More Minis to Share

It has been a bit of a haul to get to summer. I know I have been conspicuously absent, but I had to wrap up the school year and actually move out of my office to begin the sabbatical I am taking this year. I guess you could say it is a new beginning and I know I will have more to share on this journey later.

For now I want to share something cool that I have been working on.  Melinda at the Scrapkit Studio designs mini album kits that are about the most wonderful time savers you have ever experienced.  They are almost completely done for you, minus the photos, the gluing and the opportunity to make a few choices. I was so impressed at how the kit arrives.  Take a gander at how she beautifully packages each of the pages.

It was so cool how each of the pages are packaged separately and all of the parts you need are there.  Melinda wanted me to take her kit, that is full of My Mind's Eye Miss Caroline collection, and see what I would do, change, add or just let be.  I am not quite finished, but I have a good start and will finish the rest to share a little later.

I reversed some of the patterned papers and added some aqua baker's twine and some older Thickers I had in my stash that matched the kit perfectly.  I am not as partial to the floral papers as I am to the gingham and woodgrain papers.

 

I added some gem stickers to the pre-cut butterflies.  The woodgrain paper is one of my very favorite in this collection so I had to use it as my background for the cover.

This is such a fun photo of my daughter from the day her school let all the butterflies free.  She was so proud of her class and how they has raised so many.

 

I used all of page two to write a journal entry about the day.  There were so many fun elements in the kit to layer with, that the page looks very full even though I did not add a photo.

I also reversed the papers on this page and took another opportunity to journal.  Everything rolled through my typewriter just fine.  I love the way this corner of the 12 x 12 patterned paper made a perfect

This is a photo of Maddie's class banner they made for the butterfly launch.  Each of the students in the class signed the banner.

You can see another example of an album on the website Scrapkit Studio.  They are very reasonable for the quality and ease of the kits.

Thank you so much for stopping by today!

Simple Stories Mix & Match Blog Hop & Giveaway

Do any of you consider yourselves Foodies?  I've had the Simple Stories Summer Fresh collection and the Mix & Match 6x8 album on my mind and was thinking together they would make a perfect recipe book.  The 4x6 clear page protector pockets and Summer Fresh journal elements are just the right size for recipe cards, so below is the beginning of what could be a super delicious summer recipe book.

Tip # 1 - Label your albums.  They are so fun and easy to use that you will probably acquire many of them and will not be able to tell them apart unless you label them all.

I used my Dymo label making tool, which was getting a little dusty on my shelf, to create the tag for the photo album.  Set it to medium size and on the clear tape for a quick and easy label.

I know food is fun all year round, but it is especially fun in the summer when you can find so many fresh foods right in your own area at a farmer's market or from local farms that supply grocers in your town.  I thought a photo of berries would be a great starter for this summer cookbook and was inspired by many of the designs in the 12 x 12 Fundamental Cardstock Stickers, especially the tiny strawberries.

I added the 12 x 12 Expression Cardstock Sticker letters to the photo of the berries and then backed the photo with a 4 x 6 journal element and a piece of 6 x 6 patterned paper and then adhered it to the 6 x 8 album page.

When I start thinking about planning these little albums, I always feel like I will have a lot of detail and elements in them, but the truth is that I love how simple they are and the fact that Simple Stories "embellishes" a lot of their patterned papers in the design, so that I don't have to do a lot of it myself.  These 4 x 6 journal cards make great recipe cards and their fun designs, especially the summery ones in the Summer Fresh collection made it possible for me to type the recipe, add a photo and call it good.

When I first bought my typewriter, my husband was sure I would use it once and never touch it again, but truth be told, I use it all the time to type on journal cards.  It is more accurate and faster than trying to mess with my printer and I happen to like the old school font.

I am ready to make some wings on the barbeque grill.  This book will be such a great reminder about the stuff we love to eat in the summer.  Hope you found some inspiration as well and will start a recipe book of your own...

Giveaway - Now for the fun part - would you like an opportunity to win your very own Mix & Match 6 x 8 album with an assortment of Simple Stories coordinating papers?  There are two ways to win...

1. leave a comment here on my blog for a chance to win
2. leave a comment on the Simple Stories blog for an additional chance to win 

Please hop to these other talented Simple Stories designer's blogs for more ideas with the Simple Stories Mix & Match 6 x 8 albums and another chance to win one for yourself.

Liz Qualman (Your are Here)

Donna Jannuzzi

Kellie Rabideau

Kay Rogers

Yuki Shimada

Shellye McDaniel

Wendy Morris

Guiseppa Gubler

Rebecca Keppel 

Simple Stories Blog

Thank you so much for stopping by today!