Technique Tuesday at BOAF

Hello there Chickies! Today I have a super easy & fun miniBook tutorial for you. You could feasibly put it together with just three pieces of double sided cardstock (like those found in March's kits) and a sewing machine or a good strong adhesive. I took the easy way out, but would suggest using a sewing machine to bind yours. I've made many of these minis over the years and I like the look of the sewn ones the best. Especially when using thickerpapers like those in the March kit.

I cut 7 pieces of paper at 4 by 12. Don't ask me why 7, it just worked best for MY project. It's best to work in even numbers. I arranged them the way I would like to see them in my mini... Note the top one will be both your cover and last page.

 

I arranged them in pairs (except for my odd one). It's best to work in pairs whether you end up sewing your seam or using paper to create your binding. It decreases the bulk some AND keeps things lined up better...

 

Next I cut 4 by 2 inch pieces of paper to bind each of my pairs together. (If you want to sew, all you have to do is run your machine right down the center of the whole stack.) I creased them in the center. You can see one of these pieces below. It is the coffee cup piece. In this picture I am about to attach the two pieces (I used my xyron to make the binder pieces sticky, you can use your favorite strong adhesive) together in my first pair using a contrasting piece of 4 by 2 paper.

 

Up next you can see the three pairs adhered to themselves, you now have three pairs put together (plus my one random extra, lol). ..

The next step is putting the three pairs togeher by adding the seam pieces to the back of each set. Like so...

I'll be honest, once I had it all together, the right edge was uneven. Adding the binder pieces in really added to the bulk of my book. so, I just trimmed the edge even with my cutter. This is where pulling out your sewing machine would have lended itself to much quicker and initially tidier project, lol.

Now, comes the fun part. Decorating it and adding in your photos and words.
I had fun adding in pictures from my husband's five deployments (and counting). I just love having all of these photos together in one place. It's crazy to see how our family has grown. P.s, yes, you can see my husband with a newborn in the first two homecomings, because I gave birth during both of those deployments. Not sure how I survived that. Either time.
     

 

To keep my rather chunky miniBook contained, I attached a rosette brad to the front and wrapped some pretty silver floss around the book ala manilla envelope style. The finished project... Now, I'm ready to start a new one to contain the next chapter...

My March Reveal at BOAF

Hello Friends. i finished all of my projects for my first month over at Birds of a Feather Kits. Amy put together a fun mix of new products from Little Yellow Bicycle and Teresa Collins. There are still some kits and add-ons left if you NEED some new scrappy goodies.

Http://birdsofafeatherkitco.com/category_1/Papercrafting-Kits.html

I made the cutest little miniBook with this kit, too. Be back with that this weekend. Plus a tutorial for you to make one yourself.

***********P.s. I've seen the April kit and add-ons AND I love it!

The One Where She Multitasks

Sitting in scouts, drawing with Sassy, and helping to corral seven Wolves, and I realize I have a TON of pages to share. Life keeps on whizzing past my tired eyes. But, it's a beautiful, albeit blurry life. Some layouts using Studio Calico's amazing kits...

A peek at what my eyes have been seeing...

Bonus points if you made it this far AND if you can decipher Sullivan's writing...

Check back later this week for my design team projects for Birds of a Feather.

The One Where She Thinks She Has it all Under The Troll

Five more hours of racing five ounce blocks of wood and we are still not finished. A couple of weeks ago Reagan's Cub Scout pack had its Pinewood Derby. He did well. He finished first for the wolves and the entire pack. Fast forward to today's district event. Let me back up a minute. today was a bit over scheduled. A, I has to get help getting Julia to her game since Pinewood was at the same time. The plan was for the rest of us go to derby and then head over for Reagan's game/and pick up Julia from her game at the same time. No problem, right? Reagan's race was at 9:15 and basketball wasn't until 11. Ha, right.

Long story short, Julia had to be rescued from her game because we never made it. BUT, Reagan finished third for the Wolves and even advanced to the finals for the district AND will compete in the Council derby. Ugh. Insert eye roll here. I mean I'm thrilled. No, really I am. Just next time I'll clear the rest of our schedule. And pack snacks.


A little paper and glue. The Studio Calico kits always put a smile on my face...

Our days these days... Cheer, new Legos, sickies, and spending Geega and Dumpa's money.

And, of course, this happens mid-derby madness...

The One Where She Had a Little Sunshine to Share

When my term at Scrapbook Express ended in the Spring of 2011, I had a feeling that my days as a design team member for a store or kit club may be numbered. This rotten economy of ours has shuttered so many stores and clubs the DT positions were really becoming harder to come by. Enter a chance peek at a design team site and I sent an application of on a whim. Guess what? I got it! The sweet Amy at Birds of a Feather wanted ME!!  So, so happy to be playing with a kit, again. I love that creative push I get when pressed to make something with JUST what's on my desk.. Thanks so much for the chance, Amy!   Hope you all come play along.

In fact, this past weekend BOAF hosted its second annual Lovebirds Crop. Here's the layout I put together for the "Things I Love"... challenge.

One of my favorite things about being a Momma is watching them together...

I'd love to do a little giveaway in celebration of me joining the Birds of a Feather team. You have up to three chances to win if you:

1. Just leave a comment here for one chance.
2. Become (or be) a follower of my blog.
3. Become (or be) a member at the BOAF Hen House.

Make sure you tell me what you've done in the comments. I'll leave this giveaway open until Wednesday 3/6...