1. Meet the New Design Team.

2. Savoring the Creative Process, by Kimberly Reed.

3. Savouring the Every Day, by Marieke Broekman.

Join us in welcoming our fabulous design team! These three gals join our current Executive Design team (Marieke Broekman, Celeste Smith, Kimberly Reed, Marci Lambert, and Dina Wakley). Visit our DT Bio page!

Also join us in giving a heartfelt thank you to Kim Faucher and Missy Crowell, our newest Emeritus DT members. They have been fun and inspiring!

Lisa M. Pace

I live in Frisco, Texas with my husband of 16 years and two daughters. I began scrapbooking in 2004 and was the lead designer for a local scrapbook store in Rockwall, Texas from June of 2005 until June of 2006. I am currently a designer for Maya Road and Cocoa Daisy. I have been published or am about to be published in Scrapbook Trends, Paper Trends, Memory Makers Books, Cantata Books, CorrespondenceART and Paper Creations as well as several idea books.

I love patterned paper and usually scrap in a 12 x 12 format. I cannot scrap without my trusty old ruler and feel I do not have any one set style. I have tried many different styles and feel my versatility shows in my artwork. I also love creating themed mini albums as well as unique one of a kind paper dolls.

I am thrilled to be a ScrapGal design team member and hope to inspire others and look forward to sharing my work.

Sherine Sawyer

Howdy! I am Sherine (Sher for short) Sawyer. I live in Glendale, Arizona with my husband of 13 years, Johnny, and my darling daughter, Alexis (10). I started scrapping in 1996 but didn't get fanatical about it until 2005. I love being able to document my family's precious moments with an artistic flair. I have been known to have quite an extensive scrapbooking supply collection. Hey, a girl can NEVER have too many supplies!  

Aside from scrapbooking, I am a hardcore do-it-yourselfer. My walls are an empty canvas.  I also love photography, stamping and playing cards. We are also a home school family. It's been a great experience that has strengthened our family bonds.   

One of my favorite quotes is "It is not the years in your life but the life in your years that counts!"

Rachael Chamberlain 

With this month's theme being savor, the first thing that came to mind for me was savoring the process of creating. Scrapping is more to me than capturing moments, capturing and documenting our lives. For me, it is almost as important (if not more so) to enjoy the creative process, to have that creative outlet. When I scrap I immerse myself. I lose myself. What could be better? I seem to have two different ways of scrapping. One (which I seem to favor) is the wild, funky, use paint and any other non-traditional items you can think of style. It's the get crazy and let loose style. The other is still funky, but...well....more tame. It's still got the groove (or so at least I like to think) but seems to fit in more with mainstream.  This article is all about the funk. Hey. What can I say. I told you I favor that style!

For my project I decided to use NO patterned paper. I didn't even use any cardstock.  Instead I opted to use just a photograph itself. We are going to get wild and crazy and turn a photograph into a canvas of free spirit.

#1 Choose a Photograph

Choose a photograph (preferably one where the subject is fairly up close). Edit the photograph to your liking and print it out on photo paper in 8 1/2 x 11 size (or order an 8 1/2 x 11 sized print).

#2 Sand the Photograph

That's right. You heard me. Break out the sand paper and go to town. But there's a trick to this.  Sand gently and consistently wipe away the residue. Sand around the subject in your photograph making sure you sand in an outline around said subject. You want to create a 'not there in all areas' outline but an outline nevertheless. Sand in all different directions over the rest of the photograph (except of course over your subject). This will give you a lot of texture and movement which is important. On some parts of the photograph, you want to take away all the color leaving only the white background. The easiest way to do this is to lightly wet a paper towel (or use a wipe) and gently rub it over the portion of the photograph you are working on. Then gently sand away all of the color leaving only the white backing of the photo paper. Depending on where you're working, put something underneath your photograph. Sanding can be a little rough on your work space.

#3 Paint the Photograph

Choose the colors you want to paint onto the photograph and begin the painting process. I chose two different colors of blue, a funky pink, lagoon (a green color) and brown. Get a small bowl of some sort big enough to hold a 1/2 teaspoon (approximately) of paint and big enough to dip your brush into. Add in a few drops of water. You want a water-color affect. Keep some wet paper towels (or wipes) nearby. I used a foam brush for this.  Dip the brush into the paint and have at it. Make it what you want it to be. Paint in small sections.  Put the paint on, let it set for a minute then wipe away the paint in miscellaneous areas. This will give definite points of interest. Change colors and repeat the process. Remember that all through this process should you do something you don't like there's an easy fix. Just sand again and start over.

    

#4 Add Points of Interest

Decide where you want your title (if you're going to have one). I used Heidi Swapp chipboard alphas but before I adhered them I sanded them to give them a rough/distressed look. 

Here's a better look at the sanded title.

I added some small dots of off white acrylic paint (not watered down) to the top of the photograph using a cotton swab for even more points of interest. I thought my page (photograph) needed some off white to balance everything out.

#5 Add Journaling and Rub Ons and Voila, You're Done

Journal all over the photograph. When you get close to the title add some rub-ons (I used 7Gypsies). I also added a 7Gypsies sticker. Here's my finished product!



Chipboard Alphas: Heidi Swapp.
Rubons: 7Gypsies.
Stickers: 7Gypsies.
Pen: American Crafts slick writer.
Misc: Paint, sand paper and the photograph itself

Journaling:
Alexander is most definitely a free spirit. I love that about him. When he wants something he goes after it. He is loving, sweet, full of giggles and very determined when he sets his mind on something. He has the best laugh. Ever. He loves the ocean and the beach just like I do. This pic was taken at Big River Beach the last time we were in Mendo. He was standing on the beach as the waves came up and got his feet. He loved it. I want that sense of freedom and adventure to stay with him always. This pic of my little duder in nothing but his Batman boxers, standing on the beach aware of nothing but the water and sand around him is something I want to remember forever. Alexander at three years old.  Feb 2007

Savouring the Every Day, by Marieke Broekman

This article is more or less an extension to one of the ideas I talked about in the January newsletter about Observations. In said article I suggested to document the every day as a way to create a 'less ordinary' family scrapbook. This month I want to delve deeper into that idea and encourage you to take a closer look at the ordinary things that make up the essence of your daily life.

When you think about it there is lots of stuff in your daily living that is worth remembering and passing on through your scrapbook pages. When you, your children or even grandchildren pick up your scrapbooks in 40 years time will the pages provide a good glimpse of the daily happenings and routines? There are so many small and seemingly unimportant events that happen on a daily basis. Things we routinely do or say without giving it another thought. Our routines change over time, evolving with the changing dynamic of our family and soon something that was a mundane and daily occurrence is forgotten when time moves on.

I want to encourage you to take a closer look at these daily events, savour them and give them a place in your scrapbooks.

Let's examine an ordinary day in your life. You could make a page in which you incorporate a schedule of your day and be done with it. Or you could take a closer look at all the elements in your schedule and give them each a place of pride in your scrapbook. Relish the ordinary things that give flavour to your Every Day.

What time do you get up? Does the alarm wake you, your kids and/or husband or do you wake up naturally?  This may change over time, why not scrapbook it.

What do you do first? I made a layout about my shower a while ago. It is my sanctuary before I face the mayhem that two young children bring. Another layout I want to do soon is about my morning coffee. I savour my morning coffee. I have to have two cups of coffee in the morning with breakfast. Without it I can't seem to function properly. These are ordinary things, but essential ingredients of my every day living. They are scrapbook worthy in my opinion.

Moving on to breakfast. What does it consist of? Cereal, toast or something else? Always the same or is there a variety? Perhaps people in your family all have different tastes. For example Johnny might want his bread toasted while Jane only wants it fresh. For you this is normal and part of your routine. You don't even give it another thought while you prepare breakfast for everyone, catering for different tastes. But tastes change over time. I know my kids have certainly moved on from the baby rice. So consider making a page about breakfast, because pretty soon you will have forgotten all about Johnny's favourite cereal or toast topping when he's all grown up.

Now look at all the other elements that make up your day. Savour the simple things, savour the every day. Scrap about your pile of laundry, yes really. I know mine has changed considerably since the kids were babies. It seems to have got bigger, even without a husband in the mix any more. There are sports clothes to wash now. And I have a daughter who likes to change up to four times a day. Or perhaps you just have a certain way of hanging the washing on the line. Do you group similar items together? Hang matching outfits side by side? Pair socks as you hang them on the line? You do it automatically, it is just part of your daily routine. Scrapbook it!

Other daily events to include can be the contents of your fridge, perhaps before and after a shopping trip. And while you're at it, a page about where you do your grocery shopping. What do you typically buy? How much do you spend? Do you have a budget?

Lunches. What's in a typical school or work lunch? What does the lunch box look like. These are all ingredients of our day that we generally take for granted but make an awesome scrapbook page when looking back in 10 or more years. 

Also worth considering: where do you work? What do you do? How do you get there? Who do you work with? What does your desk or work area look like? You spend 1/3 of your day in this place and although at times you'd probably rather be somewhere else it is an important part of your day and your life.

Perhaps there are certain phrases or sayings that you find yourself repeating over and over again. They're nothing deep and meaningful and they certainly change over time depending on whom they are directed at. One I find myself repeating every single day lately is this one:

Ah, the joys of having a 6 year old. But in a few more years I'll be telling him to turn the stereo down and a few more years from then I'll be grilling him on where he left my car keys. By then this incessant nose picking phase will be long forgotten.

Don't forget to include those daily frustrations. Marci did one not long ago:

I also remember this fabulous mini book she created about her daily observations.

Cardstock: Bazzill.
Patterned Paper: Making Memories Kraft line.
Chipboard: Heidi Swapp and Scenic Route.
Arrow and heart brad: Around the Block.
Overlay: Hambly.
Stickers: from Domino magazine.