Memory Works Blog Hop - Christmas in July

Memory Works is hosting another exciting holiday blog hop July 2-4. The new catalog should be coming out soon so please stay tuned and let me know if you are interested in any Memory Works projects. Check out the Memory Works Blog too for some inspiration.

So it's CHRISTMAS IN JULY at Memory Works. Become a follower on my blog and be entered into a random drawing to win this great prize made with Memory Works products. Be sure to start hopping at the beginning.

From my new followers I will do a random drawing and a lucky winner will win one girl and one boy brag book using My Mind's Eye products. These are two examples of what the books will look like. Happy Hopping. Oh and don't forget to leave your email address in the comments section as well.

Click here for a more detailed look at the "That's My Boy" Brag Book.

Sue - START HERE
Liz
Wendy
Lynn
Sharon
Noelle
Shelley
Rosann - YOU ARE HERE
Jenn - GO HERE NEXT
Maryann
Luisa
Lisa
Mariah

Pictures of the Week

Ethan is finally floating on his own!

Restoration Hardware display in Old Town, VA.

Old Town City Hall

Pictures of the Week

It's official - he's potty trained.

The beach is one of my favorite places. 

Never a dull moment on the streets of NY. Thankfully all the passengers had vacated the car here on the Jackie Robinson Parkway in Brooklyn, NY.

Paperclipping Festival - Once Upon a Time

Paperclipping.com is hosting a Paperclipping Festival for its members. I really enjoy what the folks over at PC are doing and am happy to be able to participate in their festival.


The layout I am highlighting for the festival was inspired by 2 of Paperclipping's videos. Right now, I am totally into vintage and heritage scrapping. Episode 99, Starting a Heritage Project and Episode 137, Using Handmade Backgrounds were the video tutorials that helped me create this layout.

Using Tsukinek Walnut Ink, I sprayed the paper until I got the effect I desired. Then I inked the edges using Tim Holtz distress ink in walnut stain and peeled paint. I distressed many of the elements simply using my scissors. I then created a mask from a sizzix die cut (tulip) using dabbers on the mask from Ranger, snowcap and espresso. 

My parents have been married 40 years (on June 27th) and I have always been fascinated by their wedding album. Several years ago, my mom gifted me her small album. I have scanned all the photos in it and have gone to town, scrapping the photos and adding them to my heritage album. Episode 99, Starting a Heritage Project inspired me to do a little hybrid scrapping by adding some text to the actual photo before printing it out. Episode 137, Using Handmade Backgrounds really inspired the bulk of this project. The 12x12 paper in this layout started out as basic white Bazzil card stock. 

These 2 tutorials really helped me focus my design and made me realize that I can create my own patterned paper and my own customized photos to really convey the stories I wanted to tell.

I've been a very busy little scrapper this week. Here are some projects I created this week for Not Just Scraps. I made a brag book tracing out the shape of one of MME's title die cuts and used that shape for the entire book. I printed photos using the contact sheet feature in 4x6 and 8.5x11. It was a fun project and very easy. MME paper is pretty sturdy and doesn't really need reinforcement with cardstock. I used the ribbons and the jump ring from the LUSH line.

   

                         

        

I also created a ton of layouts with BoBunny's new Mamma-Razzi line. I love this collection of papers. It's very nostalgic and as you can see it works great with vintage photos and modern photos.

  

Share Your Story

The deeper I get into scrapbooking the more my style and process has evolved into a style of Memory Keeping, as Ali Edwards calls it or Simple Storytelling as Memory Works calls it or basic journaling as the overall industry refers to it. Whatever you call it, it's great. It's important. It shapes our lives.


I recently purchased a family membership of the American Museum of Natural History and El Museo del Barrio, both located on 5th Avenue's Museum Mile here in NYC. As you know, when you join anything, you also join their email newsletters. Well I just got my monthly email from the Natural History Museum asking me, coincidentally enough, to share my story. I couldn't believe it. The museum has a new campaign asking folks to literally share their first memory of visiting the museum. As a New Yorker, I am lucky enough to have access to museums whenever I want. I have visited countless museums, countless times but my most vivid memory is a childhood trip with my mom and 2 other classmates from elementary school some time in the early 80s. I was, and still am, all about the pre-columbian exhibits.

A few weeks ago, my husband and I took our 2 year old to the museum. He is all about the dinosaurs and reptiles. So we also visited the lizards and snakes special exhibit. I can't wait to see what exciting things capture his imagination over the years. Scrapbooking will allow me to capture the memories and share the stories.

Cricut Gypsy

I have finally used my gypsy. I attended a swarm sponsored by Serenity in Manhattan and learned a few new tips and tricks for using the gypsy and the Cricut. I think ProvoCraft can do a little bit better with online tutorials considering that the machine is so intricate and expensive. But overall, it was a lot of fun learning the Cricut and especially the gypsy.

Here are the 3 cards I made using the Forever Young Cartridge. I also used Stam

pin' Up's "Humor in High Heels" Stamp set for the sentiments inside and the shopping bags.

The inside of this card says, "I didn't forget your birthday, I'm just fashionably late."

The inside of this card reads, "Whether you are a good witch or a bad witch, it's all about the shoes!

Inside the card is, "Give a girl the correct footwear and she can conquer the world!" - Bette Midler.

Aren't these cards d-lish and fierce? :) LOVE IT!

Scrapfit Workouts

This evening, I am submitting a lo and tag to the scrapfit blog. The workout challenge is called "exercise machines". I used the Storybook Cartridge in the title of this layout. I used a lot of distressing techniques to showcase my mom's wedding day, including the resist and embossing techniques on the tag with the heart. The monogram tag is from Tim Holtz's alphabet mask and distressing inks. The stamps used on both tags are from Stampin' Up

Basic Grey at Blue Moon

Blue Moon Scrapbooking is having a 3 day sale on Basic Grey products so make sure you check out their blog at bluemoonscrapbooking.com and of course there's always a contest so check them out.

Right now I am loving Basic Grey's Indian Summer line. I am in NO WAY rushing the summer, but the fall colors and vibe that the papers give off feel so comfy and cozy. Check it out.

I haven't posted in a week and that's a

long time. I've been busy with a variety of projects lately. I am excited to announce that I am designing for Not Just Scrap, a brick and mortar in Centereach, LI. It's a great shop and there are many products to choose from. The owner also has a lot of classes and crops going on regularly, so stop in. Too far for you? Check out the online store at notjustscrap.com. She asked me to put a few things togehter using My Mind's Eye Lil Robot line. Here's is some of what I came up with.

In other news, I have really been enjoying the Memory Works community on ning called MW Studio. There are some great events and swaps going on. Currently, I am participating in the happy birthday card swap, the June Grab Bag and the technique swap. If you are interested in Memory Works products just send me an email. I just completed a Circle Journal swap called "The View from Here" with the Paperclipping community and I have to get something together for the Paperclipping Festival. Check them out at paperclipping.com.

In addition to all of this, I am working on my son's birthday pary invitations, favors and goody pails. It's Elmo all the way with the help of the Elmo Party Cricut Cartridge. And just in time for the weekend, I am headed to a swarm, a scrapbook yard sale and possibly a crop. Who could ask for more?

BLOG HOP WINNER

THANK YOU to everyone who commented on my blog this Memorial Day Weekend. I love doing these things even though it's only my second time. CONGRATULATIONS JODIE. You won the random drawing on my blog. Please send me your mailing address via email to rosann517@gmail.com so I can get your Simple Stories starter kit out to you. I wish you all luck with winning prizes on the other blogs. They all had some great prizes.

See you at the next one.