Back to Scrapping!

It's been a long time since I've done any scrapbooking.  In fact, the last new layout I posted was on November 7.  All of my creative time in November and December was dedicated to Christmas gifts and kids' crafts.  It feels great to be scrapping again.

This is one of the fastest layouts I've ever done.  I spent as much time trying to find alphabet letters in the right color that would fit my space as I did on the entire rest of the layout.  

 

Another layout tomorrow!

Favorites Layouts of 2013

I've finally headed back to the scraproom after spending pretty much all of November and December making Christmas gifts and crafts.  Tomorrow I'll share a new layout- my first in months.  Before I do, I wanted to share my favorite layouts from 2013.  It was REALLY hard to pick favorites.  Out of the 55 layouts I made last year, I LOVE about 15 of them, dislike a few, and like the rest.  Amongst the ones I love, these stood out to me for one reason or another. 

New layout coming tomorrow!

CHA Wishlist

For the past few weeks, manufacturers have been releasing sneak peeks of what they'll be officially debuting tomorrow at the Craft and Hobby Association (CHA) tradeshow.  As always, I've loved seeing the new stuff and what trends emerge.  Just as fun is starting my wishlist!  Here are some of the items that have caught my eye.

• Fancy Pants 'Nautical'

If I only get one new paper collection this year, it's probably going to be Nautical from Fancy Pants.  I love the colors (perfect for boy pages) and the fact that they're double-sided with non-themed B-sides makes them really versatile.   

• Simple Stories Letter Stickers

I'm already obsessed with Simple Stories letter stickers and typeset stickers and use them all the time.  Eight new colors?  A must-have.  I will probably get at least three sets each of the letter stickers and the typeset stickers.

• Doodlebug Sprinkles Vellum

I'm intrigued.  I never really stopped using vellum after its heyday years ago and I'm always a sucker for polka dots.  This seems like a really great basic.  I'd like to see it in person to check out how translucent it is.

• Jillibean Soup Beanboard

Jillibean Soup is introducing Beanboard, described as thin chipboard that's colored on both sides. I love the look and ease of chipboard but hate the bulk, so this is ideal for me.  It comes in eight colors. I'm definitely getting the green, grey, yellow, red and navy.

• Ranger Mini Ink Blending Tool

I have the standard ink blending tool and love it.  This mini would be great for covering smaller areas.  I'm not sure I can justify getting this one since I already have a ton of Tsukeniko sponge daubers that I love.  I'm definitely thinking about it though.

• Glue Dots Desktop Dispenser

I use a lot of Glue Dots and this dispenser would be handy.  I'm not sure if I want another thing that sits on my desk though.  Now, my Glue Dots hang from my pegboard, off my work surface. Something to think about...

How about you? Have you seen any CHA sneak peeks that are on your wishlist?

Trendwatching, 2014

In the history of Ever, no one has made a project more trendy than this one that I made in 2012. 

Twenty trends packed into one awesome project!  Fabulous, right?  (Nodding enthusiastically.) So now that we've established that I'm an authority on trendiness, it's time for me to predict the Top Scrapbook Trends of 2014, based on all the sneak peeks that have been coming out in anticipation of the Craft & Hobby Association trade show that opens Saturday. I present to you my predictions for... (drumroll....)... the Trends of 2014!

Color Trends

• very soft pastels, especially yellow and pink
• neon
• teals paired with pink, yellow and kraft 
• Radiant Orchid
• gold, especially with pale pink
• ombre 
• chalkboard 

Pattern / Image Trends

• cameras of all shapes and styles, including Polaroids
• corded telephones
• arrows
• Viewmasters
• anchors
• hashtags
• really tiny hearts
• chevrons
• foxes
• speech bubbles
• handwritten / cursive fonts and images
• ampersands

Textile Trends

• burlap
• bare wood
• foil
• vellum
• sequins

I should point out that some of these have been going strong for awhile (like ombre, chalkboard, chevron, etc). I think they'll continue to dominate in 2014.

So what do you think? Am I right on or totally off? Anything that I should add to my list (or remove from it)? If these are indeed the trends of 2014, are you excited about any of them? Anyone want me to redo my jewelry frame to reflect the latest and greatest?  ;)

Spelling with Dollar Bills

I've shared three different ways that I gave money as a gift this Christmas (Cardboard Tube Dollar Bill Dispenser, the Tissue Box Dollar Bill Dispenser) and the Knitting Kit). Today I'm sharing the fourth and final money gift I gave. When I thought up the idea, I expected it to be easy.  he project itself was... but gathering one specific item I needed was far more difficult than I imagined it would be. That item? A dollar bill with an "I" on it.

For weeks, I checked my change hoping to receive an "I" dollar bill. I never found one. I asked Steve, my parents, and my sister to do the same. Nothing. Then, I started asking everyone I saw in person to get out their wallet and check their dollar bills. Everyone was surprisingly cooperative, but no one had an "I". As Christmas got closer and closer, I became desperate and turned to Facebook. Within an hour, I had multiple offers from people willing to mail me a dollar and one local friend who said I could come pick it up right away. Hurray! 

Before I share my project, an explanation of the letters on bills for those who don't know. There are twelve Federal Reserve Banks that issue paper money in the United States. Each is identified by a number, letter, and city. They are:

                 A. Boston                     G. Chicago 

                 B. New York                 H. St. Louis 

                 C. Philadelphia             I. Minneapolis 

                 D. Cleveland                J. Kansas City 

                 E. Richmond                K. Dallas 

                 F. Atlanta                    L. San Francisco 

Every dollar bill has a seal on it indicating which Federal Reserve Bank issued it. The seal is to the left of George Washington.    

Since I live near San Francisco, all the new bills issued have the "L" seal. Of course, other bills circulate as people move them around, so it's pretty easy to find a variety of letters in your wallet. Except, apparently, when you're hoping to find a particular one!

As I was making the first Dollar Bill Dispenser, I got it in my head that the letters could be used to spell names, words, or phrases and that framing one of those would make an awesome gift. I went down my Christmas gift list checking to see if anyone had a name that could be spelled with only the first 12 letters of the alphabet. Yes, my goddaughter Ellia! Perfect! I needed one more small gift for her to balance what I'd already gotten for her sister. I had tons of L's, an E, and a friend gave me an A. As I already mentioned, it took forever to find that darn I!  

With an "I" in hand, I folded the bills to center the letters, then used easily-removed Glue Dots to attach the bills to one another. I used temporary adhesive to put them on black cardstock, then cut a black cardstock frame to hold them in place. I followed this tutorial to create an origami heart from another bill and overlapped it slightly over Ellia's name.

It was a bit tricky sliding everything into the frame without dislodging it. It took more than a few attempts. Obviously, I didn't want to secure the money so firmly that she could never get it out, which meant that it had a tendency to shift around as I squeezed it into the frame. Here's how it turned out.

 

During the many weeks of trying to find an "I" bill, I brainstormed as many names as I could that are spelled with only A-L.  Here are some that I came up with:

• Abe, Abi, Abigail, Ada, Al, Ali, Allie
• Bea, Bella, Belle, Bill, Bilal, Blake
• Cade, Cailei, Caleigh, Callie, Cecil, Cecilia, Cliff
• Dad, Debbie, Didi
• Ed, Eddie, Edie, Eli, Ella, Elle, Ellia
• Fifi
• Gabe, Gail, Gigi, Gale
• Hal, Heidi
• Ida
• Jada, Jade, Jeb, Jed, Jeff
• Kade, Kadee
• Leaf, Leah, Lee, Leif, Leigh

The fact that most names use at least one of the other 14 letters makes it all the more special of a gift for someone whose name can be spelled with the first 12. Let me know the name of your recipient if you end up making one!