Scrapping the flotsam and jetsam of life

I don't take a lot of pictures. When I was growing up there wasn't a lot of money for film and flash bulbs and that was the only way we could take photos. Digital cameras are great because you can take hundreds of pictures for the same price as taking one but I have not developed the photo habit.

Just because I don't have a ton of photos doesn't mean I can't scrapbook stuff. I tend to ramble when telling a story and I have no compunction about adding a lot of journaling to my pages. I make these books for my son and my as yet unconsidered grandchildren. They will probably want to know what life was like at the turn of this century. They will want to know what I did and thought, who I knew and who I loved. I know I want to know those things about my grandmother.


As a child I loved going through the drawers and books in a lovely bookcase/desk that was in my grandmother's house. I think the flotsam and jetsam of life is fascinating and always wished I had more of the story. So some of the flotsam and jetsam of my life with be used on pages, even photoless pages, with a more of the story. And you don't even need a lot of stuff to tell the story.

Today's page uses one piece of that flotsam and jetsam from my life. Well all of our lives if you owned a television in 2009. It may seem silly but the change from analog to digital television seemed scrapable and this piece of patterned paper from DCWV seems like it was made to tell this story. I have held on to the card and the paper for years and knew that one day I would finally get it scrapped.

The journaling says:

Since June 12, 2009, full-power television stations nation-wide have been broadcasting exclusively in digital format, before that they broadcast in analog. All TV sets were basically the same for decades then in 2009 everyone needed to either get cable, buy a new digital set or a buy digital-to-analog converter box to watch TV.
We didn’t have cable, which made analog TVs digitally compatible, and there was nothing wrong with out television so we got converters. They were about $40. The US government thought TV was so important that they sent out discount cards so each family could get at least 2 converters free.
After we converted the number of channels we could watch increased – a lot. We got Qubo, a 24/7 cartoon channel. We got Create, a PBS channel dedicated to cooking, crafting and travel. We got MeToo, a channel that plays all the old syndicated comedies from my youth. Plus many others.
Evan loves Qubo cartoons, travel shows and Bewitched just like I do. This year he discovered and fell in love with the 3 Stooges. I’m not so happy about this one, I getting tired of hearing “Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk” and “Woo, woo, woo.” Praying this is a phase.

May 2011

One of the reasons I did this now is there is more story. The channels and shows we watch were not evident 2 years ago. Also I found a font called Gilligan's Island and a television image in the font Bonohadavision by Fabiane Lima on dafont.com. I could have gone with the font Brady Bunch remastered but I liked Gilligan's Island better. I did all the coloring and type layout with the Silhouette Studio software so I could cut it all out with the Silhouette. I was happy to find a grey static texture in the software.

Happy Crafting,

Handy Dude - Wood Veneer Die Cuts

I got to scrapbook this week and decided it was time to scrapbook the pictures of my son and father making a card carousel for me. It was only about 5 years ago. I chose Stampin' Up! Pumpkin Pie orange to match the drill and a BasicGrey blue to go with my dad's shirt in the photos. Of course it turned out looking very Chicago Bear-ish which was totally unintentionally.

I was really excited to get this page done because it meant I got to use the Wood Veneer Die Cuts I won from Studio Calico at the beginning of the year. I used Mr. Huey's Color Mist in Orchard to color the wood so it would match the drill in the pictures.

I added the title using the Transporting Perfect Alignment technique I posted about yesterday. I went font shopping on dafonts.com which is one of my favorite places to get new fonts. The headline font is Grobold, which I thought was just perfect for the page. I also got a few other great fonts and realized I really like the comic category.


The font for the journaling is Pea Our Best Bites by Kevin and Amanda Fonts for Peas.

---

Happy Crafting,

---

The Joys of Removable Tape

One of my favorite craft items is Scotch® Removable Tape for a variety of reasons:

• It turns any thing into a Post-It Note. Bits and pieces I may want to use on a page or card can be taped down indefinitely while I get the rest of the elements together.
• It makes a great mask for sponging, misting and stamping. I even use it on stamps themselves to eliminate a word or portion of the stamp - just remember to remove the tape before putting stamp to paper.
• It can be used over and over again. I have little pieces of removable tape on the edge of a shelf next to my desk that I use until the sticky is gone.
• It helps keep things in perfect alignment. I use it to tape a small see through ruler to my projects so I don't need to hold it down. I also use removable tape to transport perfect alignment.

TRANSPORTING PERFECT ALIGNMENT
I have a lazy streak and a perfectionist streak and they are both so happy to have removable tape. I like to get headlines for scrapbook pages lined up before I glue them down to be sure they fit in the space I have available and look "just right". Once they are perfect if I move them to add adhesive they may not go back to their original position. What to do? What to do?  Removable tape!

I used my Silhouette (but you could use any machine) to cut out the word "congrats" for a graduation card. I set the letters exactly the way I wanted them on the screen. The spacing and alignment were perfect and I want they to remain that way so when I was done cutting the letters out…

I removed the excess paper from the mat instead of the letters themselves. 

You may have to hold the letters down a bit to get them to stay behind.

If you are using precut letters or stickers you can skip this step
and lay your letters out on your project then move on to step 2.

NOTE: This method is not recommended for glitter stickers.

Place removable tape over the entire word, making sure each letter is adhered 

to the tape. I rub the flat part of my thumbnail over each letter to be sure. 

Gently remove the centers of the letters. This is an optional step, 

if you want the centers you can keep them or you can
remove them later but I prefer getting them out of the way.

Turn the tape over so you have the back of the letters face up and
apply your favorite adhesive. I prefer a glue with a precision tip,
like Scotch® Scrapbooker's Glue, the only draw back to a
precision tip is that it tends to clog with dried glue.
I keep a pin handy to clean out the dried glue.

Adhere the letters to your project all at once. You know they will
fit properly and be just they way you want them because they were
originally arranged that way and they have never been out of alignment.

 Gently remove the tape. The adhesive shouldn't pull up your letters or other
elements but I think treating it with care is better than treating it like a hot
wax treatment. The tape you used can be reused if you like. I put long strips on a
page protector for reuse. I may use it as a mask but not as a full word transport again.

The particulars

Paper: Stampin' Up! Brilliant Blue and Bordering Blue, Papertrey Ink White

Stamps: Stampin' Up! Carte Postale (my niece's favorite shape is a fleur-de-lis)

Tools: Silhouette SD, Corner Chomper, Scotch® Removable Tape.

---

Happy Crafting,

---

Click here to help my son pay his own way through scouts. Order Trail's End popcorn using code 79936evan674 and great tasting treats will be delivered to your door.

Job Search is like being in College, Flying high on Kudos, Gray Matters

I have been taking classes through the WIA Capstone program this week. These are classes to help job seekers brush up on their skills and learn a few new ones. I've learned a lot about Word and Excel and yesterday I had a class on the use of Social Media in Job Search with the fabulous Thomas Cunningham.

 

One thing job seekers need to do is identify is their strengths and so that task bubble has been floating around in my head. One thing I am pretty good at is seeing things.  I'm not talking about hallucinations or X-ray vision. I'm talking about interpreting things differently. For example there is a cracked tile on my bathroom floor. Some people interpret that as, "Time to replace the tile." I look at the patterns of the crack as see a woman in a short skirt on with arms outstretched. 

 

These classes I'm taking are being experienced by several people but have any of them seen them like required freshmen year classes in college? 

• It's exciting to learn new stuff, but you may already know some of the material.
• It's a bit scary because it's unfamiliar.
• "What kind of job are you looking for?"  == "What's your major?"
• "Where did you work?" == "What high school did you go to?"
• "Who is your career coach?" == "Who's your favorite prof?"
• Professional networking is like to going to a party, "let's exchange numbers,"  without the morning after regrets.

___

Last night after dinner and my son's Cub Scout Pack meeting I stayed up into the wee wee hours of the morning and finished our church group newsletter.  I would love to show it all to you but because there are minors presented I can't, even though no one has said don't I just can't. But I can share a portion of the email I received this morning:

"Good morning! I'm just sitting in complete awe looking and reading the newsletter. It's just BEAUTIFUL!!!!
…
Thanks for all your efforts, creativity and talent to put that together and make CFM really shine!"

I may be sleep deprived but I am flying high on the kudos.

___

I received another email from the mother of one of the children featured in the newsletter. and because it is easier to share it this way I will:

Gray Matters!

I bet you didn’t know that May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month or that gray is the color that represents our gray matter!

That’s right Gray Matters!

PLEASE WEAR GRAY

on WEDNESDAY MAY 25^TH, 2011 IN HONOR OF ROSIE COLUCCI (6)

in support of her continued fight against an inoperable brain tumor (brain cancer) and to help raise awareness for all brain tumor patients.

DID YOU KNOW…

…That brain tumors are the deadliest form of childhood cancer?

…That every day 9 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with a brain tumor?

…That 76% of children diagnosed with a brain tumor are younger than 15?

…That brain cancer research is significantly underfunded and that the public remains unaware of the enormity of this devastating disease?

…That research focused specifically on pediatric brain tumors is critical to saving children’s lives and improving survivors’ quality of life?

…That the cure rate for brain cancer is significantly lower than that of most other types of cancer?

…That 3-5 times the amount of research money, per patient, is spent on adults with cancer verses children with cancer?

…That there are more than 130 different types of brain tumors?

…That pediatric brain tumors AREN’T like those in adults? Children’s brain tumors require specific research and different treatments!!

 

 

If this message has heightened your awareness of the needs of pediatric brain tumor patients and you feel compelled to HELP; then

PLEASE, make a donation NOW!

Just go to: http://www.heroesforlife.org/site/TR/RunforGus/YoungAssociatesBoard?px=1229563&pg=personal&fr_id=1280

 

The BRAIN TUMOR STOMPERS will be walking on July 28 at 6:30pm at the Run for Gus Annual event at  Diversey Harbor in Lincoln Park, Chicago. The Colucci Family will be walking in the 1 mile Fun Walk with our family and friends to STOMP OUT brain tumors!! Please, join the 5K run, or 1mile walk if you’d like! We will be walking with our good friend JAKUB (6) who also has brain cancer. We are the TUMOR STOMPERS!!! The Run for Gus supports pediatric brain tumor research at Children’s Memorial Hospital. PLEASE come join in the walk that can change kid’s lives!

Thank you!

 

Pls. PASS IT ON…TURN THE WORLD GRAY!!!

---

Happy Crafting,

---

Mixed card set. Brought to you by the Number 3

Mixed card set. Brought to you by the Number 3

I finally added another item to my Etsy shop. I've been making a lot of simple tags lately and decided to put them to use and make cards out of them. Hope you like them and hope someone likes them enough to purchase them. You get the benefit of getting to see all of the cards on their own, Etsy limits the number of images you can show of your item so I had to triple up on some cards.

---

Happy Crafting,

---

I love my new neighbors

I used to hate the people who lived next door. They were loud and crude, the children cursed like sailors and they were mean. That was then and this is now. The new neighbors are quiet and respectful and their kids are super sweet.

Today when I was leaving for a class Mom and Dad Neighbor were rolling their garbage and recycling cans out to the street. I had forgotten it was garbage day and commented, "I hope I get home in time to get my cans out."I went to class and got home about 2:30 in the afternoon. The garbage truck was on the street but I had just enough time to get my stuff out to the street — sweet.

When I pulled up to park I noticed my can was on the street, ready to be picked up — super sweet. The only people who would have done that were the neighbors I had made that comment to. I love these people.

Speaking of garbage cans check out my latest Silhouette creation. About a month ago everyone in my neighborhood received a letter from the management company saying, in essence, "Get your house number on your cans or ...". My regular garbage can has had a number on it for a long time. The association sent out number stickers years ago so we could label our cans and recycling totes. Well totes fell out of favor because they have no lids and stuff would be flying all over the neighborhood on pick up day. Now we have cans with lids but no number stickers.

But I can make stickers with my Silhouette. Cut a bit of vinyl into numbers and I'm golden. I could have used the font as is but I played with it. Using the Edit Points function I moved the open areas on the 8, 9, and 0 and reduced the opening on the 0. I love the way it looks. I have the snazziest recycle bin on the block.

---

Happy Crafting,

---

Click here to help my son pay his own way through scouts. Order Trail's End popcorn using code 79936evan674 and great tasting treats will be delivered to your door.

Silhouette Video Tutorial - Creating a Chalice or Wine Glass

My son received his first communion last weekend and he needs to send thank you cards for the gifts he received. I wanted a simple, elegant, easy to reproduce design.

I chose a burgundy background, which looks a bit like alter wine, with a chalice and host for the image. I really like the look of a thin line around the inside of a card. I could get that look from the Papertrey Ink Framed stamp set. Unfortunately I didn't have the time or money to purchase the set so I improvised. I could have marked each card off with pencil marks and using a straight edge drawn the border with my gold pen. But I am a bit lazy and I had a lot of cards to make so I made a template. I used a bit of stencil material and glued it to a piece of chipboard making sure a bit of the stencil hung off the chipboard on all sides so ink would not bleed under the template.

The template makes creating that frame quick and easy. I figured out where I wanted the sentiment and put a couple of marks on the template as a guide. Then I put the template down on the card and ran the pen around the edge making sure I didn't go into the sentiment area. Then putting the sentiment exactly where I wanted it was even easier.

The host was simply a bit of vanilla card stock punched with a 1" circle punch then I stamped a lower case "t" in the center. The chalice was created on the Silhouette and the video link below shows you how to make it yourself.



To see it larger go to: my Screencast.com Site

The particulars

Paper: Stampin' Up! Bravo Burgundy, Very Vanilla and Paper Source Gold

Stamps: Stampin' Up! ABC Alphabet Lower, Studio Calico "Thank You" Ink: Versamark (with Gold Embossing powder), Zig Painty Gold paint pen, Distress Ink in Antique Linen

Embellishments: Dimensional (under host)

---

Happy Crafting,

---

This year's Mother's Day Card

Mother's Day
Originally uploaded by Kalyber

is simple and sweet and very, very green. It's my mom's favorite color so she gets a lot of it here. The image is a long retired Stampin' Up hostess set that I colored with Copics.

Mom likes bling and glitter but I am not the biggest fan of a glitter mess as I am trying clean things up and I didn't think bling would look right on this simple card. I did put a bit of DecoArt Twinkles Writer which is like stickles so there would be a bit of sparkle and I wouldn't have to deal with the mess.

Happy Mother's Day to you all.

---

Happy Crafting,

---

Grandparent Card

I've got a great sentiment for a grandparent card and was working on a design to put in my Etsy shop - that one set of cards is getting lonesome sitting there all by itself.  I was working on making my own background paper using a different names for grandmother and grandfather. I did a version of the background in Photoshop but I wasn't quite happy with the colors or fonts and I was going to go back to it later.Then I see on Facebook that a friend of mine has become a grandmother and the race is on. I don't have time to futz with the design I am working on. I need something quickly and my schedule is filling up like a leaky row boat. WORDLE to the rescue.

Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.

Because Wordle gives greater prominence to words that appear more frequently names with two words, like the Polish "Dzia Dzia", had to have a hyphen placed between the words or it would show up only once on the page and it would be larger than all the others. I wanted "Grandmother" and "Grandfather" to be the largest words so I put those on the list 3 times.
I played with fonts and colors and layouts, it's a lot of fun, before deciding that I would use blue because her daughter had a son. I also made a pink background so I can get these set up in the shop.
I cut the rocking chair out with the Silhouette SD. I found a photo of a rocking chair and made it into a solid shape in Photoshop then brought it into the Silhouette Studio software and traced it. Once it was cut out I shaded it a bit with the Copics to give it some dimension.
Now I have to get back to blindfold auto repair. Well not really but the computer classes I'm taking make me feel like I am building a car while blindfolded. I know the tools are in there somewhere but I sometimes have trouble finding them and once I do I forget how to make them work to best advantage. I know I will get it some day, soon, but for now it's still frustrating.

Happy Crafting,
Katie

A Chicken In Search of a Sentiment

A Chicken In Search of a Sentiment
Originally uploaded by Kalyber
Any ideas what I should use as a sentiment on this card? I was playing with the stencil, hand cut long ago, and didn't give a thought to the words.
The chicken was cut with the Silhouette SD. The clouds were cut with Papertrey Ink dies, then the bottom was cut off. Gives a whole new look.
The rays and the bottom of the clouds were sponged with Distress ink. The paper on the bottom is a bit of dollar bin scrap.