February 2016 – Page 3 – Craft With May

Traveler’s Notebook

I’ve been real worried guys! You see, for many years I’ve used mini books created by scrapbook companies for my scrapbooks “on the go” – but all my favorites are no longer being made! Oh, sometimes you can find one, but they’re not something still being produced/new ones made. What’s a girl to do?

A few months back I received a notebook from Cocoa Daisy called a “Daisy Dori”. Each month they release a new one – full of beautifully decorated pages ready to rock a scrapbook on the go! I purchased a few more recently – but I also realized there’s a whole world of these “traveler’s notebooks” that I had no idea existed! Talk about exciting! Here’s a link to a YouTube video I created on the subject.

I mention my own personal rules for scrapbooking on the go – and I’ll recap them here:

Do a little bit of pre-embellishing if working with a plain
Severely limit what you bring. Just a pen and some tape will get it done, but a few stickers or washi tape strips might be nice to have along
Remember you can always add more when you’re back home

I’ve been keeping journals for years! What do I do with them? Sometimes I use them as reference for remembering where we went and what we enjoyed. Sometimes I use them to recall details for scrapbooking. Sometimes we just enjoy reliving memories and notes written while traveling.

I don’t worry about looking photo worthy or fancy – the wrting and details is what matters in here. Everyone traveling is welcome to add their thoughts as well! These little books take up no room, and I’m excited about having a cover that I can insert new books as old ones get filled up. I can’t tell you how fun it is to read the details of our travels that I would never have remembered otherwise.

Aside from the beautiful Cocoa Daisy “daisy dori” books (pictured above) the set-up I’m using is the official Midori Traveler’s Notebook. You could make these yourself, or purchase them ready to go! Below are some (affiliate) links to Amazon where I found mine.

leather cover
no lines
kraft (no lines)
lined notebook
folder

And here’s a link to scrapbook.com where the supply folio I use is from.

Mardi Gras card!

When I first saw this Avery Elle stamp set I knew I had to have it – because it’s the perfect match for my French Quarter kit! I figured today was the perfect day to share this card. It was so fun to combine layering stamps (cut out with my ScanNCut) + embellishments on a card.

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The stamp set used is by Avery Elle, and is in stores now. Below are affiliate links in case you’d like to find one for yourself! I’m thinking mermaid colors to pink parties, black and white to anything else you dream up – this will be a fun stamp set to use. For now though, I’m going to keep to my favorite kit (oh the purple love!)

Avery Elle Stamp set at Ellen Hutson | Simon Says Stamp

Clip art to iron on with ScanNCut

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What happens when I combine Brother ScanNCut, iron on material, and some clip art? MAGIC, I tell you! Hey guys so I’m here today with a quick & simple tutorial focusing on one of my favorite SNC features: ability to make a cut file out of clip art! Note this would also work with any font/typed words, and much more too.

Disclosure that I am a paid consultant for Brother, but that as always all ideas and opinions are my own.

Here is a link to my YouTube tutorial.

I created this as a surprise – and oh boy! Miss Elizabeth sure did adore it. Note that I went to a free for personal use site to find this design. You can find both free and paid designs all over!

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What appeals most to me about using random line art or even word art that you’ve printed off is that you don’t have to be savvy in file converting, you don’t have to take any extra steps. If the file or scannable item you need isn’t an .svg or Brother ScanNCut file I love that you have easy and fast options.

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And you KNOW I love being able to personalize and glitter up random (boring) pencil cases! I hope you liked today’s tutorial – always love sharing with you the various ways this machine is helping me live this wild crafty life of mine… and add more glittered fun to it.

Creatively speaking: priorities

#1 thing you will not hear me say about creating things? That I don’t have time. I have the same number of hours as everyone else, it isn’t about “having time”. Its about having priorities and what I decide to do with my time.

Nothing wrong with prioritizing work, family, other hobbies, or even binge watching a new to you TV show. The key is to acknowledge that what you do with your time, ultimately, is what the priority is.

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There’s a reason I am not on Facebook (haven’t been for many years) – it was taking up a lot of time, therefore it was too much of a priority on my free time. Lately I’ve not been prioritizing my fabric crafts as much as I’d like. I’ve also not been prioritizing cleaning up my alphabet stickers, as you can see above.

I have been prioritizing weekly clean-up sessions. Some exciting new projects. Staying ahead and scheduling blog posts. And generally getting in better habits that will boost my productivity.

Some days I am totally selfish and just sit and play with whatever I want to. Nothing wrong with that – it’s taking care of and nurturing myself! Other days, well other days it’s all about paperwork and forms and responsibility. I try to keep a good mix of making space for just for fun alongside need to do items. Some examples include putting away all 100+ layouts I had out for my Tried & True class (that is from the don’t wanna but really should list!) back into their albums. Or reorganizing my desk to accommodate my new embellishments (fun).

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Even if you only have 5 free minutes – a bit of coloring, a bit of creative play can really help keep things going and help you make creativity a priority. Looking for motivation? My friend Kathy is hosting a month-long challenge on her blog encouraging everyone to color – any medium any style – just for a few minutes. You may want to check that out.

I’m always changing and adjusting what is a priority – or what I want to be making. I’m ok with that. It keeps things crafty and interesting around here, that’s for sure!

What crafts or projects have you been prioritizing? What creative play has been making your t0-do list?

Heidi Swapp Marquee Heart

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I do so love florals and spring colors- so instead of doing a “Valentine” feeling with this light I went for spring/floral in general so it can be up longer! I used the new Heidi Swapp heart, paper, and lights that I found at Michael’s and went for it.

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Here is a link to my video tutorial – this was so quick and easy! I just love how it turned out as well.

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