I am so excited about the May 2014 adventure in Italy!! Laura McCullough the owner of A Kiss On The Chic hosts a creative retreat every year in an amazing destination location that will serve as the backdrop for an amazing week of excursions, lodging, strolling the city streets and of course “crafting workshops” with 4 amazing teachers. Next year I will be teaching alongside: Rebecca Cross, Lisa Pace, & Laura McCullough. This is so much more than a scrappy event. It is a vacation and a true retreat in the most amazing venue: ITALY!
This Amazing Event Includes:
6 INSPIRING CLASSES with these talented teachers
3 Breathtaking Excursions in the beautiful surroundings of Italy
5 Lunches and 4 Dinners in beautiful locations around Lake Como
7 nights lodging at the GHVS Apartments or La Limonera Apartments
Live music in the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni’s Music Room
Crop nights, demo’s & the “Night of Artists” with local artists and musicians
Handmade goody bags, raffles and AMAZING SURPRISES
Private shuttle to and from Milan airports
Plus time to relax by the pool or sit at the waters edge
Time to stroll the streets, enjoy some gelato or shop the cobblestone streets
An UNFORGETTABLE week long experience you will carry with you forever!
Sign ups are starting now for this event and there are TONS of details on the event website HERE that you can explore and consider.
I am thrilled at the opportunity to be able to teach at such an event! I can’t wait!
Hello and welcome to just another Epic-ly (is that word) fabulous day of amazing inspiration from my Media Team members… today i bring you “TAKE 2″ of the Memory File Sketch that we saw on Tuesday. ok, so here is how this went down. Kim Jeffress designed this totally over the top, super full and completely interactive Memory File sketch and gave it to Maggie. It was Maggie’s job to interpret the drawing that Kim had made for her, and give it her own ‘spin’… the sketches are more for a starting point, and then where it goes from there, nobody knows! I will say that i love the differences and the similarities that exists between these two #completelyoverthetopmemoryfiles (now i am blogging in hashtags!) THIS project that Maggie made today has more twists and turns, flips and flaps than anything that i have every seen! it’s dang killer… i just wish that i could go to Maggie’s house, and sit down with her on her couch (probably more likely on the front porch) and hold this dang thing in my hot little hands… that is usually the feeling that i have every single time that i am looking at the projects that my team creates. ok, i will stop blabbing… go ahead.. take a look!
Hi everybody!
I hope you’re ready for my version of Kim Jeffress’ Memory File Sketch from Tuesday!
Now, my file is put together a little bit differently, so keep in mind that it won’t follow the sketches exactly. To see just how Kim designed her Memory File, click HERE to be taken to her post…and don’t miss the video she created…hello, clever…I like to watch it over and over just to hear her accent (smile).
Kim designed these sketches so that a Mini Memory File would sit atop a larger one…here is the sketch…
…and here is my take…
I decided to create my file around a vacation that our family took last summer with our best friends…we stayed on the Susquehanna River for a week in July and it was definitely a trip I want to remember every last minute of…
Now let’s take a look inside the Mini Memory File Folder first…here’s the sketch:
…and here’s mine…
The inside of this little folder is plain white so I used Heidi’s 12×12 Alpha Stencil and some Mustard Color Shine to add some interest…then I just quickly traced around the outside numbers with a pen to ground them to the open space…
First, I created a little openable using some Turquoise Color Pop paper and part of a Vintage Chic Memory File I had in my scrap pile (I always search that pile first whenever I’m creating). Next to my photo I added a square of plain white cardstock. I journaled some and added a Color Pop Tag as a little cover using just a piece of washi tape. The word “#FUN” in Clear Pop Mint Alphas completes the look…
On the opposite side of the file I created another little openable…again with a scrap of Vintage Chic Just Dots paper and a little tab punched from Color Pop Black Pop paper…more journaling is hidden in here…
Now, on to the fun part…
Here’s the first sketch of the inside…
…and mine finished file…
On the left side of the inside of my file I’ve added a sheet of Vintage Chic Handwritten paper…but on the right side (which is actually the inside of the Yellow Color Pop Memory File) I used another stencil (Heidi’s 12×12 Circle Lattice) and Tinsel Color Shine…I covered the seam where the two files meet with some black & white polka washi tape…
The left-side flap of this file holds one of my favorite parts of the whole project…I attached two little Color Pop Banner Delights to the photo of Grayson fishing…then I squeezed a little dot of Gold Stickles randomly over the polkas on the banners. I know…it’s a very small detail – but those little gold glittery dots make me really happy…it’s the little things, folks.
Under that I added a a photo of the kids all watching Doug get the fishing poles ready…matted on the “adore” Photo Caption and a scrap of Color Pop Yellow Pop paper. I created a little book with a Serendipity Instaframe, lined it with a scrap of Vintage Chic Bookkeeping paper, added a piece of vellum behind the open window, punched a small hole through the whole piece and tied it closed with a piece of hemp string…
The right side of my folder (which is actually a flap that I will show you in a minute) shows off some more of the gorgeous Turquoise Color Pop Turquoise Pop paper and the Yellow Color Pop Memory File…these colors are absolutely amazing on their own and I find that I actually have a hard time spraying them…they are just that beautiful…
I traced part of the chevron pattern on the Memory File with some more Gold Stickles (although the photo doesn’t show the sparkle at all…disappointing) and layered the word “EPIC” over the top with Chipboard Alphas sprayed with Black Velvet Color Shine.
Here’s where things get a little bit different…Kim’s sketch continues as follows…
…and this is what I’ve done…when you lift the flap (the yellow flap with the photo of Kate on the rope)…you see this…
I’ve added more photos and journaling…and a fun little flip book…
…in order to do this, I simply added washi tape to the top of each of the 4 photos that I wanted to use (this is a series of photos of my daughter learning to dive and I wanted to add the entire progression) – along the top on the front and back of the photo. Then I stitched a straight line across the top of each photo/washi combo so that the washi would stay in place. Next I stacked my photos and sewed them all together. I adhered the last photo to the inside of the Memory File and added little Color Magic Letterbox numbers (1-4) sprayed with Mint Green Color Shine to the photos…
Next, Kim’s sketch shows this…
and this…
And here’s what I’ve done…when you close up the flap again (again, the one with Kate on the rope)…and keep lifting it up, another little flap is revealed…
Here I’ve added more photos and journaling…I’ve even added a QR code leading you to tons of facts about the Susquehanna River…inspired by dear Kim…I love love love this idea. I think it’s absolutely amazing…
I stamped a few arrows using Heidi’s Clear Stamp set onto yet another scrap of Color Pop Turquoise Pop paper…and some Clear Pop Banner Delights attached to a wooden stick complete my embellishments.
So there you have it…what do you think???
I think this is my new favorite project…I adore the Color Pop paper…and this File just brings back so many fantastic memories…thank you so so much, Kim, for such amazing inspiration!!!
ok, so if you are anything like me, you are feeling the need (clap, clap), the need to make pretty stuff! no really… what photos are sitting in your computer just waiting to tell their story? take the challenge! give this a try! i HIGHLY recommend that you watch Kim’s video if you haven’t already cause it’s just a little mind-blowing… and see what happens! between these 2 projects, the Memory File bug is surely biting! GIVE It a try! go ahead… make pretty stuff!
i love going through my pantry looking for items that i can use to create with! can you believe this was made with a Splenda box?! you can create this little album with any box from your kitchen! so go and find a box, two pieces of paper of your choice, tags, and scrap pieces of papers from your stash and get ready to “make pretty stuff!” you can watch the episode here.
the thing about ‘once in a lifetime’ experiences is, of course, that they only happen ONCE! you have to CAPTURE them… so you will remember them! and so those who shared those ONCE in a lifetime experiences won’t forget either! You might remember that back in January, media team member Kim Jeffress, who lives in Brisbane with her husband and 2 boys, came here to LA and got a taste of a few theme parks…(that is until her oldest’s appendix burst! talk about memorable). Anyway, as you might imagine the number of photos and memories that Kim wanted to remember, and wanted to ensure her KIDS would remember are great! Take a look at how Kim used some clever ‘capturing’ techniques and created an absolutely show-stopping Memory file project. it’s amazing!
So this week I worked backwards. Normally when working with sketches we start with the sketch and then create our project. This week I had fun creating my project and then drawing the sketch inspired by my project . I have to say I may have put Maggie Massey into a bit of a spin with all my openables. Sorry Maggie. I cant wait to see what she comes up with later in the week using my sketch.So early this year my family and I flew from Australia to visit the theme parks in California. We visited Legoland, SeaWorld, Disneyland and Universal Studios. Along the way we had the chance to meet some of our favourite characters. I wanted to create a memory file filled with these fun memories.
I began with a Color Pop and Clear Pop Memory File and Mini Memory File and sketch 1.
sketch 1
I decorated the front of the Mini Memory File with my favourite photo from our trip, a photo taken at Disneyland. I added in some flags cut from scraps of pattern paper and a couple of Sentiment Stickers. I downloaded and cut with my cameo several words from Heidi’s digi cutting files, sprayed them with Gold Lame ColorShine and added them throughout my project. I found the mouse ears at my local dollar store. It was a headband, I just removed it from the plastic headband piece and glued it to the front of the memory file. I added a Color Pop Banner Delight to the bottom of the cover and added my title using letters from the Black and White letters.
Before I adhered the Mini Memory File to the yellow Color Pop file I added in some red ribbon and I also hid a small hole at the top of the file by adding a clip.
To complete the cover I tied on a lego figurine keyring to the bow to hold the Memory File closed.
sketch 2
I then created sketch 2 based on the Mini Memory File that opens to reveal the characters we met at Legoland. I misted a piece of Color Pop Pink Pop paper in Black Velvet and Sweet Cherry Colorshine and covered the inside cover and trimmed away the overhang with my stanley knife and I sanded the edges to give a bit more definition.
I added another digi word cut with my cameo and some flags on the left side.
On the right I adhered a large decorative baggie and overlaid my photos and title. I used some Pink Paislee Black Luxe letters. My journaling is added inside the baggie held with a small colored peg.
Now comes the tricky part. I tried out a new technique of joining my two regular memory files together
1 Create a gate fold on two memory files.
2 Take one Memory File(my black and white) and on one flap edge use scissors to cut a slit down the crease finishing 1 inch from either end.
3 Cover the inside of the yellow memory file with Serendipity Softness and Polka Pop pattern paper and then trim and sand the edges.
4 Cut slits 1 inch from either end of the original crease of the yellow Memory File just on one side. Then gently roll this memory file up and push it through the long slit you cut in the black and white one .
5. The 1 inch slits intersect with the long slit in the black and white one.
I have also created a step by step video for this technique.
When the first page is open this is what is revealed.
sketch 3
On the left side (which is the inside flap of the yellow memory file) I share photos of our time in San Diego this creates sketch 3.
I created a photo collage in a free online photo editing website called PicMonkey. I then Layered this over a piece of Black Pop Color Pop paper. I added a couple of banners using scraps and created my title using White letters from then Black and White letters. I included the digi word play from the Summer word set
I used a Mini Instaframe to hold my title which I typed out on my computer and laid it next to my photo.
The flap folds closed like this when the Memory File isn’t in use. You can see on the small flap I have used some Pink Paislee Gold Luxe letters to create my Disneyland title and the magical digi word.
Next up I used the two small flaps that is created when the two memory files are intersected . Once I had placed down my photos I used a Stanley knife to cut a hole in the clear Pop flap. I added a Color Pop Window Frame on the back and front of the window and added a red ribbon to complete.
sketch 4
Sketch 4 provides the basis for these two flaps. On the left side I added in some Color Magic Stars that I covered in glitter glue.
On the right I added a small baggie which holds my journaling then layered over one of our tickets. Under this there is another fav photo.
To cover the joins in the Memory Files I added some washi tape over each join.
Sketch 5
Turning the page again we see the outline of sketch 5. We see the back of the yellow flap. Here I am showing off my son’s favourite characters from Carsland in Disneyland.
I trimmed another piece of the Black Pop Color Pop paper to size, rounded the corners and attached this to the join using washi tape. This creates a further page in my memory file .
Using my iphone I filmed Lightening moving through the streets of Radiator Springs. I uploaded it to Youtube then created a QR code for ease of viewing my video clip. I printed it off and laid it over a piece of Serendipity Polka Pop pattern paper and a blue sheet from the No Limits paper pad.
This view shows the yellow memory file fully closed.
As I said previously I added in another page to accommodate my extra photos.
Sketch 6
Once this page is opened it reveals this and is the basis for sketch 6. On the left I covered the back of the Black Pop Color Pop paper with some Serendipity Singing Stripe pattern paper
I added a small baggie to hold my journaling and trimmed out the pink banner from the Sugar Chic paper pad and added this to the top of the baggie and added an epoxy word from the Vintage Chic Buzz Words set as well. Under the photos I laid a banner from the Color Pop Banner Delights that I had trimmed to fit.
I added a matching piece of Singing Stripe pattern paper on the left side to co ordinate then completed the page with some chipboard shapes from the Chipboard Stickers. The last flap is embellished simply with the photos a chipboard heart and a Definition Sticker.
Have I inspired you to get out all those “meet and greet” character photos you have been saving for a special project? I hope so!!
take a few minutes to really digest all the ideas and elements in this project! take a look at the sketches and see how they can be tweeked to meet your needs! and whatever you do… take a minute to watch kim’s video… because all i can say is BRILLIANT!
welcome back to WEEK 7 of our Memory File Adventure! today we welcome Maggie Massey as our ‘adventure guide’… first of all, can you believe that it’s been 7 weeks? WHAT the WHAT? time flies… i know that personally, i have been in a whirl wind, and i feel like the last 2 months have literally evaporated! amazing. SECOND… i wish that you could all know Maggie. This is a girl that has an ease about her that just makes you feel instantly happy and comfortable. she has the gift of gab, and an amazing ‘hostess’ quality. She loves so easily, and has such a freshness about her… you will see that in her project today… grab a beverage and prepare to be amazed!
Woo hoo! Week 7 of the Memory File Adventure! Have you been creating along with us? Well, if you are here for the first time, or if you have missed any of the previous weeks, you can find weeks 1-6 right here:
It’s Maggie Massey here and this week my assignment was “FOOD.”
Now, I’ll admit, I was really struggling when I first received this topic. I mean…food…really? What on EARTH was I going to do for this? In truth, I pondered and stewed and sat and took notes and changed ideas and pondered some more until it FINALLY dawned on me.
Whenever we gather with family & friends…whenever we invite the neighbors over…whenever we are being social, there is always food present…right? Food and it’s preparation and all of the things that go into cooking and family celebrations can be just as artistic & inspirational as anything else, right? So, it stands to reason that we must have memories that involve food…and those are what we are going to be documenting in these pages…
Here are your ASSIGNMENTS for this week:
1. Jot down some of your favorite family memories that revolve around food. These can be favorite Thanksgiving dinners, birthday parties, cooking with your kids, etc.
2. Find some photos of these occasions and set them aside to work with.
3. Collect a list of favorite family dinners or restaurants.
4. Find a favorite family recipe. It can be one that has been handed down for years or one that your entire family devours every time you make it! If you have a few of these, collect them all…
7. Gather your supplies… (please note, I used Heidi Swapp products for my pages…but you can use anything at all you have on hand…remember it’s the memories that are important here)…
*Create a little flip book with scrapbook paper: Cut 2 pieces of paper 4″ wide by 8″ long. Fold them in half lengthwise and staple them together in the crease.
Add a length of ribbon or seam binding around the middle of your book (to cover up the staples in the middle) and tie a bow in the front. You may choose to attach an embellishment to the ribbon here…I added a Color Magic Heart (sprayed with Georgia Peach Color Shine).
Adhere the little flip book over the “you are my FAVORITE” sentiment.
Now fill your book with “food related” memories…
*Use a paper clip to keep your little flip book closed
TIP: Don’t worry about making your memories sound “fancy” – just get them down on paper…
If you can read my memories up there you’ll see that I’ve written down things like: “when I was little my family would go out to eat almost every week with the Reeder family…often to “The Unicorn” in Lombard”…or…”I’ve never liked salmon but I’ve always wanted to like it” (that’s seriously weird isn’t it? But so true…I really want to like it…). Now obviously those things are not beautiful prose, but they are things I remember…and it’s important to me that I continue to remember them…
Page 26 BACK:
Now here is where you will need your recipe card…
*Copy your favorite family recipe onto the card and adhere to the back of page 26. Add a banner (I used a length of Heidi’s Color Pop Banner Delights) to the bottom of your card and any other embellishments you like.
If you don’t have a favorite family recipe, use a menu from your favorite restaurant…or include another of your stories here…
Page 27 FRONT:
Page 27 is a clear plastic photo holder…but I’ve created a couple of printables for us so that we can turn that page into another journaling page…here are the printables (you can download them using the links above):
For the front page I used the “Delicious” printable and added a memory about a meal I cooked when I was first married (a meal that did NOT turn out as expected…and, get this, I was just making tacos…yep – tacos)…
*Embellish your page with banners or other embellishments. I added a couple layers of Color Pop Banner Delights and a Definition Sticker (attached to a vintage plastic toothpick).
Page 27 BACK:
On this printable I added an anecdote about something that happened at our wedding on this page (along with a photo of us with our cake)…we had our reception in my parents’ back yard under a beautiful tent with tons of food…except we got none of it. And to top that off, one of my husband’s groomsmen ate ALL (ALL! ALL!) of the crab legs…did I mention he ate ALL of them???
*You can choose to add any embellishment you like to this page as well. I added the Mint Clear Pop numbers “’01″ (for the year we were married) and the Buzz Word “us” to my photo. I also added a Sentiment Sticker and sentiment arrow to my page.
TIP: Take a small piece of washi tape (about 3″), slip one end through a paper clip, adhere the ends together and cut a notch in the end. Use this clip to keep the top of the plastic page protector closed so that your embellished pages won’t fall out.
Page 28 FRONT:
For this page I created another printable…(you can download it using the link above):
*Cut 2 pieces of paper…one should be about 5″x5″ and the other should be about 2 1/2″x5.” Adhere them to your page, the larger one on top of the smaller.
*Adhere the printable near the bottom left corner of your top piece of paper, and place a Color Pop Window Frame over that. Staple a couple Color Pop Banner Delights and a paper flower to the upper right corner of your frame.
*Adhere the word “eat” to your bottom piece of paper. I used the Clear Pop Grey Alpha letters on mine…
Page 28 BACK:
*Here I added story about how Thanksgiving has become such a huge tradition in our home. I cut a piece of white cardstock to about 4 1/2″x5 1/2″ – added a photo of our Thanksgiving table, and told my story. A piece of washi on the right side of the cardstock adds some interest to the journaling and helps to anchor the photo on the opposite side.
*Add a few embellishments over the photo/journaling. I added a Clear Pop Tag (#grateful), a Color Pop flag (cut from the Color Pop Banner Delights) and a few resin dots…
Page 29 FRONT:
For the final page I wanted to make a place to store more recipes or memories, so I added a pocket.
*Cut a piece of paper to 5 1/2″x6″ and adhere on the sides and bottom to your album page. Sew around the edges (except for the top!) to add extra texture and interest.
TIP: Change this page up a bit by adding photos or more journaling.
Page 29 BACK
Because my husband works long hours on most days, one of the only times we’re all together as a family is during dinner. So, for the last page of my assignment I decided I wanted to add a list of some of my family’s favorite meals…and there is tons of room to add more as the kids’ tastes change.
Just seeing this list sparks memories of dinners we’ve had that have been worth remembering for one reason or another.
*Add some washi tape (I used bookbinding tape) to the sides of the page to make a frame around this awesome gray/white striped page.
*Add some banners/flowers/embellishments to the side of the page just to dress it up a bit.
And that’s it!
If you can’t think of any prominent “food” memories right off the top of your head, maybe this is a good time to start creating some…
Take photos of your Memory File Album in progress, post them to Instagram and tag them #hsmemoryfileadventure…and if you finish any of your “food” pages, make sure to tag me, too! @MidwesternGirl5 – I’d love love love to see what you’re creating!
And now…just because it’s THAT awesome, I want to share our family’s favorite recipe with you…I hope you love it!
CHEESY BEEFY CASSEROLE
1 lb. ground beef, browned & drained – seasoned with Garlic Salt, to taste
About 1 lb. macaroni noodles, cooked
1 can tomato SOUP
8 pieces American Cheese
Mix the beef, noodles & soup together in a large pot. Put one layer of the meat mixture in the bottom of a 2 quart casserole dish, top with 4 pieces of the cheese (lay them out in a four-square pattern…don’t just pile all 4 on top of each other…yuck). Then do another layer of the meat mixture & 4 more pieces of cheese (if you need to do another layer, go ahead, just make sure you end with cheese on top).
Pop it in a 300° oven for about 1/2 hour or until the whole thing is warm and the cheese has melted.
Serve to your family (my Mom always served ours with corn and baby carrots)…sit back and smile, because lady, you rock.
i will tell you that i am not really a ‘foodie’… but i agree with maggie 100% that FOOD is the CENTER of so many of our memories! and whether we think about it much, or not… they are interconnected with traditions, celebrations, everyday, after school, breakfasts, time together with friends and family… it’s just not fun if we don’t have yummy food!! since we are on the subject, i thought that i would share the recipie that will be going into my book this week, and that is my favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies! we usually make these every sunday, and without fail they are gone before they are all done cooking! they are our happy comfort food! i will share the recipe along w/ my secrets here…. and in my book. i have been trying to teach my kiddos how to make them- Cory is pretty close to mastering it, but the rest have a long ways to go! i like to eat them best frozen. and it’s always good to hide 5 or 6 away so you have a late night snack all to yourself… just a tip!
Heidi’s Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies:
preheat oven to 350 F
mix:
1 Cup Butter Flavor Crisco (this is pretty key, the butter flavor is much better than regular)
1/2 C. sugar
1 C. brown sugar
***blend on medium high for at least 2 min. you want it to be really fluffy
add:
2 eggs
1 t. Vanill
***blend again for at least 2 min on medium high. fluffy again!
add:
2 C. flour
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
***blend until well mixed. i don’t waste time sifting, you can if you are into that kind of thing
add
1 c. choc chips (i like semi sweet most)
***guard the dough with your life. it’s delicious and people will try to steal it before you can bake it all up!
i use a small scoop to drop balls of dough onto a cookie sheet. i bake for 11 min. (actually, my new oven seems hotter, so i dropped to 10 min) they might seem a little doughy but take them out and remove onto a cooling rack and allow to cool. don’t over cook them. no one likes that!
ENJOY! ok EVERYONE: you know that next week is the 8th week of our adventure!! and it’s my week to finish this out… but i have decided to skip a week, and give you all a little ‘catch up’ time… i know i need that… i leave tomorrow for New Zealand and i am NOT quite ready to show you the last 4 pages! but i will tell you, that it’s a perfect way to kick off a brand new season (for me SUMMER!) i am so excited to finish off this amazing album, SO… just plan on me coming back with the final four (pages) on JUNE 3rd!
UNTIL THEN… i’d love to share some of your creations next monday here on my blog! i’d love to see what you are making on this adventure! i’ll be watching instagram for those of you tagging up your projects with #hsmemoryfileadventure. those of you who are picked and featured on my blog will receive a little surprise from me! so don’t forget to TAG IT UP… have a great MONDAY~ and MAKE PRETTY STUFF!!
so don’t forget to TAG IT UP… have a great MONDAY~ and MAKE PRETTY STUFF!!