Photo Freedom

When I first got into paper crafting, I was a scrapbooker.  All I did was make scrapbook pages.  The more involved in the hobby I got, I started making cards also.  Once I started making cards, I didn’t stop.  They’re easy, they’re quick, and you need to have pictures developed to make them.  As my pictures sat and sat in my computer dying to get out, I realized I needed to start scrapbooking again.  I was nervous and afraid I wouldn’t remember how to make a scrapbook page and my pictures would be stuck in the computer forever.

Then I discovered project life or pocket scrapbooking.  It was exactly what I needed- a quick and easy way to get my pictures into an album.  There are several brands of products you can use in pocket scrapbooking.  For this project I am focusing on Echo Park’s version called Photo Freedom. 

Photo Freedom comes as a kit.  The kit contains photo sleeves in different designs, patterned paper that you can cut into 3x4 and 4x6 squares, and a sticker sheet.  Cutters Creek does not have Photo Freedom listed in the store currently, but Kim can order it for you.  The kit I used is called Today’s Story and the colors are great. 

This design of page protector has spaces for 4 x 6 items and 4 3x4 items.  You can use as many photos or fillers as you want.  You can also cut your photos smaller and use them in in the 3x5 slots, the possibilities are endless.  Each of the page elements is double sided giving you double the options. 

Here is a picture of what one of the pages looks like from the back with nothing additional added to it.

All I really need for this page is to add 2 more photos and it’s done.  So quick and easy and not stressful at all.  If you would like to give pocket scrapbooking a try, let Kim know so she can order you some supplies and you can get started. 

My Completed Disney Autograph Book

I leave for Disney World in 9 days and I can’t wait!  I’ve been working on this autograph book for a couple of months now and it’s done (well 98% done) and bound.  I used my cinch for this book, but a bind it all would have worked too.  My book is 8x8 and I used chipboard for the cover.  All my pages are built on kraft cardstock. 

All the die cuts on the cover were cut with my cricut.  I used the Mickey and Friends cartridge.  I kept the same format for all the pages, an autograph block, the character’s name, and then the character themselves. 

Here are a couple of the Winnie the Pooh pages I made using the Pooh and Friends cartridge. 

These characters can be tedious to put together, so cut them as large as you can.  Most of my characters are cut at 4.5 to 5 inches.   This made them almost bearable to put together.  I wish I could have cut them a little bit larger.

I used a lot of stickles on the princesses.  Princesses need some bling.  Also when your smaller pieces not cut really cleanly, you can cover up the imperfections with a little glitter. 

The characters from the Disney Classics cartridge cut smaller than the others.  I had to cut them at about 5.5 inches to get them to be the same size as the others. 

These last 2 pages aren’t finished yet.  I have to add their names.  Buzz Lightyear was the hardest one to put together.  Some of the pieces were just way too little and since I only have the digital version of this cartridge, I didn’t have a real manual to look at.   I had to get creative with a silver marker and draw some parts in.  Markers, paint pens, glitter pens, and stickles saved me on this project. The hardest parts to cut are the eyes, they are just way too small to mess with.  I used a white pen and just colored them in with various glitter pens. 

Even though this was a long and difficult project, I really loved making it.  I know it will get put to good use and it brought me and cricut back together. 

Cutterscreek Supplies Used

O-Wires

Stickles

Copic Spica

Cricut

A lot of adhesive

Make A Custom Smash Book

Smash Books are extremely popular lately and Cutters Creek has a great selection of books and products.  The books are full of great designs, but sometimes they’re just not what you’re looking for.  I’m taking a vacation to Disney World in a couple of weeks and I thought a smash book would be perfect for keeping memories and memorabilia from the trip.  A Disney themed smash book does not exist (yet), so I decided to make my own.  All you need for this project is a binding machine like a cinch or bind it all, some chipboard for your covers, cardstock, some smash supplies and embellishments. 

The first thing I did is to cover the edges of my raw chipboard covers with sharpie.  This makes it look like I’m using black chipboard for the covers and hides any raw edges. 

My covers are 8 1/2 by 11.  After I had my edges inked up, I cut some paper for the cover.  I cut my paper at 8 3/8 by 10 7/8 so I could center it in the middle of the cover and not worry about it hanging over the edge. 

This is the outside of the front cover and this is the inside of the front cover

Next it was time to move on to my inside pages.  The smash book pages are made of really nice strong cardstock.  To recreate that feel, I covered some white cardstock with patterned paper. 

Some of the pages I covered completely with paper and some of them I layered with scraps leftover from another project.

  I had Kim special order me some awesome washi tape in different Disney patterns and I used a strip of that down the middle of this page. 

Next step was to start on my smash supplies.  Some of them will work as is, but some of them just don’t go with my color scheme.  I found some 6x8 mailing envelopes and turned them into smash pockets.  I took one of my smash pockets and laid it down on the envelope and traced the outline.

  Then I layered it with patterned paper and more great washi tape and cut along the diagonal.  Now I have a pocket that coordinates perfectly with my theme.

  It’s perfect for holding daily schedules of maps of the park.  The smash pads are perfect for jotting down notes and memories.  There is no need to recreate the wheel on this.  I dressed them up with some more washi tape and stickers to give them a Disney look.

      

I also gave the little smash calendar pocket a Disney feel with you guessed it- more washi tape and stickers. 

Just because a Smash Book doesn’t have the exact look and feel you need doesn’t mean you can’t make it your own.  I only have 2 weeks, so I need to get to work!

 

Get your Smash supplies at Cutters Creek

Fun with Instagram

I admit I have a slight Instagram obsession I love playing with all the different filters and changing the look of my photos.  I really never knew what to do with them until recently.   I’m determined to try and get back to scrapbooking.  I started as a scrapbooker and then I made some cards and I was hooked. I still take a lot of pictures with the intention of scrapping them, but very few photos ever get printed.  I got an email the other day about printing instagram photos and I had to try it out.  I love the pocket style page protectors by We R Memory Keepers and one of the styles in the pack holds 9 4x4 photos.  This is the perfect size for Instagram prints.  So, I gathered up a few of my favorites and made some layouts. 

                                 

The page protector has 9 individual photo pockets and you just drop your prints in.  It couldn’t be easier.  For the layout on the left I added a few blocks of Echo Park paper to give it some pop.  For the layout on the right I added some decorative paper and a journaling block.  I love how easy this was and I’m hooked on this style of scrapbooking.  I can’t wait to add some pictures to rest of the styles that come in the variety pack. 

 

Cutters Creek Shopping List

Echo Park Papers

We R Memory Keepers photo pocket pages

More Disney Autograph book pages

I only have about 40 more days until my Disney trip, so I've been working hard to finish up my daughter's autograph book.  I have three more pages to post today.  This first page is Daisy. 

I printed some paper on my Imagine for her background page.  All of the layers have been printed and cut on my Imagine using RGB codes.  I added some stickles to this one to give her some bling. 

 

We're going to the Winnie the Pooh breakfast at the Crystal Palace, so we're making a page for all of the Pooh characters.  Here is Piglet's page. 

 

All of the Pooh characters have a chevron background page to give that section some uniformity.  My daughter got her nickname Piggy from Piglet, so he's always been a favorite. 

Next I have Kanga and Roo.  I'm not sure we'll see them, but just in case we made them a page also. 

 This is a time consuming project, but it's a lot of fun.  I do have some pointers if you decide to make a project like this of your own. 

1. Punch your pages first-  that way you won't have part of your character chopped up in the holes.  Also, it prevents you from putting a page together backwards.

2.  Use a white pen for the whites of the eyes.  Those pieces are way too small to mess with.  Also, stickles works great for the lips of the princesses and makes it look like they're wearing lipstick.

3.  Write down all the RGB codes you use in case you need to go back. 

Disney Autograph Book pages

It’s a lot of work preparing for a Disney trip. I’ve always tried to make a special autograph book for my daughter to take with her when we go to Disney.  This time I’m starting early so I have to time to finish it without killing myself and running out of time.  I’m using my cricut and my cinch to make the book.  I love the cinch, I find it much easier to use than my bind it all. 

The book is going to be 8 x 8 and each page will feature a certain character with their name and a space for their autograph.  I’m using my Imagine with a list of Disney RGB codes I found online to fill in each individual layer.  This makes it much easier than trying to find the right color of cardstock for each little piece. 

Here are a few of the pages I have done so far. 

I’m cutting the characters at 4.5 inches.  This allows them to fit on the page, but most of the layers are big enough to work with.  The size of the borders and the titles vary, but most of them are around 2 inches.  After I have all the pages finished, I will bind the book with my cinch.
I’m off to a good start, but I still have a long way to go. 

supplies used for this project
cricut cartridge Mickey and Friends
various patterned papers
cardstock
Cinch

Criss Cross Cards

I hope all of you are enjoying National Craft Month and the projects the design team is creating.  For my post, I decided to feature a different type of card than the usual 1/2 fold card.  This type of card is called a criss cross card and it makes a perfect pocket card.  I love this type of card because it’s kind of like an envelope and a card all in one. 

Here is a picture of my criss cross cards.  These are two different sizes a square and a rectangle variety.  You can find the instructions on how to make both of these cards here.  I’m on a Disney kick right now, so I made both of my cards with a Disney theme.  I decorated the outside of the pocket base with patterned paper and then added some embellishments. The smaller card was made entirely with my cricut. The square card was made with my cricut and a Magnolia stamp.   This is what the card looks like when you pull the insert out. 

I think this type of card is perfect for adding a gift card to the insert or for an invitation.  They’re fun and easy to make.  They are also a great way to show off some of that great paper you’ve been collecting.  I hope you have enjoyed my criss cross card project and be sure to check back daily to see what the rest of the design team has in store for you.