I did something today I almost never do: I spent a TON of money on scrapbook supplies. Wait. I do that almost daily... BUT what I don't usually do is USE those supplies! Especially not immediately. I loved this new We R Memory Keepers collection so much though that I did just that - went home and scrapbooked!
Isn't it fantastic? The cover is in great shape so I plan on making that the cover of a mini book. Hopefully I'll actually do something with it. Unlike the album I picked up at the same store a couple months ago that is still sitting in my craft room. (but at least I'm displaying it right??)
Renaissance Album Workshop - $42: What do the Mona Lisa, Stickles and the Making Memories Slice all have in common? They come together to create this one of a kind Renaissance inspired album. You’ll use beautiful Graphic 45 papers, chipboard, ribbon and distressing techniques to create this beautiful seven-page mini book—perfect for preserving your timeless memories!
First I start with an idea and some paper... sometimes the idea comes first..sometimes the paper. Sometimes the idea is completely my own and sometimes it's inspired by a layout I've seen on the internet or in a magazine. In this case I "scraplifted" the idea from a layout I remembered seeing that was part of the Basic Grey "All About Me Series" (a year long class at our store). I just remembered the layout using the Basic Grey Eerie collection (a halloween collection) and breaking it down into parts to use it as a fall layout. I really liked the idea that I could still buy the Halloween papers (because I HAVE to have all the new papers) but that I could have a use for it (because I usually do nothing on Halloween). So with bits of that idea still in my head after seeing the layout 3 months ago I came up with a rough idea. I laid out the photos and papers how I want them to look:
And then I do everything I can to make sure the end product looks nothing like that. First off I start with my two favorite products (that I use on EVERYTHING I make now). Tim Holtz paper distresser and walnut distress ink:
I distress and ink a bunch of edges:
Then I decide I don't like the left side of my layout so I lose 2 photos, add a couple mats, and break out my slice to create a giant leaf pile:
And in the end I'm left with this:
And then I get bored and move on... yes I know it still needs journaling and maybe a title...and maybe an embellishment or two... but I can't think of anything... so I'm going to leave it with the other projects I have left to finish. Like that mini book I started and that layout I still haven't come back to.
The great thing about being snowed in is being able to get some scrapbooking done. Unfortunately for me that means I have a lot of unfinished projects laying around. I swear I have scrapbooking ADD. Here is one project I did finally finish: snowmen ATCs for an ATC swap I'm participating in. SEVENTEEN ATCs to be exact!! 
I used Martha Stewart Microbeads as the main element for my cards. I used scor-tape around the edges and then dumped the beads on top of that. I also used glossy accents to make snow spots and added beads to those as well.
I have most of the inside done but it still needs finishing touches. Hopefully I can share the whole thing soon...
