In just a short while we’ll post the first instruction right here on the blog! If you’ve never done an event like this before, you’re in for a treat! Here’s a little more information on how things will work:

• I’ll provide one instruction for you every 10 minutes.
• Often the instruction will tell you a type of material to use. If no specific instruction is given on how to use that piece of material, then that means it’s totally up to you!
• Fonts…Fonts are “freebies” and can be used without being explicitly called for in the instructions. This is primarily because journaling is a personal preference, and some folks love it and some don’t :)
• If you have questions about the instruction, please post a comment to the blog. We’ll answer your questions as quickly as possible!
• The last instruction will be posted at 10:50AM EST. You’ll have an additional hour to “play with” your layout, but you must post your finished layout to the gallery HERE by 12 MIDDAY EST to qualify for the prize drawings!

We’ll post the FIRST INSTRUCTION at 10AM EST!

We hope to see you then! :o)

BeckieFast and Fabulous, Uncategorized 16 Comments

Hello everyone!  Kim here to share with you a hybrid project that I love.  I have been making these for a couple of years now, and they have made perfect gifts for some special people in my life.  And hey, since it’s November and a lot of us are starting to think about gifts for the holidays, it’s perfect timing for sharing this idea with you!

First of all, let me show you where we’re going with this project.  Here is a set of photo coasters I made using elements from the Gracie kit. 

For me, these have been awesome grandparent gifts.  I have made these for all the grandparents and great-grandparents of my kids. There is even one great-grandmother who now has fifteen great-grandchildren and another on the way!  At the end of each year I’ve made her coasters of the babies that have been born that year… she has quite a collection!!

So what do you need to get started?  Here’s my list of supplies:

• 4×4 inch ceramic tiles – There are a ton of different styles available, and I’ve made these coasters with several different tiles.  Here I’m going to show you a basic white tile, which I’ve found for 16 cents each (please note that this is based on where I am in the USA).  These are actually made to be used to tile a bathroom, so you can find them at a hardware store in the bathroom section. 
• Felt to cover the bottom of the tiles - I buy sheets of white felt (a regular 8.5×11 inch sheet will cover 6 coasters) that can be found anywhere that sells craft supplies.  You can also find pre-cut pieces of felt or foam that are made to put on the bottom of coasters, which would also work well.  I prefer to cover the entire bottom on my tile (which you’ll see below), so that’s why I use the sheets of felt.
• Adhesive and Sealer for the photo – There are lots of options on this, but you want something waterproof.  My preference is mod podge.  You can use this to both adhere the photo to the tile and create a sealing layer over the photo.  I had been using the mod podge that you paint on, but I discovered they also make a spray version that I’m just now trying out.  Seems like it will make a smoother layer over the photo, but if you use this, you will need something else to adhere the photo to the tile before you seal it.
• Photos - will explain this more below
• Glue Gun
• Foam Paint Brush
• Scissors

Follow these steps to make the coasters:

1.  Create the photo design you want to put on the coaster.  There are endless options for what you can do here!!  I suggest creating your design as a 4×6 inch file so that it can be easily printed at a photo lab.  I have tried several times to print the photos on my home printer (a photo-quality inkjet printer) and use them on the coasters, but unfortunately this has not worked for me.  The ink runs or the paper bubbles when I put the sealer on top.  So what I have found is that it’s best to have them printed at a photo lab.  And that means I need a standard size file to print.  What I do is create a 4×6 inch file, then “block off” a 4×2 inch section of it.  Then I know my design needs to fit in the remaining 4×4 inch space.  When this file is printed, you can easily cut off the extra space and have a 4×4 photo to put on the coaster.  Am I making any sense??  Hopefully the screen shot below will help!

I’ve also included a screen shot of where to go in Photoshop to make a 2×4 inch rectangle to “block off” the space you will cut off.  If you haven’t used this function before, it’s great!  Once you’ve selected the rectangle shape tool, you can click on the little arrow beside the polygon button and it drops down a menu.  There you can select “fixed size” and set it to 2 inches wide by 4 inches tall.  Click anywhere in your layout, and a 2×4 rectangle appears!

2.  Once you have your photos printed and that extra space cut off, you are ready to adhere the photo to the coaster and seal it with whatever product you have chosen.  I am most familiar with mod podge, so I’ll give tips based on that.  I use a foam paint brush and put just a little bit of mod podge on the back of the photo, then get the photo lined up in the center of the tile.  This will hold it in place somewhat while you put the sealing coat on top.  When painting the mod podge on top of the photo, be sure to cover all the edges well so that all of the photo is well sealed.  I also suggest being careful not to put too thick of a coat on all at once.  It is better to apply 2 or 3 thinner layers, although this does take more drying time.  Be sure and follow the directions for whatever you use and let the coasters dry as long as needed.

3.  The last step is to attach a felt bottom to the tile.  This keeps the tile from scratching any surface you will set it on.  I measure a 4×4 inch square on the felt, cut it out, and hot glue it to the bottom of the tile. 

That’s it!!  Like I said, there are so many different uses for these coasters.  In talking to Kylie about this post, she even mentioned making coasters that would dress up a holiday table.  I couldn’t help but give it a try!  It was a great excuse to get out the nice dishes, which doesn’t always happen around here with 3 small kids, know what I mean?!  Here’s what a placesetting looks like with a coaster added.

Like that idea?  What about sending each of your guests home with their coaster as a small gift?  Or making the coasters with names on them to use like placecards at each place?  Like I said, so many things you can do!! 

I also want to mention another variation of this project.  You can create and print a 5×7 inch design and seal it onto a 6×8 inch tile.  You can find that size tile in the same place as the 4×4 inch tiles.  These larger tiles can be set up in a plateholder as a unique way to display a photo. 

Hope this inspires you as you think about gifts this holiday season… and at other times too!  There’s nothing better than a meaningful gift, and what’s more meaningful than something handmade with love?  And of course, don’t forget to join Beckie, SP and Kylie TOMORROW at 10:00am EST (US time) for our second Fast and Fabulous Speed Scrap!  Can’t wait for that!!!

KimHybrid Projects, Uncategorized 20 Comments

hey guys :o)  SP here today (twice in one week, too – LOLOL)!  Today is all about ‘checkin in’ on our OCTOBER project SCRAP pages :o)  I’ll try to keep this one short and sweet…because by NOW, I know you guys all know the drill, lol!  I mean, we only have TWO months left to scrap…can you BELIEVE that?!  And…if you guys are anything like me – you have a BUSY (<–total understatement, lol) couple of months ahead of you!  To me, this is where project SCRAP really, really comes in handy :o)  I need things that are quick and somewhat simple (when it comes to scrapping during this chaotic holiday season)…or in all honesty, they are just not going to get done, lol!  But right now, we have the momentum of all these wonderful pages we have scrapped…and I KNOW we can all finish out 2011…so stick with it :o)

Of course…we’ll share more on this in the coming weeks/months – but remember, we are also going to be giving you guys a template option for the COVER (front and back) of your 2011 album – that will come in January when we do our final project SCRAP 2011 wrap-up post (yes, we do PLAN to continue project SCRAP in 2012 :o))!  It will be here before we know it :o)  It’s not to early to start thinking about which photo(s) you might like to feature on your cover (if you’re like me…choosing the photos is the HARDEST and most TIME-CONSUMING part of it all, lol)!  Anyhoo…more on that later :o)

So, back to OCTOBER :o)  If you haven’t started your October pages yet…try to scrap as soon as you can, so you don’t get behind :o)  You might remember that last time, I mentioned we had our big family vacation in October…so let’s just say that I was on photo OVERLOAD, lol!  Not easy to choose, and I will be adding in some extra pages for the month…so I just highlighted a few memories on these pages!  Remember, you can always do that…just add extra pages when you have a month full of photos from birthdays, trips, events, etc.!  A great idea (if you prefer to work with templates) – is to incorporate some of our free, template challenge layouts into your album when extra pages are necessary!  We also offer some lovely layered template collections in the Shoppe :o)  Sorry, I keep getting off-topic, lol…now for MY October spread…

Man, it was a GREAT month, lol :o)  It was so FULL though, that I didn’t even get to include pics from the FUN FUN FUN little team meeting/lunch I got to have with Kim and Beckie (that will have to be one of those extra pages, lol)!

Alright…you guys know that my favorite part of these check-in posts is sharing inspiration from the gallery!  I was so thrilled when I popped in to the project SCRAP gallery - there were so many FABULOUS October pages!  Each and every one – SOOOOO good!  And, while I can’t feature them all here (well, I guess I could…but it would be an awfully LONG post, lol) – I did choose a few to share!  Don’t forget to stop by the gallery to see all of the WONDERFUL projectSCRAP layouts being posted!

So, we’ll start with Kim’s (Five17Creations) pages…they are always among my favorites!  I can’t believe how much little Samuel has grown…and OH MY – check out that smile, he he – LOVE IT!  Great pages, Kim…looks like lots of special family time :o)

Next up, we have Kylie’s very chic layouts!   Do you guys get tired of me ‘talking’ about how fabulous she is with the Darling Paper Collection?  LOL, I know…a bit repetitive…but OH SO TRUE :o)  She rocks it each and every month!  Love all the pics of ‘the girls’ – I know they had so much fun together :o)  AWESOME, Kylie – thanks for sharing!

 Alrighty…now, it would have been impossible to resist the off-the-charts cuteness of these pages by jltanner!  SERIOUSLY, lol…just look at those pics and the smiles and the costumes and the personalities :o)  Everything here is just PERFECT and I just had to share them with you!  LOVE LOVE LOVE :o)

 The final set of pages comes from a new-to-the-Shoppe-gallery scrapper…esullivan24 (welcome!) :o)  Another set of pages that just scream ADORABLE!  Little Josiah’s smile just melts me – and can you just ‘feel the love’ here?  Truly, truly love these pages – thanks so much for sharing them with us – can’t wait to see more :o)

Well, so much for ‘short and sweet’, huh?  LOL!  That does it for this project SCRAP check-in! Have fun scrappin’…and don’t forget to upload your layouts so we can all see :o)

Have a BEAUTIFUL and BLESSED end-of-the-week…and a WONDERFUL weekend!  Be sure to stop back by tomorrow for Kim’s HYBRID post (YAY!)   Oh, and join us if you can for our SPEED SCRAP coming up on Saturday morning (US time)!  Until then…XOXO — SP

Shabby Princessproject Scrap 2011, Uncategorized 11 Comments

Hello everyone!  Beckie here again, bringing you a tiny bit of inspiration for your journaling!

This week I thought it might be fun to interview my fellow Shabby Artists to get their perspective on how they approach journaling for their pages, too!  I also asked them to link me up to their favorite layouts for showcasing journaling – whether their own or someone else’s :)  I hope you’ll find a fresh perspective here that will let you shed your worries and get some journaling on your next page!

What’s your approach?

I love journaling.  Often, my pages start with something I want to write about and then I find photos to help tell my story.  But I know that this isn’t the case for everyone!  I’ve seen many women over the years comment that insecurities in their grammar, stress over “not knowing what to write” and many other obstacles get in the way of adding journaling to a page.  So I asked the Shabby Artists:  “What do you like least about journaling?”

SP: “TYPOS <not noticed until after printing, lol>!”

Kylie: “Sometimes I feel like I’m repeating myself …and I also don’t like it when it takes me hours to choose a font I like!”

Rachel: “Probably trying to find a font that portrays the feeling I want to come across in the page. I have literally over 1000 fonts and it always takes me forever to pick one.”

Rosy: “I’m not a wordy person and deciding what is important to write down and
how to word it, is what I dislike most.”

Jenelle: “I really don’t like it when I see spelling mistakes!!!”

~*~

So, how do we do it? How do we add the pressure of writing “perfect journaling” to the existing responsibility of taking “perfect photos” and creating “incredibly cute and creative” layouts?!  My answer:  Don’t!

Let it all go.  Seriously.

Think about why you scrapbook, for whom you journal, and keep it all in perspective.

SP said it best when she described her philosophy towards scrapbooking:

“Since all of my scrapbook pages are for our little man…I essentially ‘talk’ to him on each page.  Most pages are very personal and almost like letters to him about the day, the photo, the moment, etc.  So, I make sure to type like I talk…I do not spend a lot of time trying to make sure everything is grammatically perfect…I just try to be myself, so he doesn’t look back and wonder, WHO IN THE WORLD WROTE THAT, IT DOESN’T SOUND LIKE MY MOM, lolol!  <– see, just like that run-on sentence right there…there are plenty of them in my albums, lol :o)  I generally have a good idea of what I am going to ‘say’ on each layout – but almost always save it for last (it just works out that way).  There are times when a page is more about the ‘story’ than anything else, and for those layouts – I begin with the journaling (though the formatting might change as the layout takes shape)!  I do think journaling is a super integral part of each page, especially when the picture itself does not ‘tell the story’ :o) “

~*~

Does it matter if you have typos?  Nope.  They will know what you meant!  Heck, with the proliferation of texting and Twitter, our future generations probably won’t recognize formal language anyhow :)  I’ve been scrapping long enough now to see my daughter grow up and learn to read.  She absolutely LOVES to read through my scrapbook pages.  She loves seeing the pictures and absolutely cracks up at the silly stories I’ve journaled over the years – from getting food all over her face as a baby to learning to read just last year.  Sharing these stories and photos will keep those memories alive for both of us forever!

This is what Kim had to say about her approach to journaling:

“My approach to journaling is that it is an important part of telling the story I want to remember later.  Especially with my children, I’d like to think I will remember the simple things they do and say that are so sweet and funny, but realistically I know I will forget some of the little things.  So, I want to try and capture them through journaling on my layouts.  I find myself too often trying to fit journaling on the page after I have pictures and some other elements in place.  It’s not usually what the design of the page is built around.  This is one reason I’ve enjoyed the project scrap layouts this year.  I use these layouts for some of the “random” moments I’ve loved from the month and these layouts were designed with journaling space… perfect!”

~*~

 Rosy had this to say about the layout she selected:  “Lu’s page is not only beautiful but meaningful! She not only journaled about the photo itself, but about the deeper meaning of what is happening. I’m in awe of anyone who can express things in words so beautifully!”

~*~

Use what you have:

Who says you have to write up cute or clever words to accompany your page?  Why not go right to the source – and print your blog, facebook feed, twitter feed, etc?!  What a fascinating little time-capsule that would be!  SP selected this layout by Kylie as one of her favorites…how creative is her journaling!?  It’s TEXT MESSAGES!

And here’s an awesome tip from Anna!  I had to include the whole tip in her own words because I thought it was so incredibly helpful and cute!

“I think that journaling is the most important thing on most layouts.
Usually the only time I won’t write a few words is when I know that I
will be including other pages in my scrapbook that tell the story of a
particular group of photos!!!

Something that has really helped me to remember things that I want to
scrapbook is my iphone! I love that it has voice memos. In fact, just
yesterday I was relistening to a memo and laughing about a funny thing
that happened on Halloween.

My youngest daughter, Breanna had just eaten a lovely little mini
cupcake but later was looking so strangely at her sister Jessica’s
cupcake. Breanna said, “Did all those have wrappers?” Jessica replied,
“Yes”  Breanna said, “Oh, (long pause) I ate the wrapper!”  We all
burst out laughing! SO TYPICAL BREANNA – she dives right in!!!

If I wouldn’t have voice memoed right that moment, there is no way I
would have remembered this story. It will make it so easy when it
comes time to journal those Halloween photos!”

~*~

Embrace it all the way…

And finally, here’s my favorite layout.  It’s one of my own, and it’s very special to me for so many reasons!  I love the photo – for reasons I documented in my journaling – but you know what?  That journaling is MY HANDWRITING!  Yep.  I had my own handwriting turned into a font.  So that’s my own words, in my own writing, capturing a very special time of growth for my sweet boy.

I hope that hearing more about how others approach journaling helps you put those words down on your layout with confidence!  And this post has more ideas on how to incorporate journaling in creative ways onto your pages…click HERE to check it out!

Thanks for stopping by today!  Be sure to come back tomorrow when SP stops by with her OCTOBER check-in for Project Scrap!

BeckieInspiration, Uncategorized 11 Comments

hey guys!  SP here today…with a fun and silly (and somewhat impromptu) post, lol :o)  Nothing super inspiring or newsworthy for ya, lol…but I did think it might be fun to share some pics and stories from a recent, partial team meet-up :o)  So…a few weeks ago…on a trip to visit family…I found myself only a few hours away from the wonderfully sweet Beckie (who I have gotten to know via email and phone)…and I just could not pass up the opportunity to get together!  And, around that time, we had just added the fabulous new girls to the team…and I learned that Kim was pretty close, too!  Sooooo, it was the perfect chance to take a nice little road trip for lunch and shopping (and chatting)!  We had sooooo much fun…both Beckie and Kim are everything I imagined they would be…both inside and out!  Super sweet, funny, beautiful - and we got along so well…not even any awkward, silent moments, lolol!

So there we are!  I apologize in advance for my editing of the photo(s)…because while *I* am that pale…these other two beauties are not…I just had a tough time with the lighting in the pic (but no complaints, because some very nice lady stopped to take the picture for us…and she was really sweet about it…thank you, kind stranger lol)!  Anyhoo…there we are!  Now, I also feel the need to explain my hair, rofl!  I know the girls will laugh at me…but seriously – it looked BAD!  It got RAINED-ON that morning and then I had a long drive and there was nothing I could do for it…so there ya go :o)  Of course…Beckie and I both went on and on about Kim’s PERFECT hair (no joke…it is perfection!)!  Moving on…

So, we had a wonderful lunch…and then did some walking/shopping to make up for it!  Fun stores like Anthropologie, Neiman Marcus, Banana Republic, Loccitane (yeah, all kinda posh…but fun to browse, lol) – as well as some fun and funky little boutique stores (always love those)!  While in Neiman’s…I had to pick up some Chanel foundation (which I am in LOVE with, by the way…it came highly recommended to me and I have to say…all of the raves were true!  kinda pricey…but it will last me FOREVER, lol)…and we thought it would be fun if Beckie and Kim got makeovers (I had on plenty of make-up myself, and NO WAY I was going to let them see me without any…even if only temporarily – hey, Kim DID have her camera…and although she certainly seemed as trustworthy as can be…I was taking NO chances, rofl)!  Well, when I was at the counter to pay for my purchase…we found out they ONLY take Neiman’s and AmEx cards…HUH?  Seriously…we couldn’t believe it…no debit cards!  THANK GOODNESS I had some cash on me (which I never have…but my sweet hubby who thinks of everything and worries about me going on long trips – had put some in my bag…thanks, sweetie!)!  So…yeah – the foundation is my pick from the day as I truly do love it!  And…if you are like me…and find yourself challenged by FOUNDATION (especially liquid makeup, on me – it always seems cakey, or it separates and just makes me look older…which I do NOT need)…it is worth a try!  But…good news – if you actually read through my entire post (thanks in advance if you make it that far, lol)…you’ll have THREE, glowing recommendations for THREE, totally unique foundations :o)  It really wasn’t the purpose of the post…but hey…it’s a great bonus, lolol!  It’s not often that *I* ‘hear’ about foundations that women actually love (I could easily list about 20 that I have tried and really, really disliked, lol)!

Anyway…after that, we decided no makeovers at Neiman’s!  And that could only mean one thing… we were headed to MAC!  lol!

So…there we found ourselves in the MAC store…with one of the sweetest make-up artists ever :o)  He was a lot of fun (and had AMAZING lashes!) and got started on Beckie first!  Kim and I were watching and laughing because he began only doing one side of her face…and we were wondering if we were going to have to walk around with her like that all afternoon, rofl!  Of course…he finished her off beautifully – and we even learned something about Beckie during that makeover!  The girl LOOOOOOOOOOVES sparkles, lol!  She will forever be ‘Beckie Sparkles’ to me now :o)  It was so cute!  Anyway – she was beautiful before…and even moreso after (did I mention that she has such a PRETTY smile and the PERFECT, high cheekbones?)!  K, so then it was Kim’s turn!  Her main focus was her eyes…she wanted them to POP!  Let’s just say…even without anything – they POP because they are the most beautiful shade of green (oh…and Beckie and I also decided that she must be around 12 years old…she truly doesn’t look a day older…yes, we hated her and loved her at the same time lolol)!  The talented artist guy did his magic on her as well…and she just glowed after he was finished!  Oh yeah, I should mention that they were both going for a very natural look – which worked very well for THEM (not so much for me…I simply NEED more, lol)!  Alright…none of this would be any fun with before and after pics, right?  So…here ya go (aren’t they GREAT sports?!!!)!

 CUTE CUTE CUTE!  And, I thought I’d share some of Beckie and Kim’s favorite buys from their MAC experience (I know Beckie has told me a couple of time how much she LOVES her foundation…it will be my next to try if the Chanel fails me one day, lolol)!  She REALLY loves it (she just told me again…and says she still wears it EVERY single day, which is a record for her…AND, best of all – it stays on all day)!  So…here are Beckie’s picks:

• Matchmaker Foundation - yep, this is the one she is loving – it covers great…looks super natural, and lasts all day!
• Viva Glam Lipstick (shade is VI) – she says that surprisingly, the lipstick was her fave buy of the day (she has convinced me to give it a try…even though I am a total gloss girl, lolol)
• Paint Pot in Bare Study
• Foundation Brush (she totally loves this as well!)

 And now we move on to Kim’s picks :o)  Like Beckie, she LOVES her new foundation (and it is completely different from what Beckie picked up) – but her faves from the day were the new eye shadows she purchased (and I agree…they looked awesome!)!  She told me that she had been sticking with beiges and browns and greens for a while…and is loving her new pinks and purples :o)  Isn’t it fun to try new stuff?  And…as a new mommy (well, for the 3rd time, lol)…I’d say she deserved some cosmetic FUN, right?!  So, here’s what she picked up…

• Studio Tech Foundation (creamy…and she loves it)!
• Eye Shadow in Star Violet (a gorgeous, plummy pinky brown, lol – VERY pretty)!
• Pro Longwear Eye Shadow in Plush (it really is a perfectly pretty purple!)

 After that…we did a little more walking and shopping and chatting (and yep, there’s me with my empty Starbuck’s cup, I LOOOOOVE the LITE salted caramel frap lol)…and then it was time to part ways :o( 

 I can’t tell you how much fun it was and how happy I was to meet a couple of the ‘girls’ in person!  Again…my dream would be to have the ENTIRE team get together one day…but I know that logistically…it’s not likely :o(  I will say that while I know that my long, lost sister Kylie was there in spirit…I certainly missed her!  She is such an integral part of the team and the blog…we just HAVE to MEET soon (yeah…she’s across the pond – but we’ll make it happen) :o)  LOL!  I feel so blessed with each and every member of the team…and even if we never meet face-to-face, the friendships are still quite ‘real’ and cherished!  You are ALL the BEST!  And, special thanks to Kim and Beckie for taking the time to meet-up…and for all of the fun and laughs :o)  XOXO –sp

Shabby PrincessBeauty & Fashion, Shoppe News, Uncategorized 19 Comments