Search Results for: blog penny pages

Penny and Her Doll

What’s in a name? If you are my young daughter, not so much. In her world, playing the name game is a piece of cake because what you see is typically what you get. Case in point: Her stuffed dinosaur’s name is Dino; her fuzzy black lab = Blackie; her plastic fish-shaped bath toy, Fishy; and her life-sized plush monkey, you guessed it–Monks. Of course, not all kids are able to slap a moniker on a prized possession as quickly and easily as my kid does. In fact, for some children, the task of naming a beloved toy is serious … Continue reading →

Pages for Pennies

Have you ever arrived at the counter of your scrapbook store, arms loaded with wonderful papers, embellishments and the latest and greatest tools, only to get the big shocker when the cashier rings up the total and you’ve spent far more than you thought you had? Yeah. Me too. But there are ways to cut costs when creating pages. You don’t have to spend a lot to have a great looking layout. One of my favorite ways to save money, is to propose a challenge. Usually I challenge myself to use up something (embellishment, paper, etc. ) that I have … Continue reading →

Free Coloring Pages and Sheets

You should never again have to shell out a single penny for a coloring book. Here is why: The Internet. Yes, it is true, this magical thing we all know, love and are using right this very instant provides us adults and our families with, through hundreds and hundreds of individual websites, coloring sheets and pages featuring virtually everything under the sun. From 101 Dalmatians to Yu-Gi-Oh (I have to admit that I haven’t the slightest clue what Yu-Gi-Oh is exactly, but there are coloring sheets available for it!), there are dozens and dozens of free black and white renditions … Continue reading →

Penny Pages

It’s easy to spend a lot in a scrapbook store! There are so many fun and innovative products to try out, so many cute and adorable page embellishments! But they come with a big price tag. On one of my scrapbook message boards, there was a recent challenge to create some “pages for pennies” layouts. The rules were as follows: Pages had to cost under $2.00 total. Layouts needed to be two pages. You could only use your basic tools, no advanced tools. You had to use more than one photo. No size requirements (whatever size you wanted). I found … Continue reading →

Iowa Genealogy Resources

The state of Iowa has a nickname. It is “The Hawkeye State”. Do you have ancestors who were “Hawkeyes” that you have been trying to learn more about? Try out some of these Iowa genealogy resources. They should help you to get started. FamilySearch has a Wiki that has lots of information about Iowa genealogy. There are links to FamilySearch Wiki pages about every county in Iowa. The Wiki itself has some brief information about the history of the state. It also has links to other FamilySearch Wiki articles that talk about records from Iowa. Ancestry.com has a page filled … Continue reading →

Children’s Classic Makes a Comeback

Chompo Bars, spelling “ice cream” with a “q” and a “p”, made-up songs, and internal torment about sharing with a sibling… oh, the memories. I’ve missed you Frances. It’s been decades since I journeyed to the whimsical world of Frances the badger, and returning is like slipping into a well-worn pair of cozy footed flannel pajamas. The warm, fuzzy feeling envelopes you like a mother’s hug. Interestingly, that feeling hasn’t diminished over time. When I flipped to the first page of A Birthday for Frances, it was like taking a stroll down memory lane. Still, it’s hard to believe it’s … Continue reading →

Adding Textures and Layers

Thanks to embellishments, such as 3D stickers, die cuts and flocking powder, scrappers can turn ordinary layouts into extraordinary works of art filled with different textures and layers. These visual enhancements make a page design more appealing. However, the unique embellishments can also add up quick, making it hard for penny-pinching scrappers to maintain the multi-faceted look for an entire memory book. Fortunately, there are ways you can add texture and visual appeal to scrapbook pages without going broke. One of my favorite methods is to incorporate vellum to the layout. The specialty paper is amazingly versatile and doesn’t require … Continue reading →

Genealogy Related Terms of Measurement

There are quite a few terms of measurement that once were commonly used, but no longer are. Genealogists might come across some of these mysterious words or phrases while looking at old documents that regard the purchase of, or sale of, land. Other terms relate to the money that was paid for property. Do you know what an “arpent” is? There are two definitions for this word that can be found in the ROOTS Genealogical Dictionary. The first one is “a unit of land measure, sometimes used in parts of French North America, such as Quebec and Louisiana, and in … Continue reading →

Say Good-Bye to the JCPenney Catalog

When I was a little girl is was an exciting day when the JCPenney catalog arrived in the mail. It was always so big and held so many items that were fun to look at. The JCP catalog sat in a place of honor near the phone in our kitchen. Perusing the pages of the catalog was so much fun. Even more fun was when my mom and I would drive to JCPenney to pick up any orders placed from the catalog. Catalog shopping was all the rage. If you couldn’t get to the store, the store came to you … Continue reading →

Back-to-School Reading

Hallmark has been selling Halloween cards and decorations since July (they’re hawking Christmas tree ornaments too), so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that Barnes and Noble has an entire display of back-to-school themed books set up in the middle of their kids’ section. Fortunately, my 6-year-old loves school, so she didn’t hightail it out of the store screaming like a banchee upon seeing the sky-high display heralding the end of summer vacation. Instead, my little bookworm made a beeline for her favorite book series, many of which feature back-to-school editions, including: Pinkalicious: School Rules by Victoria Kann Victoria Kann’s … Continue reading →