My Scrapbook Portfolio

I've finally gotten around to adding in a slideshow of my scrapbook portfolio. I've used most of my new pages for this slideshow. It seems like my pages change in looks over time. I find more ways to do things and find lots of great new embellishments to use. I love embellishing my pages. I hope you like my pages!!!

What's new at The Scrapbooker's Bag

So many things have changed here at The Scrapbooker's Bag. Before Christmas I made a HUGE decision about The Scrapbooker's Bag and how it was going to work for me. This decision was tough, but I had to do it.

At this time in my life I have 3 crazy boys (and I say that with much love) and I babysit my niece and nephew during the week, so time for me, well you guessed it....is extremely limited. My alone time begins around 10pm and goes on til 2am and this is only when I'm not sleeping, which rarely is the case. Needless to say I have no time. So based on this I decided to not sell online and just focus on my personal scrapbooking and keeping up with my blog in a personal way. The Scrapbooker's Bag will continue to be with me here on the blog, but no retail activity will be conducted, just scrapbooking fun.

So here I am on my first day as just a scrapbooking blogger. Whew!! that feels good to not have all that pressure of a business on me. Oh wait...now I have new pressure...what to blog about!!! LOL!!!

No, this is a good pressure. I am just going to spend my time here on all things scrapbooking and touch upon everyday life. These two subjects go nicely together and I hope for a wonderful blogging future.

I hope you will join me on this journey and stay tuned for my 1st Post!!!!

Scrapbooking Tips to Make Scrapbooking Easier

Have you ever received those emails where you get a list of tips on how to use something. You know...like 20 tips on how Listerene can be used in household cleaning????

I have compiled my own list of various tips for scrapbooking that I've tried and they work. I hope they help you out in your scrapbooking

1. When you have a sheet of rub-ons and you decide which one to use, cut it out first and then apply it, otherwise some of the other rubons will rub onto your page.
   
2. After you open a pak of rub-ons, staple the backing to the rub-on sheet or it will shift when you store it and your rub-ons may get messed up.
   
3. If you like to distress your paper or decorated chipboard, buy an emery board that you use on your fingernails. It works just as good as a sheet of sandpaper or expensive scrapbooking distressing tool.
   
4. When you need to apply a large piece of patterned paper or cardstock to an area, use a glue stick. It's cheaper than using your more expensive adhesive because you do need to use a lot of adhesive to cover the area.
   


5. If you want to print your journalling or a title onto a small piece of cardstock or patterned paper, use a repositional adhesive and adere that small sheet to a regular sheet of paper. This keeps it in place while it is going through the printer. Once printed just cut it out.
   


6. If you are punching holes into an album you've made, punch out the top cover first. Then you can lay it over each additional page seperately and use it as a guide so all of the holes line up.
   


7. When you are covering a piece of chipboard with paper, cut a piece of the paper larger than the chipboard. Then adhere it to the chipboard and use an xacto knife to trim it up. You can use your emery board to finish off the edges.
   


8. You don't have to be perfect when you scrapbook. Remember that everything you do is a One-of-a-Kind and slight imperfections are what make it special.
   


9. If you want all of your photos to be the same size on a layout, cut the 1st one to your size and then place it behind the next photo to line it up. You can then draw a small pen line on the back of the 2nd photo and use these lines as a guide when trimming the photo. Continue this step with all of your other photos.
   


10. If you have old jewlery that you don't wear anymore or is broken, take it apart and use the pieces to embellish your pages.
    


11. When you use chalks use the little pom pom balls that you find in the kids craft section. Here they are cheaper than if bought in the scrapbooking section. Also, reuse the pom poms by turning them around on your tool and use up all of the unused areas before throwing them away.
    


12. If you like to use fibers in your scrapbooking try using embroidery floss. A skein of this floss only costs about 25 cents each and there is a ton of it to use and so many colors. Just remember to use all 5 of the floss threads so it fills the space better.

Happy Scrappin!!!

New Trend in Scrapbooking

Have you ever looked at one of your patterned papers and thought, "this would make such a great pillow." This is no longer a dream, it's a reality. I was reading my Scrapbook Etc. magazine and discovered a really cool new trend. Scrapbooking companies are moving into fabric. They are using their beautiful designs from their paper lines and converting them to fabric. So get out your sewing machine and get ready for a new project.

I did a little research on this trend and found that it came out at the beginning of the year. Above is a photo of a quilt made with Cosmo Cricket's Halfway Cafe line. Check it out!!

Isn't it beautiful!!!

Here is the paper line it was inspired by.

How exciting this trend is. So often I see papers that I would love to see as pillows on my sofa. Now I just need to learn to sew...yeah that will happen in my spare time (lol).

Here is another look at the new fabrics from Cosmo Cricket's Jitterbug line. Basic Grey and Anna Griffin are also getting into the trend so look for them in a fabric store near you.

Gee...why didn't they think of this sooner?

I'm off to call my mom, my personal seamtress.

"Hey mom!!!"