Month: June 2015

We have talked about organizing before. I have showed you my room, talked about ways to organize different things and thought I had made considerable progress in my own scrapbook room. BOY WAS I WRONG!

My daughter, her husband and 4 sons have moved into our basement until they can find where they want to put all those very smart young men in school and buy a house. You see, all of them get straight A’s ALL THE TIME! I have no clue where they get their smarts because neither their parents, or any of their grandparents are anywhere close to having the analytical brains these boys have. It will be very interesting to watch as they grow and see where life takes them. Sorry, “Mema” gets a bit off topic when it comes to grandchildren.

As I was saying, I thought I was almost done with the project when my daughter Karen informed me that ALL her scrapbooking and crafting supplies were coming to my scrapbook room and will probably stay there since the only crafting time she gets is when she comes here. So today I begin incorporating her things into mine. As you can see from the picture, I have my work cut out for me. She already has a full time job so I will be tackling this myself…besides, she might make me throw something out!

Why am I sharing all this with you, you ask? It is because all the doubles will be sold off. So keep an eye on the blog and you may find some great deals on a variety of scrapbooking, cardmaking, stamping supplies.

So tell me please, how would YOU tackle this problem? Where would you start? I look forward to hearing your comments on this situation.

For today’s sketch I have chosen one from Studio J using the You Rock Paperpack. The paper is retired but if you really like the set, I can try to find one for you.
Using the large circle left I can keep the size of her photo and still have some fun background going on. On the right, you have room for three 4″ x 6″ photos to compliment your focus picture wish is Natalie. I have eleven grandkids so there is usually only one picture of each of them up at a time, but I love the look of concentration in Natalie’s expressive face and am really thinking about framing it. The determination and dedication to her ballet is of the utmost importance and she is willing to sacrafice everything to dance.

I will look forward to seeing your layout using this sketch. Will you decide to use the strip of 2 x 2 pictures across the middle for photographs, or perhaps a larger title. There are so many possibilities with Studio J Digital Scrapbooking even if you are a traditional scrapbooker.

The first 5 people to complete the sketch and send me a copy to post will receive a little gift from me.

I have a TON of printed photographs. Back in the day where you actually sent film in to be developed. (my grandkkids would call this the dark ages) You had the option often times to get double prints so you could share pictures with family and friends. While this was a great concept in theory it also meant if no one else was going to be interested in them, that now your pile of pictures is twice as high will lots of doubles. Fast forward to moving day and my husband picking up the plastic box by the handle only to have the lid come unfastened and all the 500 pictures this plastic photo carrier was suppose to hold were now laying, all mixed up on the street.  You gather them up, put them back and seal it shut.

I decided it was time to sort those photos and found stacks of stuck together photographs. The above stack alone is stiff as a board, and I can see just by the edges of the pictures that my dad and his wife are in one, my grandmother in another, some long past family in others. I just couldn’t toss the stack so I found this article on separating pictures online from the Real Simple Magazine.  I wanted to share what I found.

I recently moved and discovered some of my photos are practically glued together. Can I unstick them without destroying them?
Jenna Schapiro
Potomac, Maryland

A. Yes, give them a (gentle) bath. Resist the temptation to separate photographs by hand. Doing so will most likely rip them. Instead, water—yes, water—is the answer.

Photos stick together because the gelatin coating acts like glue when exposed to moisture. They can be separated again only by adding moisture and softening the gelatin, says Peter Mustardo, a New York City–based photo conservator who has worked for the National Archives, in Washington, D.C.

The following technique can be risky, so save it for everyday snapshots, not wedding photos! Place stuck pictures in room-temperature distilled water (sold at grocery stores) for 20 to 30 minutes image-side up, so you can monitor them. (A long exposure to water may cause distortion.) Remove, then gently pull apart with your fingers, or slide a thin silicone spatula between them. Shake off the excess water, place each picture image-side up on a stack of paper towels, and weigh down the edges to prevent curling.

If a photo has stuck to a frame’s glass, things get a bit, well, stickier. First, scan the image through the glass so you’ll have a (less sharp) computer backup. Next, use the soaking method, putting the frame and photo image-side up in the bath.

For photos taken professionally or those of great sentimental value (or if you prefer to skip the soaking method), find a conservator near you through the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (conservation-us.org). He can determine if the photos are salvageable and, if so, can separate them.

I did look up and see if water from the Britta was the same as distilled water and learned that no, that the Britta only takes out some of the impurities and that you need all the chemicals removed as to not damage the pictures. I also looked up how to distill water at home, because let’s face it, when I get something in my mind, I am just not very patient!  Too much work for the quantity of water I need… Later on this afternoon I will go get some distilled water and give this a try and report back on how it worked.

This month’s Close to my Heart Special is our  My Crush Books. I am excited about this promotion because I am going to get one for each of my grandchildren that are old enough to write. I think it is a great way for them to “document” their summer vacation. I might even offer a bi-weekly class for kids to help them do it. Hmmmm  Here is the promotion, I think I will go put that class together! I will also do a video series for kids across the country!  Keep your eyes out.

 During the month of June, when you purchase any My Crush® book and its accompanying assortment pictured in Annual Inspirations 2014–2015, you will receive the coordinating stamp set FREE! That is a savings of at least $9.95 USD / $10.95 CAD! Choose from five lovely My Crush book offerings that will provide a swoon-worthy background for your favorite memories. From family reunions to camping adventures to holiday countdowns—and much more—you will be crushing on all these books and the possibilities they provide. Every My Crush book features a hard cover with wire binding and cardstock-weight pages that are printed with eye-catching designs to form the perfect bases for your memory keeping. Additionally, each My Crush book also features unique details—from glossy print, to vellum pages, to gold foil, to ink-resistant patterns—that make displaying your personality easier than ever. Plus, once you add the artistry of the coordinating assortments featuring sticker sheets, envelopes, alphabets, cards, and journaling spots, along with your free stamp set, you will be well on your way to your own gorgeous mini book creation! This offer is only available while supplies last* and once they’re gone, these books are gone for good, so put your orders in early to get your summer romance rolling today!

Do you do digital scrapbooking? Myself, I am a hands all in kind of gal so I don’t do digital but Studio J has so much more to offer, even if you DON’T do your scrapbooking digitally. Today’s sketch is taken from Studio J and is so cute. I have to finish getting my pictures sorted so I can find my daughter’s pictures when she was growing up. The sketch can easily be converted to a male layout with a change in My Reflections Paper Pack.

Jackson from the Seasonal Expressions II catalog would look great for your little man and your big man too!  Here is the sketch as it appears on Studio J:

I will work on the same layout using the Jackson My Reflections Paper Pack to show you how it can be tailored to the men in your life.

Where do you get your scrapbook inspiration from? Leave a comment below and let me know.