Scrapping 365 Blog

New Blog Address

2008-03-23T21:39:00.002-05:00

I've been trying to combine my scrappy blog with my personal blog and have not had any luck. I would keep this blog and just start adding personal content, but I decided that sometimes it's just easier to start with a clean slate. Plus I think it would be benificial to get out from under the buisiness name.

Here's my new blog address:
http://www.jenniferlongenecker.blogspot.com/

I will be moving some of the content from the blog to the new one.

Creativity Push

2008-03-20T08:18:00.003-05:00

I had a little creativity push this week. A dear friend of mine from church asked me to make a whip similar to the cat 0' nine tails used on Jesus to be displayed at the Good Friday service this Friday. I really had no idea what to do so yesterday I decided I was just going to do it. Not that anyone wants to know how to make a whip, but I'm going to tell you how I made it so you can see how the creative process worked.

I picked up a bag of scrap leather strips from Hobby Lobby. Once I was ready to get started I had to determine what exactly I needed. I already had the leather, but I didn't have a handle. I remembered that the kids had broken several croquet mallets so I went outside and found one and sawed it in half. I chose to use the end that had the three color strips on it.

I then sorted out my leather strips. There were a bunch of shoe string sized strips and then in the middle of the clump of strings I found some wider strips that I thought would be perfect and there were exactly 9 of them. Coincidence? I think not.

I started by hot glueing the larger strips to the end of the handle. Once that was done I took several of the shoe string sized strips and glued them over the top portion of the larger strips to cover up the ends. I then tried out the whip on an old table. It didn't sound or feel very powerful so I decided that the tails of the whip needed to be bound a bit more. I took shoe string after shoe string and hot glued them down the larger strips of leather until I got the feel and look I was happy with.

Finally I covered the color strips on the handle with some of the shoe string pieces to make a grip for the handle. I wasn't happy with the overall look so I left it and went and picked up the kids from school.

When I got back I decided that I didn't like the wood showing through so I got some electrical tape and covered the whole handle. The leather underneath gave it a really cool effect. Once that was done it looked better but the tails of the whip seemed to be bare so I went into the garage and found 9 rusty nails and used the shoe string leather to attach them to the ends of each tail. Here's the final product.

Some Assembly Required February Challenge

2008-02-26T15:54:00.004-06:00

I'm not sure if I posted about this site, but there is a brand new blog that deals with the altered arts. Each month they post a challenge to alter a particular object. For those who participate their name is entered into a drawing for a great prize. For the month of February the challenge was to alter a cigar box. It took me forever to find one, but I finally did and here's how it turned out.

Sorry the picture is so small. I just realized I deleted the larger pics accidently. The journaling on the front says "Strength comes in numbers." The journaling on the inside cover says "When a man stands alone he can be easily broken, but when he stands together with his family and friends nothing can break him." The L side has a broken pencil attatched and the R side has seven pencils bound together. We recently used this object lesson with our kiddos and I wanted them to have a constant reminder of that lesson.

BTW the March SAR challenge is to alter a letter or a word.

Scrapbooker Online turns 3!!!

2008-02-20T14:27:00.003-06:00

In celebration of Scrapbooker Online turning 3 they are hosting a weekend crop starting February 29. Get your pictures read and come join the fun. For more details click here.

I'll leave you with a pic of a bird I altered yesterday. Nathan found the bird in the clerance section at Target. It was all blue and not something I would typically pick up, but I saw what it could be and just had to get it. Here's how it turned out:

In order to get the paper to cover the bird and not drive myself crazy with measurements and cutting I decided to use the paper mache method. I cut the paper into small strips and the crumpled them up to make them softer and more moldable. I then attatched them to the bird with Mod Podge. After the strip was attached I applied more Mod Podge to the top and rubbed the strip with my finger to make sure all the air bubbles were out. Once the bird was finished I painted the base and hot glued some Making Memories leaves to the base. I then added flowers, brads and gems to complete the look. I'm so happy with how it turned out.

Unmounted Stamp Storage

2008-02-15T14:20:00.004-06:00

I used to keep my stamps in the original packaging and they barely fit into a photo box. I decided that I really needed a new way to store my stamps so this is what I came up with...

This lunch box is roughly half the size of the photo box I was using and it fits all of my stamps with plenty of room for future stamps. It can also fit my acrylic blocks but I'm not sure I want to do that at this point.

Here's what I did:
1. I bought a lunch box from Hobby Lobby and altered it.

2. I took some laminating sheets and ran them through the laminator.
3. I cut the laminated sheets to fit the box, in this case the sheets were cut down to 4x7 sheets.
4. I took all my stamps out of the original packaging and sorted them by category. ie: journaling stamps, swirls, sentaments, flowers, etc.
5. I placed the stamps on the 4x7 laminated sheets using the front and the back.
6. I made tabbed divider cards for each catagory.
7. I placed all my stamps and dividers in the box in the order I typically use the stamps.

Need to try something different.

2008-02-11T13:57:00.000-06:00

Ok. I've kind of lost my blogging mojo so I think it's time to try something different. You know how some people have an idea jar on their scrap table for when they need a kick in the pants? Well I think that's what I need for blogging. I think I'll make one of those. So what could go in it? Maybe color schemes or color meanings? Maybe featured LO's from some of the message boards I'm on? Products I love? New techniques? Project step-by-steps? Well I'll get to thinking about that and I'll be back soon with some more frequent posts.

It's been a while....

2008-01-26T15:09:00.000-06:00

I'm sorry it's been a while since I posted. We took a quick trip down to South Padre Island and then we had some birthdays to attend to. The boys turned 8 and Zach wanted to get a dog and Austin wanted to get a cat. Well to make a long story short the dog did not work out and now we have two new cats. With taking care of all the animals and trying to keep up with the LOAD challenges I keep forgetting to sit down and blog.

Here's a picture of Jamie. She's a 14 week old Lab mix. She's a very cute and sweet little girl but unfortunately we are NOT dog people.

I still haven't gotten pictures of the cats but will try to soon.

On the scrappy side, I was introduced to a kit of the month club that I hadn't heard of so I decided to check it out. Their kits rock and are one of the best priced kit clubs I've seen out there. Check it out for yourself and you will find that you are Simply Obsessed. They are also currently looking for 5 new design team members. You can check out the call info here.

Here's a clock I altered today.

to make this clock I simply used a clock that we hadn't really been using and took the glass off it. I then glued the lace cardstock onto the top of the Fancy Pants True PP. I set that aside to dry while I punched circles from some Scenic Route Background paper. Once the circles were all cut out I put the numbers on each circle using Making Memories rub-ons. I then added my signature broken boarder to each circle. I then measured the inside of my clock and found a circle the right diameter which in this case was a lid from a plastic mixing bowl. I turned the pattern papers over and traced the lid on the back of the paper and cut it out. I then used a ruler to draw a vertical and horizontal line down the middle of the circle to determine the center. Once the center was determined I used the smallest CM circle cutter and blue blade to cut a circle in the middle. I then added photo corners to the paper and slipped it over the clock hands and affixed it to the clock. I then attatched the numbered circles. To cover up the exposed part of the clock under the hands I used an Urban Lily flower cut out. I cut a small circle for the center and then slipped the flower over the clocks hands and attached it to the clock.

Ok so that description would have been a lot better if I had taken pictures for each step. I'll try to do that next time I alter something.

Halloween Mini Album....

2008-01-14T07:58:00.000-06:00

Here's a mini album I put together with pictures of the kids halloween costumes from this year. I still need to take a picture of the end product but here are some scans of each page.

More LO's from LOAD

2008-01-09T12:32:00.000-06:00

Here are a few more LO's I did for the LOAD challenge going on at Big Picture Scrapbooking.

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

If you're looking for a challenge and a great way to earn some free scrapbooking product check out the SBO Weekly challenge.

Want to see what CHA Winter has in store? Check out these new lines from Cherry Arte.

Click here if you want a chance to win the newest mini line from Scenic Route.

And here's a sneak peek at the new Valentines collection from Queen and Company.

And have you seen the new Crop-o-Dile?

LOAD - LayOut A Day Challenge from BPS

2008-01-04T18:06:00.000-06:00

I've decided to participate in the LOAD challenge offered by Big Picture Scrapbooking. It's been a lot of fun and I thought I would share my first four LO's with you. So far it hasn't been too hard to get a LO a day completed but we haven't reach a weekend yet so we'll see how it goes the next few days. If you are a LOAD participant and would like a specific daily challenge head on over to Scrapbooker Online and check out this message board thread.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Scrap Room

2008-01-02T08:03:00.000-06:00

So I finally got my scrap room finished yesterday. During my re-organization dh decided it would be best if he gave me my birthday present early so he brought up the MM Embelishment Center. I absolutely love it and it was just what I needed. Here are a few pictures of my scrap desk and my tool desk.

Scrap Paper Storage

2007-12-31T16:47:00.000-06:00

The Question of the Day over at Scrapbooker Online was about scrap storage. I just got through organizing my scraps so I thought I would share with everyone what I came up with.

I found some Photo Chest Drawer Dividers at my LSS for $.61 and I placed two of them in a drawer. I used one drawer for my cardstock scraps and another for my pattern paper scraps and this is how it turned out.

More Ornaments...

2007-12-22T13:03:00.001-06:00

Here are some ornaments I made last weekend. I can't believe it's taken me this long to upload them. I've just been too busy playing with the kids. These ornaments are made from the Maya Road Sheer Scallop Coaster Album, Cosmo Cricket's Be Good and Hey Sugar pattern papers, and some pape piecing templates provided by Scrapbooks ETC.

To make these ornaments for yourslef you will need:
Maya Road Square Scallop Coaster Sheer Album
Pattern paper
8 (4.25x4.25) pattern paper squares
8 (3x3) pattern paper squares
Pattern Paper
Glitter
Paper Piecing Patterns
Brads
Pen
Adhesive
Ribbon

Take a 3x3 square and attatch it to a 4.25x4.25 square. Add a broken line frame to the edge of the 3x3 square for interest. Attacth the complete 4.25x4.25 square to the back of the sheer coaster making sure you can see both squares through the coaster. Trim away excess paper around the coaster. Put together your paper piecing and outline each piece with a broken line to add detail and attatch to the front of the coaster. Next add glitter to the edges of the cloaster and let dry. Finish it up with a matching ribbon and you're ready to hang it on your tree.

Ornament Bandwagon

2007-12-14T20:15:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I've decided to jump on the ornament bandwagon and create a few of my own ornaments. I'm still not sure if I'm happy with the outcome but the kids really enjoy them. I took apart a 3x3 Maya Road album to use as my base and used the Cosmo Cricket Be Good line of paper. I tried stamping a phrase on each one but the ink I used didn't show up so I had to go back over it with a pen.

Front

Back

Cute Calendar from Simple Scrapbooks

2007-12-13T18:12:00.000-06:00

Look at this great calendar from Simple Scrapbooks. They have even included all the downloads and instructions you need to make you're very own. I can't wait to get started on mine. Click here to get started.

Creating Keepsakes Bargain

2007-12-05T07:56:00.000-06:00

Creating Keepsakes has placed a few of their books on sale for $6!!! Check it out here.

Paper Trunk Design Team Call

2007-11-28T07:58:00.000-06:00

I met Carrie Postma several years ago on a message board and she recently started up Paper Trunk. She's had several fabulous guest designers but now she is looking for a design team for 2008. She's such a sweet lady and would be lot of fun to work with. If' you have ever dreamed of being part of a design team you have to try out for this one. Click here for more details and good luck.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-26T07:57:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Ours was really nice. We had a few family members come in and we enjoyed way too much food. I always manage to let Thanksgiving fall through the cracks when it comes to taking pictures to scrapbook. Well this year I decided to take pictures for a Thanksgiving recipie book. There are certain dishes that each person usually "has" to make because it's "tradition" so we let them make their dishes and then a couple of others added a few new recipies to the mix. I took pictures of every dish that was set on the table and will later make a mini album with the pictures, their recipies and a little about the person who made the dish.

Two Sites...

2007-11-19T17:41:00.000-06:00

Since we are quickly approaching Thanksgiving I thought I would include a few scrapbooking sites I am thankful for.

Two Peas in a Bucket: I had my heart set on getting the Scenic Route Salem line for my halloween pictures and the Elsie Jack + Abby line for the Thanksgiving pictures I forsee taking, but no one had either of those lines in stock. I checked every on-line store and LSS and couldn't find both of them in stock. I had forgotten about Two Peas until today. I finally got my papers ordered along with one of the new sheer albums from Maya Road. I can't wait!

Maya Road Design Team Blog: I've been keeping an eye on this blog and they regularly update with some really cool out of the box ideas for how to use the Maya Road products.

I'll be posting a few more sites as we lead up to Thanksgiving.

There wasn't as much of a response to the referral contest as I would have liked so we have canceled that contest. We'll try again later.

Cute Christmas Decoration

2007-11-13T06:48:00.000-06:00

Ok, I know it's early but I saw this Christmas Decoration tutorial on the Maya Road designers blog and just had to share. For instructions click here.

Creating Keepsakes 2008 Hall of Fame Contest

2007-11-12T08:52:00.000-06:00

It's official. The 2008 Hall of Fame Contest is open. I have yet to actually enter this contest but this year I'm going to try my best to get the challenges done in time. If you are interested in entering or just want to challenge yourself and your creativity check here for the entry form. If you want some helpful tips on submitting your entry click here.

Don't forget we have a referral contest going on. You can click here for the details.

Care to Crop

2007-11-05T08:14:00.000-06:00

If you live in or near Maitland Florida you are going to want to check out the 1st Annual Care to Crop event sponsered by Connerstone Hospice. The crop is on February 23, 2008 and runs for 10 hours. The cost is $45 and includes breakfast, lunch, snacks, goodie bags, vendor demonstrations, on-site shopping, door prizes and most importantly your scrapbooking space.

More great Halloween picture tips...

2007-10-18T18:58:00.000-05:00

Creating Keepsakes has more tips for getting great Halloween pictures. Check them out here.

Blessing Box

2007-10-17T14:33:00.000-05:00

Have you seen the most recent issue of Creating Keepsakes? Did you check out the Give Thanks section? Well one of the projects in that article was a blessing box and right now Creating Keepsakes has the template available for download so if you want a cute project that will help you and your family count your blessings this Thanksgiving go check it out.

Halloween Project

2007-10-16T12:09:00.000-05:00

Do you need another cute Halloween project to help you get into the fall mood? Check out this cute door hanger by Creative Imaginations.

Don't forget to check out our poll that's ending today.