Making Memories

Wendy is doing an online chat with A Million Memories tonight.  For more information see Wendy's blog so you can join her.

Sometimes I wonder if I love scrapbooking as much as I do because of all the cool tools I get to use. For example, I love my sewing machine, paper trimmer and punches. Scrapbooking without them just wouldn't be the same for me. I made this page using another cool tool: MM's tag curler. Although the tag curler is great for curling tags onto ribbon, which by the way is a fun way to embellish presents, I like to curl it onto paper too. To create the border on this page, I cut strips of paper then curled the tags onto the ends. Once I adhered the strips to the page, I put a block of paper over strips then machine stitched across the top and bottom.

If you've never tried the tag curler, it's really easy to use. The first time I tried it, I just followed the pictures on the back of the box and it just took seconds to do. MM has a lot of different themed tags for curling plus they also now have these really cute epoxy tags too, which I can't wait to try!

Just as a side note, the photo on this page was taken in Hawaii. My family and I love dropping by this little truck on the North Shore of Oahu after our all-morning swim. This truck sits on the edge of a shrimp farm so the shrimp is fresh and tastes so good! Being there with my family is one my all-time favorite things to do. We just love it!

Leah

Who does not love a little bling on their pages!? I know that sometimes when my "mojo" is a little low, I always look to a little shimmer to make me feel inspired again. Another thing that I love to do is make my own accents. Not only is it a way of saving a buck, but mostly it makes your pages truly unique. And it's not nearly as difficult as it looks. So, for today's challenge, we are using the awesome MM Shimmer . I love working with this glitter as it comes in little bottles with a tiny hole so that you don't cover your entire area with bling! Don't ask me how I know that! : )

I used the MM flower foam stamps and on some craft paper, I stamped some of the flowers with a glue pad instead of ink. Then I used the MM shimmer in orange, pink, blue and black to "color" the flowers.

You can also stamp the flowers with white paint and then trace it with a wet glue pen and add your glitter. Or even just add your glitter to the still wet paint.

After it dried a little, I traced it with respectably a black and a white pen and then I cut out the flowers. When I thought about the page, I decided to go for the diagonal look! So, get out your glitter and play and remember to upload the pages to our User Gallery so that we can all see and be inspired by you!

Love
Wilna
x

Foam stamps and paint.  That was my assignment for Education Week.  I have to admit, I was pretty stumped about this one – I am definitely not the most creative or artistic MM designer…but I’m also not one to back down from a challenge.

Since this was a challenge for me, I decided to just sit back and play – without a plan, without a sketch, without an idea – just play.  Can I just say that I need to do this more often?!?  Here’s what I did.

1.  I love the Simply Fabulous letters, but didn’t want to use these particular colors…so I attached the letters to my background paper and …

2. …painted over them!  I used them as a mask.  I painted three good heavy coats of deep coral paint and let it dry.

3.  Since I was also supposed to incorporate foam stamps, I decided to use this paisley from the Easter set, along with a little bit of manila paint and stamp right over the top of my letters.

4.  I also painted around the edges of my background paper, then I washed out my foam brushes while I waited for everything to dry.

5.  Next, I carefully peeled up the letters (they came off beautifully and evenly, without a single tear).

6.  I wasn’t so sure about the masked area on my page, but I LOVED the way the letter stickers looked now.  Ultimately, I opted to use both sets on my page.

7.  In keeping with the “play” theme, I added some more fun patterned papers, stickers, and ribbons – then used some rare photos of me playing with my little guys!

8.  I ended up with a page that I am satisfied with…but even more importantly, it jump-started my creativity and got my mind rolling.  Sometimes pulling out some of our lesser-used tools can be a very, very good thing!

Now I’ll challenge you – pull out your foam stamps and paints and see what you come up with.  Post your project in our gallery or share a link here!

Have fun PLAYING!!

Wendy

 

The grommet tool is really fun for creating dimension and interest to your pages. I love using the grommets to frame pictures, paper and even other embellishments on my layouts. In this particular layout I used it to create a shape that mimicked the heart drawn on my layout. Here are a few quick steps that make using the grommet tool a little easier.

1. Grommets come in all shapes but the inside size is always a circle, so it makes it much easier finding things to go inside.
2. Cut your paper/pictures into a circle first and place it inside of the grommet (just inside of the grommet prongs)  instead of putting the actual prongs through the picture or paper.  That way there are no “indention” marks on my “framed’ object.
3. Use the grommet prongs on the back of the grommet to go through the layout background paper, you are placing it on, to hold the grommet in place. 
4. Create shapes using the grommets or to follow a path (like a curve or a circle) with the grommets too. Since there are so many different sizes, shapes and colors, the possibilities are endless!

Enjoy

Christy

All the kids are back in school, right?  Well now it’s your turn to have a little education for yourself.  Welcome to EDUCATION WEEK.  All week we are going to show you new ways to use MM’s tools.  Each day this week, one of our designers will show you a cool new take on the tool and give you some great tips to use it.  We will be covering the Tag Maker, Grommet Tool, paint and foam stamps, shimmer and the Tag Curler.  Your homework will be to try the tips and techniques that learn.  Today Keisha is going to share some of her knowledge about the Tag Maker with you.

I am having a serious circle addiction, can't stop cutting them out for layouts. I also love circle embellishments, including the tag maker rims because they add a fun touch to my work.  Tag rims filled with coordinating paper add an extra touch of color to make the layout visually appealing.  A great way to make your tag rims stand out is to add a few grommets.  Add them slightly off the edge or in the center of the rims. Don’t be afraid to mix up the colors and sizes (a large tag rim with smaller grommets). It is a real simple way to add extra interest to your page. I loved adding them to my page with 3-D glue dots, so they float a bit above the page.

Supplies:

12” x 12” cardstock, Noteworthy Die-Cut paper, Funky Vintage Flocked Ruby paper and Lizzie floral vine paper, Tag Maker and rims, (large-3, med-1, small-2), Funky Vintage Fabulous Flowers, Funky Vintage Grosgrain Edge Lipstick ribbon, Grommets (flower silver/spotlight), Magnetic Stamps (Providence), Crystal Brads, Clear Creations (Doodles): Making Memories

Instructions:

1. Mount Noteworthy paper to cardstock

2. Cut an 8-9” circle from the flocked paper; mount to layout

3. Stitch layout

4. Cut Lizzie paper into various circles to fit tag rims, but don't attach the rims yet

5. Punch holes for grommets, and then add the tag rims

6. Add grommets

7. Using 3-D pop dots, place two dots onto one medium size tag rim. Add 2 large tag rims to either side of the medium tag rim where dots are.

8. Add all tag rims to layout

9. Add ribbon & flower

10. Add photo & attach Clear Creation to page with brads

Thank you everyone for posting a comment about Making Memories new product that was released at Memory Trends.

We picked three winners from the many comments that were submitted.

Congratulations to:

• Carolyn
• Shelley May
• Melanie aka Bat Girl

If you are one of the winners, email me (jweston@makingmemories.com) your address.

Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the first day of fall on September 23rd.

Here is a great way to use your MM Kraft paper.  This idea was emailed to us by Kim Frantz.  She used dye to create her own customer colors of Kraft paper.  For alternative dyes, you can use re-inkers (normally used for re-inking ink pads).  You just need to dilute them with water.  The more water you use, the less intense the color will be.  Tea, Kool-Aid and even watercolors work (liquid water colors need to be diluted with water).

Another fun way to color Kraft paper is to wrinkle and wet with a spray bottle, rub Distress Ink by Tim Holtz across the surface, then use a warm iron to speed dry. Can produce a similar look to dyeing.

• KIM'S PROCESS:

1. Fill small plastic containers with dyes (check the instructions for proper handling).
2. Lay out paper towels for drying. You may need to protect your work surface with a layer of plastic first.
3. Tear and cut pieces of MM Kraft Paper and place into containers.
4. Experiment  - leave some pieces in the dye a short amount of time, leave others in for an hour or so. Longer times equal more intense color saturation.
5. Dye other materials as well (like tags, ribbon, and paper flowers).
6. You can let your pieces air dry or use a warm iron on an old dish towel.
7. Put your pieces in piles according to color...and just start creating!

Many of you know Wilna as the winner of Making Memories first MM Idol competition.   Today you are going to get to know her a little better.

• Describe your scrapbooking style:

I will define my style as lyrical. Lyrical means "expressive of deep emotion, of personal nature" and another meaning is "poetic." I love the combination of words and art on my pages and try as I might, I just cannot change those two aspects of scrapbooking for me. Lyrical also refers to the romantic in me. I love subtle colors and muted tones.

• What has been your most rewarding scrapbooking moment to date?

The most rewarding moment to date was without a doubt winning the MM Idol contest. For a few reasons, first I had the opportunity to work with MM and as I realized again at CHA, working with this company is an awesome privilege.  Secondly, the competition stretched me as a scrapbooker and showed me that I can do more than I ever imagined.

• What keeps you motivated and inspired when you are working with deadlines?

I would say music and movies. The reason being is that one's mind cannot think two thoughts at once and when I am stressed, it's better to keep my mind on something else while my hands work! My iMac is on my scrap desk and one of the reasons I got it is to have a wide screen to watch movies on. I love watching movie previews and movies like Pride and Prejudice The Bourne movies, Much ado about nothing, Shakespeare in Love, The man in the Iron mask, The count of Montecristo and one of my all time favorite movies are The four feathers.
I love listening to music. My favorite band is Third Day. But I must admit that I love most music! Music really sets the tone for me to work and my biggest dream is a full surround sound in my scrapbook room! Imagine that! But I don't think my husband will agree because a) I will never come out and b) I will bring the house down with the volume.

• Tell us three things you can’t live without when scrapbooking.

Ok, so you know about my iMac. The other 2 things are my craft knife which I have had for 17 years and then I HAVE to say... Making Memories scrapbook colors (their wonderful paint).

• Tell us about your family.

Josias and I have been married since we were 20 years old in 1991. Both of us were full time students for 4 years. He studied medicine and I studied art at the University of Pretoria.  We graduated in 1996.  In 1997 our first girl, Tia was born and then Kirstin in 1999 and Jana in 2001.  We moved from South Africa to Canada in 2005 and have been living in Saskatchewan ever since.  We love our town and the friends we have made here. 

• What TV shows do you enjoy watching?

I am not a big TV fan, but my husband works Tuesday evenings so every Tuesday I love to watch NCIS.   Mostly I would watch CNN. I love news.

• Who in the industry inspires you?

This is a beautiful question. So many people! I love Mary Grace and Elizabeth Dillow sure knows how to tell stories! . To be quite frank, my most inspiration lately comes from this group of women's work.  Go there and be prepared to be amazed! 

• Describe a typical day in your life.

I am not “the” morning person, so my day starts at 8 am. After the kids are off to school, I take time and clean the house a bit. I would not say I do it (house cleaning and stuff) all the time, but I do something every day. I love the quietness of my home in the mornings. Then I would bury myself in my scrapbook room and work on projects and pages until Josias comes home for lunch. We love to have coffee together, so we would grab something small to eat at home and go to our Starbucks just around the corner to have coffee. I love a house blend, but he loves a latte. After lunch, I have an hour or two to finish up what I am doing because after I fetch the girls from School, I am a taxi. All three of them have dancing almost everyday and that keeps my busy in the afternoons. I think I should start a scrapbook class at the dance school for all the moms there! I love to cook so I usually cook for dinner (as my moms do) and after the girls go to bed, Josias and I would read or sit and chat. I love spending time with him. I think that's why we don't like watching so much television!

• What is one word best describes you?

HE{ART}. I am all in this one word. My heart is my art. My art is about my heart, my heart is my faith, and my love and my life; my art is my process. Like breathing and rain and tears.

This week we'll be at the Memory Trends trade show in Las Vegas, where we'll unveil our newest programs including "Love Story" and "Garden Party." "Love Story" is a modern and sparkly take on Valentine's Day. Epoxy topped embellishments, glitter brads, and a host of romantic accents are truly, madly, and deeply irresistible. "Garden Party" explodes with all the promise of a new season: bright greens, yellows and blues are brought to life with scalloped edges, polka dots, and shimmery accents budding in a coordinated program of papers, stickers, flowers, brads, and tags.

To learn more about our latest release visit our Memory Trends album. Then, leave us a comment about which of these new products looks most exciting to you. We'll select three posters at random to receive $50 each worth of Making Memories newest goodies!

I love when the weather starts to change from the hot summer to mild fall days and cooler nights. The changing color all around is a big seasonal marker that autumn is just around the corner. But sometimes, those same browns, golds, and oranges get a little old and I look for a new color inspiration - a spark of something different and unexpected.

One of the best places to look for great color inspiration is clothing racks. The stores start going through a seasonal change as well, and new color combinations start popping up in warmer clothing options.

This color combo I found was just the inspiration I needed. With the familiar orange and brown, here is an added cool blue and green that updates my fall palette and gives me a great color combination to draw inspiration from.

I also liked the vertical lines of color in the hanging clothes and incorporated that feel in the vertical blocks of color along the bottom of this layout.

Other great places to look for color combos:

- The towel aisle; eye candy for great color combos

- Home decor; from cloth napkins to printed sheets - these are constantly being updated for tons of new options

- Ombre yarns from the craft store; fun colors all died together - sometimes unexpected and fun combos

So, share your great fall color combos by downloading them to the gallery - I'll be watching for some inspiration from you!

Joey

Making Memories is having a warehouse sale on Monday, September 24th - September 28th.  This event will take place at Making Memories Centerville, Utah location.  If you are interested, I have listed more information below.

The time has come for the Fall 2007 MAKING MEMORIES WAREHOUSE SALE.

The sale dates and times are as follows:

• Monday, September 24          10:00 AM - 6:00 PM (50% OFF RETAIL)
• Tuesday, September 25         10:00 AM - 6:00 PM (SAVE AN ADDITIONAL 10%)
• Wednesday, September 26    10:00 AM - 6:00 PM (SAVE ADDITIONAL 20%)
• Thursday, September 27        10:00 AM – 6:00 PM (SAVE AN ADDITIONAL 30%)
• Friday, September 28             9:00 AM– 12:00 PM (SAVE AN ADDITIONAL 40%)
• Please note we will not be open on Saturday for this sale.

As always, we will have great scrapbook products from Making Memories. Check out our HUGE collection of new products such as NEW LEATHER SCALLOPED ALBUMS, SWEETS TAGS, INDEX TABS, BRADS, AND MORE!!!  Discontinued and overstock Albums, Stickers, Rub-ons, Paper, Hard and Soft Embellishments and Tools (with slightly damaged packaging). Shop early to get the best selection,  you do not want to miss this sale!

WE WILL BE PUTTING NEW PRODUCT OUT EACH DAY to help alleviate the congestion we have had the first morning.  Lines tend to be long through the early afternoon on the first day.  WE HAVE ADDED MORE CHECKOUT REGISTERS and will do all we can to shorten the wait. We are having the sale indoors as always.  We will have an Express Lane, for those purchasing 20 items or less. There will be one line (airport style) to feed all registers. Out of respect for all sale attendees, please do not save places in line. We will accept credit cards, but cash is always the quickest and easiest.  Please have your ID’s ready when paying with check or credit card.

PLEASE PARK ON THE STREET. Handicap parking will be available in the parking lot. Please obey handicap parking rules. PLEASE DO NOT BLOCK THE OTHER LOCAL BUSINESSES WHEN YOU PARK. The City Ordinances specify no parking within 15 Feet of a Fire Hydrant and 30 Feet from a Stop Sign. The local police will issue parking tickets for these violations. Our neighbors have been very understanding so please be considerate and do not park in front of their business entrances.

The location of the warehouse sale is:

1168 West 500 North

(behind Memories)

Centerville, Utah 84014

(Centerville Exit, West of I-15)

Thank you again for all your support. We look forward to sharing some great deals with you.  It should be a lot of fun.  See you there!

I think the hints that I gave you about who was pictured in the school photos helped because we had a lot of correct guesses.

In case you were wondering, these are the right answers.

• Joey

• Jill

• Julie

We had a lot of correct guesses, so we randomly picked a winner.  Congrats to Rachel.  Rachel email me (jweston@makingmemories.com) your address so I can send a prize.

It's time for round II of the sneak peaks.  What do you think this is?  Check back on Tuesday, September 18th to get all your questions answered!

Today's challenge comes from Kim.  Kim submitted this to us by email.  We loved it and now we want to share with you. 

Do you like finding new ways to use your supplies? Then this challenge is for you. Get out that stash of Making Memories chipboard - all of the letters and shapes you've collected - and use them as a template. Create a cut-out title along the border of a layout, trace some hearts and stars for a doodling effect, or use them as a mask to paint or chalk around. See how far you can push this beloved embellishment.

 

Process I used for my layout:

STEP 1: Arrange letters along the edge of your paper to spell out the title.

STEP 2: Trace around them lightly with a pencil.

STEP 3: Use a straight edge to draw a base line. This will be where your paper ends and the cut-out title begins. This gives you a guideline for cutting.

STEP 4: Use a sharp craft knife to remove the negative spaces. Be sure to stop cutting at your base line that you drew in Step 3. This will ensure the letters stay attached to your paper. Please see the layout for further reference.

Nobody guessed correctly for the school photos post on September 5th.  I thought it would be easy, but I guess that's because I know who they are.

Let's try again.  This time I'll give you a hint.  The photos could be of the following people:

• Maggie Holmes
• Jill Godon
• Wendy Anderson
• Leah Fung
• Julie Turner
• Joey Whittaker

I'll post the winner (I hope there is a winner) on Friday.

Check out the Simple Scrapbooks blog for your chance to win a Making Memories Desktop Organizer.

It’s great to have friends from all over the world.  Today we have the opportunity to meet someone from Germany.  Janine Langer lives in Solingen, which is a small town between Cologne and Düsseldorf.  She lives with her husband René and their four year old son Gabriel. She adores her family, so it’s no wonder that they are her favorite scrapbook subject, especially the everyday memories.  She began digiscrappin’ in 2005.  She really missed working with her hands so in January 2007 she began to scrap with paper.  She still tries to integrate some digital elements now and then (e.g. printing elements on transparency), but scrapping with paper is what she loves. 

What is your favorite photo?

One of my favorite photos is unfortunately not the best. It's totally blurry, but I am in love with my son's facial expression. This has been the moment when he realized how to ride a bike.

What are your three must-have when you scrapbook?

1. Time, the most important element. I am not able to scrap when I don't have enough time because I am an extremely slow scrapper (always shifting around everything takes time).

2. Music or a TV show.  It’s hard for me to scrap when it's silent.

3. Most of the time I have to be in a good mood. When I am sad, angry or anything like that it's hard for me to concentrate.

What is your favorite MM product?

Boho Chic Tiny Alphas in white. I love them and I almost use them on every layout.

Tell us about three of the most exciting places that you have visited.

1. Paris, I am so in love with this town, it's amazing!

2. La Roca, Spain, this is the place where my husband's mother is coming from. It's a small Spanish village without tourists and it's so lovely!

3. Scotland, I LOVE it. Everything, I didn't see a place there that I didn't like.

Where do you turn for inspiration?

Since I am scrapping I pay more attention to ads and other things. Sometimes I see especially color schemes I immediately fall in love with and have to use as soon as I am able to scrap again. Or I browse through online galleries looking at amazing layouts by awesome scrappers. But most of the time I get my inspiration from the pictures I use. From the memories and feelings I have when I look at them.

Describe a typical day in your life: Getting up at 07:00am, making breakfast for my little monster (Gabriel), bring him to kindergarten, doing all the stuff that has to be done (cleaning, shopping, visits, etc.). And then my free time starts, sometimes earlier, sometimes not at all, but mostly enough time to do things I love. In the afternoon I come to meet my son at kindergarten, soccer training, meeting friends, cooking, and everyday life. In the evening, when our son got to bed, then I finally have time to scrap, at least when I don't spend time with my husband or friends.

Here are some layouts and other favorite things of Jenine's.

This is my little sister Fabienne, she's 15 (our nestling) and she's so beautiful. Inside and outside. When I took these pictures of here, I've been totally surprised that she's been growing up so fast. It sounds weird, but till then I still saw her as a child. Only when I saw her through the viewfinder of my camera I realized it.

Layout 'Happy Couple'

I love this picture of my grandparents in 1951. They had a hard life and my grandmother is very ill at the moment. I love their facial expression, their smiles, their love, their wondering what the future will bring, simply everything about this picture!

I love that pink wall we discovered some time ago in front of a furniture store. And I love the picture because again I love the facial expression and the movement.

I am a huge Elvis fan and I've got four of those Elvis figures. Each one in a different design, this is my favorite!

 

Today we are going to spotlight an idea from MM's Show & Tell book.  This page was done by Erin Terrell, oh how we love her and her ideas. 

Erin created a layout to document a few of Daisy's favorite things by covering square pieces of chipboard (gameboard shapes).  I love this layout because it gives a tiny glimpse into Daisy's life and it could give a tiny glimpse into your life.  This can be done by documenting your favorite things.  It could be your favorite things or favorite things for someone else.  Think about some of the following favorites to document:

1. Favorite things you did this summer
2. Favorite things about school (teachers, friends, school subjects)
3. Favorite places to visit
4. Favorite friends
5. Favorite ways to relax
6. Favorite parts of the day
7. Favorite movies or books
8. Favorite photos (what a great way to start a portfolio for yourself)
9. Favorite sayings from your kids
10. Favorite things about being YOU

Here are some instructions for creating a page like this for you.

1. Use blue 9" x 9" cardstock for background
2. Add strip of red along bottom, with green trim added above
3. Create title in Photoshop and print on photo paper
4. Cover chipboard with various patterned papers, photos and stickers
5. Place journaling strips along each chipboard square
6. Embellish chipboard squares with rub-ons and other accents
7. Cover chipboard flowers with patterned paper and add brads

Today the Memory Makers blog is giving a Making Memories Embellishment Center away.  Check it out if you are interested.

It seems like we were just talking about new products that came out for CHA Summer.  Now it's time to start talking about the new products that we will be showing for Memory Trends in Las Vegas next week.  I hope you like sneak peaks because here we go with another one.

Check back on Friday, September 14th for another sneak peak and then on Tuesday, September 18th when all the new products will be revealed.

Do you remember when eyelets came out? Think now, way back when. They were the coolest thing and in so many fabulous colors. Soon after that, Making Memories came out with snaps - remember those? They were the same idea of eyelets, but a fresh and updated application, and I had to have every color! Well, we will revisit those days with this month's designers challenge; to use the old with the new.

When eyelets and snaps first came out, one of their primary purposes was to connect elements to the pages. They were secure, fairly flat, and easy to apply - with a little pounding.

On my "water" layout here, I used the snaps in a little different way...I created a wavy border with coordinating colors. The cute little colorful circles are so yummy, they remind me of candy. The wave is fun and whimsical and reminds me of water play - just what my layout is about.

So dig out those old eyelets and snaps, and use them to create an embellishment for your page. We all want to see what you can come up with so post your ideas to the gallery. Who knows, this old favorite just might become a new favorite again!

Joey

 

How well do you know our page designers?  Do you think you could recognize their school photos?  Well here is your chance.  Listed below are three designers when they were in elementary