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Sketch Saturday #761

Hello all my card making friends! Welcome back for Sketch Saturday #761.

Today’s sketch features circles and the twist is to use Orange.

While orange is not my favorite color, I feel like it really made my card pop.

I remembered that I had a mat pack in my stash that had some bright fun colors. When I checked I found the background paper with a subtle watercolor type pattern.

I pulled out the orange and blue/turquoise as my main colors and used my stitched circle die cuts to make the shapes.

I added the Thinking of You stamped sentiment on one of the circles and the dark brown pearls at the bottom of the card.

I am really pleased with the way this card came together and the sketch makes it so easy.

Please be sure to visit the Sketch Saturday #761 blog post to see all the other cards from the design team. We hope you play along and link your card at the bottom!

Thank you for stopping by! You can comment on this post or send me a message on my Contact page.

Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions. I am here to help you preserve, organize & enjoy your photos and family stories.

You can also join my VIP Facebook page or follow me on my social media channels.

Come back again soon!

Machelle

Cards papercrafting

September 21, 2024

2 comments

Sketch Saturday #760

We are back again with Sketch Saturday #760. Today’s sketch is all about angles.

Just a side note – I have a lot of trouble with angles, it is one of the things I just have always had trouble grasping the concept of.

So for this card I used my Creative Memories trimmer which happens to have a handy 45 degree measurement printed on the cutting surface (see the second pic). Easy peasy!

Now back to the sketch – the twist was to make a masculine card.

For my card I used darker colors in blue, green & gray. I also used a lighter woodgrain paper and added multiple layers. A stamped Happy Birthday sentiment finishes it off.

These are colors I use a lot in different hues and woodgrain is always in style. So there you have it!

Don’t forget to check your trimmer to see if there are guidelines to help you with your cards & angles.

Also, check out the Sketch Saturday #760 blog post for all the other ideas from the design team and to link up your card at the bottom.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please leave them in the comments section below or send me a message on the Contact page.

If you want help with any papercrafting projects or how to get started scrapbooking, I would love to hear from you!

You can also follow me on my social media channels through the links on the sidebar or check out my Creative Memories Advisor page if you need any supplies.

Thanks for stopping by & I hope to “talk” again soon!

Machelle

Cards papercrafting

September 7, 2024

Sketch Saturday #759

Hello friends! Today is Sketch Saturday #759.

We have a landscape orientation with a couple of layers and a swirl embellishment.

The twist is to feature a sentiment.

For my card, I stayed true to the sketch and used a paper collection that had shades of blue cardstock for the background & main layer for my sentiment.

Then I used a coordinating piece with flowers and swirls in white for a subtle accent layer.

The pearl embellishment went perfectly under my Happy Birthday sentiment. The dark brown pops and makes it stand out from the other more muted colors.

A simple but elegant looking card with a featured sentiment. I hope this inspires you to make your own card and link it up over on the Sketch Saturday blog.

Be sure to also check out the other design team members cards. Even when you start with a sketch, everyone’s cards are unique.

As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, please leave me a comment or send me a message on the Contact page.

Thanks for stopping by!

Machelle

Cards papercrafting

August 31, 2024

Scrapbooking for Beginners Part 1

Good morning friends! I started this blog with a very generalized idea of community. People getting together to talk about scrapbooking, memory keeping and crafting.

I know that sometimes I cover a wide variety of topics so I thought maybe it was time to go back to the basics for a little while.

I am going to try to alternate my Sketch Saturday Card posts with some very specific posts aimed at those who want to start scrapbooking in some fashion but don’t know where to start.

So to that end, welcome to – Scrapbooking for Beginners Part 1.

Introduction:

Scrapbooking, memory keeping, telling your story – no matter how you phrase it, the thought of getting started can be a little overwhelming.

Let’s start with a few questions:

Do you love pictures?
Does looking at a photo immediately take you back to that time or place?
Do you have family stories that everyone brings up when you are all together?
Would you like to have an album of printed pictures on hand for you and your family to look through & enjoy?
Do you want to make sure you and/or your children have basic information about who the people in those pictures are?

If you answered yes to any of the above, maybe you would enjoy some type of Scrapbooking or Memory Keeping.

Scrapbooking Your Way:

For some people, the term scrapbooking sounds old fashioned. It brings to mind cutting your pictures into odd shapes & gluing them onto cardstock with a few stickers thrown around the page.

Possibly you have been to a crop where you were told to only use a certain type or brand of product.

Maybe you have looked at Pinterest and seen pages with 1 tiny photo surrounded by a ton of stuff, but you have so many pictures you want to use.

Well, let me tell you – there is no wrong way to keep your memories.

Memory keeping is about getting your photos off your phone or camera and being able to share them with your friends & family. How you share & enjoy them is entirely up to you.

Starting with Supplies:

As with any hobby, there are some basic supplies that you will need to start with. However, I need to caution you to ONLY think about the bare minimum at this point.

Sometimes it is better to have fewer choices to make, especially in the beginning.

Stay with me over the next few weeks and let’s take this one step at a time.

At the most basic level you will need some photos, patterned paper and/or cardstock, adhesive and a pen.

Scissors and/or a paper trimmer would be helpful and you will want some type of stickers or embellishments to dress everything up.

At this point you don’t necessarily need an album but it would help if you had an idea of the size and style you want to work with when making your first layout.

Below are two handouts to help you with this step.

The first is called The Bare Necessities & it lists some of your options for each basic supply category.

Keep this handy when you are either in a store or looking online as there are multiple brands, types & styles of supplies. Keep it simple & basic for the first time around.

(Shameless plug inserted here: I do believe that Creative Memories has some of the best tools & albums in the scrapbooking industry. I have been using them for over 20+ years.

I am currently a CM Advisor if you would like to use my affiliate link. Please note that using this link is no extra charge for you but I will make a small commission on any products purchased.)

The second handout is about the albums. Again, there are many brands, types & styles. This will give you some information about the available options.

A lot of it is personal preference & remember – you can always change your mind later if you begin with one size or style & decide you don’t like it or it isn’t working for your current project.

A lot of people use different sizes/styles for different types of projects or sets of pictures.

Scrapbooking for Beginners Part 1 - Action Plan:

What I would like for you to do this week is to start with your photos.

We take SO many photos today, of really anything & everything. BUT, there are still going to be those special pictures of little moments, big events & loved ones that stand out above the rest.

These are the photos you want to save & cherish for years to come.

So the first step is to identify a few pictures (maybe 4 – 8) that are special to you & related in some way. It could be of the same time frame or the same person (or group of people) spread over the years. It could be a weekend trip or event like a graduation.

Choose pictures you are excited to work with right now and print them.

Again, we are starting simple, so don’t worry about photo sizes just print them all in a 4 x 6 format.

The second step is to pick an album size. If you want to buy an album or if you already have one that is great but not necessary as long as you know that size you want to use.

Refer to the handout above to see some of the options. You can also read my previous blog post about album sizes for additional information.

You may want to also give some thought to single or double page layouts. This just means, do you prefer to make one page at a time or two?

I personally always make a double page spread so that my pages facing each other in the album match & are of the same subject. The only exceptions are my title pages & end pages of my book.

If it does not bother you if the pages are different, then use whichever you prefer the look of.

The last step is to gather your basic supplies. Refer to the supply handout above for some additional information about options and my recommendations.

If you have already started a stash of goodies, use what you have on hand.

One tip for choosing paper is to coordinate either the theme of the pictures or some of the colors in the photos.

So if you have birthday pictures, choose bright happy colors or go all out & pick paper with confetti or balloons. It can be as simple & subtle or as themed as you prefer.

I go for a variety in my scrapbooking but I always start with the photos for the inspiration of my pages.

Conclusion:

We have reached the end of Scrapbooking for Beginners Part 1.

Although this probably seems like a LOT of information, I hope I have broken it down into manageable steps to consider and get you started.

In Scrapbooking for Beginners Part 2 we will be making our first layout, so make sure to check back in soon.

In addition to the handouts above, you can also download these resources about photo management:

If you would like to read the blog post on Organizing your Photos you can find that here.

If you have any questions or would like some additional help/information, please leave me a comment below or a message on the Contact page.

You can subscribe to the blog & receive my Story Starter handout. The form is in the sidebar on the right.

You can also join my VIP Facebook Group or follow me on my social media channels.

I appreciate everyone who stops by & I hope I inspire & encourage you to save, organize & enjoy your photos & family stories.

Check back in soon!

Machelle

Scrapbooking Photo Management

Albums Memory Keeping Scrapbooking

August 24, 2024

Sketch Saturday #758

It’s time for Sketch Saturday #758. Today’s sketch has an elegant feel to it with an added swirl in the corner and the twist was to use sequins.

Here is the sketch:

I used multiple layers with the last pattern being a butterfly floral paper.

I was originally going to use a stamp for the swirl but decided it was too big for the space.

Instead I found a thin metal die set that had the smaller swirl shape and I feel it fits better. It also adds dimension and texture.

Then I finished with the copper & gold colored sequins for just a little pop.

I went ahead and added the Happy Birthday sentiment so it is ready to go.

Don’t forget to check out the Sketch Saturday #758 blog post for all the design team’s card ideas.

We love to see how everyone makes the sketch their own, so add your card to the links on the website.

I have been working on a series of posts for all those who love photos and stories but don’t know where to start in saving their memories.

Be sure to check back next Saturday for my Scrapbook for Beginners – Part 1.

In the meantime, if you have any questions or suggestions, please leave me a message on the Contact page or comment below.

Thanks for stopping by!

Machelle

Sketch Saturday #757

Good morning & welcome to Sketch Saturday #757! Today we have a sketch with lots of square layers.

I was so excited when I saw this sketch, because I recently acquired a HUGE scrapbook stash off of Facebook Marketplace. In addition to a ridiculous amount of paper, there was a box of small pre-cut squares.

Some of them are plain and the others have two different types of decorative edging.

This was the perfect starting point for my card. The twist for Sketch Saturday #757 was to use summer colors.

I had every color of the rainbow to choose from, so I went with sunny yellow, fruity orange & grass green.

I picked the colors of the squares first & then found a pre-printed 2×2 card from a Simple Stories collection that I have had for quite a while.

It already had a sentiment on it & I took the colors from the flowers in that card to match the other paper flowers.

I also have several different shapes & colors of brads, so I alternated the colors & shapes of the flowers & brads.

I went through my stash of die cuts and found the multi-colored strip to go behind the sentiment square.

After I had all that picked out & coordinated, I realized the white of the card was too stark so I took the only other color that I hadn’t used (the pink) for the background.

It is a very bright pink textured cardstock & really sets off the other textures of the edges of the squares & the paper flowers.

I love how this one turned out & it came together with pieces I already had on hand.

Be sure to check out the other designers and link your card to the Sketch Saturday #757 blog post.

Check back here soon for the first in a series of scrapbooking posts.

I would love to hear from you about where you are in your papercrafting hobby. Do you scrapbook, make cards, junk journal or make some other type of project?

Let me know if you have been crafting for years or if you are just starting out – or want to start but don’t know where or how.

You can leave a comment below or send me a private message on the Contact Us page.

Also, be sure to follow me on my social media pages or join the VIP Facebook Group for more inspiration & ideas.

Thanks for stopping by!

Machelle

Sketch Saturday #756

Welcome to the weekend! Sketch Saturday #756 is live on their blog, be sure to go check out all the inspiration from the design team.

Here is the sketch & the twist is to make it funny.

I stayed pretty true to the original sketch this time and tried my best with the “funny” part. Puns are definitely not my strong suit.

I started with the blue background paper that has a very subtle tone-on-tone design. Then I found the brown piece that was left over from a card kit. I felt the patterned papers went well together.

With all the darker colors, I felt like it needed something lighter to make it pop, so I added the yellow to highlight the coffee cup.

Then I left the sentiment on white, since the outline of the cup is white.

Overall, I was pleased with the way this one came out. Be sure to leave a link over on the Sketch Saturday #756 blog post with your interpretation of this card.

We look forward to seeing what you make!

In the meantime, if you need help with preserving or organizing your photos, please leave me a message on the Contact Us page.

If you need any supplies to help you scrapbook your memories or make pretty things, please check out my Creative Memories page.

And if you want to see more from Small Town Scrap, please follow my social media pages or join the VIP Facebook group.

Until next time,

Machelle

2024 Word of the Year Update

2024 Word of the Year - Progress

I can’t believe it’s the middle of July. Half of the year has passed and I thought it was about time for a 2024 Word of the Year update.

While I have not been posting like I had hoped, progress has been made. It is sometimes hard to tell while we are in the middle of the day to day, but we can look back over the last few months and see how far we have come.

My original post about my Word of the Year – Progress was specific to time management, procreate & consistency. I am definitely still working on these goals but we have made progress in other important areas, too.

At the end of last year, we started a major bathroom remodel on our master bath and had several other home DIY projects in various stages of completion (or not completed).

2024 Word of the Year Update:

In the last few months, we have finished the bathroom, replaced the mantle in the living room, painted & replaced baseboards and door trim in several spaces.

I have also continued to make cards, notebooks, cricut projects & crocheted items to keep my retail space stocked.

I re-opened my Etsy shop with new inventory as well. I am adding to that weekly.

I made the Design Team for the Sketch Saturday blog and have been enjoying playing with their sketches and challenge twists.

So, as you can see, much progress has been made. Maybe not exactly the way I thought or planned at the beginning of the year, but progress none the less.

Even if you haven’t reached your goals yet, keep putting one foot in front of the other & you WILL see a difference. Just because it doesn’t always look the way you think it should or it takes longer than you would like, it all counts.

This was my quote at the beginning of the year:

So, if you haven’t yet – just START. Any effort is still progress and before you know it, you will look back and see how far you have come.

Thank you for checking in on my 2024 Word of the Year update and if you have any comments, you can leave them below or send me a message on the Contact Us page.

As always, I am here to inspire and encourage you to preserve, share and enjoy your photos and memories. If you need help getting started, I would love to help! Send me a message or check out our Products and Services page.

You can also follow any of my social media pages or join my VIP Facebook group.

Talk to you again soon,

Machelle

Misc

July 13, 2024

Sketch Saturday #755

Hello to all my card makers! Today I have Sketch Saturday #755. Let’s have a look at the sketch:

And the twist for this week is Christmas in July.

Before we get to my interpretation, let me tell you this was not my first attempt. Or even the second – it was the third. Third times the charm, right?

So my original idea was a tower of presents, but I wanted to add ribbon to them. I didn’t have any ribbon in my scrapbook stash that matched my paper.

The next logical (?) thought was, well, it is a Christmas card so let’s look in the Christmas ribbon. I did find some that would have worked, but Christmas ribbon is very slick and not bow friendly.

After trying to get the ribbon to stick (and it being not straight) & then getting adhesive on top of the ribbon – it was time to take a breath, walk away for a minute & then try again.

Here is the final result:

I found this sticker, which was just perfect for the sketch!

Just remember that papercrafting should not be hard or stressful. Sometimes you need to just walk away & come back with a fresh perspective and it’s okay to make things simple.

Thank you for stopping by, come back again for more sketches from the Sketch Saturday blog and be sure to check out all the other Design Team members cards from Sketch Saturday #755.

I am also working on an update to my Word of the Year 2024 – Progress and some other organizational posts here at Small Town Scrap.

If you have any comments or suggestions, please leave them below or you can message me directly on the Contact page.

Talk soon!

Machelle