Ready for Some Craft Time

If you haven't checked out my new blog yet, be sure to read my "A Big Thank You & Celebration" post! You'll also get a look at the new CTMH Art Philosophy Cricut Collection.  Mine will be here soon; I can't wait!

I'm really ready to start scrapbooking my Hawaii photos and to finish some pages I'm donating to a friend who recently started chemo for bone cancer.  Her son asked her to create a scrapbook for him, so my goal is to help her make his wish come true.  Sharing our stories with the ones we love is so important!  I don't have kids, so I think I lose sight of that sometimes.  Yet, I'm the only one who is qualified to tell my story!  I'll share the layouts that I make for her here.  I'm working on the Technique Tuesday "Live in the Moment" kit by Ali Edwards right now.  The inks that came with the kit are so nice; they are so chalky and smooth and look absolutely beautiful.

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More Studio J Tutorials

I'm really excited about the Studio J tutorials I've made over the past couple of weeks.  Studio J is so quick and easy, so it is perfect for beginners.  Yet, it is also ideal for those of us with some digital scrapbooking experience and Photoshop skills.  I'm going to start making tutorials to help advanced users get the most out of their Studio J membership, as well.  Until then, here are the last three videos I created.  Make sure you subscribe to my YouTube channel, createwithamy, and leave me a comment!

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Creating & Embellishing Journaling Strips in Studio J

I had a great New Year's Eve with my husband and friends last night.  We always share our goals for the new year, but this time we are finding inspiration from the one little word post by Ali Edwards.  My guiding words for the year are balance and write.  I want to find balance in my life so that I have more time to write!

I created this layout using the new Wings kit that was uploaded to Studio J today.  This paper is so beautiful.  I have the classic paper kit, too, but haven't cut into it yet.  Here is a video showing how I created the journaling strips and embellished them using staples and thread from buttons.

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Face lift courtesy of Studio J's wrinkle tool!

I'm so excited about sharing this video with you today.  The photo editing tools in Studio J are awesome...especially if you don't have Photoshop or another editing program on your computer.  I demonstrate how I can remove an unsightly wrinkle with one of the editing tools built into Studio J...cheapest face lift ever!!!! I'm also happy to report that this video didn't take me very long to produce and I'm far more relaxed.  That makes a big difference in my ability to find my words.  :-)



Comments and suggestions for future topics are appreciated!

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Getting Started with Studio J Part 2

I finished the second half of the tutorial tonight!  I think I did a much better job with avoiding the "um"s, but there is one really long pause as my mind was searching for a word.  I really wanted to say "rotation thingy!"  I eventually settled on "rotation symbol"--still not the right word, but at least I didn't say thingy.  :-)

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Getting Started with Studio J Video Tutorial

My login video is a little long winded with an annoying clicking sound.  I think I figured out what that was and fixed it, but now I'm "um"ing all over the place!  I will get better at this with more practice!  This tutorial walks you through uploading photos, choosing a paper kit & pattern, coloring embellishments, and converting a photo well into a journaling box.  Now I'm going to record finishing up the layout!

Again, please let me know when you start playing around with Studio J.  I currently have one friend who is a member, but I would like to hear from more of you.  Send me your questions/needs and I'll work them in to future video tutorials.

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Sign Up for Studio J Online Scrapbooking...it's FREE!

Here is my first Studio J tutorial using Camtasia Studio.  There is an annoying clicking sound periodically; I promise to figure out what I was doing and will make it stop.  This tutorial simply shows you how to log in.  I'll start posting the good stuff tomorrow!  Please let me know when you create an account.  These tutorials will be so much easier to create if I feel like I'm talking to real people.  :-)

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Mockingjay and Scrapbooking

I finished Mockingjay, the final book of The Hunger Games trilogy, tonight and was reminded of the power of scrapbooking.  Here is a passage from the final chapter:

"I got the idea from our family’s plant book.  The place where we recorded those things you cannot trust to memory.  The page begins with the person’s picture.  A photo if we can find it.  If not, a sketch or painting...Then, in my most careful handwriting, come all the details it would be a crime to forget."

It’s all there!

I scrapbook to remember.  I scrapbook because I don’t want time to fade my memory.  If I don’t have a photo, I can draw an image or use memorabilia.  Heck, I can simply use words if that’s all I have.  I use my handwriting because it is a part of who I am, and that’s an important piece of my story.  It would be a crime to forget the people and little moments that make life worth living.  I scrapbook to remember.

The Hunger Games is a great series; I highly recommend it!

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LOAD #3

I went classic style for today's Layout a Day!  The challenge was to focus on photography and create a layout with a photo that tells the story...no journaling!  As I'm in a bit of a journaling mood, this was actually a real challenge.  Yet, once I remembered this photo...I've been wanting to scrapbook it since 2008...it was easy.  The photo and the title say it all!  I'm a little bummed that the weather is so crappy today, because this layout (including the photo) are much more vibrant in real life.  My picture doesn't do it justice.  This layout was inspired by a layout in the Summer 2009 Idea Book.  I used Daydream Level 2, Blush ink, Fresh Shapes DE, Booksmart DE, Clear & Bitty Sparkles.

This is a little note to myself to remind me that I don't have to complete all of Lain's daily challenges for LOAD 2010.  I had a great time doing it this weekend, but my time is at a premium during the week, so that's when I'll go back to completing some of my partially created layouts.  I have so many that I want to finish, so that is my personal challenge this month.  Anything extra is simply a bonus.

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LOAD #2

Another digi layout for the LOAD 2010 Challenge.  The prompt asked me to spend some time thinking about what made my life situation unique.  I instantly thought about the fact that Neal and I don't have kids and that our attention is solely focused on each other.  We have a unique bond as a result.  Here is my journaling:


"We buried Kit on September 21, 2010. When we finished, we stood looking down on the graves of our “babies,” Kit and Tanis. We realized that, after over 18 years, we are alone. Like parents whose kids go off to college, we are empty nesters. I don’t think I truly understood the depth of that phrase, and I probably still don’t, but I have a better understanding of the emptiness parents must feel when their last child moves out. Neal asked me if I regretted not having children, and I can honestly say that I don’t! We are childless by CHOICE, and I think that makes all the difference. I shared that a friend told me that I don’t know what I’m missing, and she is absolutely right. I don’t know, so I don’t miss it! What I do know is that Neal and I gave more love and attention to our cats than some people give their children. We also have a love that many married couples don’t have because our focus is entirely on each other. So, we may miss the joys of raising children and watching our grandchildren grow, but we will also miss the heartache. Instead, we get to nourish our love and experience a depth of commitment to each other that is beyond words. Our house feels empty right now without the pitter-patter of kitty paws, but my best-friend and soul-mate is still here, so I know I will never be alone!"


On a side note, I'm cleansing today because I was really sick last night.  Not fun!

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LOAD #1

Lain Ehman's Layout a Day challenge started today!  I was at school late and didn't have much time, so I used a digital quick page to create this layout.  Lain's challenge to us this time is to focus on storytelling, so I'm less worried about the products I use and more centered on crafting a good story.  The prompt today was "Once upon a time."  As I'm still mourning the loss of Kit, my guess is that many of my layouts over the next week or so will be about her!  The journaling reads:

"Once upon a time, there were two beautiful cats named Kit and Tanis. On a fateful day in May, they were rescued from a garbage can, and their people knew that Kit and Tanis must come live with them. The two kittens brought so much joy to their people, and the people fell deeply in love with the little fur balls. Over the next 18 years, Kit and Tanis made the house feel like a home and were the children their people would never have. Yet, Tanis was the first to go, and Kit mourned her loss right along with her people. Kit wandered the house at night, searching, searching in vain for a sister that was forever gone. This sadness took its toll on Kit, and she ended up leaving her people 8 months later. The emptiness their people felt was profound, and loneliness swept through the house. Yet, as they shared stories of Kit and Tanis, the people began experiencing joy again. Memories of Kit and Tanis will help their people live happily ever after."

I'm going to be out of town for several days this month, so I need to get my digital files organized and placed on my laptop so that I can continue with the challenge on the road.

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You Make Me Happy

I discovered a Sketchabilities contest last night and fell for sketch #20!  Even though I have a ton of school work to do, I decided that, after the stress of the past couple of weeks, I needed to relax and scrapbook.  So, I've been working on this layout on and off throughout the day.  I know the lighting on this photo is horrible, but I'm past my 10pm computer cut-off time, so I need to hustle and get to bed.  I had a great time playing with my Silhouette for this layout.  I purchased all the die cuts through the Silhouette store, the background paper is Scenic Route, and everything else is Close To My Heart.  I resisted the urge to further embellishment; I'm trying to simplify my process.  Anyway, this layout makes me happy, so that's all that really matters!

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Family Photos

We had a fantastic family photo shoot in Moscow at the end of July, and the CD with all the photos arrived today! I've been having fun playing with Photoshop and then importing the photos into Studio J. My 12-month Studio J membership starts next month, and you can be sure that I'm going to take full advantage of all the member benefits...such as FREE shipping once a month! I can't wait! My goal is scrapbook at least one Studio J layout a week since they are so quick and easy...assuming I don't spend a ton of time in Photoshop first. These quick layouts will (1) allow me to capture memories I don't ever want to forget, (2) help me to scrapbook more frequently, and (3) motivate me to use my classic supplies since I'll be in a scrapbooking groove.

In case you don't know, Studio J is FREE! That's right...FREE! Log in through my website and try it for yourself. You can test your photos against different paper packets and sketches before scrapbooking with your classic supplies. You don't pay a thing unless you want to purchase the layouts you created. If you love it as much as I do, let me know and I'll share the membership options with you.

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Zippidee-Doo-Da!

I finally had a chance to sit down and scrapbook some of my spring break photos this weekend! My sister and I took our mom to Disneyland in April, so I couldn't wait to use the new Zippidee Workshop on the Go!








I wanted to make this a more traditional Disney layout, so I covered the Indian Corn Blue stripes with strips of black cardstock!


I also had fun layering my journaling stamps using the masking technique.

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A couple more You Rock layouts!

Here are a couple of the layouts I worked on last night while scrapbooking with my friends. I have more details about the layouts on my Close To My Heart Art page.













This layout was created using the artwork on the back of the You Rock My Stickease...did you know there were pictures on the back of the Stickease?! Check it out, because this LO was fast, easy, and oh so cute!

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Why Scrapbooking Matters

To stop her suffering, Neal and I made the painful decision to put Tanis down Friday evening. This has been an awful weekend. After we brought her home, I posted a photo on my personal journal/blog. Neal copied the photo onto his computer and then asked me if I had pictures from when the cats were young, because he doesn't have any. I looked at him a little funny and said, "I have scrapbooks of the cats!" He said, "Oh, I guess scrapbooking is good after all." Really? It took this moment for him to realize why scrapbooking matters?! Perhaps this will motivate him to actually look at some of my scrapbooks from time to time.

I started this page a couple weeks ago as part of the Design Your Life class at BPS. I knew the cats were getting old, and I wanted to tell their stories while they were alive so it wouldn't be so painful. I thought I could also use this project to practice my digital scrapbooking skills. I had no idea that Tanis was going to leave us so soon! Now it is more important than ever that I tell her stories before the memories fade.

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Live Out Loud!

We had such an incredible time doing this photo shoot in Seattle in July of 2006! I made poor Katie jump in front of the Space Needle over and over again until I got the perfect shot. I would have preferred if she had been slightly to the right in the photo, but I wasn't going to make her do it again. Fun times!

Again, this is a sketch from Design Your Life at BPS and I'm using You Rock papers.

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Design Your Life @ BPS

I'm taking Design Your Life with Cathy Zielske at Big Picture Scrapbooking. I wanted to take this class the first time it was offered but didn't have time. Well, I still don't have time, but I'm choosing to make the time. I am so excited to learn about design principles. Plus, she is providing PDF files for all the lessons, so I'm going to get to practice some digital scrapbooking along the way! Here is my first layout. The assignment was to use the grid pattern but to add our own touches to tell the story of why we love to scrapbook. I played around with a bunch of techniques on this one since I know I won't have time to do much playing once school starts. Once again, I'm using the You Rock WOTG kit!

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New Paper--You Rock!

I absolutely love the new paper kit, You Rock! The colors and design are fantastic. This is my version of the You Rock Workshop on the Go. This awesome LO took less than 1 1/2 sheets of B&T, so I still have a ton of paper, cardstock and embellishments to play with this weekend!

This paper is perfect for this LO about my niece, Kate. We took these photos in Seattle and at my house in 2006. Today she is gearing up to go to New York for a job interview! I’m so proud of and excited for her! I used this LO to write a letter to her. In addition to the Just Be You exclusive stamp set that comes with the Basic WOTG kit (G1006), I used Comments (D1359) for the journaling lines. Comments is a must have stamp set!

Unfortunately, this photo is a bit blurry, but I'm sure you get the idea. For my LO, I used the "Best" option and added the Rockin' Top Coats™ (Z1272) and White Hemp (Z281). I forgot to order the Bitty Sparkles (Z1263), so I'll just add them later for a little bling on the page!

The Rockin' Top Coats™ (Z1272) include 14 fun and funky, colorful overlays! They do have a plastic film covering the top so the image doesn't get scratched. Be sure to take the film off before using the Top Coats™.

Okay, I'm off to make another LO with this kit, because You Rock rocks!

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Celebrating Christmas

I hope you had a wonderful and relaxing holiday! I certainly did. Neal and I had a leisurely day at home with our little old fur babies. Thanks to our moms, we did have gifts to unwrap, so that was nice! My gift to Neal is doing the litter all week and cleaning up after the cats…not a pleasant job, but it’s better than the alternative of putting them down. Anyway, I’ve been using my holiday from school to catch up on photographing my club projects and uploading them to my CTMH art page. I’ll share a few of the projects here over the next couple of days. Be sure to check back on the 1st for a special announcement!

Christmas 2008 in Boise—Neal and I were snowed in at home and weren’t able to make it down for this celebration. I was so disappointed. Christmas didn’t feel like Christmas last year.


I absolutely love this photo of my mom and sister! They are looking at photos from the Disney cruise we took that summer.


Photos of the whole family…minus me and Neal. :-(


Here are a few detail shots. I used textured cardstock so the ink coverage on the stamped packages isn’t as clear as the one below. I love the look of the textured cardstock and try to use it as often as possible.


These Twinkle Brads make me so happy…I have 3 packages of them! LOL! The other thing that I really like about this LO is the use of the Dimensional Elements On Target. The large scalloped circle is fantastic! My crop buddies make fun of me because I’m so particular about filing off the "nubbies" on the chipboard before inking. When inking, I used the back of the large gift stamp to get lots of ink on the chipboard. I let it dry and then when back with a sponge dauber to even out the ink coverage. It’s a fairly time consuming process, but I love deep, vivid color it produces. I also like that the chipboard is easy to cut so I’m able to use partial circles or make my circles cover two pages.


The WOTG directions say to stamp the title onto white cardstock and then sponge ink onto the letters. It also suggests stamping each letter with the zigzag stamp. I chose to stamp my letters onto B&T paper and adhered them using foam tape. I love this paper!

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