Using vinyl on your layouts

When I first started scrapbooking there were limited ways of getting lettering on your pages. You could buy stickers or use punch out letters. Stickers were great because they came in an array of colors and sizes. However, there were always those times you needed to spell "Mississippi" and you only had 2 "i" stickers left! OH THE HORROR!! Then came the amazing Cricut machine. In the beginning you could cut out your letters, then came the ability to weld into words! That was a game changer for scrapbooking.  With each new Cricut machine came new abilities. I was completely satisfied with my Expressions 2 until I watched a few Youtube videos on the new Explore machine and that was it, I was sold. I bought it the next day. I loved that not only could I create amazing titles for my layouts but I could also use vinyl to decorate wine glasses, ornaments, and so many other items. 

Then one day I was working on my son's baby book and I was struggling to complete the cover page. I didn't want his birth stats because they had been used on the first few pages. As I was looking through posted layouts on one of my favorite FB pages I noticed one crafter used a photo of the hospital their child was born in - PERFECT!!! I was able to find a good picture of our hospital that printed nicely. The thought of using stickers to spell out "St. Mary's Hospital ~ Leonardtown, MD" and have it evenly spaced and fit perfectly within the 12 in space was a daunting task. And that's when it hit me - USE VINYL - I could make it fit the exact size in my space and I could use transfer paper to place it on the page all at once as opposed to letter by letter. I decided to use vinyl for all of the wording on that page. 

So now I am addicted to using vinyl on my pages. It comes in just as many colors as paper or stickers. You never run out of letters. You can change the font, size, and spacing.  The other awesome part about using vinyl is that it cuts clean so you can cut very tiny letters. 

The layout above is my son's first day of "school". His teachers names across the bottom of the left page and the wording on the ribbon on the right page are both vinyl. Now, does this mean I never use my stickers anymore? Nope, I still LOVE them. There are times that I want to add a quick date or word to a page and don't wanna design and cut. Below are 2 pages I have recently used sticker letters/numbers on.

Below are a few examples of other pages that I used vinyl on. The page below is a Halloween layout. The spider web and the word "Halloween" are both done using vinyl. 

The nautical page below has a paper title but the words

 "Edgewater, MD" on the bottom right was done using vinyl. 

So although all my lettering in my scrapbooks isn't vinyl, there are definitely times were vinyl makes my life super easy! So I'm sure some of you are thinking that vinyl costs a lot more than paper but it actually doesn't. Black is what I use the most so I buy it in big rolls making it very cost effective. The other pro to using vinyl is that since it cuts so clean you can use very small pieces of scrap vinyl to cut small words. 

Scrapbooking with QR codes: Putting videos on your pages

So recently I've been super busy with summer and my son's 2nd birthday that I haven't be able to scrapbook a whole lot but I still love the facebook scrapbooking groups I'm a part of. They are full of so many talented people and even though I haven't met most of these people I have made many friends. A few weeks ago I was looking at some layout posts when I saw a few super cute ones that a girl had done of her son and his milestones. I noticed that the pages also had QR codes on them. The curious crafter I am had to ask what they were linked to. She was happy to share that they were linked to youtube videos she had uploaded of her son. So on a page done of his first steps she had a QR code that linked to the video of his first steps! GENIUS!!!! So of course I had to try it out and then share it with you all! I have also made a video that walks through this process for all you visual learners (like me). Enjoy!!

Youtube video for this blog post

http://www.qr-code-generator.com/#info_dynamisch

So if you are asking yourself, "what the heck is a QR code?" Here you go  

Now, how do you create them and add them to your pages? It's simple. First you need to upload your videos to youtube. Then google "QR code generator". There are a lot of online sites that will create QR codes for free. I have been using this site http://www.qr-code-generator.com/#info_dynamisch ... you can pay for the site but I'm just using the free part. Open your video in youtube, copy the web address and then enter it into the QR generator. Then click "download" (circled to the right - choose JPG). Your QR code will download down at the bottom of your screen. 

Click on the downloaded file at the bottom left of your screen and when it opens look at the top of your screen for the "extract files" button. Click it and extract all files. Then choose where you want to save your QR code. I have made a file in my pictures labeled "QR codes" and then I rename the code so I know what it links to. 

To print your QR codes - I open word and choose my 4x6 document so that I can print my QR codes on photo paper. You can print on regular paper or cardstock. Now you have to insert the QR code just like you would a picture. Since I printed a few I labeled which QR code linked to what video. I edited each code to be 1in x 1in. You can make them any size you want. 

Now you just have to print, cut and add to your layouts. The layout below is of my son's 2nd birthday. It is 1 of a 2 page layout. The QR code links to the video I took of me walking into his room that morning and singing happy birthday to him. 

This was a layout I had done months ago and remembered I took a video of him playing in the mirror. I just added the QR code right up in the corner. 

Now... you might be asking yourself "well how do I make the QR code work?" All you need to do is download a free QR code reader app to your phone. There are a lot so read the reviews to find a good one.  As I was uploading the video I did for this blog I saw that I had a video of my son going down the water slide at Great Wolf Lodge. I am so excited to add that to his GWL page. 

Picfolio Scrapbooking

Picfolio Scrapbooking 

 A quicker and cost effective alternative to traditional scrapbooking

What stops you from scrapbooking as much as you’d like? Time? Space? Creativity? Funds? Picfolios help with all of those road blocks. But before we talk about those we should probably talk about what a picfolio is. Basically imagine Mr. Photo Album and Mrs. Scrapbook had a baby… they’d make a cute baby picfolio. It’s an album that holds 3 horizontal and 2 vertical 4x6 pictures. CM horizontal spaces are slightly larger than 4x6. 

(Recollections brand in black and Creative Memories brand in cream)

Where do you get these albums? To my knowledge there are currently 2 places – Michaels and Creative Memories (CM). Creative Memories was where I first encountered the picfolio. At the time, these albums were made so that pages could not be removed or added. They cost about $45 and were very well made. 1 of the 5 slots was larger than 4x6 and there was a small section to add a tab. Later CM designed albums that had picfolio style pages combined with tradition full size pages and the albums could have extra pages added/removed. Then Michaels brand “Recollections” came out with a similar album however you wouldn’t find it with the other scrapbooks but rather back with the photo albums. They come in a variety colors and outer fabric options (shiny fabric and leather-ish). They are cheaper and you can use a 40% coupon on them. Although they are not AS well made as the CM ones they are great albums and I have used them many times and am very happy with them so the $$ saved can be spent elsewhere. Also, the albums at Michaels aren’t called “Picfolios”, that is a CM term but I have adopted it to all “pocket scrapbooks”. Just like people ask for a Kleenex but don’t necessarily mean “Kleenex” brand, just need a tissue…. Make sense? Lol Clear as mud!

 (Recollections brand on left - Creative Memories brand on right)

So how do using picfolio albums save money, space, time, and help with creativity blocks? Let’s start with money. Since there isn’t 1 large space you don’t need full 12x12 sheets of paper which is most expensive. You can buy the 8.5x11 paper packs when on sale or you can use scraps, or the small paper pads. So you save a lot on paper. There is less space to decorate so you save on embellishments (but we will talk about embellishments a little later – those are fun and still get used). Time is always a factor. With a picfolio you can organize your pictures and fill the album with what pictures you want on each page. It’s fine if there are 5 photo slots and you only have 4 pictures – one of those boxes and become a title section, journal box, or embellishment section. What happened when you have 5 horizontal pictures but there are only 3 spots for horizontal pictures? No problem …. We can trim the photos down and make them 4x4 and add some decoration above/below them.

 (Don't have 5 pictures? just add a journal box and/or large title)

Picfolios also save you time because you are not staring at a full 12x12 pages and have to start from scratch. This is where the creativity block comes in. You only have 5 possible places to put your pictures and then it’s just a matter of choosing paper, trimming pictures, matting them, and adding some fun embellishments and possibly making a title or typing a journal box. Typing journal boxes is easy. Open Word on your computer and then click on “Page Layout” at the top and click on “Size”. Here you can change your paper size to 4x6 and when you print, print on 4x6 photo paper (which is cheaper than you think – I get mine on sale at Staples). I personally like typing my journal boxes because I can change the font, size and color. However, you can always handwrite your journal boxes as well but definitely try to add journaling to your pages. You think you’ll remember it all but you won’t. To add on to the “time saving” aspect. I printed and organized all the pictures I wanted to use for my nephew’s 1^st year picfolio book (this was my first picfolio). I was able to complete it in 2 weekends. Had I chosen to do a 12x12 album I can guarantee it would have taken me 10 times longer… if not more… I was completing pages left and right.

 (Journaling, embellishments, quotes and all other fun things can be used still)

Ok … so many you are worried about memorabilia that you want to add but it’s larger than 4x6 …. Yes, this is an issue but not a deal breaker. Sometime memorabilia can be trimmed to fit, or cut in half and split between two boxes. Another option is to scan or take a picture and print it smaller. There may be some things that aren’t able to be used … bummer ….

 (My nephew's birth announcement was too large to fit in one pocket so I cut it and placed it in 2 pockets)

Space .. yes you still need space to work but I have completed picfolio albums in much smaller paces than my traditional 12x12 albums. You can work with smaller paper so you may not need a 12x12 paper cutter. You can place all your pictures in your album so they are ready when you get to that page. You don’t need as much embellishments so you aren’t toting all those.  

Attention Cricut Users - This post is for YOU!!!!

Over the holiday season I heard from many excited family members and friends that Santa brought them their first cricut or a new and improved cricut. This made me want to share some things related to the cricut that might me of some use to new or seasoned cricut users. 

As some of you know I did A LOT of crafting for this year's holiday gifts. I used my cricut non-stop for months. Now that I'm giving my cricut a rest I have been putting things away in my craft room. If you've even visited my craft room you know that everything has a place. Well my cricut mats had a stupid place. I needed to find a better one. And although they were still sticky and usable the clear covers didn't always want to stay on. Oh yeah... and the 12x24 mats?? Big pain... literally.... they were too big to fit in most logical storage places. So, for the time being, they just laid on my desk. My husband gave me a gift card for Lowes for Christmas so that he could build me shelves in my craft room for my nick-knacks. Well within a day I gave him that card back to go get the supplies. The shelves were up in a few hours and I was in there filling them up. As I was organizing my shelves those mats were laying on my desk taunting me, "you have no place for us, you aren't a master organizer, are you?" and then it hit me .... a 3M hook!!! Super quick to put up on the wall next to my desk and every mat has a hook hole. BAM!!!! Jessie - 1, Cricut mats - 0!!!!

Next is how to organize your cartridges. There are a few different options out there. I'm just going to share with you what I decided to do. I took all of my cartridges and handbooks out of the boxes. For some reason I couldn't throw the boxes away so I packed them all up in a box, labeled it, and sent it to the garage. I choose to use the cricut binders (see below). They can be found at Walmart, Michaels, or online. They sell for between $20-$25 (any higher is too much). I had my cartridges in there in no particular order and got frustrated going through 3 binders trying to find the cartridge I wanted to use. And although this is my favorite cartridge storage option, while the cartridges are in the pockets it is difficult to read the title. So I took them all out, organized them alphabetically, and typed them into a Word document table. On the pockets I used a silver sharpie to number the pockets.

Now, when I want a cartridge I look in my scrapbook binder and see what number it is and what binder it's in. This saves A LOT of time. When I get a new cartridge I'll just add it to the end of the list. If I get a bunch of new ones I may reorganize. 

So a little tid-bit about the handbooks.... at least one third of the book is some other language - pull that shit out and trash it... it isn't needed (unless you speak that language hehe). This will thin out your books and they won't take up as much room in the binder or where ever you decide to keep them.

Earlier I mentioned that my list of cartridges can be found in my scrapbook binder. This binder also holds idea pages, a list of what stickles bottles I have, my checklist of "items to take" so I don't forget something important on a scrapbook weekend away (I have forgotten REALLY important items - prompting me to make a checklist - I'll share the binder in another post). Anyway .... another thing in my binder is a sheet for each cartridge I own. I googled the cartridge in the image section, saved the images, and made a word document (shown below). This always me to flip through to search for an image. 

Cricut tools - so when your mats aren't super sticky anymore and you don't have a fancy cricut scraper you can use a Pampered Chef stone scraper. Works perfectly to make sure your paper to firmly stuck to the mat. 

Last cricut thing I wanna share is the cricut subscription. Cricut.com offers a subscription option. If you use cricut craftroom online (which is free... if you have a cricut you definitely need to use craftroom) you can get access to 25,000 images and 700 fonts for $10/month or $100/year. I purchased the year and LOVE it. You can print out a list of the cartridges offered (see below) and you have unlimited access to those cartridges (while using craftroom online). My next goal is to go through the 4 pages of what is offered with the subscription and highlight which ones I have and which are my favs. So you might be thinking, well I don't have the handbooks so that might be a pain ... I agree but there is a lady that has downloaded almost every handbook. I have her blog tagged as one of my favorites so I go there anytime I use a cartridge from the subscription. I love it because I might wanna cut out a puppy dog for a card but not want all the other images so I don't wanna buy the whole cartridge. Here is the link to the blog with the handbooks --http://jillienedesigns.blogspot.com/2012/09/links-to-cricut-handbooks.html

I'm not a cricut pro but I use mine a lot. If you have any questions - feel free to comment on this post. I 

  

Ways to tackle the most disastrous spaces!

Recently I've been talking to people who just feel so overwhelmed with rooms in their house that they feel like there is no way to clean or organize. And, let's be honest, it usually isn't that we CAN'T but more that we don't think we have the time or energy. Pre-baby I could spend an entire day organizing an area and sometimes drink a monster so I could continue into the night. Well those days are few and far between if not completely over. Work, children, sleep, sanity - they all jump in front of large organizing projects. However, the truth is, once we get it organized and cleaned we feel soooo much better and it is usually much easier to keep it in order. 

Anyone have a room or area that looks like this? or you feel like it looks like this?

Ok so maybe your disaster area isn't this bad (or maybe it is .... we don't judge) .... and the thought of cleaning this makes you cry, close the door and walk away .... how do you clean it? Well many people will say "if you get rid of a lot of stuff it will be easy to keep the space clean" and yes, this is true. Less stuff equals less mess or shorter clean up time. But you have the right to keep as much as you want and still have a clean space. 

I'm sure by this point you are saying "ok Jessie, are ya gonna give me some ideas?". Why yes I am... right now. Get some boxes, crates, or laundry baskets and trash bags. I prefer to have a large trash can with a sturdy bag when I tackle a large project. Recently I needed to tackle my garage. Since I took a leave of absence from my teaching job due to the birth of my son I needed to bring home all my school stuff (completely unorganized and thrown in boxes) and I threw it all in my garage along with everything else I wanted to keep but didn't have time to organize in the house. I invited over a friend to play with my little man and keep me company. I proceeded to go through all my boxes. I trashed things that were trash or things I DID NOT need to keep and were not thrift store worthy. I also had two large boxes labeled keep and give away. The important part about this is the "keep" box. I threw everything in this box that I wanted to keep. Some things I knew exactly where in the house they go and some had no home yet. Below is my "keep" box. 

The point of this "junk" box is to save time. Do I know where that tupperware goes? Yup, the kitchen. Where that cute little chick goes? Yup, the toy box. But instead of stopping a million times and walking that item to it's home over over the house I just throw it in the box. I maximized my "child help" time for the sorting in the garage. Now, this box is in my utility room. Each day, when I have 5 minutes (which with kids or busy jobs this is usually the extent of your free time - tiny chunks) I go to the box and grab a few things and put them away. I don't tell myself "put everything away in one sitting" .... that is time consuming and nuts. But I have a clean garage and will empty this box a little at a time. 

I use this strategy for other messy rooms of my house and have used it in kids' rooms when I've organized other friends' homes. This works when cleaning out pantries and linen closests. I pull everything out and throw it (nicely) into a box. This gives me a clean closet, bedroom, desk, pantry, etc. Sometimes that is all I have time for. But it feels great looking at the space and seeing it all clean and empty. Then, the next time I have 10 minutes I put a few things back where they are supposed to go. Little by little I empty the box. This is NOT a good strategy for cleaning out your fridge... hahaha... hopefully you aren't asking why? When a huge project is broken up into small junks it is much more manageable. 

The box is the key. Of course you can pull everything out and put it on the floor or table but we usually find ourselves being pulled into another direction once we've pulled everything out or you are simply too tired to continue. Having the "stuff" in a box or basket allows the area to look clean even though you have lots to still do. It also allows you room to clean. Think of cleaning a shelf of knick-knacks. What's the best way to clean it? Take everything off, clean the space and then put the things back. One extra benefit of the "pulling it all out" strategy is that sometimes you realize that it doesn't all fit back in nicely and then you have to decide - do you REALLY wanna keep it or can it go?!? Best way to downsize. 

Works with kids toys as well. Load all of the toys in a box or boxes, clean the play area and put back the most favorite toys. When you see that you still have a huge box of toys but no organized room then get rid of some. Kids will play with 1,000 toys but will be just as happy with 50 .... my son is only 4 months but I'm sure that statement is true. Less stuff, easier clean up. I LOVE the pop up baskets from IKEA for toys and easy clean up. No labeled boxes for perfect organization - you just throw it all in the basket and on goes the lid. Definitely something toddlers and kids can help with. 

As I was online grabbing a few photos for this post I came across this book cover. Anyone read this books as a child? 

This was probably when I first felt my OCD urges. I LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED this book as a child. My absolute favorite part was the last page...

Those boxes excite me!!!! Every one labeled and everything has a place... bahahahahahaha

Labels... Labels... EVERYWHERE!!

As most of you know I love to label EVERYTHING. When it comes to buying labels you usually have 2 options. Option #1 = good quality. For good quality I usually go for Avery labels but those are expensive. Option #2 = cheap. For cheap you usually get thin labels that peel off easy. In my classroom I had a lot of use for different sizes of labels but didn't want to spend a fortune. After a lot of online searching I came across a site that sold labels at unbeatable prices. However, in my experience low prices meant low quality labels. This is site was awesome because the shipping was FREE .... yup FREE and there was no minimum purchase. You could buy 1 or 10 boxes and the shipping was free. To give you an idea of the cost savings for a box of Avery address labels you are looking about about $25 for 100 sheets. At compulabel you can get the same amount for about $14!!! The site is freeshipping.compulabel.com . If you just google complulabel the first site you come to isn't one you can order from. Most of the boxes tell you what Avery number it is compared to so when you are creating your labels in Microsoft Word you use the Avery number. Below is a sheet that I made with all the label sizes I have from compulabel and the corresponding Avery number.

I use labels all over my house and in my classroom. Here are 2 places in my pantries.

I find pictures using google images and save them to my "My Pictures" and import them when creating my labels in Microsoft Word.

When it comes to using labels you need containers to use the labels on. My favorite containers to use in my house are Sterilite drawers from walmart. You can buy them at Walmart but they don't always the variety in stock. You can buy them at walmart.com in lots of 3 to 6 depending on the size. Here are the different sizes they come in.

Above are the 5 different sizes. Prices vary by size and quantity. I use these in my pantry, under my sinks, in my closets, in my craft room, nursery... well actually EVERYWHERE!!!

Finding that PERFECT shade

I've been doing a lot of crafting lately. Between working on friends' baby book pages and and starting my maternity and Landon's book, I've been using a lot of paper. I am sure that I am not the only one that believes that "any shade of blue will due" is complete crap. There is nothing more frustrating than working on a paper craft (scrapbooking, card making, etc.) and not having the right color or, worse yet, only having one when you need two sheets. As many of you know I have decided to take a Leave of Absence with my job as a teacher to stay home with my new sweet bundle of joy. Bonus ... more craft time .... downfall ... my income stopped. So I decided to take what was left in my craft account and stock up on PAPER .... solid color, every shade, many sheets of PAPER!! The problem is that when I live there is a Michaels and a Joanns. These 2 stores are great for the basics but only provide multi packs of basic colors. Recently I scored at Hobby Lobby and online. Before I left for North Carolina my sister suggested I look at www.thepapermillstore.com. I was overwhelmed with paper options but was able to narrow in on what I was hoping was basic 12x12 scrapbook paper. There were a million options but I settled on 12x12 paper made by ColorMates and called "Smooth and Silky". The paper I chose was between 80 and 90lbs. Each pack contained 25 sheets for $7.47. This was the cheapest I've seen. When I returned from vacation there it was on my doorstep and I was EXCITED and a little nervous it wasn't going to be what I wanted. To my surprise it was EXACTLY what I wanted. 

The other place I LOVE to get beautiful shades of 12x12 paper is Hobby Lobby. The closest one to me is 1.5 hours away so when I go it is a planned trip. HL ALWAYS has great sales but the last few times I went their paper wasn't on sale. While in North Carolina I discovered there was a HL close to our beach house AND ..... drum roll please ...... their paper was 50% off .... SUPER SCORE ..... They have the most beautiful shades of every color. I pulled 10 sheets of each color and hauled it to the front. I felt bad for anyone who got in line behind me ... they quickly moved to another line. The cashier stated "I have to count each sheet because of the cameras" and then promptly said "how many of each sheet did you get?" ... hahaha .... In the end my receipt, that showed every single sheet of paper individually on its own individual line, was as tall as me and printed on both sides. The cashier said she had never seen a receipt that long. Me either!

Bye-bye craft account .... hello not needing to go to the store for anything craft related for A LONG time. My other pet peeve is the moment you are working on a project and realize you only need a small piece of a specific color but either don't have a full sheet of it or you really don't wanna waste a full 12x12 sheet for one small piece. I keep all my scraps for this very reason. However, my scraps didn't get used when they were all mixed together. One night I decided to organize them. I bought 12x12 folders at Michaels and sorted the paper by colors. Some colors like orange and yellow went in the same folder. These scraps have been used and have saved me from having to use the expensive full sheets. It's all about saving those pennies!!!