Happy Labor Day!

Hitting the road for 3 days. I'll be back on Monday. If you have a scrapbooking emergency, remain calm.... it's only 3 days.
Meanwhile, have a great weekend!

Mini Albums

I never realized I had ADD until I started scrapbooking. I do so many different types of crafts that I am easily bored if I do the same things for too long. Luckily, I have clients like like a wide variety of things. Here is one of 3 mini-albums I am making for one of my longest, loyal clients (who recently gave birth to her first girl after many boys! Congrats Jen!). This album is being used as a gift for her friend's daughter's 2nd birthday. I had the album so I made sure to use colors that complimented it.... I love the bright colors lately too so that helped!

Clarification:

I was on the phone today with my lifelong best friend, Jen, who said "Those lunch boxes you make are so nice, I wouldn't want to put my lunch in it." This brings me to my clarification: the lunch boxes are for DISPLAY ONLY. They are perfect for holding coupons, recipes, photos, ETC.... anything BUT your lunch!

Autism Speaks

My sister-in-law is actively involved in raising Autism awareness and I was more than happy to help when she asked me to come up with something for her fundraising night. She plans on adding photos and displaying this album. I have never done an album quite like this and I think it turned out great. Please visit the Autism Speaks website to find out more about how to help the thousands of children and families affected by this condition.

Mass Production

Yes, that's right, I'm officially an assembly line. Of course I have no actual heavy machinery; just these two hands and some cutting tools. I'm gearing up for a big show in September so I will need a large supply on hand so I've developed a system that seems to work. In the past 5 days (give or take) I've completed or nearly completed almost 50 layouts!!! I'm finishing up the last of the group and they are Christmas themed. I will post photos of those when they're ready for viewing.

I can add that, after doing this, I enjoy making things 1 at a time. It's definitely more tedious to work individually but I get more satisfaction out of each completed piece.

PS.: I am officially back to normal with tonight's closing cermonies on the Olympics. I'm sad to see them go but it will be nice to get back to normal.

Scrapbooking Tip #6 Matte & Mat

I've been stingy with these tips! I have to remember to get some more together. Here's one I thought of the other night while making this layout: Matte & Mats. I print all of my pictures through online sites (Snapfish, Kodak, etc) and when I order them I make sure to get them in matte finish. (Hey, when one of your good friends is a professional photographer, you occasionally pick up a good tip or two, thanks Melissa!) Glossy is way too shiny while matte gives a great look to my layouts.
As for mats, I never just place a photo on a page... I always mat it to give it definition within a page. The mats can be multi-layered or single but, to me, they are 100% necessary.

As you can see, this one made it to my "Wall of Fame"

Scrapbooking Tip 6 1/2: Scraplift! I have a subscription to "Creating Keepsakes" and they have many great ideas. I have a certain look & style but often times this leaves me in a scrapping rut. By looking at other people's layouts, you can get new and exciting ideas. I "scraplifted" the idea of the diamonds on this page from a layout I saw by Elizabeth Kartchner, CK's Scrapbooker of the Year (hey, if you're going to scraplift, you better take from the best). I love this layout because it allowed me to use some of my small scraps that usually just gather dust in my drawer. Guess that would count as another scrap tip.... use your scraps!!!!

It's All About the Mouse

This hot item is going up tonight on Ebay (9 pm EDT) so if you want it before the bidding wars begin, better contact me before that time. I love this album. These colors just pop off the pages and the combination is pretty striking. I had to hand piece together all of the characters. At 3 inches tall, the pieces are pretty tiny so I don't plan on replicating this any time soon (my hands may never recover!)

Puppy Love:

This little guy was a hit the first 2 times I featured him (or her, I suppose I can add a bow) on Ebay so I thought I'd go for it again. I am happy that I have found a paper piecing that is easy to make and actually turns out pretty cute (I'm also a big fan of my frogs and monkeys). His eye patch reminds me of my own cutie pie, Seamus:

The Triplets

Not the kind you're thinking about....

I had a client ask for 3 name albums a while ago and I was delayed in finishing the last 2 since I wanted to get just the right paper. That forced me to take a road trip to my favorite scrap store to get the job done. (Special thanks to my creative assistant... and wing-woman... Kelly for helping me select the color schemes.)

I am very pleased with the results.... they look more striking in person but you get the idea here.

Something New & Different:

I came across a 6x12 album in my travels and thought I would start dabbling in 6x12 layouts. This is my prototype. It's a 4x6 photo and it was very quick and easy. I plan to use this album to practice this new format and showcase some of the better photos of my girls... a real showcase... with no set chronological order or anything. Next time I'm out and about I am definitely going to pick up more of these albums so I can offer them to all of you too. If anyone is interested in some 6x12 work, please contact me.

Feelin' Shabby

Must be my new-look blog but I am going through a shabby-chic faze in my own designs. I took a few minutes before the Olympics the other night to work on some new Ebay items as well as a page for myself (the beauty of the DVR. I put the kids to bed by 8, then work for 1 1/2 hours and by then watch the Olympics on a delay. That way, I get the best of both worlds!). I think I'm also starting to slip into my fall color mentality.

Getting There!

I am so excited that my blog has a new look! I still have to put some things back up that I had on here before but I can't thank my web designer enough for this great new look. I got this design from Shabby Miss Jenn Designs and am pleased with the results. I recommend these to anyone WITH A STRONG KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR COMPUTER! If you have no such skills then make sure you are married to someone who does!

You can also now scroll down to see the new fall special that I'm offering through October 31, 2008.

Under Construction

Pardon Our Appearance as we make some updates and changes to the Jeune Girl Crafts blog.

As you can see, I now have a new banner and soon will be adding even more cute touches!

The Return of the Lunch Box

I just can't get out of the "back to school" mentality that started earlier today. So I decided to work on a lunch box. I actually need it to serve as a sample for a couple of craft shows I'm doing in September and October. (and I may use it to enter a contest for Daisy D's, the brand of paper I used on this lunch box).
I think I'm going through a primary color phase... just can't get enough. Daisy D's is also my current favorite. I just love the distressed look they put on all their papers. I definitely recommend their stuff.