2012 Calendar

 

I used Everyday Storytelling by Jenn Barrette and Kristin Cronin-Barrow. I think it’s a good idea when making a calendar to use a big size kit so that you have a lot of papers and elements to choose from or to find two kits that coordinate with each other.  And this kit is big!

TIP: The best tip I can give for creating a calendar is to make it longer than 12 months. Last year, for the 2011 calendar I made pages to February 2012. This year I made pages until April 2013. It really helps to remember events farther in the future and also gives the calendar creator a bit more buffer time to make the new one!

Another tip: make the back cover as pretty as the front cover. When I was creating the front and back covers in Photoshop, I had envisioned the journal with the camera as the front cover and the “happiness lives here” on the back. However, I punched the wrong side of the back cover! Instead of having to reprint and use another piece of chipboard, I was able to change my plans and punch the front cover to be the new back cover. (When doing hybrid, I find I always have to be flexible and inventive!)

Back:

Page:

 

This is a sample page. Each of the pages looks different. The calendar templates are by Krisi’s Kreations (I resized them to fit my pages). I pasted the cover pages on chipboard so that it is nice and sturdy and portable. The chipboard measures 4.5 x 6.5 inches and came precut. I used the Zutter Bind-It-All to make it sturdy and This general construction worked really well last year and the size was very convenient. This pocket calendar is a great project because it is very handy and well used throughout the year!

Meet Harold and Vinnie.

I just think they are adorable. When they were finished, I knew they were just right. Jenn Barrette has a new kit called Puppy Love. So cute.

And I’ve been wanting a puppy for a while but I just can’t go for it right now because of the traveling I do. But these little guys warm my heart.

Here’s Harold:

Here’s Harold sleuthing out the truth in a paperback:And this is Vinnie:

I used a Martha Stewart punch (one that I got patterned off a Japanese punch) to create a weaving hole for the ribbon leash (blue ribbon – American Crafts, brown and blue ribbon – unknown company – from Michaels).  I also printed out a similar colored paper to adhere to the back and make the bookmark more sturdy.

Excuse me while I go take these guys for a walk!

Playing with Tape!

 

Jenn Barrette has released a series of tape element packs recently – most appropriately labeled Happy Tape! The set she created for Black Friday is a Christmas themed set. I challenged myself to use the tape for a hybrid project –  I wasn’t sure about my ability to make the digital tape come out well….in a physical print – but I just LOVE how it came out!!!!

Happy Tape: Christmas by Jenn Barrette.

A tree shape turned out to be such a fun way to use lots of tape all on one project. Definitely made me happy after a tough day.

Good Times CD Folder

I created this fun CD folder – never mind that I haven’t even made the mix CD I plan to put inside yet… this fun and bright little envelope is inspiring me to make the CD I’ve planned for a while now.

and inisde:

I get worried about CDs slipping out the tops of envelopes like this (especially when the person you give this to turns it upside down without realizing) so I added a ribbon to secure it all together.
This uses Lazy Days  by Jenn Barrette – she’s guesting this month at her old home – ScrapMatters- during July!(later it will be released at her Sweet Shoppe store) and the CD folder template by Simply J.

Love how it come out!

Paper Garden Topiary

I am so happy that my tutorial to create a paper garden – topiary tree was featured in the May 2011 Artisan Notebook in the Hybrid Corner.

It uses digital items from the following kits by Jenn Barrette:
Papers from Petite Mademoiselle, Best.Birthday.Ever, Blah Blah Blah, and Cuppycake Love by Jenn Barrette
Papers and elements from So Happy Together by Shawna Clingerman and Jenn Barrette.

I really love how this project came out – probably one of my favorites ever.

Calendar Fun!

I love how this turned out – I used my Bind-It-All to make a pocket calendar using New Year, New Me by Jenn Barrette and Everyday Moments by Jenn Barrette and Lauren Grier. The templates for the calendar are resized from Geeky Diva’s 2011 Calendar Grid Overlays.

Here’s the back:

And here are some of the pages – I even went up to February of next year because I always seem to get into the swing of calendars a bit late!

 

My Word for 2011: Strength

I think I'm a little behind. It seems like every year, I end up making February resolutions rather than New Year's Resolutions. I tend to start some projects in the 2nd month of the year rather than start the first month, taking January instead to contemplate what I hope to improve this year. I've picked my "One Little Word" for this year a la Ali Edwards and scrapped it using the kit Robot Love by Jenn Barrette and Jenna Desai. The font I used is The Quiet One by Heather Hess (love this because people are always saying that about me). It's the same font I used in my Remember layout.