Mix and Match Travel Mini Album * Robin's Nest Design Team Post *

This album shows how you can mix and match patterned papers that don't necessarily "go together" and create a unique, cohesive album (or layout) that totally works.

I started with a mini album which I created out of Robin's Nest black cardstock from the new Hot Flame line.   There is no chipboard involved, but you need to use a good quality, thick cardstock like Robin's Nest cardstocks in order for your mini to be sturdy enough. I can't take credit for the idea on this mini.  Angel400 on YouTube has a tutorial with measurements and complete instructions. Below is what it looked like made from just black cardstock and adhesive.

I used magnets for my closure and added my patterned paper on top to hide the magnets.

I went through  my Robin's Nest patterned papers to decide what would go with my travel theme.  I grabbed the obvious (Palm Tree Glitter Cardstock, and Tropical Voyage Paper), and then some not-so-obvious choices like the Olive Fleur on Linen, the Brown Leopard Print on Cream, and Glitter Vanilla Wedding.  I pulled out a few others, but ultimately, these are the ones I chose.

I also pulled out the Robin's Nest Palm Tree Rub-Ons and the Palm Tree Paper Clips - These were perfect for this project!

After cutting my papers to match my page sizes for my mini album, I chose two of my favorite inks a deep brown and a black, to distress the edges of all of the papers, which not only gave the papers the distressed look I was going for, but it also pulls all of the different colors and patterns together.  Now, even though the patterns are all very different, they all have the exact same distressed edge in the same color tones.  I started with the brown and did a pretty good sized border, then I followed up with the black just edging it a bit.

Once I had everything inked, I adhered all of the papers to my mini.  I used any left-over scraps to create tags and photo mats to go in the pockets I created.

As you can see, even though I have used all patterned papers (no solids) and they are all from different Robin's Nest lines and sets, they do work together.  Don't be afraid to mix and match your patterned papers and come up with something totally unique to you and your style!

Even though I want the photos to be the focus of this mini, I decided the front needed just a bit more.  So, I used the largest of the rub-ons (link above) and rubbed it onto a piece of Robin's Nest Glitter Vanilla Wedding paper (link above).  I then fussy cut the image and adhered it to my cover using foam dots.  I used the Glitter Vanilla Wedding paper because it has a nice linen finish and is a good, thick quality paper, but was still easy to cut.  I used the same brown ink as before on the edges of the image to make it stand out even more and give it some depth.

I finished the album off with the "Tropical Breeze" quote found in the Rub-ons package (link above) and a bow to give it the appearance that it's holding the mini closed (even though it's just decorative).

Thanks for looking.  Let me know if you try this, I would love to see some finished products where you "mixed and matched."  Happy Scrapping!

~Make Today Count

Wendy



Just Checking In . . .

I know I haven't been posting, but we have been doing summer vacations (with limited internet access up in the Black Hills of South Dakota).  I will have a new Robin's Nest post coming out on July 15th, so watch out for that.

We are in town now but it will be hit and miss until the middle of next week . . . and then I will be right back at it.

Thanks for sticking with me!

~ Make Today Count
Wendy

Let Freedom Ring! Robin's Nest Design Team Post

Hey everone, I am so excited to share my first Robin's Nest Design Team post!  With July 4th rapidly approaching, I felt it only appropriate to use the fun and glittery Robin's Nest Washington D.C. line.  What a fun easy way to decorate for a 4th of July picnic!  You could use this 4th of July bag for popcorn, or fill it with sand to display mini flags, or even to line your walkway (fill with sand and add a tea light at the top) with different pictures from holidays past on each bag.  There are so many way you could use this.

I started with this fabulous picture of my friend's two adorable grandchildren. . . How could I go wrong?

I pulled out my Robin's Nest supplies and laid them out. 

 I decided I would do a layered mat and cut squares from the Glitter Blue Stars Border paper, the Glittered Blue Chipboard and the Glitter Wite on White paper in varying sizes.  I laid them out on the paper bag to get an indea of how large to make them and where to place them.

Next, distress the edges with a distress tool or a pair of sharp scissors, curling up the edges with your fingers as you go.  Adhere the squares together with your picture on top.

Lastly, adhere the matted photo to the bag.  Choose what phrase you like best from the Glitter America Words paper and cut it out into a banner and distress the edges, curling them up as you go, just as you did with the photo and mats.  I glued my banner at an angle just under the corner of the photo mat and added a red snippet of fabric, attached with my Stars RN Paper Clip.  For an extra wow, adde a Glitter Firework Diecut with some red Dew Drops in the center just under the top left corner of the photo mat.  After folding the top down a bit, the bag was ready to serve popcorn to the most discriminating 4th of July picnic crowd!  Let me know if you try this . . . I would love to see your version!

Close-ups:

Here are the supplies I used:

Glitter White on White paper
Glitter Blue Stars Border paper
Glitter Blue Chipboard
Glitter America Words paper
Stars RN Paper Clips
Glitter Die Cut Fireworks

They can all be found on the Robin's Nest website here:   http://robinsnest-scrap.com/

Also, check out their blog here:  http://chatteringrobins.blogspot.com/

Robin's Nest Design Team!

I am so excited to announce that I've been invited to be on the Robin's Nest design team!!

Make sure to check out their blog where I will be posting projects regularly, along with a group of really talented designers. I'm sure you will find inspiration from everyone there!

Check out their website for some amazing products.

Blog:

http://chatteringrobins.blogspot.com/


Website: http://www.robinsnest-scrap.com/

I'm so excited so make sure to follow their blog and check out all of the projects we'll be posting!


Make today count ~
Wendy

Best Hubby Ever! Library Card Catalog

Look what my husband found for me yesterday and bought while I was at work!?! He told me to go to the consignment store and pick it up after work. When I asked for it all the ladies who work there came over saying "you must be the scrapbooker" lol. They told me that 3 people had already come back in looking for it. SCORE!








Isn't it fab? I know right?! I'm so excited... Now I just have to find a place to out it (besides the middle of the hallway).
Make today count ~
Wendy

Travel Junk Journal Scrapbook (for Road Trip)

This is a travel junk journal I created for a class I taught at Timeless Treasures (in Rancho Santa Margarita). The class was fun and everyone seemed to really like their finished journal. The journal is a vintage style with lots of odds and ends to memorialize any road trip or vacation. Just inside the front cover we included a map of the US to mark off the states as you travel through them. There are a ton of pockets, file folders, and different pages to include any type of memorabilia, journaling and photos during your trip. The sections are divided with tabs such as "where we stayed, things we saw, things we ate, where we went, people we met, places we stopped, random thoughts," etc. I created several tags and didn’t even use them all. I will be posting photos of the inside shortly, but wanted to give a glimpse of it for now.

I will also be posting pictures of the Junk Journal I made for my own family to take on our next road trip - that one is kind of a junk journal on steroids. I have been fighting with what type of binding method to use because even my two in binding rings were not big enough! I settled on leather cording and that will have to do. I can’t wait to show it off - I put so much into it.

At my 8 year old’s suggestion after watching the movie "Judy Moody’s Not So Bummer Summer," we have included a "Cuskey Family Not-a-Bummer-Road-Trip Thrill Point Chart" in our journal (this includes things to do (or not do) along the way and when we get to our destination and it awards points for items marked off, bonus points for extra credit (lol) and loser points for hitches in the road, so to speak. It should be a blast! Below is a jpg image of the one I created (I can't figure out how to upload a pdf on blogger - need to research that) that you might use as a sample if you are so inclined. If you have wordperfect and want a copy you can modify, message me and I will email you the file. I could always save it as a word doc from my wordperfect, but I don’t think the table would stay in tact . . . not sure.

No matter what you intend to do this summer, bring along some type of journal (even if you don’t have the time or inclination to make one) and make sure to memorialize the time with your family!

~ Make it Count
Wendy





Mother's Day Pocket Mini Albums - Part 2 of My Robin's Nest DT Submission

The below is for my design team submission with The Robin's Nest  - Check out their Website and Blog:

Blog:          http://chatteringrobins.blogspot.com/
Website:    http://www.robinsnest-scrap.com/

For Mother's Day I made pocket mini albums for both my Mom and my Mother-in-law.  I got the idea from Angelwings14100 on YouTube.  She has a fab tutorial you can view here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugtOo9QSalo&list=FLipu2K09pXKN1KZpXxPYbpQ&index=20&feature=plpp_video.  If you like these minis, be sure to check out the tutorial (she gives dimensions and everything!). 

Here is a picture of both minis together:

The one on the left is done with "Birdsong" paper by First Edition (picture below) and the second one is done with Basic Grey "Out of Print" (picture below).  I love both of these papers (and the Birdsong has glitter paper which I absolutely love, love, love!!).

The books are pretty much the same construction with the one on the left done with an extra large eyelet the way Angelwings 14100 did hers, but the second one I used the Tim Holtz Sizzix die Findings to create a magnetic closure.  I layered it (two layers of black cardstock with grunge paper in between).  On the fronts I have stick pins I made myself along with flowers I painted, inked and/or misted (some all - lol).  The metal book corners are made from plumbers tape (see my prior tutorial on that).

Here are the two paper lines I used:

  Here are some more pictures of the Out of Print mini:

The inside covers have pockets, so on the left is a small tag for journaling or other pictures.  Then I started with the eldest grandchild and worked my way down.  For each child, I put their picture on the front of the pocket page and had them write a sentiment (or the young ones drew pictures and dictated their sentiment) on the tag inside the pocket.  The back side of the page was left for grandma to put her favorite picture of that child.

Of course the girls pages were way more fun to do!

On the inside back cover, I used a doily die to cut patterned paper from the collection to make a tag for a photo.

Back cover:

Close -up of the front:

I hope you all enjoyed my Mother's Day Pocket Mini Albums!! Please message me with any questions and thanks again for looking!

~ Make it Count
Wendy