to get creative today!

                                                                 

                                                        Jenn

Cards & Tags Father's Day Themed

You know what's right around the corner right?? Father's Day. Today 's card and tag that I am sharing are a great compliment to any gift for Dear Ol' Dad.

Dad We Love You

I am obsessed with mustaches right now! And any time I can add one to a project I am a happy girl. I created this card using the 24/7 line from Simple Stories. It's such a fun line to work with, I love all of the colors they chose for this line. I am also digging the Alphabet stickers, especially the blue ones.

the details..

This is one of those "go to" card designs that can be used for so many different themes.

We all need a quick design in our stash!

Fathers Day Tag

So, on my tag I used the negative from the mustache I punched for the card. Using the negative image is very trendy and it always looks great on the projects that I have been seeing. 

the details..

As you can see, I got a little crazy with all of the stickers from this collection, especially the alphabets. And do you love the arrows?!

Thanks for stopping by today, what will you be crafting for Father's Day?

Guest Designer Tuesday - Lynne Moore

Welcome back to another edition of Guest Designer Tuesday with Lynne Moore! Lynne has lots to share to day so without further ado.... 

I have to start with a disclaimer: I am a backwards scrapper. I am a touchy-feely scrapper. I rarely know exactly what I am going to use and have to feel the mood and see the texture to know if it is right. I tend to move things around before I am done. To start, I usually find a piece of paper I want to work with, or an embellishment, and then the story and pictures come to mind. Paper and texture and “seeing is believing” – it’s how I roll. 

Today, you are getting a peek at my storage drawers around my work station. Not my scrap area. My scrap area is not presentable right now. There is a long story about why I have half my house designated as working scrap storage and an extra work station in my family room. The short answer is it is very hot in Las Vegas and I allow my husband to keep his full drum kit set up in our bedroom. If you corner me at a crop and offer me chocolate, I may tell you the whole story.  

There are a few things I finally realized about myself that make my work station work for me. 1) I like drawers 2) I think in textures 3) patterned paper is an embellishment to me.  

I could go into deep detail about all of these, but they tell me that is too many words for a blog post. To give you an idea of how I work, here is a picture of my storage drawer cart that I use for most of my embellishments. I love that these are flat drawers. I love they are removable. I love that the cart fits under my work table.

The biggest and happiest change I ever made was when I realized that I almost never, ever used a full piece of patterned paper on a layout. I also found myself going to full sheets of cardstock when I only needed a little piece. My scraps were piling up and not being used but I was scrapping more often. Why? I had my paper right by my table. Life should be great. Then I noticed that it was easier to grab a full sheet than move away to find a scrap piece. I am a pretty fast scrapper and if it isn’t within reach, I don’t bother with finding it. I was also only using cardstock to create pages when I was “collecting” beautiful patterned papers. Same reason applied; it was out of reach and cumbersome to sort thru full sheets of pretty paper and decide what I wanted to use. Enter the “ah-ha” moment! Put the scraps into drawers! Put the drawers by my work table! Put full sheets of cardstock in Cropper Hopper paper holders further away from my table!  (Bonus - Memory Works carries the paper holders and dividers!)

Now my first reach is to my tall drawer cart of paper, which stands to the right of my work desk. 

I gather some scraps that call to me and then walk to the Cropper Hopper holders to find the base cardstock before starting to work.  If I am getting up to grab a full sheet of paper it is because I really want a full sheet of paper. The tall drawers hold all my scraps, no matter if it is solid or patterned. They are arranged in rainbow order for the most part. Here is the kicker: I cut all my loose patterned paper into pieces when I first bring it home. If it is part of a kit (like the Memory Works Express kit), I keep it whole and together until I work with the kit. But if I buy a piece of paper or a few matching papers with no specific plan, then they go to the trimmer first.  I randomly cut them up: sometimes 6x12 other times 9x12 or something in between. I don’t think too hard on it. I go with my gut. Then I place them in the color drawer that seems most appropriate. If it is multiple colors I may put one piece in one drawer and the other in another drawer. I don’t think too hard on it. I go with my gut. Quick and done. 

This may seem like an extreme way to store patterned paper, but it goes back to how I view my paper stash. Remember, I see patterns as an embellishment. I think about how it adds to my layout. How it helps to fill the space and communicate the mood. How it supports my photos. Once I realized that was how I worked, the solution was easy. I took a deep breath and cut away. I’ve never been happier with my set up. Better than collecting dust, right? Think about how you like to use your stash. How you go about making choices and then set up a system that supports your way of thinking. You will be a very Happy Scrapper. 

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WOW!! Lynne is super organized and I am..... not! I gotta go re-organize something now!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Creative Friday

I turned the calendar page on my Downton Abbey calendar on Monday and discovered I had Creative Friday blog duty.  I thought, "Oh no!, I've been on creative overload these past few weeks and now it's time to pull it out again."  I had completed an album for a customer celebrating her son's elementary school graduation, made 48 favors and decorated for a tea party, made four books and brochures for my girls club at church and made a blank baby album for a shower.  I couldn't even think about being creative.  Then I pulled out my Distress paints and inks, Fancy Pants stencils, the 6x6 DIY Shop paper pad and started to play.

I'm Jenn Bidwell Edwardson and I'm a Tim Holtz/Ranger junkie.  I admit it, I love all things distress, and I love the Distress paints, inks, markers and stains Memory Works carries.  They are a fun way to add color to projects.  You can pretty much color anything with these supplies and they top the list of a few of my favorite things.

I had some divider cards from a photo box sitting out and grabbed them to create some tags.  Somewhere in the back of my brain I thought about turning them into pockets with little tags inside for cards.  I grabbed my craft mat and started dabbing different colors on the mat and then took my Perfect Pearls mist and spritzed it into the color.  I didn't even have to get out of my chair.  :)  I swiped the cards through to create some colorful backgrounds and went from there.

I did finally get out of my chair to pull out my Tattered Florals die and doily edge punch and used the DIY Shop papers to cut several layers of flowers.  I punched the edges of the flowers to create a doily effect and layered.  I took the stencils, scooped some white embossing paste onto my craft mat and mixed in a little Distress paint to add some color and smeared it over the stencil onto my backgrounds.  I may have stamped a bit first, or after, or both!  This Happy Birthday tag has the tab cut off.  I added some Distress ink on the sides and wherever I thought I needed color.  

I also colored the seam binding with the Distress paints as well.  After adding the color I scrunched it up and let it dry.  Stamps, die cuts and punches, and a few embellishments finished off this collection of tags and pockets.  The feather in the tag above was a gift from my friend Kim, and she deserves credit for it.  I did add some color to it though...

I find that playing with Distress paints, inks, markers and stains releases my creativity which is why I love them so much.  Play time sparks my creativity and now I can't wait for more scrapping time this weekend.  So, go ahead and play. 

                                                             

                                    Jenn

Challenge Me Wednesday

Aloha! Welcome to June...we have a new month which brings a new challenge for you on the Memory Works Studio. If you are a Memory Works consultant and have not joined the Studio yet, home office can get an invite to you before you can say, "School is out."  Perhaps you would like it mathematically;  here is the equation: Challenge + You = Fun + Prizes.

For this month's challenge we are asking you to try something new! Show us a new technique and how you used it in a layout, card, or altered project of your choice. Since June is the month we celebrate Father's Day, an added component of the challenge is to make something to give or honor your dear old dad or any special father in your life. To really rock this challenge, do both!

 I made a Father's Day Card using Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm paper. My new technique is adding texture and dimension with a hand sewn organza pouch containing Studio Calico wood veneers. To do this  I used the easy peasy "Sew Easy" tool from WeRMemoryKeepers.  I also made a border of negative shapes- another trendy technique I wanted to try. The little anchor flair is from FancyPants Down by the Shore. 

My dad used to tell me "I love you to the stars and back" every night when he tucked me in. He is turning 72 this year and now tells it to his 14 grandchildren. He also used to push us "to the moon" on the swings. When I ask my kids how high they want their pushes they always say, "To the moon, like Grandpa does." I hope he likes his card!

Guest Designer Tuesday - Lynne Moore

Hello! Welcome to the June edition of Guest Designer Tuesday. Our Guest Designer for the month is Lynne Moore. Lynne's talent caught our eye while browsing through the gallery on the studio.

Please give a warm welcome to Lynne!

Hi everyone. My name is Lynne Moore and I have been a Memory Works Consultant since … well, since near the beginning. And I’ve been a scrapbooker forever. My earliest memory of picture collecting is from about the age of 12. I joined the ranks of “modern scrapbooking” when my youngest child was about 4 and now she is graduating High School this week! I had artists on both sides of my family and it seems to be in my genes. I find scrapbooking to be the ultimate lifestyle because it can take whatever form of art you desire. I tend to find myself posting plenty of tips and other inspirations for a FaceBook scrapbooking group that I co-host with friends. I like to help other solve their scrapbooking dilemmas: tips, techniques and organizing issues.

I use the email alias AKAscrapchick because I love mixing and matching and layering leftover pieces. The Memory Works Express Kit is great for adding those bits and pieces to my stash. I also mix and match my page sizes in our 3-ring albums. You could see a 12x12, 8.5x11 or even a 6x12 page all in the same album. It’s another kind of layering! 

It’s no surprise that I have graduation on the brain this week. Besides my daughter’s graduation, my son is also graduation nesx week from college.  I don’t do many cards, I like making pages too much. But I couldn’t resist this design posted on Pinterest by Technique Tuesday http://pinterest.com/pin/84653667968650459/ I couldn’t stop at just one.  You can see I don’t use a lot of themed embellishments, preferring to find extra goodies that add some texture. 

Grad

      The piece that is the striped paper is really washi tape layered over orange cardstock. (And the “frame” is edged with the same washi tape. )

Glad Grad

      My daughter’s school colors are blue and green, but I wanted it to be a little feminine, so I added the flower paper and pearls.  

Thanks for checking in today. I hope these inspire you a little bit. Stay tuned for more this month. 

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I can't wait to see what else Lynne will be sharing this month!!