Happy National Scrapbook Day

On Heidi Swapp's blog we're celebrating it by posting some new layouts as well as sharing some of our favorite projects.  We were asked "WHY DO YOU SCRAPBOOK?"

Happy National Scrapbook Day everyone!  It's amazing that in one day or weekend we can all come together whether it be physically or virtually to celebrate what we all LOVE to do.... SCRAP! 

 Why I scrapbook?  Well, I scrap simply because it makes me happy.  I scrapbook because life is short and I want to remember the big moments as well as the little things in our everyday lives.  Funny,  I just watched the other day this 80's movie where he says  " Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, You could miss it."  -Ferris Bueller.  I thought at that moment YES, that is why I scrapbook!  I notice the little details in our lives more.  I believe that the stories is what matters.  I scrapbook because it is my therapy.  I love making pretty things and I need to create everyday.  I scrapbook because I want to remember. I want them, my family to know how much I love them because if I don't then no one else will.

Here's  one of my favorite memory file project I created early in 2012 that celebrated my daughter's 12th birthday.  As the school is coming to an end and that means my daughter will be a high schooler.  Yikes!  This memory file album documented what she was into at the time.  It documents her first concert, favorite tv shows, favorite clothing stores, what size she wore, when she got her iPhone, how she takes pictures and post on Instagram and her first trip ever to Hawaii.  Life surely does move fast but with this album I've frozen time to what it she was like back when she was 12.  I will forever cherish this!  Now stop and look around and scrap your memories. 

Here's just a few favorites of mine.  This one is from CHA Winter 2012 for Heidi Swapp's booth I made using one of those wood frames you get from your local scrapbook stores and created a shadow box type deal in the frame area to house this cute Heidi Swapp flip book of our weekend trips to San Francisco.

 This one is a Memory Box made out of my old cardboard box.  I created this for our first family trip to Hawaii. It holds a No Limits Memory File folder mini.

The top portion I created a pocket for my memorabilia like our ticket stubs and cut out a CD holder from my Cameo to hold a CD full of our photos from our trip.

In the box holds more memorabilia such as menus, maps, coffee sleeves and vials of sand from the beaches we visited.

To the right is a mini album that folds out.

thank you for looking and hope you have a very creative day.

What to do with your vacation photos.

Now that you have stacks of photos from vacation or staycations.  What do you do with them?  Well.. I created a Memory box out of a card board box I've had in my stash and painted it and covered with paper. I created this back in April or May this year but it was never posted.   I used lots of Heidi Swapp No Limits line and other Heidi Swapp goodies along with my favorite die cutting machine - the Silhouette.

For the front cover I used a photo mat you can buy at any craft store to mount over a memory file folder I had cut in half.

When you open up the box you'll see at the top the other half of the memory file I used for the cover as a

pocket to house tix stubs and other memorabilia.  

I also used my silhouette to die cut a cd holder to put a a CD that has all the photos from our trip.  

I placed a polaroid snapshot in front of the CD sleeve with a faux washi tape that I used from Heidi's packaging.  I love finding out creative ways to use packages so nothing goes to waste.   You'll notice a transparent Hibiscus.  Some of you may remember it's from my old stash of vintage Heidi Swapp products.

In the box you can place more memorabilia.  Here I gathered some sand from the  different beaches we went to, added a map, some menus from the many different local restaurants we went to and coffee sleeves.

Inside is a mini Memory file folder that fits inside the Memory box.  I used a postcard to adorn the front cover and the palm tree from my silhouette and misted it.

"relax" cut out in which I stamped over it.  I also fussy cut Heidi's 'explore' flag.

Below I used a page protector and the edges is cut out from the ends of one of the No Limits Memory file folder.  Again, I misted the silhouette cut out in blue.  I had brought my trusty and favorite Fujifilm Pivi printer along with me and placed the photos inside the page protectors.

This is the mini file folder opened up.  To the right is a mini book. That is attached to the right side of the file folder. 

The Hawaiian Islands cut out from my Silhouette.  

The first page is a page protector that opens up.

Love Heidi Swapp's Foto stacks which sold out super quick last CHA Winter show.

ALOHA!   Hope you enjoyed my Hawaii Memory file box and album.

Aloooha!

We recently went on a much needed and a long time coming vacation.  This was our first time as a family going to Hawaii.  It was such an amazing time!  My husband has a lot of family there and I have a cousin who lives there too.  We were only there for a week and everyday was packed full!  We were all over the island of OAHU.  We got a chance to do things that locals do, eat and most of the beaches that are on the island.  We hit the beach every single day.  Family aka OHANA is very important in Hawaii.  You'll see through my photos that we spent a lot of time with family.  Be warned my blog posts will be photo heavy. 

We were able to board the plane before the rest of the passengers.  Here we are so excited for our trip.

Watching our favorite shows on the iPAD while enjoying some hersheys macadamia nut kisses.  So good!

I created this travel journal to add pictures and journaling while I was on the plane.  Well.....I found out that even on the plane I get motion sickness when I'm doing something such as writing or moving around to grab something.  So that meant I really couldn't do much on the plane.  Oh well.

Once we landed we headed over to my cousin's house.  We were starving since the food on the plane was nasty it made me sick.  Couldn't wait to eat local food.  We first ate at Juriso's.  I had the ahi katsu.  It was so yummy!!   The thing in Hawaii are lunch plates which consists of the meat, rice and mac salad which my daughter loved.  

 Next... SHAVE ICE.  It's the thing there.  Love us some shave ice.  It's not a sno cone either. You can add different flavors such as pina colada, coffee and add ice cream too. 

We then went back home to change so we can hit our first beach in Hawaii.  I was having fun with my camera and the lens I rented which was the 16-35mm 2.8.  Loved it!  I got some creative shots and landscape shots as well.   My photos we're all shot with this lens.

More photos to follow.