If you’ve ever wanted to make an envelope there are some easy tricks that help.

Just as a side note I want to confess… I don’t often make custom envelopes. Honestly I don’t even really like making cards.

There. I said it.

Part of me wishes that I did these things more often, but in the hustle and bustle of everyday life some things just don’t top my to-do list. Making envelopes definitely doesn’t make that cut.

Most of the time.

Once in a while I decide to get fancy and I’ll go all out. So really I’m sharing this information so you have it handy for the days you decide to really go all-out and make an envelope. 😉

I recently found a super-simple video and shared in on the Scrapbook Wonderland Facebook page. I really liked that the video shows how simple it is to create your own envelopes.

Click here to see it on Facebook!

Pro Tip!

Instead of trying to use a glue stick, which usually doesn’t stick very well I’d recommend using Sookwang tape, also sold as Scor Tape. This stuff is great because it’s easy to use, you can tear it by hand, and it’s REALLY sticky, so it actually works!

*affiliate link, feel free to use this link, but of course you don’t have to!

If you want to take envelope making to the next level you might want to try the Envelope Punch Board from We R Memory Keepers. It works really well and you get a really professional looking outcome with the rounded corners.

I scrapbook, I don’t make cards.

That’s totally cool too. Envelopes aren’t just for cards! Lots of times I’ve added an envelope to a layout and slipped a card or hidden journaling into it on a scrapbook layout.

Any way you use them, envelopes are part of the crafty world, so it’s fun to be able to make an envelope in the size you want using paper that will be perfect for your project.

Let your creativity shine!

Alice.

I’m going to confess. I love creating scrapbook pages about myself.

That sounds a bit vain, doesn’t it?

I guess what I’m trying to say is that, I love to scrapbook my stories, and there’s no one better at telling my stories than me. Besides, if I don’t tell them, who will?

Thankfully this month I’m participating in LOAD516, so I’m getting a lot of stories scrapbooked, and many of them will be about me.

The theme for this LOAD is Scrapbook Your Life: Up Close and Personal.

To give you an idea of what we’ve been up to I’m sharing my first 4 layouts with you.

Day 1: What is your typical day like?

I spun this prompt a bit and made a page that talks about the precious moments that make every day special.

Day 2: You don’t have to like it but I…

This time I shared how I love to eat soup for breakfast. You don’t have to like it, but I do!

Day 3: What makes (or made) you laugh?

Tricking my son into going frogging made me laugh, but then so did watching him do the frogging. It was a win all around!

Day 4: Chores

I wanted to create a page about all of the chores I do as a mom, but I feel that my journaling kind of fell short on this page. I might fix it, it just doesn’t do it justice. Ever have a page that almost hits the mark, but falls flat? That’s this page… it’s almost good.

If you think this sounds like something you might like you should take a sneak peek. Today at 2pm Pacific/5pm Eastern as part of interNational Scrapbooking Day I’ve teamed up with Tiffany and Tracie from the ScrapGals podcast to bring you a challenge!

Join the ScrapGals Community on Facebook HERE.

At 2pm Pacific/5pm Eastern you can use THIS SECRET LINK to see the challenge prompt too! Shhhh! 😉

Also by visiting that link you’ll find out about one last chance offer to join the fun of LOAD516.

I excited to create more pages this month, and I love that I’m telling stories that I hadn’t even thought to tell before.

I hope you have a wonderful interNational Scrapbooking Day filled with scrapbooking and fun!

Alice.

I’ve always wished I was a faster scrapbooker.

I’ve wished I would get more scrapbooking done.

I’ve wished I could write more meaningful journaling on my layouts.

I’ve wished my scrapbook room had a self-cleaning feature.

Then my wishes came true!

(Well, not the one about having a cleaner scrapping space, it’s all about creativity, right?)

I learned how to scrapbook faster, get more layouts done AND tell better stories on my pages all at the same time, by taking a LOAD challenge.

I know what you’re thinking, “What is this magical LOAD you speak of?”

LOAD is the LayOut A Day challenge, where you scrapbook a layout every day for a month.

For real.

Yes, it’s possible.

I signed up for LOAD the first time on a whim. I thought, “It would be nice to get more scrapbooking done, but I’ll never be able to do a whole month! Maybe I’ll get 3 or 4 pages done.”

Then I started receiving the daily prompts. I found that by starting the layouts with a story in mind the journaling came easily.

I would find a photo that worked and it didn’t have to be perfect. (If you know me, you’ll know that’s a big deal!)

As the month started to zip by I could barely believe what I was doing! I was scrapbooking every day and I learned something important.

The more I scrapbooked the easier it was getting.

They always say exercise is easier when you do it more often and I guess the same theory applies to scrapbooking too. The more pages I created the easier it was the next day.

These weren’t boring, blah pages either.

These were layouts I was really proud of. I was using creative techniques. I was adding beautiful embellishments. I was scrapbooking important memories.

And that’s what it’s all about for me. Enjoying creating layouts and sharing my important memories.

If you’d like more info about LOAD516 and what it’s like you can check out the info page.

Click here for more info about LOAD516.

It doesn’t cost anything to find out more! Looking is free. 😉

P.S. Until April 20th you can sign up for only $35. After that it’s $50.

But don’t wait. Registration CLOSES on April 30th. So sign up or miss out. Harsh!

P.P.S. Did you know that ScrapHappy members get LOAD challenges as a perk of membership? This April you can join ScrapHappy and save 25% by using the coupon code: happygal

Want to see some of the amazing pages I’ve created during previous LOAD challenges? Check out these:

• Mountain Flight
• Clever
• Embarrassing Story
• Buzz Buzz
• Catch of the Day

Make it Monday

Did you arrive here from Photos Kept Alive? Karen has been working on her vacation album from last December. See what progress has been made so far!

Your Next Stop! It’s just around the corner … have you made a card for your Mother yet? Alison Day Designs  is sharing some old favourites as well as new creations.

I hope I’ll see you at LOAD516 and that you’ll join me in scrapbooking every day for the month of May!

Let your creativity shine!

Alice.

A few years ago I stumbled across a website. It had these rather primitive cartoon-style drawings. Meh, okay, not really that impressive.

Then I started reading the blog posts, and I laughed.

And I laughed.

And I laughed.

Until my family started to think I was a going a little bit crazy.

Next thing you know I’m reading them a post aloud.

Did I mention the posts have multiple drawings that emphasize the stories? We all gathered closer around the laptop as I continued to read.

Our living room sounded like a pack (is that what you call a group of hyenas?) of crazy hyenas. Think of the crazy one, Ed, from the Lion King and you’ll have a clear picture.

I read a short story called, “The God of Cake“. It may be the funniest thing I’ve ever read.

That’s not even a hyperbole.

hyperbole

Not familiar with the word hyperbole? A little high school English refresher…

Pronunciation: [hahy-pur-buh-lee]

It’s a noun. (Person, place or thing… this one kind of fits into the ‘thing’ category.)

It means: obvious and intentional exaggeration.

I’ve decided that Allie Brosh is my comedic superhero. Her stories usually center around herself as a young child. Apparently she had a talent for the dramatic, even back then.

Chances are, if you’ve ever been online you’ve probably seen one of Allie’s drawings. I’ve seen them millions of times, turned into internet memes. A blonde girl wearing a pink dress, holding a broom and exclaiming, “WASH ALL THE THINGS!”

(not ringing a bell? Click this Google search: meme wash all the things)

Every time I see one of these memes I’m both amused, because I can’t fail to be reminded of how hilarious Allie’s stories are, but I’m also kind of choked. She’s getting absolutely no credit for the hilarity that she has been bestowed upon the world. (Look at a few of them, do you see credit… no you do not.)

This is my look of disapproval.

As my own form of protest against the injustice I bought her book.

It’s filled with stories that make tears stream down my face.

I’m adding a handy affiliate link if you’d like to pick up a copy from Amazon. Not only would you be picking up one of the most, no, the most entertaining book I know of, it may even stop Amazon from dropping me as a lame affiliate, that always forgets to recommend things that I truly love.

Be sure to leave me a comment if you agree this is the best thing on the internet, or if you’re sitting there wondering what on Earth is wrong with me.

And probably Allie too.

LESSON TO LEARN FOR SCRAPBOOKING

If you are as scrapbooker, (if you’re not, what are you doing here?) I thought I’d tie up this post with a quick note about how this relates to scrapbooking.

Do you ever find that your journaling is kind of boring.

We went here. We did this. We had fun. You are so cute.

Blah!

(Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to be a jerk. I’m completely guilty of writing stuff like that and calling it ‘journaling’.

That’s not really journaling though, right?

Don’t you want your journaling to tell more? To get to the stories? To be interesting or exciting to read?

Take a page from Allie’s book, (not actually, her book is awesome don’t rip it up!) and use hyperbole in your writing. Don’t be afraid to be dramatic.

Like magic, your writing will become instantly more interesting and exciting to read.

MORE TIPS

Need more tips for great scrapbook journaling? Try this TIP.

Don’t forget to join me in protest and pick up a copy of the Hyperbole and a Half book! 😉

Let your creativity shine!

Alice.