SNL/14DOC- Layout Process Video (Dec 13, 2013)

I am completely in love with this layout! Only used a few things but I am def. proud of the way it came out!  

                             

My Technical Definition of Scrapology

SCRAPOLOGY

What is Scrapology?

Scrapology refers to the knowledge and science of Scrap. Scrap involves small pieces of something larger, and in this case it refers to all the small pieces combined that make up the art of scrapbooking. Scrapbooking preserves personal and family memories in the form of a scrapbook (photo album) by turning family photos into creative pages, often as a part of a distinct layout, and then inserting the completed pages into sheet protectors, which are then collected in 3-ring binders.

How did it develop?

Marielen Christensen is sometimes credited with turning scrapbooking from what was once just the age-old scrapbook hobby (a time where embellishments where not used) into a new industry with businesses devoted specifically to the sale and manufacturing of scrapbooking supplies (Jarvik). By 1980, she had assembled over fifty volumes and was invited to display them at the World Conference on Records. Marielen and her husband AJ authored and published a how-to book, Keeping Memories Alive, and opened a scrapbook store in 1981 that has since closed. Keeping Memories Alive was also the first company to launch a scrapbook Internet site.

What is a Layout?

A very important step in making a scrapbook would be creating a layout. A layout is an arrangement of pictures, embellishments (ornaments/decorations) and decorative paper layered on top of each other on a 12X12 cardstock. Cardstock is thicker and more durable form of paper. 

Analysis of Parts:

·         Paper- Choosing scrapbooking paper is the first step when creating a layout. The patterned paper shown on Figure 1 (below) is used as a background to accent the photograph and decorate the page. The collection used above is reversible, and it comes in color coordinating shades; This becomes useful when creating more than one layout with the same collection.

·         Embellishments- Stickers, buttons, ribbons, brads, photo corners, journal cards, rhinestones, enamel dots, tags, flowers, sequences, bows,  and anything else you want can be used as embellishments.

·         Stamps- Both rubber and clear stamps are used it layouts.

·         Photo-Any photograph worth preserving.

·         Thickers- Thickers add dimension and elegance to your layouts; they are of archival-quality materials and come in a variety of fonts and colors.

 

FIGURE 1: Basic Layout

Title: You Are Amazing-Designed by Karla M. Alvarado 

How is it used?

Scrapbooking does not only refer to making layouts. It can be anything from making a card, a tag or even altering regular items with scrapbooking materials to make a something pretty.

Scrapbooking allows for an individual to express themselves by using pictures and images instead of writing, as you would in a Diary; Scrapbooking is a very therapeutic hobby. It can be used for normal memory keeping as well as a tool to help a person cope with traumatic events and progression; a scrapbook may be used to document personal events (Thibo Carnes 39-47).

Are there any new products available today?

Project Life- Project Life is a different approach to scrapbooking that was created to simplify the process. It requires no glue, no scissors, no tools, and no skills of any kind. The design of project life takes the guess work out of layout design so that you can focus on recording your everyday moments through your photos and journaling (Becky Higgins). The simple design is cute and makes it possible for you to complete more pages in less time.

There are only three basic things you need to complete an album (using project life):

1. A 12x12 Binder

2. Project Life® Core Kit

3. Big Pack of Photo Pocket Pages

 Bringing people together?

In addition to preserving memories, the hobby is popular for the strong social network that scrapbooking can provide (Murphy). Sharing the scrapbooking hobby with others often allows for the individuals to get together and scrapbook at each other's homes, local scrapbook stores, scrapbooking conventions and retreat centers. A well known retreat center for scrapbooking is, The Memory Lane Inn, located in both McKinney and Tyler Texas. 

Works Cited

Jarvik, Elaine. "Memories & Mementos." DeseretNews.com. N.p., 23 Apr. 1997. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. <http://www.deseretnews.com/article/556430/Memories--mementos.html?pg=all>.

Thibo Carnes, Jeanne. "Journal of Clinical Activities, Assignments & Handouts in Psychotherapy Practice." Google Scholar, 22 Oct. 2008. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. <http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J182v02n03_05>.

"About Project Life®." Becky Higgins. Becky Higgins, LLC, 2013. Web. 23 Nov. 2013. <http://beckyhiggins.com/about-project-life/>.

Murphy, Kate. "Business; Catering to a Love Affair With the Past." The New York Times. The New York Times, 28 Dec. 2003. Web. 26 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nytimes.com/2003/12/28/business/business-catering-to-a-love-affair-with-the-past.html>.

 

SNL Design/Saturday Stash Dive (Dec. 7, 2013)

 

 

 This week myself and Ellen H. decided to challenge each other with Project Life cards and flowers. I really love the way this layout came out. Using the PL cards was challenging yet surprisingly fun.

 

 

 

 

Layout-Home Is Where The Heart Is

 

I adore this layout. This is one of the cutest pictures I have of Jake and his mom Kathryn. The background paper came from Scraptastics' Colorblind Add-on kit.

 

 

The frame used came from Maggie Holmes and the stamp came from Scraptastic, it is an exclusive set.



This colorful deer really made the layout come together. As you may or may not know, Jake is from North Dakota--hunting is all the rage in his family! ^-^



These white leaves where bought at my local store. They were part of a bouquet I ended up dissecting in order to use each piece separately.
XOXO

Layout-Just A Typical Day

 

I remember this day like it was yesterday. Having breakfast with Goofy and meeting him was one of Jake's highlights on this Disney World trip.

 

I wanted this layout to represent that morning and I also wanted a safari feel to it.

 

I found these leaves at my local craft store here in Tokyo. I truly believe they make the layout come together.




These sequences are from the Memorabilia collection and the mask came with the Colorblind Kit from Scraptastic; I used Tim Holtz distress paint for the background.




The upper right hand corner looked like it could use some spicing up, so I added the washi tapes from the Colorblind Kit and some sparkles to tie it with the rest of the layout.

Layout--This is How We Roll

 

The idea for this layout was completely inspired by the Owl die cut that I used. I wanted to create something fun and comical. Most of the products used came with the Scraptastic November Kit...(The Colorblind Add-on to be precise)

 

I really like the surprised look on the owl's face... I used that to create a sort of "soak up the sun"  feel and the owl does not like it. ^-^ After all, they are nocturnal creatures. XOXO

 

Sneak Peak to my SSD video!

 

 

I loved working with this Kit! One of the best Scraptastic has made to date... (In my opinion)!

How my love Kaiju sleeps!

She is the cutest thing! I love her way too much... She sleeps in the most comftrable position! Hahaha 

Xo, Karla

Meet the Newest Member of our Family! ^-^

Good Morning everyone! I am super excited to introduce to you guys the newest little love in our family! We now have the cutest Chihuahua puppy, we named her Chibi Kaiju! LOL Well actually, Jake named her. :)

 She is the cutest thing in the world... Here I was doing some homework and she just thought it would be a good opportunity to sleep in a warm place. LOL She just knocked out while I studied. So cute! ^-^

 This picture was taken around the third day we had her. We let her roam around the house all day and get acquainted to her new living arrangements. I have to say, she loves it here! I can tell by her energy and happiness.

 This picture is adorable! Sherry Wolfe, a friend from YouTube, sent this to her! She looks adorable and it fits her perfectly. I am now on the hunt for some sweaters. It gets really cold in Japan and I need to make sure that she stays warm through the winter!

I absolutely adore this photo. She completely fell asleep in Jakes arms. She is such a tiny puppy. I love how he is so in love with her, they make the cutest team!

I hope everyone has an amazing day today! XOXO, Karla!

Card Share: Picture Perfect



I made this card for a very special friend! I really hope she likes it! I used papers from my scraptastic kit and looked up some coloring tutorials on You Tube. Hopefully I can get much better! Thanks for stopping by everyone! XOXO, Karla!

TGF Alter-Ego Challenge

Hey guys... this card was super fun to make! Since I am Snow White for Halloween I figured this would be my perfect altered ego! Hope you guys like it! ^-^

 

Exciting News! SNL DT Member! ^-^

Hello my loves! I am so excited today, I have just been chosen as new Desing Team member for SNL Design! I will be working along side the most beautiful ladies out there. I feel truly blessed right now.
This has definetly motivated me to expand my creativity when it comes to my crafting! I am so happy!!! I cant even hide it! YAY!!! :)

So I figured I would give you guys a little background story on me! ^-^
I was doing this with a couple of friends yesterday and it was pretty fun, so why not try it with all of you!

My name is Karla Michelle Alvarado, I am 25 years old and I was born in Orocovis, Puerto Rico! I am active duty military and I am currently stationed in Yokota AB, Japan. I am currently attending UMUC Asia and I am majoring in Business Administration. I have the most amazing family in the world... My mother is my rock, she inspires me every day to go after what I want and love. I have a sister who has given me the most amazing godson and niece EVER, and I have a brother who just had the cutest baby girl! I don't have any kids yet but trust me, I can't wait till that day finally comes ^-^! I do have the most amazing "daughter" in the world though, her name is Rescue and she is a Dutch bunny! I got her when she was only like 2 months old.. she was such a little thing. Not anymore though, she is huge now! hehe

I love my job and everything about the military... I have a gorgeous boyfriend, whom I introduced you to a couple of posts ago, he is everything I have always wanted. He even does some of my videos with me! LOL  Sometimes it just turns into the Karla and Jake show! HAHA But I love it! My favorite thing about Crafting is Layouts! Just something about putting it all together and seeing the end result that just makes me fall in love time and time again! I would say that my style is pretty eclectic. I love everything and anything. I love to embellish and use paper in a million different ways.

Well loves, I am not really sure what else to come up with so this will be it for now! If you want to know anything else just let me know! I love you all and I feel truly blessed to be a part of this community!
XOXO, Karla Michelle

P.S --I will be uploading some more photos later!**

Layout in 3 minutes!

Hey guys! So I decided to do this fun challenge of doing a layout in 3 minutes! It was a total blast! I had tons of fun and I can't wait to do it again! 

I can't believe how fast 3 minutes went by...

Catching up!!! (Copics Storage)

Hey guys... So I realized my copics were looking completely out of control and I really wanted to find some way to organize them. I decided to do a little shopping at the BX on base and I found these cute pots to put them in.... 

I am really happy with the way they turned out. I will def. be on the lookout for more colors but for now this looks pretty good to me. What do u guys think? Xoxo, K!

A little bit about me and my love...

A couple of weeks ago my boyfriend told me that he didn’t understand why I loved being with him and how this relationship could be different from any other relationship I have had, that seriously made me laugh.  I started to think about all my past relationships and how this particular one was truly different from the rest. 

This post is about what I came up with…

For starters, I have NEVER felt like I could truly be myself around anyone.  Specially being in the military, someone always wants to change me.  They want to make me more “grown up” whatever the heck that means, or they want me to be a different version of me.  I mean let’s be serious, I am a 25 year old who still listens to Hanna Montana and who will wait 3 hours at the line at Disney just so that I could meet all the Pixie Hallow fairies.  Let’s not even get started on my Sailor Moon addiction and my Pokémon card collection.  I cry when I am happy, when I am sad, when I am mad. LOL I am also very sure of who I am, what I want and what I need to do to make it happen.  I am very friendly and sometimes guys mistake it as flirting.  I love everything and everyone.  I am a complete morning person and I have energy for days!  I will put strangers before myself and my pet bunny is my life.  HAHA Trust me, not a lot of guys understand or get this combo. 

Since the first day that I met my boyfriend I have been nothing but 150% me.  I have never felt like I could do that with anyone.  Somehow as soon as I started letting my guard down I started being judged by the guy I was dating at the time.  But this time it was different, we were friends and roommates for about 7 months before he asked me to be his girlfriend.  It was funny because in everyone’s eyes we were already dating.  But I knew the truth, I had to wait patiently but most importantly I had to be me.  I was tired of having to tone down who I was just to meet another person’s standards.

We are honest with each other, we have fun, we are literally like the same person but different at the same time.  He watches Disney movies with me and gets involved in the things that I like.  He asks questions and he honestly wants to know what I do and what makes me happy.  He gets me, my corny jokes and he never, ever makes me feel like I can’t do anything and everything I set my mind to.  He keeps me grounded and flying all at the same time.  When we disagree on things I love that he tells me his point of view and even when I am the one that’s wrong he listens to me and tries to understand why I feel the way I do.

So to make my point… I have spent years trying to find someone that can make me feel the way he does. He is different in every way and I feel blessed to have him.

And you know I can't live without my coffee...

Scraptastic Kit for October 2013: Never Tear us Apart

I am so excited! Today I received my Scraptastic October Kit!  I am completely in love with it and I cant wait to start crafting with it.  

I love absolutely everything in this Kit.  I will be honest, the first thing that attracted me to it was the name that was given to it!  I am a hopeless romantic, what can I say! ^-^

 The design papers that came with this kit are adorable... I specifically like the Amy Tangerine Heart Throb sheet! Super cute! Below is a list of everything the kit came with!

12x12 Patterned Paper:
1 Sheet of Amy Tangerine Heart Throb
1 Sheet of Crate Paper Memories
1 Sheet of Crate Paper Remember
1 Sheet of Dear Lizzy Giddy Guests
1 Sheet of Fancy Pants Joyful
1 Sheet of Fancy Pants Rosewood

12x12 Cardstock:
2 Sheets of Bazzill Arizona
2 Sheets of Bazzill Beach
2 Sheets of Bazzill Candle Glow

Embellishments:
1 Sheet of Fancy Pants Grey Alphas
1 Sheet of Crate Paper Close Knit Journaling Stickers
1 Sheet of Fancy Pants Happy Go Lucky Label Stickers
1 Sheet of Exclusive Ormolu labels and Pennants
3 Jillibean Soup Woodgrain Frames
1 My Mind's Eye Right Now Journaling Card
1 Webster's Pages Bitty Bag
4 Jillibean Soup Corrugated Potty People
3 Exclusive Ormolu Flair Badges
1/2 Package of Fancy Pants Happy Go Lucky Resin Flowers
2 Webster's Pages Brown Arrow paper Clips
3 Exclusive Mason Jar Wood Veneers
3 Exclusive InstaLove Wood Veneers
1 Scraptastic Club Laughter Die Cut
1 Scraptatsic Club Love Die Cut
1 Scraptastic Club Family Photo Die Cut

Heidi Swapp Heaven

 

 

Where to even begin on this card...

 

I made this card for my best friend Paola! She recently did a half marathon and I couldn't be prouder.  We are both active duty military so for us completing a marathon (even a half) is a VERY big deal!  The military loves for us to run and run as much as possible. ^-^

She is a pink fanatic and I think this card is so her.  This card is also very special to me, it was my first process video on YT and I am really proud of it.

 

 

Things used:

TGF stamp Cheeky Chat

Heidi Swapp: Sugar Chic Paper Pad

Heidi Swapp: Border Strips

AC: Everyday Chipboard Shapes

Butterfly: Unknown

My Minds Eye: The Sweetest Thing/Enamel Dots

 

On the inside of the card I used two different stamp sets:

Jillibean Soup: Chilled Cucumber Soup

and

Technique Tuesday: Favorite Memories

Simple Stories: I heart Summer (Card)

Probably one of the best cards I have ever made.  I made this card for my you tube bestie Jen (Jencali78)... This card was made with so much love! Its literally pouring out of the card. ^-^

For the image I used Lovely bean from TGF.  The only papers I used came from the Simple Stories/I heart summer collection. The flowers were gifted to me so unfortunately I don't know where they are from but the envelope are Maya Road.  The best friends stamp came from The Little Yellow Bicycle stamp set "Friends".  I seriously love everything about this card, specially the colors.

*The little lady bug peaking has special meaning... Jen adores lady bugs so I thought it would be adorable to have one crawling out of the back of the image. LOL

Thank you all for stopping by... XOXO

Cards for My Loves

 

 

Hey everyone, these cards were made for two very special ladies...

 

This one I made for Kristina, who is Kristina95901 on You Tube.  She is the biggest sweetheart and I couldn't wait to get started.  I used the Heidi Swapp/Sugar Chic paper collection along with my Heidi Swapp/Memory File: Vintage Instaframes. I then added some Freckled Fawn: Dew Drop Arrows and a Wood Veneer from Studio Calico.  The butterflies and HK flair came in a RAK I received so I don't know where they are from but they definitely gave the card a nice touch. ^-^

This greeting farm stamp is one of my favorites, her name is Bright Bean.

 

 

 

This next card is for a VERY special friend! Ashley, who is Chronicsrapper on You Tube.  Ashley has been one of the most amazing friends I have ever had.  I picked this specific TGF stamp (Glimmer Bean) for her because it reminds me of how much she sparkles. 

I am telling you, the girl is made of starlight! 

 

Just last month I showed a video of some things I bought on my recent trip to San Diego.  Ashley went crazy over the Wild & Free/Glitz paper pack that I showed.  So, I decided I had to use this collection for her card.  The bling shown is from The Forever in Time scrapbook collection.  I loved the way it made the card sparkle!  Exactly what I wanted.  The lily's are from Recollections and the butterflies are the same as above, gifted to me by a friend.



 

Have an amazing day guys, thanks for stopping by! XOXO

Welcome

 

*Hello Everyone and welcome to my blog* 

I am beyond excited to start this new chapter of my crafting.  I have been wanting to do this for a long time and I am glad that I finally got enough courage to start.  Scrapbooking has always been a part of my life but it wasn't until the last 2 years that I really started to let the world in on it! ^-^

I hope you like my creations.  I cant wait to start sharing them with you all. XOXO, Karla