Workspace Wednesday - The Washi Wall

Washi tape is so much fun - and it must be one of the best values in scrapbooking.  It is inexpensive and comes in an infinite variety of colors, patterns and widths.  And let's be honest - how often do you finish a roll of washi?

But it's easy to get overwhelmed by washi - for a while it seemed like every kit I purchased included a roll of washi tape.  And I kept seeing new rolls - and they were only a few dollars which made for a perfect impulse purchase. I tried keeping it in a basket, but I would forget what I had and it rarely got used.  As I've said before, I like my stash organized by color and I use what I see.  So that stash kept growing.

Then I talked my husband into hanging a giant pegboard in my craft room.  It is amazing, versatile storage and provided the perfect solution for washi tape storage.  I devoted one end of the peg board to washi tape - I call it the "Washi Wall."  I bought several dowels and my husband cut them into 12 inch lengths for me.  I used hooks on the peg board and fit 12 dowels down the side of the peg board.

I sorted my washi into a loose ROYGBIV order and started putting it on the dowels.  Neutrals are at the bottom of the wall.

Embarassingly, I had more washi tape than I had room for.  So I purged a lot - and I limit myself to the space on the Washi Wall.  If I get a new roll of washi tape and it doesn't fit, another roll has to go.  For the most part, this has put a stop to my washi buying habit - I have to really love it to buy it.  And because my stash is visible, I have a good sense of the colors and patterns in my stash - often I already have something similar to the roll that is tempting me.

And I actually have finished a couple of rolls recently - which made room for some new rolls - or to bring a roll back in from my purge box.  And means I am using more than I am buying - at least when it comes to washi.  (You have to count the small victories, right?)

So this is my solution - and one my favorite things about it is the versatility.  If washi becomes a smaller part of my stash - I haven't invested much in storage solutions and its easy to repurpose the space to store my new favorite supply.  But I'd love to hear what you do with your washi...

Thanks for stopping by.

Washi tags

Every year I decide to make my own tags.  Some years they are pretty elaborate.  One year I cut tag shapes with my cricut and called it good.  This year, I've made a few pretty elaborate tags, but for the most part I am using shipping tags and washi tape.

I have tons of washi tape - does anyone ever finish a roll? So this is a great way to use some of it up and add a personal touch to my packages.  So I am layering on the washi, adding an embellishment or two, and calling it done.  Here are some examples.

You can create really different looks by mixing different washi tapes and placing differently.  And you can coordinate perfectly with your wrapping paper.  (Or just make tags you like and buy wrapping paper that matches your tags - I've done that before.)

Thanks for stopping by.

A Graduation Card - Let Your Light Shine

I just about never make cards - maybe 3 in the past year.  But I'm a really proud mom this weekend.  My son is graduating from high school, and he has grown into an amazing young man.  This week he shared a speech titled "Knowing and Loving Yourself" that he gave as a senior retreat leader with this quote as a theme:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?"  Actually, who are you not to be?  You are a child of God.  Your playing small does not serve the world.  There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.  We are all meant to shine, as children do.  We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.  It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same.  As were are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

He originally heard the quote in the movie, Coach Carter, and learned that it was originally from Marianne Williamson.  When I read his speech, I was incredibly moved by his insight into who he is and the journey he has taken to date.  I was impressed by the confidence and maturity it took to share his own strengths and weaknesses with his peers and with his ability to share his challenges with his classmates. 

So I decided that I would not take the easy way out.  I would make him a card - and try to include messages related to the speech I read in that card.  After all, he's pretty amazing and deserves a card as unique as he is.

I started with a scrap of paper and then pulled out a 12x12 sticker sheet from the new MME collection Find Your Wings and Fly.  The sentiments were perfect.

The sentiments on the stickers were perfect and I loved the colors.  But the pennant sticker was two long.  So I cut off the top and used the striped piece as a layering element.  And of course, washi and enamel dots make everything better.

I wanted to continue the positive messages on the inside.  So I combined a couple of Studio Calico Project Life cards with another stickers from the MME sheet - and of course, a little more washi.

And then I tried my first envelope ever.  While it was a bit large for the card, it was perfect for the lottery tickets I was tucking inside. (We will buy him a new computer to take to school in the fall, but the day itself calls for something fun.)  I used a piece of patterned paper from I Lowe Scrap for a really fun look.

I'm excited to have a really special card for Nicholas.  He's certainly made our lives richer and I want him to know how special he is.

Have a great Sunday.

Documenting A Soccer Season

If you read these posts often, you know that I try to do a "year in the life" album for my kids for every year.  As I've worked on my boys' albums, sport seasons have become a huge challenge.

The sports seasons are a huge part of their lives and very important to them.  By the time we go to all those games, there are literally hundreds of pictures.  And I'm just not able to narrow the photos down to pages for one or two pages.  So I always end up with multiple 2 page layouts.  And in the various albums, I've tried to make them look alike, I've tried to use a common design element (e.g., stars) to connect them, and I've just ignored the connection.  All of the approaches have pluses and minuses.

But lately I've been working on Nicholas's senior year album and I tried something different.  I pulled together a kit of papers, cardstock and embellishments that I used for the layouts - there were 7 this year.  After that I didn't worry at all about the connection. The end result was cohesive layouts that were still visually interesting.

The papers were mostly Fancy Pants and Simple Stories, but the green was Echo Park and there is a red chevron from Jillibean. I had themed embellishments, wood, stars, sequins, vellum arrow die cuts and enamel dots in my embellishment stack. 

Here are the layouts (and some things I learned):

By using the same background paper on all the layouts, I created a feeling of "a mini album inside a larger album.

Washi tape was a great addition to the kit - a quick and easy way to add interest to pages and able to be used in a lot of ways.

The Martha Stewart chalkboard labels were a great way to add consistent journaling throughout the series of layouts.  And mixing themed and non themed embellishments created added lots of interest.

Using the same thickers throughout was a great unifying touch.  And use thickers from an coordinating set to add the uniform number to sports layouts as an embellishment.

Experiment with different shapes and title treatments for interest.  This circle layout ended up being one of my favorites.

Combine a frame with a themed embellishment to create an interesting embellishment. 

Think out of the box when your journaling.  I printed the bio he wrote for the senior night presentation on vellum here.

Hope this gave you some ideas for your sports season layouts.  I'd love to hear your ideas too. 

Have a fantastic Friday.

Simple Thank You Cards

I don't make cards very often - I just have a hard time getting the proportions right.  But I needed a couple of thank you cards and didn't have time to go to the store.  And I have a room full of supplies.  So I dug in and got to work.

The first card was for one of my daughter's friends. Elisabeth had some health problems this year and she brought her the homework on every one of the 30+ days she missed this year.  We wanted to give her an ITunes card to show our appreciation.  And the card needed to appeal to a  year old girl. 

So I dug out a kraft card base and an assortment of washi. I covered the card base with strips of washi to create a bright fun base.  Then I decided to use a shipping tag to add the sentiment.  I attached it with some bright color twine that was secured inside the card. 

I used a glassine bag on the inside of the card to cover the place where the twine was attached.  The gift card fit in there perfectly and created a finished look.

I also needed a card for her mother who drove her daughter to our house to drop off the homework all those days.  I wanted to make something pretty and sophisticated.  I started with a card base with a decorative edge on the front.  I added a strip of that beautiful ombre washi from Studio Calico to the insided of the card so the edge really stood out when the card was closed.  Then I went for these Amy Tangerine stitched vellum embellishments (some of my favorites and created a simple border design.  I added a layered sticker from Simple Stories and used Heidi Swapp alphas for the sentiment.

 

The end result was pretty and feminine.

And I had so much fun making these cards that I asked for a score board for Mothers Day.  I think I'll be making more cards in the future.

Hope you have a tremendous Thursday.