Search Results for: blog using strips of paper

Using Strips of Paper

I love paper. It is what I spend most of my scrapbooking budget on. And, when there is a paper I REALLY love, I keep all my scraps. So, I like coming up with ideas of how you can use strips of paper on your layout, to get a clean, simple look. My first idea, that I have used on a layout of my own, is to cut five strips of patterned papers that you love in equal length and width. Use either black or white cardstock for the background of the layout. Place the photo, or photos, you are … Continue reading →

Simple Decorating Ideas Using Wallpaper or Border

Wallpaper doesn’t turn too many people on any more. Borders, once all the rage, are equally unexciting today as far as many people are concerned. However, it really depends on how you use them. There are creative ways to achieve a tasteful look with these materials. For a stylish look, choose a subtle texture or print that will blend with your overall wall color. It will add interest without standing out too much. Alternatively, instead of creating a border around the entire perimeter of the room, you may want to create a focal wall. Stenciling an inspirational message onto the … Continue reading →

Trash to Treasure

With Earth Day right around the corner, now is a good time to give items a second look before you toss them in the trash.  Could that empty plastic milk container be transformed into a pretty vase?  What about Junior’s ripped shirt?  Before you dump it, remove the buttons and repurpose them.  Buttons make great accents on scrapbook layouts and work wonders on craft projects. Just last week one of my favorite magnets broke.  It was a ceramic   Humuhumunukunukuapua’a—the state fish of Hawaii.  I got it the last time we were visiting my parents.  Unfortunately, the fish’s body shattered and … Continue reading →

Daddy Decor

June is typically when the world stops to celebrate dads and grads. However, if you are planning to create a scrapbook honoring that special father, grandfather, uncle or brother this Dad’s Day, then you’d better get your shovel out. You’ll need it to dig through all the photos you’ll want to feature in your Father’s Day-themed memory album. Fortunately, you can save the heavy lifting for pictures and memorabilia since most scrapbook supply shops have plenty of fresh paper and embellishments which you can use to make your Father’s Day layouts pop. Several companies, including Masterpiece Studios offers pre-printed scrapbook … Continue reading →

Egg-tastic Easter Decor

The Easter Bunny will be hopping into town in just a couple of weeks. For busy parents that time will fade fast. If you pledged last year to make this year’s Easter celebration better than ever, then now is the time to start. I always say that I am going to try new egg decorating techniques after viewing the spectacular specimens I see at other people’s homes on Easter Sunday, but then time flies and I end up dying eggs the old fashion way just so the kiddos don’t miss out on some type of colored yolk-filled oval. Now, with … Continue reading →

Working With the Right Supplies

There’s no faster way to ruin an exceptionally beautiful scrapbook layout than by using the wrong type of supplies. If you are just getting started with your scrapbooking adventures, don’t make the mistake of purchasing non acid-free paper. Using traditional paper may be tempting, as it is affordable and easily accessible, but it will inevitably compromise all of your hard work. To preserve your precious family pictures, so they can be viewed by future generations, you must be very careful about the type of paper you use. Regular paper degrades as it ages and creates acid that fades photos. Conversely, … Continue reading →

Stress-Free Black Friday with the Kids

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again… and again: I don’t know what kind of parent takes young children shopping in the wee hours of Black Friday. Clearly, we can deduce that the parent is frugal, as he or she is willing to do whatever it takes to score a sizeable discount on Black Friday merchandise. In addition, it is probably safe to say that said parent is a law-abiding citizen, especially if the only other option she has is to leave her baby home alone or locked in an unattended car. Both could lead to an … Continue reading →

Flower Art

All right, so fall doesn’t really seem to be the season of flowers. Spring has that reputation. But fall can be glorious, and what better thing to do with falling petals than to make crafts with them? Experiment with flower dyes. For younger children – and all right, for older ones too – pounding flower petals is not only a great way to burn energy and relieve stress, it’s also a good way to discover how well flower colors can dye fabrics and paper. Get some sturdy uncoated cardboard and gently mash flower petals onto the white card, squishing them … Continue reading →

Simple Scrapbooking

Do you page through scrapbooks and think, “I could never do that,” then try to find someone else to do it for you? That used to be me. For years I would flip through display scrapbooks at craft fairs or watch as my aunt painstakingly placed photos in handcrafted frames embellished with sequins and flocking powder, and beg her to make me a book. No way did I have the time, energy or creativity to replicate what I saw in those amazing memory books, so I didn’t. Then, I had a child and I had less time, energy and creativity, … Continue reading →

Why Does He Flap His Arms Like That?

Posted on by

Parents of children who have a child who has an autism spectrum disorder quickly learn that their child behaves in ways that most children of the same age typically do not. Stimming behaviors tend to perplex parents, who cannot attach reason or meaning to the repetitive behavior their child is exhibiting. It can be helpful to keep in mind that there is always a reason why an autistic child is stimming. Stimming, which is sometimes called “self stimulating” is a repetitive behavior that is theorized to be a way for a person to stimulate one or more of that person’s … Continue reading →