Don't be afraid to alter things!

The past couple of days I have been working on personal memory projects, one for me and one for my husband, commemorating his recent promotion to Master Sergeant. In both projects, I had to permanently change the store-bought album or frame to create what I wanted. My message to you: Don't be afraid to repaint, cut up, add to, subtract from, etc., to create what you imagine with when it comes to memory projects. Be brave. Be bold. Find your inner Marine and be courageous!

I've had my eye on the camoflage 12 x 12 album at the Exchange on base, but was waiting for a reason to buy one. Rodney's promotion was the perfect reason. I pilfered one of Rodney's extra name tapes... one that had been used. It's been washed dozens of times, so it has faded. While Marines are not supposed to wear cammies that are too faded, the more experienced Marines tend to wear them 1) because cammies are not cheap (about $100 for the shirt and pants) and 2) the more faded the cammies, the more "grizzled" you appear to be. And appearing "grizzled" comes with age and rank, and is an unofficial milestone in a Marine Corps career. So, while the name tape annoys the Type-A me because it doesn't match the album, I got over it because the point of the album is to preserve memories and traditions, and this is a tradition.

Another tradition is the changing of the "chevrons" on the uniform lapels during the promotion ceremony. This album came with lapels, but no chevrons. I made sure to buy the appropriate chevron pins for the cover of the album, truly representing the purpose behind the album. I also decided to keep this album simple and straightforward in theme and design. In true Marine Corps fashion, Rodney doesn't appreciate "fru-fru." There is only on piece of ribbon in the whole album, and it's on my page. It's gold and frayed and as "not-girly" as I could manage. But the ribbonholic in me was satisfied. As for the rest, I used cardstock, Karen Foster Designs military paper, and Creative Imaginations definition transparencies, along with some simple embellishments, like dog tags and stickers. Here are some of the layouts in the album:

In the layout above, "Pride," I used an envelope and tag to tell Rodney how proud I am of him. I cut a small slit in the page protector, right where the envelope opens, so that he can easily pull the tag out and read it. Along with the cover, this is another part of the store-bought album that I altered.

As I mentioned before, I also worked on something for me. I loved this (roughly) 12 x 12 frame, but it didn't fit the photos of my trip to Colorado last fall with two friends I wanted to use... no problem! I tore it apart and turned it in to what I did want...

The moral of the story? Don't be afraid to alter things you like to better suit your needs.

Some new items to add to the Japan, Baby and Kids collections!

Last week I managed to steal some scrapbooking time here and there and got a number of projects completed, including new Japanese-inspired albums and baby albums. Check these out:

I loved working with this Creative Imaginations paper line... it made me eager for spring! The album in the back is a larger, roughly 10 x 9-inch format and the smaller one is 8 x 6 inches, and completely acrylic. Click here to go to the Japan page for details about these gorgeous albums.

Need the perfect frame for that beautiful photo of you and your family out on your latest Japanese adventure? These frames above maybe just what you are looking for! Click here to go to the Japan page for details.

It seems there are a lot of baby girls being born lately and I was getting low on baby girl albums, so I created these two from the "Bundle of Joy" line. So cute! For details and to see inside, click here to go to the Baby Girl page.

The three albums below are from the "Spring Jewels" collection, and the bottom one is for a baby girl. These are all compact 6x6-inch albums and are so perfect as a birthday gift! For details and to see inside, click here to go to the Kids page.

And, in case you missed the earlier post, I am not leaving the boys out! I have a collection of albums for boys... and I don't know about your boys, but mine love monsters and aliens. These cute, yet very boyish, albums are part of the "Outta This World" collection and are perfect for displaying photos of your favorite monster. And, of course, the front covers can be personalized with your monster's name, free with purchase. For details and to see inside, click here to go to the Kids page.

Crafty Collages...

Crafting with these ladies was so much fun... I loved that everyone got basically the same kits, but managed to make each collage mirror unique!

Flea Market Finds in an altered state...

In Pensacola, there were some great flea markets and thrift stores where I could find all sorts of things that piqued my interest in "repurposing" and "altering" in an artful way. Here in Iwakuni, my options are a bit more limited, but, fortunately, the thrift store on base has had a steady supply of fun things for me to play with! Here are the three most recent items, I have picked up for $2 or less:

And my mini studio (lights and a white tent for better lighting!) arrived, so I couldn't wait to test it out on my latest projects. I really think it was a good investment. The finished items below look almost as good on this blog as they do in person!

For the mini two-drawer dresser in the top right of the photo above, I decided to alter it in cream and red tones, in a collection I call "Daisy in Red". Those of you who are scrapbookers may remember this paper line from My Minds Eye. It's flocked paper, which gives a soft, 3D texture.

Of course, I couldn't just leave the dresser as a dresser... it houses two mini photo albums that fit perfectly inside the drawers. Just add your photos!

I love this paper line and had enough of it to also create a great family- or child-themed album with acrylic cover. It is 8x8 inches and has five panels... perfect for your favorite family moments!

In the photo of flea market finds above, there is an unfinished tray. I decided to go with an ephemera style with this one, which is one of my favorite looks. This paper line is also from My Minds Eye.

Last, but certainly not least is the three-drawer mini armoire with mirror. I kept the drawers the same colors, but punched the look of the piece up a bit with black, slightly metallic, paint, instead of the dreary dark brown. I added some paper and embellishments from designer Heidi Grace to give it a colorful modern look.

And, again, I couldn't just let it be mini furniture... I had to add some "memory" to it. So, I created three mini albums that tuck neatly way in to each of the drawers... but left plenty of space for momentos in the cupboard.

Each of these items is available for sale. The two-drawer dress and albums is $40 and the matching 8 x 8 album is $50. The ephemera tray is $25 and the mini armoire is $45. Just Facebook message or email me if you are interested in one of them.... before I'm tempted to keep them for myself (my husband would not appreciate this, I assure you!).

Crafty trip to Hiroshima next weekend!

Iwakuni crafters, we've got a great trip planned for those of you who want to know what crafty places are available near Hondori Street in Hiroshima Saturday, March 9. I am really excited about this trip... I used to plan scrapbook shopping bus tours in California and neighboring states years ago and planning this trip brings back found memories! 

We'll meet in the chapel's parking lot at 9 a.m., carpool over to the train station and then take the train to Hiroshima. We'll then take a cable car to the Hondori Street shopping area where we will visit Craft World, 3 Coins, Duo and Tokyu Hands for some crafty shopping! Somewhere in the middle we'll have lunch at Andersen, which has a great restaurant with food from different lands. We should be home by 4 or 5 p.m. Plan to bring 1500 yen for the train, 300 yen in coins for the cable car and more yen for shopping. This should be a fun girls' day out! If you're interested, RSVP to this event on Facebook so we know to watch for you at the chapel!

Scrappy Sunday...

After celebrating Japanese Girl's Day at the Hina Doll Festival in Shunan City yesterday, Was ready to spend a little more time closer to home today... and closer to my scraproom! I finished up some projects... a productive day, really (and it's still not over, yet! Yay!). I finished this custom order wall hanging, it's a little over three-feet long. Can you guess what it's mad out of (besides scrapbook paper and ribbon, of course!):

Vinyl record albums! These are the 33 1/3 RPM size, which are 12 inches across. I started creating with records back in 2006, when the Crop-a-dile and Bind-it-All hit the crafting market. Both are strong and sharp enough to punch through the vinyl. It was fun to come back to using them.

I also worked on something for my own home. I had originally created this 3-foot wide canvas piece about four years ago, as part of a collage of my sons' pictures, which hung in my living room in Pensacola. 

Of course, with the move to Japan, I don't have the same wall space. Or the same type of walls. You can't just hammer a nail in to the concrete walls we live in, so I'm limited in what I can hang. So, this piece now stands, or, hangs, rather, alone, although that may change, depending on my mood... As for today's mood, I decided to update it, keeping the center photo of the boys together, which was taken in 2008, and adding this years' school photos, obviously taken four years later. I always seem to dress them in blue plaid shirts. I think my subconscious realizes it makes coordinating collages easier. ;)  I also added the dates and places the photos were taken.

So don't be afraid to update your creations! You are not ruining anything, you're just keeping up with the times!