Noodle Soup

Happy, happy

Happy #1 

This cute dude turned 10 on Sunday.

 

Double digits, baby! And the very last age he can show on his fingers…mental note to get a picture of that.

We celebrated at Benihana, one of our family’s favorite birthday celebration locations. Justin & Kendra were both able to come, which made me extra happy. It has been a while since the entire family was together for dinner.

 

 

Happy #2

Stacy Julian & Lain Ehmann’s fabulous 20 Tips for Happy Scrapbookers is available starting today at Ella Publishing.

 

I had a chance to peruse it yesterday, and let me tell you, it is a must-have. It is brimming with great ideas for celebrating the good stuff in your life, both in your attitude and on your scrapbook pages. Whether you pride yourself in finding the happy all around you, or you aspire to, you won’t want to miss this great read by these “happy scrapping” experts.

Ask your mummy

Last night, while cleaning out my Harry Potter closet (we call it that because it’s under the stairs – no pre-teen wizards or related memorabilia are actually kept in there), I came across this Halloween party invitation I made many moons ago.

 

Cute, huh? Can you spot the vintage materials? It’s like an archaeological expedition into the scrapbooking industry. Note the shape of the mummy – these invites were my way of using up all those Paperkins I had collected in my Early Scrapbooking Era. The patterned paper is thought to be an artifact from one of the initial KI Memories lines, circa the very early 21^st century. Upon analysis, you will find the mummy’s wrappings are fashioned from Making Memories bookbinding tape, typical of the What Else Can We Use For Scrapbooking Age. The roughed up green paper and liberal use of ink indicates that the Distress It Phase was well underway. The font is reminiscent of Comic Sans, but is likely a more obscure variation from the time period known as I Have Over 5,000 Fonts On My Computer.

Fast forward to a more modern mummy (is that an oxymoron?), which I came across yesterday at Craftig.

How sweet are these candy bar wrappers? Such an easy & fun idea! I definitely plan to make some candy bar mummies this Halloween season. I just hope I don’t find one in the back of the closet 7 years from now!

Shaping up

Has your creative mojo been feeling a little out of shape lately? Tired of that same old square or rectangular canvas for your scrapbooking, art journaling, or painting? Maybe it’s time to think outside the box – the box shape of your background, that is.

I scrapbook in all sizes, but 12x12 is my go-to format. Ever get to the point where you feel like you have exhausted every possible photo and embellishment configuration? Me too! That’s when mixing things up by using a different shape can be helpful. An unfamiliar form or size makes you rethink the real estate you’re working with, and conjures up those creative juices.

Die cut scrapbook papers have been en vogue for quite while, and yet I typically wind up cutting a piece of them to use on a square page rather than using them as a background. Not so for this super-quick layout. I just slapped down a photo & title, and was able to further cut corners with the handy, pre-printed lines for journaling.

My style is usually more linear, so I used a rectangle of cardstock to ground this die cut scallop on one side, and let it all hang out on the other. The cardstock gave me an edge to anchor some paper strips, which I used to make a grid for lining up my photo & title.

Circles aren’t the only shape in town, though. I came across an ‘unusually shaped layout’ challenge on the Scrapbook-101 blog, and even linear little ol’ me couldn’t resist trying my hand at a page inspired by Natlalie Macdonald’s.

 

I cut the rainbow from a piece of cardboard and painted it, then cut a piece of white felt into a cloud shape and glued it on. After that, I pretty much just crossed over into the Zone of Creative Abandon, adding a little of this and that until it seemed done. It is so outside my box, it’s like I got shipped to another zip code and dropped on the porch of creative craziness…and that’s why I love it. It’s really fun to just play with the possibilities once in a while. And P.S. – it fits in a 12x6 sheet protector.

Do you dabble in diecut papers? Been thinking about breaking out of the box-shaped page? Let me see what you come up with!

Oh, and speaking of Scrapbook-101, they are having an awesome Charity Extravaganza cyber crop to benefit charitywater.org. It starts at 7pm GMT on Friday, November 13, and goes on for 48 fun-filled hours. Cathy Zielske will be kicking off the first challenge, and there will be a new challenge posted every two hours (including one by me). Lots of great prizes, too! Click on over for all the details if you’re interested in signing up.

Sweet ideas for Halloween candy wrappers

Did you see the latest issue of Scrapbook Ellaments? 

I have a really fun page in the Happy Hints article, using Halloween candy wrappers.

 

(image: xobobox.com)

Here's some behind-the-scenes info on my page:

Yes, my children did in fact still have Halloween candy squirreled away from last year, which I shamelessly raided to do my page. 

Yes, I did clean the wrappers, with a Clorox wipe, to remove any candy residue. I live in an area that gets more than its fair share of ants, and didn't want to take any chances.

No, I did not eat the candy. Okay...I did chew the Dubble Bubble. But that's it. 

I discovered a few things while making the page. 

1. Dubble Bubble is like chewing on a rock whether it's brand new or a year old. And for some reason, I like it anyway.

2. Candy bar wrappers will absolutely jam up your circle punch, and are not easy to cut with a circle cutter, either. They seem to be made out of some sort of mylar-ish material, and easily snag and rip. Have extras on hand, or better yet, use a cardstock circle as a guide and cut by hand with sharp scissors.

3. The waxed paper wrappers for Dubble Bubble or Tootsie Rolls are much easier to cut, but almost impossible to stick down...for the same reason they don't stick to the candy, I suppose. Xyron doesn't work, Glue Dots don't work. I finally wound up using tacky glue.

4. I originally journaled directly on the page, and messed up royally. I covered it with that orange journaling block, which I wound up liking so much better. It balances the page and completes the "orange trifecta" of the title and the preprinted flowers. Sometimes the best ideas come from mistakes. 

Wondering what else you can do with your candy wrappers this Halloween? 

How about decoupaging some candy wrapper buckets a la Martha Stewart. You can find the instructions here.

 

Did anyone else make gum wrapper chains as a kid? Here's a cool variation using candy wrappers to make a bracelet. 

 

(click image for tutorial)

And if you're feeling really industrious, and a little bit Project Runway-ish, how about a prom dress made entirely of Skittles wrappers? Seriously.

Just the ticket

I think I might have squealed out load when I saw these adorable tickets this week (tweeted by Erin Bassett, designed by Ambrosia Girl).

 

I am forever looking for new motivational tools for the kids, and these are, pardon the pun, just the ticket! I love the vintage look, especially when they’re printed on kraft paper, and I love that they offer quick gratification. I am randomly handing them out to the kidlets when they do something that makes me happy. I put together a treat bucket that contains candy, trading cards, and other little trinkets – inexpensive stuff, so I can be liberal with the tickets.

It turns out they are also pretty fun on a scrapbook page…

 

And best of all, they’re free! So what are you waiting for? Scoot on over and download some happiness. :)

Cori-Lyn, come on down!

Start printing your photos and gathering your supplies, because you are the winner of the free spot in the October LOAD challenge!

(Cue applause and confetti!)

Cori-Lyn said...

Okay, maybe the free pass would be the shove that I need? Thanks for the opportunity!

Consider yourself shoved, Cori-Lyn. ;)

RE-LOAD!

It’s been a ‘ella-va week partying with Ella Publishing. The grand opening festivities are drawing to a close, but exciting things over at Ella are just beginning! Thank you for joining me this week in celebrating the newest player in the scrapbooking industry. Be sure to stop by the Ella blog today to find out the winner of a year’s worth of free eBooks. And stay tuned to their blog & eZine see what other e-licious things Ella has in store.

Meanwhile, because Lain and I are true overachievers (or in denial about how many hours are really in a day), we’ve decided to run the LOAD challenge again in October. Yep, THIS October. As in a few weeks away. For those of you who haven’t heard of LOAD, it stands for LayOut A Day, and it’s a challenge to create a page a day, every day of the month. 31 layouts in 31 days with the support of 150 or so fellow scrapbookers cheering you on and keeping you accountable – plus a few prizes thrown in to sweeten the deal.

All the details are up on Lain’s blog now. Go sign up!

A questionable tie-in

In honor of Ella Publishing’s spotlight on Quick & Creative Quizzes today, I thought I would share some creatively funny AND elephant-themed Q & A of my own.

Behold, the stupid elephant jokes!

(Remember this Scholastic Book Order gem? Were these jokes as huge at your elementary school as they were at mine??)

I promise I won’t share all 101…my memory is not quite as good as an elephant’s. Here are some I do remember, though.

Q: What did Tarzan say when he saw a herd of elephants coming?
A: “Here come the elephants!”

Q: What's clear on the outside and gray on the inside:
A: An elephant in a baggie.

Q: How can you tell if an elephant is under your bed?
A: The ceiling is very close!

Q: Why are elephants wrinkled?
A: Have you ever tried to iron one?

Q: Why did the elephant cross the road?
A: Chicken's day off.

Q: How do you make a dead elephant float?
A: Well, you take 10 dead elephants, 10 tons of ice-cream, 100,000 gallons of root beer.....

Q: How do you stop an elephant from charging?
A: Take away his credit card.

Q: Why do elephants have trunks?
A: Because they would look silly with glove compartments.

Q: What do you give a seasick elephant?
A: Lots of room.

Q: What is beautiful, gray and wears glass slippers?
A: Cinderelephant.

Q: What did the peanut say to the elephant?
A: Nothing, peanuts can't talk.

Q: What's grey, yellow, grey, yellow, grey, yellow, grey, yellow, grey, yellow, grey, yellow?
A: An elephant rolling down a hill with a daisy in its mouth!

Q: How do you get down from an elephant?
A: You don't, you get down from a goose.

Q: What's grey on the inside and red on the outside?
A: An inside out elephant.

Q: How do you make an elephant fly?
A: Start with a 3 foot zipper.

Q: What sound you get when you drop an elephant down a mineshaft?
A: A-flat minor.

Okay, okay…I’m here all week, folks. Don’t forget to tip your waitress.

And be sure to check out the equally (or possibly more) entertaining interview with Wendy Smedley and Angie Lucas over at the Ella blog. I hear there are prizes involved!

Maybe you’ll even be inspired to do a layout using one of their awesomely simple quizzes. Things are a little crazy around here with school starting tomorrow, but the printable quizzes & sketches are so quick to use, I think I might just be able to squeeze one in. If I get it done, I'll post it here later. If you do one, I hope you'll share it with me!

Today is the day!

The eagerly awaited Ellaments eZine is live, and that’s an elephant in the room you can’t ignore. Hurry over and check out the scrapbooking industry’s newest publication, and be sure to leave a comment on the Ella blog. Your feedback could win you an Epson Artisan 710 printer…that’s worth a lot of peanuts!

And speaking of prizes, you’re probably wondering who won the free e-book. Hold yer trunks on…I’ll be back around noon (Pacific time) to announce the winner.

Go read Ellaments while you’re waiting, and don’t forget to give each of the articles a rating of one to five peanuts. Leave a comment here by midnight tonight telling me your favorite article, and I will send one lucky person a Cosmo Cricket Lil’ Man crafting kit to create some fun pages using ideas from the eZine…

…and a bag of circus peanuts (does anyone actually EAT those??) so you can give your awesome, crafty self as many peanuts as you want.

ETA: We have a winner!

Comment #12 was Gramjak!

Gramjak said...

Of course, someone eats circus peanuts! and I LOVE "Gettin' Jiggy With Text
(and titles too!)" That's just what the "circus ringmistress" (me) ordered as I was getting stuck on two LO titles!

Thanks!
September 08, 2009 at 11:45 AM

Congratulations to Gramjak! I couldn’t be more pleased that the prize goes to someone who actually likes circus peanuts!

Gramjak, when you email me your address (using the link at the top of the page) you’ll have to tell me what they taste like. Peanuts? Orange? Styrofoam? Peeps? None of the above?

Let’s Go to the Hop

Grab your pogo stick, moon shoes, trampoline, potato sack, or hopping device of choice…there’s a blog hop going on in honor of the Grand Opening Ella-bration of Ella Publishing, and it’s going to be a “ella-va” good time!

All this week Ella is celebrating jumbo-style, with prizes, author interviews, and tons of fun. Here’s what you can do to join the parade:

Download a blinkie for your blog here.

Enter to win a free e-book! Leave a comment here, telling me how you helped spread the news about Ella today (blinkie, blog post, tweet, Facebook update, getting yourself on the 6:00 news dressed as an elephant with Ella’s web address prominently displayed…). A random winner will be chosen to receive a coupon for the free Ella e-book of their choice!

If you haven’t been to the Ella blog yet, pack up your trunk and get moving! There’s a carnival of festivities going on there all week long.

Stay tuned for the much-awaited reveal of the Ellaments eZine tomorrow!

Check back here throughout the week to see pages & projects inspired by Ella e-books.