P52 Friday - Week #12 - Try something new!

Happy Friday once again! Can you believe it's Week #12?!?! I nearly forgot it was Friday today -  I was done my layouts early this week so Friday had already come and gone in my mind. Here's my layout for the week, it features mostly products from Designs by Connie Prince's "P2012 March" kit and add-ons.

There have been some big, exciting releases in the store this week! The much anticipated "Teen Girl" collab (see photo on the left) from Albums to Remember and Connie Prince is OUT (under the "Designer Allstar Alliance" if you are looking for it by designer)!!! : D And it's so fun. Perfect for any age of girl but especially those teen ones. I think I will use it for my P52 this coming week! Don't forget about the word art!


This week I wanted to offer a few ideas to inspire you! Sometimes when I'm stuck, I decide to try something new or scraplift a page I've seen that I like. This week I posted two tutorials, one on how to make an envelope that looks like it's contents are spilling out over the page and one on creating the star-burst effect like on the right-hand page of my P52 layout this week. Once upon a time awhile ago, we did a scraplifting series and there might be some tips and tricks in there that you haven't seen before either! Looking through galleries at places like Digishoptalk, Digiscrapaddicts and other store galleries can be a great way to find new ideas so you don't get stuck in a rut.

Hope you've had a great Week #12 - I look forward to seeing all your pages!!

It looks like there was no Week #11 for MMS so I can't link you to their word/blog this week.


And, as always...

If you are trying to do one layout a week, do it!

If you are trying to do two layouts a week, do it!

If you are doing a layout a month, make sure you've taken your weekly photo(s)!

If you are doing a layout per year, make sure you've taken your weekly photo!  

MMS Reverse Tutorial - The Star-Burst Effect!

 

MMS Tutorial - How to Make an Over-flowing Envelope!

Lately envelope templates with goodies and photos spilling out of them have been lighting up the digiscrap galleries everywhere and left me wondering "How could I do that effect in MMS?". Then I realized I could duplicate the effect using shapes! Here's a brief tutorial : ) I made this in a hurry with a screaming toddler on my lap so if you were to take your time, things will line up a little neater than than my example at the end.

Add square/rectangle. I did 6x4 for size settings (to change settings, click the "Edit" button on your right-hand shape tool bar)

Add a triangle (not a right triangle!!). I did 4x3.

Same thing here!

More triangle... I did 6x2.7 so it would over lap a little.

From here, you can group the whole thing and make it as big or small as you want and even change the rotation. Then ungroup it and re-group the sections as shown below to make your life easier when you go to "stuff" the envelope. You can also add a small shadow to help define the pieces. I would keep my x: 0 y: 0 and not too much blur for shadow settings.

Fill with papers/color and then group the back two pieces together.

Group the front three sections together.

Now add frames, embellies, alphabets - the sky's the limit!!!!

P52 Friday - Week #11 - Highlights to Help

Hello everyone! P52 Friday time! I've sure been enjoying all your pages this week - good for you for staying on track as best you can! : D


Here's one of my layouts for this week, the other is in progress!

This page features mostly products from Meredith Cardall Designs and Lyndsay Riches new collab, "Hello Spring!" just out this week. It always uses a Page Builder.

Did you see the MMS Blog Challenge this week? It's a Page Builder Challenge!! I bet lots of you qualify already - make sure to check it out for your chance to win!

If you haven't been in to the shop this week, there are some really fun new Page Builders to help you with any project - including your P52! This week Barb released a set that has really funky frames that make it look like your matted photo has the corners lifted slightly off the page - gives it that "scattered photos on a real-life page" look. There are also some new template sets! Worth popping by for a look - remember, you get a great deal when you by the Page Builder sets in a bundle : ) There's also a great St. Patty's Day kit, GREEN BLISS!

If you are following the MMS P52 plan, last week's (Week 10) word was "Demonstrate". And they have a great coupon code this weekend - use the PROMO CODE: MMSgreen5 (case sensitive) to save $5.00 on your next $10.00 purchase in the shop!

This week I just wanted to remind you of some ideas from past posts. I know not everyone was here right from the start and sometimes we read a post one week and think "that is not helpful right now" but it would be really helpful for where you are at this week! So here's a couple of "Highlights to Help"...

From Week #4 - Ideas for when you have no ideas or perhaps no photos:

How about...

- a typical day or a typical week: what's the usual routine? is there a routine? what does an average week at your home look like? you may think these things are mundane and that you'll never forget them because they are so simple but it's amazing what we DON'T remember if we don't take time to jot it down.
- this week in the news: what's big news these days? which celebrity broke up with who? which abandoned house on 89th street burnt down? who's sports team won what? etc...
 - interview a family member or pet: this is one of my favorites, especially for small children and pets. Imagine or actually find out their answers to regular and silly questions like how they are voting in the election (this would be great for a pet hahaa) or which super power they want! (here are some examples: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
- our favorite shows: make a page highlighting the must-watch shows at your house. Who like what and why? What are you totally addicted to? Which show did you swear you'd never watch again but did (cough The Bachelor cough)?
- our top five/ten foods OR what's for dinner?: talk about/photograph a favorite family dish or recipe and why you like it or what important occasions it is always served at.
- bucket list: a friend of mine has a "30 before 30" list of things she wants to do before turning 30. What's on your bucket list? Or your 50 before 50 (or 5 before 50)? Go all "Oprah" and make your own "Dream Board" for yourself - where do you want to be 10 years from now? What are your goals? (here are some examples: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
- Dear __________: write a letter to someone. It could be your children in the future, a deceased relative you wish you could sit down for coffee with, God, a famous person (dead or alive), or even your future self... What would you write?


From Week #5 - How to Catch-up with a Collage!

From Week #2 - On Improving your Scrap Skills - Check out Barb's blog on shadowing! This is the #1 best way to make your pages look better!


And, as always...

If you are trying to do one layout a week, do it!

If you are trying to do two layouts a week, do it!

If you are doing a layout a month, make sure you've taken your weekly photo(s)!

If you are doing a layout per year, make sure you've taken your weekly photo! 

P52 Friday - Week #10 - "Quick Page" Your Way to Freedom!

Well, we're back home this week after a great little mom-and-dad-only trip to AZ without Emily! My mom came up and watched her and off we went. It was the perfect amount of time, by the end I was good and ready to get back to my little baby. She was a total trooper and did just fine without us - but she was very excited when we got home! I've got a lot of "huk"s and "keez"es this week to make up for lost time. 

In "new release" news, in case you haven't heard, there are a bunch of Page Builders out and Barb has a fun little "Marathon" kit  for you crazy nuts who would rather run than do the more natural and relaxing activity I like to call walking. What's the rush, folks?!?! Kidding : D

My Week #9 layouts - features "Teen Boy" by Albums to Remember and Connie Prince

 My Week #10 - features "What Friends Are For" by Meredith Cardall

 My tip for this week is just a reminder of one of the BEST ways to catch-up quickly - faster than templates or Page Builders - but you have to be willing to give up creative control. This is, of course, QUICK PAGES! Add photos, add journalling, DONE. 

I say it's a small price to pay to get caught up if you are really behind OR, in my case here, to supplement your P52 Album with some different pages. Every few weeks I am adding in a double spread that highlights something more specific about myself or something that has happened. 

In this case, I have used to gorgeous FREE quick pages that I got from Jady Day Studio's blog. Her CT makes absolutely stunning QPs and PreDecorated papers! Below is an example of some supplement pages for Jan/Feb that I did. Guess how long they took? However long it takes to import 3 photos and do a little typing. Like, 10 minutes. And then I can pass them off as mine! LOL!

And don't let anyone tell you this is "cheating" - that's the craziest thing I've ever heard! You still made all your other pages!! No one says "it's cheating" if you use Stove Top Stuffing while making the rest of turkey dinner from scratch (unless you have a really mean mother-in-law or something) : D And using Page Builders is like buying the turkey instead of raising your own - again, no one calls it cheating when you buy your turkey from the store instead of your backyard.

And, as always...

If you are trying to do one layout a week, do it!

If you are trying to do two layouts a week, do it!

If you are doing a layout a month, make sure you've taken your weekly photo(s) and done your February spread.

If you are doing a layout per year, make sure you've taken your weekly photo! 

P52 Friday - Week #8 - Inspiring Links

This week my spread features mostly products from Meredith Cardall's new release, "A Wise Old Owl".

In release news, the TEEN BOY Collab by Albums to Remember and Connie Prince is out. It is SO good.... And I don't even have a boy! The kit is jam packed with great word bits, a cool chain-link fence, ink splotches, stars, scribbles, techno-gadgets - everything you need for those older boy pages. These kind of kits are in short supply, this is a must have for the men in your life.

While we're at it, don't forget, there is also a Page Builder set hiding in the "Designer AllStar Alliance" part of the store! And I have it from a good source that more page builder sets will be releasing in the Albums to Remember store very soon too!





Okay! On to our P52 Friday post. I just wanted to share a couple fun/inspiring links with you this week and I hope that helps you on your way or sparks a new idea for you if you feel like you don't have anything this week : )

#1 - We've talked in the past about "Scrap Therapy" and I saw this article this week and like what she had to say! It has some cute examples of different ways that scrapping can help us process our weeks. This page had a huge list of excellent resources for helping you scrap hard times or hard memories. My personal favorite was a list of one-liners about dysfuntional families including: "Your know you come from a dysfunctional family if your vacations are planned through AA instead of AAA."

#2 - This lady did a Project 52 with 52 goals for herself - why not consider doing a Life Project 12 or something with 10-12 goals for yourself for the year that you could track occasionally with a layout. Some of the goals are little - like "organize my pantry" and some are more long term - like "floss daily".... I really liked her #23: Sing in public. What a fun goal! I have one adult voice student this year and I am so proud of her for being brave and taking the plunge to try out singing lessons later in life. Our lessons are such a blast : )

#3 - Scrapbooking for your children or about your own childhood? Check out this basic list of things that you might want to remember to record. This page had a few ideas too. I like where she writes: "What happens if there's a childhood memory that you really want to scrap, but you can't find any photos to document it? You shouldn't give up. Instead, it's time to get creative! See if you can somehow take a picture that represents the event or memory. For instance, if you remember having a special bear that you took with you everywhere, take a picture of your child's favorite bear and journal about how it reminds you of your own."


Okay, that's it for me this week! I just want to say how much I am enjoying this group and all the love and support I see each person giving to others in the group.  : D

If you are doing the MMS P52 series, their work from Week #7 was "CAPTIVATE".

And, as always...

If you are trying to do one layout a week, do it!

If you are trying to do two layouts a week, do it!

If you are doing a layout a month, make sure you've taken your weekly photo(s).

If you are doing a layout per year, make sure you've taken your weekly photo! 

P52 Friday - Week #7 - Lent Is Coming

It's P52 Friday! Already? Yikes!!! I don't know about you but I think I've taken about 3 pictures this week (my camera battery was dead and I just didn't bother to find the charger) and don't really know what I am going to do... I think I'll be pulling out a pre-made week from my stash - I just remembered I did one with a Valentine's kit, I guess that'll be the one!!

Week #7 - mostly using "Bananas for You" by Connie Prince - coming soon to MMS

Have you checked out Barb's shop this week? There are all kinds of fun things! A new Page Builder set, a mystery mini-kit, PURPLE BLISS!!!... need I say more?

I had a glance at my calendar the other day and realized that the season of Lent (the 40 days before Easter) is fast approaching and started wondering if I could some use scrapping as part of my lenten reflections. I know that not all of us in this group are in any way religious so I apologize in advance for the theme of this post if it offends you or is of no use to you! Even if you don't attend a church that actively follows the church liturgy very closely, most people are familiar with the idea of Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, Lent and then Good Friday/Easter. I found a great post on one of my favorite blogs with a bunch of ideas for Lent and I think what I want to do, starting this coming week is to make one of the pages of my weekly two page spread a Lenten reflection. I haven't decided what I am going to give up or read for lent - but she has some great suggestions in the article. Even if you aren't in to religion at all, I really like her ideas for different types of fasts that you can also use to benefit society or raise awareness - for example: Choose to make water your only beverage for 40 days to help Blood:Water Mission provide clean water for people in Africa who don't have a choice. Check out Forty Days of Water for more info. Faith or no faith, we can all take time in our lives to reflect on the things we have and the injustice in the world around us and try and do something tangible about it - no matter how small that action might be.

I will now retreat off my soap box and ask you guys for suggestions and a few questions - (1) Have you seen any easter/lent scrapbooking pages that inspired you? Can you give us a link to them? (2) Do you know of any good kits for this kind of project? I know Albums to Remember has a "Faith" series in the shop but I haven't seen a lot out there on this theme. (3) Are you giving up anything for Lent this year? The only thing I say you can't give up is your P52!!! No "I'm going to scrap less" for Lent is allowed : D (4) What are you reading during Lent this year? (5) Even if you aren't churchy, do you do some type of "Lent" anyway? Post under the link for this post on our Facebook wall so we can all benefit from your posts!

If you are following the MMS P52 series, their word for last Saturday was "FEEL".

And, as always...

If you are trying to do one layout a week, do it!

If you are trying to do two layouts a week, do it!

If you are doing a layout a month, make sure you've taken your weekly photo(s).

If you are doing a layout per year, make sure you've taken your weekly photo!

P52 Friday - Week #6 - Today's the Day to (Re)Resolve!

Week #6 - made mostly with products from Crisdam Designs' "The Story Begins" series

Fallen off the band-wagon? 

This week is a cheerful reminder that our P52 wagon just keeps going in circles and will come pick you back up when you're ready to hop on! Missed a week or two? Who cares! Make a layout that covers two weeks. Don't give up on your goal to preserve those family memories for better or worse. If your P52 commitment is getting you stressed or bogged down, take the week off, buy a new kit to inspire you and HOP BACK ON!!! We can do this!!! Consider this the wagon looping back around, grab my hand and let me pull you back on : )


Here's a couple helpful links for the week...

...Don't forget about Barb's awesome All in a Day P52 Kit

...Need a GREAT tutorial by Jonyce on using Page Builders/Outside Content in Page Builders on MMS??? Check out these two tutorials - there are even PDFs you can download!!

...Want to catch-up fast? The "All in a Day Template" set has hit the store too! Confusingly under a different design name - we are working on clearing that up in the future.

...Still trying to finish January? Here's a great set of templates from Connie Prince!



**FORMAT CHANGE NOTE**

Rather than doing a Friday AND Saturday post, I am going to start doing just Friday and for those following the MMS P52 series, I will reference the PREVIOUS week's MMS Saturday post in my Friday post for the following week. Make sense? My Saturday posts were feeling really redundant! So We'll skip those and just do P52 Friday : D


So. If you are following the MMS P52 series, their word for last Saturday was "EMBRACE".


And, as always...

If you are trying to do one layout a week, do it!

If you are trying to do two layouts a week, do it!

If you are doing a layout a month, make sure you've taken your weekly photo(s).

If you are doing a layout per year, make sure you've taken your weekly photo!

Sunderday unAssignement #5

Our Saturday unAssignment is a tad late this week...

If you are following the MMS P52, here's the link: http://www.mymemoriesblog.com/2012/02/welcome-to-mymemories-project-52-week-5.html and the word of the week is "Embrace". I am most excited to see the link to http://www.wordle.net/ -I've seen these around online and wished I could make them and now I know how!!

Don't forget that today is the last day of the MMS weekend SUPER SALE!!! Add at least $20.00 worth of goodies to your cart, use the code here in the COUPON/PROMO code box at check out and save $10.00 on your purchase!!! Woo hoo! Promo code: SUPERSCRAP2012 (please keep in mind that this code will also be in the newsletter this weekend, but you can only use it once in your account!!) 





And, as always...

If you are trying to do one layout a week, do it!

If you are trying to do two layouts a week, do it!

If you are doing a layout a month, make sure you've taken your weekly photo(s).

If you are doing a layout per year, make sure you've taken your weekly photo!

P52 Friday - Week 5 - Getting Current While Staying Current

My Week #5 using "So Silly" by Sugar Pie Scraps

Couple things to start...

Did you hear about the HUGE sale at MMS this weekend? According to Lisa... Add at least $20.00 worth of goodies to your cart, use the code here in the COUPON/PROMO code box at check out and save $10.00 on your purchase!!! Woo hoo! Promo code: SUPERSCRAP2012 (please keep in mind that this code will also be in the newsletter this weekend, but you can only use it once in your account!!)

Have you seen Barb's new "P52" kit in the store? It coordinates perfectly with "All in a Day" and tags and tabs for almost every possible situation you could think of!

Want to make your own P52 Inspiration Journal? Check out Scrap Kat's Thoughtful Thursday post on Albums to Remember's Facebook page!


And now, my P52 Friday Idea!

Here's what's been going on for me. I am doing a P52 this year but I have this huge monkey on my back and that is finishing my album for my daughter's first year and four months. I started scrapping just after she was born so some of the early pages embaress me and then I was feeling stressed because I wasn't using all the photos I took and I didn't want just one or two pictures for each month - so I finally figured out what I am going to do!

Using Picasa, I imported my photos from iPhoto and picked my favorite 10-15 photos for each month and used the super easy "Collage" feature to automatically generate a 12x12 mosaic collage for each month (no organizing or sorting, it makes them all fit on it's own! You can move photos around/shuffe them but it does all the sizing for you!!). Then I exported the collage at highest quality jpeg and imported it to make the left side of my spread for that month. On the other side, I am either re-using an LO I already made in the past year for that month or making a new one if I hate the old one. I am also inserting some of my better LOs from Emily's first year in the book here and there and just letting the old bad ones go and chalking them up to good practice! In order to make the collage match the other side of the spread I add little embellies from the kit I am using on the right-side of the page. Some months, like Christmas and our trip to Cancun, get 4 pages instead of 2.

Here's an example:

Emily's Month #1 using Meredith Cardall's "Pea in the Pod" (which is retired)

I say all this to give you an idea if you are doing a P12 or if you ever have a month where you can't keep up with your weekly LOs and just need to catch up! OR if you have a week with a zillion photos and just can't choose, this is a great option too.

One last thing... this is LITERALLY what was happening the whole time I was trying to write this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNkp4QF3we8


Add in some whining and crying and you get my morning. Oh, the sacrifices we all have to make for P52 Fridays!!!