My Month in Numbers 2013: May

Hello, hello.

How's May been for you?

Traditionally it's a pretty decent month round here what with: 2 bank holidays, a birthday, an anniversary and breaking up from my Uni job for the summer all to look forward to ... and fortunately this month's kept with those traditions. It's been pretty decent here. No complaints really.

So how about we get straight to the numbers behind the days?

21 years = how many years together James and I celebrated:

I'd like you to believe that I was betrothed to him at birth and that I'm a mere 21 years old. It's not true ... but we can pretend can't we?

10oz = the weight of the steak I ate during our anniversary lunch:

We had planned to visit a little bistro we like but, when we arrived, there was a sign saying it was closed due to a function being held there. So we wracked our brains as to where to go and drove around, stomach's rumbling, yet trying to find somewhere equally as nice to eat seeing as it was for a special occasion.

 

[I was wearing a new dress for goodness sake - you can't let that go to waste in a McDonald's Drive-Thru can you?]

 

Eventually we ended up at a pub which we hadn't been to for many, many years and which has changed its appearance, name and, fortunately, its menu since we were last there ...

 

While eating our rather nice meal, in quite sophisticated surroundings I remembered the cheese and onion sandwiches we used to have when we used to visit there in the 1990s when we first got together!

 

Maybe we were never meant to visit the bistro of our plans. Maybe this detour, which inspired us to reminisce was what was meant to happen all along. Who knows ...

Page 41 = the page the story about my Push-Up Bra fundraising  appeared on in my local paper:

 As someone who's pretty coy at times it took me a while to work up to actually opening up the paper and seeing myself in print. [I'm talking days here! Although I did see an online version on the day].

But my parents are obviously less shy about seeing one of their offspring in print and phoned to tell me they'd bought a copy and seen the story, and that it was almost a full page etc etc .... then I could hear my Dad in the background telling Mam to tell me about what was on page 40, opposite me.

Because it was this ...

There was an awful lot of Kirk going on across that double-page spread!

5 = the number of books read [you can hop to my reading list Pinterest board if you want to visit the books in question]:

 I read Set Up, Joke, Set Up, Joke by Rob Long almost in one sitting. It's a memoir of a writer of US comedy series and, as you might expect, it was funny!! Perfect for you if you like Curb Your Enthusiasm or Episodes or just laughing!

As for One Big Damn Puzzler ... it's a real treat [complete with fab Rob Ryan cover design]. Set on an island ... with lots of allusions to Shakespeare plays ... and featuring a native elder who's translating Hamlet into pidgin English. [Slight word of warning ... it's rather scatological in parts so ... just don't read it while / before eating.]

6 = the number of books borrowed from a different library than usual. [I know ... it's a wild and varied life I lead isn't it?]. And the truth is ... I was a little bit giddy.

You know when you're aware of how much you're smiling, and you try to stop yourself [in case you look insane] ... yet no matter how hard you try you can't keep the corners of your mouth from curling up?  Well, that was me.

Later that day I heard James talking on the phone to his Dad [who must have asked where we'd been that day] saying: "We went to Stockton library ... because Julie's read all the books in Middlesbrough".

Perhaps I've been slightly exaggerating when I've been complaining about not being able to find anything to read in my regular library? Due to documenting my 2013 reading list, both in My Month in Numbers and on the Pinterest board, I know precisely how many books I've read ... and in all honesty I can't really claim it's 'all the books in Middlesbrough' ... not just yet!

1, 3 + 116 = the issue numbers of the 3 different magazines I created for this month.

1000 words = the word count I was given to write about My Month in Numbers for a new magazine. Needless to say, as I was describing my precious blog-baby, I went over the 1000. By about 200 words. I think going over a certain number of words while you're writing about numbers can be filed away under 'ironic'.

50.5* = the number of hours spent watching crime drama this month:

* this number could increase if I watch something tonight of course and it doesn't take into account the fact we watched some Sherlock more than once when there was nothing else on TV. Oh and ... I didn't count that 20mins of Luther I watched while flicking between channels last night either!

I don't normally do this - set myself a specific thing to measure, a specific number to total-up, a specific action to keep track of all month - but I thought that it might be fun for a change!

I love crime / legal / murder-mystery dramas and I always have. I have fond memories of bonding with my Grandma throughout my childhood over a good episode of Columbo or L.A Law!  And it continues to this day for me. But even though I knew I loved this kind of TV ... I still didn't expect my viewing of it to add up to over 2 whole days from the month!

Makes me wonder if I've transgressed some European Union time-directive ...

[Pssst: as this tally-charting was quite fun this month I'm thinking of broadening it out and opening it up so you could join me from time to time ... where we could all count the same thing so we can compare .. but more on this next month. OK?]

And finally ... here's a fool proof way you can feel 20+ years younger next month ... seriously ... take my word for it ... it happened to me ...  

I made a deliberate trip to the shops to buy two things.

Two things that had the power to make the years fall away.

Two things which, unlike expensive face serums or plastic surgery, didn't cost the earth or require stitches.

So what, exactly, are those two magical things that can you purchase in your local supermarket on the same day [like I did] that can whizz you straight back so you feel like your teenage self [like I did]? 

Well, they're ...

1.  a newly released CD you've been eagerly anticipating even down to calendar watching for the release date [in my case it was Vampire Weekend] plus ... and this is the clincher ...
2. ...  a tube of spot cream!

And suddenly ... you're 15 again!

Try it for yourself ...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

OK - they were mine - what were yours? You're welcome, as always to throw your numbers in the direction of me and the ever-expanding band of international Month in Numbers bloggers out there ...

Here's how to join us:
If you've never joined in before there's a lot more information on the Month in Numbers page - including a 'How To' guide for you to take inspiration from. [You don't need to follow any guidelines other than those I'm about to set out below ... everything else I'll leave up to your own creative  interpretation!]

If you want to share a link to your Month in Numbers post / photo / layout etc for me to then visit, comment on, and then pin to the communal Month in Numbers Pinterest board then ...

• Leave a link to it in a comment on this blog post ... but ... 
• When you swing by my blog to drop off a link to your Month in Numbers post - please leave a comment for me while you're there. Not because I'm needy ... but because it's nice to not be link-bombed where all I can see is the dust your link left as it hits the ground ...
• Please remember to link to my blog in your post. As much as I'd like to think that everyone who reads your blog already knows what 'My Month in Numbers' is [hey, it's nice to be popular, right?] ... the truth is, they don't. So unless you explain to your readers where the idea comes from and how your readers can join in too, then they'll never know.
• And finally ... please try to take time at some point in the coming month to visit and comment on a few of the other posts too. It's always a real thrill reading through everyone's experiences and spotting patterns, coincidences and similarities between us all. As Maya Angelou once said: we are more alike than unalike!
• Any further numbery questions - just ask - my email's in the sidebar.

Right then ... let the counting commence ... see you in June!

Julie :-)

-----------------------------------------------------
p.s: don't forget there's now official Month in Numbers merchandise with 'Month in Musings' - the first of a new range - of 'memory-keeping by numbers' printable journaling cards. [Available to purchase as a download from my Etsy shop AND via SJ Dowsett's Little Musings store.

Card making: It's lovely! [Hopefully *lovely* anyway. I can't tell. It's in Russian!]

Well hello there. Come in, come in.

No need to take your shoes off. You can't see dirt on this floor anyway. [A masterstroke on my part selecting a grey and brown striped carpet!]. Anyways ...

... here's a mini card I made featuring one heat-embossed heart, [washed-over with colour from a spray-ink bottle + a paintbrush] plus ... one little hand-cut foreign text heart.

Which all kind of builds up to me not being able to resist introducing it as  ... from Russia ... with love:

The small vintage text paper packs I have in the shop have been popular lately - the 'Numbers & Diagrams' sets in  particular - so ... I thought I'd draw your attention to the 'Foreign Language' text packs as another option:

I've managed to collect a fair few foreign language books which, of course, are only 'foreign' to me! I would re-name them but 'non-English language' packs doesn't sound as catchy ... but I fully accept that some of them won't be foreign to some of you!

I can always create custom packs - or I'm happy just to take suggestions for the future too - but here's what you can find inside the current sets:

... each pack contains several sheets of each language ...

I like to use them as backgrounds in journal pages as well as for stamping on to, and for smaller, focal points such as die-cut flowers ... and hearts.

And ... while I may not be able to read what this actually says ... I can rest assured that it's not anything rude or risqué because ... it came from an old book on nuclear physics!

All the other papers in the packs come from traditional phrase books and, unless I've missed anything, there aren't any untoward phrases translated in them!

The current batch of 'Foreign Language' packs are just £4 and you can find them here.

If you treat yourself then do enjoy them ...

... whatever they might say!

Julie :-)

 

Art Journaling: Adventures of a work-at-home crafter ...

Hello.

Did you reach me through Suzy of Sea Glass & Sand? 

No, this isn't a séance ... it's a blog-hop organised by Suzy who wanted to mark her newly spruced-up blog with a get together. So - welcome!

And ... because I don't have to look you in the eye when I say this ... I'll brazenly tell you that Suzy has been very kind in letting me know that my Push-Up Bra Blogging series gave her a little nudge toward falling back in love with her blog. So - if you haven't read it yet, and you want some inspiration ... you can browse the whole series [for free] here.

Right then ... let's get on with things shall we?

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Today's project is a spot of art journaling from the journal in which I don't actually do a lot of journaling! It's just more a mix of colours and snippets so maybe it's more of a 'collage with a meaning'?

I don't know ... see what you think:

As you can tell from the date stamp [above right] this is a page I made almost 18 months ago but ... unless you've been poking around on the book shelves of my work room ... it should all still be new to you.

It's like I mentioned in The Doctor Who Approach in Push-Up Bra Blogging, as long as you've never shared something on your blog before  ... it's all new to your audience!

Anyway ... I thought it was appropriate to share it today as now that term's finished on campus, my part-time 'outside-the-house' job is over until October and I'm back at my crafting work desk full time now.

And being in a freelance / self-employed / find your own work / make your own opportunities type occupation is pretty much what this page is about:

The other day I tweeted about having had an offer to write an article drop into my inbox and someone kindly said I had an exciting life! Now then ... I'm not sure I'm in a position to comment on that ... I know I'm fortunate to do the work I do. Undoubtedly. But I also think that what might look exciting from the outside can also sometimes feel quite different from the inside looking out!

A lot of the time I'm looking out for where the next job will come from, the next idea I can develop to keep the work coming in, the next publication which might find room for me, the next kit to put together to sell in the shop. And so on ...

And as I replied to the original tweeter ... the offer of an article to write came as a response to a proposal I originally sent off which was then accepted so ... I  guess I made my own excitement this time round.

And I think maybe that's something which I [we?] need to remember to remember more often ...

• that we don't have to wait for editors; bloggers; creative-collaborators; customers; employers etc etc to come and find us.
• It's not like at school when we had to stand there, embarrassed, while we were the last to be picked to join teams.
• No ... we can pick ourselves and go and find our own team!
• [Read more on this idea from the great Seth Godin here].
• And we can ask them politely; or tempt them; or persuade them; impress them; level with them; entertain them; be useful to them; help them out; or, ever so gently, tug at their sleeves brandishing our best smile while tap-dancing and juggling all our newly polished bells and whistles in front of their eyes! 

And while it won't always end in success ...

 

... when it does ... it is indeed an exciting life!

 

---------------------------------------------------------

THIS OFFER IS NOW CLOSED - THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO TOOK ADVANTAGE OF IT!

• Right then ... now I've found you ... I'm offering you 25% off any order placed in my Etsy shop today and tomorrow when you use the following code at the checkout:
• SUZYBLOGHOP25

Maybe there's something you've been planning to buy for a while? If so ... now's your chance to grab a bargain!

---------------------------------------------------------

 

OK, that's all from me today ... as for you .... you need to limber up those knees and then hop on to see Dee over at her Paper Mischief blog.

 

See you soon.

 

Julie :-)

 

Simply A Moment [May]: Don't Fall In

Hi, hi.

Have you got a moment? I've got one right here if you need one  ... it's my response to the 'Simply A Moment' meme created by Simply Alexa where once a month, you can stop, pause and record something which could otherwise have disappeared into the ether.

To learn more you can read Alexa's tips on how to record your own moments and visit her blog to read her latest, very touching post. And, if you do join in, there's a link box there for you to add your post.

Here's that moment I promised ...

Don't Fall In

Date: Wednesday 15th May 2013
Time: around 10:25am
Location: Centre Square, Middlesbrough

OK, two library books safely returned ... now just five minutes to get to my hair appointment. I'll cut through the square to speed things up.

The freezing cold weather will also hurry me along. No dawdling to take in the scene today.

To my left the sound of the fountains gradually gets stronger as the jets force the water higher and higher in stages. Maybe the water's just impatient, rising up eagerly to greet and merge with the rain that's meandering down, slowly, drizzly, towards it.

Where were you when I needed a photo of a fountain for last summer's scavenger hunt? Why weren't you switched on then? Mmm?

I decide against walking along the slabs of steel set into the grass. They're wet and I know, from experience, that they can be slippery. I follow the brick path instead. It's not yellow.

A phone rings, loudly, and I look around to see where it's coming from. The ring tone's nostalgic, like a 'proper', old, telephone. Like someone calling from the past . A man scrabbles about in his coat pocket and the ringing stops.

I  pause a moment, in front of the Claes Oldenburg's Bottle of Notes, phone in hand,... to grab this shot without looking:

Yet again I'm aware of how much I need a smart phone ... and how uncomfortable I am with taking photos when I'm alone.

In the presence of the sculpture I can't help but think back to the film I made, on a summer course, about the bottle and how I wanted to know what people would put in a message in a bottle. The memories that bubble up aren't all fond ... 

Passing the pond. I remember a cold, frosty December afternoon wandering about there. Killing time before going back to campus.

This place has echoes.

It's an open space crammed full of thoughts.

A lone duck [which might not be a duck,I'm too far away. Let's call it a bird. It's definitely one of those] sits on a rock in the centre. But as I turn I see some companions heading toward it from the side.

Outside the court a group of people dressed in black and white [the go to 'smart clothes' colours] smoke cigarettes while a security guard looks on. They laugh, making me think they might just be staff on a break ... rather than plaintiffs and defendants. But then again ...

Almost there now, and it looks like I won't be late after all.

I round the corner and have to keep to the right, close to the building, as there's road works on my left. A long, deep, pit gouged into the gutter.

Several signs, in red, tied to the safety fencing shout at me ...

 Danger. Deep Excavation. Danger. Deep Excavation. Danger. Deep Excavation.

Placed there to warn me against the dangers of thinking too much maybe? Of remembering too much? Of the dangers of digging too deep ... dipping too many toes into the past ... dredging too many memories to the surface? Or ... just warning me not to fall down a big hole?

But then ... maybe that's all the same thing ...

---------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for sharing my moment this month.

Don't forget to visit Alexa to catch some more.

Julie

Card making: inspired by Tron. Plus how to sneak neon pink onto a man's card.

Hello.

For my 3DJean Design Team post this week I've been experimenting with a new set of background stamps from Infocrea [Jean always likes to source brands you don't often find elsewhere].

When I saw the circuit-board design I immediately knew what I wanted to try with it ... an anniversary card inspired by the movie Tron to give to my favourite sci-fi fan.

[If you are my favourite sci-fi fan then STOP LOOKING NOW ... you're not meant to see this just yet!]

[And ... to clarify: my favourite sci-fi fan lives with me ... sorry if you thought it was you. But hey, I like you too. I just don't think we've got an anniversary coming up just yet ... have we?].

Anyway ... back to the Tron card:

I thought that if the circuit-board background was combined with bright colours [inspired by those in the film] it would give me an 80s sci-fi, space-age edge to the design rather than drift down the perhaps more obvious Steampunk-ish route. And so ...

I dug out some heat-embossing powders I haven't used for a long while and used them alongside a brand new [soon to be released] X-Cut 'Hexagon' nesting die:

After stamping and embossing my hexagons once, I went over the design again in a contrasting colour:

Then, after adding them to from of the card with 3D foam pads I stencilled down one edge with the  Tando Creative 'Distorted Harlequin' mask using a white chalk ink:

Here's the finished result:

I stamped the sentiment in blue and embossed with clear powder and the finishing touches are a strip of black sticky tape and American Crafts glitter tape in bright pink:

I really never anticipated using bright pink embossing powder and glitter tape on a card for a man ...

... but I think ... by invoking the almighty neon-glory of 80s sci-fi ... I might just get away with it!

You could take inspiration from Tron too ...

• you could you adapt this idea you the sci-fi fan in your life;
• you could use the stamps as a background in your art journals;
• you could challenge yourself to sneak in some luminous pink into a 'masculine' project!
• or else ... just get yourself trapped in cyberspace ... wait ...

... how long have you been online today ... maybe you're already there ... ?

 

Julie ;-)

 

--------------------------------------------------

 

** For further details on the products used on the card see my original post on the 3DJean DT blog.

Scrapbooking: The Sleeping Modern Art Installation

Hi, hi, hi.

If you like modern art [which I do] and if you're ever passing Middlesbrough [which I also do] then do yourself a favour and drop into MIMA [Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art].

James and I visited MIMA again last week, but today's project is a page I scrapbooked after spending a morning there last summer ... where we could almost have been mistaken for some modern performance art installation:

One of the gallery spaces had sofas in it and a table covered in magnetic shapes which you could use to create your own impromptu collage. I don't think it was just meant for kids but you can never tell with some 'interactive' type displays can you?

Now, you know me, there was no way I was going to be able to resist stopping to make a colourful collage was there? So [as I say in the journaling] I sat down and began to assemble colours and patterns while James ... well:

... James just enjoyed sitting down:

OK, so it's more like laying down. [Maybe he was trying to recreate Sam Taylor Wood's 'David' - a video portrait of David Beckham sleeping ... maybe he was just tired. It was a Saturday morning after all!]

That's my finished collage [above on the right] and .... while I really can't remember what the theme of the display was meant to be ... judging by how I combined a local landmark - the Transporter Bridge - balancing tea cups on its head, standing astride two yellow chairs resting on a coffee table ... I'm guessing it was something about 'Home'  ... or maybe surrealism?!

And while I was browsing through my old book page collection [which you can do here] I was amused to find this snippet in an old architecture book:

I think it perfectly sums up how James and I expressed our respective characters when faced with that table and those sofas!

--------------------------------------------------------

This weekend I  hope you ...

• get to do something creative ...
• or else ... get plenty of rest. 

Or better still ... go to sleep in an art gallery and do both at once! 

I'll see you next week no doubt.

Julie :-)

Using 'Month in Musings' printables for Project Life: with guest designer Melissa Stinson

Hi, hi, hi.

It's one week today since SJ Dowsett and I launched 'Month in Musings' our first set of printable journaling cards [is it too early for a birthday party? I'm not sure ...] and so far I've tried to share here a few ways in which they can be used .... such as ...

• on a Month in Numbers scrapbook page 
• but also a scrapbook page that was non-number related
• and also in card making.

But, from the very outset, right from our initial thoughts on the project, SJ and I always wanted to make our printables essential companions for multi-pocket / Project Life scrappers too [for instance, all the cards were designed to print at sizes perfectly matched to many of the split page protectors available at the moment].

Then I wanted to bring you inspiration from a fabulous, experienced and talented Project Life scrapper and so ...

Meet Month in Musings 1st Guest Designer ... Melissa Stinson [aka The Scrappy Jedi]:

Visit Melissa's site to see lots of beautiful images showing how she used the printables in recent pages for her Project Life album:

And ... as you can make out in this sneak peek ^^^ she added her journaling digitally and directly on to the images BEFORE printing them out!

How perfectly neat, tidy and clever is that?

So, click on the image or here to see Melissa's amazing pages and leave her some comment-love if you've got the time.

And do yourself a favour and start following her blog while you're there, you won't be disappointed, there's always something creative and inspiring happening there. [Seriously. Always. I was super-thrilled she found time to work with our cards she's such a scrapbooking whirlwind].

Go on then, off you pop to Melissa's and I'll see you back here soon.

Julie :-)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The printables are available in:

• my Etsy shop and
• SJ's Little Musings store

International Scrapbooking Day Giveaway!

Hi, hi.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED : THE WINNER 'K' WAS SELECTED AT RANDOM AND NOTIFIED - THANKS TO ALL WHO JOINED IN!!

When you launch a new scrapbooking product in the same week as International Scrapbooking Day [the first Saturday in May] ... it would be plain rude not to do a giveaway ... don't you think?

And so  ...

I'm offering up one full set of 21 printable 'Month in Musings' journaling cards designed by SJ Dowsett and me!

 The printables are available for purchase via:

• my Etsy shop and
• SJ Dowsett's Little Musings store

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

• Leave a comment on this post sharing ONE IMPORTANT NUMBER in your life.
• You don't have to tell me what it means! But you can if you feel like it!
• Make sure you are logged into an account which I can click onto to find you and contact you if you win.

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES:

• 11am [UK time] on Sunday 5th of May 2013
• I'll use a random-number-generator to select a winner ...
• ... then I'll get in touch to see which email address you'd like me to send your prize to.
• You can then print them off or use them digitally as many times as you like!

Which just leaves me to say ...

• To all who enter the draw  --- the best of luck to you !
• To all you scrappers  --- Happy International Scrapbookinging Day!!
• And ... to all you Star Wars lovers out there [including the one in my house] ... May the 4th be with you ...

See you soon.

 

Julie :-)

Cardmaking for boys: with Month in Musings printables

Me again.

[Just as well really. It'd be weird if you found someone else here wouldn't it? Promise me you'll let ne know if you ever find squatters here?]

Anyway ... I promised the card makers amongst us that I'd share how the new Month in Musings printable cards can be put to use on cards as well as scrapbook pages. And it shouldn't be too hard to see why they'd be useful ... greeting's cards are no strangers to numbers are they?

Here's a card I made for our 16 year old nephew using two of the printables: a plain list design and one with 'The Maths' slogan across it:

I know some people struggle with male cards ... but I enjoy them.

[But then ... you are talking to the woman who announced recently 'Ooooh I like really everything on this fashion/accessories page, and that hardly ever happens' after looking at newspaper supplement magazine recently,only to realise, after going online to get a better look at the items, that they were all meant to be for men!]

Maybe it's because ... I like a bit of distressing ...

... like these torn washi-tape flags wrapped around regular old parcel string:

And I like a spot of grungy stencilling ...

... like I did here using a sequin-waste stencil and dark brown ink pad:

And I like getting a bit woodgrainy ...

... as on the Musings card and the numbers cut from a Studio Calico 'Here + There' paper:

... complete with a Papermania screw-head brad.

And hopefully the 16 year old in question liked it too. [Or at least didn't completely hate it. I'd settle for that from a teenager!]

-------------------------------------------------------
Here's the full set of cards where you should be able to see a few more which would work well on cards:

Number themes obviously go hand in hand with birthday cards ... but they'd also work for:

• anniversaries - especially the 'Counting the Moments' card;
• 'Thank You's - especially the 'marks out of 10' or 'perfect day' designs;
• 'Missing You' / Bon Voyage greetings - where you could mention the number of miles apart you are or how may days until the return;
• and even 'New baby' ...

... and I could go on. And no doubt will!

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Check back tomorrow [Saturday 4th May] when, seeing how it's International Scrapbooking Day  ... I might just be feeling a little bit generous and like spreading glad tidings to all of scrapbooking-kind!

Julie

Scrapbooking with 'Month in Musings' printables: Holding on to my smalls!

Hi, hi.

Do you play along with the Simply A Moment meme over at Simply Alexa?

I've been joining in this year, blogging my own 'moment' around the mid-point of each month and, while I don't usually set myself the task of regular scrapbooking on a set theme or for a specific album, for some reason or another I've also been scrapping my pages too.  I think it satisfies the part of me that responds well to a deadline ... I like the clarity I get from knowing that, in a world of ideas pulling me this way or that, there's always another 'moment' queueing up to be scrapped ... and so I do. And there's another page made.

I haven't shared any of them here yet but ... if you learnt anything about me from Push-Up Bra Blogging ... you'll know that they're all bound to make an appearance at some point. And you'll also have learnt that I'm not fussed about blogging things in chronological order so, despite not sharing January, February or March's pages ... here's Aprils!

I wanted to use one of my new 'Month in Musings' printables on a non-number-themed page, not only to show their versatility to potential customers .. but to myself too because, let's face it, these are something I'm going to be spending a lot of time with, and I want to make the most of them!

And, when it came to selecting one to add to my 'moment' page ... what better design could there be but this one?!

[BTW: I printed out my Month in Musings on 6x4 matte photo paper I found i the £1 shop. I just printed out each digi-file as I would a regular 6x4 photo.]

This was one of those pages - do you do this? - that I thought I'd finished ...

I've been keping all my Simply A Moment pages fairly simple, with similar layout designs for continuity [again, not something I ever usually do ... I must be undergoing some scrapbooking evolutionary process!!] and I thought the [page had everything I wanted it to have:

• the photo from my original Simply A Moment post in April;
• the text from that post, printed off and tucked in a pocket behind the photo
• journaling block with a quote from the original blog post
• doily die-cut, washi tape
• and a title:

... but then ... I looked at again and it just felt ... a bit naked.

Then - bear with me on this - I remembered that that morning I'd seen a sequin on the carpet at the top of the stairs .. as you do ... and it got me thinking!

[You crafters will sympathise with me on that won't you? You must find all kinds of crafty oddments in odd places from time to time, don't you? Also - note how I didn't bother to pick it up when I saw it! Crafting is also a good excuse for not doing housework!]

And so ... I did actualy go back and pick up the stray sequin, to see if the colour matched my page and it did ... so I found some more [they weren't all on my carpet, the rest came from my embellishment box!] and glued a few, here and there, to my page:

I then finished off with a few lines of stitching through some of them and also through my title, and then flicked some ink at page for good measure.

Here's the final page again [to save your scrolling finger]:

I know the additions were fairly light and unobtrusive, but ...

... by adding a little bit of extra colour and interest they just seem to have made everything feel a little less 'naked'.

Like when a stripper leaves her hat on ... 

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The printables are available in:

• my Etsy shop and
• SJ's Little Musings store

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tomorrow I'll share a card-making approach to the new printables ... and it's on card for a boy.

In a craft-world of flowers and bling I know many of you like to see examples of styles suitable for the men in their life so drop back on Friday ... OK?

You can leave your hat on.

Julie ;-)

Scrapbooking 'My Month in Numbers': April 2013



Hello, hello.

 

First ... a confession: even though I pride myself on being confident in my crafty-work [not in everything in life, but in that, yes] ... and even though I've been scrapbooking for aaages ... and even though I regularly make work for publication ... 

 

... I was nervous when I was making this layout!

 

 And the nerves were down to:

1. despite having blogged 'My Month in Numbers' 40 times to date ... this is my first ever M in N layout! And also ...
2. it's the first page I've made using the brand new Month in Numbers merchandising ... the Month in Musings printable cards:

And to be honest ... it was a little scary working with my own products! I really wanted to do them justice so I could show you how you they can work in your own scrapbooking ... whether you use them for your Month in Numbers or not.

So let's have a look shall we?

I wanted to fit quite a few cards on the page - so I could include as many numbers from my full Month in Numbers blog post for April as possible - and I think the gridded background [a Lily Bee paper from 3DJean] helped me decide to aim for a grid design for the overall page too. 

I used 4 of the printables on my 12x12 but, if I hadn't used so many photos, I could easily have fit 6 or more on there.

As the designs feature wood grain and washi-tape strips I wanted to echo that across my page so I used several different washi tapes ... including an appropriate wood grain:

And while some of the cards feature little number-themed prompts like the one above ... which are perfect if you scrap your Month in Numbers and for weekly, multi-pocket-style albums 

... there are several more that are more general like this one [where I ignored the numbers and just wrote on the card]:

 ... and this one where I recorded this month's reading list:

So, there you go ... the first ever page made using Month in Musings printable cards!

May it be the first of many!!

-------------------------------------

When you make anything with Month in Musings downloads make sure to let me know ... I want to see!

• Come by my Facebook page with your projects;
• Tweet me;
• Leave me a blog comment or email ... whichever! Just show me show me!

-------------------------------------

Drop in on me tomorrow for a look at the second page I've made with the printables ... this time it's a non-number-themed layout.

Soon then.

Julie :-)