Baby Journal Winner!

The baby journal winner is Tammy! Congrats Tammy. Please e-mail me your address and I will mail the journal within a few days. Thanks so much for your interest.

September Monthly Kit Contest- Sketches!

Sketches!!!!!!

The new PageMaps sketches came out and I love them so why not have a sketch contest this month. I picked 2 (one with one photo, one with multiple photos) and you can use one or both. I would love to see what you create using a current or existing TTT kit.

Sketch#1-


Sketch#2-


The main requirement is that you need to use a kit from Transparent Touches, any kit. Please refer to the rules post in this forum for additional details:
http://www.transparenttouches.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=8357
http://www.transparenttouches.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=9757

Due date this month will be midnight PST Sept 30th. Winner will be determined by drawing.

You can enter as many times as you like. 2 page LOs count as one entry.

You can post your pages here in this thread to share but in order to be in the contest you must post your pages in the gallery under the "September 09 Contest Work Gallery"
The message board post can be found here: http://www.transparenttouches.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=10115

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!

Technique--3 Easy Ways to Use Acrylic Stamps by Chrystal Riddell

Every time I see new acrylic stamps released, I want to rush out and buy every last one. Then I remind myself of how many I already have and how I need to use them more. I think being a perfectionist and scared to mess up the layout is what often holds many of us back from using them. So I'm here to tell you that it's ok to let go and get stamping...practice makes perfect.

1. Using border stamps--Border stamps are an easy way to fill up white space on your page. I always arrange all the elements of the page (but don't glue down yet), then stamp my background borders. This way, if I mess up, I can just start over with a new background sheet. If you have a hard time stamping in a straight line, lightly draw one first with pencil, then gently erase with a WHITE eraser after your ink dries. (Examples of this are the far left brown border on All Dressed Up and flourish borders on Summer Vacation)

If this is still too hard to do, stamp on a separate sheet of cardstock, then cut out and use like you would patterned paper (see red strip on bottom of All Dressed Up)

2. Use as part of your journaling--For a fun, freestyle look, pick certain word stamps to get you jump-started on your journaling, then start writing. Again for this, I stamped on a separate sheet of paper in case I messed up. I also stamped and embellished the square first, which forced me to make my journaling fit. Lined "notebook" style paper works great for this and is a sneaky way to get your kids involved on the page! (see Summer Vacation journaling block)

3. Stamping directly on your page with corners--Ok,this is scary to me, big time. I've just spent time, energy, and precious supplies to build this page, and now I might mess the whole thing up. Have courage. You can do it! This is the beauty of acrylic--you can always re-stamp over the image if necessary. I love that you can  see through your block to figure out exactly where to place the stamp. Don't forget that you need Staz-on if your stamp will cover a picture. To make a clean, crisp image, place a magazine under the layout, then stand up when you stamp to apply good pressure. (See Summer Vacation right page flourish corner and All Dressed Up big flourish corners) If all else fails, and you don't like the look, you can always cover it up with a big flower! 

All stamps used here are from Close To My Heart

Tag Ideas ~ Inspired by clothing tags!

by Nathalie

Recently a friend of mine challenged me to create something based on a clothing tag. I loved the idea, especially since I often keep the ones I like in my stash "just in case"... so I created a tag! Then I made another one, and another one! :)

Here are my three examples, the top one in each photo is the clothing tag and on the bottom, the tag I made based on it.

"Bracket Blocks: Thank you" transparency available here

"Halloween Thought Block" transparency available here

So before you throw away the tag from your last purchase, make sure to have a good look at it! It might bring you an idea for a card, a tag or even a page!

August Member Spotlight

by Nathalie

ScrapMel has been chatting with us on the message board and sharing her creations in the Gallery and I wanted to find out a little more about her so I invited her to be our August Member Spotlight. Thank you for answering my questions ScrapMel! It was fun to get to know you better!

Your TTT member name?
ScrapMel

Tell us a bit about yourself and your family (and pets?)
I have three boys, ages 6, 4 and 1; one Jack Russell puppy and 5 fish.

How did you get started in scrapbooking? How long have you been scrapbooking?
Five years ago a former co-worker took me shopping for some basic supplies. Three months later, she apologized to my husband for creating a monster, ahem, I mean, an AVID scrapbooker. About three years ago, I turned 100% digtial. Now? I do whatever strikes my fancy (or whatever the designers I 'CT' for need, lol)

What is your favorite place to scrap?
In my home, in my bedroom, at my desk. That is where all my things are and I never know what I will need to complete a layout! I am definitely not a planner - I love chaos!

What are your favorite scrapping snack and drink?
Coffee ... and sometimes I sneak some ice cream in there ...

What product(s) are you addicted to right now?
I just got a Silhouette ... and I love it! I also love textured AC cardstock. And my Big Bite. And my Photoshop.
OH! and my Fiskars Fingertip craft knife! If you think it looks weird and hard to use, it is not so! Paired with my magnetic ruler/self-healing mat and Tim Holtz Design Ruler ... I am a pro at cutting straight lines now!

What inspires you creatively?
I know everyone always says "Everything!" but for me, it is very true. I follow a LOT of blogs (I found TTT through Ali Edwards' blog) that deal with scrapbooking (duh!), home decor, art, mixed media, writings, muses, family life, etc.

Cousins by ScrapMel

What brought you to TTT?
Ali Edwards : )

What do you enjoy the most about TTT?
The people - amazingly friendly and helpful; AND the choice of kits!

What is on your scrappy wish list?
Yikes! Everything? My latest wish was the Silhouette - and I just got it. So I am not looking to want for anything ... at least for a month. Though all the blogs showing all the new products showcased at CHA right now is NOT helping!

What is something about you that we may not know??
I work full time as a research scientist for a pharmaceutical company. And, as you probably guess, I NEVER sleep (therefore the coffee listed above as my drink choice!)

Composition Books turned into themed Journals...and a giveaway!

Well let me start off by saying I did not plan to post altered composition books for my project this month. I had planned to share with you a fall mini album which I used a past TTT kit. I had done the cover but it took me a while to finish the album and I thought I would share that. I thought I took pictures but if I did, I cannot find them on my computer. Then I said, well no problem, I'll take new pictures. That would be easy if I could find the mini album (and it's not that mini in size, lol). So I am posting instead 2 journals I made a while back. With it being back to school time, composition books are on sale for as low as 29 cents I've seen and what a cheap item to purchase and alter and make as a gift or for yourself. I decided to make a baby journal and a "me" journal.

Basic supplies needed:
-Cardstock or patterned paper...composition books are 7 1/4 x 9 3/4...4 sheets or scraps this size will cover both the front and back as well as inside front and back covers
-Alphas to do titles
-paint...i painted the edges of both books and also the spine of the baby journal
-misc embellishments- I used rub ons, stamps, cut patterned paper, tags, and ribbon

Instructions:
-Paint edges of front, back, and inside covers...paint spine if color is too dark
-Cut and corner round your paper for the covers and inside. Since you painted the edges, it's ok if your paper doesn't go to the edge completely.
-Adhere paper to covers, ink edges if desired
-Either stamp or adhere ribbon to the book edge
-Apply your title and embellishments as you would like
-Ink edges around book and inside covers...I even inked a bit on the back for a shabby kinda look
-Enjoy your new very inexpensive journals!

Picture of Baby Journal- front and back (giveaway item)


Picture of Me Journal- front and back


Giveaway: I have no need for the baby journal as my youngest is four and I know we have a few designers and customers expecting or maybe you just had a baby or maybe your friend is having a baby...whatever the reason as long as you can use it, I would love to send this to someone who can use it. Soooo if you are interested in receiving it, post a comment here on or before Sunday Aug 30th and I will draw a name on Monday August 31st. The journal is in pale pink, blue, and cream...very neutral for a boy or a girl. This drawing is open to TTT designers as well. Goodluck.

Step by Step

Lots of Layering

Supplies:

• 3 sheets cardstock
• 4 patterned papers (3 scraps are ok)
• 2 photo corners or make them from scraps of pp
• 1 paper flower and 1 die cut flower
  
• 4 buttons
• chipboard letters or thickers
• brackets (hand cut, die cut, chipboard, etc.)
• 1 journal spot
• small piece of ribbon
• 2" square punch
• stapler
  

Step 1: Use one 12x12 piece of patterned paper for your background but punch a 2"square from the middle first by folding it in half to save for later. Layer a 10.5" square piece of cardstock to the middle of the patterned paper then another 10" square piece of cardstock on top of that.


Step 2: Mat 2 4x6 photos onto two cardstock mats 4.5 x 6.5. Adhere them near the top of the
10" square. Punch 3 more 2" squares from patterned paper and adhere those in a row under the photos.

Step 3: Add flower to bottom left hand corner of left photo. Adhere bracket over top and one overlapping the bottom of the right photo. Use chipboard or thickers to add title in between. Add a button for the flower center. Glue photo corners (use premade ones or make your own from patterned paper) to the top corners of the cardstock mats. Staple a piece of ribbon to a journaling card and tuck under top of right photo. Adhere die cut flower and 3 buttons to bottom right corner of cardstock mat overlapping the bracket. And your done!

What a Catch!

With so many great layouts from the TTT monthly contests and challenges it was hard for me to narrow it down to just 3. So I picked 3 fun summery layouts and 1 altered item that caught my eye. With summer in full speed there has been alot of orange on layouts lately. I love how the color orange brings such a fun, happy feeling to a layout! So here are my 3 summery pics from the TTT gallery.

The Mask by toni-n-tn: Love the orange paired with teal. That big wave gives it a great summery feel too! A scraplifter for sure!


Cousins by Scrapmel: Love the orange patterned paper as the background here. And who doesn't love the use of the TTT journaling block? Cute page and pictures!

Petting Zoo by Marge: Not alot of orange but just the right amount to POP! And aren't those pictures just adorable. I love how you put the circles behind the title. Great idea!


Wall hanging by Jonna: Ok no orange here but I love the vintage colors she chose mixed with the red. It's perfect for a husband gift. It's fabulous!