Flocking

All of us at ICE want to send our deepest condolences to all who lost homes in the horrible SE Boise fire last night, and to Dr. Mary Ellen Ryder’s family. Please know that our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with all those directly and indirectly involved.

For those not local here is some info..http://www.ktvb.com/news/localnews/stories/ktvbn-aug2508-major_fire.117ce9e5.html

I recently had the pleasure of scrapping a friends photos. A group of scrappy friends each year swap photos and let someone else scarp their pages. It’s a fun swap I look forward to doing every year.
I wanted to find a way to scrap her photos that would display the many senic and detail photos without overwhelming the page. In the end I ended up with a fairly simple layout. I needed something wow.
I remembered these fun flocking powders and stickers by Doodle Bug, I’ve and wanted to use them for ages. (always gotta find a great way to excuse scrap shopping right?) So I headed to Just Scrappin and picked up my flock & stickers, I was so excited to play!

The flocking was SOOOOO fun. Much like glitter, but fuzzier. I used some cool swirls and layered them with some star rub-ons and a few fun felt flowers. It didn’t take away from the simplicity of the LO, yet it gave it that umph it needed to wow.

Here are a few tips on how to use this new unique technique.

Flock is much like glitter. You can use it on anything “sticky”. Doodle Bug makes some great double sided stickers that make creating super easy. but you can use liquid glue to color in areas, or draw your own patterns.

After your adhesive is down place your project under a sheet of scrap paper, and pour out the flocking liberally.

I found with using the stickers, by using a finger and gently rubbing the flock ina circular motion into the sticker gave better coverage and a smoother even application.

Tap off the excess flocking onto your scrap paper. The paper will be useful to help funnel the flock back into the container.

Next I took a darling Bella image (one of my new obsessions check them out at www.stampingbella.com) and used a liquid glue on the cuffs of her boots, hat and on the little fuzzy balls. The glue I used (SU! crystal effects) leaves a slight raised effect . Add the flocking and I had a neat dimensional effect.

Flocking comes in many fun colors, and I already have ideas galore running through my head. I think this will easily become a favorite technique on my scrapbook pages and cards alike.

***Heather ***

Back to my childhood

I remember going to a birthday party when I was young and we cut out and baked shrinky dinks. It was so much fun! I had not thought about them much in many years, then saw an article on them in the last scrapbook magazine I got. I thought now that would be fun to make my own embellishments. I bought a package of the materials and then cut out some using my Big Shot.
I had a bunch on a sheet and took markers to give them some color.
I also stamped some onto the material and then cut them out.
Then I stamped on some that I had cut out already.
Following the instructions, I put them all on a baking sheet and in the oven they went for a couple minutes. It was fun watching them curl up and then shrink back down.
Even though the instuctions show you how much they are going to shrink, it is still amazing to see them after they are heated, and how small they really come out to be.
I had a lot of fun doing this project and have lots of materials left to do more. Now if I have a special layout I am working on and need an embellishment to go with it, this will be a great way to get one. I just have to remember to make them much bigger to start with!

Nancy

Favorite Photos Album

When your going through your pictures deciding what to scrap, do you ever come across a really special picture? You know what I mean, the one that makes you go tap someone on the shoulder and say "Hey look at this one. I just LOVE this picture!" Then, your scrapbooking creative juices start kicking in, and you start thinking in your mind what you can do to make that picture really stand out on the layout. You start to calculate the dollars and dollars of scrapbook supplies you might spend to create a masterpiece worthy of supporting that special picture. Or you may dig that extra special patterned paper out of your stash, that paper you've been saving for something really special.


I'm sure you can relate. We all have them - Our Favorite Pictures. A few years back after hearing the suggestion from a fellow scrapping friend, I started a "Favorite Pictures Album". I must admit, this is my favorite album. The one I break out first to share with family and friends. The one my own family enjoys the most.


My first step was to decide what size album I wanted. I knew I didn't want a 12 X 12 album, thinking that would be too big, since most of my layouts would only have one photo. I also thought that, for me, a 6 X 6 would be too small. So, just like Goldilocks, I found the album that was "Just Right!" I selected a 8.5 X 11 album with a landscape (horizontal) orientation.


Selecting the album was probably the hardest decision in this process. From there, all "rules" from my other family albums were put aside. In this album, the layouts aren't chronological, I don't do double page spreads, and I don't even journal on all the layouts. I just find that photo that "speaks to me" and I scrap it! Simple and easy as that! At first I started off simple getting used to the new orientation. I found it so fun to whip out a quick layout in a matter of minutes.

Then I got to thinking more about this album, and a way to make it even more special. I decided that in this album I'd take the opportunity to tell my kids how wonderful I think they are, what I think is special about them, or give them words of advice. I direct the journalling right at the subject, saying "You, we, us" Where as in my other albums I tend to summarize and journal in the 3rd person. I also decided that on this album, even though I hate my own handwriting, I'd write some of my own journalling. Have you ever ran across a note or letter handwritten by a loved one. You know how it makes you warm and fuzzy inside, and makes you think of that person, actually "feel" that person - I wanted to do that here. So someday when my kids look back on this they'll be able to feel Mom's love.

Sometimes, when I create a layout all I have to do is just enlarge the photo to 5 X 7 and plop in down onto some beautiful patterned paper! I love how quick some of these layouts go!

I hope this blog entry inspires you to maybe consider making your own Favorite Photos Album! If any of you out there have a similar album, we'd love to see your layouts too! Please e-mail them to info@iceescape.net. Also please share your comments, ideas, and feedback on our blog or message board!

Happy Scrapping!

Tracy

WINNER, WINNER, WINNER!

Ok so I am a bit forgetful. just blame it on a zombie like state I lived in for a week or two after ICE '08.

I offered a prize for comments on this blog entry, http://iceescape.blogspot.com/2008/06/life-after-ice.html and sadly I forgot all about it. So a girls gotta live up to her word right-better late than never I say.

So guess what? Everyone who posted a comment to that post...YOU ALL WIN! Yeah! I have to go shopping (oh darn) but be watching your mailboxes!