Digital Scrapbooking - Fun Fonts

In my opinion, fonts can make the difference between a cute page and a spectacularly adorable page.  Font's go a long ways in helping to set the mood of a page.

My favorite place to get new fonts is Dafont

They have a text box where you can type in whatever you want and it will change all of their fonts to your phrase so you can see exactly what it looks like before downloading.

After downloading the font you want just unzip the file and right click on the file and click Install.  That's it!

I tried several different fonts with this page and ended up loving this font the most.  It is called Cheri and is available from Dafont here.  I absolutely love the playful nature of this font and am going to have a hard time resisting using it on too many pages! 

I love it when the title of the page stands out.  You know exactly what this page is about by looking at the pictures and the title. 

The title on this page is done with Goudy Stout which I believe is already loaded on most computers.

Journalling needs to be easy to read so elaborate fonts usually won't work.  On this page I used Gill Sans Ultrabold Condensed and it's about as fancy as I get for journalling.

Combining fonts can be a great way to add some interest to your page.  I used a big blocky font for "Lunch" and complimented it with a more elegant font for the other words, "Making" and "Myself." 

I'd love to share which font I used on this page but my External Hard Drive is throwing a tantrum and won't pull up the file so I can look it up.

Font's can also add a fun twist to your page.  In this page I made the text part of the picture.  I'd really like to take credit for this idea but I saw it in a magazine years ago and just had to make my own.  This is so much easier to do than it looks. 

MAKE IT YOURSELF:

- In CS2 add the picture you want to have as the background. 

- On top of this layer add the text, keep it within the size of the picture but try to fill it up as much as possible.  You'll need to play with the size and spacing of the font. 

- Now go back to your origional picture and use the Magnetic Lasso to select around the image you want in front of the text.  You could also use an eraser tool to erase everything you don't want but this would take longer. 

- Now place your cutout on your page on top of your text.  Make sure your placement and sizing are corrent and there you have it. 

A fun effect that just took a few extra steps.

Have fun playing with fonts - they can really embelish your pictures and scrapbook pages.

I WANT This Dining Room!

I'm officially jealous!

I found a new blog to follow a couple of days ago and am in awe of her dining room.  You can check her blog out HERE. 

I don't think I'd ever leave her dining room if she invited me over for a visit.  Not only is my fav color on the wall but the window treatments are divine!  I've been searching for a room to paint this color for a little while now.  I love the way the teal in her room looks paired with the dark furniture and neutral drapes.  Gives me great ideas for our Kitchen & Dining Room remodel coming up (soon hopefully!).

Not the usual post for me but I had a big silly grin on my face when I saw the above picture so I thought I'd share it.

More Halloween Fun!

I added a few finishing touches to my front room shelves today.

I'm so excited with how it turned out!

LOVE the shelves but I'm not sure what I think about the crooked picture!  Might have to change it...

The frame below was super easy.  Just an empty frame, spiderweb and little spiders.  The wire behind the frame doesn't show up in person (much) so I didn't remove it.  Apparently the flash on my camera catches it just right to make it show.

Earlier this week I had the family help me make some ghosts.  Even my husband made one - yup, I got him to craft with me.  He made this little cutie with the bow.  I made the bow for him, didn't want him to feel too overwhelmed with his first craft project.  We took the easy route for the ghosts and used spray starch.  It was a quick, no mess way to make some fun Halloween decorations.

This is the ghost I made.  The thing on his chest is supposed to be a tie... no???

The spider is actually a toy I stole from my son's toybox.  It's one of those jumping spiders minus the little tube.

Here's the ghost my 10 year-old made.  He wanted fangs so fangs he made.  He's also holding a sword but you can't really see it in this angle because of the frame.  I love that he didn't want just a plain ghost.

The 'Wicked' deco is really a warning.  The woman in the picture can be quite a beasty... shhh... don't tell her I said that.

This is all I'll probably do in the house.  I don't have many places that are out of reach of the children - they are true monkeys and have already tried to get to the pumpkins on the shelves.

Up next some fun stuff in the windows and a group of ghosts for the front yard (I'm really excited about this one!)

Bat Chandelier

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Since buying my home a few years back it seems we are working on a major project every year right around Halloween so I don’t spend time or money decorating. This year I decided it was time to change that. My first project was inspired by a decoration I found at pottery barn kids here. It’s cute but not $60 cute (now on sale for $45 but still not that cute)

Here’s my interpretation

SO DANG CUTE!

What you'll need:

3 cross-stitch hoops (I used a 12", 9" and 6")

Stringy Yarn

Craft Foam

Black Electrical Tape
Black Paint

Bat Shape - I used the one above.

Step 1: Paint the inside portion of the cross-stitch hoops black. You can use spray paint or any other craft paint. I used craft paint because it's what I had on hand.

Step 2: Cut your yarn. I cut mine 28" long and used 9 pieces for the chandelier and another 2 for the top. So a total of 11 lengths of yarn.

Step 3: Tie the yarn to the biggest hoop first spacing them as evenly as possible.

Step 4: This one was the trickiest step for me. I ended up using 2 Prego jars to hold the 9" hoop up while I tied them the string to it. Be sure to tie the knots loosely, we'll tighten them up later.

Step 5: Flip your chandelier right side up again and tie the top 2 strings in an X across the top - this is how you will hang your chandelier.

Step 6: Hang the chandelier (with only the two tiers done) and try to get it balanced. Once it's as level as you'd like tighten the knots. I actually spent a long time trying to get the hoops even but never really accomplished the goal. I figured it's for Halloween and a little crooked would only add to the effect - so mine's uneven on purpose /wink/wink/.

Step 7: Leave the chandelier hanging and attach the third tier. Another tricky step. Make sure everything is balanced and tighten the knots. You can also place a dab of craft glue on the inside where each string is attached to each hoop to add extra strength.

It's getting close - this is when I started getting excited.

Step 8: Trace your bat shapes onto craft foam and cut them out. I used 16 bats for mine.

Step 9: Attach the bats with pieces of black electrical tape.

Step 10: Husband asks why I hung the chandelier on the hook and suggests putting it over the light. GREAT IDEA!

Gives the entry way a nice creepy vibe!

Antiqued Cabinet

Let me lay the scene for you...

Christmas 2008 we went with a furniture theme for the kids. No fun for them, I know, but they all needed something for their rooms and it was LOTs of fun for Mom!

Our baby's piece of furniture was the first (and last) piece of furniture I've bought online. It was through a company I've done business with before so I trusted them and their pictures/descriptions. I ordered an antiqued cream linen closet for her room. The night before Christmas we were setting up the kids furniture and learned that her linen closet was green! Here is my beautiful antiqued crib next to this ugly green cabinet.

U. G. L. Y.

After the holidays I called to see what we could do to resolve the issue. The company wouldn't take it back without me spending money on shipping and to make matters even better they wouldn't refund any of the original shipping costs either. I took pictures of the color and other problems with the cabinet (yes there are other issues!) and sent them in. I got NO response. I wrote a review expressing my opinion of the product and they didn't post it on the website.

Just a little frustrating.

I decided to keep the cabinet and just fix it. It took me a while to get to the project because I was so upset but I finally started...

Jump and clap with me! I'm in LOVE with this cabinet now.

(please ignore the mess in the garage - it's one of those chores I rarely have time to do)

Here's how I got this beauty...

Anytime you're painting a finished piece of furniture you HAVE to lightly sand it and use primer.
Ask me how I know this... yup skipped this step once before and the paint peeled right off!

After a coat of cream spray paint I considered stopping there. The bed is antiqued and I really wanted it to match but I was scared to mess it up!

I gathered my courage and decided to antique it - like I planned. I used Thompson's WaterSeal Gel Stain in Sierra Brown. It was scary... really, really scary to cover up the cream with the brown stain. Working in small areas I applied the stain then rubbed it off all the areas I didn't want it on. I found I also had to use a wet cloth to get it to look like I wanted it to.

I spray painted the knobs a dark brown, covered a piece of cardboard in fabric to match the room and there it is!

Ahhhh Much better! Now I'll smile instead of cringe everytime I walk in the room! Sigh

Now to dress her up with all sorts of cuteness for my daughter... can't wait!

Gone Thrifting...

I've been inspired by all the great crafters that share their thrifting treasures online. Frankly, I've even been a little jealous of some of the awesome finds.

Saturday I went to the local thrift store and learned a few things...

1st - I should never, ever, ever, EVER go on a Saturday again!

It's kind-of a hectic store and throw in a whole gaggle of shoppers and it is quite overwhelming.

2nd - I need a list.

Between the chaos, the shoppers, and all the merchandise I couldn't concentrate on what I was looking for.

3rd - I can not look in other people's carts.

Apparently I have a green-eyed monster living in me. I got there 2 minutes too late to get this adorable treasure chest and was so frustrated I missed the opportunity that I felt like I was in a race to find the next treasure.

Overall, a very eventful trip - despite not buying a thing.

I made a list of items I'm looking for and ideas I have for projects and braved the great thrift store again today. I was VERY excited with my finds and can't wait to share the projects with you when I complete them.

Here's what I got...

Hutch - $7

Glass Bow Container - $2

TV Tray - $8

$17 and I came out skipping and clapping! That's the cheapest entertainment I've had for a long time and the fun hasn't even started yet.

Here's a sneak peak of what I'm working on right now.

It's even on my list of 2009 Goals!

There's How Many Months Left?

The year is officially 2/3rds over and I thought I would make a list of the projects I had planned on accomplishing for 2009.

Before I begin let me just say that my list was very achievable at the time I made it – honestly! Then life, self-employment and the poor economy happened. Our construction company had a rough time when every home builder decided to STOP building and many commercial projects were put on hold. Despite the slow-down in work my husband managed to keep very busy but didn’t make the money we would have under normal circumstances. Most years you can often hear me and my husband saying "When we have the money we don't have the time, when we have the time we don't have the money." This year we're singing a different tune: "We ain't got the time OR money!" As a result I've been wary to spend money on decorating. Things are picking up so I'm going to try the amazing feat of accomplishing a year's worth of goals in a four month period.

2009 Goal

Finish ALL Unfinished Projects

We are professional project starters but usually get sidetracked before the job is complete. As a result we have MANY projects that need to some attention.

1. Finish the Backyard – We tore out our yard last year, put in a new rock wall and let the weeds have at it. This year we already installed the sprinkling system, laid the sod, planted new trees, and got our elephant fountain working.
Remaining Projects:
· Finished everything planned for 2009! Now picture me doing the HAPPY DANCE!

2. Finish the Baby’s Room – I feel horrible that her room wasn’t done by the time she was born last May. I feel worse that it’s still not done!
Remaining Projects:
· Paint Cupboard – don’t even get me started on why I need to do this!
· Reconfigure Artwork – it’s just not working for me the way it is
· Finish Drapery
· Refinish My Play Cupboard from when I was little (officially I wasn’t planning on getting this done until next year – but I’m always hopeful)

3. Finish our 10-Year-Old’s Room - His room was done until we had to move him from his completed bedroom to make room for our newest addition last year – should’ve thought that project through a little better.
Remaining Projects:
· Finish Border – I designed the CUTEST boarder for his room but have been waiting for over a year now for my husband to weld up the joints and finish attaching the bottom edge to the wall. I think it’s time to bring out the whip!
· Drapery
· Rope Lighting – I have a fun project planned for some extra lighting in his room.

4. Finish the Front Room – This was the first room I started when we moved into our home 4 years ago. It is constantly being put on the back burner for more immediate needs though.
Remaining Projects:
· Need to buy/find/make (whichever – tables, artwork, lighting Oh MY!

5. Finish Painting the Basement – The kids and I spend a lot of time downstairs. It’s where our playroom, office and craft-room are so TONS of fun to be had!
Remaining Projects:
· Paint the Ceiling – about half way done
· Get Curtain Rods – I’ve had the curtains for about 2 years but just haven’t taken the time to get the rods and hang them up. BAD Shanon!
· Paint Doors & Floor Boards – once again, about half way done
· Paint Walls – sensing a trend… about half way done
· Update Electrical Outlets

Okay, I’m officially FREAKING out! I don’t know if I’ll get everything accomplished – but I know I’m going to give it a go… Keep your eyes open for some posts about these projects as I complete them. Feel free to harass me if you don’t see anything for a while :)

Oh man - this doesn't even include my 2009 Scrapbook that I'm behind on or my goals on getting all the little storage areas and closets organized... We'll just see how much of a SUPER WOMAN I can be in these remaining few months I guess!