More To Adore

I love this layout! This was the first time my son, then 6 months old, met his great grandmother. She passed away about 6 months later and I am so thrilled that we got these pictures of them. I love the one of his hands holding onto hers. There is something to be said for the old and the new huh?

This paper is called More To Adore and actually is highlighted with blush pink cardstock in the paper pack. I decided to use Lilac Mist cardstock with my photos since my son is wearing blue and after all he is a boy. I think it looks perfect together!

Don't be afraid to mix and match paper packs. There are so many combinations with CTMH. I also mixed my alphabet stamp sets for the title. I used Rustic Alphabet for the word "Grandma" and I used the Precious Alphabet for the words "meeting" and "Wogan". CTMH's ink colors also overlap each other very nicely and never fade together. I used Lilac Mist and Chocolate for this page. See how well the Lilac Mist shows up on the same color cardstock? Thats the beauty of CTMH!

June Workshop Two More Layouts

I I hope you enjoy these pictures and feel free to leave a comment!!just wanted to share the other two layouts that we will be doing at my June Workshop. I decided to use my wedding pictures. Mostly because I wanted to show that this paper looks good with both the blue side and the pink side, but also because when you look at it one usually thinks about school. I am trying to think outside the box more than in the past and feel very pleased with these layouts. I have never done a layout where you use 15 pictures on one page. It was intimidating at first but when I looked at the final picture I was very happy I consoldated some of my favorite wedding photos. It is an easy way to show many pictures from one event without

Here It Is....The $40 ($80 value) CTMH Mystery Box!

I wanted everyone to see what my "Man In Brown" brought me yesterday from CTMH. It is the Mystery Goody Box that CTMH was offering last week. If you are unfamiliar with this program I will fill you in. During the entire month of June CTMH is offering A Deal A Day. Everyday on my website http://www.inkyfingerz.myctmh.com/ there is a FREE item to be given away. But the catch is it is only for that day. CTMH also told us that during the month there would be six different mystery goody boxes offered at up to 75% off retail prices with a flat out low shipping rate!

So you better believe when the $40 box came up last week I bought it. I am thrilled with the goody's inside. Everything is coordinated as far as color goes (thats no surprise with CTMH) and I added up the value and it was about 89.50 or so. So, I got an incredible deal!

I will list everything for you and give you it's retail price. I hope you are encouraged to check out my website and see what CTMH can give you for FREE! I love this business!!!!!

Items Included:

Level 2 paper Pack called Abundance 12.95

My Acrylix Stamp Set "Because of You" 22.95

Dimensional Elements Numbers 4.95

My Accents Accessory Kit in Topiary 12.95

Clear Inspirations Ribbon Slides (2) 3.95 each

Life Delights Memory Showcase Kit 12.95

Booking Set with 1x1 block 4.95

Heartfelt Collection Ribbon 9.95

Total Value $89.55

Wanna learn how to teach others the joy of scrapbooking and cardmaking? Join my team for just $99 dollars and I will get you a kit worth over $300!! You make money before you even start. Don't wait, sign up now! Just visit my website for details.

June Workshop~ Discovering the Joy of my Boy!

This is my newest layout and is also one of the 3 layouts my club will be making on June 26th when they join me for my monthly workshop.

The paper pack is called Notebook and features double sided paper that is pink on one side and blue on the other. If you are often challenged to scrapbook your son's, nephews, brothers or fathers layouts this is a great place to start! Many scrapbook papers and embellishments only cater to girls or seem very feminine. CTMH is really working hard at changing that trend and I honestly believe they are a front runner to all things new in this industry. Notebook paper packs have been available for awhile now, and I have had mine about 6 months or more. I just wasn't quite sure what I would do with it.

My husband and I had these pictures made of Jake last summer and of course we got a billion 8x10's and I didn't know what to do with all of them. This layout features two of them that I love and shows you that you can cut them or scrapbook right over the tops of them and everything still ends up ok. This used to be a huge fear of mine, that I would some how "mess it up".

So, I hope you enjoy looking at my baby boy and the layout I have done. If you are interested in joining my monthly club feel free to email me or leave a comment on the blog and I will give you a shout!!

Stair Step Card

This is a card that I made for my secret pal who lives in Wisconsin. It is called a stair step card and I first saw the idea published on the Bulletin Boards at CTMH. Vicki Wizniuk is a master cardmaker, so thank to her I was able to make this!! Thank you Vicki.

This is actually a very simple thing to make. I took a piece of cardstock that was 10 inches by 4 inches and simply scored lines at different intervals across the cardstock.

I then folded it in accordian style. You do want to be careful when you score your paper as it will tear if you press too hard. So gentle is better!

The next step is to cut strips of coordinating background and texture paper and then adhere it to the cardstock where ever you like. I then stamped my sentiment, this one says "Just Because" and added some embellishments like brads and buttons. Once folded up this card will fit in a basic size A envelope.

If you would like any more detail about any of the products I used or how to make something like this be sure and contact me at mwogan@comcast.net and I can get you what you need.

Have you ever considered?

Just wanted to share a picture from last summer of my family. It is hard to believe this has been almost a year ago. Jake was two and a half and Alexis was 9. We took a little trip to Chattanooga for the weekend.

Now it has been almost a year and I have not scrapbooked this trip yet. I do have everything on CD so that I can go to Walmart and print off the pictures. That's a start!

One thing it is important for you to do is periodically copy all of your pictures to CD and store them in a safety deposit box at your local bank.

My husband and I do this every year. We also make a copy of everything on our laptops or computers and store this at the bank as well. We use Quicken for our finances and as everyone knows nothing that is electronic is guaranteed to always preform like you want it to, so in case we ever lose anything with our tax info or finances we know we have a pretty updated copy at the bank. We do this every 3 months at least.

In this day and age of electronic everything we have to be very vigil about saving info and encrypting info. My husband does this for a living, so if you or a family member ever needs help give us a shout. Better safe than sorry huh?

Just a Favorite!

I wanted to share with you a picture of my favorite card that I have ever made. I am not sure why it is my favorite other than maybe the color scheme and the paper that I used.

I got the idea out of one of our How To Guides called Originals and just copied the dimensions. It didn't take long to make at all.

It also utilizes a technique that I love. I am not sure if it has an official name but I will call it "scoring with reverse sanding"....easier done than said!

Notice the Crystal Blue and Chocolate cardstock and how it has been sanded. I did that by scoring straight lines with my paper trimmer and scoring tool. I then turned the cardstock over and sanded the reverse side. That's it!

You will need to be sure not to push too hard with your scoring tool. It is easy to tear a hole in your paper when you distress it this much. It will give anything a great look. You can also do patterns and crosshatching and make some really neat designs.

Give it a try this week and see if you like it. I know I do. Happy Scrappin'!

Creativity Starters: Journaling

I want to share with you how to get creative with your journaling. Sometimes it is hard to know what to say and just how to say it. Other times it is what we say that starts an entire layout, so knowing how to say it or how to think of it are the keys. Here are 20 more ways to get creative! Enjoy!

1. What made you laugh this week? Scrapbook the story and why it made you chuckle.
2. When you come across a quote that you love, use it to begin the journaling on a page.
3. Journal using one of the 5 senses.
4. Choose 3 adjectives that describe the event and then explain why you chose them.
5. Create a mini-album using the words to your favorite children's story but replace the illustrations with your own photos.
6. Start with a favorite movie quote that your family recites often.
7. Include an applicable scripture on your layout.
8. Pick a random date from 2005-2008. Got it? Use your diary entry from that date to create a layout. If you don't keep a journal, find your photos taken closest to that date and scrapbook them.
9. Create a page about how the weather makes you feel.
10. Take photos of your favorite object. Journal about why the piece is your favorite, what it means to you and any stories about it.
11. Ask a family member to share a favorite memory from a day, week, month or year of their life. Summarize the story in your words or write down what the family member said verbatim. You'll record a great piece of family history!
12. Think of a favorite advertising campaign (example: MasterCard's "Priceless" campaign) and use it as a starting point for your journaling.
13. Carry a small notebook with you and record the daily happenings around you. At the end of the week create a layout using those details to create a summary of the week's happenings.
14. Not sure what to scrapbook next? Write down your available themes and occasions and put them in a jar, and pull out a winner!
15. Create a Mad Lib approach on a page about your kids. Write down the story leaving blanks along the way. Have your kids fill in the blanks in their own words.
16. Record your favorite recipe and the story behind it.
17. Jot down how far in advance you know about the event being scrapbooked, the preparations you made for it, the timeline of the event and who attended.
18. Share how the topic you are scrapbooking reminds you of another experience. you could include how the previous event helped inspire or prepare you for this one. Or describe the fun times you had at both activities-you'll get 2 events scrapbooked on one layout!
19. Ready to start journaling? Simply write non-stop for 2 minutes without worrying if your text makes sense. At the end of two minutes read your thoughts. Pull out a couple of sentences that best capture your memory of the event.
20. If you were to have guessed 5 years ago what the event your scrapbooking would have been like, what would you have expected? How does that compare to your expectations of the event the day before it happened? Write your thoughts about the event and use them to show how your perception has changed over time.

Creativity Starters: Inspiration

1. Pick three colors you love and create a page with them. Don't try to match the photos to the colors-chances are, the photos will look good with the color scheme.
2. Browse an artbook and find a piece to inspire your design.
3. Rip a page from a non-scrapbooking magazine and create a layout using its color scheme, design or theme.
4. Visit your local craft store and purchase a product you have never used before. Play!
5. Use a fortune from a fortune cookie as a journaling prompt to record a to-be-scrapbooked event from a new perspective.
6. Think of your scrapbook stash. Which product did you think of first? Create a page using it.
7. Let the message on a Dove Promise chocolate wrapper inspire part of your page. For example: if you find a wrapper (like the author did) that says,"Life may change us but we start and end with family." then create a layout where the first and last photos on the layout are pictures of your family.
8. What colors are you wearing today? Use the colors as color-scheme inspiration on a page.
9. Pack your camera in your purse and then pay attention to the signs you see through out the day. Photograph a favorite and let it serve as inspiration for a design.
10. Create a page using inspiration from the design on a fast food cup or bag.
11. Ask your child what shape would support the theme of your layout, then create the shape using your paper, tags or embellishments.
12. Create a page using inspiration from a favorite website.
13. Scraplift a layout from a recent issue of Creating Keepsakes Magazine.
14. Use a Becky Higgins sketch (refer to CK Magazine) as a starter for a layout, but add an element you normally wouldn't include.
15. Check out the page calls at CreatingKeepsakes.com. Choose one that appeals to you and create a page. Scan or take a digital photo of the page and then submit it for the call.
16. Make a layout where the title is inspired by a corporate logo (either in theme or design or both).
17. Use the color most prevalent in your closet to create a monochromatic layout.
18. Let the song you have listened to the most this week inspire a page topic.
19. Hang your favorite soon-to-be scrapped photos (one photo representing each event) on a wall display so you can brainstorm ways to scrapbook them.
20. Look through your album. Find a layout you have already finished, then rotate the design sideways or upside down and "scraplift" the layout using this new design approach.

There they are: 20 ways to get inspiration to begin the task of preserving your memories. Good Luck! I would love to hear from you about how this helped you. Happy Scrappin!

100 Creativity Starters

I recently came across an article in one of my scrapbooking magazines that I actually tore out and have plans to frame for my office/workspace. It is an article of 100 Creativity Starters. How many times have you had a few minutes to spare and wanted to get out your scrapbooks or dust off the photo printer only to sit there and look at the book or printer as if it were an alien from another planet?
If you are like me you are busy, busy trying to make sure your kids have what they need and that the animals have what they need and that your husband is not wearing his high-waters to work today and that you have enough gas to get from home to school, school to work, work to home and home to the ball field!! Time?? What is time?
I have decided to share this article with you. but I didn't want to overwhelm you with all 100 at once. So, I thought I would keep it simple and do five installments of 20 starters. I plan to package them, if you will, into categories that we use most often when trying to be creative and not knowing where to start.
So enjoy them, copy them, write them down or post it note them to your mirror in the bathroom. Do whatever you need to do to practice them. I promise you it will make you a better Mother, Wife and Friend. As the age old saying goes, "If Momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!" Or something to that effect!!