Jo-Ann Unrau, Stampin' Up Demonstrator

Digital Scrapbook page!

I have been playing with"My Digital Studio" from Stampin' Up! I LOVE this program! So easy, super quick, and the pages look great! Here's one I whipped up in 5 minutes.

This was actually a pre-done template included in the software. So easy to drag and drop photos onto it. I added the tags as well as the "Snow" letters from the Schoolbook Serif Alphabet stamp set, and the ribbon knots. So easy!

If you are interested in seeing this software in person, or ordering your own, please email me at stampinwithjoann@shaw.ca. It is $106.95 and includes the following:

-over 2000 stamp images

-all the Stampin' Up punches

-SU colors plus In Colors in inks and cardstocks

-Patterned papers, background papers

-brads, eyelets, hodgepodge hardware, ribbons, bows, knots

-ready-to-go templates

-make your paper egdes look ripped, distressed or punched

-compatible with Mac and PC

-Able to install onto 2 computers in your household

-music & video options

-many print or save options

AND MORE!

Order yours today and get a free class!

Make hybrid pages by adding your own real embellishments if you want!

PreSchool Scrapbook page

Here's another scrapbook page I made recently, this one has a pre-school theme, for my little Michael. I had these handprints of his, still in the keepsake box, and wanted to incorporate them into his album.

Because they were made with blue paint onto orange construction paper, the color combo was hard to pick out, but I did it!

 

Love these cheeks!

  I used some retired Summer Picnic paper and cut out the little apples, and used the Crayon Kids stamp set and Alphabet (retired) to make the crayons and the title. The crayons are paper-pieced too.

Even though I don't usually use bright colors, the Old Olive paper really helped me enjoy making this, and I LOVE how it turned out!

Weekend Retreat pics

Hello, I just wanted to show you some of the fun pics of the ladies enjoying my Stamping Weekend Retreat recently. We had too much fun!

  Here are Sharon, Jeanette and Lori stamping away!

  Shauna, Barb and Ruth playing with My Big Shot machine.....

Heidi and Ashleigh working on their scrapbooks......

  And, here's me.....in action!

  Can you believe I brought ALL my stamp sets and punches and Big Shot paraphenalia?! Oooh, what fun! We also planned a Shoebox Swap for the Saturday afternoon, so that was neat to go around and make other people's projects, and give our minds a little rest :)

The meals were awesome, as usual, and we ate so much, all we could do was sit and STAMP! Imagine how difficult that was! :)

I will be holding another one next year, but I am also hosting a one-day Stamp Event on May 23rd if you'd like to join us this time. It will be 9am-9pm on a Saturday, and will only be $30 including dinner!

Contact me to register......

ttyl

Jo-Ann

Another Boy Scrapbook Page!

Here's another one of my favorites I made at my Stamping Weekend Retreat.

(You can click these to see a larger version.)

These pages are made using a Simply Scrappin Kit (now retired). I love to use those, as they make such fast pages, and they ALWAYS look GOOD! I like things that are so easy. I often use the ideas that come in the kit, and just copy them, or alter them to my liking. They are great for inspiration!

To check out our current selection of Simply Scrappin Kits available, you can go to my website, and click on Shop Now in the top right corner. Type in "Scrappin" in the Search field, then click the Category drop-down arrow and select "Simply Scrappin". There are some beautiful kits here, and they are only $23.95! Here's what they include:

■ Each Kit contains
8 sheets of 12" x 12" textured card stock
6 sheets of 12" x 12" patterned paper
6 sheets of 6" x 12" self-adhesive die-cuts

You can make TONS of scrapbook pages, cards and other gift items with one kit! And right now, when you place an order thru my website, you will get a FREE IDEA BOOK sent to you along with your order!

Have a great day!

Jo-Ann

Scrapbook Ideas!

I LOVE scrapbooking! A short time ago I hosted a Stampin' Weekend Retreat with 13 ladies attending, at a local Camp and Conference Centre, and we had a fabulous time! The meals and accomodation were all wonderful, and our stamping space was more than roomy. I actually completed (start to finish) 22 scrapbook pages over the weekend, and was so thrilled to catch up on a year's worth of photos. I will share some pics of the ladies in upcoming posts, but first I wanted to share some of my completed scrapbook pages with you.

I was working on my middle son's album, and I sometimes find it hard to do boyish pages, but I was on a roll! Below is one of my favorites...."Love Your Smile" Page.

(You can click on these to see the larger version.) It is made using the Big Deal Alphabet, Short Order Alphabet and corner rounder. Cardstock colors are: Chocolate Chip, Kraft, White, Night of Navy, Summer Sun, and Tangerine Tango. I also used the Jumbo Eyelets and the Crop-A-Dile to set them. I embossed the "smile" letters with Clear Embossing Powder, and cut them out, and added some Chocolate Chip sponging around the rectangle pieces. I also added a few Photo Corners using the Photo Corner Punch and matching cardstocks. Hope you like it!

I will share some more next time.....

Happy Stamping!

Jo-Ann

Scrapbooking Myth #3

Continued from my previous 2 blog posts about Scrapbooking Myths. (Excerpts taken from a Stampin' Success magazine article by Lisa Mabey.)

 

Myth #3: Pages are supposed to start with photos that tell a story.

 

Truth: Photos are just one way of triggering your memory and telling your story. There are other ways to start and finish scrapbook pages. When you think of preserving one memory at a time using your photos as illustrations, you’ll find inspiration in the smallest things, and you’ll find that a

single photo or series of photos can trigger powerful memories. Think about these three alternate ways to start your creative juices. 

1. Concentrate on people in your life or your feelings about a person or event. Maybe your favorite part of being a mom is the myriad facial expressions your child pulls on a daily basis. Capture your thoughts and a few choice expressions for the page page. Photos can come after the idea for the page! 
2. Using a “Top 10” gives you a venue to really share who you are and what you like, but if it doesn’t work for you, find another way to express your likes and dislikes. Pages don’t always have to be about a specific photo.
3. Be willing to change your approach any time you need to. Don’t limit yourself to one type or size of album or page. Why not try an album with a mix of portrait and landscape pages?

Even though years have passed since my scrapbooking rebellion began, I still love breaking the rules. I love changing the shape of my canvas, trying challenging color combinations or accessories I usually wouldn’t, and including unusual bits and pieces that tell my story how I want it told. I cling to simplicity, and I feel freedom in knowing that my scrapbooks and pages are not dictated by anyone else’s rules. I invite you to do the same.

What stops you from scrapbooking? Allow yourself the freedom to break some of these unwritten scrapbooking rules and enjoy scrapbooking again (or for the first time).

..........I hope this series of scrapbooking articles has encouraged you to try some new things, and dive into scrapbooking! I know it has inspired me!

Have a great New Year!

Jo-Ann

Scrapbooking Myth #2

Continued from my previous post.....let's get rid of these scrapbooking myths that hold us back!

 

(Excerpts taken from a Stampin' Success magazine article (for Stampin' Up Demonstrators) written by Lisa Mabey.)

 

Myth #2: I’m never going to get caught up.

 

Truth: Let’s get one thing straight: if you think you need to scrapbook every event or every photo in this age of digital images, you’re right—you’ll never get “caught up". But the good news is that you don’t have to, nor do you need to make multiples of every page you create, make all your pages the same size, scrapbook your life chronologically, or anything else you don’t want to do.

 

Scrapbooking is extremely personal, so why do we feel compelled to abide by “rules” that burden us? Don’t get discouraged by the details of scrapbooking. Some people don’t even start scrapbooking because they feel like they have to do some or all of these things all of the time to have a meaningful scrapbook. Not true. Your scrapbook can be meaningful and inspiring when you are

selective in what you scrapbook and let any guilt, pressure, or feeling of obligation you may have about scrapbooking go (like exhaling all your negative thoughts in yoga—cleansing, isn’t it?).

don’t worry about scrapping every event, holiday, and milestone in your children’s lives. All they really need are the highlights.....

 

Scrapbooking for the non-scrapper

For those of you who have been afraid to start scrapbooking, I wanted to share this great article I found  in the January issue of Stampin' Success,

a free magazine for Stampin' Up demonstrators. Over the next couple of

blog posts, I will give you some excerpts of this awesome article.   

 

Here's the first scrapbooking myth:

(by Lisa Mabey)

Now, I realize that everyone scrapbooks differently, and that stereotypes

are not universal (thank goodness). However, scrapbooking “rules” still

exist, and they sway some people into believing that scrapbooking is not

for them. But it can be. So let’s debunk a few scrapbooking myths

(in a not-so-silent rebellion) and break free from these so-called rules

that you or your customers may feel bound by.

Myth: Scrapbooking is too overwhelming, so I might as well not even

start.

Truth: I have one word for you: Simplify. Scrapbooking should be fun, inspiring, and a way to tap into your creative energy every time you see scrapbooking supplies (doesn’t seeing a new Designer Series paper make

you want to just create something stunning?). Start simple and take your scrapbooking one page at a time. Having a few meaningful scrapbook

pages completed is a lot better than never  scrapbooking because you

think you can never be “done” or don’t know where to start. Here are a

few simple ideas to get you started. 1 Get creative! Take pictures of (and scrapbook) the mundane, everyday stuff you do. Make a “day in the life”

page of your or your kids’ average day so that the page expresses a cross-section of who you are. This would be a perfect introduction to your

album!  Think of scrapbooking a favorite memory (instead of broadly focusing on all the photos you’ve taken). What would you need to

capture that memory? Say you go to the park with your children

frequently. Sum up your park visits with one or two well-planned pages

that capture your thoughts, feelings, and the delight your children feel.

Once those pages are complete, you’ll no longer feel compelled to

scrapbook each outing to the park, because the important story and

memories are already recorded. Of course, if something really special happened on your latest trip to the park, feel free to scrapbook the event,

but you’ll be able to move on to other memories and other stories more easily. If you take away the pressure and overwhelming size of

“scrapbooking your whole life,” it can become creative and pleasurable

like it was meant to be. Scrapbooking isn’t a chore—it really is fun!

Playing with the Big Shot!

I was scrapbooking the other night, and playing with my new Big Shot machine! Here's what I made:

I cut out the GO-GO Boots letters from matching patterned paper, and popped them on the top!

 

Here's a pic of my new Big Shot machine. You can get all sorts of dies for it, and it is compatible with all Sizzix and Cuttlebug dies!