Circles and Ovals Blog Hop

Good morning and welcome to my blog! Hopefully you're following the CM 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop. If so, I'm your second stop following Julie's Creative Memories Blog. Your next stop is Stefani Jones at Crop With Stef. Be sure to hop on over to Stefani's blog post for more fun projects with the Custom Cutting System Circles and Ovals patterns.

When you've finished visiting all of our blogs do make sure you return to the CM Blog to leave a comment! The home office will be giving away a Custom Cutting System bundle to one random person who comments on the CM Blog at the end of today's blog hop. Check the CM Blog for more information.

I'm super excited that the Custom Cutting System circles and ovals patterns will now be available for purchase! And today I'm going to share a few ideas for dressing up Fast2Fab pages with circles and ovals. Because our Fast2Fab pages are predesigned, it took me very little time to create these pages.

Supplies List - here's what you need to create today's layouts:
Christmas Joy Fast2Fab Predesigned Pages and Protectors
Christmas Joy Designer Paper Pack
Christmas Joy Designer Stickers
Shades of Neutral Designer Cardstock
Tape Runner
Black Dual-Tip Pen
Custom Cutting System with Circle and Oval Patterns
Shape Maker System and Circle Tag Cartridge

Here's the first of the two layouts I'm sharing with you today.  To create this page, I added three ornaments created with my circle patterns to the original predesigned page.

 Instructions:

• Cut two 4" squares from grey cardstock. Using the large circle pattern as template, lightly pencil around the inside edge of the circle. Cut two 3 3/4" pieces from the house and snowflake borders from the Christmas Joy Sticker pack. Cut four 3 3/4" pieces from the "trash" around the candy cane borders (two from the outside edge and two from the inside edge). Adhere to the circle as shown below.       

 

• Cut both ornaments using the inside track of the large circle and red blade. 

• Cut a third circle from grey cardstock using the inside track of the large circle and red blade . Add the house sticker shown.
• Insert grey cardstock partially into the Circle Tag Maker to create three ornament hangers. Adhere to each ornament as shown. Adhere ornaments to pages. Draw a line from the top of the page to each ornament using a ruler and black dual-tip pen. Use the black dual-tip pen to draw a bow tie on each ornament.  

 

Here's another idea for dressing up Fast2Fab pages with the circles and oval Custom Cutting System patterns.

 

 

 



 Instructions:

• Using the inside track of the small circle pattern and the blue blade, cut 2 circles from black cardstock. Adhere the round snowflake stickers to each circle and adhere to left page as shown.
• Using the inside track of the large circle pattern and the red blade, cut 1 circle from black cardstock. Using the inside track of the large circle pattern and the blue blade, cut 1 circle from plaid paper shown. Adhere the plaid circle to the black circle and adhere to page as shown. Adhere the Merry Christmas sticker and the holly sticker to circles as shown.
• Using the inside track of the large oval pattern and the red blade, cut 1 oval from black cardstock. Using the inside track of the large oval pattern and the blue blade, cut 1 oval from the plaid paper shown. Adhere the plaid oval to the black oval and adhere to page as shown. Use the bold end of a black dual-tip pen to create dots around the edge of the plaid oval. Adhere Christmas Tree stick and the "25th" sticker to oval as shown.

 For more information about the Creative Memories products used in today's projects, please visit your advisor's website. Of course, if you don't already have a Creative Memories Advisor, I'd be more than happy to be your personal Creative Memories Advisor. Just visit my website at www.creativememories.com/user/dbrinsley to create an account.

Starting with the CM Blog, here's a list of today's Blog Hop participants:

Stop 1. Julie Tambrini at Julie's Creative Memories Blog
Stop 2. Me at D. Brinsley's Memory Keeping Blog <=== You Are Here

Stop 3. Stefani Jones at Crop with Stef

Stop 4.  Lisa Graham at Lisa's Workshop
Stop 5. Fran Smitherman at CelebratingYourBeautifulLife 
Stop 6. Noreen Smith at Organized and Creative Mom
Stop 7. Candace Bouldin at Scrappin' Jpegs

Your next stop is Stefani's blog at Crop with Stef. Don't forget to return to the CM Blog to leave a comment for a chance to win the Custom Cutting System Bundle!!   

 

Have a good day and thanks so much for visiting my blog!

 

Holiday Blog Hop - Stop 1

Good morning and welcome to my blog! I do hope you're following the CM Holiday Blog Hop. My fellow CM Advisors and I have been busy creating some fun holiday projects from the Christmas Joy Collection. I'm your first stop after visiting the CM Blog. When you've finished here, be sure to hop on over to Stefani Jones' blog at Crop with Stef.

 

Today I'm going to share some borders that I created using the Christmas Joy Paper and Christmas Joy Stickers. I'm totally in love with this collection! I'm going to have fun using it to preserve my Christmas photos. This year I got a head start by creating the borders I'm sharing with you today. I hope you get a chance to create some Christmas borders of your own before the Christmas rush!!

Here's the first of two sets of borders - as always, they come complete with instructions!

Supplies List - here's what you'll need to create both sets of borders:
Christmas Joy Paper Pack
Christmas Joy Stickers
White Cardstock
Shades of Green Cardstock
Tape Runner
Mini Tape Runner
foam squares
Black and Brown Dual-Tip Pens
Border Maker and the Evergreen Border Maker Cartridge
Shape Maker System & Square Maker Cartridge
Circle Tag Maker Cartridge
12-Inch Straight Trimmer

You'll also need scraps from Grey Cardstock (Shades of Neutral Cardstock). Or, if you prefer, use a grey print from the Christmas Joy Paper Pack.

Note:
Some of the borders have stickers that hang off the edges. If you are going to store your borders instead of placing them directly on your album page you'll need to cover the "sticky" part. The easiest method I've found so far is to cut the backing from your sticker sheet to fit the area that will be hanging off the edges.

Instructions:

1. Santa Border

1. Tear grey snowflake print to 1 1/4" x 12 inches. Cut red print to 1 1/2" to 12 inches. Adhere grey piece to edge of the red strip.
2. Cut border stick to 9" long, leaving a 2 7/8" piece. Starting at the top, attach the 9" piece to the border as shown. Attach the 2 7/8" piece starting at the bottom.
3. Add the Santa sticker, making certain you cover the open space. Add Santa title sticker.

2. Naughty or Nice Border

1. Cut gold snowflake border from border sheet. Cut a 3/4" x 12" strip from gold and white stripe paper. Adhere to snowflake border.
2. Cut a 2 1/2 square from gold stripe. Using the Shape Maker and Square Cartridge, punch a square from white cardstock. Adhere to gold square. Using the brown dual-tip pen, doodle stitching around the edge of the white square.
3. Adhere double square to border and add stickers.

3. I heart Christmas Border

1. Cut border shown from border sheet and trim to 1 1/2" x 12 inches. Cut a 1 3/4" x 12" strip from red printed paper and a 2 1/4" x 12" strip from grey print. Assemble and adhere border as shown.
2. Cut a 1 3/4" x 4 1/2" rectangle from red print and a 1 3/8" x 4" rectangle from grey cardstock or printed paper. Use the black dual-tip pen to doodle around edge of red rectangle.  Adhere rectangle to border as shown.
3. Add sticker to grey triangle.

4. Wish List Border.

1. Cut holly border from border sheet and trim to 1 1/4" x 12 inches. Cut plaid paper to 1 3/4" x 12 inches. Adhere holly border to plaid strip.
2. Cut a 2 1/8" x 2 3/4" rectangle from green printed paper. Pinch together at one end and cut off corners. Use a paper punch to punch a hole in the top of your tag. Thread a thin strip of paper -  what is left after punching an evergreen border - thru hole as shown.
3. Add stickers to tag and adhere finished tag to border.

1. Joy Border

1. Cut red printed paper to 1 3/4" x 12" and white cardstock to 1 1/4" x 12 inches. Adhere strips together as shown.
2. Using the Border Maker and Evergreen cartridge, punch evergreen border from green printed paper. Use mini tape runner to adhere to white strip as shown.
3. Using the Shape Maker and Circle Tag cartridge, punch tag from white cardstock. Add Joy sticker.
4. Add Christmas tree sticker and tag to border.

2. Deck the Halls Border.

1. Remove ornaments border from border sheet and trim to 1 1/4" x 12 inches. Cut red printed paper to 1 1/2" x 12" and dark green cardstock to 1 3/4" x 12 inches.
2. Cut a 2 1/2" square from dark green cardstock. Snip a "v" into one end. Use a black dual-tip pen and a ruler to create a solid line around the edge of your flag.
3. Add stickers to flag. Use foam squares to adhere upper ornament. Adhere flag to border.

3. HO HO HO Border

1. Cut one 2" x 12" strip from plaid paper and one 1 1/2" x 12" strip from green printed paper. Adhere as shown.
2. Cut a 2 1/2" square from light green print. Using the Border Maker and Square cartridge, punch a square from plaid paper. Use black dual-tip pen to doodle around edge of plaid square. Adhere squares to border as shown.
3. Cut a 1" x 4 1/2" strip from white cardstock. Snip a "v" into one end. Add sticker shown and attach to border. Add ornament sticker.

4. December Border

1. Tear edge of one strip of grey snowflake paper to 2 1/4" x 12" and one strip to 1 1/2" x 12 inches. Tear one edge of one strip of white cardstock to  2" x 12" and one to 1 1/4" x 12 inches. Stack and adhere strips as shown.
2. Cut grey cardstock or printed paper to 1" x 4 inches. Add title sticker. Use foam squares to adhere to border.
3. Add North Pole sticker.

For more information about the Creative Memories products used in today's projects, please visit your advisor's website. Of course, if you don't already have a Creative Memories Advisor, I'd be more than happy to be your personal Creative Memories Advisor. Just visit my website at www.creativememories.com/user/dbrinsley to create an account.

Starting with the CM Blog, here is a list of today's Holiday Blog Hop participants:

Stop 1. Me at D. Brinsley's Memory Keeping Blog <=== You Are Here

Stop 2. Stefani Jones at Crop with Stef

Stop 3.  Lisa Graham at Lisa's Workshop
Stop 4. Fran Smitherman at CelebratingYourBeautifulLife 
Stop 5. Sarah Fitzgerald at Click Write Share
Stop 6. Candace Bouldin at Scrappin' Jpegs
Stop 7. Julie Tambrini at Julie's Creative Memories Blog

Your next stop is Stefani's blog at Crop with Stef. You're going to love the fun Holiday projects Stefani has created for today's blog hop.  And, if you haven't done so already, be sure to check out the fun ideas on the CM Blog!

 

Have a good day and thanks so much for visiting my blog!

 

More Fall In Layouts

Hello again! When I finished the projects I created for yesterday's blog post, I had just 2 full sheets of paper, three quarters of a sheet and a lot of scraps left over from my Fall In paper pack. And I still needed to create three two-page layouts for today's post. So today I'm going to show you what you can do with the Fall In papers and scraps that are left after you've finished yesterday's projects.

Yes I do save all the bits and pieces of scraps that are left over after I've finished a project. I actually have drawers full of scraps and can't bring myself to throw them away. You never know when you might need them! And this time I really did need them! I'm glad I saved those little bits and pieces from yesterday's Fall In borders and layouts.

Here is the first of three two-page layouts that I created for today's post. I've included a supplies list and instructions for each layout so be sure to scroll all the way to the end.

Nature's Palette Layout

Supplies List:

Fall In Designer Paper Pack, Brown Solid Cardstock, Shades of Neutral Cardstock, Fall In Leaf Embellishments, 12-Inch Straight Trimmer, Brown Dual-Tip Pen, Tape Runner and Foam Squares

Instructions:

1. Using brown cardstock as your base, cut one 3 3/4" x 12" rectangle from woodgrain printed paper and one 1 3/4" x 12" strip. Adhere to base as shown above.
2. From beige cardstock cut one 2 1/2" x 9 1/2" rectangle, one 2" x 5" rectangle, one 2 1/4" x 4 1/2" rectangle, three 4 1/2" x 6 1/2" photo mats and one 1 1/2" x 6 1/2" journal box. Adhere to page, using the 2" x 5" rectangle as your title on the bottom of the right page and the 2 1/4" x 4 1/2" rectangle as your sub-title on the top of the right page.  
3. From red printed paper cut one 2 1/2" x 9 1/2" rectangle, one 1 3/4" x 4 1/2" rectangle, and one 1 3/4" x 4" rectangle. Adhere as shown. Use brown dual-tip pen to doodle around red rectangles.
4. Add Leaf Embellishments, using foam squares to adhere upper leaves . Use brown dual-tip pen to create a title and sub-title.

As with my first layout, I used cardstock as a base for my next layout. To create the layout, I simply created two fat borders with left over teal paper and beige scraps.  I then used slide in cards to create a title and journaling box. And there you have it - one two page layout created with left over scraps from the Fall In Designer paper pack and cardstock.

 

These Moments Layout

Supplies List:

Fall In Designer Paper Pack, Shades of Neutral Cardstock, Fall In Leaf Embellishments, Fall In Slide In Cards, 12-Inch Straight Trimmer, Tape Runner, Mini Tape Runner, and Foam Squares

Instructions:

1. Using light brown cardstock as your base, cut two 5" x 12" rectangles from teal print and two 1" x 12" strips from beige print. Tear one edge of each. Using your Mini Tape Runner, adhere the beige strip under the torn edge of the teal rectangle as shown. Adhere both borders to opposite ends of light brown base.  
2. To create title, cut one 2 1/2" x 6" rectangle from teal printed paper. Cut title from vertical Slide In card to 2" x 4 inches. Assemble as shown. Adhere to page and add Leaf Embellishments using foam squares to adhere the red leaf.
3. To create journal box, cut a 4" x 4" square from beige slide in card. Add Leaf Embellishments.
4. To create upper right embellishment group, cut a 1 1/2" x 4" beige rectangle from slide in card. Adhere rectangle to page and add two teal and one red leaf. Use scissors to cut out "beautiful" oval from border sheet. Ink edge with brown dual-tip pen. Use foam squares to adhere as shown. 
5. Adhere two 4" x 6" photos to left page, three 3 1/2" x 6" horizontal photos to right page, and two 4" x 4 1/2" vertical photos to right edge. Don't forget to journal your story!

I used two full sheets of paper for my third and final layout. This time I used two white pages as my base and pieced my layout together right on the album page. This layout is the most complicated of today's layouts and took me a bit more time. I hope it inspires you to create something similar with your own left over papers and scraps.  I love it that you can mix and match the Fall In papers on your pages!

 Family Layout

Supplies List:

Fall In Designer Paper Pack, Fall In Title Stickers, 2 white pages, Brown Dual-Tip Pen, 12-inch Straight Trimmer, Border Maker and Picket Fence cartridge, Shape Maker with the Square Shape Maker Cartridge, Circle  Shape Maker Cartridge, Circle Tag Maker Cartridge, Tape Runner, Mini Tape Runner, and Foam Squares.

Instructions:

1. From beige print, cut one 4" x 12" piece leaving you with a 8" x 12" piece. From ledger print, cut one 8" x 12" piece from the left side of sheet leaving you with a 4" x 12" piece.
2. Using the Border Maker and the Picket Fence cartridge, punch two borders from purple print. Trim both to 1" x 12 inches. Use the Mini Tape Runner to adhere borders under the inside edge of each of the beige pieces as shown. Set aside for now.
3. Adhere ledger print pieces to inside edge of album pages as shown. Cut one 2" x 4" rectangle and one 2" x 8" rectangle from plaid paper. Use Mini Tape Runner to adhere two narrow strips of red print paper under each side of rectangles and two narrow strips of purple print to the plaid pieces as shown. Adhere rectangles to page as shown. Be certain to leave enough room above your large rectangle for photos.
4. Adhere beige print pieces to page as shown. Use the Mini Tape Runner to adhere a narrow strip of purple print and a 3/4" x 12" stripped strip to inside edge of left border. Use the Mini Tape Runner to adhere a narrow strip of stripped paper to the inside edge of right border.
5. Using the Border Maker and the Square Cartridge, punch a square from purple print. Cut a 2 1/2 square from red paper. Adhere red square to purple square and adhere to left page as shown. Adhere Family title sticker to square.  
6. Using the Border Maker and the Circle and Circle Tag Maker cartridges, punch out one circle and one circle tag from purple print paper. Adhere the circle to the top of the right page as shown and add a Hugs title sticker. Use foam squares to adhere leaf sticker. Adhere the circle tag to the right page as shown and add a leaf sticker.

To create a photo collage similar to the one shown on the right page, you'll need two 3 1/2" x 3 3/4" photos, one 3 3/4" x 4" photo, one 3 1/4" x 3 3/4" photo and two 3 1/4" x 3 1/2" photos. Cluster your photos on the page with an even quarter inch margin throughout while avoiding a perfect cross of margins.


I do hope today's post inspires you to create your own fall pages with the beautiful Fall In line. Be sure to check the Creative Memories Blog often during our Birthday Bash week! I know there will be lot's of fun ideas and I can't wait to see them all!

If you haven't done so already, be sure to visit your advisor's website to check out all the cool Birthday Bash specials that are going on this week.  Of course, if you don't already have a Creative Memories Advisor, I'd be more than happy to be your personal Creative Memories Advisor. Just visit my website at www.creativememories.com/user/dbrinsley to create an account. I'm heading on over there now to take advantage of those specials!!

Have a good day and thanks so much for visiting my blog!

Fall In Borders and Layouts

Hello and welcome to my blog! Today I'm going to share some fun borders and a few layouts that I created using papers and stickers from the Fall In Collection. If you're as crazy about fall as I am I know you'll love this new collection for your fall memories and more.

 

 I love this collection and really enjoyed working with the Fall In collection for this post. So much so that I went overboard and created more borders than I had originally intended. Then ran out of time to create all the layouts I had planned to create. I ended up with 12 borders, a traditional layout and a Fast2Fab layout. I've divided the borders into three sets of 4 borders that will include instructions for each border. Needless to say there's a lot to cover today so I'm going to get started. Hope you enjoy them!  

 

Supplies List - Fall In Borders:

Fall In Title Stickers, Fall In Designer Paper Pack, Fall In Slide-In Pack, Fall In Leaf Embellishments, brown cardstock, Tape Runner, Foam Squares. You'll also need a 12-inch Straight Trimmer, sharp scissors, a 2-way Corner Rounder, black and brown dual-tip pens, the Shape Maker with the Square Punch, the Border Maker with the Picket Fence and Film Strip cartridges, a Blossom Place n Punch, and a paper punch. 

 

Basic Flag Instructions:

To create the flags used in borders, slightly pinch the two corners of your rectangle or strip and snip to create a "v" into your flag. 

 

Before I continue, here's a little tip for you: Don't throw out the "trash" from your Border Maker borders. You never know when they might come in handy. For instance, the piece of "string" shown on the Fall border below is actually the very narrow piece of cardstock that was left after punching the brown cardstock Picket Fence border on the right.



Fall In Borders 1

 

 Instructions:

 

1. "Fall"

• Punch film strip from beige paper. Using sharp scissors, separate the left side of border from the right side. Trim to 1/2" x 12 inches. Remove the striped border from border sheet. Cut a 1 1/4" x 12" strip from red patterned paper.  Adhere the solid part of your beige strip under the red strip.  Assemble as shown to create a 2 inch wide border strip.
• Cut a 2" x 3" rectangle from beige paper. Tear one end of rectangle as shown. Use a corner rounder to round corners at the other end. Use a paper punch to punch a hole in the top of tag. Attach title sticker to tag and adhere to border strip as shown. Note: As noted, the "string" on the tag is the "trash" left after punching the brown cardstock picket fence.

2. "Fun"

• Remove the beige arrow border strip from border sheet. Trim to 1" wide. Cut a 1 1/2 strip from green patterned paper.
• Use Square Maker to punch a square from beige paper. Cut a 2 1/2" square from green paper.
• Assemble border as shown and attach title sticker as shown.

3. "Lots of Leaves"

• Cut a 1 1/2" x 12" strip from woodgrain pattern paper and a 2 1/4" x 12" strip from red pattern paper.
• Cut a 3/4" x 3 1/4" rectangle from beige paper. Cut "V" in one end. Create title with brown dual-tip pen.
• Adhere 2 green leaves and one brown leave to border as shown. Use foam squares to adhere the red leaf and small brown leaf. Apply tape runner to end of title flag and adhere to border as shown.  

4. "Memories"

• Using Picket Fence cartridge punch one Picket Fence Border from beige paper and one from brown cardstock. Trim beige border strip to 1 1/4" x 12" and brown border strip to 1 5/8" x 12".
• Cut one 5/8" x 12" strip from red patterned paper. Thread thru beige border strip as shown and assemble border as shown.
• Use square maker to punch a square from brown cardstock. Cut a 2 1/4" square from red pattern paper. Use corner rounder to round corners of both squares. Assemble squares and adhere to border as shown. Attach title sticker.

 

 

Fall In Borders 2

 

Instructions:

 

1. "Smile"

• Remove the numbers border shown from borders sheet and trim to 1" x 12". Cut a 1 1/4 x 12" strip from purple patterned paper. Assemble as shown.
• Cut "Smile" title from vertical slide-in card. Cut a 1 3/4"x 4" rectangle from the same slide-in card. Use the 2-way Corner Rounder to cut corners on both pieces. Assemble as shown and adhere to border strip.

2. "Life is Good"

• Remove Life is Good border from border sheet. Punch 2 Picket Fence Borders from brown cardstock. Trim to about a half inch wide. Cut a 2" x 12" strip from red pattern paper. Assemble border as shown.
• Adhere two brown and two teal leaves to border as shown.

3. "These Moments"

• Remove These Moments border from border sheet and trim to one inch wide. Trim off 1/2 inch from both ends and cut a "v" into each end.
• Cut a 1 1/4" x 12" strip from purple patterned paper and a 1 5/8" x 12" strip from stripe paper.
• Assemble as shown and adhere leaf stickers.

4. "Joy"

• Remove border shown from border sheet and trim to 1 1/4" wide. Cut a 1/2" x 12" strip from purple pattern paper and a 1 5/8" x 12" strip from beige paper. Assemble border as shown.
• Cut a 1 3/4" x 2 3/4" rectangle from purple paper and a 2" x 3" rectangle from beige paper. Cut a "v" in one end of each rectangle. Assemble flag and adhere Joy title sticker. Adhere to border as shown.

 

Fall In Borders 3

Instructions:

 

1. "Friends Forever"

• Using a pair of sharp scissors, fussy cut "label" from slide-in card. Measure 1 7/16 inches from center point and mark with a pencil. Using a ruler, draw line across label at your pencil mark from one end to the other. Use a personal trimmer to cut label at line. Adhere title sticker to label. Use scissors to trim off any white from the sticker that may be hanging over the top of the label.
• Cut a 1/4" x 12" strip from stripe paper and a 1 1/2" x 12" strip from purple paper. Assemble border as shown.

2. "Family"

• Tear woodgrain paper to 1 1/4" x 12" and grey patterned paper to 1 3/4" x 12". Assemble border as shown.
• Cut a 2 1/2" square from grey patterned paper. Use a black dual-tip pen to doodle stitching around edge of square. Adhere square to border and attach title sticker.

3. "Autumn Harvest"

• Remove border shown from border sheet. Use the Square Maker to punch a square from red patterned paper. Adhere to border as shown.
• Cut a 3/4" x 4 1/2" strip from purple patterned paper. Snip a "v" into both ends. Adhere to red square as shown and attach title sticker.

4. "Happy Day"

• Use the Border Maker to punch a picket fence border from plaid paper. Trim to 1 1/2" x 12". Cut a 5/8" x 12" strip from red pattern paper and weave thru picket fence. Cut a 2" x 12" strip from purple patterned paper. Assemble border as shown.
• Use the Blossom Place n Punch to punch two red and 4 purple blossoms. To create flowers, rough up your top blossom by wading it. Straighten it back out then run the petals thru your thumb and forefinger to make them stand up a bit. Use a small foam square to attach to bottom piece. Add rhinestone sticker from Fall In Leaf Embellishments.
• Cut two 5/8" by 2" strips from red pattern paper, two 3/4" x 1 1/2" strips from beige paper and one 1/2" x 1 1/2" strip from purple paper. Snip a "v" into one end of each strip. Attach to one red and one purple flower as shown.
• Adhere flowers and title sticker to border as shown.

Okay, we're almost done! Here's the traditional layout I created with the Fall In paper, stickers and slide-in card.

 

 

 

Supplies List:

Fall In Designer Paper pack, Fall In Title Stickers, Fall In Slide-In cards, Shades of Red Cardstock,

Tape Runner, 12-inch Straight Trimmer and a paper punch.

 

Instructions:

• Use red printed paper as your base. 
• Tear one side of woodgrain paper to measure 21/4" x 12" and one side of grey paper to measure 2 1/2" x 12". Adhere to top of base as shown.
• Tear one side of woodgrain paper to measure 3 1/4" x 12" and one side of grey paper to measure 3 1/2" x 12". Adhere to bottom of base as shown.  
• Cut one 1/2" x 12" strip from red cardstock. Adhere strip to bottom woodgrain border as shown. 
• Cut a 1" x 4 1/2" strip from red patterned paper. Snip a "v" into both ends. Use paper punch to punch a hole into both ends as shown. Cut a 1/4" x 12" strip from red cardstock. Thread strip thru holes as shown and adhere to layout. Attach Fall title sticker.
• Trim a vertical photo to 4" x 5" and adhere to page as shown. Adhere 2 horizontal 4" x 6" photos to page as shown.
• Trim vertical slide-in journal card to 3" x 4". Use brown dual-tip pen to journal your story and adhere to page as shown.

 

Finally, I'm going to take you in another direction to show you how well the Fall In Fast2Fab album adapts to other outdoor events. I think it would be great to use as a summer camping album.  

 

 

 

 

Since the Fast2Fab albums are pre-decorated, the only supplies you need to complete this album page is a Fall In Fast2Fab album, Fall In Slide-In cards, your pictures, a tape runner, and a dual-tip pen for journaling. You will also probably need a personal trimmer to trim your photos and slide-in cards. That's it. And, since all you really need to do, other than trimming your slide-in cards, is to stick down your photos and write your stories, I won't include instructions. And, by the way, this layout only took me less than 10 minutes to create. In some cases, less time than it would take to create a border!

 

As always, if you would like more information about the Creative Memories products used in today's projects, please visit your advisor's website. Of course, if you don't already have a Creative Memories Advisor, I'd be more than happy to be your personal Creative Memories Advisor. Just visit my website at www.creativememories.com/user/dbrinsley to create an account. 

 

Have a good day and thanks for visiting my blog!

 

 



Halloween Blog Hop - Stop #6

Good morning and welcome to my blog! I do hope you're following the CM Halloween Blog Hop. My fellow CM Content Contributors have created some really cool Halloween projects for you to be inspired by. If so, you should have arrived here after visiting Fran Smitherman's blog at CelebratingYourBeautifulLife. When you've finished reading my post, be sure to hop on over to Stefani Jones' blog at Crop with Stef.  And when you have finished visiting Stefani's blog - you're last stop - be sure to visit the CM Blog and leave a comment for a chance to win some fun treats.

Today I'm going to share nine Halloween Borders that I created with the fun Trick or Treat Paper Pack and Trick or Treat Stickers shown in the flyer below. By the way, isn't the Pumpkin Patch Album Cover just too cute!? It would be a fun way to share pictures of your Halloween adventures.

Anyway, I had so much fun creating these borders and can't wait to share them with you. I've posted two sets of borders with instructions today. Be sure to scroll past the instructions for the first set to get to the second set. Hope you have fun with them!!

 Trick or Treat Borders # 1

 

Basic Flag Instructions: 

To create the flags used in both sets of borders, slightly pinch the two corners of your rectangle or strip and snip to create a "v" into your flag. 

 

Supplies List - Trick or Treat Borders #1:

Trick or Treat Paper Pack, Trick or Treat Stickers, Shades of Bright Decorative Cardstock, and Black Cardstock. You'll also need the 12-inch Straight Trimmer, sharp scissors, Corner Rounder, a black dual-tip pen, the Shape Maker with the Square and Circle Punches, and the Border Maker with the Picket Fence and Bubble Maker cartridges.

 

Instructions:

 

1. Too Cute to Spook Border

• Cut one 1 1/4" x 12" strip from purple cardstock, one 1" x 12" strip from green patterned paper, and on 1/2" x 12" strip from orange patterned paper. Layer as shown.
• Use square maker cartridge to punch a square from purple cardstock. Round corners with corner rounder. Use the Straight Trimmer to cut a 2 1/2" square from orange cardstock. Layer and attach owl sticker as shown.
• Cut three 3/4" x 1 1/2" strips and on 1" x 2" strips from patterned paper shown. Refer to Basic Flag Instructions above to create a "v" in one end of each strip. Adhere strips to owl square as shown.
• Cut one 3/4" x 3" strip from orange cardstock. Create a "v" in one end of strip. Use a black dual-tip pen to create a title and attach to owl square as shown. Adhere square to border strip.

2. Got Candy? Border

• Cut a 1 3/4" strip from orange patterned paper shown. Punch a bubble border from black cardstock and trim to 1 1/4 by 12 inches. Layer strips as shown.
• Using sharp scissors, cut orange label from the middle square of the 9 square printed paper. Use a black dual-tip pen to create a title and adhere to border strip as shown.
• Cut one 2 1/2" x 3 1/4" rectangle from bat patterned paper. Create a "v" at bottom end of rectangle. Cut one 1/2" x 3 1/4" strip from orange cardstock. Create a "v" on both ends of strip. Punch a circle from black cardstock. Attach bat sticker to black circle. Layer all three shapes as shown and adhere to border strip.

3. Halloween Pumpkins Border

• Cut one 1 3/4" x 12" strip from orange cardstock, one 1 1/2" x 12" strip from stripe pattern paper, and one 1" x 12" strip from pumpkin patterned paper. Layer strips as shown.
• Cut one 4 3/4" x 2 1/2" rectangle from orange cardstock. Adhere to border strip and attach pumpkin sticker shown to rectangle.

4. Happy Halloween Border

• Use black cardstock to create a picket fence according to Julie Tamprini's instructions - click here for Julie's instructions.
• To create gate, cut fence at 2 1/2" from the left side. Cut a second 2" piece from fence. Cut one 1 7/8" x 12" strip from green patterned paper. Adhere the 2 1/2" fence piece to left end of green strip and the 7 1/2" fence piece to the right end. Adhere 2" gate to border strip as shown.
• Attach Happy Halloween sticker as shown. Use foam squares to adhere ghosts to fence as shown.  

 

  

Trick or Treat Borders # 2

 

 

Supplies List - Trick or Treat Borders #2:

Trick or Treat Paper Pack, Trick or Treat Stickers, Shades of Bright Decorative Cardstock, Black Cardstock, and White Cardstock. You'll also need the 12-inch Straight Trimmer, sharp scissors, Corner Rounder, a black dual-tip pen, the Shape Maker with the Square and Circle Punches, and the Border Maker with the Film Strip cartridge.

 

Instructions:

 

1. Spooky Border

• Cut one 1 1/2" x 12" strip from stripe pattern paper and one 1 1/4" x 12" strip from ghost pattern paper. Layer as shown.
• Punch one square from white cardstock. Use Straight Trimmer to cut one 2 1/4" square from stripe pattern paper and one 2 1/2" square from black cardstock. Layer as shown and adhere to border strip as shown. Attach spooky sticker to square.

2. Eek! Border

• Cut one 2" x 12" strip from green patterned paper, one 1 1/2" x 12" strip from purple & green polka dot paper, and 1" x 12" strip from spider web pattern paper (hint: cut spider web paper to show center of spider webs as shown). Layer strips as shown.
• Punch square from green & purple polka dot paper. Using Straight Trimmer, cut one 2 1/4" square from green patterned paper. Layer squares and adhere to border strip as shown. Attach Eek! sticker.

3. Happy Trick or Treat Day Border

• Cut one 1 1/2" x 12" strip from black & grey pattern paper and one 1" x 12" strip from orange pattern paper. Layer strips as shown.
• Cut one 2 1/4" x 12" rectangle from black & grey pattern paper and one 2" x 2 1/2" rectangle from orange cardstock. Refer to Basic Flag Instructions above to snip a "v" in one end of each rectangle. Layer flags as shown.
• Attach 31 sticker and black star sticker to flag as shown. Use black dual-tip pen to create a title  and adhere flag to border strip.

4. Boo! Border

• Cut one 1 1/2" x 12" strip from black cardstock and one 1" x 12" strip from stripe pattern paper. Layer strips as shown.
•  To create tag:  Using the Straight Trimmer, cut one 1/8" x 12" strip from stripe pattern paper (hint: start cut in the middle of the paper to prevent tearing). Wrap strip around a pencil to curl and set aside.  Cut one 2" x 3 1/2" rectangle from white cardstock. Pinch corners of one end together and trim off corners as shown. Use a paper punch to punch a hole into the top of tag. Cut one 1/2" x 2" rectangle from stripe paper and adhere to end as shown. The black "pinked" piece is "trash" from a picket fence border. Adhere as shown. Add pumpkin sticker. Use black dual-tip pen to create title. Thread curly "ribbon" through hole and loosely knot.
• Adhere tag to border strip as shown.

5. Best Costume Border                                                                                                     

• Cut a 1 1/2" x 12" strip from purple patterned paper. Punch film strip from black cardstock and trim to 1 1/8" x 12 inches. Adhere film strip to purple strip as shown.
• Punch a circle from black cardstock. Attach Best Costume sticker to black circle and then to border strip as shown. Attach star stickers.

For more information about the Creative Memories products used in today's projects, please visit your advisor's website. Of course, if you don't already have a Creative Memories Advisor, I'd be more than happy to be your personal Creative Memories Advisor. Just visit my website at www.creativememories.com/user/dbrinsley to create an account. 

 

Just in case you missed any or started with my post, here is a list of blog hop participants:

 

Stop 1. Sarah Fitzgerald at Click Write Share

Stop 2. Julie Tambrini at Julie's Creative Memories Blog

Stop 3. Candace Bouldin at Scrappin' Jpegs

Stop 4. Lisa Graham at Lisa's Workshop

Stop 5. Fran Smitherman at CelebratingYourBeautifulLife 

Stop 6. Me at D. Brinsley's Memory Keeping Blog <=== You Are Here

Stop 7. Stefani Jones at Crop with Stef

 

Your next stop is Stefani's blog. Click here for more fun Halloween projects from Stefani Jones.

When you've finished reading Stefani's blog don't forget to visit the CM Blog and leave a comment for a chance to win some really cool treats!

 

Have a good day and thanks so much for visiting my blog!

 

 

 



One Page 3 Ways

Hello and welcome to my blog! As promised in last week's blog post, today's post will include a few album making ideas for those of you who don't have a lot of time to scrapbook. Plus a page idea for my scrapbooking friends who love to create their pages from scratch. There really is more than one way to create an album page and today I'll share three of my favorites. The first page I want to share is one of the quickest and easiest way to get your photos into an album - the Creative Memories 12 x 12 Pocket Page.

 

 All you need to create an album page similar to this one would be your photos, a Dual-Tip pen for journaling and a Slide-In Pack. Then just slip your photos, journaling box and a decorative slide-in card or two into the page pockets and that's it .... your done. Easy peasy! You can mix and match with Creative Memories 12x12 Fast2Fab pages and/or 12x12 Plain Refill Pages or create an entire album of 12x12 Pocket Pages if you prefer. Nice to know you have options, isn't it?

I used an If You're Happy & You Know It Fast2Fab album page for my second layout. I don't think it took me any more time to create than my pocket page example.

All you need to create a page similar to this one is a 12 x 12 Fast2Fab album, your photos, a tape runner and a Dual-Tip pen. To complete this page, I created a journaling box from white card stock but you can also use a Slide-Card or simply journal on the page. The cool thing is that Creative Memories Fast2Fab albums are pre-decorated. You don't really need to do anything other than adhere your photos to the page and add your journaling. Can't get any easier than that, can it?

Finally, here's a traditional layout idea for my die-hard scrapbook friends: 

 

 

A scrapbook page like this one would take a little longer to create but for those of us who love to scrapbook it's well worth the time and effort. To create this page, you'll need the following ingredients:

• Bright Paper Pack
• Shades of Bright Designer Cardstock
• If You're Happy & You Know It Slide-In Pack
• Black Dual-Tip Pen
• Tape Runner 
• Personal Trimmer and/or 12 inch Straight Trimmer 

Instructions:

• Cut two solid red 4 1/2" x 6 1/2" photo mats from the Bright Paper Pack. Adhere 4" x 6" photos to mats and adhere to page as shown.
• Tear striped paper to 4 1/2" x 12" and adhere to page.
• Cut one 2" x 12" strip from solid red paper and one 1" x 11 1/2" strip from yellow cardstock. Use a square maker or scissors to cut a notch in one end of each strip and adhere on top of stripped paper as shown.
• Cut one Slide-In Journal card to 3 3/4" x 5 1/2" and adhere to page along with a 3 3/4" x 4 1/2" vertical photo.
• To create a title block, cut one 1 3/4" x 6 1/2" rectangle from yellow cardstock and one 1 1/4" x 6" rectangle from solid red paper. Adhere together as shown. Use a black Dual-Tip pen to create a title.

There you have it! Three different ways to create one album page. I do hope that today's blog post inspires you to create your own album with your printed pictures. Just keep in mind that you really don't have to be a scrapbooker to create an album for your family and that album-making doesn't have to take a lot of time.  

 

For more information about the Creative Memories products used in today's layouts, please visit your advisor's website. Of course, if you don't already have a Creative Memories Advisor, I'd be more than happy to be your personal Creative Memories Advisor. Just visit my website at www.creativememories.com/user/dbrinsley to create an account. 

Have a good day and thanks so much for visiting my blog!

 



They're On the Cloud Grandma.

There was a time not too long ago when we would actually keep 2x3 inch "wallet" photos in our wallets. If someone asked about our family members, we'd whip out our wallets filled with photos to show them off. Today we simply whip out our smart phones and scroll through the photos we've taken with our cell phone cameras. I don't even think they make wallets with space for photos anymore. Cell phone cameras are super convenient for taking and sharing pictures, aren't they?

My young grandson-in-law, Dale, is the father of two absolutely adorable twin girls. He has taken hundreds of photos and videos of his little girls with his smart phone.  Some of them end up on Facebook and Instagram. Others are sent by text to his loyal "Photo of the Day Club" members. But, if I want to see more of the pictures he has taken of my great-granddaughters I would have to scroll through the pictures on his cell phone. Which means that he would have to be available and not using his cell for something else (such as playing games). Out of curiosity, I recently asked him if he had been printing the pictures he's been taking of the twins. His answer? "They're on the cloud Grandma." Today I'm going to address the issue of why it's important to print our photos instead of just leaving them on the cloud. First I want to tackle some practical reasons for printing your photos.

There are many companies and internet sources that offer to store your images on the cloud for you. Some for free, some for a fee, and some only as long as you use their printing services. It's great to have options for backing up your digital images! But, I'm not sure the cloud should be the only place we keep our photos. My concern is this - technology is constantly changing. Companies and devices and internet sites come and go. What was useful yesterday is no longer usable today.

Case in point - my husband and I own a large number of VHS tapes that were filmed in the late 80s and early 90s. They are fun to watch but the problem is that VCRs are practically obsolete. As far as I know, new VCRs are no longer available. Most of us who own VHS tapes are planning to have them loaded onto DVDs. Problem solved, right? Not really! Very soon DVD players will also be obsolete and no longer available. So what then? Something to think about, right? Don't get me wrong, I think the cloud is great! But only as a back up to your printed photos.

I'm not saying that you should print all of your digital photos. We take a lot more pictures with our digital and cell phone cameras than we did in the days of the film camera. If we printed every picture we took we would soon be overrun by too many photos. Be selective and print your best photos - the ones that mean the most to you. My friend, Julie Tambrini, deals with that subject and has some great advice for organizing your digital images on her blog today. If you haven't read her post yet be sure to visit Julie's Creative Memories Blog. 

Okay, now that I've dealt with some practical reasons for printing your photos, I want to share some more compelling and important reasons for printing your photos. According to psychologist Dr. Kenneth Condrell "photos and albums might be a parent's secret weapon. There are few tools out there that are more powerful or effective in helping to raise confident, happy, well-adjusted kids."

According to Dr. Condrell, "Photos are proof to children that they are loved. Sitting down over family photographs is one of the best ways to show them the special place they hold in your heart. And that gives them confidence and a sense of self-worth, which are critical to development." He also says that "Keeping photographs around the house is a form of validation for children. It lets them know they matter and they are loved, and these are the kinds of feelings that empower them to feel confident and self-assured."

But, guess what folks? That's not going to happen if your photos are only posted to facebook or some other social media site and never printed. To do something truly meaningful with all of those beautiful photos you've taken of your children and grandchildren, you have to start by printing those digital images. And once they are printed, put them on your refrigerator; frame them and hang them on your walls; and put them in an album along with your journaled stories. I guarantee you that you will never regret having printed your photos and you will never regret creating an album with your photos.

Speaking of journaling, Fran Smitherman shares some great ideas for journaling in your albums on her blog at Celebrating Your Beautiful Life. Be sure to check it out. And, if you are one of those people who don't feel like you have time to scrapbook .... welcome to the club! Seriously, you don't really have to spend a lot of time creating a photo album!  Come back to my blog on Monday and I'll show you some ways to create an album without spending a lot of time (or money).

Before I conclude today's post, I want to share some photos with you. I wanted a few photos to illustrate what I'm trying to say. Since I had to pick up my two youngest grandkids from school the other day, I decided to take pictures of the two of them looking at a photo album. They, of course, objected ... at first. I even had to bribe my grandson into being one of my models. But once they started looking at the album they became so engrossed that they paid no attention to my camera. My grandson's best friend was visiting at the time, so Austin took the opportunity to introduce his friend to members of our family he hadn't met yet.

So, am I going to print these photos? You betcha!!! This is why I print my photos! This is why I scrapbook!

That's it for today. I hope that today's blog post inspires you to print your photos and that you do something meaningful with them. Don't forget to visit my blog on Monday, Oct. 12th for some album-making ideas. And, if you haven't done so already, be sure to visit Julie's Creative Memories Blog for help organizing your photos.

For more information about Creative Memories products visit your advisor's website. Of course, if you don't already have a Creative Memories Advisor, I'd be more than happy to be your personal Creative Memories Advisor. Just visit my website at www.creativememories.com/user/dbrinsley to create an account.

Have a good day and thanks so much for visiting my blog!