Monthly Archives: July 2020

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How We Got Started

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As I thought about what to blog about this week, someone asked me how I got started in all this. I think this is a good time to tell this story! 

 

Way back when I had 2 small kids at home we went looking for a small business that I could run out of our home and have a break from the kids. We went to a business fair thing they were having and met Polly Billings.  She is the reason we are where we are! She also is one of my dearest friends!  She introduced my to Creative Memories. It was a small business that taught classes on how to scrapbook. Scrapbooking was just coming into the craft world.  I signed up and had 1 person at my first class. But that one person had a class and then 2 of those people had a class and well, it just went n from there!  

I think one of the reasons that it worked so well was my philosophy on scrapbooking. I believed that I could teach people the safest ways to scrapbook and then let them decide for themselves what level of safety they wanted to do. I never thought one company could supply everything for every layout, there were just too many different ones! 

I believe that we scrapbook for 3 reasons. I relate it to our children but it has the same benefits for all of us adults too!

First, scrapbooking gives us the knowledge of our roots.  Knowing where we came from is very empowering.  I told the story of one day between my grandmother and my son. Alex was about 3 or 4 and we had gone to my grandmother’s to work on her scrapbooks. My grandfather had passed away years before and neither of my children got to know him. Anyway, Alex came in the room and asked grandma if he could look at a book with her. She got him in her lap and they started to look at one of the books.  She told him about her parents and the house she grew up in and several other things before she got to the page that had my grandfather on it. As she started to say this is grandpa, Alex interrupted her and said “that’s my grandpa Howell uhn, and he’s the one who drove trains uhn?!” There wasn’t a dry eye in the room! 

The second thing is that scrapbooking gives confidence. “I’m so important or special that mom made a whole page/book about me! It also reminds them of the happy things and the struggles. And when they look back and see that they got through that struggle, this one doesn’t seem so bad.

Third, it gives them wings to fly on their own. When my kids look back at my childhood scrapbooks they think I am really dorky. It allows them to feel out of place at the moment but know that they can become cool in the end!! LOL LOL LOL

As the years went by my great customers and friends (most of my dearest friends I’ve met through scrapbooking) would ask me if I knew how to do this or that craft and could I teach them. If I could figure it out or find a class to teach me then I would teach them! So now we do all kinds of crafting but scrapbooking and paper crafts are still at the top of my list! 

 

Thank you for letting me share my passion for all these years! Polly it’s all your fault!!!!

By the way Steve is a Creative Memories Advisor so we have put a link below if you would like to check it out. They are Not the cheapest but the safest and longest lasting albums and base supplies. If you would like to see them in person to see some, just let us know, I have about 50 done on the shelves! And a bunch more waiting to be filled!

Lu

To see Creative Memories product or order it click here

https://www.creativememories.com/cm/stevepenfold

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Father’s Day

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The shirts were such a big hit for Mother’s Day that I decided to do the boys one for Father’s Day!

 

The biggest issue I am having with this is finding matching shirts, especially for the baby. So Gene’s and MaryLu’s are different but coordinating. And I had to shop on the boys side of the store.

 

Also Alex said that Hope really want a pair of basketball shorts like his. That was hard to find in a 4T.  So again I went to the boys and found an extra small pair.  They fit her!!! Yeah!!!

I also made their cards.

Thanks for visiting my blog!!!

Lu

 

 

 

 

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Cards

Cardkit

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I bought this kit at my favorite store! I just wanted to see what they thought went together and how they said to do them.

There are no instructions or suggestions. This is what comes in the kit. It says it makes 12 cards.

I don’t think that most of this even goes with these card bases. The colors and tones are way off. So the first thing I did was to sort out what I thought would work.

The pieces all came with “pop up” squares already on them.  They didn’t really pop up far enough to tell that you use a pop-up. You can see on some of them I just put tape on them and put them flat down, I didn’t take their “pop up” off.  In this picture, you can see how much more space my pop up leaves.

The next thing I did was try to find a paper that matched or complimented.  This is usually the hardest part of the design.  It is also one of the parts I like doing, especially when you get it just right. My green was just a little off of the shade I wanted so I sanded it.

This is a white core paper and sanding it makes a big difference. Sanding a non-white core paper also changes the color of the paper and I will show you that on a different set of cards.

Finding the right embellishment can be tough as well.  I like to get several out and lay them on my project to see what I like.

The other thing that people ask me is, “Do I measure to get my things straight and evenly spaced?” Those of you that have had a class with me know that is a big NO!! Nothing needs to be that precious. But here are a couple of tips: an odd number of embellishments usually look best, so start by putting one in the center, then but one on each end equal distance from the edge, then find the center between that one and the one you have already in the middle.

I ended up only doing 6 cards because of the lack of embellishments that I felt worked. So at some point, we will come back and do the other 6.

 

Thanks for reading my blog!

Lu

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Workspace

Work Space

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With the loosening of some of the COVID 19 restrictions, we are hoping you will want to come and work on your crafting projects. Whether it is catching up your scrapbook or doing that new holiday decoration we would like to help. If you just need a little help, space away from distractions, or a girls’ night out we are here! 

We thought it would be good to show you the space we have set up for you to come and work in.

The dream is to have a self-standing shop, and to that end, we had the frame built when we had the house done. We couldn’t afford to have it finished on the inside and we will be doing that as we can.

For now, we are set up in the house. This isn’t the first time that the workspace has taken over my living room. When I first started way back in Utah in 1996 we set up tables in the living room as well! We all scrapbooked in it just great! I’m hoping this works out just as well. 

We have enough space to set up 4 8′ tables. We only have 2 tables set up at the moment but can set the others up as we need to.  Now that the restrictions for COVID have loosened a little, I’m hoping you will see a project you want to come and make!!! Bring your girlfriends and have a night out!!!

 

 

Lu

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Cards

Shaker Card Kit

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I saw this card kit at one of my favorite stores and decided to get a couple to put together. I bought several different ones so we will talk about the others later.

This one was a shaker card, meaning you put glitter or something small behind a piece of acetate. Everything was included in the kit to make 6 cards, 2 of each design.

Box that the card kit came in.



I should tell you that I have never made a shaker card. I know how to but haven’t really ever made one.  I didn’t think about how much of the glitter/confetti to put in. The directions didn’t say.  I saw that the kit comes with 6 cards and 2 packs of confetti, so a third of the pack of glitter per card?

Card base and front. Glitter

 

Well, those of you with experience making these will know that it was way too much!!! I didn’t really get it right until about halfway through.

Using the mathematical approach. WAY TOO many glitters!
Left: Correct Amount. Right: TOO much. Lol



My next mishap was the aligning. They had all the adhesive already so I just peeled and lined up the card front. Well, I guess I’m not too good at that either!!! They are all off at least a little! Then at least one side is sticky. My solution was of course good old baby powder!

It has its own adhesive for the cover.
Using baby powder to cover the adhesive overhang.



I’m posting this to tell you all that no one gets it right the first time and that’s ok!!! If you get a card from me and you can’t read the sentiment because of too much bling in the shaker card, know that I love you so much that I wanted you to have a BIG, BIG party!!!!

Full set of shaker cards, in varying degrees of glitterfied!

 

Thanks

Lu

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