My 3 Epiphanies

Finally... here are a few crafts and layouts. I decided I would never be able to catch up on all that I want to do right now. My first great epiphany came when I decided that it was ok if I never caught up. I'd rather make the memories this Summer than document them. Maybe when the kids are back in school I'll get more time for myself but for now, I am just trying to make sure I get 15 minutes every day. In my 15 minutes, I am quite surprised how much I can get done.

First, here is a frame that I made from the sea shells I collected on Brentt and my get away to Florida in May. I love the pearl additions but best of all, I love that my favorite vacation photo fit in it.

My second epiphany was that I do not have to scrapbook every favorite photo. When Max was 6 months old I did a photo shoot of him and loved so many. My solution was that I picked one favorite and made a great layout. In the album, I have a sheet protector that holds 6 of my other favorites. This way, I still scrap the moment but don't feel pressured to scrap the other photos or (gasp!) leave them out of the book.
I usually hide my journaling because I don't like my writing. Here is what it looks like in the album.And... I did get some time to catch up on some older pics too. My 3rd epiphany came out of doing these: Not every lay out needs to be some artful masterpiece!


So, thanks for checking in and reading my rants. Make it a great day!
Christy

Biten by the creative bug

The creative bug has biten and I couldn't wait to show you what I've made now. Everything I made was made so quickly. I love when projects give me that instant gratification!

Here are the 2 additional frames I made. They seem so romantic to me. They each fit a 5" by 7" photo. The frames are "antique" and I found them at a garage sale. I'd been saving them for the perfect project and this is it. This first one is my favorite:

More wine charms. These are made with Disney bottle caps.

I had this great shaped box left over from Christmas. You guessed it.... more junk from my closet. So, today I covered it with paper and it fits most of my awkward sized acrylic stamps. It'll be great for bringing to crops.


Here's a sampling of the 22 new hair clips I made. I surprise myself sometimes with all that I can make out of my scrap crap.

Oh, and I couldn't forget to show you this explosion box. Its a kit from K & Company. I bought it at Yellowbird Scrapbook Store and still today they had about 6 left. It looks like a gift box and then you open it and there are a few layers that "explode" out to show you pictures or greetings or whatever else you want to add to it. This one doesn't have pictures yet. It'll be a great birthday gift for someone!

I hope this creative bug I've gotten is contagious. Now stop reading my blog and go make something! ;)

New frames

In the spirit of cleaning out my closets, I made these frames. I've been stashing old and new frames for a while now. I had 6! I was inspired by an online class that I took from Janna Wilson. (She rocks! She is so crafty and creative. I learned a lot from her and it got me out of a little rut I was in. ) And when I get excited about something I tend to take it to extremes. Instead of making one, I'm making 6. Here are the first 4:

This was the first one. The frame was originally green but I painted it black and sanded the edges. The background is a fabulous flannel fabric I found at JoAnn's. I found the lace trim there too. The place for the 5" by 7" picture is mounted on chipboard and then adhered using foam tape. Look closely... yep, you can sew through chipboard. Fun, eh?

This one is my favorite! It's just like the previous one but this frame is really big. It was made to fit a 14" by 20" picture and like this, it will fit a 5" by 7". Flannel and flowers and felt... oh my!

These two will hold a 4" by 6". The background on these is fabric too. I love that black felt trim by Queen & Co.




Let me know if you have any questions and I'll be happy to share how I made them. They're easier than you'd think! I'll post the other two frames soon. They're both in gold antiqued frames and very romantic looking.

Make it a great day!