I'm hot to trot for text! That's right, I'm completely obsessed with typography these days. Here are some things on my hot list: 1. Wordle This is a super cool site that creates a text cloud for you, like the one below: You can type in custom text or you can do what I did and type in your blog address and the site will choose some words at random. You can also customize the word cloud a bit by choosing colors and fonts and limiting the number of words like the word cloud below: 2. I Love Typography (.com)... Read more →

August has come early to My Kits & Pieces. The kits are already up for sale. This month you can choose between (or get both if you're so inclined, they're only $18!)... COUNTRY ROAD - Two sheets each 12x12 Bazzill Cardstock - Candy Apple and Pebble Beach - One 12x12 sheet each of the following October Afternoon Papers: Walk in the Park, Picnic Basket, Dirt Roads, Fruit Stand, Garden Path, Gazebo - One 12x12 sheet October Afternoon Journaling Cards - Autumn Leaves Foliage Plastic Letters - 1/4 pkg Making Memories 5th Ave Elizabeth Blossoms and Buttons - 1 yard Eyelet... Read more →

Meredith from Portrait Bug tagged me with this quick list of questions and then I'm supposed to tag others. So, here they are... What were you doing ten years ago? That would have been the summer of 1998. I had just graduated from college and I was about to start work at Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, RI. Today's "to do" list? - Buy tinfoil. I used up the last of it on a mad cap craft project and was dismayed to find none in the drawer when I went to heat something up! - Finish my Journal Quilt submission.... Read more →

Since a lot of you out there don't have Photoshop, I thought I'd share a digital scrapbooking technique that you can do in Microsoft Word (which most people have). Before we begin, I will mention that I'm on a Mac. So, if you're on a PC and get confused, let me know and I'll try to help you out as best I can. You will need a computer with Microsoft Word, photo paper, and a color printer. STEP ONE: Open a new document in Microsoft Word (File>New Blank Document). STEP TWO: Make sure that you have the drawing tool bar... Read more →

Today, I've got a monster post for you with a lot of stuff to share! 1. Good News I submitted a layout to a last minute call by Scrapbook News & Review. It was my first time submitting to this ezine and they picked up a recent layout for their August issue. Yay! 2. Craft Critique I've said it before and I'll say it again, you *must* check out Craft Critique for their CHA photos and news. It's so great to have it all in one place! The thing that interested me most was this post. They're moving CHA-Summer to... Read more →

Today I thought I'd share 10 techniques that I use on almost every scrapbooking layout I make... 1. Ink the edges of the photos. Several years ago I read an interview in Scrapbooks Etc. where the designer said that she inked the edges of all of her photos. I had long inked the edges of my paper, but it had never occurred to me to ink the edges of my photos! It's amazing how a black ink pad run along the side of your photo just makes it pop! If you look at my layouts, virtually every single one has... Read more →

This is a super easy way to play with some hybrid scrapbooking! I posted a slightly different version of this tutorial on the Scrapbook Dimensions blog a few weeks ago. PRINTING YOUR PHOTOS ON PATTERNED PAPER The title pretty much says it all. A really cool and easy way to make not great photos look good, is to print them onto patterned paper. STEP ONE: Create a photo grouping in Photoshop (I'm using Photoshop CS3, but this technique will work in Photoshop Elements too. E-mail me if you get confused). If you've never done this before, just open a new... Read more →

This is a review that I originally wrote for Craft Critique. I thought I'd share it here too.... Favored by illustrators, gouache is commonly known as “the opaque watercolor.” I came by my set of 24 tubes by Reeves through a bad review. A woman that I scrapbook with brought them in (barely touched) with the pronouncement that they were there for the taking as she didn’t like them. Reeves gouache is considered student-grade and therefore quite inexpensive. A set of 24 tubes retails for around $14.99. So, do I agree with my friend’s assessment? Well, I took them for... Read more →

Mom and I (above is our traditional ladies room photo) spent the weekend at the Scrapper's Dream Vacation (SDV) in Burlington, MA. We have gone to this event for the past two or three years. We felt like we had soooooooooooo much room this year. Wide aisles and plenty of room to walk around. Well, we found out that there were 100 fewer attendees this year. I think the economy has really made people think twice about optional expenses like crops. And certainly, with gas prices skyrocketing, more and more people are staying close to home. I wonder what that... Read more →

About a year or so ago, I found the Manhattan Scrapbooking Meetup Group. I was thrilled! There are no scrapbooking stores in Manhattan (no LSS and no box stores), so finding other scrappers was such a delight. This wonderful group of ladies is such an inspiration to me. I enjoy their camaraderie, the late nights, and the massive creativity demonstrated in their pages. But now my cup runneth over. A scrapbooking store is opening in Manhattan. (insert jaw dropping) I never thought it would (could) happen! With Manhattan real estate prices what they are and the dearth of scrapbookers in... Read more →