Scrapbook Soup

Scrapbook Soup Show 207 is now airing online @ www.scrapbooksouptv.com.  We air each show 24/7 every day for a week starting at noon EST on Fridays.  This week's show was all about new materials.  I started the show by sharing an assortment of materials to be used with an inkjet printer.  I love photography, so I'm always looking for new ways to display my photographs.  One of my personal favorites is Transfer Artist Paper from C&T Publishing.  You can print on this material then add the images to almost any surface! 

Another favorite of mine is canvas.  You can almost achieve the look of an oil painting using this material.  It's a great surface for a multitude of mixed media projects and inkjet canvas paper is easy to find.  This was the basis for the first project I designed for Elmer's.  I just love this photo of the cardinal.  I found him sitting on the fence one wintery morning and shot him - with  my camera of course......  The project was designed to feature glue as a resist.  You'll have to watch to see what I did!  Hope you love it as much as I do. 

Stacey Caron from Spellbinders presented our second project, a shabby chic scrapbook page using die cut elements that were cut, embossed and stencilled using a single die!

The "Puppy Love" page, designed by Julie FF, featured a new line of wood embellishment, tools and inks from Prima

and for our final project, Suzy West shared some "WOW" ideas for using embossing powders on metal.

The overall theme for this series is Journaling and at the end of each show, we share personal journals from viewers who are also CHA Designer members.   The first journal is from Madeline Arendt.  You can find more details about this journal on her blog @ http://www.madelinesthoughts.blogspot.com.  The second journal was created by Brenda Pinnick.

You can see detailed instructions on how to make each of these projects when you watch the show. Project instructions are also available on our website under the "Projects" tab.  Enjoy!

Have a very wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!  Y'all come back now.....

Yours truly,
Julie :)

First Monday Projects! Journaling

Over the past, dare I say, 20 years or so, I've been designing inspirational and technique based projects for manufacturers, books and magazines based on the products I've been given to work with.  I sincerely love what I do, but a few months ago someone asked me what I liked to do for me.  Surprisingly enough, I had to actually stop and think...........  and it was kind of an eye opener.  I like to paint and I like to draw, but realized I've done very little of either one for quite some time.  I'm always doodling, the down and dirty kind of doodling as I talk on the phone, or get bored in a meeting - oops - don't tell, and I'm always playing with markers.

I've always loved to draw.  As a little girl I remember saving up pocket money to buy colored pencils at the University bookstore and used to fill book after book with drawings of fairies and little girls in Victorian style dresses.  Wide eyed damsels of the fairy tale kind flowed from my pencils like Niagara falls together with a whole army of popular cartoon characters.  I even wrote poems to go along with them.  Then one day it happened, I became a teenager and graduated to covering school jotters with things like "John", "Paul", "George" and "Ringo".  That was in the early '60s.

I'm sure you've seen and read a lot about "Art Journals" over the past few years or so, but anything that requires a commitment is not for me.  I rebel against doing anything I HAVE to do.  I have to WANT to do something, plus there has to be a good reason to do it.  Other than marriage, the only thing I'm committed to at this time in my life, is getting out of bed in the mornings and going to bed at night......LOL  As I said goodbye to 2011 however, and hello to 2012,  I started to think it might be fun to do some, what I will call "Freestyle Journaling".  My daughter bought me a journal (because it had London on the cover) for Christmas and I decided that instead of scribbling on odd bits of paper and the backs of envelopes here, there and everywhere, I would at least try to keep thoughts, ideas and doodles together in one place.  So here's today's musings.  Probably the only thing I will share, because this is only for me........

 
This kind of journaling may not appeal to you, and that's okay......  It's like any creative endeavor,  it's very personal - no rules - just fun!  Enjoy whatever you do - that's the whole point.  Look for more ideas by clicking "hop forward" on the Designer Crafts Connection logo in my sidebar on the left.  If you keep hopping you'll end up back here with a whole bunch of new ideas and inspiration. Y'all come back now...........

Yours truly,
Julie :)

Twelfth Night!

January 6th is "Twelfth Night", the day we traditionally take down Christmas decorations in England.  It's also Epiphany and, like December 6th in some European countries, January 6th is the day children in Mexico and South American countries receive gifts acknowledging the day the 3 Kings arrived in Bethlehem with their gifts for the baby Jesus.  My mum always said it was bad luck to leave our decorations up after the 6th, so I guess I'm in for a rough year - I didn't get it done yesterday.  They're down today though.  Hopefully that will count for something.  Garlands and wreaths are now piled up on the table ready to be stored and all the ornaments are lovingly and carefully packed away in their appropriate boxes. The house looks so bare without the brightly lit tree by the fireplace, but Baby Jesus is still in his manger on the end table.  As my granddaughter reminded me, we don't put away Jesus just because Christmas is over.  Not her words exactly, but you'll understand if you read the story in the earlier post below.......

So what now...  it's a New Year and another 12 months of new possibilities.  Psychologically we seem to look at the New Year as time to start over, hence the making of New Year resolutions, basically setting new goals.  Many of them get broken, as quickly as they're made, but thinking about changes and setting new goals is always - dare I say, fun......  No?  Well let's make it fun.  The first step is to find a some kind of a notebook, journal or whatever inspires you.  The title is "New Year Resolutions" and on the first page you'll write 2012 and the list of what you would like to do this year, your goals and dreams.  Cut pictures from magazines, sayings from books, etc anything you like.  Add things as you think of them, but don't stress about it.  As the days, weeks and months fly by, you'll probably find you'll set your Resolutions Journal aside and totally forget about it, but that's okay.  The important thing will be to keep it in a place where you can find it next year and start a new page with 2013.  You'll probably look back over the things you wrote for 2012 and you'll be able to do this each year you keep it up.  Just think how interesting it will be ten, or more years from now.  I've never been disciplined enough to write in a diary, or keep up with an Art Journal every day, so having the freedom to write odd notes whenever I feel like doing it is fun.  Sometimes I'll write, or doodle on odd scraps of paper and "Post It" notes and all I have to do is glue them on a page in my book.  I even include photos, postcards, my grandchildren's drawings and so much more - whatever I want.  It's an original scrapbook - little bits of everything a totally unrefined, unartistic mish mash of just plain stuff with no rules and no restrictions.  I love it......  you might want to try it too.

The theme for the Designer Crafts Connection first Monday project this month is "Journaling".  You'll find even more ideas then, so......y'all come back now!

Yours truly,
Julie :)

First Monday Projects!

Designer Crafts Connection usually posts projects on the First Monday of each month.  Since today is January 2nd, we'll be posting next week instead.  Our theme is journaling.  Y'all come back now!

Yours truly,
Julie :)