challenge for followers to create Dec daily album

Hi! In recent issue of Scrapbooks Etc they showed a woman's December dailies album. Even though I don't have children, I thought since I'm really pushing my crafting skills and abilities, I would try this.

In the magazine issue, the Dec dailies creator encouraged that the 'guts' of the album be made ahead of time and I thought that would be the key for me if I wanted to succeed at this project. So over the past 3 days, I've spent maybe 3-4 hours getting mine created.

To make the cost easy on my wallet, I used a regular green notebook binder and 31 sheet protector pages. I've put a foil star in the bottom R corner of each. I've alternated construction paper colors (off-white, green, red, brown, black) to be background papers for each day. Before putting into the sheet protector pages, I've done the following: date stamped each page twice (opposite corners), used decorative hole punches--star and reindeer (I've varied the locations and # of times punched), and added a white shape cut-out to be a small journal area (varied and alternated the shapes--stocking, Chr tree, star, snowman, & mitten).

So far, I've not spent much money as time and effort. My date stamper doesn't show up on the black construction paper, but I'll reinforce the date on the journal area, so I'm not concerned with this. I'm planning on recording any special Christmas events we attend, when Christmas cards arrive, when gifts are received, etc. Later, I will insert the rec'd cards into the album after I've displayed them for about a month. Every year I try to buy at least one new ornament, so I want to record that on one of the days in December.

Check out the magazine issue to see how the example was made and I hope many blog followers will do this for themselves and their families.

There's no limit on the range or the variety of types of 'dailies' that could be created. Ideas: you could try to bake a different cookie every day and show photos/share recipe; you could try a different appetizer every day...; you could create and/or give a little gift to someone every day (make a list to include neighbors, co-workers, elderly relatives, etc); you could do a family activity every day and record it w/ photos, memo response strips from each member (could be simple ideas like making hot chocolate, popping and stringing popcorn, putting out birdseed/corn cobs for birds & squirrels, taking a walk around the block to look at neighbor's decoration,.....)

Experimenting with styles, techniques, and influences

The 'love' card and the 'journey' patchwork card are the results I created for the PWMB October swaps challenge of "Like it, Love it, or Gotta Have it". We were challenged to take stripes to a different level--whether it was using striped paper or creating stripes with a technique (weaving, quilting effect, etc).

By being involved in this particular challenge, it really made me look at my supplies I purchased thus far through Paper Wishes (PW)/Hot Off the Press. It made me think about sizing, especially regarding focal elements (balance and proportion).

I also used stripes for my background papers with the October card swap. With that, some of the papers were metallics, so the sheen added a very nice element to a card that could have been 'okay'.

I challenge you, the reader, to see what you can do differently with striped paper or creating stripes.

getting ready for 2 craft shows and PWMB monthly swaps

October has still been a very busy crafting month. The month started with the blog-hopping day through Paper Wishes Message Board followers/sign-up. They challenged us to send our created cards to Operation Write Home so that our military overseas can have beautiful cards to send back home to their friends and relatives.

In mid-September I had signed up for 4 different challenges/swaps through PWMB for October. In the past, I've normally only participated in 2, but I decided I wanted to challenge myself in trying different techniques and/or types of papercrafts. Then I committed to be part of a early holiday craft/vendor bazaar set for tomorrow. Then I decided it would be good to do a small version of this event in my town, so now I've got a few flyers distributed and few crafters and vendors signed-up. I've got to work on this more in the coming week! (my event will be Nov 16)

Look on the site for photo corners and note holder inserts for some of my other recent papercrafting.

Public thank you

One of my earliest supporters of my papercrafting in the past 1 1/2 years has been my childhood best friend, Susie. Her encouraging comments have given me strength to continue. Thanks, dear friend!

My family and extended relatives have supported and appreciated my efforts,too. In the past 30 years, I've sent lots of cards and letters, but 2010 has been about creating my own cards for special occasions and postcards for birthdays and anniversaries for family members of my husband and I. God blessed me with gifts of caring, helping, and teaching with talents in the fine and practical arts and I wanted to use these to minister to others.

sharing another part of the PWMB Blog Hop day

A card challenged was issued to create a card using PW products plus at least 1 of 2 popular phrases used by owner, Paulette ('make a wish' or 'unwrap the magic').

On each side of this blog entry, please notice the purple and silver happy birthday card that I made in the wee hours of this morning in order to get included before the time deadline.

I'm thrilled with all the details I was able to include in the hour that it took me to create this from start to finish!

PWMB Blog Hop challenge and cause

www.operationwritehome.org

Crafters are desired to create general occasion cards (leave a blank liner or area for writing)to be sent overseas to US military. They will have a chance to select a desired card to use to send back home to a loved one. The website explains what to avoid in making the card, how to prepare it specifically for the military and also how to get cards to the volunteer shippers.

Today I started making a few to send and with the first 2 I used mostly Paper Wishes products. Here's a quick tutorial:

Paper Wishes products: white cards and envelopes, card fronts & inside punched circles papers (HOTP's girlfriend gifts Journal Kits), vine punch (Tonic Studios), scalloped circle punch, and friendship sentiment (HOTP's 1,000 Card Quote CD)

Other products: adhesive stickies, papers & word processing (own supplies for "hello", "hope your day is brighter", "missing our times together" sentiments & "from:" signing strips, 4 different decorative edged scissors plus a straight edge pair (or paper cutter), white liner papers, blue and purple ink stamp pads

Steps for card fronts:
1. Cut purple patterned paper to cover background (approx. 5" x 6 1/2") and adhere to card front (I used a horizontal layout.)
2. Cut 3 strips each from a different paper that coordinates with background; used a different dec-edge scissor for each paper strip and just on the long horizontal sides in order to make it easier/quicker to line up and adhere; before adhering--use vine punch or similar one and evenly space punches (I used the width of the punch as my spacer); decide what order to arrange paper strips and then adhere.
3. One card has "hello!" added to the front and the other has a friendship quote. (adhere well--esp for military so nothing gets caught under edges of add-ons)

Steps for card inside layouts:
1. Apply blue and purple ink from stamp pads in random arrangement around the inside edges of cardstock. Let dry before adhering anything.
2. Before applying white liner paper, use decorative edge scissors around edges to give an added creative touch.
3. I usually like to have a signing strip or shape of plain paper or cardstock when selling or giving cards to someone else to use.
4. Since my card form was white and my liner paper was white, that's why I used the blue and purple stamped ink as well as added the punched circles and sentiment strips. It still leaves plenty of white space for the military service man/woman to write a personal message. This step is optional.

On back: OWH's guidelines ask that you label the back with their name. I've added a date stamp for when I created the card and also my blog address rather than giving my personal name or address. You can choose just to give the OWH label.

See photos of how I used identical papers to create 2 different cards.

Paper Wishes Blog Hop Card Making Day

Come Join Paper Wishes for World Card Making Day and you can WIN! Starting October 1 at 8 AM EST and ending October 3 at 8 AM EST you will have a chance to win some great prizes worth more than $50 -

There will be three total winners, so you have three ways to win:

1. Hop to each blog listed below
• Leave a comment at each one
• Become a Follower at each blog
• Write down the Paper Wishes product featured on the blogs
• Send a Private message to Swaps Albums on the Paperwishes Forum: http://forum.paperwishes.com/member.php?u=2271 (If you have questions, email angela@sewmanycards.com for help) telling us all of the products being featured.

2. Hop to each blog listed below
• Leave a comment at each blog
• Become a Follower at each blog
• One random winner will be chosen from the comments


3. Hop to each blog listed below
• Leave a comment at each one
• Become a Follower at each blog
• Make a project using mostly Paper Wishes products
• Send a Private message to Swaps Albums on the Paper Wishes Forum: http://forum.paperwishes.com/member.php?u=2271 (If you have questions, email angela@sewmanycards.com for help) with a link to your project of a picture.

Here is information for my project that you can get at Paper Wishes:

Happy Card Collection

Price: $35.49

Never Try to Teach a Pig to Sing: http://unteachablepig.blogspot.com/
Cher-ing Paper Memories: http://cheringpapermemories.blogspot.com/
Montserrat Native: http://montserratnative.blogspot.com/
Becca's Heart for Creativity : http://www.beccasheartland.blogspot.com/
Crafty Imaginings by Jen: http://craftyimaginingsbyjen.blogspot.com/
Nancy's Creative Space: http://www.nancyscreativespace.blogspot.com/
Precious Thoughts, : http://www.preciousthoughtscards.blogspot.com/
Penny's Page: http://www.pennydouph.blogspot.com/
Crafty Patti' s Card Crafts: http://pattiscards.blogspot.com/
Sew Many Challenges: http://sewmanychallenges.com/