TP & Thinking

Finished the inside cover of the mini-album celebrated yesterday.  Yeah!

I saw somewhere (surely on YouTube) someone planning on a vacation and creating an album in advance of the trip to journal and stuff memorabilia/other scrapbooking materials inside as the vacation progressed.  Hmmm, I think.  Very organized.  Without even knowing I'd already "thought" about the concept, the mister came in the room all excited one evening after seeing someone mention a way of keeping all the maps, receipts, and other travel information organized and at easy reach throughout a trip.  His method included sheet protectors with all relevant information contained inside each page protector that could be moved back and forth within a notebook as needed.  That really got me to thinking.  Hmmm (with emphasis this time)  We're going on a week-long vacation next month, with as close to a planned agenda for each day as I care to get.

This force me to put down the boy's childhood album... again. 

In anticipation of this trip, and with these new ideas floating about, today I began putting together a custom made mini with lots of pockets, sheet protectors, journaling spots, and assembling this in such a fashion as described, using a little bit of each method that best suit our needs.  All will be temporarily bound so that each page can be arranged and rearranged, or in case something unexpected comes along during the adventure.  Since we roughly know all the major spots we're hitting, it's easy enough to put a loosely themed page together for the event.  This is pure genius at work.  By the time we get back, all I'll have to do is select the postcards, receipts, tickets, etc, and the order the pictures we like, mount them, and finish binding the album.  That simple!  No need to fret about compiling an album after the event... and a good way as to not procrastinate the project into 2016, or thereabouts.  What a lifesaver!

Pictures of this work of wonders to follow.

Peach Keey Stamps

I've wanted a Peachy Keen Stamps stamp set for months now.  Today (ta-da) I purchased my first set.  (Now to wait forever to them get to the house.)  This site has to be the best collection of face stamps available.


I ordered the original set, which is a good start.  I also bought an acid/lignum-free white pen to colour in the eyes. 

 

But, oh, how much more they've put out; human, animal, Halloween and many more faces in every size and expression imaginable.  They've even come out with die sets with two different face stamps per die... and they are adorable!

I can only imagine it would take a small fortune to own all their products.  I'll have to be very selective with my inventory.  I think I'll stop at the assorted face stamp set and one assorted animal face set.  Or more.  It depends on my mood.  (I did put a set of acrylic block set with the rounded grips in my wish list for next month's order.  All are currently 90 degree edges.)  They even have stamp sets that coordinate with various Cricut cartridges. Along those lines, MyPinkStamper.com has designed word stamp sets that compliment Cricut cartridges, but I've yet to buy from there, either.  To own fully integrated Cricut cartridge, word and face stamps is a dream come true.

When I receive my next allowance payout I am 100%-positive-sure buying a border template set from Kiwi Lanes.

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Over the past several days I've filled my time by finishing scrapbook pages and have created a few more.  There's no feeling like putting a page in the scrapbook knowing there's no more work to be done.Here is one of the latest pages:

Now that I'm getting the hang of photographing the 12x12 pages I'm sure to post more!

*** Whoopie: My new Spellbinders Edgeability set arrived in the mail today.  :D

Follow Up to January 4th Question

I posited the question in the January 4th entry concerning the thickness and fibre content of cereal boxes.  I didn't have a micrometer handy, so had to search for the answer through the internet.


Here's a link to the best information I found:  http://reviews.ebay.com/What-is-Chipboard_W0QQugidZ10000000007700031

"What is Chipboard? Chipboard is cardboard that is not corrugated. It is not particle board or made of wood chips in any way, instead made of recycled paper which is pressed into a paperboard. Though it does have a grain like wood, with one direction being more sturdy then the other, it is not wood. Cereal boxes, tissue boxes, fruit snack boxes, etc are all made of chipboard. Chipboard comes in two colors, Kraft and News. Kraft is brown and News is Grey. If you look inside your cereal boxes you can compare the colors.
White chipboard is clay-coated chipboard. The coating is applied to only one side of the board. The other side is either Kraft or News. Just like a cereal box you can see the white coating first and then the printer applies the colored ink over the clay-coating for the design.
There are many thicknesses of chipboard. The higher the number the thicker the chipboard is. A cereal box thickness is .022. We carry from .022 to .080, however, you can find chipboard from .012 to .120+. Some of the thicker chipboard is often referred to as book board, davey board, or pasted board. If you have no idea what thickness you need, samples are available.
Uses for chipboard

• Covers for albums - bound or loose
• Die cutting (sizzix, cuttlebug, cricut, etc)
• Scrapbooking - chipboard letters, numbers, titles, etc.
• Backing for notebooks or note pads
• Art projects - drawing and painting
• Graphic design projects
• Screen Printing "scraperboards"
• Stiffeners for mailing envelopes

This is just a short list of the many uses for chipboard. Use your imagination and the possibilities are endless. Samples are available. Some techniques will need to be practiced."

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Before moving on, please note that cereal box chipboard contains acid, which is harmful to pictures and other paper products used in scrap booking.  There are several products available that neutralized the acid, ranging from museum quality sprays (above $20 for several ounces) down to Krylon, Make It Acid Free ($10.00 for 6 oz)   I would think the Krylon deacidification spray would serve the purposes of most scrap booking projects, but have not tested it yet.  (I'll post an update to this in the near future.)  Acid-free chipboard is commercially available, but costs more than I want to pay.

In summary, once de-acified, cereal boxes can be used with the Cricut and other better die cutters and can stretch the crafting dollar until it squeaks!