Picture frames are an easy way to show off family photos. As long as we have lived in this house, I have had this wall of boring. An obscure wall that sits in the hall between the living room and family room. Visible by both rooms, strangely angled, and just boring. These matching frames were the perfect solution. Each shadowbox came with the white mat. I just added the name, birthday, and picture of each of my girls, my nieces, and my nephew. Each frame ended up costing about $6.50 when it was all done.
A closer look shows how simple this project is.
1. Print name and date info onto 8×10 ink jet printer paper. (not photo paper) I used photoshop to layout the name and dates, but it would be very simple to do in MS Word.
2. Print 3.5″x3.5″ images of each child.
3. Mount onto name paper using foam tape.
supplies used: Shadowbox frames (Hobby Lobby), Inkjet premium printer paper (Epson), printer (Epson), foam tape (3M)
On a recent episode of the Paperclipping Roundtable, I mentioned that I sometimes create a layout with little to no embellishments. Anyone who knows me was shocked at such a statement… for good reason. I would not by any stretch of the imagination call my self a minimalist scrapbooker. I actually prefer embellishment overload! But even I have my relatively minimal days…
My tips for going spare?
- Gorgeous photos need little embellishment. That is always true. (I am not a very good photographer.)
- Strong papers stand well on their own. The science fair layout was created on a single piece of patterned paper.
- Texture – The first beach page has a some homemade sand paper. (using sand from the beach the pictures were shot at) When choosing cardstock, choosing one with subtle texture makes a huge difference.
- Die-cut paper – Another fun element that serves as an embellishment on its own.
- Check out simple scrappers like Cathy Z, Stacy Julian, and Ali Edwards (sometimes minimalist) for some stunning examples and inspiration! I am the first to admit, minimalist is not exactly my specialty.
Next up… embellishment OVERLOAD!
I don’t know if it has been the crazy weather or just my insane schedule, but my creative mojo has been pretty low lately. HOWEVER…the arrival of my new Doodlebug Create a Cards has helped give me that color mojo I have been looking for.
These cards are actually pretty cute on their own. I love that they are inexpensive enough to really make them great for giving. And because they are pre-cut – creating a special card only takes a few moments. {I made all three of these cards in under 20 min!}
This week’s installment of the Paperclipping Roundtable was such a joy to tape! Learn all the tips and tricks of the panelists to channel your creative side discover the secrets for keeping that creativity at a low simmer all the time. Noell Hyman, Nancy Nally, Izzy Hyman, and newbie panelist Tammi Morrison and I let all hang out in this very fun episode.
This week, my pick was the Sizzix e-clips. Because of all the wedding hoopla, I will have to hold my FULL REVIEW of it till next week. But I hope you’ll come back for a very in depth review of my latest toy.
The wedding countdown is well underway… I am up to my eyeballs with paper goodies. These flowers are going to make fantastic centerpieces. Making them is fun, and I have them in a variety of flower types. My new eclips* has become a very key part of the process – taking all the work out of cutting the flowers.
To create a centerpiece, you will need to start by making the flower picks. To go with our homespun theme, I decided to keep the sticks bare, and use only white paper. Of course you can paint the sticks to match or coordinate with your colors. Printed papers with small patterns also look very cute. This tutorial covers the daisy, which is a double flower.
full instructions…
March is quite a month for me. I am putting together three birthdays, my daughter’s baptism, a bridal shower, a bachelorette party, and a DIY wedding. What better excuse to fulling immerse myself in National Craft month than all these fun events. So lets kick things off (finally) with Pink Craft Week.
We have all seen these fun puff balls (made popular by Martha Stewart) But try another take on them… string them into a garland for an easy puffy garland. To create a puff garland is easy. You will use the same technique as the larger one with just a couple simple adjustments.
[click to continue…]
