WEB Wednesday-Apr. 30

Wow! The last day of April!!! Where is this year going??

We have a link from Rachel today that she wanted to share with all of us! I've checked it out and it looks GREAT!!!

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My favourite website is Shutter Sisters for photography...absolutely inspiring
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Thanks Rachel!!! Check it out ladies! Wonderful stuff there!

TEACHING Tuesday - April 29/08

Our Sister Rachel has a GREAT technique to share today! Here's what she says!

"My favourite technique is making my own patterned paper by layer different
textured papers, paper from books (words) and some leftover patterened
paper then putting a wash over it in the colour I want. I also add flourish
stamps! "

Thanks so much Rachel!

CHALLENGE Monday - April 28th

Your challenge this week is to use this sketch as inspiration. Rotate it, flip it... whatever :-)

Don't forget that by completing this challenge, and sending a scan/photo of your completed LO to us at sisterhood.of.scrap@gmail.com by next Sunday, May 4th, you will have the chance to become our SISTER for a week, and also have you name in a draw for a chance to win an awesome prize from our sponsor this month: Lisa's Scrap Shack!!

Here are the LOs completed by the sisters this week!

Rachel:

Deanne:

Carla:

Susan:

Can't wait to see what you do with it!

SISTER Sunday - April 27th

We have a new sister lined up for this week.

Please welcome Rachel S. from England!

Rachel submitted this beatiful layout for our "song title" challenge.

Tell us about your family:
I love my family even though they sometimes drive me crazy…I have been married to Colin for 13 years. We have four gorgoeus , energetic children who are such fun to scrap and photgraph. Phoebe (8), Jamie (6) Ewan (4) and Lucia (2)

How/Why did you start scrapbooking?
I went to a CM class my friend ran and I liked the idea but I am more artisitic so after a bit of research on places like UK Scrappers and 2Peas I found what I was looking for and fell headlong in love with the whole idea.

How long have you been scrapbooking?
I have been scrapping since 2002 so…6 years.

What is it about scrapbooking that you really love ?
Most of my daily work is NOT creative and scrapbooking gives me a chance to release that creative energy and the chance to play with new ideas and techniques. I also love that it can be social or solitary.

How many hours a week do you scrapbook?
*sigh * not enough. I have crop one a fortnight which is my one guarenteed time. So usually work out about 1-2 hours per week.

How long does it take you to complete a layout?
½ to 2 hours depending on what my mood is and how inspired I am.

Where do you get your inspiration?
Everywhere….Home décor magazines, adverts either TV or bilboard, fashion, shop displays, clothes tags and of course scrapping magazines and forums. I tend to be inspired by an idea for a layout from scrapping magazines rather than what techniques or paper they have used.

Describe your scrap space. Do you like/dislike it?
I love my scrap space which is a little office at the end of my garden (used to be my husband's office when he worked from home) It is quite small and cozy and light but at the moment I am having storage issues which I don’t like! So any suggestions….

What are your favourite colours to scrapbook with?
Love white as a base. Tend to go for reds and greens..mmm funny my house seems to be full of those colours too!! I rarely ever scrap with pastels or yellow…not sure why!

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Take a look at Rachel's blog - Life At Its Best ....Chaotic

.... and her gallery.

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Drop by tomorrow for our next weekly challenge. YOU could be our next sister! You could also have a chance to win a prize form our sponsor this month -- LISA'S SCRAP SHACK

SKETCH Saturday-Apr 26 JULIE BONNER

Happy Saturday ,everyone!
Our featured sketch artist today is JULIE BONNER!

Here is little bit about Julie:

Hello everyone! My name is Julie Bonner & I live in Crownsvillle, Maryland with my wonderful husband Justin and my adorable son Ryan.

I have been scrapbooking for several years but did not really find my true scrapbook style until this year. I love vintage style patterned papers, distressing, and using chipboard on almost every page I make. I’m addicted to chipboard!

I was a middle school mathematics teacher for 8 years but recently became a SAHM with the birth of my son Ryan.

Being at home with my son has truly been a gift – I feel the 2 of us share a wonderful relationship & it has allowed me time at night (while he’s sleeping) to venture into a career within the world of scrapbooking.

I currently teach classes at local scrapbook events & online at My Creative Classroom. I am a DT member for A Scrappin’ Friendsy & run a weekly sketch challenge on my own challenge blog, 52 Sketches . . . 52 Weeks.

I am so excited & honored to have been asked to be a Saturday Sketch Artist for the Sisterhood of Scrap. I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with!

Here are Julie's sketch and layout .Enjoy!!!

Thanks, Julie! Julie recently shared some more NEWS on her blog, but you'll have to go check it out to find out!!! Yay!!!!!!!!

Let us know, ladies, if you try Julie's sketch!! Leave us a link in the comments!

FOTO Friday - April 25th

I am currently reading my way through this "short course". Lots of information here!

Using Your Digital Camera: A Guide To Great Photographs

More about Heather!

Describe your scrap space. Do you like/dislike it? MESSY. I have a large desk which is covered in all sorts of scrappy stuff that I think I’m going to use or have used and not put away. Usually I have several ideas on the go at once so there are lots of little piles. I scrap on the floor so it’s messy too. I really try to limit my supplies and use what I have so I don’t have a lot of storage space.

What are your favourite colours to scrapbook with? Black with turquoise, red, white, orange or lime.

Do you enjoy other crafts and/or hobbies? Photography, cycling, reading, traveling. I also knit ( I’m making a felted purse right now), do stained glass and would love to take up kayaking.

What scrapbook magazines do you read? None – I get Scrapbooks Etc but I usually only look at the layouts. I only ever read magazines in the summer when the guys are fishing and I’ve time on my hands.

How thick is your cardstock and paper stash? Probably about 3" cardstock, 4" of patterned paper.

Are you an organized or messy scrapper? Messy – see above.

Anything else you want to share? Thanks for the opportunity and honor of sister of the Week.

Some of Heather's favorites....

Favorite Snack: Chocolate covered raisins or cashews

Favorite Drink: Cold milk

Favorite Paper: changes frequently – usually something with strong, bold colors.

Favorite Technique: sewing, cutting out designs from paper, using circles

Favorite Embellishment: chipboard

Favorite Scrap Tool: my chunky Xacto knife

Favorite Adhesive: Adtech glue runner

TEXT Thursday - April 24/08

Today, I thought I would share some interesting tips on blog writing! I was browsing through the internet and came upon this site Problogger ! There were so many great tips there!

Here are ten tips for writing a blog post. Although some of these tips are more professionally based, I think many of the ideas we can use for personal blogs as well!

1. Make your opinion known. People like blogs, they like blogs because they are written by people and not corporations. People want to know what people think, crazy as it sounds they want to know what you think. Tell them exactly what you think using the least amount of words possible.

2. Link like crazy. Support your post with links to other web pages that are contextual to your post.

3. Write Less. Give the maximum amount of information with the least amount of words. Time is finite and people are infinitely busy. Blast your knowledge into the reader at the speed of sound.

4. 250 is enough. A long post is easier to forget and harder to get into. A short post is the opposite.


5. Make Headlines snappy. Contain your whole argument in your headline. Check out National newspapers to see how they do it.

6. Include bullet point lists. We all love lists, it structures the info in an easily digestible format.

7. Make your posts easy to scan. Every few paragraphs insert a sub heading. Make sentences and headlines short and to the point.

8. Be consistent with your style. People like to know what to expect, once you have settled on a style for your audience stick to it.

9. Litter the post with Keywords.Think about what keywords people would use to search for your post and include them in the body text and headers. make sure the keyword placement is natural and does not seem out of place.

10. Edit your post. Good writing is in the editing. Before you hit the submit button, re-read your post and cut out the stuff that you don’t need.

WEB Wednesday - April 23rd

Heather is sharing some of her favorite card blogs.



She says, "I only just started enjoying creating cards and these ladies are such an inspiration. Very talented, and creative in many different styles."

Natalie -- Dougnat Diaries

Dannielle Flanders -- Homespun with Heart

Dannisdoodles

Jen del Muro -- I {heart} 2 Stamp

TEACHING Tuesday-Apr. 22

Here are some great tips from Heather!

One of my favorite scrapping things to do is working with circles - I have a CM cutting system which I use for smaller circles and I use an assortment of plates to cut bigger circles. For my 12" circle layouts I actually use a cork coaster for protecting your floor from plant pot damage.

My favorite technique is to sew on my layouts. It's easier than it looks. To sew perfect circles I temporarily stick on a circle of regular paper where I want my stitched circle to be. I use the edge as a guideline with the guide foot.

Don't worry about matching up the ends of the circle.This can be tricky with zigazg stitching but pretty easy with straight stitching. Just go slowly for the last portion and manually manoeuvre the needle to where it needs to be. I usually start in a spot that could be covered with an embellie if the two sides don't happen to meet up neatly.

One really good sewing tip is to check the bobbin to make sure you've enough thread BEFORE you start - I know this from experience !

For creating a ricrac circle I run a line of glue around a circle template and place ricrac on top - simple. Iuse glue that dries clear since it is messy but you could also use double sided tape.

Again, you can cover untidy ends with an embellie.

I also love to create circles made up of a semicircle photo and a semicircle of patterned paper or transparency - it gives a really great look. For that I cut the photo first then overlay on top of the paper to make sure everything lines up.

CHALLENGE Monday - April 21/08

April is flying by way too quickly!

But...in a big way...it's GREAT because it means that summer is JUST around the corner!

And with summer...always comes a LOT of SUNSHINE!!

That's why this week's challenge is all about the SUN!!

Your challenge this week is to let the SUN inspire you! Some ideas are to create a LO using the color of the sun, the word "sun" in a title, or even using circle shapes! The choice is up to you.

Don't forget that by completing this challenge, and sending a photo of your completed LO to us at sisterhood.of.scrap@gmail.com by next Sunday, April 27, you will have the chance to become our SISTER for a week, and also have you name in a draw for a chance to win an awesome prize from our sponsor this month: Lisa's Scrap Shack!!

Here are the LOs completed by the sisters this week!

Heather

Susan

Carla

Deanne

(LO based on sketch from Sketches By Tamara !)