2013 Swap Challenge!

Happy holidays to you all in the paper crafting world!  Since I've last posted we've been quite busy here in New York with more sever weather and busy with the holidays.  This year  I took my time learning a new skill;  baking!  I've known how to bake a decent sugar cookie for quite some time and I can sometimes make an above average apple pie with said sugar cookie dough crust, but I baked things I hadn't before.  I made a perfect yellow cake batter for the Christmas trees in my holiday treat tins and I made my very first yule log!  All documented in pictures to scrap and post soon!

After having participated in one of the most rewarding holiday title swaps at swappinscraps.blogspot.com hosted by a dear friend, I decided it was time to venture into the world of swapping myself!   I am so happy to announce my very first Iheartscraps swap. 

The project life swaps and title swaps I've participated in have been challenging and rewarding, but most of all, extremely practical.   I look forward to being able to use a finished product made by a fellow crafter and not just another manufacturer, but someone who took the time to choose the papers carefully, the embellishments and who put the love of crafting into it.  I would like to offer the same to my fellow crafting friends. 

For my very first swap, I would like to introduce an 8x8 Mini Calendar book swap.   I need at least 6 people to sign up and take 2 months.   If we can find 12 people to do just one of the months that would be spectacular.   The concept is that each person will create 2 8x8" layouts for 2 months.  I will be creating the covers for all of the mini books because as many of you know I loooove looove looove making book covers!   I will in addition sign up for as many months as we need.   With that being said, I was thinking that a date of February 15th would be good because we give ourselves time to get over the holiday craze as well as treating our fellow crafting sisters to a post Valentines gift!

The sign ups and more details will be posted below!   Can't wait to see all of your crafty genius!

Swap #1

2013 Mini book

Wouldn't it be great to have the years layouts planned out, without being bogged down with all of that work?  Lets get together and get our mini books done so that we can spend less time planning and getting bogged down in the infinite number of layouts we didn't accomplish.   I know personally, I would love to have a pre-planned page for me to add pictures to!   Get out those cricuts ladies, dust off those svg cutters, and get to using some of those hoarded, ehem, I meant collected supplies!  

Sign up dates:   January 6, 2013

Due date:        February 15, 2013 to me by mail or in person. 

Return date:   February 22, 2013  to you by mail or in person

Format:             8"x8"  square or scalloped edged pages.

                           Circles will be more challenging to bind together.     

                     

Please allow enough space  on the left hand side for it to be bound by me with the cinch.  If you would rather it hole punched please let us know before we all start so that we can make arrangements for your page.

Description

Create a calendar page for the month.  Wouldn't it be great to have the years layouts planned out, without being bogged down with all of that work?  Lets get together and get our mini books done so that we can spend less time planning and getting bogged down in the infinite number of layouts we didn't accomplish.   I know personally, I would love to have a pre-planned page for me to add pictures to!   Get out those cricuts ladies, dust off those svg cutters, and get to using some of those hoarded, ehem, I meant collected supplies!  

Sign up dates:   January 6, 2013

Due date:        February 15, 2013 to me by mail or in person. 

Return date:   February 22, 2013  to you by mail or in person

Format:             8"x8"  square or scalloped edged pages.

                           Circles will be more challenging to bind together.     

                     

Please allow enough space  on the left hand side for it to be bound by me with the cinch.  If you would rather it hole punched please let us know before we all start so that we can make arrangements for your page.

Description

Create a calendar page for the month or months you sign up for.

Calendar page must include

- Title at least an inch tall.

- Title must be easily visible on the page.

- At least one embellishment

- At least one set of card stock and patterned paper.  The patterned paper can be stamped background if you choose.

- At least a fiber or interactive item on the page, doesn't have to be both!  You can choose I thought it would be fun and challenging to add an interactive item to the mix.

-Event related, but not necessarily religious.   For example you don't have to only do New Year for January, you can also do Martin Luther King Day, National Soup Month, or National Hobby month with the Title of the month as well.  This is especially great, if you have a connection with one of the items.  Think outside the box and lets see how much fun we can conjure up!

This should be a lot of fun and can't wait to see what we all come up with!   

 If you have any questions you can email me at iheartscraps@gmail.com or FB me at the same email address.

h or months you sign up for.

Calendar page must include

- Title at least an inch tall.

- Title must be easily visible on the page.

- At least one embellishment

- At least one set of card stock and patterned paper.  The patterned paper can be stamped background if you choose.

- At least a fiber or interactive item on the page, doesn't have to be both!  You can choose I thought it would be fun and challenging to add an interactive item to the mix.

-Event related, but not necessarily religious.   For example you don't have to only do New Year for January, you can also do Martin Luther King Day, National Soup Month, or National Hobby month with the Title of the month as well.  This is especially great, if you have a connection with one of the items.  Think outside the box and lets see how much fun we can conjure up!

This should be a lot of fun and can't wait to see what we all come up with!   

 If you have any questions you can email me at iheartscraps@gmail.com or FB me at the same email address.

Can't wait! 

Sign ups:

January -
February - Salima
March-
April-
May-
June-
July-
August-
September-
October-
November-
December-   Salima

I chose those months but am willing to switch with anyone who needs to!  If you need any help, I posted a video on youtube of a mini book I've done in the past with lots of embellishments and pattern paper mixing.   Its under iheartscraps. 


Happy Scrapping!
Salima.

healing one swap at a time.....

Zen.  Peace.  Tranquility.  Salaam.  Paz.  or Peace, any way you say it, the feeling is all the same.  

I learned in the last 10 months how healing art is and how important it is to step back from the stress, breathe, sit at your craft table and use ordinary pieces around you, to create your own world, one scrap at a time.  

Last December, I found myself in the Emergency room with a dangerously low heart rate on the day of one of my friend's 40th birthday.  I almost didn't go.  I almost didn't want to succumb to the heart pain, the hours waiting in the ER and putting others out;  namely my husband, for little old me, but I did, and boy am I glad I did.  

What came to follow was a never ending round of tests, incessant doctor's appointments, and new issues developing.   What remained the constant in my life was the art of paper crafting. 

The doctor insisted I lose 40lbs as soon as possible to combat the increasing medical issues.   I bought myself a Smash Journal, as any good paper crafter would do to document the journey.  What I found was the solace the crafting left behind.  Out of the bedroom went unnecessary items and in its place was a designed and constructed new Scrap area for the best friend a girl could have.

In my new found healthy lifestyle, I found that I had to force myself to stop and do something creative between work and chores at home, and that's where the Swapping began. 

The swaps were not only a great opportunity to see people's work that I admired greatly, but it gave me the opportunity to stop, breathe, and create sometimes for only a few minutes at a time while a chicken roasted, dishes washed, laundry dried and papers waited for grading, but I did it.  What I found in the process of deciding what I would do for each swap, picking out papers, and inking some edges, was healing.

One swap at a time. 
 

So Thankful For You, Gratitude Project Life Swap

Halloween Project Life Swap

Create Banner Swap

So thankful for you  Project Life card for Swapping Scraps FB Group made from DCVW Mariposa Paper, Bazill Cardstock,  Martha Stewart Border Punch,  Prima Wooden Flowers, Twine, liquid crystal and journaling paper.

Halloween Project Life card for Swapping Scraps FB Group made from recycled Making Memories packaging, Cricut "A child's year",  Twine,  Stazon Inks,  Recollections Clips, Dylusions Inks Sprays, Black Pearls (unknown manufacturer.

"A"  Banner Swap:   Acrylic ATC, w/  Acrylic butterfly made from recycled acrylic packaging,  Cricut Storybook cartridge for frame and letters,  Cuttlebug Chevron embossing folder,  plastic flower embellishment ribbon, Ranger white paint dauber,  Black Stazon, Tim Holtz Rock Candy on small yellow A. 

Its all in the process......and homemade garlands.

I realized while making Christmas ornaments, that for me, its much more than the items themselves, but the process of creating them that brings me the most joy. Who doesn't love a finished product, or the supplies or lets face it the smell of the glue? But I, I revel in the little minutia of the cutting, the sorting through papers, the inking many many edges. Why not? How many opportunities in life do we get to relive Kindergarten again, not many, so I am going to live my passion, cutting, inking, and gluing till my little fingers fall off!

My friends know me by my passion for crafting but also crafting with recycled materials. I love knowing that I kept something out of the landfill, and was able to use it in an artistic way.

This ribbon garland came out of a "necessity is the mother of all inventions" type of moment. Limited funds is a commonality right now, but it doesn't need to spur limited creativity! I went into the local house stores only to find that their garlands were unnecessarily expensive and far from my simple tastes. Having left frustrated I happened upon some strips of fabric in my scrapbook area that I was saving for ribbon flowers. I started tearing and stripping and pulled out the jewelery wire, in no time and 11' later, I had a beautiful, unique garland that is truly Salima-like in every way: colorful, cheerful and simple.


Hope you enjoy!!!

In the name of L O V E

I haven't written for awhile and thought I would post some new pics. I've been rather inspired by the Shabby Chic artsy look of Marion Smith as of late and a artsy celebrity scrapper/friend Julie Fei Fan Belzer whose work I would love to just print and paper my walls with!

I was thinking about my love for scrap and although I always want to cut down my stash, I can't help falling in love with the new items that came out at CHA! Namely a lot of Tim Holtz's new stuff and lots of Prima items. I've also been venturing onto manufacturing sites like Basic Grey, Prima Marketing, and Jenni Bowlin to keep my mind and spirit artfully engaged.

These two items I've made recently, but I truly love this card. I made it for my hubby and while, it is not the nicest card, I really took the time to make things for it. The center of the flower is made of glass beads from Michaels. and the background was made by the Prima frame stamps. The vintage transparency is so old I don't even know who made it.

Anyhow, here's my projects and I hope that you keep yourself artfully inspired and challenged!

Enjoy,

Salima.

Scrap Challenge

I was thinking its been awhile since I've posted anything, so it would be fun to post a challenge.
I sat at my scrap table and it was all tooo overwhelming for me, so i picked up the 2 closest pieces of paper,
and I'm creating this challenge:

1. Take the first 2 pieces of paper you find at your desk to create a card, page or atc.
2. Use an embellishment you've pushed off for over a year for just the right time.
3. Use a technique you haven't used in over a year. If you can't think of one, how about one you haven't used in over 3 months.
4. Use an ink color you haven't opened or used yet.

Upload what you have created and I'll do the same. Maybe we can have a vote with a prize.

Pieces to peace.

Its been a long time since this has happened. I had to do a card for something, not realizing that those pieces of paper brought me a lot of peace in the process.

Enjoy!

life's little challenges....

Sometimes..... you don't know how but you lose time.

You don't call your friend on their birthday,
You wake up at 6:50 instead of 6 am.
You forget how you and your best friend lost contact,
You can't remember a loved one's face.

Today I received my wake up call.
I had time smack me in the face today.
My cousin, who was the only one in my family
who used to write me in California over 5 and a half years
was diagnosed with Stage IV Cancer.

She's funny, she's upbeat, she's a good mom.
I didn't have the pleasure of seeing her for several months
and now she is going away from me, just like time.

Its really hard on me to accept that, but I can't imagine
how hard it must be on her.
And my other cousin, the one that I'm closest to is nursing her,
I haven't seen her in a while either.

This is the card I made for my cousin Mickey.
We call her that instead of Migdalia.
It fits her personality.

I pray that Allah keeps her in his care and that his will be done.

I will be more mindful not to lose so much time away from family.

Love to all my sissies, you know who u are. May I hear from you and see you more.

Salima.