Noodle Soup

Doodle re-do!

In the past week, I have spotted doodle frames like the one I fell in love with at Paper Source last year at two different stores…

JoAnn

 

and Target

Could it be that they are catching on as a hot item? The one I made last January is still being used by the phone in the kitchen, and has been a hit with the fam. So I thought I would re-post the tutorial for those who missed it the first time around. True, that $4.99 Target price can’t be beat, but if you want a larger photo opening or you’re looking for a quick and easy handmade project, I’ve got you covered.

DIY DOODLE FRAME (originally posted January 13, 2009)

I bought a cheapie Crayola marker & watercolor pad at Target and used my Coluzzle rectangle template to cut holes in the center. There wasn’t a channel that was exactly 4x6, so I went with the next smallest one. The paper is on the thin side, so I was able to cut through 6 or 7 sheets at a time. I just eyeballed the first cut, and then used a pencil to mark the corners of the opening for each subsequent cut so they would line up.

I removed the cover, and lined my photo up behind the window. The photo is attached to the cardboard backing with Hermafix squares – sticky enough to stay in place, but easy enough to remove if I want to change it often.

Next, I grabbed an inexpensive wooden craft store frame that was squirreled away in my “one day I’ll do something with this stuff” cupboard. (I’m pretty sure I saw this very same one on sale for $1.98 this week at JoAnn).

I put my favorite double-sided tacky tape around the front edges of the frame, and stuck it to the back of the paper pad, making sure the bottom of the pad lined up with the bottom of the frame, so it wouldn’t wobble.

 

 

That’s it – all ready for doodling.

Zero to cute in under 20 minutes!

Recycled cuteness

This top hasn’t fit Taite for 2 years, but I couldn’t bear to get rid of it because it’s so darn cute.

 

Yesterday, the creative light bulb went on over my head, and I decided to repurpose the adorable design on a shirt that fits her.

Here’s what I did.

First, I cut off the front of the tank top. I will admit it totally freaked me out. I think I have some sort of latent issues remaining from the repercussions of cutting a hole in my stylin’ Jan Brady-ish plaid pants when I was 4. Anyway, I held my breath and cut.

 

No one scolded me, so I continued on by cutting a piece of Ultra Hold Heat N Bond to approximately the same size, and ironed them together per the directions. And yes, that is a paper towel you see in between the fabric and the ironing board. Dude, I am on my 3^rd ironing board cover this year. I have learned.

 

Next, I cut out the design more exactly. This is much easier to do AFTER the Heat N Bond is on there because the paper gives it some extra stability. Also, it gets rid of the edges that sometimes don’t bond as securely.

 

I peeled off the paper backing and ironed the design onto the front of a $5 Old Navy t-shirt, secretly wishing I had one with a nice, big stain on the front that I could feel really pleased about hiding. Oh well, maybe next time.

 

The Heat N Bond instructions say not to sew after adhering because of the thickness of the adhesive, but I usually do anyway and haven’t ever had a problem with it. Especially with this appliqué being particularly thick and heavy, I wanted to make sure it wasn’t going to budge. I used a regular straight stitch and went around all the edges.

 

Then I added one charming girl in an owl skirt (I made that a couple of months ago), and bingo – recycled cuteness!

 

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. :)

Sew and Tell - The Embroidery Edition

After making Taite a skirt out of some cute matrioshka fabric, I came across this adorable pattern from Sublime Stitching.

 

I know! So cute, right?

But I had never embroidered anything, EVER. Still, the pattern was only $5, a t-shirt from Old Navy is only $5, and embroidery floss and a hoop would be relatively inexpensive. I figured it was a small enough investment to make it worth a try. If it sucked, I could always throw it out.

Well, guess what? It doesn't suck, if I do say so myself. It's actually super cute!

 

(weird up-the-nose photo angle...sorry)

The most fun part was choosing my embroidery floss colors from the gargantuan display at the craft store. I was in color heaven! And the embroidery part wasn't hard at all. The instructions were very easy to understand, and Sublime Stitching offers a lot of really helpful info on their website, including a link called Total Beginner Instructions. I had to learn what stabilizer is, and go get some, but other than that, I just ironed on the design and basically traced it with the thread, using the simple stitch in the instructions. It took me about two hours to finish while watching TV, and I enjoyed having something busy to do with my hands so I didn't feel so much like a couch potato while catching up with the DVR.

You are here - again

Remember this challenge? Hard to believe a year has gone by, huh?

I must say I have really grown to love this simple little album that sits on the shelf above my computer. At the time I made it, it seemed kind of mundane…of course these are the places I went regularly. So what? Doesn’t everyone go to the bank, and to Target, and to pick their kids up from school?

Well guess what? Changes in the economy caused my bank to be taken over by a different one. My youngest started kindergarten, so the preschool will never again be part of my taxi mom route. And Target…well, okay. Some things never change.

Here is what this challenge solidified for me: living in the present moment doesn’t mean I can’t think back to yesterday, or ahead to tomorrow, next week, or next year. It means I am conscious of what is happening NOW, in the context of yesterday, tomorrow, next week, or next year.

It means that while I am rolling my eyes at my kindergartner throwing yet another box of character Band-Aids in the Target cart this week, I am realizing that this obsession of hers will pass. She will probably not be covered in Hello Kitty Band-Aids at Prom. And I am also making a connection about the fact that her sister HATED wearing Band-Aids at this age, mentally cataloging that difference.

It means that even though the afternoon kindergarten schedule is mega-inconvenient, it is a gift to have my little sidekick with me every morning. It means recognizing how fleeting a school year (or a childhood) is in the whole scheme of things. It means embracing the disruption of my morning routine to enjoy this time with her. She will be in school all day soon enough. Or hello...she will be living at college soon enough. Having kids at both ends of the age spectrum gives me a huge sense of perspective.

Living in the present moment means being an active participant in what’s going on around me…resisting the urge to pick up the iPhone every time there is a lull (I promise I’m working on that one!), making eye contact with salespeople, taking a minute to make small talk with the playground supervisor instead of doing a drop & dash. It means connecting rather than barreling through the day like a human checkmark on a life-sized to do list.

Here is the quickie, photoless page I made to document what a difference a year makes.

 

But enough about me. Did you participate in the challenge last year? Head over to the special Flickr group Stacy has set up, and share your experiences by uploading a layout and/or participating on the discussion board.

If you didn’t participate last year and wish you had, there’s no time like the present!