October monthly ideas and prompts

by Nathalie

Hello TTT fans! Have you seen the beautiful October kits!?! Are you already planning what you'll do with yours? I am!

I am also a "collector" of prompts and ideas and I thought I would share some of my favorites for October and the Fall with you:

•  Jill Marie Paulson offers monthly prompts and ideas on her blog A Matter of Memories. You can download the one for October right HERE. It includes 5, yes, five pages loaded with journaling prompts, photo prompts and title ideas, but also sketches, ad inspiration, color combinations and more!!! She rocks!

•  another one that I really like is the monthly Photo idea list from Katrina Kennedy of Capture your 365. You can save and/or print the one for October HERE. 

• The super talented Rebecca Cooper also offers some great photo/page ideas for Fall on her blog. You can download them HERE.

• And for even more photo opportunities (which we all know = pages later), here is a list of 50 fun Fall activities. Just remember to bring the camera! :)

I hope to have given you some good sources of inspiration! I would love to hear what you do with them!

Fun with printables for the 4th of July!

by Nathalie

As you might already know from previous posts and projects, such as this banner tutorial from last year, I love to play with free 4th of July online printables which are abundant at this time of year. I also rarely use them as-is and add my own touch. I know that the 4th is very close but you should already have pretty much everything and they are all super easy (even the kids can help!):

First, I found these little straw flags by Tweedle Dee Designs (via Tip Junkie) and decided to use them to create a mini banner. As I did a year ago, I chose to print them on off-white cardstock which gives them a little vintage feel:

I also used a printable clip art from MarthaStewart.com and created a decor for our front door. I roughly followed her instructions (I did not enlarge but rather trimmed the print out) and added a few embellishments on top. I then attached it to criss-crossed mini flags.

There are lots of sources for subway art to print and frame (here, here and also here) but rather than doing what everyone else is doing, I chose to frame a vintage postcard found here. They have many darling examples to choose from, I picked this one:

Lastly, I created some "tissue fireworks" which you can do even if your printer is out of ink ;)

 

For this, simply cut pieces of tissue papers roughly 8"X16" and fold them in half. Then cut fringes on them (don't cut all the way):

next roll each one around a bamboo skewer (you can paint them before hand). Apply glue at the start around the skewer and at the end to close it up.

Then I just stuck them into a jar I had previously altered (for a project I did with a TTT kit two years ago!) and placed it as a center piece on our patio table.

I hope you feel a little inspired by these simple projects and I wish you all a wonderful 4th of July!

Summer Page Ideas

With the weather warming up I thought it would be fun to post some summer page ideas. First off I love a good title that makes you think of wet wild fun!

Summer Title ideas:

• Wet and Wild
• Picnic in the Park
• Splish Splash
• 2 Hot!
• 10 things I love about summer
• Barefootin'
• Sun baked
• Dive into Summer
• Cool Campers
• Fun in the Sun
• Lazy Days of Summer
• Life's a beach
• It's 5 o'clock somewhere
• No Shirt No shoes No problems
  
• Popsicle Kisses
• Signs of Summer
• Heat Wave
• Soak up the Sun
• Slide into Summer
• Slip n Slide Fun
• Backyard BBQ
• Splash Zone
• Taste of Summer
• Popsicle Playtime
• Cutting the Grass
• Icecream Dream
• Slip n Slide
  

Summer Page Ideas:

• Monochromatic Layouts (Use lots of Orange, teals and yellows!)
• Bling adds a nice summer sparkle to your layouts
• Decorating your pages in Stickles can also give it a fun summery shimmer
• Cut blue paper into a wave shape to create water
• Add bling dots to create splashes of water
• Group circles together
• Premade die cut Summer titles make summer pages a breeze
• Use a summer song as inspiration; When the Sun goes down, Margaritaville, etc
  

A few Summer page examples to get you inspired!




I would love to see your ideas and pages in the TTT Gallery or facebook!

Quick and Easy Easter ideas

by Nathalie

Easter is exactly two weeks from today and if you are like me, you have not even started preparing for it! This is the reason why, I have compiled some of my favorite online finds that you might be inspired to try. They are all very quick to make and do not require special skills or tools (well, other than a printer...)

First, find a frame, print this free subway art from eighteen 25 and voila, you have something to decorate your mantle or shelves. 

Need treats for the classroom, or the soccer team? How can you not like these treat toppers? Simply print and attach to zip lock bags: Sweet Tweets from Beth Proudfoot and Peeps Topper from eighteen 25. The hardest part might be to choose which ones to use!

Don't want to spend too much $ on decorating? Visit the hardware store and create this super cute egg garland from paint chips with the tutorial from Modern Parents Messy Kids.

Of course, you need to send a few cards so you should probably print a few of these adorable cards from Living Locurno and send them pronto so that they make it to their destination on time!

Now, if you are planning a party (or just want to make it fun for the kids), all you need are those cupcake toppers and wrappers from Food Art Party and printable bunny straws from Byte-Sized Pieces. You don't even HAVE to bake the cupcakes but you will need scissors :)

Then, when it is time to decorate the eggs, print these egg bands from J. Bell Studio. I am planning on surprising my kids Easter morning with those happy chicks and bunnies!

This last one is just for you... Print it and put it on your fridge as a reminder :)

Free Easter Subway art from A Mama's Two Cents worth.

Valentine's Day ideas

Valentine's Day is only a few weeks away so I thought I'd give you some crafty ideas to get you started, because I bet it's going to sneak up on you!

Free Download

I found this cool print&cut free download from the Got Crafts site:
http://gotcrafts.typepad.com/freebies/2010/02/free-valentines-printable-cards.html

All you do is download, print it, cut it out, adhere the two sides together, and you've got a cute lollipop holder. Embellish as you like.

Valentine's layouts

Scrapbook with your Valentine's -themed papers and embellishments. Your layout doesn't need to be about Valentine's Day itself. Do a layout about the people you love or even about the things you love!

Technique-tip: hand-cut hearts from felt!

Journaling tip: list the things you love about someone!

Design tip: Valentine's is not just for girls. Choose red&black for a layouts about boys!

Tip: cut elements from your pages to make a collage.

Valentine's papers also work great for really girly layouts!

And finally, use those leftovers to make some great handmade cards! I'd love to see your ideas and creations!

December Ideas

by Nathalie

This past month or so, I have been spending way too much time online checking out all the cool ideas that crafters come up with during this time of year. I decided to share a few of my favorites with you here. None of them are too complicated and a lot of them come with a tutorial. So here we go:

1. Virginia Nebel's advent calendar... I know this one is a little late (and time consuming) but I put it in my favorites for next year! It is totally made from scratch and she explains how here:

http://scrapbookandcardstodaymag.typepad.com/scrapbook_cards_today_blo/2009/11/3ts-with-virginia-nebel.html

2. I think those paperback trees by Kayla Aimee are awesome and they seem pretty easy for me to make! Great tutorial here:

http://kaylaaimee.com/index.php option=com_content&view=article&id=70&Itemid=60

3. I recently made some of those for my tree (you can see them on my blog). They are very simple and are also very cute on a gift. The tutorial is available here:

http://domesticali.typepad.com/domesticali/2008/11/origami-wreath-tutorial.html

4. Pretty, green and practical, I love those bows made out of magazine pages! The tutorial can be found here:

http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2009/10/make-gift-bow-from-magazine-page.html

5. Staying on the recycling (or upcycling) idea, I love the look and price of this paper wreath! Here are the instructions: http://dollarstorecrafts.com/2009/11/book-wreath/

Of course, there are a lot more to be found and to be created but I had to limit myself to my favorites! Do not hesitate to share yours in the comments below! I wish you all a wonderful and crafty Holiday Season!

All photos belong to their respective sites and blogs as mentioned.

November Ideas

Give Thanks

November is the month to to give thanks and reflect on all we are thankful for. Why not share those things on a scrapbook page. I challenge you to use one of these ideas to scrap about all the things in your life that you are thankful for.
A few ideas to get you started:

1. Family
2. Spouse
3. Children
4. Good Health
5. A warm house
6. Great food
7. Education
8. Your job
9. Happiness
10. Vacation time
11. Relaxation
12. Hobbies
13. Sports
14. Daily life
15. Freedom

A few example pages of what I am thankful for:

To live in the USA

My Family:
And to have such a great husband:

Can't wait to see what you are thankful for! Upload your thankful layouts to the TTT gallery.

September Ideas- It's All About Back to School

Do you see that smile on my face? Ok, you can't really see it but trust me I am smiling. I love having my children home for the summer but by the time summer ends, the kids are fighting a lot and on each other's nerves and well, it's time to go back to school and we are all ready. :) So I wanted to provide some ideas for back to school. I've got some funny quotes, a few fun poems, and some tips and fun ideas for you to use on your pages and projects.

School Quotes:

"I will not let my schooling interfere with my education."
Author: Mark Twain

"When I look back on all the crap I learned in high school,
Its a wonder I can think at all."
Author: Paul Simon

"All I ever needed to know, I learned in kindergarten."
Author: Robert Fulghum


"As long as there are tests, there will be prayer in schools"
Author: Unknown


"Education is that which remains when one has forgotten everything learned in school."
Author: Albert Einstein

"Teaching kids to count is fine,
but teaching them what counts is best."
Author: Bob Talbert

"Today a reader, tomorrow a leader."
Author: W. Fusselman

"We can learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names and all are different colors, but the all have to live in the same box."
Author: Unknown

School Poems:

A Book
by Adelaide Love
A book, I think, is very like
A little golden door
That takes me into places
Where I've never been before.
It leads me into fairyland
Or countries strange and far
And, best of all, the golden door
Always stands ajar.


How School Works
By Steven J. Engelhardt
Spectacular!
Today is Monday,
You're off to that dreaded place,
5 days a week you spend here,
You'll never escape!

You have your books,
You have your brain,
When the day is through,
It'll be in a lot of pain,
And you have your friends,
Some good and some great,
But talk to them too much and you'll be late.

Keep your grades up though and watch with care,
Someday you'll look at colleges and say I want to go there,
So with your head full of knowledge and shoes full of feet,
If you let it, school can help you accomplish any feat

Welcome Back
Author: Francine Pucillo
Summer's over ... it was fun
Now it's time to get things done
Catch the bus and be on time
Standing straight in all those lines

Getting homework every day
Do it quick and then go play
Early nights and days so full
Following those school time rules

Do your best and you will see
Life will go by so quickly
For one day when you are grown
Your lessons written all in stone

You will know that in the end
These the best days you will spend
Sharing knowledge doing well
Your future has a lot to tell.

Ideas:
#1-We all like to keep some of our children's school work but how can you save those memories to incorporate into your scrap projects? Well, take photos of them and scrap those. For projects that will fit into albums, just slide them into page protectors or mat them on a 12x12 piece of cardstock.

#2- Mini albums are a great way to cover school memories without feeling overwhelmed. How about making a mini to focus on just the holiday events and parties or if your child is old enough to write, take photos but let him or her do the journaling of their schooling experiences?

I hope you enjoy the qoutes, poems, and ideas. Have fun with back to school memories!

August Ideas

by Lindsey Krauss.

Welcome to A-U-G-U-S-T!! I hate to think that summer's almost over, so let's think of more ways to celebrate in the last month of summer vacation, ok?

Layout themes
my summer vacation
water fun
fun in the sun
beach day
swimmin', pool time!
summer fruits and vegetables
did your garden grow?


August shapes
sunshines all around!
cute cupcakes and candies
fruits and vegetables everywhere!
water drops
circles
waves


Photography ideas
shots of garden-picking
water fun - get your underwater camera!
cover up - get shots under towels, the camera or the subject
upside down - the camera or the subject :)
get around the ponds, lakes and oceans, and snap away
back to school shopping - chronicle it!

July Ideas

Happy July, Scrappers! July is naturally full of fun and fireworks, so let that be the inspiration on your layouts this month!

Colors:

• Red, white and blue, of course!


• Any combo of the above.


• Go Americana.


• Add spots of gold and silver with this month’s colors.


• Be brave, go with a rainbow effect – all colors in!

Shapes:

• Time to bring back out the star. No better month for it!


• Lots of circles – love those fireworks, the best!


• Flourishes or swirls – but instead of the traditional, go with the spray this month!

Photo ops:

• Kids all decked in red, white and blue.


• Will you watch fireworks or try to shoot them? Watch for tips on photographing fireworks at the site!


• Scrap your 4th of July plans and traditions.


• Summer fun is in full effect. If you’re in the warm climate this month, outside photos are a must!


• All stars! Summer sports!

Scrap topics:

• Go with independence. Have shots of kids or family doing things independently? Go with solo photos orsolo subjects.


• Be patriotic. Scrap something about your country.


• Are you summer or winter in July? Scrap the opposite!


• Christmas in July is always fun. Start your cards!


• Don’t forget your pets! After all, dog days were named after them!


• Summer school? Make it fun!


• All Stars! Scrap your athlete!


• July’s birthstone is Ruby – use lots of red rhinestones this month.


• July’s flower is the larkspur or water lily. Try the lily shape: not quite a circle, not quite a heart.


• Or combine the two!


• Horoscopes Cancer and Leo. More animals!

Whatever you pull out to commemorate July, do it with a sense of patriotism, family and a smile. :) Happy July!

Transparently Yours, Lindsey

JUNE IDEAS by Nathalie

Journaling prompts/Page ideas:

- Last day of school

- Graduation

- Words of wisdom for your graduate

- What did your child accomplish this school year?

- Father’s Day (this year or through the years)

- Your dad

- Your husband and his dad

- Your kids and their dad

- What did you learn from your dad?

- Remembering your dad

- Similarities between you and your dad

- What did each of your kids get from their dad: similar traits between your DH and your kids

- Playing outside, riding bikes, gardening, first pool day, golfing

- What you like/don’t like about summer

- What is growing in your garden?

- Going to the fair

- Summer jobs: your first summer job, your kid’s first summer job

Quotes and poems about Fathers: http://www.quotegarden.com/fathers.html

Quotes and poems about Summer: http://www.quotegarden.com/summer.html

More ideas:

JUNE is:

- Aquarium and Zoo Month (visit one and then scrap about it!)

- Candy Month (make a page about your or your kids’ favorite candies!)

- National Accordion Awareness Month (make a page about music, the instruments you played, your kids play, your husband plays or just the songs you like these days!)

- National Adopt a Cat Month (make a page about how your pet came into your life)

- National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month (eat lots and make a page about your favorites, take photos of your kids eating them!)

To remember:

June 14th: Flag day

June 18th: International picnic day!

June 21st: Father’s Day AND First day of Summer!

June 29th: Camera day ~ no excuses there, you HAVE to take photos on that day!!! J

Summer Photo Ideas

With summer right around the corner there is going to be some awesome photo opportunities this season. So make sure those camera batteries are charged and the memory sticks are cleared because here are my top 20 moments/memories to shoot this summer!

1. Your favorite fruit and eating it
2. Kids eating ice cream cones or Popsicles
3. Running in the sprinkler (come on you can do it too!)
4. Canon balls in the pool or lake
5. Cutting the grass or mowing the lawn (whatever you call it?)
6. Summer sunsets
7. Fourth of July Fireworks
8. Packing for your vacation
9. Dirty kids after a long day of playing outside
10. Sunbathing
11. Your new or favorite swimsuit or flip flops
12. Barbequing at home or with friends
13. Your favorite place to go and eat this summer
14. Fresh summer produce (all your favs)
15. S'mores and you or kids eating them
16. Summer sports
17. A good game of Frisbee or flying a kite
18. Your favorite summer drink and you sipping on it
19. Last day of school! The start of summer vacation.
20. Your favorite activity to do this summer! (I’d love to see what everyone’s favs are!)

March Ideas

Hey, Scrappers! I'm just taking a quick break from the TTT March Madness crop - going on right now till midnight, March 15th - to send you all a little more inspiration for March. Have fun, jot down these ideas and then head back over to TTT to crop with us! See you there! -Lindsey


March Ideas to Photograph and Scrap
by Carrie L.

Pages to Scrap:
Make a page about Friendship: a new one, an old one that keeps blooming, anything!
Use butterflies, dragonflies, flowers, birds, eggs, shamrocks and swirls on your page
The festivities from St. Patrick’s day like the green you wore or the green food you ate
Make an Easter Garland using oval shaped chipboard or cardstock then decorate them to look like eggs or bunnies to get ready for the Holiday.
Add a Seussical title to you next page in honor of Dr. Seuss' March birthday
Create a page about you and why you love being a woman or a woman you honor for Women’s Day
Make a page about chocolate; of you love it, hate it, your favorite in honor of Chocolate week.
Make a page of why you are lucky in honor of your Irish luck
Create a page about your middle name and what it means and why your parents picked it
A page showing your house all clean after Spring cleaning
A page about the signs of Spring
Fun and Quick pages about your outdoor activities
Sporting event pages
Days at the park
Make your own flower embellishments to use on your outdoor pages
Use bright spring colors on your pages like green, yellow, pink, purple and sky blue

Photos to take:
Tulips or other flowers blooming (Texas gals look out for those Blue Bonnets)
You and your best friends or your kids playing outside with their friends
Your kids playing sports or a sporting event
A trip to the Park or a family picnic
A few portraits of your kids or pets outside in the spring weather
Lots of Green on St. Patrick’s Day and the festivities
Shots of new life (babies, ducklings, chicks, puppies, kitties, etc.)
Playing in the rain and new rain boots
Bicycle rides, fishing trips, walks, flying kites and other outdoor activities
Before and after pictures of your Spring cleaning

Important Days in March:
March 6: Middle name Pride Day
March 8: International Women’s Day
March 8: Daylight Savings Begins
March 12: Girl Scout Day
March 17: St. Patrick’s Day
March 20: First Day of Spring
March 21: National Quilt Day
March 23: National Puppy Day
National nutrition Month
American Chocolate week is the 3rd week of the month

February Ideas!!!

February Ideas by Lindsey Krauss

February is here, how are those New Year’s resolutions going? Well, you know this month – break out the Valentine-y, lovey dovey, red, pink and white! Or, don’t!! I created a page for this month, still about love, but all in brown and blues – quite liberating! Try your next Valentine page in something other than traditional styles, colors and themes.

Nothing wrong with traditional, though, so here are some more ideas.

Shapes:
Hearts and stars.
Circles – as in our love goes round and round.
Polka dots – because they’re often as cute as our loved ones.
Wings – bring ‘em back into your next page, straight from Cupid!

Themes:
Love – Cute, romantic or even grungy!
Love/Hate
How you met
Valentine plans: past, present and future
Your first Valentine (a person or spent together)
Memories
Broken hearts

Techniques:
Journaling is strongly making a comeback – if it ever really left the “in” crowd. Take the February opportunity to make notes, write stories, record memories at length on your pages.
Scrape it! Use that edge scraper, sand paper, files and tear it up.
Add ink, paint, glitter, sprays, liquid and alcohol inks to give it a little more edge.
What’s a girl’s favorite gift? Gold. Bring back the gold – find new ways to use old gold embellishements – all over!

Have fun and be in love this month, and don’t forget to share! Come show us your February layouts – link us up and show in the TTT user gallery. Can’t wait to see what you create!

January Ideas

January Ideas
By Lindsey Krauss

Happy New Year! Take this new year’s opportunity to create and start fresh. I challenge you to use the word “new” on your first ten scrapbooking layouts – why not?

• New Year
• New babies
• New resolutions
• New supplies
• New gifts
• Everything new!
  
  Here are some other fun winter ideas.
  
• Winter
• Cold
• Snow
• Snowflakes
• Snow fun
• Hats, mittens, coats, boots – all or one at a time!
• Snowmen
• Sledding
• Skiing, snowboarding and outdoor sports
• Ice skating
• Shoveling
• Snow angels
• Hot winter for you? Take warm outdoor pictures with snow hats on!
  
  And more miscellaneous January ideas:
  
• Reflections – in photography and on the page
• Eyes – get close up to someone’s soul through their eyes
• From-behind poses – take pictures of backs
• Parties – the holiday season is closing, but the parties don’t have to
• Celebrations – in spirit, in holidays, of everyday
• Beginnings and endings
• Get warm – how do you do it?
• Hellos and Goodbyes – people, places, things, years.

November Ideas

November Ideas

by: Chrissy Greenman

Ideas for Titles and quotes:

• An Autumn Palette
• Top 10 Reasons I'm Thankful For You
• Lessons in Thankfulness
• An Abundance of Blessings
• "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." Albert Camus
• Gobblin' Good Time
• Food for Thanks
• Today We Eat-Tomorrow We Shop!
• Tomorrow, I'm Going Cold Turkey
• "On Thanksgiving Day all over America, families sit down to dinner at the same time-halftime." unknown
• A Chill in the Air
• Autumn's Aura
• No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace, As I have seen in one autumnal face. John Donne
• "Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit and watch the leaves turn." Elizabeth Lawrence
• We Give Thanks, We Gather Together
• Turkey Time
• A Day of Thanks"Dull November brings the blast, Then the leaves are whirling fast." Sara Coleridge

Ideas of things to photograph in November:

• Autumn Leaves
• Raking the leaves
• Jumping in the leaves
• The fall sky
• Thanksgiving traditions
• Time with family
• Holiday shopping
• Baking with Loved Ones
• School Plays
• Thanksgiving Feast
• Football!School Plays

Important Days in November:

• November 2- Daylight Saving Time Ends (for those affected)
• November 4- Election Day
• November 11- Veterans Day
• November 15- America Recycles Day
• November 27- Thanksgiving Day

October Ideas to Photograph and Scrap

October Ideas to Photograph and Scrap
by: Lindsey Krauss

Are you ready for October? I think a scrapbooker always is! Here is a ‘short list’ of things to catch in October – enjoy!

Things to Photograph & Scrap
· Visits to the orchards and pumpkin patches
· Petting Zoos
· Pumpkin picking
· Pumpkin arranging
· Pumpkin decorating
· Pumpkin carving
· Pumpkin guts (one of my ooey, gooey favs!)
· Baking those autumn pies and goodies
· Leaves about to fall
· Leaves falling
· Leaves that have fallen. Piles!
· Raking
· Kids in leaves
· Adults in leaves :)
· Homework time (scan and crop a bit of homework for the patterned paper or as embellishment to homework pictures)
· Field trips
· Scarecrows
· Mums
· Hay bales
· Hay rides
· Tractor pulls
· Halloween – picking out/trying on costumes
· Halloween – decorating and decorations
· Halloween – getting ready, the day of
· Halloween costumes
· Haunted houses
· Trick-or-Treating – you got the walk up, the knock, the words, the receiving and the smiles afterward
· Visitors along the way
· Your treat bag/box/bucket before and after
· Fuzzy socks
· Warm jammies (p.j.s)


Scrap Supplies:
· Lots of orange!
· Warm colors – browns, reds, oranges, yellows, hunter greens and dark blues
· Circles
· Stitching
· Fabric
· Browns for inking and journaling
· Dark and spooky patterns and colors – think black, orange, green with a spice of yellow here and there
· Leaf and Halloween die-cuts, if you dare!
· Flowers with more than 5 or 6 petals

Autumn is one of my favorite seasons to scrap… if you get a layout or two done for the fall season and you’d like to show, link it up here! Have other ideas and titles not mentioned? Comment them below as well! Happy October!

Monthly Ideas: September

Your September Checklist!
by: Lindsey Krauss

As we’ve headed into September, I feel just bombarded with events and moments I don’t want to miss on a photograph or scrapbook page! So let’s work on a checklist of things to capture “on film” and on layout.

Get the camera ready for these events in September!
· First day of school
· First bus ride/mom taxi/walk to school
· Meeting the teachers
· Outside of school [pics
· Meeting buddies the kids haven’t seen all summer
· School renovations
· Lunch boxes, bags and school supplies
· Field trips
· Apple picking
· Berry picking, if you can find any left!
· Grape picking
· Labor day celebrations
· I hear Father’s Day is celebrated Sept. 1st in New Zealand and Australia!?


Get the scrap supplies out – it’s a good time to record these events:
· Go heritage! Get out those old Labor Day-worthy pictures.
· Fruit picking
· Back-to-school
· Grandparents’ Day – 1st Sunday after Labor Day
· September 11th – Patriot Day
· Changes into Autumn
· Scrap SAPPHIRE, the birthstone gem in Sept. – go with autumn blue!
· Scrap with Aster or Morning Glory-shaped flowers

Got some September ideas that you don’t see here? Please feel free to leave a comment and let us know what we don’t want to miss!