pretty paper. true stories. {and scrapbooking classes with cupcakes.}

You’ve had your weekend to think and now it’s time for some action. It’s time to tell the world why we scrapbook!

Come up with a creative way to explain why you scrapbook and post it online — on your blog, in a page gallery, on youtube, twitter, or wherever is right for you. Just two guidelines: title your blog entry, the title in your gallery, etc should be This is Why I Scrapbook and somewhere include a link to this post. Everything else is completely up to you and your creativity! You can find more contest details here.

To enter, leave a link to your post in the comments on this post. Entries close on the 31st of January, and in the first week of February, everyone will be welcomed to vote to help choose the winners!

Good luck!

xlovesx

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What a crazy day it has been here! But all good in the end. I hope your Friday was a fabulous one! So excited to share all the details today about how you can get involved in this creative adventure.

Whenever I make a project that is very ‘of the moment’ and I’m writing my opinions as they are right now even though they will likely change, I love to echo that with products and techniques I’m currently loving. You know how we all love to save that special paper for something so special it never comes along? Embellishments too. I’m not even letting that idea settle one bit: I started by picking out a big stack of papers I really love and then a basket of things I always mean to use but don’t.

I also made a huge mess of my table but surely that’s its purpose, right?

I like starting even small albums with some sort of explanation. Like admitting that yes, this is a scrapbook about scrapbooking. I am not at all unaware of how over the top that may be. (And well, it’s even worse than that since I made an mini on this exact topic a few years back and feel the need to create an updated version!)

My pages are made of a mix of printed transparencies, chipboard and cardboard, which makes this book feel far more substantial than minis with cardstock pages. I’m toying with some odd-shaped pages here and there, but for the moment, everything is rectangular and 5 by 6.5 inches. I haven’t punched any holes yet because I like to do that at the very end so I don’t make any mistakes I later regret! So I’m just keeping the journaling away from that edge of the page for now.

Yes, perhaps there is a bit of contradiction that on one hand I say I scrapbook for me and then the first reason highlighted in my book is ‘us’ rather than ‘me’! But all in good time. This is where I wanted to start: with the fact that I scrapbooked long before I met The Boy and in all honesty he sometimes doesn’t get my fascination with pretty paper, but he likes it because I like it. Which is lovely. And I also like that he doesn’t automatically compliment every page I make. Then when he does, I know that page is a real winner.

Anyway, you’ll see more of this book as the month rolls on!

Now it’s your turn to start your own adventure… your own This Is Why.

Here’s how to play along…
…Get your thinking cap on and decide how you can best (and most creatively) sum up the reasons why you scrapbook.
…Share your reasons with the power of the internet. You might post a scrapbook page or a minibook to an online gallery. You might write a blog post. You might put a movie on youtube. You might stand in a crowd scene on television with a poster with a website address. You might show off your intarsia skills by knitting your reasons into a multi-coloured hat, complete with pom pom and ear covers. Seriously: the sky is the limit. Heck, launch your reasons up to the space station and get them on NASA’s picture of the day.
…You have until the end of the month to post your project.
…Title your post “This is why I scrapbook” and if possible, link to this page so others can find out about this adventure.
…This coming Monday, you’ll find an official entry blog post. That is where you will leave your link to enter the contest.
…If you have any questions, you can just leave a comment below or email me.

In the first week of February, you’ll be able to vote for your favourites to pick the winners. I know your projects will be fabulous and I don’t want to choose! So this will be all power to the people!

The grand prize is a $100 gift certificate to Two Peas in a Bucket and there will be more prizes announced throughout the month to make sure there is plenty of fab stuff to share out amongst lots of runners-up.

So this weekend is your planning time. Think of something wonderful; think of something so very much you. Try to keep it under your hat until at least Monday, when we’ll start shouting to the world just how much we love photos and memories and punches and pretty paper.

But for right now, you can grab an image for your blog sidebar or an image for your message board signature to show you’re planning on playing along!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

xlovesx

PS: If you click the facebook button here, you can share this creative adventure with all your crafty friends. Thanks!

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Just a quick little note to let you know the next post in the This is Why series will be up very soon!

In the mean time, I have three new layouts in the garden today! You can find them here, here and my favourite is here.

Back in a bit!

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Thank you so much for all your sweet comments yesterday — both your reassurance about my video worries and your amazing answers to the big question of why you scrapbook had me elated and so excited for what’s to come in this project. Today is just one tiny part of the adventure!

So after all that thinking yesterday, today I’m getting started with putting this onto paper, and I’m starting with the cover. You can follow along if you want, but you’ll probably want to take some ideas and twist them to your own style. Don’t get too ahead of yourself before you find out all the contest details tomorrow night — because you have until the end of the month to figure out how to make your project just perfectly you. Plus I’ll let you in on a little secret: I always like everyone else’s projects better than mine! So I have to go first or I’ll never stop changing things around once I see all the fabulous things you lovelies will start posting… so today, this is my cover.

I’m using 7gypsies Vintage Book Covers and I love them — they are totally the kind of item I gloss over when I’m shopping, but when I saw Sande’s minibook, I knew they were going to be fabulous! (Also, they are one of the most affordable ways to make a mini with a thick, solid cover, which is always a plus.) It doesn’t come with holes, so you can punch your own with a Bind-It-All, Cropadile or Binderie punch.

The embellishment starts with four strips: part of a Hambly woodgrain transparency, some BasicGrey patterned paper with one edge punched to add a bit of variety, a scrap of fabric and part of a border sticker. These are all glued together first, then stitched together on the sewing machine. Stitching is definitely worthwhile for cover embellishments, as it makes all those little layers more secure.

Then a small cluster stitched togther to layer over the strips. There’s a tag, a label sticker, a flower die cut plus a tiny photo, printed as part of a contact sheet. All of that was glued together, then I used double-sided tape to attach two squares of tulle behind the tag, then stitched all that together on the sewing machine. All of that gets stuck to the cover with the strongest double-sided tape to make sure it doesn’t move.

Some Thickers letters for the title and a bit of bling just to safe!

That’s my cover finished, but I also want something to go around the book and hold it closed, and I want to make that to match up with the embellishment on the cover, so they work togther… or at least not against one another!

Here’s everything that goes into that: a length of ribbon that will be long enough to go around the entire book (with all the pages), a pretty fabric flower, a piece of elastic that won’t be wider than the flower when it’s stretched and a separate piece of ribbon to fold in half at a aesthetically pleasing angle! (You can use fraycheck on your ribbon ends or hem them if you like, but I actually like the way it looks when it gets a bit ruffled so I just leave it as a raw edge.)

Make a stack like the picture: long ribbon on the bottom, folded ribbon in the middle and elastic on the top — with the elastic heading in the other direction. Sew through all three layers so it’s definitely going to stay in place. Elastic loves to jump under the presser foot, so you may want to pin this or hand sew it if you prefer. It’s not going to show so it’s okay if it’s messy! Better to be strong and messy than weak but pretty in this case.

Loop the long ribbon around and sew it to the other end of the elastic. Here you can see — definitely not the tidiest of stitches, but I’ve stretched and stretched it and it’s not going to come loose!

Now attach the ribbon to the flower in just one place, so the elastic will still be able to stretch. You can attach the flower with velcro or hot glue or by carefully handsewing through the backing felt — whatever works seems easiest.

And here’s the bit that I love — the flower covers up all the details on the cover, so it’s a bit like having two covers in one, with layers that have to be moved to see everything that’s there… and that’s a theme that will run throughout my little book!

Tomorrow night, stop by to see the pages and the exciting part: all the details for joining in and getting a chance to win.

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These two 99 cent kits in the shop today: Aged Labels includes a printable for paper scrappers and a png for digital scrappers and the Remember page template makes digital pages in minutes. The Baker’s Dozen has been scrapping away with this template and they’ve already made these pages!

_{Pages by Kate, Yvonne, Karen and Taly.}

And for those of you who asked last week when I would start some sort of digital class, well here’s something to get you started – step by step tutorial to walk you through the process of using digital page templates.

Click here for a step-by-step tutorial on layered page templates.

…and something exciting tomorrow!

xlovesx

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_{minibook by Karen Cole}

If you’re looking for minibook inspiration today, check out Karen’s matchbook of resolutions and plans for 2010. It’s made with the Resolutions printable and just a little bit of other stash — and it’s super cute!

If you haven’t figured out what you would do with a scrapbooking shopping spree you might want to give it a bit of thought…by the end of this week, all the details will be here so you can find out how to win! The mystery ends soon!

xlovesx

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So it’s been cold for too long and I’m getting a bit twitchy for some sunshine and green grass and fresh air that does not freeze the lungs. Since the pavement seems to be getting ore dangerous instead of less, I think it’s about time to get settled at my crafting table and work on something a little bit special. And I’d love it if you would join me.

This little adventure starts today and will continue through the end of the month, right here on shimelle.com. It’s not just free — you may end up with money to go shopping by the time this adventure comes to a close.

Today, I just want to introduce you to my perspective on this adventure. Your perspective may be different. That’s fabulous — it’s what will make this entire idea work. A few years ago I taught a workshop called The Reasons Why, with a quick presentation about why we scrapbook before we made a 6×6 minibook together. At that point, I was excited that scrapbooking was turning a corner. And now, there are changes again. So I think it’s time to return to this idea, but bring it up to today’s perspective.

This is the very first time I’ve uploaded a video to youtube. Please be kind. Yes, my accent is completely weird and neither here nor there. The sound is pretty wonky at the beginning. And yes, there are a million other little things that want to drive me crazy about this little movie, but I am embracing a sense of adventure and sharing it with you.

_{Music from Amiina and presentation inspiration from Lawrence Lessig and Dick Hardt. Cheers.}

This is just the beginning of the adventure. This time tomorrow, stop by to see the crafty project that takes the next step. It starts like this:

and tomorrow I’ll show you what it has become. And by the time the week is out, you’ll find details of how you can get involved with this creative adventure and even how you can win prizes.

For now…get thinking: I’ve told you a bit about why I scrapbook. What are your reasons?

xlovesx

This is Why I Scrapbook is a creative adventure for January. One participant will win a $100 shopping spree. Find the contest details here and enter to win here.

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So apparently it is quite cold here. So cold that the birds don’t quite know what to do, other than stay out of the fountain. Many people were not so intelligent, and Trafalgar Square was overrun with people shouting about their cold feet, for not one but multiple people thought it would be a good idea to stand on that ice for a photo opportunity.

That ice is, of course, merely sitting on top of a very cold pool of water.

Brains: apparently some of them malfunction in cold weather.

In other notes: today’s random celebrity sighting in Covent Garden was an Osmond brother, I was responsible for a panda hat appearing in the background of a London television report on the state of our icy roads, and the total lack of non-iced pavement in my neighbourhood seems to be a wonderful bonding experience wherein everyone is suddenly chatting as we all struggle up or down the hill into the village, mostly stating our dismay that no one has bothered to sort this out but also in an attempt to deflect from the lack of grace we have suffered in our performance of the dying swan from Swan Lake, performed on iced-over concrete whilst wearing casual footwear.

Wishing we had a fireplace this week! Am having to settle for warming cardigans on the radiator, which isn’t quite the ambiance.

Stay warm!

xlovesx

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