I’m thrilled to have the chance to share one of my favorites ways to add texture to scrapbook layouts! As a scrapbooker, I love playing with textures on my pages, and I have recently discovered a product that gives me a truly unique texture: adhesive sand (I personally use Mudd Puddles).

Concert Clarinet by Noreen Demas.

To create the textured “c” on this layout, for example, I used Black Diamonds Mudd Puddles.

Are you ready to create this look for yourself?

1. Start with a chipboard negative of the letter or shape you want to create. Set this chipboard template on scrap paper.
2. Using an offset spatula (bent blade to keep your hands out of the gluey sand), spread the adhesive sand into the opening. Smooth it with the back of the spatula. Rinse the spatula to ensure the glue doesn’t set on the blade.
3. Lift the template up and set it aside (you can keep it for reuse or pitch it).
4. Leave the adhesive sand to dry (I found that an hour or two is enough).
5. Gently trim away the paper around the sand shape. It’s ready to put in place on your card or layout.

Adhesive sands come in lots of colors (some with glitter!), so it’s easy to play around with using them on different sorts of layouts. On the hockey layout below, for example, I used the Snow Mudd Puddles and free-formed the snow onto the corner of the zamboni picture to give my layout a touch of texture.

Last Game by Noreen Demas.

Thanks for reading, and have fun playing with adhesive sands on your own layouts!

—Noreen Demas, Scrap-N-Country

P.S. If you enjoy adding texture to your layouts, you’ll want to get your hands on a copy of Scrapbooking Tips & Tricks: Texture, a special issue from Creating Keepsakes magazine. Take a peek inside to see what we mean.

But there’s one side of our lives we often fail to scrapbook…our faith.

What I Believe, by Courtney Walsh for Creating Keepsakes magazine.

No matter what your spiritual beliefs are, they are a part of you. And if you fail to document them, you leave behind an incomplete picture of your life’s journey.

It’s easy to get started with a documentation of your faith. Simply create a layout about what you believe. At the core of you, what do you believe to be true? If you’re not religious, consider scrapbooking your “aha” moments: your life’s motto, the words you live by, the quotes that speak to you.

For this layout, I wanted to capture my most basic beliefs. Years from now, I want my kids to know that these are most important to me. I don’t want them to think I always had it all figured out. I want them to have a clear picture of the ups and the downs as well the things that, in my mind, never change.

So, how do you get started in documenting your faith?

1. Choose your method. You can record your thoughts in an art journal, create a belief-themed scrapbook, or simply work your faith pages into your annual albums. Whatever you decide is fine—there’s no right or wrong.

2. Jot down a few of the key things you want to capture about your faith. Here are five ideas to get you started:

• I believe… You could make a whole book about this, and it may change as time goes on. Capture it all…even the days you doubt or arent’ sure what you believe!
• A person/people whose faith I admire. Who has helped you in matters of faith? Who inspires or challenges you?
• Prayers and meditations. Why not create a prayer journal to keep a record of the things you’re exercising your faith for? You can also capture your meditations on wise words from favorite scriptures or quotes.
• Lessons I’ve learned. It’s great to capture your “aha” moments, the ones that help you define what you really believe.
• Blessings. Take a page out of Oprah’s handbook and capture the things you’re grateful for. It’ll shift your focus and help you see what really matters.

There’s little that’s more important about us than who we are on the inside. Use your paper crafting talents to bring the inside of you to the outside. It’ll be therapeutic and will serve future generations well.

For more ideas about scrapbooking your faith ideas, feel free to visit my blog, where I post weekly prompts and inspiration pieces.

—Courtney Walsh

Happy Mother’s Day Card by Nicole Larkin for Creating Keepsakes magazine.

You can create a card like this by using scrapbook stuff from your stash, and you can adapt it to any occasion just by changing the sentiment and embellishments. I never would have dreamed of making this card on my own, but the “Mother’s Day Card” class made it easy-peasy.

First off, let’s talk for just a sec about Club CK, the Creating Keepsakes online community. This is where scrapbookers gather to share tips, ideas, and challenges, and where Creating Keepsakes provides blog articles, classes, challenges, and lots and lots of prizes. Did you know that membership is completely free? All you have to do is enter a username, password, and email address. (Oh, and a time zone. I know, we’re very demanding.)

Okay, so now: about this “Mother’s Day Card” class. This was a free class taught in the Club CK forums by über-talented Dream Team member Kim Watson.

Pretty awesome, right? And here’s a picture of Kim’s card when it opens. Surprise! A tiny banner!

“Mother’s Day” card by Kim Watson.

So I bet you can guess what’s inside my card… Yep, a little bitty banner strung on baker’s twine. Oh, how I love it. I have to restrain myself from opening and shutting my card and yelling, “Surprise!” (the other editors might get kinda tired of that).

You should also check out the envelopes. Each of my three kids wrote a message to Grandma, and I slipped their notes into an envelope I cut from patterned paper, a vellum library card holder, and a clear plastic bag that used to hold a sheet of stickers. (I {heart} repurposing packaging, don’t you?) And on the back, I tucked a note from me into a tiny vellum envelope.

If you’d like to learn how to create a card like this, hop on over to Club CK Forums > Scraptivities > Club CK Classes & Chats. You’ll find three classes by Kim Watson—“Mother’s Day Card,” “Spring Flowers,” and “Love Tags”—as well as chats with CK Dream Team members and contributing writers. I hope that discovering these classes will make your Mother’s Day even happier!

—Nicole Larkin, online editor

P.S. If you create a card like this, post it to the Club CK idea galleries and then tell us in this forum thread. At 9:00 am (MDT) tomorrow, May 14, we’ll randomly select one participant to win a one-year subscription to Creating Keepsakes magazine!

How often do you take time to look at life around you and notice the here and now, rather than focusing on the future? In our fast-moving culture, we tend to get distracted from today and spend a lot of our energy on what’s next. But delight is often in the details…and almost always in the present moment.

Our Scrapbooking from the Inside Out design team created some beautiful layouts on the subject of delight using our most deliciously fun and colorful kit yet! Get ready to be inspired to find those small pleasures that truly make life worth living.

Using only words and design (no photos—love it!), design team coordinator Melissa Elsner reminds herself to live more in the now. The framed journaling spots serve as “Post-it” notes to herself, some held by clips. Brilliant!

Find Joy in the Now by Melissa Elsner for Scrapbooking from the Inside Out.

Jen Matott created a wonderful display of bubbly circles that exude delight and happiness. Her journaling speaks of the simple pleasures of a day when all seems right with the world. She surrounds herself with that “perfect day” feeling.

Everything’s Wonderful by Jen Matott for Scrapbooking from the Inside Out.

Recalling a moment with dear friends when laughter filled the air, Nicole Martel filled her layout with brightly colored spray that evokes letting loose and having fun! She clearly loved remembering that great time.

So Dear to My Heart by Nicole Martel for Scrapbooking from the Inside Out.

What could you do to remind yourself to live in the moment and in the now-–and how could you scrapbook it? Comment here and let us know, and you might win our newest kit, Delight. This bright, bold, colorful kit is ready, as is our free inspiration page, to help your creative heart and hands flow. Entries must be received by Monday, May 14, at 9:00 am (MDT). Sorry, we can only ship prizes to addresses in the United States.

And do come join us at Scrapbooking from the Inside Out and grab your kit and our free inspiration now…we would love to welcome you and join you on your journey. Come on by and explore your inner world!

–Rachel Kaufman, Scrapbooking from the Inside Out

Congratulations to our winner! To claim your prize, watch for an email from us.

Melissa K.D.: Something that keeps me in the moment is taking time to “be a kid” with my kids! That kit would be perfect to scrap those moments too! Thanks for the chance!

Luckily for us scrapbookers, Webster’s Pages designer Stacey Michaud has created this adorable matchbook-style coupon book as a gift for her mother-in-law, She’s broken everything down into simple steps, so even the busiest scrapper can recreate it in a snap!

Our Heart Coupon Book by Stacey Michaud for Webster’s Pages.

Create the Matchbook Cover

Step One: Cut a 9” x 3 1/2” piece from pretty patterned paper.

Step Two: Score at 1 1/2”, 5 1/2″, and 5 3/4” (this allows room for a bit of bulk in the album). Fold.

Step Three: Staple along the bottom 1 1/2” fold to give the top flap a place to tuck into (and hold the album’s future contents in).

Create Cut-Out Window

Next, we’re going to create a cutout window to jazz up the cover.

Step Four: Punch or cut a circle 1 3/4” in diameter from the top flap of your matchbook album. Here, Stacey also created a frame for this cut-out by trimming a doily design from the new Girl Land patterned paper and adhering it to the outside of the matchbook window with liquid glue.

Create Introduction Card

Step Five: From a different patterned paper, trim a 3” x 3 1/4” piece to create the introduction card.

Step Six:  Using a foam square for dimension, adhere a contrasting 2” circle near the top of the introduction card. Print or write a note to the gift recipient and adhere it to the bottom half of the card.

Step Seven: Embellish the circle center with twine and a punched heart.

Create Coupon Cards

Step Eight: Trim 3” x 3” squares of double-sided patterned paper. To create her cards, Stacey used the new Webster’s Pages Favorite Things paper, choosing images that reminded her of her mother-in-law.

Step Nine: Print labels with coupon information. Adhere them to the back of each square.

Step Ten: Tuck your custom-made coupons inside your little matchbook and tie the album closed with a beautiful ribbon, like this lacy trim from Webster’s Pages.

And just like that, you have a meaningful, handmade gift to give that very special mom in your life.

Giveaway

The new Girl Land collection from Webster’s Pages starts shipping Monday, May 14. For a full reveal, head over to the Webster’s Pages blog, where we’ve got tons of girly inspiration and lots of fun going on all week long!

For a chance to win a collection kit of this new line, just leave a comment on this post and tell us: Are you creating something special for Mother’s Day this year? Entries must be received by 9:00 am (MDT) on Monday, May 14. Sorry, we can only ship prizes to addresses in the U.S.

—Courtney Walsh, Webster’s Pages

Congratulations to our winner! To claim your prize, watch for an email from us.

Jingle: I created something awhile ago and plan to give it to Mom!

Mind Control in Scrapbooking

I return to my favorite aspect of scrapbooking, mind control!  The human brain loves order.  The amazing super computer known as your brain loves to pair items together.  You have probably heard the advice to use odd numbers on your layouts—so why am I talking about pairs?  This is where the mind control comes into play.

Your brain is always looking to find a pair.  Why do we pair things up naturally? Perhaps it is because our body is designed in pairs: we have two eyes, two ears, two arms, two hands, two feet…you get the idea. (You may be saying we only have one nose, but our nose has two nostrils!) When a layout is made up of an even number of elements, the brain will scan it quickly, be satisfied that the pairs are all in order, and move on.  For example, look at this sketch, which uses simple lines to demonstrate the importance of pairing:

Real Scrappers Keep It Odd

Now, let’s look at a sketch based on the principle of odd numbers. I used the same elements to create this sketch. No sizes have been changed, only placement and number of elements.

The scale of these elements stays the same, but creating the odd numbers on the layout makes the composition much more appealing. Our brains are hard-wired to scan for pairs, so it will examine the entire layout. Only once the brain is satisfied that no further pairs are present will it will move on. The loss of the second half of a pair (photo, embellishment, line) forces the viewer to examine the layout more closely, and that means the entire work will be noticed and appreciated. So, whether it be three photos, five journaling strips, or seven flowers…keep it odd!

Christmas Treats by Erika Hayes.

Join us for this month’s Thanks Living challenge and use some odd behavior to create your next masterpiece!

About the Thanks Living Challenge

The Thanks Living challenge is an ongoing yearlong challenge that you can begin at any time. Remember: if you are busy counting your blessings, you will lose track of your misfortunes!

If you have missed any of the Thanks Living challenges, you can find them all here.

• Introduction to Thank Living
• Thanks Living Challenge #1 – Points and Lines
• Thanks Living Challenge #2 – Visual Hierarchy
• Thanks Living Challenge #3 – Layering and Clustering
• Thanks Living Challenge # 4 – Balance and Symmetry

—Erika Hayes, Club CK moderator

I have a fun scrapbooking tutorial to share today. As scrapbookers, we are all sure to have a paper stash. Many of us also have a bin filled with scrap pieces of paper, those tiny bits that are just too pretty to throw away but never make it onto a scrapbook page ever again. Today I’m pulling those out to create a few fresh, new accents to use on my pages.

First, I trimmed scraps of various papers and adhered them onto a plain white paper using archival-safe glue. These scrap paper strips can be as narrow or as wide as you want, and can be monochromatic or span a palette of colors. You can see that I chose a totally colorful option here below.

After I had adhered a whole row down, I trimmed it using a paper trimmer to form a long strip.

While this could be used as a border all by itself, here I chose to punch out evenly spaced circles and use it as a border to frame small embellishments. I chose a circle punch, but you could totally use any punch in any shape to amp up your border here.

I love the pop of color this border provides, and yet since I punched out a major portion of it, the colors are not too overwhelming.

Here’s a look at the layout I created using it. I placed the border beneath my photos and used it to frame some animal stickers.

A Day at the Zoo by Smitha Katti.

Now, those scrappy circles I punched out were perfect to use as embellishments to create another quick fun layout.

Ready Set Squirm by Smitha Katti.

This layout is all about how my little baby is trying to get out of her chair. She is all set to start crawling soon. The circles imply motion, so they reinforce the page’s theme here.

Another thing I did on both these layouts was mix up colors for my title. This is a great way to use up those leftover alphabets (I always seem to run out of the vowels and S’s), so this way you have plenty of letters and can create a long title!

I hope you are inspired to use up those paper scraps and create something fun! Happy scrapping!

Now for a giveaway. The awesome people at Fiskars are giving three of their brand new Super-Sized XXXXL Lever punches to one lucky winner! Leave a comment on this post to enter this giveaway, and we’ll randomly choose a winner. (Please note, we are unable to ship prizes outside the US.)

If you are interested in seeing how I use these XXXXL punches on my layouts, stop by my blog and say hi!

—Smitha Katti

P.S. Want to learn more great tips? Come to a FREE scrapbooking class offered by Creating Keepsakes Dream Team member  Kim Watson in Club CK this Thursday, May 10, at 11:00 am (MDT). You’ll create a fancy-schmancy Mother’s Day card that will knock your mama’s socks off!

Congratulations to our winner! To claim your prize, watch for an email in your inbox.

Margie Van Evera: What a great idea! I have tons of scraps and this is a fun way to use them! Thanks, Smitha and CK

Common Thread by Cindy Tobey, as seen in the May/June 2012 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine, page 44.

Fiber can also add a sweet homespun feel to your layout, which is exactly what I wanted for this page featuring photos of my family. Here, I used both baker’s twine and thread. I wrapped the baker’s twine around my background paper and I used thread to stitch part of the letters in my title.

Here’s how you can create your own title using thread and cardstock scraps:

1. Select your thread and cardstock.

2. Sketch your title in block letters onto cardstock.

3. Cut the title letters from the cardstock, excluding the portions that you will fill in with thread.

4. Adhere the cardstock letter portions to your background paper, leaving room for the thread portion of the letters.

5. Add a thin piece of fabric to the back of your cardstock with dry adhesive, covering the area you will be stitching over. This will hold your stitches in place even if you make two stitches too close together and tear the paper between them.

6. Finish your title letters with long stitches of thread. Be sure to use a needle with a very small eye to create holes as small as possible in your background paper.

I used thread for my title, but you could create a similar effect with all different types and thicknesses of fiber. I hope you have fun with this title technique! Thanks for reading!

—Cindy Tobey, Contributing Writer

Happy National Scrapbooking Day 2012 from your friends at Creating Keepsakes magazine! We’ve had a lot going on around here lately, and we want to make sure you don’t miss a thing, so here is a recap of the National Scrapbooking Day festivities going on around here. Our theme is scrapbooking around the house, and each day we’ve visited a different room for a variety of scrap-alicious activities! There are lots of prizes and giveaways up for grabs. Entries are due at 9:00 am (MDT) Monday, May 7, so be sure to enter right away.

Monday: LIVING ROOM
	A Pinterest Challenge for Scrapbookers
	Alter a Photo Frame with Paper Flowers
Tuesday: GARAGE
	Unexpected Organization Solutions
	Take the Scrapbook Organization Challenge!
	Latest & Greatest: May/June 2012
Wednesday: LIBRARY
	Free Digital Scrapbooking Kit and Class Easy Enough for Beginners
	Video Teaches You To Create Handmade Flowers with Book Paper
	Newest Readers’ Pick Layout Winner; Submissions Open for Next Poll
Thursday: KITCHEN
	Using Kitchen Tools as Stamps for Scrapbooking
	Recipe Scrapbooking Challenge
Friday: OFFICE
	How Your Office Can Enhance the Creative Process
	Scrapbook Supply Scavenger Hunt
	Free Font Friday – CK Choppy Block
Saturday: CRAFT ROOM
	How Other Hobbies Can Inspire Your Scrapbooking
	Chat with Suzy Plantamura
	FREE 12-hour Creative Crop

As we scrapbook around the house, today we’re visiting everyone’s favorite: the CRAFT ROOM. Let’s see how  CK Dream Team member Piradee Talvanna approaches it.

Happy National Scrapbooking Day!

Hi everyone, I hope you’ve been following us the past few days as we get ready for National Scrapbooking Day 2012!. Today, I wanted to share some ideas on how your scrapbook layouts and projects don’t always have to be created using just scrapbooking products.

With the array of craft-related hobbies available, I’m sure most of us at one point in time have tried (or are still addicted to **wink**) one of them or another. I remember my cross-stitching phase, where pretty much everywhere I went, I always had my supplies with me, and couldn’t resist a little bit of stitching.  Thinking about it now, how fun would it be if I cross-stitched the title of my layout or certain elements? Some other fun ideas would be to knit your own embellishments or paint/create your own pattern paper design.

(photo credits: knitting, water colors, cross stitch)

Lately, wherever I travel I’m constantly searching for fabric stores to see if there’s anything that I could add to a quilt I’ve been making. On my recent trip to New Zealand, I found this cute little store hidden away in the corner that had an amazing selection of fabrics.  Needless to say, I walked out with quite a bundle, and here’s one of my favorite design/color combinations:

I wanted to somehow include these fabrics in a layout, and, inspired by patchwork designs, I went about creating a grid layout with bits of fabric here and there. I also used the gorgeous new collection from Pink Paislee London Market, which had the perfect shade of pink.

Celebrate Today by Piradee Talvanna.

In keeping with the patchwork theme, I embellished my layout with sewing-related items, like buttons and thread.

I would love to see how you incorporate your other hobbies into your own scrapbooking!

Thanks for stopping by,

—Piradee Talvanna, CK Dream Team member

P.S. Be sure to stop by the Club CK forums at noon (MDT) today for a live chat with Dream Team member Suzy Plantamura. Go to Forums > Scraptivities > Club CK Classes & Chats and watch for a thread announcing the chat.

P.P.S. And make sure to check out the free Creative Crop going on all day today at Big Picture Classes! Some of your favorite Creating Keepsakes and Big Picture teachers will be there leading chats, challenges, giveaways, and more!

Would you like to win a box of craftalicious goodies from amazing companies like Studio Calico, October Afternoon, Potter Craft, Maya Road, and Cosmo Cricket? To enter, comment on this post telling us how you incorporate your other crafty (or non-crafty!) hobbies into scrapbooking. From the comments received between now and 9:00 am (MDT) Monday, May 7, we’ll randomly select one winner. Note: While we regret we cannot ship to our international friends, we’d still love to hear from you! If your entry is selected, you will instead receive a year subscription to Creating Keepsakes magazine.

Congratulations to our winner! To claim your prize, watch for an email in your inbox.

Jennifer: My former love of cross stitch has fed right over into my scrapbook obsession – good thing, because my floss collection was a bit obscene… LOL