Ok, so it didn't rain today. I was really hoping it would because I promised my son and niece a fun little art project. So we pretended. Here is a picture my niece drew
I pinned it to a doubled piece of off-white fabric and sewed around the outside edges (the picture here is actually my son's drawing). Then turned it right side out and had the kids stuff them. Then added clothes and in my sons case a collar (since he felt when all was said and done the doll he drew looked more like a dog) and there you have it!
Two proud kiddos! Ok so what does this have to do with scrapbooking? Nothing really. But this picture would make for a cute card :)!
OK FANS, we want to see your style. Email us a picture of your favorite layout, 12" x 12", 8" x 8", 4" x 6", it doesn't matter, as long as you love it! Themes to choose from are The Great Outdoors, School Days and Halloween-we will feature a few favorites in the Fall 2010 issue of Scrapbooking & Beyond and the winner will receive a beautiful prize package from GCD Studios filled with the wonderful Artsy Urban collection designed by Melody Ross. It includes 48 12" x 12" papers and nine embellishment packs.
So, show off your style and email your finished image to hklimas@allamericancrafts.com ("S&B facebook challenge" in subject line) by 6pm EST on July 1st!!!
I am so excited to offer our facebook fans this opportunity. Paper Creations magazine wants to throw a challege out there for our facebook fans to create a "Fall Themed bottle cap" (like the one shown here.)
We will pick a handful of our favorites to showcase in our Fall 2010 issue and pick 1 favorite out of that group to win this wonderful prize courtesy of GCD Studios.
GCD Studios has supplied us with this wonderful collection designed by Melody Ross. It includes 48 12" x 12" papers and nine embellishment packs. And did you know that every piece of paper they make has a textured feel to it? Not something you can experience over the internet!!! If you would like to stay up to date on what is going on with GCD Studios, make sure to sign up for their newsletter.
Keep in mind we are looking for the following: *Fall Themed pieces - it can be as simple or as complex as you would like. You can embellish the inside or the outside, take your pick. But please make sure these pieces are original. *Need some direction? Check out this link for some helpful tips on how to prep and seal your piece (if you desire). (Thank you Paper Imagery Design for this tutorial.) *Only three entries per person. *Email finished pictures to hklimas@allamericancrafts.com with "bottle cap challenge" in the subject line. *The contest ends Friday May 28th at 6 p.m. EST. Top winners will be notified by June 16th and they will be featured in our Fall 2010 issue on sale July 27th.
No doubt about it . . . we live in stressful and uncertain times. With health care a major issue for both insured and uninsured alike, professional organizing and life coach Lisa Lelas writes about the proven benefits of keeping a journal. Recording your feelings can be both therapeutic for your body and for your soul. It costs nothing but a few minutes each day.
There are many types of journals from which to choose. Exploring just one or two of the different journals described in the Spring 2010 issue of Scrapbooking & Beyond might be all that is needed to stroke your inspiration and motivation to take on yet another creative masterpiece.
So, if you need to get a few things off your chest, or perhaps to find a new source for inspiration, sharpen your pencil and start journaling!
Did the heat wave this past weekend put you in the mood to throw a BBQ? Follow these instructions to create a unique way to invite your friends and family to your next party. Enjoy!
Have you ever heard of a Bottle Swap? While looking on YouTube to find videos to offer to my facebook fans and blog followers I came across a series of videos by Yoliebean!
Yoliebean, Yolanda Pasillas, is a long time crafter, 16+ years. She's a mother of 7 children (YES I said 7), wife and lover of all things crafty. She first did the bottle swap about 15 years ago with a group of ladies attending classes at a local rubberstamp store. After watching YouTube and seeing swap videos, she realized that no one knew about swapping items in a plastic bottle. She thought it would be cool to do so she made a video.
This video explains the rules and details on getting your bottle ready.
About 30 people participated in her first swap while her second one had 104! She recieved emails everyday asking when the next one was going to be.
This video shows you what your bottles should look like when they are completed. If you are packing them in a box to ship, feel free to decorate the outside of the bottles as well.
If you wanted to start one yourself, this is what Yolanda suggests you do: *Get confirmations from all who want to participate - give them a date to do so by. *Pair people up, have them answer basic questions about themselves and their crafting style, likes and items they'd really like to get in their bottle. *Give a dollar amount per bottle. *Give a time frame to have them mailed by. *Contact people via email with gentle reminders. *Have at least one bottle packed and ready to go - just in case someone drops out last minute! *She also suggested to limit US swaps to US and abroad swaps abroad. Shipping these items can be tricky across the borders.
I was thinking about all the possibilities for this idea - they are endless. I'd like to share with you what I came up with - but I'm too excited with what I'm thinking about that I want to consider it as a challege for our facebook FANS! We'll see !!!
In the meantime, get out there and start your own bottle swap. Make sure to let us know how it worked out!
We reached over 1000 fans on both our Paper Creations and Scrapbooking & Beyond facebook pages! I just can't believe it! If there were a way to shoot fireworks out from your computer screen to show my excitement, believe me I'd do it! You'll just have to settle for a picture of it for now. I'm so grateful to all of our fans for referring us to their friends and helping us grow! This was all accomplished in less than a month and I can only image where we will be with our fan base - let's say - by the beginning of the summer! A big THANK YOU goes out to all of our fans! I can't wait to start sharing tips, contests, videos and to continue to have giveaways on our facebook pages!
Then turned it right side out and had the kids stuff them. Then added clothes and in my sons case a collar (since he felt when all was said and done the doll he drew looked more like a dog) and there you have it! 
.jpg)
.jpg)
