:PUBBED: Memory Makers & Scrapbook Trends

So, here it is!! I found out several months ago that I was going to have 4 layouts published in the Memory Makers Scrapbook Idea Gallery 2008 and have been anxiously awaiting its publication ever since then.

They posted the cover of the special issue on their website just the other day and stated that it is set to hit newsstands on July 8th.

I received my subscription copy in the mail yesterday! Of course I had to immediately flip through it on my lunch break to find my pages! I can't wait to look through it a little more leisurely as I could see that there were a ton of other beautiful layouts in there.

I will be sharing the published pages with you here soon!!

I did request a few extra copies and plan to give away one or two copies here on my blog, but not exactly sure when I will receive them. It may not be until I get my layouts back, so we'll just have to see.

I got some other good news last week.

I received an email from Holly at Scrapbook Trends requesting one of my layouts for their November 2008 Issue, so am quite excited about that. I have been submitting to Scrapbook Trends for quite some time, but this is the first time that I will be published by them.

:PRODUCTS: Little Yellow Bicycle & Rouge de Garance

I had a package of goodies from Two Peas in a Bucket waiting for me when I got back from my trip the other day. This time it included items from two companies that I've never purchased or used before, but as soon as I saw them at Two Peas in a Bucket, I fell in love!!

Rouge de Garance
These sets come with 1 sheet of double sided patterned paper and 1 sheet of the die cut cardstock. The patterns, colors and designs are absolutely gorgeous. I can't wait to play with them!

Little Yellow Bicycle

I saw this line awhile back and new that it would be great for spring, summer and or girl layouts. The paper pack is full of precious colors and designs.

And the line has tons of little extras to compliment the papers...here's a few that I got:




Great stuff!! Now I just have to find some time in this super busy summer to get scrappin!!

:GIVEAWAY: Final 'A Page Out of Life' Winners

Here they are...the two lucky winners of the final random drawing:

Janell was commentor #11...

and Lisainok came in at #29.

Congratulations, ladies and be sure to email me with your addresses!

Thank you to all those who submitted comments - some wonderful reflections, indeed. I may just have to share a few of my favorites in a future post!

:REVIEW: PageMaps by Becky Fleck

I don't always use sketches when scrapbooking, but sometimes they can be just the boost of inspiration needed when in a rut or simply to help a busy scrapper who's short on time.

When it comes to sketches, Becky Fleck has been a long-time favorite. I was lucky enough to have one of my layouts featured in her PageMaps newsletter last June and have featured several more of my layouts created from her sketches on this blog in the past.

So, I have to say that I was pretty excited when I found out that she was coming out with a book - Scrapbook Page Maps: Sketches For Creative Layouts.

The book is divided into four chapters:

1 - Using Sketches & Making Them Your Own
2 - The Versatility of Sketches
3 - One Sketch, Three Ways
4 - From Simple to Savvy

In this book there are 60 sketches featured in 5 common scrapbook layout sizes:

8 1/2 x 11 vertical
8 1/2 x 11 horizontal
8 1/2 x 11 double
12 x 12
12 x 12 double

Every sketch has at least 2-3 very unique examples - with totals up to a whopping 144 inspiring layouts in a wide variety of sizes and styles!

The book includes many layouts by Becky herself, but also features the talented work of 14 other contributors as well: Marla Kress, Mindy Bush, Tiffany Tillman, Judi Vanvalkinburgh, Denine Zielinski, Shawna Martinez, Amy Goldstein, Dawn Inskip, Kim Kesti, Patti Milazzo, Becky Heisler, Sheredian Vickers, Vicki Harvey, and Connie Petertonjes.

You can tell that Becky really does admire her designers. Each layout is accompanied by a commentary from her about how it is unique and highlights any special elements or techniques that deserve a little more attention.

There are also a few other fun little features in this book. Eye spy's call attention to creative little details on layout that really help it to stand out in the crowd. Tips come from the artists to help you create more successful layouts. Give it a try's are step-by-step instructions of how to achieve some of the techniques featured in the book. There are over four dozen of these three features throughout the book.

Last, but certainly not least, the book comes with a deck of sketch cards! The laminated cards featuring each of the sketches in the book are ready to be popped out and put into the box (also included and super easy to assemble). The sketch box is PERFECT for taking to crops or anytime you need a little on-the-go inspiration!!

MY RATING:
5 STARS!!

YOUR RATING:
??? I am always curious and open to hearing the opinions of others. If you own or have read this book, please feel free to share your opinion of it in the comments below.

WANT TO READ MORE OR PURCHASE?
Visit the Scrapbook Page Maps: Sketches For Creative Layouts page at Amazon.com. You can also read more of my reviews for other recommendations.

Upcoming Review:
Computer Tricks for Scrapbooking 2 by Jessica Sprague

:GIVEAWAY: Final chance to enter for a free copy of A Page Out of Life

FINAL TWO COPIES:
Here's your last chance! I have two more copies of the wonderful novel by Kathleen Reid called A Page Out of Life and they're both going to be given away through a random drawing from the comments to this post.

The women in A Page Out of Life scrapbook for many unique reasons and it was interesting to me how I could relate to several of them as I read this novel.

So, to put your name in the hat for this final drawing, I'd like to here your answer the following question in a comment to this post:

"Why do you scrapbook?"

Now, if you're anything like me, there are probably several reasons and you could almost write a novel answering this question, so focus on your MAIN reason and try to answer it in 50 words or less.

I will accept new comments through Sunday, June 22nd at 11:59 p.m. CST and the 2 random winners (chosen by Random Integer Generator) will be announced on or before Tuesday, so please be sure to check back in.

(Note to entrants: Please, US residents only...sorry, but my budget just can't handle international shipping costs right now.)

:PUBBED: Creating Keepsakes July 2008 Issue

So, as a scrapper, there nothing more exciting than getting a magazine issue in the mail in which one of your layouts has been published.

This happened to me the other day when I received the July 2008 issue of CK in my mailbox. My mailman made me a very happy woman that day! :-)

This is my first time being published by CK, so it is especially thrilling for me!

Here's the layout which is featured on page 25 as part of the Seasonal Solutions column:

Although I love this layout, it has got to one of the simplest I've made in a VERY LONG TIME - cardstock, one patterned paper, letter stickers, photos, journaling.

The fact that this layout got picked up taught me a very valuable lesson about submitting.

In the past, I have bypassed submitting certain layouts because they weren't my favorite or I thought that there was nothing 'special' about them or perhaps were too simple. The funny thing is that you never know what might stand out to an editor - a design, a color combination, a theme, a creative use of words or product...you just never know.

So, if you're dreaming of publication - SUBMIT and SUBMIT some more. Regardless of what your perception of a layout is.

Submitting can be as frustrating as it is exhilarating. If you haven't yet submitted for publication, what's holding you back? If you have submitted, what has been your experience - both positive and negative?

:PRODUCT: Making Memories Addie & Delaney Collections

I haven't used up all of my 'old' Making Memories Noteworthy collection, but loved the new Addie and Delaney collections as soon as I saw them, so when Two Peas in a Bucket had a 25% off sale the other day, I snatched them up!! The color combinations are just beautiful and I love all the decorative edged papers. They add so much spice to even the simplest of layouts!

And, of course, one can't get just the papers...you've got to have some of the fun little doodads to go along with them.

I'm also getting more and more hooked on letter stickers...snatched up these felt ones by MM in about 6 different colors!

Time for some serious scrappin!

Page Out of Life Winner #2 & Ask the Author Answers

GIVEAWAY WINNER #2:
Well, with only ONE entry by the deadline, Beth Warren didn't have much competition for winning her copy of A Page Out of Life. Congratulations, Beth! Please email me with your full name and address as soon as possible.

ASK THE AUTHOR ANSWERS:
There were two great questions submitted that Kathleen Reid, the author of A Page Out of Life was happy to answer.

Beth Warren:
Do you have any tips for getting published? I'd love to get more work published...and also love to attend CHA, but it's hard to attend even to find work for a booth there unless you are on the design team. Any tips for either getting published or going to CHA?

KR:
As for CHA, I’ve never attended this conference and am going this year thanks to an invitation to sign books from Colorbok.

There’s a great website called Publishers Marketplace that lists the names of literary agents and the kind of work they represent. It’s very helpful. You can email an agent a query or contact them as per their specifications. Also, there are writing conferences all over the country; check out the National League of American Pen Women or workshops through a local college or university. Agents come to these conferences/events looking for new talent. Good luck.

Chris:
Even though I missed the deadline I am hoping you will still ask KR my question. I really want to read her book and haven't yet and the answer may sort of be in the novel itself, but wanted to know if this might turn into a "scrappy series" of books? That would be something I would be interested in! Thanks!

KR:
I’ve starting researching another book from Tina and Margy’s point of view. My working title is Shades of HOT Pink (Do you guys like that?? This is the first time I’ve shared it). Tina is a real challenge because I need to know a lot about the East Indian culture and understand how it affects the way she thinks. Margy is going to go to Turkey (where I went last summer) and somehow I want to tackle the issue of breast cancer in this one. Been thinking about which new techniques to include in my story. Any suggestions from A Matter of Memories readers??

NEXT GIVEAWAY:
Be sure to check back...I will be giving away the final two copies of A Page Out of Life in a single drawing and will post the information on how to enter soon.

A Page Out of Life Giveaway #1 and Ask the Author

GIVEAWAY WINNER:
Wow! I received ?? total entries for the first giveaway and some really GREAT answers to the question "How has scrapbooking enhanced the relationships in your life, either existing or new?".

But without further ado, the winner of the first copy of A Page Out of Life by Kathleen Reid is commentor number................










Congratulations, nachtstern!!














Nachtstern, please send me an email with your full name and address so that I can get your copy of A Page Out of Life out to you right away!

ASK THE AUTHOR:
And now, I have a special treat for ALL visiting my blog today. Kathleen Reid, the author of A Page Out of Life herself, has agreed to visit and answer questions from A Matter of Memories readers - that's YOU!!

And don't dispair if you didn't win a free copy the first time around - you've got three more chances! The questions that you submit for Kathleen in the comments of this post will serve as your entry in the next drawing! Only one question per person please.

But if you'd like a way to double your chances to win, make a post to your blog about this giveaway (be sure to give them the link to this post and leave a separate comment here with a link to that post). Don't have a blog? You could also post a new thread in your favorite scrapbooking message board and do the same.

I will except new questions through Saturday, June 7th at 11:59 p.m. CST and the second random winner will be announced on Monday. (We've got to give Karen a little time to answer your questions. :-) ) Be sure to check back for the announcement!

I have a ton of questions for Kathleen myself, but wanted to leave the door open for YOUR questions. However, I did ask Kathleen two questions just to get things started.

JMP: I understand that this is your second novel. How did you get your start as an author?

KR: I had no idea it was going to be so hard to break into the publishing world years ago! It took more time and effort than I ever imagined.

My first break came when I won an award at a writer’s conference in 2003. That changed everything. I sent out ten letters the next day to literary agents and two of them expressed interest immediately. I also received another offer of publication from a small southern publishing house!

As much as I loved Paris Match, I really only reached a southern audience. It’s my goal for A Page Out of Life to develop a national readership for my work.

Also, I’ve been working on the craft of fiction writing for nearly fifteen years. I have three full length manuscripts collecting dust on my shelf!! That’s more than a thousand pages of material . . .

When I completed this manuscript, my agent shopped it to several major publishing houses. I was fortunate that my work caught the attention of the fiction team at Berkley Books (a division of Penguin) Working for a company like Penguin Books is a real honor for me.

JMP: Are you a scrapbooker? What is your experience with scrapbooking?

KR: My scrapbooking really evolved as I researched and wrote the novel.

Back in 2004 when I started A Page Out of Life, I had always made beautiful traditional albums for my husband for our anniversary every year; I had also done baby books for my kids.

I’m a regular at Ben Franklin in Richmond thanks to my kids’ school projects etc. I saw all of these scrapbooking supplies, stickers and letters displayed.

I started talking to friends, reading about scrapbooking in magazines and interviewing people (e.g. Creative Memories consultants, etc.) who shared their passion with me. Then, as my interest grew, I started to read everything I could get my hands on from the book Scrapbooking for Dummies to Scrapbooks etc. magazine.

It was an “aha!” moment in my research when first I realized (in 2004) that no one had done a work of fiction about scrapbooking and second, that scrapbooking was an art form. Suddenly, thanks to my strong art background, I felt confident enough to write about it. (I was a tour guide at our Virginia Museum of Fine Arts for five years and absolutely loved it!)

I probably think Ashley’s response, initial skepticism, and then her decision to plunge right in very much mirrors my own experience. I considered myself “craft challenged” at first, thinking I could not create anything pretty enough or good enough to match what I saw in magazines.

As I wrote each scene and studied different techniques, I became more and more intrigued. But it was my friends at Memories Galore here in Richmond that really taught me everything that I know today! They answered all of my questions and really helped me every step of the way as I researched over the years. I worked very closely with one particular teacher, Dawn Hobbs, who’s awesome.

A couple of months ago, I made a scrapbook for each of my characters without pictures that I’ve used on television several times. I’m thinking of creating an album BEFORE I write the next book- it would be really interesting to try this approach to my craft of fiction writing.

Now it's your turn...ask away!

WeScrap challenge and an important reminder...

WeScrap CHALLENGE:
It was my turn to post a monthly challenge over at WeScrap yesterday, so here is my challenge for the month of June:

One of my favorite things about the 'art' of scrapbooking is DESIGN.

I am always on the lookout for design inspiration for new layouts and one of my favorite places to look is magazine ads.

Obviously, advertisers want to 'sell' their product, so they are going to do their best to make sure that their advertising is effective. You can bet that most of the ads out there are being designed by 'professionals'...so, why not steal (beg... borrow... whatever you want to call it) some of their expertise.

Here is an ad I saw (and LOVED) recently in an issue of Martha Stewart Living.


All layouts inspired by this ad are due by June 17, 2008. Post your submissions in the Challenge Contest - June gallery and label them JillMarie's Ad Challenge - 'Title of your project'.

Also, leave a link in the comments here if you don't mind so we can all be sure to admire your work!!

REMINDER:
Don't forget to check back in tomorrow for the announcement of the first LUCKY winner of the A Page Out of Life book giveaway AND a very exciting surprise visitor to the A Matter of Memories blog...

REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: A Page Out of Life by Kathleen Reid

REVIEW:
For almost all my life I've loved reading novels and for quite a few years now I've loved scrapbooking, but a novel about scrapbooking? I wasn't so sure...

Then I read A Page Out of Life by Kathleen Reid. It is a great book! The main premise of the book isn't about scrapbooking itself, but more so about the way that this wonderful hobby can truly bring people together and how these friendships and the creative release that scrapbooking can bring can help a person through some of the toughest times.

The novel focuses on several women which are part of a weekly scrapbooking group and the joys and sorrows of their everyday lives. I really found the characters the Reid developed to be very unique and complex in their own right, but yet could totally see the hobby of scrapbooking bonding these very different women together.

I also found myself really relating to some of the women depicted in this well-written novel. This book would be a great gift for any of the scrappers in your life...but don't forget to pick one up for yourself as well!

GIVEAWAY:
Before you rush out and buy a copy, you might just want to read a bit further.

I have four brand new copies of A Page Out of Life to give away!! Yes, FOUR! So, over the next few weeks, I am going to be holding drawings using the Random Integer Generator and sending out one copy to four lucky recipients.

To enter for your first chance to win, simply leave a comment below answering the following question:

How has scrapbooking enhanced the relationships in your life, either existing or new?

Only one answer per person please. But if you'd like a way to double your chances to win, make a post to your blog about this giveaway (be sure to give them the link to this post and leave a separate comment here with a link to that post. Don't have a blog? You could also post a new thread in your favorite scrapbooking message board and do the same.

I will except new comments through Wednesday, June 4th at 11:59 p.m. CST and the first random winner will be announced on Thursday. Be sure to check back for the announcement!

A Layout: Goof-ball

Been awhile since I've shared a layout - here's a funny one for you. This is one of three that I finished yesterday on my day off.

Supplies:
Adhesive – Duck
Cardstock – Bazzill
Patterned Paper, Rub ons – Fancy Pants
Letter Stickers, Brads – Making Memories
Chipboard – Basic Grey
Ink - Colorbox
Fonts – Ali’s Writing, Palatino Linotype

Journaling:
Kaitlin, sometimes you are just too funny! Between your funny faces and the witty things you sometimes say, you certainly know how to make your mommy laugh. You’re not very successful at telling knock-knock jokes (they usually don’t make much sense), but you can always manage to make me smile and I can’t tell you how much I cherish your silly little giggle.

A update on a little bit of everything...

I've been a little silent on the everyday life side of things lately...not because nothings been going on, that's for sure.

Things have been a little crazy at work and at home lately which doesn't leave a whole lot of time for anything else.

FAMILY:
When my grandma passed, that derailed me for a bit, I think. It just took me a while to get back in the groove of life.

Two Sundays ago, we had an auction at my Grandparent's house. This had already been planned before Grandma passed and it had to get done. Although I didn't help out much Saturday, we were there bright and early on Sunday to get everything moved out of the house and prepared for the sale.

My family snatched up quite a few sentimental items during the sale.

Some happy news is that my sister and her fiance are buying my Grandparent's house here in town. They are already both working here and have been commuting every day, so it was about time that they found something here. It will be very nice to have them so close!

KAITLIN:
Kaitlin's spring soccer season has been less than eventful. Although the season started about a month ago, all she's been to so far is one practice! She missed the first game due to Grandma's funeral and every scheduled game since then has been rained out!!

She has a game rescheduled for tomorrow, so we're hoping that the weather holds out.

I think that she is ready for school to be done for the year...not that she doesn't like school, but she is excited for all the summer activities that she is signed up for: Safety Town (a safety class for children) in June; evening storytime at the local library, dance class, and theatre lessons in July; and swimming lessons in August.

It's going to be a busy summer.

Not to mention that my baby is going to turn 6 in just 4 short weeks...I'm not going to talk about how that makes me feel right now.

WORK:
Work has really been picking up speed as it always does this time of year for me. This is the time frame that my adult learners really start thinking about attending school or transferring for the fall term, so apps are starting to pic up and the work is piling up a little.

SCRAPPING:
I actually broke my new year's resolution for the first time two weeks ago when I didn't even get one layout completed that week. But, I jumping right back and hopefully can keep my crafting momentum going from here on out.

The 2008-2009 MemoryWorks catalog is finished and I should have the print catalogs in my mailbox in the next few weeks. I've seen the new product lines and they are gorgeous! I am so thrilled with the new manufacturers that they've added to their offering this year - adding over 20 more pages to the catalog!!

I can't wait for the home parties that will be coming up for that. It's going to be tons of fun! If you're a local and interested in having a home party and earning some FREE scrapbooking supplies, be sure to drop me a line.

RTEC also got good reviews of my Scrapbooking for Beginners course that wrapped up a few weeks ago and are happy to host me for any other classes that I might like to teach, so that is great news also. I have a few ideas, but need some time to flesh them out a bit more.

MOTHER'S DAY:
A belated wish, but I hope that all the mothers out there had a great day. I got to do a little scrapping, visit my mom and mom-in-law briefly, watch 'The Brave One' (a very good movie, by the way) and play a few rousing rounds of Wahoo! with Justin and Kaitlin. I'll have to tell you a little more about this game sometime...it's a family tradition for Justin's family.

REVIEW: The Designing with Recipe Book by Autumn Leaves

If you're the type of person who loves to cook with recipes, I'll bet that you'll also love The Designing with Recipe Book by Autumn Leaves. It offers the ingredients and preparation instructions for a great layout EVERY time...no guess work involved here!

The book contains 6 chapters based on the number of photos you wish to include in your entree (aka 'layout'):

Chapter 1 - One Photo Layouts
Chapter 2 - Two Photo Layouts
Chapter 3 - Three Photo Layouts
Chapter 4 - Four Photo Layouts
Chapter 5 - Five Photo Layouts

I bet you caught the pattern there. :-) And for those of you that just love scrapping up a storm with a ton of ingrediants -

Chapter 6 - Multi-Photo Layouts

In the final chapter, there are layouts with as many as 15 photos!!

Throughout each chapter, the examples come with four basic componants:

1. a sketch of the layout
2. a beautiful example from one of the 11 very talented scrap artists featured in this book (see list of artists below)
3. details on any special techniques used on the sample layout
4. and finally, a detailed 'recipe' which acts as a guide in explaining the process of creating the layout in easy to follow steps

At the end of each chapter, there is also a 'bonus' layout with a recipes for two variations. It's always nice to see how the same sketch or recipe can be tweaked and modified in creative ways to have a completely unique look.

The book includes work from the following amazing artists: Cathy Blackstone, Emily Falconbridge, Jackie Bonette, Jennifer McGuire, Kelli Crowe, Leslie Lightfoot, Lisa Russo, Margie Scherschligt, Mellette Berezoski, Robyn Werlich, and Tia Bennett.

In all, there are 93 layouts - some traditional, some hybrid and some entirely digital...and all inspiring!

MY RATING:
4 STARS

YOUR RATING:
??? I am always curious and open to hearing the opinions of others. If you own or have read this book, please f