Scrap booking on the go is the way to go!

Did you know there's a new way to scrapbook? Aside from the traditional 12x12" layouts, or the new rage of pocket pages (which I totally adore) you can now scrapbook, if it can really be called that on the go! I say "if it can be called that" only because it completely breaks the mold of how scarp booking should be. It's more of a journal, used in a very cool, uncharacteristic way...

You may have heard of another company out there, thinking that's what I am referring to, but not entirely. Stampin' Up! Has come out with some products meant to be used, gotten dirty, "smashed" into place without a real plan, so to speak.

I'm referring to the This & That journals. This one int particular that I am showcasing this time is the Epic Day Journal. It's bright, cheery, hip, funky and sparks creative juices from first glance! Along with the journal, you can also buy coordinating Designer Series Paper(DSP), a fun coordinating sticker pack, washi tape (3 pack) and a rotary stamp to add dates. The bright cheery Daffodil Delight, Gumball green and Calypso Coral play beautifully with the softer, neutral colors of Crumb Cake, Basic Grey and Pool Party. Of coarse, if your not familiar with Stampin' Up!, me rambling these names probably seems crazy, but we don't do boring names... So if your confused the colors are shades of yellow, green, coral orange, brown, grey and blue! But really, get ahold of me to learn the Stampin ' Up! Way.... You'll thank me later!

Anyways, my friend and fellow Stampin' Up! Demonstrator went to Convention in 2013 in Salt Lake City (it's always there, as that's Stampin' Up!s hometown). We thought it was the perfect excuse to give the This & That journal a try! So we bought the supplies, cut the DSP ahead of time into pieces (3x4", 2x3", 1x... Etc.) to be able to use as backgrounds or accents, loaded everything into a wood mount stamp case (everything were supplies like the stickers, DSP pieces, washi tape, the 6 coordinating markers, a Basic Grey ink pad, rhinestones, SNAIL & dimensionally (glue) and a cute stamp set in clear which you'll see in the pages (Around the World). Oh, I should also mention I had also boughten a Polaroid camera so we could literally just take pictures and instantly glue them right onto the pages. You could take photos, then edit, crop and add them later, once home.

While we were out traveling we got started! On the airplane ride there, during one of our late nights at the hotel and again in the airport on the way home we were busy putting the pages together. (No I didn't finish it only while away, but mostly). I easily glued down paper pieces, added the cute stickers or stamped images and taped in the photos. Most of the time I used glue (SNAIL-glue on a handheld dispenser with no dry time and acid free) to put everything in, but something's I used the washi tape. The tape was for purpose and detail for me. I added in the journaling as I went, usually with the basic grey marker, but on something's I used a sharpie so it didn't rub off the stickers or shiny textured items. Throughout the trip I kept an eye out for little things to add other than photos, like the coasters, Trax tickets, product goodies & local tourist magazines which I later cut apart. It was fun to document all of the trip not just things I had time to photograph! Below are the pages I created. Look at them, copy them, share them!

That's really all there is to it. Easy, fun, quick and not perfect. Which it shouldn't be!

If you would like to give these products a try, get ahold of me directly or order them on my SU website @ hannagould.stampinup.net there are two journals right now, but more come out seasonally with each catalog! So shop often! Also, I hold regular events, like card clubs, scrapbook camps and classes to put these together and more! Contact me if your in the Seattle area! 

The Retro Fresh album is being used to document our adorable vintage trailer my Husband, daughter & I just bought! It's revival and trip we will take will all be documented in the midst of the fun! I'll post more on that joy later.

Thanks for reading!

Hanna Gould

Hannamgould@gmail.com

Early morning light!

Waking up early on a Saturday can turn to be quite productive... Just don't ask me to do this every Saturday!

I just took over the den/former game room for my craft room recently. Before I just had about a third of it, so I need some cute items to jazz up the rest of the room since I've spread out. Lighting is a big issue, so a couple candles are just what I needed, and why not make something special!?

So I searched through Pinterest a bit to get some inspiration and came across a post of a lady who turned baby food jars into table decor for a party/wedding. But I wanted them to be bigger & knew I had simple Mason jars already. I also needed painters tape/stickers, a craft/exacto knife & spray paint. I knew I had everything I needed tucked away in different drawers, so I got it out & got started.

I took painters tape and added it to one side of the jar (if you have extra wide tape that's better, if not just layer it like I did). I then took an exacto knife and free handed a design. I chose stars, but you could do hearts, circles, whatever! If you don't feel confident with that, you could use a sticker or even print out a shape online and trace it onto the tape. Then cut out. Go slow, it can slip easily & you want strait simple cuts for the cleanest look! After your design is cut, peel away the outer, leftover tape. Last bit of the messy work it to spray paint the jar! You could use any color or sheen (glossy, satin, matte) that you like. I had a can of glossy black, so that's what I used! Spray 2 very thin layers, allowing each layer to dry. Be patient, if you think it's dry, just because the out side is, your probably wrong...  Give it an hour or so. If it's outside and rainy, give it longer then bring in for a while before continuing. Lastly, once dry, peel away the decal/tape to show off the negative space! You can add detail with a white chalk/detail marker if you'd like. Put the lid back on (without the top insert) and add some twine. Simple, beautiful & you made it all yourself!

Doesn't it look fabulous! You can then add a candle like I did or even use it as a pen holder, or to hold little things like washi tape, clothes pins, etc.

Project Life is consuming my life... In the best way!

So I have been a scrapbooker for many, many years. All the way back to my highschool days when I just had paper, markers, pictures and maybe some stickers. I know the ins and outs of how to scrapbook and try to stay up to date with what's out there on the market. But then came Project Life...

All HE!! broke lose in my brain when I came across this company. I actually found them while watching HSN, and secretly shopping (shhhhh.... Don't tell my husband ;-) )... I ordered an "all in one kit" that came with a 12" album, coordinating dividers and the core kit. With that though also meant I could sign up for an auto ship option that would send me a new mini album and mini kit 3 times through out the next year.... My husband would say it was a big mistake.... I absolutely, positively disagree! 

So to go back before PL, it would take me YEARS to complete a scrapbook... They were revolving doors, never ending and I eventually burnt myself out on scrap booking. It's still and always will be my number one passion... But really, like hours to do two 12x12" layouts is crazy! So there for a while I was at most, 4 years behind... Slowly I just kept getting further and further behind & felt like a horrible crafter and family memory keeper with every passing event or holiday.

But that's all changed now. I have completed an entire year (in two 12x12" and one mini 8x8" albums) in less than 2 months... Really only in 3 days, working a couple hours at a time. With the ease of dropping the core kits cards in slots, adding some journaling if need be and cutting photos, it's pleasurable again. I feel like the next few years to get caught up will be a breeze. 

This is a picture of my "empty albums" I have 2 others full and on the scrapbook shelf.

Now I have 3 12x12" albums with coordinating kits and 2 mini albums with kits ready and waiting along with a few extra kits. But not only has Project Life converted my scrap booking world to fit our ever busy life, now I use those adorable themed card pieces and attach them to cardstock for easy, cute and funny greeting cards. Then, last month I was blown away again.... Through an Instagram "friend" I saw they had planners, recipe books and even journals! All bright, colorful, simple and ready to be used as is or add page protectors and coordinating core kits to do a "smash book" kind of thing. I choose the planner first, because I'm a nut for planners and it is the beginning of the year after all... I got it all set up (I chose the multicolored chevron album) and decided it did need cards. So I bought page protectors and the little set of cards too. They went too fast. But then I remembered all those sets I had in my closet and decided I shouldn't be such a hoarder and actually USE THEM! The Honey Edition Core Kit is a perfect match. Now I only keep 4 months at a time in my planner because the cards take up room and I found a little zipper pocket to keep pens/washi tape/white out in for easy use. You'll see a pic below of my planner as I'm still getting it just right.

But anyways... I am thrilled to get back to my crafting roots and Project Life has given me my passion back. 

Then that same Instagram friend posted how there was a punch you could use to punch pictures or other paper/Cardstock/souvenirs for travel, etc into the perfect, rounded corner 3x4" shape... Needless to say I went strait to the store today and got that too.... Could this really be any easier!? No, other than not scrap booking at all this can't. 

So I just need to get going on the other years.... Costco's photo website may be down for a while with all the pictures I'll be uploading soon.... You know just to let you know. 

If you've been wanting to scrapbook, but "don't have time" or "don't want to buy ALL THE THINGS" or  just have no idea where to start... Start with Project Life. You buy a Core Kit, then the pages and coordinating album. Print pictures and slip them all in place. Easy right?! 

You can find Project Life in many stores... Close to me in Washington are Micheal's & Hobby Lobby, or on tv (HSN) and on ProjectLife.com. I'm sure there are other places too. There are some other companies who are jumping on board with the idea too and are creating there own products that can coordinate. Target has a line, at Micheal's you have a few other options too but I love Me & My Big Ideas Pocket Pages. At Hobby Lobby they also have a few companies but I love SN@P. More will be popping up I'm sure. Even Direct Sales companies like Stampin' Up! (I'm actually a Demonstrator!) is creating new cards and page protectors to keep in competition, though they have a ways to go sadly.

Ok I'm gonna go start another album!! Bye!

Leadership Make & Takes

So part of the fun about going to Stampin' Up! Events is the fun things they give us. We get free products of coarse, and lots of Prize Patrols (random drawings for even more free products), but the best part (I think) is the make & takes. We get little goody bags, full of cut paper, ribbon & accessories to make cute samples with the stamp sets we get for free also. 

We received one kit in particular that I am showcasing today including lots of scraps of Kaleidoscope DSP (Occasions Catalog pg. 27 #132995) cut perfectly to slide right into our new Scallop Tag Topper Punch (Occasions Catalog pg. 35 item #133324). Then we punched cute triangles out of Bermuda Bay, Crushed Curry & Strawberry Slush Cardstock with the new Traingle Punch (Occasions Catalog pg. 26 #133375). We trimmed it to make the cute little triangle shells you see. After that we added some strips here, circles there, bakers twine on top and cut a strip of strawberry slush Cardstock with the new Fringe Scissors (Occasions Catalog pg. 31 #133325). After adding our stamped phrases from the new set, Geometrical (Occasions Cataog pg. 26 #133158/133161) and a final touch of the new Essential Wooden Elements (Occasions Catalog pg. 18 #133258) made everything come together. Finally, you get the beautiful tags, ready to be used as a topping to a gift, a cute book mark, or just as a cute piece to go on a card front or more! 

Hopefully you like these adorable little gems! Contact me today if you want to make them too! We can do a class with your friends and family, or just a get together to show you what supplies you may need to order to make these and more great products on your own!

Hanna Gould

Hannagould.stampinup.net

Hannamgould@gmail.com

A few changes are in order...

So over the past couple years I have had this blog and not really done much with it. I have added the occasional food experiment or recipe, talked about my redecorating or just voiced my opinions. But nothing too much of substance. Know why? Because I live too much in the "black and white" and not enough in the grey. I always think when starting to write in a new notebook, that it then has to be used solely for that subject. When ever I start a blog or email, you cant cross over different subjects. You must focus, stay on task and complete that task, no matter how long it takes you. Well guess what... I was wrong. That system is not working for me. It's not helping me stay motivated, draw in more inspiration or keep up what I currently want to do, show & broadcast. 

So this blog is changing into just that, a compilation of all my life. A little bit of this, a little bit of that and a whole lotta me. 

I'm changing the look to be a bit simpler, and adding more entries (hopefully on a daily basis) including my crafts I'm working on, what's happening in life in general, my recipes and cooking adventures, work, play and more. Lots more.

Hope you will join me in the transition. Help me. Guide me. 

Thanks all.

Hanna, Just Squirrling Around.

Xo

Living, loving and hurting with PASSION!

I seem to keep having the same problem... I have a friend who I try to be "besties" with, putting all my time and effort into creating a relationship (often I am over zealous, this I know), but instead of closing any gaps, I end up getting hurt and having them back away, stop being my friend altogether or just end up rejected. So I of coarse go to my friends and ask for advise.... Why me? Am I a horrible person? Do I bring out the worst in people? Am I really all in the friendship for selfish reasons? Well one of them, after talking a lot, sent me a Pin, saying something along the lines of "stop asking why it keeps happening to you, but ask why you let it"! So that got me thinking...

First off I don't try to ask why it keeps happening as a selfish, omg I need attention kind of way. I ask because I honestly try to see everything in a critical way and I want to make myself a better human everyday. I want feedback. I want to know which of my bull headed, Leo characteristics might be getting in the way. I want to be the best me, and by serving my friends and family with whatever they need is what makes me happy. Yes some friends said I do have a strong personality, sometimes bring out the evil jealous demon in them when they are around me or even worse, make them feel like crap just for being me. That was saddening. I know I am a strong person, but never do I try to step on people's toes, let alone feelings. As to the other two, I don't know how to not make people feel bad when they are around me when I don't feel I am doing anything wrong. I surely hate when people feel inferior, jealous or intimidated by anything I do. I have had a lot of growing in the past 12 years... Having a child early, marring early, playing house and doing all the activities and hobbies I do have allowed me to see the world in a different light. I am humbled when people praise me for an accomplishment, but never am I fishing for one. Never do I want to make ANYONE feel inferior because of my decorating, cooking, planning or crafty abilities. I do these things because I love doing them. That simple. Being good at them is because I study to be the best I can and practice often. I've been doing these things for 12 years already! So this leaves me to the second point... On why this keeps happening.

I have discovered in the soul searching I have been doing lately something quite surprising. I have always thought I wasn't a very passionate person. Sure I like things, a lot of things, but I don't have a soul burning passion for things like some people I know. But I'm wrong. In reality I am VERY PASSIONATE. I actually am so passionate about everything I do, believe in and effort I put forward that I think that's normal, so there for the bottom line of the passion scale so to speak. I am so passionate that it spills over, is maxed out and wonderful! I was confusing passion with like, an adrenaline rush.... They are not the same. Passion is when you put more energy into something than is required to do it. It is more than just enthusiasm or excitement, passion is ambition that is materialized into action to put as much heart, mind, body and soul into something as possible (Urban Dictionary). I am an all black or white kind of thinker.... So with my daily life and all the fun and adventure it brings, I live it to the fullest with 100% passion at all times. Therefor I though it was lacking, not exceeding.

So to those out there in the world who I have run of because of this, I am sorry. I will always love you, as I always have. That will never change. I would welcome you back in my life in a minute because everyone changes, everyone grows and everyone has a place in another's heart.

So in the past, I have usually just gotten mad, blown up or freaked out and stopped moving forward. Not so now. These events truly break my heart, that's for sure, but I am not mad. i will not apologize either, as I have nothing to be sorry for moving forward. If I did make a mistake in the past, I have already apologized for it and even asked for forgiveness. If these people are not ready to forgive or move forward, that's not my problem. Moving forward I will continue to be me. I love everyone, unconditionally and always will. If that or how I live offends anyone, feel free to back off, run away or cut me off... But I will no longer take it as I am doing something wrong. I live with intentions of love, purity, honesty and kindness, and if your perceptions of those characteristics get mixed up, talk to me about it. If you don't feel comfortable with that, well, that's your purgative. 

So from here on out, I will show my love to everyone, but only expect the same love, gratitude and respect from those who have proven to me that they are wanting to give it. I guess this is why they say friends don't last forever.... I really wish they did though. 

Until next time, Hanna

Living room makeover!

Out with the old, in with the new! Well, not everything is new, and some that was old stayed but you get the idea. 

Our living room was very comfy, warm and inviting as it was. But the warm tones of the soft butter yellow walls, brown, red and orange accessories and hints of green, blue and purples were starting to look worn out, too dull and over done. So instead I have elected to switch it up, go for some cooler tones.

After deciding on paint (I did have to return one color of pale blue which I thought we originally wanted), we got the perfect soft pale grey. We used Parker Paint, (in soft Satin Glow) color is Spray River. It did take two coats, since I didn't prime first to cover the warm yellow. We already have wood trim and some white furniture pieces so we left that as is. We also had to leave our fireplace the color it was before (red), but with the GIANT metal piece we have covering it, it really isn't as noticeable as one would think. 

So now it was time to accessorize! My favorite part! We love our neutral grey/brown sectional and large white media cabinet, so I needed to coordinate around those pieces. We also already had the lamps, black console table, bookshelf from another room and quite a bit of chotchkies (knick-knacks). I found the beautiful white reading chair on a For-Sale site I'm part of on Facebook (definitely look into one in your area if your not part of one already. You can sell and buy your goods, like a garage sale all year long!) for only $25. The white was refreshing, calming and just what I was looking for. So next came the fun of shopping! I knew my color palate (soft and dark grey, white, cream and mirror glass/silver along with accents of black and brown to really ground everything). I found the wonderful dark grey distressed basket drawers at Ross for less than $70, along with the burlap looking pillows with French writing. I also found the metal orb, vase filler and some glass candle holders there too for cheap. Then off to Target. There I got the cream and white throw pillows (LOVE Nate Berkus), all the mirror/mercury candle holders as well as the picture frames that I have filled with photos I have taken recently (which I printed at Costco for cheap in black and white). It took a few trips to get the exact layout correct for the frame wall, but my family and I love the way it is now. Lastly was my all time favorite store, one a friend owns and I help her out a bit. It's called Real Deals on Home Decor, in Monroe, Wa. It is a fantastic store full of reasonably priced accessories, furniture, artwork and more. I had previously bought the large metal piece over the fireplace, most of the silk flowers, lanterns and a few other things. So this trip I knew in my head exactly what I wanted. So I picked up the green orb to sit in the white urn (bought at Cost Plus World Market), all the decorative books & the awesome white ceramic artichoke!

From there it is simply arranging. Remember to work with pieces that are a varied height when putting vignettes together and I also usually work in odd numbers. Like candle holders, urns, chotchkies, and what not. I usually do 3-5 pieces in a grouping. Books, or items used just to add height don't usually qualify as a piece unless its in the center of a room, like on my coffee table where you see it from all angles. Speaking of coffee table, my lovely husband and I made that about a year ago from half pallets and copper piping. No 6 days later, a few extra trips to the varied stores and a more than helpful family (who stayed out of this room most of the week), we have a fabulous new living room that is calming, inviting and serene to be in. 

I should have definitely known myself better though, because with changing the wall color, the whole house ended up being changed in one way or another! I can't seem to simply work on one room at a time! We got a new dining room table, which made me re-arrange the furniture there (still need to paint eventually), bought a new smaller desk with hutch to cut back on clutter in my craft room and allow more people to sit comfortably for my Stampin' Up! Monthly events, and even had to re-arrange the bedroom a bit and find a new nightstand (Tjmaxx) since I stole the bookshelf out of there. Needless to say, my family is happy with the way it turned out, but I think even more happy with a clean, uncluttered, put back together home!

Hope this post helps you in your own home one way or another! 

Thanks, Hanna