Scrap Big

We have NEW blog!

Hello blog readers!

Big Picture Scrapbooking is now Big Picture Classes and we've moved.

Please come visit us on our new blog at http://www.bigpictureclasses.com/blog/!

Tuesday Tip!

 

 

You can use your home office paper shredder to "cut" perfectly straight distressed edge strips of your favorite papers, in seconds!!

Mariangeles Masegosa

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Do you have a tip for your fellow BPS friends? We’d love to hear it! Please email your Tuesday Tips to [email protected]. If your tip is featured here on our blog you’ll receive a $10 BPS gift certificate! 

Fall Fun!

Labor Day has come and gone, the kids are back in school and we are all getting into our fall routines. Is it too soon to start thinking about the winter holidays? Well maybe...but if you want to get a jump-start on creative gifts, it's time to start thinking and doing!

Donna Downey's Fun with Fabric starts September 30th and it’s all about using fabric and canvas to create beautiful projects. During this 12 week, Donna will be demonstrating via video how to complete nine fabric-based projects.   So, you can create a cute camera bag for yourself or a cool fabric album to give to your favorite aunt. For a complete list of projects and visual examples, please take a peek at the class supply list. Oh, and I forgot to mention -- no sewing skills are required!  

Since Donna’s motto is “You are prefect, just the way you create!” tell me in the comments below about the “perfect” holiday gift that you’ve given (or would like to give).   Winner will be picked at random on Wednesday, September 15th at 9:00am PST.

I can’t wait to read these comments, I’m sure they will inspire some new gift ideas!  

 

And our winner is....Christi Parker

Christi Parker said:

One of the best gifts i have ever given was to my cousin on her 6th birthday. That year she had become really exicted about creating art with me but she wanted to use all my good (expensive) supplies. So for her birthday, i put together an art bag full of kid approved (crayola, did you know they make artist pastels) art supplies, small canvas, sketchbook, mini easel, decorated artist's smock, etc. She loved it, All she talked about for days was when she could come over and "Make Art" with me! Fastforward two years and she is all about the scrapbooking now, guess i will be putting together a kid approved scrap gift set (of course i will shop my stash for this)

 

 

Cathy Zielske explains it all!

Learn all about Me: the Abridged Version directly from Cathy. Enjoy!

Having trouble viewing the video? Click here!

Mine! Mine!

 

This morning I'm thinking of Nemo. Do you remember the part where the seagulls are saying Mine! Mine! and the Pelican grabs Marlin and Dorey? If you haven't seen the movie, I would recommend it even if you don't have small kids.

So, what does Nemo have to do with Big Picture Scrapbooking?  Well, honestly nothing really unless you want to get philosophical and think about relationships, loss, letting your children find their path and redemption.  But your can relax, because I’m not feeling philosophical today!   Today I’m just thinking about going after something for me. 

As busy women sometimes “me” gets lost in the daily to do list, helping your children become better people and managing the relationships that are important to you. That’s why sometimes it’s important to remember the seagulls in Nemo.  They are single minded and focused on one thing.  Now while you don’t want to be single minded (or be associated with a seagull), once in awhile it’s ok to claim something that is only for you.

Which brings me to Cathy Zielske’s Me: The Abridged Version

An A to Z All About Me 4-Week Album Workshop.   It starts September 16th and is a class all about you, A to Z.   See how the Mine!  Mine! ties in here? 

If you’d like to claim your free spot in Cathy’s class.  Your challenge for today is to tell me something about YOU in the comments below by 9AM PDT this Wednesday.   Now there are some parameters here, I don’t want to hear about your lovely husband, how many kids you have or even your cute kitten, Snookers.  I want to hear about you!

 

About me, I really hate cleaning and I secretly watch General Hospital. 

See you in class! 

Our winner for Cathy Z's class is Lisa!

Lisa said:

My name is Lisa. I love Disney World and I wish I could live there, instead of here. I enjoy scrapbooking, reading a good book, and eating out. Right now, I'd really love to have a Cherry Limeade from Sonic!

Thanks to everyone for your great comments!  Check back in tomorrow for a guest post from Cathy!  

Tuesday Tip!

 

I buy chicken in bulk (breasts or boneless skinless thighs) and cook it in the Crockpot. Then I shred/cube it and store it in freezer bags in 2 cup quantities. I always have chicken on hand to throw in a soup/salad/casserole at the last minute. This has saved me on many evenings!

Laurel Gibbons

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Do you have a tip for your fellow BPS friends? We’d love to hear it! Please email your Tuesday Tips to [email protected]. If your tip is featured here on our blog you’ll receive a $10 BPS gift certificate! 

First Day Friday for September 3rd.

May Flaum's workshop, Use Your Stash opened yesterday.

May has over 400 scrapbookers registered who are ready to diminish their stockpiles and engage in some productive play!
The galleries are already hoppin' ...

In May's first handout, she challenged students to pull out a neutral sheet of cardstock and then lay down some photos they want to scrapbook -- from there, you fill in the extra space with pattern paper and add a title and a few embellishments.

Rebecca in Connecticut has already taken this challenge and posted her work -- WOW!

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We love your enthusiasm and want to reward you for posting in the galleries on the first day of class.  We will randomly scan the classroom layouts galleries the day after a new class opens (Friday morning) and select a winner.  The winner receives a $10 BPS gift certificate and their masterpiece is featured on the BPS blog on First Day Friday!

Congratulations Rebecca -- your gift certificate will be on it's way to you in no time!

Here’s today’s question: Did you ever wish your layouts had more journaling?

By Karen Grunberg

I’m an organized person. I like to wake up every morning, make a to-do list, and then get to work. As I complete each item, I cross it off my list and it makes me a little happier each time. If I think of more items throughout the day, they go on my list and get done when their turn comes. I know it might sound odd or even a bit off to some people but I am a computer programmer by trade so having some sort of order and logic to things comes naturally to me. 

I also believe in the power of stories. I believe that even a few words, chosen carefully, can make my layout meaningful and I try to always make sure I think of the story behind my page before I sit down to make it.

This wasn’t always the case. I used to make layouts that were just a lot of photos. Or layouts that showed off my current favorite products or a technique I just learned. And while there’s nothing at all wrong with any of those things, a few years ago I went back and looked over all my layouts and realized that the ones I loved the most were the ones that had a story associated with them. The ones that were meaningful to me. I tend to forget the small, ordinary details of life so the layouts that captured those meant were the ones I treasured the most.

As someone who focuses on journaling, I often hear some of the following complaints:
- I don’t know where to start
- My stories are not interesting
- I don’t have any stories
- I don’t have any photos to go with that story
- This photo doesn’t have a story, it’s just a pretty photo
- I don’t know which part of the story to tell

I can go on and on. People have a collection of reasons for not journaling. But most people do want to journal more. They wish they did. They want to create more meaningful layouts. Ones that capture their personal stories.

The thing is, it seems that we don’t always know how to come up with story ideas. Or sometimes we have ideas but we’re not scrapping at the time so we then forget. When we actually sit to scrap, nothing comes to mind.

 
 

I decided it would be a great idea to merge my two passions: organization and storytelling and create a workshop that helped you create a system for your stories.

My goal with this class is to focus on four steps to creating your own system:

1. Collecting: finding where your stories come from, what inspires you, how do you generate more stories?
2. Organizing: how do you sort your story ideas, what details do you want to make sure to get down on paper?
3. Storing: What’s the best way to store all these stories and details? Will you have a mini book to hold or do a system on the computer?
4. Using: Now that you have your new system, how do you use it? How do you make sure it’s a living, breathing system and doesn’t get stale. When you sit to scrap, how do you find the story you need or want?

 

This way, when you have a new story idea, you know exactly where to put it so that you can find it later. And when you sit to scrap, you have all your stories right there waiting for you. You will NEVER have to worry about having story ideas ever again.

If you’ve ever struggled with coming up with story ideas or finding your stories when you need them or matching up a photo with a story, I hope you will consider taking the Book of Stories workshop.

I promise it will change the way you scrapbook.

PS: If you want to see an example of how my Book of Stories changed my scrapbooking, head on over to the inside access page at Big Picture Scrapbooking (All you have to do is create a free account if you don’t have one yet.) I have a special layout I created just for you, that shows you how I’ve used my brand-new process to make my layout more meaningful.

Ready to Use your Stash? May Flaum previews her latest class.

I am so excited for my class Adventures in Scrapbooking: Use your Stash to start this week. Like many scrapbookers, I find myself buying more than I can use once in a while. Ok, more than once in a while. I also have trouble using my favorite products too. Today I have a challenge (and a new layout!) to share with you.

The key to using your stash is simple in theory: USE IT! Being productive and getting more done with your crafting key is an art in itself. Here are a few things I do to maximize my crafty time:

Just do it! Give up the idea of “perfect” and just scrap!

Do something every day – even if it’s 5minutes, something creative daily is good.

Let yourself use the best and most treasured items in your stash. Otherwise they’re just collecting dust!

Have fun. Loose the pressure and expectation – just enjoy!

 

Challenges are a great way to get your hands busy creating. Today I have a challenge I’d love you to try!

 

Step 1

Find three things you really want to work with. Old, new, or packages yet to be opened. You can also include in this things from your stash of ideas. Old class assignments, techniques, a sketch you always wanted to try – any three things (product or ideas!) will do.

Step 2

Find photo(s) that will work. Hopefully this step isn’t too hard – if you’re having trouble I suggest imperfect, single photo, older photos that have a story just waiting to be told, or otherwise photos that might not get scrapped any time soon? This can help speed up the process.

Step 3

Creating time! Start with a neutral background (cardstock or nearly solid patterned paper) and play! The big reason I limit the “must use” items to three is to make it easier to be productive. Too many demands and it gets super hard!

For this challenge I’m going to work with Echo Park Paper Co. Life is Good line of paper and stickers (a new product line I’ve been dying to play with!). I am also going to break open my package of Dear Lizzy crochet flowers (I keep meaning to use them!), and I am going to use my Ranger Enamel Accents too.

 

 

This solo photo is one of the best ones I have of my daughters together and smiling this summer, and I decided to go for it and use it (even if there isn’t much of a story there). Guess what? I had so much FUN and with just three “must use” items in front of me I was able to quickly focus and get this page made.

 

I hope you try out my “3 must use” items challenge. I have a lot of thoughts on using your stash of photos, products, and ideas... for more you’ll have to join in class! You can find more info and register here. I hope you’ll join me!

 

 

If you’d like to know more about me please feel free to visit my blog or e-mail me at [email protected]