Oops!

One of the things about scrapbooking is whether or not to include those not-so-great moments in life. You know the ones - the toddler throwing a tantrum, getting into fights with your significant other, the house is a mess and company is coming...the bad days. There are even worse days, of course, like when you end up getting injured or having an accident. Yep - THOSE days.

On Friday, Heather T. released the Oops Collection - a set of five packs dedicated to all those "oops" moments.

Oops: Elements - courtesy of Heather T.

Oops: Flair - courtesy of Heather T.

Oops: Word Bits - courtesy of Heather T.

Oops: Papers 1 - courtesy of Heather T.

Oops: Papers 2 - courtesy of Heather T.

And, if you purchase all the above packs, you get this Add-On pack for free!

Oops Add-On (Free with Purchase) - courtesy of Heather T.

This collection is perfect for you if you have kids. As you all know, there are LOTS of oops moments when kids are around, lol!

Strangely enough, however, that isn't what I used the collection for. I did try to find photos of "oops" moments, but for some reason, they must be archived on another hard drive. But, I did find a moment that was pretty significant:

Ugh by cyranoscrap for Heather T.

Yes, the aftermath of a fender bender. Whenever a car accident happens, even minor ones, it just puts a damper on the day. And on this particular day, my fender bender occurred on the way to a job interview. Needless to say, I was a little stressed that day. 

Anyway, the Oops collection is perfect for a moment like this or others. This collection is part of the February Mini-O's at Oscraps, so you can mix and match with other packs! The Mini O's sale runs through the end of Monday, February 29th - yes, Leap Day - so be sure to pick them up while you can! (Just click on the packs above to reach the Mini-O's.)

Introducing Melisande

It's Pickle Barrel time at Pickleberry Pop! Get dozens of designer mix and match packs for just $1 from February 19-22. And this month, Heather T. has a new collection consisting of three packs: Melisande.

First off, I was completely taken by the name of the collection. It just rolls off my tongue. It's like a magical name that I would use to name my daughter, if I had one! But I digress... Let's take a look at Heather's contribution for February's Pickle Barrel:

Melisande Elements - courtesy of Heather T.

Melisande Papers - courtesy of Heather T.

Melisande Templates - courtesy of Heather T.

And, of course, a little inspiration for you from Heather's design team:

By latz for Heather T.

By justk for Heather T.

By cyranoscrap for Heather T.

From now through Monday, get all three packs of Melisande for just $3! Wonderfully versatile, you can also mix and match with other February Pickle Barrel offerings to make a collection that works for you! Happy scrapping!

In Lovers Eyes

Valentine's Day was last weekend, but In Lovers Eyes by Crafty Button Design is going to inspire you to continue the love all year long!

This huge collection has a variety of backgrounds - from pages of Shakespeare's plays to vintage ephemera to hand-painted combinations of color - that you can embellish with paper flowers, bits and pieces of romantic images, word art, and more! Here's a better look at each pack in the collection:

In Lovers Eyes: Main Kit - courtesy of Crafty Button Design

In Lovers Eyes: Paint & Overlays - courtesy of Crafty Button Design

In Lovers Eyes: Hand Painted Backgrounds - courtesy of Crafty Button Design

In Lovers Eyes: Shakespeare's Pages - courtesy of Crafty Button Design

In Lovers Eyes: Ephemera Papers - courtesy of Crafty Button Design

In Lovers Eyes: Painterly Page Overlays - courtesy of Crafty Button Design

Of course, the Crafty Button ladies created dazzling works of art with this collection:

By Skinospot for Crafty Button Design

By Thimbleberrie for Crafty Button Design 

By Erin for Crafty Button Design 

By rarou47 for Crafty Button Design 

By Skinospot for Crafty Button Design 

Feel a little creativity coming on? Scoop up In Lovers Eyes for 40% off the entire bundle (and get a special background pack free with purchase!) or purchase individual packs for 20% off through Thursday, February 25th!

Good Ol' School Days

"Don't know much about history
Don't know much biology
Don't know much about a science book,
Don't know much about the French I took..."
-Sam Cooke, "(What a) Wonderful World"

These lyrics were the first thing that popped into my head when I saw Heather T.'s new kit, Middle School Muddle. While Heather developed this kit based on her experience of home schooling her 8th grade son, this collection is perfect for middle grades and even high school. Take a closer look:

Middle School Muddle Kit, courtesy of Heather T.

And the journal cards:

Middle School Muddle Journal Cards, courtesy of Heather T.

Here's a little bit of inspiration from one of Heather's CT members:

By veer for Heather T.

Find these two packs for Middle School Muddle at Heather's guest shop at Oscraps, on sale this weekend for 20% off each!

Pictures in My Planner

The other day, I mentioned in my artful planner post that I was going to try inserting photos into my planner. I took a little time and tried the simple way - based on Project Life. I decided to use pocket pages/inserts, like those used in the Snap binders from Simple Stories, after reading a suggestion about punching additional holes on the pocket pages to include them in my Carpe Diem planner from Simple Stories.

First I took a couple of the inserts from Crafty Button Design's Planner: Melange Inserts Pack 1 and resized them to fit a 3x4 journal card space. I had to add a little "background" to fill the 3x4 space since the inserts, when resized, have some extra space when it is centered. I accidentally forgot to add in a little bit of background when I did the "Favorites" journal card, so I ended up trimming it smaller than 3x4 when I cut the card out. Oops. I unfortunately repeated the same oopsie with my photos, so I'll be mounting those on some cardstock to fill up the pocket space. Sigh. Anyway, here's how the pocket page turned out:

Pocket planner page by cyranoscrap

CREDITS
3x4 Pocket Page from Simple Stories
Planner: Melange Inserts Pack 01 from Crafty Button Design
Fonts: Pea BMad, Loxley Caps (initials)

And here's how the finished pocket page looks in my planner:

Planner pages by cyranoscrap

As I mentioned, this was very simple, and I love that I can include photos from the week with my every day schedule. In a way, I'm setting this up so that it's a scrapbook that I can keep - my version of Project Life. Once a month (or two) is over, I'll take the planner pages, pocket pages, etc. and move them into an album/binder to I can keep as a scrapbook. This is my plan in trying to simplify things and incorporate scrapbooking into my every day life. Crossing my fingers that it works!

Now, next up is to try to include some photos on the actual planner pages. This may take me a little longer, but I'll share when I figure something out.

The Artful Planner

Earlier this week, I divulged my passion about planners. Today, I'm going to share my attempt to infuse a little scrapbooking creativity into my planner. Let me say that I'm still in the "beta-phase." I haven't quite figured out how I want to do this, but I found it extremely fun and satisfying in the attempt!

Planner: Melange is a new collection just for planners from Crafty Button Design. After seeing Amber's planner designs, I had to make some time to try it out and see if I could actually use "artsy" in my daily planner. Here's a look at her new collection:

Courtesy of Crafty Button Design

Courtesy of Crafty Button Design

First off, I decided to bring in some digital elements and "write" in certain items, like birthdays and holidays, but I also included some notes that I would normally write on my usual planner pages. What's great about Amber's new planner pages is that you're able to personalize the pages to suit your style: fonts, decorative elements, etc. Everything on the pages shown below was added in via Photoshop. And a plus for doing it digitally - no extra bulk!

(FYI, the planner is an A5 size. I'm using the Carpe Diem Planner from Simple Stories.)

February Monthly Calendar using Planner Melange by cyranoscrap

CREDITS
All supplies (except fonts) by Crafty Button Design, unless otherwise noted

Planner: Melange Monthly Calendar Pack 01
Creative Mind Mini Kit – quote
Love Story – heart
Cotton Candy – flowers, girl, label stamp
Gypsy at Heart – violin, ric rac
Cheers Mini Kit – lantern
SHE Mini Art Journal Kit – artsy girl
Colorful Chaos – stamp
Viva La Vida – Frieda drawing
Validation – Word art
Fonts: Loxley Caps (calendar dates), Shelter Me, Miserably Lose, Facile Sans

Granted, these two pages aren't the most intricate, but I'm quite pleased with the results. 

Next up to try: including photos in my planner! My foray into a more artful planner is slow progress, but I'm definitely enjoying it!

Capturing 365 Days

A few years ago, I was all over the Project Life craze. A simplified way to capture my memories? Yes please! So I committed to it several times and actually completed a full year - one year out of at least five years. I still love Project Life and try to do some semblance of it, but haven't gotten close to finishing a full year. And yes, I am trying Project Life yet again for 2016. 

Pics for Project Life by cyranoscrap

In the process, I was also trying to take at least one picture a day to help me put my weekly Project Life spreads together. Unfortunately, I failed almost every month to get at least one photo a day. 

Why is that? Maybe I feel that I don't have a worthy enough picture-perfect moment? Or do I just simply forget? Granted, Project Life has made me realize that no moment is unworthy of a photo. Plus, I am well aware that every photo I take is not going to be perfect. (I have more than enough imperfect photos stored on my hard drives!). I also know about all sorts of sites that have photo prompts to help you capture a photo a day or challenge your photography skills. I'm perplexed as to why I still can't seem to take just ONE photo a day.

I'm still trying to be a daily photo taker, but it frustrates me when I miss a day. When I was sifting through the photos I took in January, I thought I had actually taken photos all 31 days, then I realized I had no photos for January 18. Aaaarrrghh! I use three devices to capture photos: my smartphone, a pocket point-and-shoot, and a DSLR. I almost always have the smartphone and P&S with me, so I shouldn't have any excuses for not getting a photo, other than the batteries dying. 

So here we are, February 4th, and I made sure I got my daily photo done. Only 25 more days to go. Here's hoping I can get one photo a day for the rest of this short month!

A Passion for Planners

One of the latest trends in scrapbooking is planners. Are you on the bandwagon?

At first, I tried really hard not to give in. But I've always been a paper person. I love paper of all kinds! There's just something about writing on a fresh sheet of paper...but I digress.

I discovered in late 2014 that planners were my only way to keep my life organized. I had used one for years, but somewhere along the last two or three years, I got out of the habit. During that time, I moved to keeping my calendar on my laptop. While it was efficient, I found it hard to keep track of things. With a regular paper planner, I was able to write things down, a process that was crucial for me to remember things. I also loved being able to check off an item when I completed a task on my To Do list. Keeping everything on an electronic device just wasn't as satisfying. So, I decided to go back to the "old-fashioned" (ha!) way of paper planners. 

Ever since I got myself re-trained into using one, I feel so much more organized. I'm able to keep my To Do lists (with tasks written in specific colors depending on topic), jot notes during phone calls, and have a visual reminder of the month. I use the typical day planner - very business-like, even boring. But it does the trick.

Then the "scrap" planner came along. Products were released to help capture memories in an actual planner. There were themes with color-coordinated inserts, stickers, paper...a scrapbooker's heaven! But I couldn't quite figure out how to mesh the traditional planner with the artsy scrapbook. I decided to create a planner I could use for scrapping. Ah...that was my downfall. I found the Color Crush Planners from Webster's Pages, The Happy Planner from Me and My Big Ideas, and most recently, the Carpe Diem Planners from Simple Stories. Plus, these planners come in such yummy colors! When it comes to using planners in my creative life, I have to have color. Of course, there are also the simple planners that look like mini binders, like the Life Documented Planner from Simple Stories. (And yes, I have one of those too.) There's also the cute Memory Planner from Heidi Swapp and the 6x8 Planner Pages from Becky Higgins.

Today, I have several planners: my traditional stand-by for work and life, a small one to keep track of my creative team deadlines, a simple one that captures my notes on what I did for the day, and finally, a planner that I'm trying to turn into a scrap-type planner.

My planner collection

Why so many planners, you ask? Because each planner is set up slightly differently. There's a certain format I like for work and life. For fun, i.e. scrap, purposes, I prefer something a little less structured. I'm sure you can tell which of the planners above are the "fun" ones. I like to infuse a little color when it comes to being creative. However, in my work/life calendar, I use colors to keep track of tasks - note the Flair pens in the photo. 

It may take me a little to try to bring all of these together into a single planner, but I haven't yet learned how to meld the different aspects of my life. I'm working on it. In fact, I'll have a post later this week about my attempt to infuse some creativity into my planner pages - and I'll be doing a hybrid, since most of my scrapping these days is digital. In the meantime, I'm just going to excuse myself to go plan my schedule. 

Super Bowl 50: Who's Your Favorite?

I'm not a football fan. However, I do feign some interest when it comes to Super Bowl time. In fact, I'm even usually aware of who is playing. :D  Let's just say that I appreciate the commercials and the food when it comes to Super Bowl!

For Super Bowl 50. which is taking place this Sunday at 3 pm, Pacific, the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos will go head-to-head. What does this have to do with scrapping, you ask? Because LJS Designs released two football-themed kits in colors for each team: Orange Crush and Sweet Carolina. These two add-on mini kits are currently priced for just $1 each.

Courtesy of LJS Designs

Courtesy of LJS Designs

So if you love scrapping and football, or maybe you just want to commemorate Super Bowl in your memory books, jump on this sale. And if you are looking for a football-themed kit in general, check out Football Fan-Addict, also on sale for $1!

Courtesy of LJS Designs

PC or Not PC: That is the Question

Every Monday, Pamela, the designer behind Peppermint Creative, shares an inspirational card that can be used for scrapbooking or for printing. These cards are part of a series called "Mint-spirational Monday." The sayings on the cards are usually uplifting, but sometimes Pamela sneaks in a humorous, tongue-in-cheek saying on these fun cards.

Yesterday's card was this:

Courtesy of Peppermint Creative

For me it's always nice to see these cards on a Monday, since Mondays can be a bit hard to get into, coming off a weekend. I look forward to seeing the weekly release.

Last month, Pamela created a card that I found humorous:

Courtesy of Peppermint Creative

However, someone took offense to the statement, specifically the part about "miserable cow." 

While I don't know Pamela personally, from reading her blog and being in one of her Facebook groups, I know that sentiment was not meant to be cruel to anyone. It was simply a saying that was meant to lift one's spirits a bit. It worked for me. I know I laughed out loud (literally) because the statement is true: good things will happen if YOU choose not to be miserable. 

Based on the fact that Pamela created the card and posted it on her blog, offering it as a free download to anyone who wanted it, I don't think she had to feel any need to apologize to anyone about the statement. It IS her blog and website after all.

The whole "political correctness" sometimes goes a bit too far, in my opinion. In the realm of things, this was one little statement that some might agree with, some might laugh at, or some might just ignore. Personally, if you don't like the offering or take offense, just move along to something else that's more your taste. There are TONS of things on the Internet that I don't necessarily agree with or like to see, but seriously, if I don't like it, I just move on unless it's something that truly needs to be addressed. 

I'm not going to get onto my soapbox or start a whole political debate about right and wrong. However, it's high time that we stop taking EVERY thing so seriously. Laughter can be an incredible healer at times, especially if you're feeling a little down. Mint-spirational Monday is simply that - a little inspiration to infuse into what could be a hard start to your week. 

Thanks, Miss Mint, for bringing a little levity to my week and for these freebies to add to my memory books!

Heather T. Opens Up Shop at Pickleberry Pop!

Designer Heather T. has a new home. She has taken up residency at Pickleberry Pop! If you're not familiar with her designs, take a look at the array of both PU (personal use) and CU (commercial use) products on sale for 30% off through February 2nd during her grand opening:

Courtesy of Heather T.

Courtesy of Heather T.

Courtesy of Heather T.

Courtesy of Heather T.

Courtesy of Heather T.

Heather's brushes are favorites of mine:

Courtesy of Heather T.

Courtesy of Heather T.

Wander on over to Heather T.'s new shop today since the grand opening sale ends tomorrow!

Inspire Your Heart With Art Day

Yesterday, January 31, was Inspire Your Heart With Art Day. Essentially, it's a day to appreciate art and how it affects you. I took it as a day to create art. With that in mind, I did a little bit of creating, warming up by finishing two regular digiscrap layouts, then creating an art journaling page - something I haven't dabbled in for quite awhile. 

Valeria of Little Butterfly Wings holds a monthly template challenge. I hadn't thought about participating until I saw a page from a fellow digiscrapper using January's template. I decided that since I had failed to complete many of the challenges from The Lilypad's Month of Challenges 4 this year, I could at least do the monthly template challenge, especially since I own lots of kits from Little Butterfly Wings. :D

Visiting Santa by cyranoscrap

CREDITS:

All supplies from Little Butterfly Wings unless otherwise noted

Papers: Santa Claus is Coming, My Own Little World

Elements: Santa Claus is Coming

Template: January 2016 Template Challenge

Fonts: Reba (title), My Underwood (date and journaling)

My biggest challenge on this layout was trying to do all the journaling. I haven't written a lot of journaling on my layouts in forever. On this layout, I now have the back story on the little guy's first visit with Santa.

Next up, I finished a layout that I had started on Saturday. This was a two-page template from The Daily Digi as part of their Gratitude Journal, a memory-keeping project. Luckily, I have been keeping track of my daily life in a planner (The Happy Planner from Me & My Big Ideas), so being able to create this spread wasn't too bad. I did change the dates a little to be more in line with how I keep track of the weeks. I'm still not used to the Monday-Sunday layout (that's how the planner is laid out), so I may change this again (the template runs from Friday-Thursday and I'm used to Sunday-Saturday). Good thing it's digital! :D

Project Life 2016 (journal-style): Week 3 by cyranoscrap

CREDITS:

Papers: Get Messy (The Daily Digi - The Digi Files #85)

Elements: Every Day of the Week and XOXO (Pink Reptile Designs); The Little Things, Sweet November, and Scrap Time Mini (Little Butterfly Wings)

Template: Gratitude Journal – Week 3 (The Daily Digi)

Fonts: Facile Sans (week); Pea BMad (journaling)

Finally, after realizing Sunday, January 31st was Inspire Your Heart with Art Day, I was compelled to make an art journaling page. Art journaling doesn't come easy to me, but there are lots of great digiscrapping "tools" available for me to make the process easier. 

What's wonderful about art journaling is being able to just do whatever you want, without any particular rules. I love being able to have spattered and messy backgrounds, elements that can be scattered... For this particular creation, I had no desire to have any frames, and I wanted to try out a mask over a not-so-great quality photo.

Together We Make A Family by cyranoscrap

CREDITS:

All supplies from Crafty Button Designs

Papers: Home

Elements: Home, Love Story, Maskin Momma V6, Colorful Chaos, Cotton Candy, Full Circle

I'm glad that I had "practiced" a little by doing other pages before I created the art journaling page. It's really hard to just put an art journaling page together when you don't scrap on a regular basis, lol. 

Anyway, I'm proud of myself for at least getting a few pages done. It's been a long time coming!