Would I go back and redo the pages I created back then? Absolutely not! It is too much fun seeing the progression my scrapbooking style has taken. Can I replicate any of the techniques I utilized as a newbie scrapbooker? Why not? Here is the question I posed to myself for this week’s challenge. What I came up with was creating a page on a white background. It is something, as I look through more recent albums, that I seem to have avoided doing for years now.

Are you with me? Grab a white sheet of cardstock and a few pictures and see where it takes you. Here is the layout I came up with:

I simply die-cut my title, backed my pictures and added rub-ons to provide a whimsical style to the page. This set of rub-ons included the jewels that you see I’ve added to the layout.

I’m happy with the page, as simple as it is. The white background truly allows the pictures to pop off of the page. I may just have to try this technique again. Let me know how it works out for you.

The technique I would like to feature today is using foam stamps to create a title. I prefer to use paints with my foam stamps and the process is quite simple. The following layout, “SNOW�, uses this technique:

Here’s how to create a similar title on your next layout:

1. Use an inexpensive foam paint brush to apply the paint of your choice to the stamp. I find this type of brush provides a more even coverage and avoids having brush strokes. Of course if you are looking for a “rougher� look then you may want to use a regular paint brush and get those “brush strokes�. Apply a thin even coat of paint on the stamp for best results and stamp on the cardstock of your choice.

2. Allow the paint to dry and then cut out the cardstock around each letter in various geometric shapes.

3. Accent the edges of the cardstock with the same paint to add extra dimension to the title and allow to dry.

4. Matte the geometric shapes in coordinating cardstock.

5. Provide even more dimension by adding metal letter brads to the lower right hand corner of each letter shape.

6. Tie pieces of ribbon and add to the top of each with a glue dot. The ribbon I chose went along with the theme of the layout, but you could use plain ribbon as well

So your Weekly Wednesday Challenge is to get those paper scraps organized!

Save only “worthwhile” scraps.
My rule of thumb is to save paper only if it is at least 3″ X 3″. Smaller scraps head to the recycling bin. Make your decision based on what size scraps you’d be apt to use in upcoming layouts.

Organize your papers for ease of use.
There are a number of different ways you can organize your papers. I prefer to organize by color. You can also organize by the type of paper: card stock, vellum, patterned paper, etc. If you have a lot of patterned paper scraps you might want to organize them by theme.

Gather necessary tools to help you organize.
Figure out what organizational system will work best for the type of scrapbooker you are. If you’re an “on the go” scrapper you may want an easy to carry expanding file that can travel with you to crops. If you have a scrapbook room you may want to use a filing system. I use a plastic file box that accommodates hanging files. If you are using files you will need to pick up file folders that work in the system you have chosen.

Label, Label, Label
I wouldn’t survive without my labeler. Labels help you remember where things go and just makes you feel more organized. Label your files or the sections of your expandable file box and sort your papers into their proper places. As your scrap pile grows, into their files they go.

Now that your scrap papers are organized, think of ways you can use them.
I use my scraps in a number of ways. I like to make greeting cards and scraps are perfect for this. They’re also great for cutting out letters, as mattes for photos and for punching or die-cutting page accents. Sometimes you just need a little extra “something” on your page…maybe it’s a border strip, some punched squares or circles, or a tag. In all of these situations, page scraps are often just enough for what you need. Why cut into a 12 X 12 sheet of paper when you have all those scraps laying around?

As a scrapbooker, you are chronicling your family’s heritage, telling the stories so that future generations will understand from whom they came. There is nothing more frustrating then looking at an old photo and not knowing who the people are, what there story is or when the photo was taken. Hopefully you are preventing that by journaling in your own scrapbooks.

On my last visit home I gathered up a bunch of old photographs, some over 100 years old, and decided to undertake the task of scrapbooking them. First of all they need to be placed in an acid-free environment, and secondly they need their stories told.

Luckily our family has quite a lot of genealogical information. My mom and I spent a lot of time when I was younger looking through microfilm of newspapers and birth/death records tracing our ancestors. They are special times I’ll always remember, and we have some excellent documentation to show for our time and effort. My dad’s history on his father’s side has been traced back hundreds of years from a relative in Holland. But there is much history that has been lost and so many stories that unfortunately can no longer be told.

Finally, after six months, I’m getting started on the project. Do we put these things off because we think they have to be perfect and it is beyond us?

Below is my first effort:

This is my grandparents on their wedding day (my dad’s parents). I searched their hometown’s newspaper on microfilm at the library and was able to find their wedding announcement dated June 30, 1932. It provided a great deal of information including specifically what my grandmother’s attendant’s were wearing so that I could identify them in the photo. Sadly, at this time there are two people I am unable to identify, though I will continue digging for information. For now they are identified with a question mark.

I will continue to work my way through my heritage photos and will share that journey with you. If you are working on a similar project and would like to share your process and layout ideas please email me at annl101@msn.com.

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day because it was time set aside to honor the nation’s Civil War dead by decorating their graves. So what “is” Memorial Day? I found a great answer to that question on the web and you can check it out here thanks to Bobby Ross.

So what kind of layout can you do to commemorate this special holiday?

Robyn asked if you can win more than once and the answer is YES…Freebie Friday drawings are totally random and if your number is drawn you’re the winner, no matter what! Be sure to visit every Friday for your chance to win FUN prizes!!

For today’s FREEBIE FRIDAY it’s all about the clips! You have the chance of winning round clips, square clips, colored clips, small clips, large clips, and even a heart shaped clip.

Today’s Prize Package

How do you win? Simply leave a comment and mention what your favorite metal embellishment is. A random winner will be chosen and posted tomorrow morning, so check back in because I’ll announce the winner’s name and tell you where to email me your address.

You can use clips in so many ways on your layouts. Here are some ideas to get you started:

This seems to be the “year of the graduate”. Kids of six friends and family members are graduating this year. I finally sat down today and planned out my graduation cards. When I have a clump of birthdays, anniversaries, or holidays coming up that I need to send cards out for I create one design that I can quickly duplicate.

For today’s project I gathered scrap pieces of paper, stamps and paint, and a few embellishments. I jotted a quick design, which ended up changing a bit (not unusual for me).

My first step was to stamp out GRAD using paint and foam stamps. I then printed out “con” and “ulations” on the computer…get it…conGRADulations. I know, not so very clever, but I try. I cut out the GRAD letters separately in angular slices and then outlined each with black pen. To tie in the paint stamped letters I painted around the edges of my scrap papers which were then adhered to the front of the card.

Finally I gathered all of the pieces and put my cards together “assembly line” style. This is a quick process with happy results.

The final result…

So today’s Weekly Wednesday Challenge is to use some ribbon on a layout!

Use ribbon as an accent on a border strip.

Ribbon is not just for girl’s anymore. I found some great dog-themed ribbon and featured it in a layout with my husband and our dog Buddy. I used to the ribbon to accent a border strip. To make a knot in the ribbon simply tie the two loose ends together, snip about 3 inches from the knotted portion, and place on your page.

Accent your titles with ribbon.

Ribbon looks great tied around or stapled to large letters in your page titles. It’s the perfect touch to add a little dimension to your page. You can use it with chipboard, die cut letters, or even tied on to a clip and attached to your journaling box. On the above layout I’ve also used it to tie my two patterned papers together as a “border” of sorts. With two heavily patterned papers it works well to use a coordinating solid colored ribbon to give them a bit of separation.

Use ribbon scraps as a fun accent on your page.

If you love ribbon as much as I do (I have 5 glass jars filled with it) then you may end up having a lot of ribbon “scraps”. Short pieces of ribbon should not be thrown away as they make great page accents. In the layout above I’ve used multiple ribbons to accent my focal photo. Find pieces of ribbon that coordinate with the colors of your layout. Fold them in half and glue them down the edge of your focal photo. This adds a fun, whimsical and dimensional look to your layout.

Ribbon is an inexpensive page accent, and something many crafters already have laying around from other projects. Most scrapbook stores sell ribbon by the yard, generally well under $1. So next time you’re shopping around for scrapbooking supplies, don’t forget to hit the ribbon aisle.

Color blocking is basically using a variety of papers to create “quadrants” on your page. You can use plain colored card-stock or coordinating patterned papers. Back in the day there were color blocking templates with all different size quadrants, but it is quite simple to create your own pattern. Let your photos be your guide.

One reason I love color blocking is that it gives me the opportunity to use up some of my scrap paper. I just look for patterns that coordinate well with each other and with my pictures. Color blocking is also great when you come across a line that has highly patterned papers and you want to figure out how to “mix and match” them.

Here are some sample layouts using color-blocking techniques:

Layout #1
This is a simple color-blocking design using coordinating papers from SEI.