Category: Page design

Bash Your Scraps Resources

  • “I always have leftover stickers.”
  • “What can I do with all these mats in the mat pack?”
  • “I love this paper…I can’t just throw away the scraps!”

I love getting a new pack of paper, stickers, or embellishments. And I use the ones I think are SO pretty or that are part of a layout I’m copying from a great designer. But I end up with a LOT of “leftovers” that are too nice to pitch. 

Every year I run at least TWO free Zoom Crops to demonstrate great ways to use up those scraps to make 1–2-page layouts, borders, embellishments, etc. My goal is ALWAYS to teach METHODS that you can use over and over again to make your scrapbooking both fun and easy and to use all those great products you invested in.

On this page, I’ll share some great videos and resources for using up paper scraps, stickers, embellishments, etc. 

Left-over stickers video: This is an old idea made new! MY HINT: save the non-stick backing from a sticker sheet. Arrange your stickers on it…you can move them easily. When you like the arrangement, just transfer each sticker to the same spot on your page or paper strip. 

CM Variety Mat Pack Hack: I ALWAYS have left over mats from mat packs. This great strategy turns them into pages with four mats ready for pictures, a title block and a journaling block. Add pics and a few embellishments…DONE!

Finishing Off a Collection: Diane Gutierrez makes great use of left-over scraps! MY HINT: Noreen Smith’s 1-2-3 layouts (see Organized and Creative Mom) are great for using leftover paper scraps, too. A 1-2-3 layout uses one sheet of two-sided paper and three cuts to create 2-page layouts on cardstock. BUT the 1-2-3 layouts clearly show the exact size of pieces you need to make 2-page layouts so you can use the diagrams along with your scrap sizes to create great layouts while bashing your scraps!

I recently held one of my biannual Bash Your Scraps Zoom crops. We used all three of these videos. Check out a few of my samples below.

This Bash Your Scraps layout used left-over papers, mat pack, and embellishments from the Creative Memories Emerald Gemstone collection. The border on the left is layered designer paper strip + two laser cut border strips. The Bold and Beautiful mat pack title card is mirrored on the bottom with a large mat of similar paper cut down to 4×6. The leafy mat on the right-hand page (left column) is lined to serve as a journaling box. The two mats on the right are mat pack leftovers. The embellishments are from the sticker pack. This layout will hold 5 4×6 photos and two smaller photos.

This layout bashed my stickers! I had these CM stickers for a long time, but no paper to use with them. I used pink shimmer background paper. Before adding stickers to my paper, I arranged them on an old sticker backing paper. Worked great! I worked out the spacing both vertically and horizontally. The green border is a single strip of CM Ruffle Trim Border Maker punch and the green border on the right-hand page is a strip of the CM Garden Ruffle punch. I was so happy to be able to use all those great “word” stickers along with the flowers. I have just a few tiny accent flowers left…I’m keeping that strip with this layout. When I add photos, the last of the tiny flowers fill get added among the photos.

These were done using ONLY mats and embellishments added to a background sheet that is completely hidden by the mats. Note that the left page has a title, a journal box, and room for four horizontal photos. By trimming the 4×6 photos by 1/4 or 1/2 inch on the long and wide edges, my photos will be automatically matted by the great mats behind them. The right-hand page is similar but set up for vertical pics. Note that the words on the top left and bottom right mats will be covered up by photos. Again, this has room for four pics along with the title block and the journaling block. I was able to use up many of my left-over CM summertime mats! And each page took less than 15 minutes to make include embellishments!

I hope you will try some of these great methods for using your bits and pieces! It’s really satisfying to finish a paper or embellishment pack!

Know another good way to use up scraps? Please share it in the comments below! Thanks to all the artists online, on YouTube, and at my Zoom crops for sharing your creations! Please follow my Facebook page so you know when the next Zoom crop will be. They are always free and always fun! And, of course, if you need Creative Memories supplies, please support the Scrappin’ Circle by ordering through my page. Thanks!

Happy Scrappin’!

Marsha Matyas

Trees, Trees, Trees

Trees have so many meanings in our lives…
…Christmas trees are magical with their twinkling lights and ornaments we add each year.
…Fall trees herald the change of the seasons, with beautiful colors and the rustle of leaves beneath our feet.
…Palm trees remind us of warm breezes, sand between our toes, and a cool dip in the water.
…Flowering trees tell us that the icy winter has gone, and summer is on its way.

Trees can also be beautiful components of our scrapbook pages, cards, or journals. At a recent Zoom crop, our Scrappin’ Circle tried making several kinds of trees. Today, I’ll share ideas, resources, and links so you can join in our tree-rific crafting!

Looking for the Perfect Pine

Bev DeBono Christmas Tree: Bev DeBono always has great ideas for creating simple but beautiful pages and embellishments (check out her Facebook page). She crafted a beautiful, tiered pine tree (left) from strips of paper decoratively punched on one edge. And the big bonus…you can make ANOTHER tree from the part you trim away. Watch the video and then see my synopsis below.

Video link: https://www.facebook.com/bevdebonodesigns/videos/327385956059331

  • Materials: Background paper (2 sheets), two or three coordinating one-sided papers (or two-sided) to make the tree, smaller pieces of paper for trunk and star (optional), the Cloud Border maker cartridge or other edge punch, 12” paper trimmer or ruler and scissors, and adhesive – preferably repositionable.
  • Punch a 12” long strip with the cloud border maker cartridge then trim the paper to 2” wide (e.g., a 12” x 2” strip with one long side punched with the cloud punch). Repeat this so you have FIVE punched strips of two coordinating colors of paper (3 of one color, 2 of the second color. The one with 3 strips will be at the top of and bottom of your tree). Cut all five strips in half at 6”so you have TEN 2” x 6” pieces. You will only use nine of the ten pieces.
  • Line up the first piece on the bottom of your cutting mat. Line the next one up on the 3” mark as shown in the video. Use repo tape on bottom of cut edge. Repeat (line up next pieces at 4”, 5”, etc.)
  • When you have 9 layers, make a mark at top of the stack of paper in middle (3” mark)
  • Cut tree with your trimmer on the diagonal from the 3” mark to each bottom corner to create a triangle tree. Decorate with trunk, star, decorations, etc.
  • The remaining tree pieces can be used for a double page spread! They can be half-trees adhered to the edges of the second sheet of paper OR you can fuse them together to form an entire second tree.
  • Check out the trees we made at our Zoom crop! Thanks to T. Perper, M. Yearsley, and M. Matyas for sharing their creations!

Folded Circles Pine Trees

These are great little trees that take only minutes to make AND you can make them any size you like! Make some small ones and some big ones to create a corner “forest” on your page! Take a look at the video:

The great part is that you don’t have to have any special equipment to make them. You can use a circle cutter such as the Creative Memories Custom Cutting System (CM-CCS) or the new Circle cutter. If you still have a compass in your drawer, you can draw circles of varied sizes and cut them out. Or you can grab a few jars, cans, and bottles to trace and cut. Add a trunk, a star, and some gems for an indoor tree or some snow for an outdoor tree.

If you are using the CM-CCS, see tips in the picture below. Also note, use the corner of a page to line up the half circles so they are at right angles (90 degrees) to each other for a uniform look.

Check out the beautiful window frame layout made by L. Hubbard which incorporates the Bev DeBono tree, the circle tree, AND CM tree punches. Lovely!

To make a circle tree using the new CM Circle Cutter, see this video:

Palm Trees

Meggan Jacks always has great ideas for layouts and embellishments, including the lovely palm tree at left. (Be sure to check out her YouTube videos and her Facebook page). She used the CM Gum Leaf Punch (on sale now for $15!). Watch the video below to learn how to make this great tree!

Other punches that would make nice palm tree leaves include the flame from the Campfire Punch (on sale now for $15!) and the stems and leaves from the Five Leaf Punch. And, of course, the wonderful pack of tropical leaves in the Vitamin Sea Embossed Embellishments ($10) will make great palm trees and tropical plants! What leaf punches and stickers do you have? If they will hang upside down nicely from the top of a tall, narrow trunk…you have a palm tree. Hint: Punch a few small brown circles for coconuts at the top of the tree and on the ground.

The Love Tree

This is a whimsical tree perfect for wedding or engagement pictures, Valentine’s day, Easter Egg tree, Autumn Leaves Tree, Mother’s Day, May Day, or any other time you want a lovely floral setting. Is there ONE way to make it? NO! As you watch the video, you will see the artist cut and place narrow slips of paper to build the branches the way s/he wants them. Take a look at a very creative bit of artistry!

I made a drawing of the trunk using my CM Jumbo Circle as a guide (see above). You can do the same with any large circle (e.g., a dinner plate) or create a trunk that you like. For branches, you can cut snippets as the artist in the video did. I also punched a few branches using the CM Branch Border Punch (see left).

How to decorate the tree? Your choice! The artist cut little hearts from folded paper, giving the hearts a 3D effect on the tree. I chose two colors of paper and cut out lots of single-cut flowers on my Cricut. I also used fabric flowers from Michaels. And, of course, you can add beautiful Easter eggs or autumn leaves.  

Here is another artist’s rendition of a flowering tree…lovely!

Share Your Ideas!

Hope you enjoyed our “tree-rific” trees. Know another good way to make trees? Please share it in the comments below! Thanks to all the artists online, on YouTube, and at my Zoom crops for sharing your creations! Please follow my Facebook page so you know when the next Zoom crop will be. They are always free and always fun! And, of course, if you need Creative Memories supplies, please support the Scrappin’ Circle by ordering through my page. Thanks!

Happy Scrappin’!

Marsha Matyas

Corner Rounder Roundup Part 3: Make a Mandala Burst Layout with Rounded Squares!

This is the third blog in series on using the humble corner rounder to do more than trim the edges of your pictures. Be sure to look at the first two blogs for both techniques and layout ideas.

First, I want to give credit where it is due. These ideas were not developed by me but were kindly and publicly shared by their creators/designers. See below for those credits AND links to original sources. I encourage you to “follow” these amazing designers at their websites or Facebook groups. My contribution was to gather these corner rounder ideas together as a group.

In the last blog, you learned how to make a beautiful layout with Rounded Squares (a square rounded on two corners). See below.

Rounded Square

Today, I’ll share another wonderful design that you can make using Rounded Squares. Materials note:  For ALL the Corner Rounder Roundup projects, you can use:

  • Any corner rounder. You don’t have to have a two-way corner rounder that also cuts indents on corners.
  • Either two-sided or one-sided printed papers.
  • Printed papers or thin cardstock
  • SCRAPS! Use them up!

KARYN McDERMAID-ROLFE MANDALA BURST-INSPIRED LAYOUT

Karyn creates beautiful layouts and kindly shares them at her website, Facebook page, and at the Creative Life Facebook page. If you love what you see, join her Facebook group and the Creative Life group! Karen created a beautiful layout and shared her how-to’s at the Creative Life Facebook page and YouTube. I’ll share some directions below.

  • Pick your papers carefully. Large prints may not show up in a 1.5” square or 1” square. Small patterns or tone-on-tones such as those at left work best.
  • You CAN use lightweight cardstock to cut the smaller pieces if desired.
  • Directional patterns require additional cutting and layout steps. See Karyn’s excellent video for step-by-step directions on how to cut out the Rounded Squares from directional paper.

You will need the following:

  • 1 sheet of 12” x 12” background paper A
  • 1 sheet of 12” x 12” background paper B OR four 12” x ½” framing strips from background paper B
  • Fourteen 1”x1” squares of paper C (gold pieces in example)
  • Fourteen 1.5”x1.5” squares of paper D (rust/orange pieces in example)
  • Fourteen 1”x1” squares of paper E (green pieces in example)
  • One circle (F) for center photo mat.  (Use smallest Custom Cutting System circle with green blade on outside. To cut photo, use same CCS circle with red blade on outside).
  • Embellishments and journal box as desired

STEPS

  1. For pieces C, D and E (42 in all), use the Circle Rounder to trim TWO OPPOSITE EDGES on each piece (see diagram at right). Remember to empty the waste bin on your Circle Rounder after finishing each color group. As Karyn points out in her video, if you don’t, it can affect your cuts.  

2. Use the fine tip of a journaling pen (e.g., black, navy, dark green) to draw an outline on each of the 42 Rounded Squares. They do not have to be perfect. The lines give depth to your layout. See also Karyn’s video directions.

3. Trim ½” off the top edge and one side of background paper A. Resulting piece is 11.5” square.

4. Create frame one of two ways. 1) Adhere background paper A to 12” x 12” sheet of background paper B OR 2) Adhere the four strips of background paper B to the back of background paper A so that ¼” shows on each side on the front. Your whole page should be 12” x 12” square.

5. Find the center of your 12”x12” layout and adhere the circle (F) in the center using repositionable tape. Check to make sure it is centered in both directions. A centering ruler can help. Adjust as needed. This is important…if your circle is off center, you will run out of room on one of your edges when you layout out the Rounded Squares.

6. Arrange the fourteen C pieces around the circle with the points facing toward the middle and outside. See diagram above for position. It’s important to get these positioned evenly because all the other pieces will be placed based on this inner ring. Adhere with repositionable tape runner.

7. Arrange the fourteen D pieces as shown in Karyn’s example above, with their inner point positioned between the C pieces. Adhere with repositionable tape runner.

8. Arrange and adhere the E pieces between the D pieces as shown in Karyn’s example above. Note that you may extend over the page border at the centers of each side. However, don’t extend over the edge of the page.

9. Check your pattern and adjust as needed.

10. Add center photo and embellishments. You can use bits of border punches, layered embellishments, stickers, flowers, journaling boxes, or other embellishments.

Some ideas:

  • This would make a great title page (engagement, birthday, anniversary, vacation, annual album, etc.)
  • Some of the Rounded Square can be photos! Look at the great golf example above by H. Northcott. Consider putting face shots in some of the spots.
  • Want a two-page spread? Make a few extra Rounded Squares and use them to create a partial “burst” in the opposite corner.

LAST NOTES AND INFO…

  • If you make one of these layouts, please take a picture and share it below!
  • Many thanks to H. Northcott and T. Perper for sharing their examples above.
  • If you need supplies or tools from Creative Memories, I would be delighted to assist. You can order easily through my link: https://www.creativememories.com/user/MarshaSC .
  • Want to attend my next virtual crop? They are FREE! Be sure to follow my Facebook page (Marsha’s Scrappin’ Circle) or send an email to me to be added to the email list so you get early notice!
  • Need help with an order or more info about a crop? Contact me at marshamatyas@gmail.com.

Be safe, be happy, and…be scrappy!

Marsha

Corner Rounder Roundup Part 2: Using the Rounded Square for Fabulous Layouts!

This is the second of a blog series on using the humble corner rounder to do more than trim the edges of your pictures. In March 2021, Scrappin’ Circle friends from the U.S. and Canada joined me for a Zoom crop where we focused on using a corner rounder punch (CRP) and paper scraps (bash your scraps!) to create layouts, borders, and embellishments. I received lots of requests to share what we did, so I’m writing several blogs with directions so you can make them, too!

First, I want to give credit where it is due. These ideas were not developed by me but were kindly and publicly shared by their creators/designers. See below for those credits AND links to original sources. I encourage you to “follow” these amazing designers at their websites or Facebook groups. My contribution was to gather these corner rounder ideas together as a group.

In the last blog, you learned how to make a Rounded Square (a square rounded on two corners). Today, I’ll share a wonderful layout that you can make using Rounded Squares.

Materials note:  For ALL the Corner Rounder Roundup projects, you can use:

  • Any corner rounder. You don’t have to have a two-way corner rounder that also cuts indents on corners.
  • Either two-sided or one-sided printed papers.

MEGGAN JACKS’ CORNER ROUNDER LAYOUT

  • Heather H.
  • Marsha M.
  • Terri P.

Meggan Jacks is a wonderful scrapbooking designer and trainer. She graciously shares some free designs through her Facebook page and website. If you love what you see, she offers a membership in her “insiders” group where you can get PDFs of weekly designs, etc. Click here for details.

She created a beautiful layout and shared her how-to’s on Facebook). Note that you need to scroll through the pictures to see the directions and they are in reverse order…but you will get the idea! If you are not on Facebook, I’ll share some directions below.

You will need the following:

  • 1 sheet of 12” x 12” background paper A
  • Twelve 2” x 2” squares of paper
    • Six with a distinct pattern (e.g., palm fronds on Jacks example above). Note that Jacks points out you can cut all six from a mat pack card, if desired.
    • Three with a more subtle pattern or plain (e.g., pink tone-on-tone on Jacks example above)
    • Two with a darker or different print or plain (e.g., navy print on Jacks example above)
  • Four 12” x ½” framing strips OR additional sheet of 12” x 12” background paper B (navy in Jacks example above)

STEPS

  1. Trim ½” off the side and top edges of your background paper A. Resulting page is 11.5” square.
  2. Create frame one of two ways. 1) Adhere background paper A to 12” x 12” sheet of background paper B OR 2) Adhere the four strips of background paper B to the back of background paper A so that ¼” shows on each side on the front. Your whole page should be 12” x 12” square.
  3. Layout your twelve 2” x 2” squares as shown in the samples above. Do not adhere to the paper. Make sure you like the direction of the patterns.
  4. Lift your squares one at a time and use the corner rounder on the TOP LEFT and BOTTOM RIGHT corners only (each resulting Rounded Square should have two round and two square corners).
  5. Put each Rounded Square back on the layout in the correct position after you punch them. Note that the rounded edges should be on the TOP LEFT and BOTTOM RIGHT corners of each Rounded Square when you put them in the layout.
  6. Adhere the Rounded Squares, starting in the corner and leaving a scant 1/8” between the Rounded Square and the side of background paper A. Pay attention to the pattern of colors so they are similar to the samples above.
  7. Time to embellish some of the Rounded Squares! You can use bits of border punches, layered embellishments, stickers, flowers, or other embellishments. Be sure to check out Meggan Jacks’ ideas on Facebook.
  8. If you like the three-photo layout on the examples, cut three 5″x4″ mats or three 4″x4″ mats.
  9. Add embellishments or title as desired.

Some ideas:

  • This would make a great title page for an engagement or anniversary (pics of the bride and groom on the bottom and top corners and a pretty title in the middle) or a vacation (great pics of the travelers on the corners and title in the middle).
  • Some of the Rounded Square can be photos! Consider face shots in some of the spots.
  • Trim your photos as Rounded Rectangles or Squares to add to the mats!
  • Want a two-page spread? Consider moving the bottom right cluster of Rounded Squares to the opposite page.

LAST NOTES AND INFO…

Be safe, be happy, and…be scrappy!

Marsha

Presto! 3 Cuts to a Great Layout!

“I love Noreen Smith’s 1-2-3 layouts,” I overheard the lady say at a crop several years back. Her friend responded, “Yes! They are so easy and so pretty!” I couldn’t resist asking, “Who is Noreen Smith and what is a ‘1-2-3 layout’?” I’m so glad I did! When you are staring at an empty page (or pair of pages) and need to do SOMETHING with the 6-8 pictures you have for an event, Noreen Smith’s wonderful layouts are like having a magic wand in your pocket!

Noreen is a Creative Memories Advisor, educator, scrapbooker, blogger, and author. You can read more about Noreen at her website. She offers courses through her website and has lots of YouTube video tutorials and a great blog where you can always get a new idea. She also is the developer of the 1-2-3 Scrapbook Method which is what I want to share with you today.

1-2-3 Scrapbook Layouts

Noreen has created a whole library of 2-page and 1-page layouts where you use 1 sheet of double sided paper and two sheets of card stock, make THREE cuts of the double sided paper…and end up with a wonderful two-page layout ready to mount 6-7 pictures like this:

Lovely wedding: Don’t believe that you can make the page layout with 3 simple cuts? Here is how it’s done:

In this case, matching embellishments and mat packs helped to speed up the final embellishment. Note that, even for this quite formal event, she didn’t need to mat each picture because the 1-2-3 layout provides full or partial matting behind most pictures.

Happy holidays: Here is another example…this video shows how to make both a Christmas and a Halloween layout. Remember that these always start with a template that can be used for LOTS of events, holidays, etc.

Head for the Border Maker!  How about using almost the same layout with a quick punch of your border maker to make a nautical theme?

How to do it? Here is the video and the blog.

Do I use Noreen Smith’s great 1-2-3 cut method? Sure do! Here are a few examples of my 1-2-3’s…thanks, Noreen!

IMG_5269(Edited)IMG_5270(Edited)

ALL of these took only 2 sheets of card stock, one sheet of double-sided paper, and three cuts. Well, I have to admit that the last one (Go Boilers) used 2 sheets of single-sided patterned paper (the tan/cream dots) and one sheet of black card stock. I made the three cuts on the card stock because I wanted to use the tan paper and it was not double-sided. See how adaptable these layouts are?

Want to see more? Check out Noreen’s Page and be sure to sign up for the FREE membership library that gives you access to 1-2-3 layouts and lots more! Use this link:

TRY at LEAST one 1-2-3 layout…you will want to do more! Share them below or on my Facebook page!

 

CREATIVE MEMORIES PRODUCT UPDATE

Disclosure: I’m using the second half of my blogs to share product info in order to reach the most people without asking non-Facebookers to join Facebook!  I am a Creative Memories Advisor and, should you place an order through my page, I earn a percentage of the sale. However, I only recommend the products that I think are really wonderful and would and do use myself.

NEW RELEASES TODAY!

Lumberjack stickers: These are GREAT for Father’s Day but they are selling out FAST! Lumberjack Stickers have three mini sheets (5″x8.25″) of dad-and-me-themed stickers for $6.50. It features icons like lumberjacks, oxen, fish, leaves, antlers and campfires, as well as sayings like “Best buds,” “My hero” and “Happy Father’s Day,” and includes complementing border stickers.

Love Each Other Album Cover: For a limited time only now through July 31, you can get the exclusive 12×12 Ocean Blue Love Each Other Album Cover featuring a foiled heart design from the Love Each Other Theme Pack. All profits for this album cover will be donated to World Vision.

Love Each Other Theme Pack: It’s BACK! This kit includes four designer papers that spread love and positivity with patterns like hearts, polka dots and lined paper to share your stories. It also features complementing stickers that remind us that we always have been – and will be – there for each other, with icons like stethoscopes with hearts and people exchanging social-distancing greetings. There are also uplifting sayings like “Stay Positive Stay Brave” and “Always staying connected.” Like the album cover above, all profits for the Love Each Other Theme Pack will be donated to World Vision.

Power Project Folders: They’re BACK! Secure your scrapbooking materials in our clear poly multi-pocket Power Project Folders. Fits all your favorite 12×12 designer papers and cardstock, slide-in packs, sticker strips and more.

Vitamin Sea overview

The NEW! VITAMIN SEA COLLECTION has an array of tropical scrapbook supplies. This collection captures all your sandy moments and sets a seaside scene for photos of tropical vacation getaways, ocean adventures, beach and pool days and more. Check out the movie overview here . And here are a few pictures!

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  • a beautiful turquoise ALBUM COVER with a hibiscus flower design in white matte, apple and teal foil and BOOKCLOTH ALBUMS in coordinating colors;
  • TWO PAPER PACKS (designer paper and tone-on-tone) AND matching CARD STOCK;
  • a great mat pack with cards for titles, journaling, and matting pics/embellishments;
  • Stickers with borders, titles, sea life, plants, trees, and flowers;
  • EMBOSSED tropical leaves…useful for this pack and LOTS of other places;
  • LASER CUT BORDERS of palms, hibiscus blossoms, shells, sunglasses, etc.;
  • Fast2Fab pages that make it SUPER easy;
  • NEW Border Maker punch cartridge – Kissing Fishes…so cute!
  • New Border punch (stand alone) – seashells…use it in layers or alone

If you would like to order, please use my link! Thanks!

Virtual Events on the Horizon!

Creative Memories is hosting additional Virtual Crops in the coming months: July 10-11, and August 14-15. For more info, join the CM Facebook Virtual Crop page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/CreativeMemoriesVirtualCrop/

As always, I would welcome your order through my CM page. If you order through my page in June, you can get a shipping rebate up to $20. Contact me at mlmat@comcast.net for more info.

Be safe, be happy, and…be scrappy!

Marsha

Fun with Triangles and Squares

Making the “quilt page.”

A few posts ago, I promised to share how to make the “quilt” page that looks quite complicated, but is really quite easy to make. Here are a few I have made for my books:

Credit: Marsha Matyas
Credit: Marsha Matyas
Credit: Marsha Matyas

Materials: All you need is one 12 x 12 sheet of card stock and one 12 x 12 sheet of double-sided paper. For the first time you make this layout, it is best to have a print that is NOT one directional (e.g., no stripes, arrows or columns all in the same direction). A paper cutter is really helpful for this page but you could certainly do it with a ruler and scissors.

Here are two videos that demonstrate how to make it. The first video is by Canadian CM Advisor, Joanne Soltesz. I like how she glues things down as she goes. Click HERE to watch.

For a slightly different view, see Amy Weaver’s video. Click HERE to watch.

The Mini-cannoli Page

Credit: Marsha Matyas
Credit: Marsha Matyas
Credit: Marsha Matyas

You can also fold small squares into a “cannoli” shape and use them to make full page layouts or borders.

I didn’t find a good video on YouTube but here is a link to Amy Weaver’s Facebook video.

If you are not on Facebook, here are my brief directions:

  1. You need a piece of 12 x 12 plain card stock and a piece of 12 x 12 two-sided print paper (I’ll call them Side A and Side B). Avoid directional prints like stripes, etc.
  2. Cut the two-sided paper into 2-inch squares…you will need 24 squares total.
  3. Sort the squares into two stacks of 12 so that you have 12 with Side A facing up and 12 with Side B print facing up. In the picture above, look at the close up on the top right. Let’s call Side A the blue side and Side B the white side with starbursts on it.
  4. Gently fold each Side A square into a triangle but don’t crease the fold. Just make a tiny soft crease in the middle.
  5. Then open up the piece and bring the points to the middle (see top right picture above). Now crease it. Your piece should look like a tiny cannoli with the tips of the shell just touching in the middle! For Side A pieces, the blue will be inside and the starbursts will be on the tiny flaps.
  6. Use a tiny strip of adhesive under each flap to hold it down. You should have 12 pieces Side A pieces.
  7. Now repeat with the Side B stack. Remember to not turn the paper over to fold it. These pieces should have the starburst paper in the middle of the cannoli and the flaps are the Side A blue paper. When you are done you should have 12 Side B pieces.
  8. To arrange them, put one Side A point in a corner of your card stock. Then alternate, being sure your points always switch from Side A paper to Side B paper. Refer to the pictures above if you are confused.

What can you do with them?

Make a full page for a 1-2 pictures, make borders and facing pages, make a cluster in the corners. Whatever you like! They are great building blocks!

What have I been doing?

I have been working on a 2015 album. I do a power layout for a 10-20 pages, then finish those pages, then going back to doing power layouts. I’ve been trying a lot of Noreen Smith’s 1-2-3 layouts…more on those in a later post!

Virtual Events on the Horizon!

Creative Memories is hosting additional Virtual Crops in the coming months: June 12-13, July 10-11, and August 14-15. For more info, follow the CM Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/creativememories/

Disclosure: I’m using the second half of my blogs to share product info in order to reach the most people without asking non-Facebookers to join Facebook!  I am a Creative Memories Advisor and, should you place an order through my page, I earn a percentage of the sale. However, I only recommend the products that I think are really wonderful and would and do use myself.

LAST CHANCE for PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES BUNDLE!

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Tomorrow, May 19, is the last day to get this great bundle for $149! (And note that I have a free shipping offer below). In this pack you get…

  • All 3 Planes, Automobiles & Trains Paper Packs
  • All 3 Planes, Automobiles & Trains Sticker Packs
  • All 3 Planes, Automobiles & Trains Laser Cut Embellishment Accents
  • 1 Train Tracks Border Punch
  • 1 Embossed Locomotive Punch
  • 1 On the Road Border Maker Cartridge
  • 1 BONUS exclusive 12×12 Chocolate Traveler Album Cover, which is made of rich chocolate bookcloth and is decorated with a globe and arrow in gold-copper and copper-brown foil

NEW RELEASES TODAY!

A. Cardstock Buffet

cardstock buffet

Starting TODAY and lasting ONLY NINE DAYS – BEAUTIFUL SHIMMER CARD STOCKS PLUS NEW SPRING COLORS. Buy 6 packs (any combination) and get a free pack of Lilly Pad (green) cardstock. See the video here.

B. Little Dreamer Collection

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Beautiful new baby materials! Soft colors…lots of sleepy stars…good for boys or girls. Two beautiful embossed albums – green with stars and white with embossed baby shoes . Be sure to check out the Tone-on-Tone papers; they would be beautiful for any album! The video link below shows you all the materials: two album covers, Fast-to-Fabulous pages, print papers, tone on tone papers, stickers, mat pack, embellishments. AND you can buy a gift box bundle with everything, including a tape runner and silver pen. These album bundles have been my “go to” baby shower gift for years! I often make some additional photo mats and borders to personalize the gift a bit.  Click HERE to watch the video!

C. Clouds Border Maker Cartridge

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Perfect for baby albums but also for the Airplanes, Automobiles, and Railroad materials, for Airplane punches, Mountains, etc. Anywhere you have a great horizon on your page, add some fluffy clouds!!

D. S’mores collection – let’s have a cookout!

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Paper pack  with earth tones: greens browns, golds, blues. Patterns include camping and outdoors as well as nice neutrals. Also a pretty pine tree album cover and coordinated stickers. NICE! Click HERE to watch the video.

E. True North Collection

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Canada, eh? How about a beautiful red album cover, woodsy paper pack and coordinating stickers? Check it out!

F. Campfire Punch

campfire punch

This will be great for campfires but also for CANDLES since the flame is a separate piece from the crossed logs (which will be good for X’s on borders). Both the punched pieces AND the negative (open) remainders will work beautifully on pages and cards. See picture below.

As always, I would welcome your order through my CM page. If you order through my page in May, you can get a shipping rebate up to $20. Contact me at  for more info. 

Be safe, be happy, and…be scrappy!

Marsha

The Best and Worst…

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us… (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities, 1859)

You might relate a bit more to Dickens’ opening lines today than on most warm spring days. We are living through a time of worsts and bests, light and darkness, and despair and hope. I find myself swinging back and forth on a pendulum…some days cherishing my family being at home all day and getting to have lunch with my husband each day (something we have never done during the work week in 35+ years of marriage)! But part of me wants everyone to get out so I can clean my house and clean out my basement. And, yes, go out to eat…the cover photo was our last “night out” before social distancing kicked in…Chinese food and a Duck Donut! I really miss vacation, too! Cancelling our much-needed fall vacation to SC and trip to IN to visit relatives was so painful, but NOTHING compared to what so many families are dealing with in terms of finance and health. We pray every day for those who are sick but also those who take care of them, AND we pray for all who are keeping the wheels turning in our world to create and deliver food and other essentials. So every day, I’m counting my blessings: We are safe, healthy, well-fed (TOO well-fed), and financially OK. My husband and I can both do our work from home. I pray that the same is true for all of you!

Making Lemons…

lemon meringue pie

…into lemon meringue pie! I don’t like lemonade much, so I’ll make my lemons into a lovely pie! Have you used this unexpected window of time to take at least ONE step forward in preserving your memories? That could be sorting pictures, labeling groups of pictures with dates and locations, printing pictures, or even starting that album you keep meaning to get done. You don’t have to do it all at once, but even a bit of sorting can get you started. I start by sorting pictures into YEARS. If you have digital pictures, did you know that you can find out the date they were TAKEN (not the date you pulled them off your camera or phone and saved them. If you are using Windows, right click on a picture icon in your file folder, then click on the “Details” tag at the top of the menu box (see below). You will see a “date taken” date. For most pictures, that will be the date you took the picture. For older pics that have been duplicated several times, this may not be valid, but it really helps when you can’t remember if that was the 2017 or 2018 snowstorm picture!

photo details menu

How to get started? I have several blog posts below that can help…scroll down and see the titles. If you have specific questions, post a comment or ask on my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/MarshaScrap/). Also, check out the Creative Memories Everyday Photo Décor Kit below…you can take a single photo and make a beautiful display, complete with wooden stand, in 5 minutes!

What is new from Creative Memories?

I’m struggling to get info out on new products and resources these days…posting on Facebook AND creating email letters AND writing blog posts AND planning for virtual events is more than my schedule allows right now. So, I thought I’d share new product info as part of my blog to reach the most people without asking non-Facebookers to join Facebook! Full disclosure: I am a Creative Memories Advisor and, should you place an order through my page (listed below), I earn a percentage of the sale. However, I only recommend the products that I think are really wonderful and would and do use myself.

A Great Deal…Even without Steve Martin and John Candy!

Have you seen the new Planes, Trains, and Automobiles papers and embellishments? They are PERFECT for travel pictures (see slide show below)! And, for the next few days, you can order them as a bundle and get a FREE cover ($35+ value)! Click Planes, Trains and Automobiles collection for more details. Note…the cover will be included in the bundle as long as they have them…it is NOT a separate item. But, if you want this, do it SOON…these will not last long.

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Mothers Day Specials!

CM rarely puts things on “sale” but for Mother’s Day, they put together some GREAT materials collections and then DISCOUNTED them! Check them out at https://www.creativememories.com/mothers-day-specials.html.

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Here are some details:

  • Blend and Bloom bundle with beautiful spring colors – PAPER PACK, STICKERS, FLOWER EMBELLISHMENTS, FOAM SQUARES AND NEW DOT PEN.  All for $30
  • Remember Rainbow Rush…those amazing colors? This bundle has Rainbow Rush Bold Paper Pack and Layered Title Embellishments, plus a coordinating 8×8 Jade Album Cover and 8×8 White Refill Pages…all for $46.
  • Flourish bundle with COVER, FAST TO FAB PAGES, STICKERS, MAT PACK AND the Global Glow Recipe Template, clips and pen included! All for $69! ($86.50 value).
  • As noted above, the Everyday Photo Décor Kit includes all you need to create three photo décor cards, including pre-cut and pre-packaged die cut photo frames, additional decorative pieces and stickers, three double-sided 8×6 card bases and three wooden stands for displaying your finished masterpieces. You can either follow the super-easy instructions or mix and match the pieces to make your own. You’ll love this kit for sending photo greeting cards, giving as gifts or decorating your home or office with special photos – just create your photo card and slide it into the wooden base to display! Great gift for kids, moms, grandmothers, anyone! All for $7.50 (original $20!).

Have I used these materials…yes! Blend and Bloom, Rainbow Rush and Flourish papers and stickers are all in my albums…but I just ordered all of these except the Rainbow Rush bundle (I still have some RR materials!). And I ordered the full pack of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. I am SET for vacay layouts!

And what does MY lemon pie look like? 

I finished one album, did a partial power layout for another and have completed a number of pages for it. Not as much as I would like and certainly not as much fun working alone, but here are some samples!

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As always, if you are interested in materials, tools, or supplies from Creative Memories, feel free to contact me with questions and/or place an order through my page. 

Happy Scrapping Everyone! God bless!

Marsha

Look what you can do with just scissors and a ruler!

I promised to share how you can make simple but pretty (IMHO!) scrapbook pages with few tools and without spending a lot of money. Sorry for the delay…February was WAY busier than I expected! But, as promised, here is a recipe for five+ pages using everyday tools…4 photos + 3 paper strips + 4 paper triangles = FIVE scrapbooking pages!

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What you need

  • 4 photos
  • 2 sheets of 8.5 x 11 colored paper (acid free preferred)
  • Scissors
  • Pencil
  • Ruler
  • Marker (acid free preferred)
  • 12 x 12 scrapbook page or sheet of paper

Prepare your paper strips and triangles

You will end up with:

  • One 11-inch x 1-inch strip of each piece of colored paper (mine are blue and orange)
  • One 6-inch x 1.5-inch strip of orange paper
  • Two 2.5-inch triangles of blue and orange paper (four triangles total)

If you don’t have a paper cutter, no problem! Lay your ruler along the shorter side of the orange paper and make a mark with your pencil 1 inch from the edge.

Do the same thing on the other edge. Use the ruler and your pencil to mark a light line connecting the two marks. Cut along the line with your scissors and you should have an 11-inch x 1-inch strip of orange paper. Repeat with the blue paper so you have one 11-inch x 1-inch strip of each color.

Repeat the process with the orange paper, this time cutting a 1.5 inch wide strip. Then measure and cut it down from 11 inches to 6 inches. You will use this strip for your page title.

Now to make triangles! I like to use triangles on my pages…sometimes lined up straight, sometimes tilted, sometimes as pointers. We are going to make an isosceles right triangle with two equal sides, but you don’t HAVE to make them even…feel free to mix it up! And if you want to impress the carpool, tell them you cut some isosceles and scalene triangles for your scrapbook page today.

Cut a 2.5-inch strip of orange paper across the shorter edge. Then measure 2.5 inches along the strip (remember to measure and mark both sides so you get a straight cut), mark a line and cut on the line. You should have a 2.5- inch SQUARE of orange paper. Now draw a light line from one corner of the square to the opposite corner. Cut on that line and you should have TWO triangles of orange paper. Repeat with the blue paper. Voila! You are DONE cutting paper for your layout!!

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Prepare your pictures

Now it’s time to trim your pictures. I like to use two full sized pictures (mine are 4-inches by 6-inches) and two trimmed pictures (mine are 4-inches square). Learning to trim (“crop”) pictures becomes much easier the more you do it. And cropping pictures helps you learn to TAKE better pictures, too!

To crop a picture, use the same process as cutting paper strips. Measure, small marks, light line, and sharp scissors.

Look at the starfish picture. The main focus of the picture is the starfish.

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Similarly, the main focus of the underwater snorkeler picture is the person facing the camera, not the legs of the snorkeler to the left. By lining them up, one of the other, you can see that both pictures could be cropped to four inches easily.

 

Time to do some layouts!!

I’m going to show you how you can do FIVE different layouts with these simple components. Note that we didn’t use a paper cutter, or any other special scrapbooking tool to prepare these materials. Just a ruler and scissors! For your layout, you need only three “special” scrapbooking items: a 12 x 12 scrapbook page or sheet of acid-free paper, an adhesive to attach the pictures and paper to the page, and an acid-free marking pen for writing the title and journaling.

Note that I did not glue down any of the items in the layouts below…so they might look a little crooked. But you get the idea! I also made little journaling strips, but you can write directly on the scrapbook page, on the strips of paper, etc.

Layout 1: Strips and Corners

You can use this over and over. Rotate it so the long strips are on the right, bottom or top of the page. Add a few small stickers along the long strip or on the corner triangles. Four different layouts just by changing this basic one!

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Layout 2: Double Pointers

I like how the triangles really point your eyes toward the pictures. Again, this is a flexible layout. I had the long strips border the top and left side, but you can rotate that to any side. If you are doing a double layout (a facing page on the right), just mirror the layout so the long strips frame the two side-by-side pages on the outside and the center triangles point out toward your pictures on each page. Note that the title overlaps one picture and one journal strip is vertical. Feel free to break photo boundaries!

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Layout 3: Center Title

Here I used the title as the focal point of the page but used the triangles to draw your eye to the pictures.

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Layout 4: Three 4-inch Pictures

For this one, I trimmed the other tall picture (man in the sunglasses) to be 4-inch square. I played with the triangles to make a compass-like shape in the bottom left corner. The title overlaps the blue strip at the top. I tilted the starfish for a little more interest in the stack of 3 pictures and to leave a little space for journaling beside the starfish.

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Layout 5: Tilting Title

Finally, I played a little more with the title, tilting it and using the triangles to frame it.

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All five layouts took less than an hour!

A Hint on People in Pictures

Note that in each of the layouts, the man blowing the shell is always facing the middle of the page. The same is true for the man snorkeling. The man steering the boat is looking straight at you so his picture can in be in any spot on the page. It usually looks best when people are NOT looking “off the page.”

I hope that, if you new to scrapbooking that you will be encouraged (and excited!) to try a few layouts. Share your pics on the Scrappin’ Circle Facebook page!

Question? Comments? Welcome to add those below. No spammers or advertisers please!

Next time…Cropping and matting pictures!
Scrap on!
Marsha