Love Always Summer: January 2013

Monday, January 28, 2013

Cardstock Scraps Album

Cardstock Scraps Album, a photo by LoveAlwaysSummer on Flickr.

Via Flickr:

Non-December December Daily Lapbook....in progress

This is my "not quite" finished lapbook...it was inspired by Kathy Orta's (from Paper Phenomenon) December Daily Lapbook on Youtube. Seeing that I started this lapbook AFTER Christmas, I am designing this to hold photos and memorabilia. It will actually be a gift for a dear friend (if I ever finish it!). The "bones" of the album/lapbook is complete....I need to make tags and possibly some more mini inserts. This book holds TONS and tons of tags!! Obviously I also need to embellish the album, although I probably won't go tooo crazy as I think my friend would prefer something simple. So far, I've completed 2 mini inserts...one I show pictures of...and because this lapbook is good-sized with large pockets, this insert is esentially a mini album. The other one is not complete, it is still basic black cardstock, so I will show in more detail once I add the patterned paper. These file folders came already decorated...I got them for $3 (for 9 of them) at my local Marshall's. What a deal, huh??!!! I just couldn't resist sharing how this book is coming along...I hope you like it!!!

Mini Album Insert (front cover)

Top view of the Lapbook

Inside pages of the mini album insert

"Booklet" tag for mini album insert

Mini album insert page with flap that lifts up.

Lapbook with mini album insert in front of it

View of some of the pockets on the Lapbook

Friday, January 18, 2013

Am I really blogging????!!

It seems not so long ago that I started hearing the buzz...the new word that popped up like an antique jack-in-the-box toy. I heard people talking about it in a movie and on TV...then among kids @ the mall...even overheard my own daughter talk about it! But yet, not once had any one of my friends or colleagues mentioned this ever so popular word. Was it slang? Oh no, I think it had to do with the computer...and here I am thinking I am Oh So computer literate???! Boy, I guess I had a thing or two to learn! If you haven't already guessed, this word I'm discussing is the very thing I'm writing in...or on...or for (guess I STILL haven't figured it all out!)...I'm talking about a good 'old fashion BLOG!! Of course, I eventually had to see what this hype was all about...and I must say, it intrigued me right off the bat. I would barrage my daughter with questions such as, "Is a blog similar to a ...?" and "Who can write one of these blogs?" and "How can THAT many people have anything interesting to say?" Then, of course, came the "Well, OK now show me how and where I can write my OWN blog??!!" I was determined...I had ideas...I thought I was funny/interesting/talented and wanted to share my story with the world! But first, I had to check out other blogs, get some inspiration and make sure I wasn't going to look like an absolute FOOL! That stage of my blog awe and blog motivation was well over a year ago now...those confident thoughts quickly turning into blog envy and uncertainty about my own sense of humor, level of interesting and most definitely the knowledge that any talent I THOUGHT I had...was now squashed by a whole new world of jaw-dropping, craft inspiring, ideas flowing arts and crafts BLOGS...upon BLOGS...upon even better more amazing oh so talented BLOGS!! My talent, or rather dabbling in the world of crafts, was a drop in the bucket compared to what I have been ~~addicted to~~ following for the past year! I avoided scrapbooking with a weary eye and then found myself diving head first right into it. I have bookmarked literally thousands upon thousands of blog posts, attempted to follow countless tutorials and lost many a night's sleep while listening to tutorials on You Tube. I have ripped apart and tossed aside my early creations and wondered how I ever thought I could even call myself crafty. I have created mini albums and journals of every size, shape and color...I have learned how to create a pocket page, a flip-flop book, found ways to incorporate my junk mail envelopes and have hoarded quite the paper stash (scrapbook paper and card stock...graph paper and colored paper....oooh I will take one in every color please!). I learned about smash journals and junk journals, but I'm sure I still couldn't tell them apart! I have filled boxes full of completed albums, given them as gifts and stockpiled hoards of projects I just had to start but never finished. And now, I write my blog. I will never pretend to have blogging figured out, I have yet to place an item for sale in my Etsy store and I sure as heck never cut a perfectly straight line, but I'm ready for the next step. I'm ready to jump blindly into this online world of Pinterest and blogs and hopefully even an item for sale on Etsy! I cannot promise you thorough tutorials, perfect pictures or jaw dropping, awe inspiring ideas. However I can tell you that I am open to learning, willing to try and eager to join those who have inspired me. Truthfully, I'm completely out of storage room, need money for more pretty paper and just plain sick of watching from the sidelines! So here's to my first follower...I know it may take days...or weeks...or enlisting family to help!

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Brights Junk Journal

Lots of pics here...but still didn't even come close to capturing each and every page. Absolutely love the colors used in this junk journal. The patterned paper and washi tape I had all matched, all together I think it makes for a fun and lively journal. Elements in journal were all scrap pieces of cardstock, manila file folders, decorative paper and office paper; repurposed items from old notebooks (such as some of the dividers) plus junk mail envelopes (I just embellished or covered up names/addresses with washi tape). Two 1 1/2 " book rings hold the whole thing together nicely.

Front page view

On the left is a pocket made from a scrap piece of paper & some washi tape

On the left is a pocket page made from a pink paper bag

On the left is a library pocket made from a scrap piece of file folder

On the right is a plastic divider pulled from an old notebook I was discarding. I used spray adhesive to adhere this bright colored tissue paper to one side of the divider for added color.