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!