Create a moment #8

As a huge music lover and a frequent concert attendee, I know all about doing pages on concerts. Whether an outside bandshell or a big auditorium you need a camera with a good zoom. Inside shots require a steady hand or a good flash. Gather your concert buddies and make sure to take pictures of the anticipation before and the excitement after the show, along with the pictures of the band. Save those concert tickets and caught guitar picks to add to your pages too. Use one of the band's songs as the title for your page!

Create a moment #7

Cookies! Who doesn't love them? Get out the baking supplies, put some aprons on your kids and hand them a recipe. Catch the flour on the face, the chocolate chip snacker and the finished products amongst the rest of the process. If you have kids under 10 ask them BEFORE you start to write down or dictate to you how they think they make the cookies. The results will be hilarious and you can add them to the journaling on your layout!

Create a moment #6

All moments don't require other people. How about animals? Every spring and summer toads and frogs fall into the window well that is right next to my computer desk. Though I wasn't normally a fan of frogs and toads I've grown to appreciate this little zoo that I have all summer long. Animals are everywhere and you need not go to the zoo to find them. Take your camera outside and they will appear. What's better than a scrapbook page on the wonders of nature.

Create a moment #5

Remember when you were a kid and would find a grassy hill to roll down. Now I understand that doing that today can cause possibly motion sickness for you but not for your kids. Find a hill, send them to the stop and let them have a blast? You stand at the bottom for some shots, the top for others and even halfway down for more. You can imagine the scrapbook page titles that could work for that one, Rolling...rolling....rolling!!

Create a moment #4

Do you have a cozy couch or a big comfy armchair? How about sitting all your kids on it and taking pictures. Here's what you do to make it more than a formal photo shoot. Give them those plastic glasses that come attached with the fake nose and moustache. You'll see the silly side come out in your children in a matter of seconds. Let them be goofy, that's the whole point of this exercise!! Catch their fun in a series of photos, take lots so that you have many to choose from. Get closeups and group shots then get them developed while the smile is still on your face and scrapbook them!

Create a moment #3

The moment for today is a picnic. How easy is that to put together? Again, it doesn't matter who you picnic with, from a romantic twosome with your husband to a big family get together. Picnics are wonderful for picture taking as are any outdoor photos. Make sure to get the details in your shots too, the ants, the food, the tablecloth and summer outfits. Your picnic doesn't need to be formal or fancy, you can throw one together for tonight's meal, just drive or walk to the nearest picnic table or soft area of grass. If you're looking for just the right scrapbook paper for this layout, check out Mayberry.

Create a moment #2

Did you know that not only libraries can have book clubs? You can do one too, with your kids, with your friends, with your husband. Summer is a great time because so many good reads come out this time of the year. Make a list of books you all want to read and then create a schedule. Meet on occasion to discuss, eat and take pictures! Don't forget to photograph the books themselves too! Let your clubbers add their own book reviews to your scrapbook pages.

Create a moment #1

I was thinking that so much of life is the collection of moments. You know the ones, they are the ones you talk about again and again, the ones that bring a smile to your face just by thinking about them. Sometimes you need to actually work on creating those moments. I decided I would share some of my moment creating ideas with you. Your number one job is to bring the camera so as to not miss a thing.

Slumber parties are not for pre-teen girls only. They can be for families too. All it takes is some blankets and pillows, some popcorn and dvds and the willingness to stay up late! Some Friday night soon have your slumber party. Don't worry about the carpet or the calories. Drinks will be spilled, calories will be high and sugar will need to be removed from teeth! It will all be worth it though when a spontaneous pillow fight breaks out and you catch it all on film.

Creativity with Trees & Things Stamp Set

My friend, Bridget, loves tree stamps! Here's a great tutorial about using the Trees & Things stamp set if you love them too!

Happy Summer!

It's the first day of summer, what pictures are you going to take? I caught my cat lounging in the sun.

Creating Moments

Starting this week I will be doing a series of posts on creating moments for your photography and scrapbooking. Stay tuned!

Special travel photography and travel titles

My newsletter list is going to have some special travel related tips for both your photography and scrapbooking this week. There will also be a special gift offer. Sign up at the block to the right.

Love Your Layout: June 2011

More fun from Studio J. Get yours here.

Studio J®: Perfect Placement

It's so wonderful to work for a company that takes the time to make videos to help teach everyone how to use the new products. Take a look at this and, when you're ready to make your own Studio J layout (and get your free jpeg), CLICK HERE.

Flower Child - Memory Makers Magazine

Here's the last of my little series on old published pages I've done. This one, (on the top of the page), is one of my favorites because I loved using Stamping Station paper dolls. It's from the Outstanding Scrapbook Pages by Memory Makers back in 2003. Thanks for viewing my pages this week!

Studio J blog | Art Gallery : Studio J Online Design Software : Close To My Heart

Here's some last minute Father's Day gift ideas.

Studio J blog | Art Gallery : Studio J Online Design Software : Close To My Heart

Legoland Layout - Creating Keepsakes magazine

I was asked to be one of three people doing a "page makeover" in the February 2000 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine. We were given photos that belonged to someone else and each of us made a page with them. It was fun! Mine is the one at the top.

Pumpkin Patch layout

Way back in the September/October issue of Memory Makers I had a layout published that I actually still am quite proud of. An outing to the pumpkin patch on a field trip with my son inspired me to create this one. Good memories. If I were to do this layout now, I'd definitely use Olivia paper.

Studio J Contest Page

I'm taking a break from posting my old published pages to let you in on the extra page I have on this blog. It's for contests and giveaways and the first one is up. Check it out HERE!

Here's the Scoop

Way back in 2001, Memory Makers magazine put out a Scrapbook Gallery 2 magazine and I was published in their "June" section with a layout I did of my kids eating ice cream at Dairy Queen. I love our local Dairy Queen because it has an outdoor seating area that's just perfect for photo taking.

Michigan Scrappers

Though it's not technically a published page, another magazine I was in is the February/March 2000 PaperKuts Magazine with a group of great girls called the Michigan Scrappers. As you can see in the article, our group had grown very large and we met regularly to scrapbook. This particular photo took place at Sticker Store and More where the organizers of today's MegaMeet in Novi began. I am still friends with many of these girls and send a big shout out to them!!

Ever been published?

I have but it was a loooong time ago. When scrapbooking first started really taking off a whole bunch of scrapbooking magazines were out there. I was lucky enough to have my work published once in awhile back then. This week I'm going to share some of those pages. This one is from the July/August 2001 issue of Memory Makers. The article was one about boy pages and this page is one with my husband and my son, Alex, on it (Happy Birthday today Alex!). It's on the lower right of this scan. By the way, we have a great time talking about good memories like this one on my facebook page. Scrapping With Heart if you'd like to join us.

Fun movie quotes for your pages

Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out? - What a Girl Wants

"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to
your friends. - Harry Potter

"Love means never having to say you're sorry." - Love Story

"There's no place like home." - Wizard of Oz

"You're going to need a bigger boat." - Jaws

"You had me at 'hello.'" - Jerry Macguire

"Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me in to." - Oliver

"I'm ready for my close-up." - Sunset Boulevard

"Toga, toga, toga." - Animal House

"As God as my witness, I'll never be hungry again." - Gone with the Wind

"I'll have what she's having." - When Harry Met Sally

"If you build it, he will come." - Field of Dreams

"I've always depended on the kindness of strangers." - A Streetcar named Desire

"Houston, we have a problem." - Apollo 13

"Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore." - Wizard of Oz

"After all, tomorrow is another day." - Gone with the Wind

"A boy's best friend is his mother." - Psycho

"Who's on first?" - Abbot and Costello

"You can't handle the truth." - A Few Good Men

"There's no crying in baseball." - League of our Own

"May the force be with you." - Star Wars

"Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth." - Pride of the Yankees

June 3rd is National Repeat Day

I said, June 3rd is National Repeat Day!!

And in honor....here's one of my favorite posts, pictures of the College Survival Kit that I made about a year ago for the Operation Smile charity silent auction at the Close to my Heart convention. It ended up selling for over $200 and all the money went to Operation Smile.

College Survival Kit

You and Me kit

I had a chance to sit down today and do the first of the two layouts from the You and Me page kit (the special last month). I do have a few more of these kits available for sale if someone would like one.

Convention is coming soon!

Our Close to my Heart convention is at the Disneyland Hotel in July. If you are a big fan of our products I've got a special tip for you. While I'm at convention I'm going to be taking a LOT of pictures and videos of the new products that they will be showing us. The products will be coming out in the Fall catalog which you won't be able to see until August. But, for an early sneak peek, "like" my Facebook business page and I will be posting daily from convention. Remember this doesn't happen until July but it's going to be so much fun! You can "like" my page now and get involved with my page. We have a lot going on in there with some wonderful scrapbookers so don't wait until July to check us out! CLICK HERE TO SEE MY PAGE!