Scrapronicity: July 2010

Friday, July 23, 2010

Camp Albums....

For the second year one of the scrapbook websites hosted a "camp" where they give you challenges and you can enter contests. Last year it was very small...this year it was huge! The prizes are based on chance, not skill, but I wanted to use the opportunity to get some projects done. I was actually able to accomplish something!

Each year I do a mini camp album for Emily. If I had known she would be there for five years, I may have done one big combined album...DUH! That said, some of my favorite albums have been her camp albums.

The first year I used a simple photo album and Cosmo Cricket paper (I love their stuff)

This was a fun project because I put each photo on the outside of the insert, forming a pocket between the front photo and

the back photo. I had MANY photos that year so I printed all of them, added ribbon and then placed the extra photos inside the photo pockets with the ribbons sticking out (the little ink pad is only in there to keep it open for the photo-LOL)

The second year Liam was born the second to last day of camp (Parent's Day so I had only the photos my Mom took). Instead of doing an all Lindgren album, I did a summer flip-flop album.

Last year I decided to do a "tie-dye" theme because they tie-dye at her camp. I experimented using a clear, acrylic cover, alcohol ink and Spin-Art.

This year for my "camp" assignment I worked on the first three pages of this summer's camp album.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Artist Trading Cards

In my scrappy little world, I've always known about "Artist Trading Cards" or "ATCs."These are little works of art designed on a piece of card stock the size of a playing card (sometimes people trade them...hence the "trading" in the name). Imagine my surprise when Emily came home with a few that she made in art class. I've always loved her art teacher...but THIS made me giddy! She made a few cards and was given a holder so she can continue to make some during the summer. I had a thought.

Wouldn't it be fun to make a card for each holiday, with a photo to go with it? I happen to have an ATC holder (doesn't everyone??) and I wasn't sure what to do with it. Now I know and I'm excited! Last year, for no reason at all I made a ATC for St. Patricks Day. This will be the first card for my new project. :)

This weekend, I thought w

e would work on a few for July 4th. I gathered a bunch of themed card stock and some embellishments...I can't wait to see what we come up with. This is a simple and fun craft that I can work on with both of the kids!

Why Scrapronicity?

"Synchronicity" can be described as the coincidental occurrence of events. When I was a kid I saved everything that had meaning to me in a blue shoebox...ticket stubs, candy wrappers, empty tubes of Lipsmackers. I even have a response to a letter I wrote to one of the Iranian hostages in the 80's. All of these things found their way inside this box. In 1982, when I was twelve, I was given a large, blank scrapbook and it in I taped (eww, TAPE!) the $2 bill given to me by my grandma, a deflated balloon from summer camp, playbills, school play tickets, etc. In 1987 and 1988 I traveled to Spain and saved every metro ticket, wrapper, chip bag, brochure, etc. and placed it all in a book. Every momento I had ever kept was dated with a description. It wasn't until 2001 when I had my daughter that my hard-core scrapping addiction began. I realized that year that I may not have concentrated on paper and embellishments in the past, but I WAS a scrapper all along! This hobby that I love so much, the creative outlet it gives me, the thrill I get when a project is finished, actually began in a blue shoebox when I was just a child. While I know this doesn't truly describe what synchronicity is, the name "Synchronicity" for me (aside from paying homage to my favorite group, The Police) really hits the eyelet right on it's colorful head!