May 2010 NSD Crop Challenge #1: I must have that tool!

May 2010 NSD Crop Challenge #1: I must have that tool!

For the first challenge, you must create a project using a tool that you just had to have when you started scrapbooking. Was it decorative edge scissors? An expensive set of pens? Whatever the tool was, get it out of storage, dust it off nd use it on a project!

To participate, create a layout or project using a tool that you had to have when you first started scrapbooking. The layout may be any size {12"x12", 8.5"x11", 8"x8", 6"x12", etc.} and can be either a one-page or two-page layout. This challenge also lends itself well to a card, art journal page or other art project.

Enter the challenge by posting a link to your submission below by 9:00 p.m. on Monday, May 3, 2010. The link can either be to a photo of your entry in the gallery here, or to a video on YouTube or to your personal blog ~ wherever!

Remember that you have until 9:00 p.m. on Monday {that's Miami, FL EST USA time which is GMT/UTC-4} to submit an entry for each challenge. Prize winners will be announced Monday and posted on a new May NSD 2010 Crop Prize Winners thread in the forum.

Prizes for this challenge are a stamp set from Kelly Mallon, and a paper pack from Ruthie.

Here is where you post a link to your submission for the May 2010 Crop Challenge #1! You can link to the photo on the beach, or to the post on your blog where the photo is displayed, or to the video if you have done one for YouTube.

1.	Dawn Edwards	14.	DeAnna Yaritz
2.	Alexis Martinez	15.	Suzieqtt
3.	Penny Pudge	16.	Carol
4.	Ginger	17.	Sarah (sweetpea)
5.	Kathy (felkatz	18.	Tracey
6.	tiffany morgan	19.	Tammy B
7.	Crystal	20.	Cindy Roderique
8.	Charlotte D	21.	Rita Hutcheson-Cobbs
9.	Sandra	22.	BeverlySteele
10.	Brandy Norris	23.	Jenn Sloane
11.	Cass Young	24.	Tara
12.	Kay	25.	Jennifer Hawkins
13.	Beth Miller	26.	Emma Marion

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)

New Mini Album Video Series!

Hi, everyone! I am back with a new mini album video series! {Raise your hand if you think I forgot how to do those! ;)} I'm going to be doing it the way I used to, showing you everything on slightly advanced speed & explaining as I go. The album is entitled "World of Wonder" and was inspired by a few different things.

The first place I drew inspiration was from the "Boom De Ah Dah" video {commercial?} by the Discovery Channel Network:



If you haven't watched the above video, you must! It is an awesome video & it always inspires me to be more curious and appreciative when I see it. Sometimes I even cry when I watch it.

The second piece of inspiration came from some vintage Alice in Wonderland woodcuts from the 1890s I have. You will see me use the woodcuts in the second video & if you are looking to purchase them, they are available here for just $2.50: Piddix "Alice in Wonderland" Woodcuts.

I was kind of thinking about how we lose our childlike wonder over time, and also thinking about how that's a shame & that recapturing our curiosity would ignite our creativity and improve our art. So this mini I am just trying to slow down and think about ways to appreciate the world a little bit better. So, onto the videos!

My first video is of the cover & I am using primarily Prima products. The paper is from the "Flights of Fancy" collection & the flowers are from the "Symphony Blend" collection. I purchased the lace from a site called Lace Heaven:



My second video is of the first layout, pages one & two of the album. Again the papers are from the "Flights of Fancy" collection & the lace is from Lace Heaven {part of the Venice Lace collection}. This is the first page where I use the Alice In Wonderland woodcuts & I printed them on Claudine Hellmuth's Sticky Back Canvas:



In this series, I will be doing one layout per video, and this album has eight pages, so this will most likely be my longest video series yet. I have a lot of commitments right now {can we say 24 Hour Virtual NSD crop, anyone?} and so I'm not sure how long it will take to complete. However, I will not be working on the album in UStream, so you will see everything on YouTube this time around. Eventually, anyway. :D

Thanks so much for watching & have a great weekend! See all you beach gals at the NSD Crop!

~Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.

Garden Journals Completed!

Hi, everyone! I wanted to show you some pictures of five garden journals I made last week to be included in charitable gardening kits for individuals with disabilities.



These gardening journals are going to my buddy Rita Hutcheson-Cobbs in Alabama. She recently made a post on my Life on the {Scrap}Beach web community regarding these notebooks. If you're a member of the community, you can read her post here: Garden Journals Needed.

If you're not a member of the community, what are you waiting for? It's free to join and all the members are so fun, creative and generous! For those of you not ready to take the plunge to join the community, but who wish to make some garden journals for individuals with disabilities, here is the info from Rita on the journals:

"I need your help in making some wonderful kits for individuals with disabilities ages birth through 21. I write for the Parent Connection, a quarterly newsletter for Children’s Rehabilitation Service in Alabama.

As most of you know, we have three sons with disabilities including Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy and Aspergers. So offering families wonderful ways to have fun with their kids is my goal through this regular article. I don’t get paid for this, just fyi. So, I want to make some kits and here is how it works…

I will write an article this week on gardening including simple tips and ideas. I will also make a kit including the seeds, potting soil, tray, etc that I will mail to those requesting them. What I would like from you is a small notepad made from #8 shipping tags to include with each tray! You can decorate it any way you wish just offer some journaling spots for them to write about their small window garden and a couple of places for photos. You will totally bless these kids and their families!!!

{Note from Kathryn: #8 shipping tags measure 3 1/8"x6 1/4". If you do not have #8 shipping tags, you can make your own or simply use chipboard and cardstock. In my journals, I used #8 shipping tags covered with paper for the front and back covers & cardstock weight lined paper for the interior pages. I bound the notepads with 5/8" BIA o-wires, but you could also use rings, ribbon, jute, lace, etc. More detailed picture of each garden notebook follow.}

I will do this type of thing 4 times this year with each one a different theme. Then you can make as many as you want but at least 1 per quarter. If there are more notepads then kits then I will take them to the CRS office in Huntsville Alabama to be given out to patients during clinic times. This breaks the nervousness of seeing doctors and offers a tool/gift to open the door of communication between staff/patient.

I appreciate your help…message me if you have any questions. Thanks a million…oh and the items you use to make these notepads can be tax-deductible and I will be happy to get you a receipt."

Rita needs to receive these notebooks no later than May 15th so she can make the kits, so please get them into the mail as soon as possible if you would like to participate. I have not included her address in this blog post, but it available in the original post on the Beach forum. If you are not a beach member, please message Rita through her blog for her address.

I made a total of five garden journals for the Children's Rehabilitation Service. Each notebook it titled "My Garden" and you can see them all below. These notebooks were fun and easy to make & very fun and addictive! I loved being able to use a bunch of the larger Primas that I bought & never used. :)

Garden Journal #1: In this journal, I covered two #8 shipping tags with paper from the Basic Grey "Urban Prairie" collection. I also included 10 sheets of 3"x6" cardstock weight grid paper which I left blank on the back for photos. The letters are from the American Crafts "Dear Lizzie" collection & the flower and butterfly are both from Prima.



Garden Journal #2: In this journal, I covered two #8 shipping tags with paper from the Basic Grey "Urban Prairie" collection. I also included 10 sheets of 3"x6" cardstock weight grid paper, which I left blank on the back for photos. The letters are from the American Crafts "Delight" collection & are fabric covered chipboard. The flower is from Prima.



Garden Journal #3: In this journal, I covered two #8 shipping tags with paper from the Basic Grey "Mellow" collection {I think it's from "Mellow" anyway ~ not 100% sure}. I also included 10 sheets of 3"x6" cardstock weight grid paper, which I left blank on the back for photos. The letters are from the Making Memories "Tiny Alphas" collection & the flowers are from Prima.



Garden Journal #4: In this journal, I covered two #8 shipping tags with paper from the My Mind's Eye "Bohemia" collection. I also included 10 sheets of 3"x6" cardstock weight grid paper, which I left blank on the back for photos. The letters are from the American Crafts "Delight" collection & are fabric covered chipboard. Because the patterned paper was very busy, I opted to leave off additional flowers & have this be a more simple notebook.



Garden Journal #5: In this journal, I covered two #8 shipping tags with paper from the Basic Grey "Lillykate" collection. I also included 10 sheets of 3"x6" cardstock weight grid paper, which I left blank on the back for photos. The letters are from the Making Memories "Tiny Alphas" collection. The butterfly frame is from Tattered Angels. I sprayed the butterfly frame with Glimmer Mist in "Sherbet" and then inked the raised portions with Perfect Medium and swirled on Perfect Pearls in "Forever Green" for some shimmer. The butterfly trail is from Prima. I covered the pearls with alcohol ink in "Lettuce" and the roses with alcohol ink in "Cranberry" and wiped off some of the cranberry with a baby wipe to get a pink effect.



I made the last three journals during a UStream which is recorded on my UStream channel: Garden Journal UStream Recording. If you'd like to see how I covered the tags and assembled the notebooks, you can see them all coming together on that recording!

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog!

~Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.

I'm Not Dead ~ Just Going to IKEA!

Hi, everyone! I know I haven't been the best about updating my blog lately between working on the Prima album and getting my place ready for my husband coming home.

I'm on my way to brunch and then to IKEA with the hubster. We're going to try a new place for breakfast/brunch/whatever called First Watch. It's a chain I only heard of recently, but the menu looks fun: First Watch.

At IKEA, we're going to pick up a few things we'll need to complete our planned scraproom remodel. On the shopping list for today is one of the 2x4 IKEA Expedit shelving units in white, to replace the scrap cart:



Also, we'll be picking up one of the 2x2 IKEA Expedit shelving units in white to replace that super heavy cabinet that holds the Epson R1900 {my photo printer, in case you were wondering}:



I store both my 12"x12" albums and my mini albums in that white cabinet. I happen to have other IKEA Expedit units in my house, so I took my largest 12"x12" album and tested to see if it would fit in an Expedit cubby. It did, so I will now have my albums actually out in the open & not behind a cabinet door. That will be nice. The mini albums will go into one of these Branas baskets, also from IKEA, and designed to fit the Expedit cubes:



I will be getting a few of these baskets for the Expedit unit that is replacing the scrap cart as well. I have expanded my scrap supplies to include lots of laces and fibers, art supplies, etc., and the current cart and closet organizer are just not working exactly right anymore. That's not a bad thing. Organizational suystems have to be able to adjust to fit your needs over time ~ not the other way around.

I also picked up two 2'x4' sheets of pegboard {and hardware} from Overstock.com to be mounted on the wall over the 2x4 Expedit unit:



The two sheets will form a 4'x4' square of pegboard on the wall over that storage unit. I can't wait! I plan to store my clear and rubber cling stamps on the pegboard, as well as ribbons, fibers, and a whole bunch of other embellishments. This will take some pressure off the closet organizer and free up space in those drawers for my ever expanding collection of art and mixed media supplies.

So big changes are coming to my scraproom! I hope to have everything completed before the May National Scrapbook Day Virtual Crop over on my web community so I can give you a live tour during one of the crop UStreams. I will also be doing a YouTube video with a tour of the new space once everything is completed.

It seems like I am always changing something around in my scraproom. Not because my storage doesn't work, but because I am always changing as an artist and crafter. Do you guys have the same issue? How often are you tweaking things in your scraproom or art room?

~Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.

He's Home!

Hi, guys! Just a quick note to let you all know that my husband arrived safely in Miami this morning from his "Afghanistan Vacation" as he calls it. :D I am very happy to have him back!

~Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.

SOLD! Prima "Pastiche" Paperbag Album

Hi, everyone! Just a quick post to let you all know that the Prima "Pastiche" Paperbag Album sold on ebay for $192.51! Isn't that exciting!? I am so appreciative of and humbled by this appreciation of my work.

What's even better than that, though, is the ebayer who purchased the album only live 20 minutes away from me! So I offered to hand deliver the album {I wanted to keep it out of the hands of the USPS, if I possibly could} and was able to meet TWO fantastic Miami scrappers and mixed media artists! There are not a lot of scrappers and mixed media artists in South Florida, as far as I can tell, so to meet not one, but two, artists in one day was just so thrilling!

Marlene: Uniquely Ella

Olga: Art Mingle, Inc.

Be sure to check out both their blogs as these two women are bright, funny and AMAZINGLY talented artists! Plus, you'll want to get to know them a little bit since I'm sure we'll be hanging out again & you'll be seeing more of them and their stuff on my blog. :D

We looked through the album together, had dinner, drank wine & just chatted for hours like we had known each other for years. It is so awesome that we were brought together by something like an ebay auction ~ isn't the internet amazing!?

Marlene took pictures and videos of the three of us, so here's a peek of what I look like after a few glasses of wine ~ the earring kept falling out of my ear all night until we finally decided it needed to be put on a mini album:



If you're a member of the Life on the {Scrap}beach web community, you can check out the rest of Marlene's pictures of the big event here: Hand Delivering the Prima Pastiche Album. And if you're not a member of the Life on the {Scrap}beach web community, what are you waiting for? Sign up here & come see what all the fuss is about: Life on the {Scrap}beach.

Thanks for stopping by & have a great day!

~Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.

Fourth Month of Christmas Winner Announced!

Hi, everyone! Welcome back to Life on the {Scrap}beach!

I have the winner of the Fourth Month of Christmas Giveaway, chosen for me by Random.org!

::drumroll, please::

The winner of the "Circus Freak/Cirque du Scrap" mini album is Comment #34:

Brandy Norris said...
Your Work is amazing!! I am just speechless as to what you can create. You are so talented kathryn!! This mini is absolutely beautiful :) Hugs, Brandy

Wednesday, April 07, 2010 3:59:00 AM

CONGRATULATIONS, Brandy!!! :D :D :D Please contact me at thescrapbeach@gmail.com before Friday, April 16, 2010 with the address where you'd like me to send the mini album. If you do not contact me before Friday, April 16, 2010, the album will go to another entrant.

If you didn't win this time around, there are still eight months of Christmas left to go! See you the first Monday in May for the Fifth Month of Christmas!

~Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.

On the Fourth Month of Christmas

Hi, everyone! Welcome to the fourth of my "12 Months of Christmas" giveaways!

This month's giveaway was inspired by Netflix. I received a copy of Cirque du Freak in my mailbox yesterday, and that inspired me to use the "Circus Freak" mini album {aka the "Cirque du Scrap" mini album} as my giveaway this month. Those of you who have been watching my UStreams from the beginning should remember this one. I put it together mostly on UStream back in September of 2009, using elements from the K & Company "Que Sera Sera" collection and a Maya Road scalloped circle album.

Front Cover:


Pages One & Two:


Pages Three & Four:


Pages Five & Six, Front of Tag:


Pages Five & Six, Back of Tag:


Pages Seven & Eight:


Pages Nine & Ten:


Pages Eleven & Twelve:


Pages Thirteen & Fourteen:


Back Cover:


The winner will receive the completed mini album to with as they please. Despite the small size of the album, there is plenty of room for photos of friends and family. Maybe from the circus. Do people still go to the circus? I haven't been to a circus other than "Cirque du Soleil" in over a decade. And, really, doees Cirque du Soleil even count? Well, moving on.

To be entered to win the "Circus Freak" mini album, simply leave a comment on this post before 11:59 p.m. Miami, FL USA time {GMT/UTC-4} on Thursday, April 8th. I will post the winner first thing on Friday morning!

~Kathryn
Life's a beach. Scrapbook it.