Thursday Tidbits: Creating a Summer “Bucket List”

Ever since the movie came out several years ago with the same name, people have been creating "Bucket Lists" of all kinds. Usually, a "Bucket List" is a list of things you want to do before you kick the proverbial bucket. So, for now, we will create a list of things we want to accomplish before the end of summer. This is a great project for families or individuals, for those who are keeping a 52 week digital scrapbook or those who are simply keeping a journal of all the things they wish to accomplish, or for anyone wishing to add a little bit of spice and excitement between the summer solstice and the autumnal equinox. I suggest actually writing down a list and crossing each item off as you do them. This gives a visual account of all your actions and encourages you to finish the list in entirety. Keep it in your journal, on your blogsite, or even in your purse or on the fridge. Just make sube that it is in a place that you will see often enough to remind you that summer is a great time to accomplish goals, not just to sip fruity drinks by the pool.

So, how is one to make a "Summer Bucket List" for a family. Here is a short and sweet answer to the question:

1. Brainstorm on a sheet of paper things you would like to accomplish over the summer with your family. Have one of the younger members of your family be the "secretary" and have everyone suggest things that they would like to do. When brainstorming, you do not eliminate any of the answers. Try to come up with about 100 things you want to do as a family. You may want to consult your city's or state visitors' enter website for family friendly events in your area.

2. Cross out the items on the list that are out of your summer budget or are simply impractical. This might include things like "going skydiving" or "taking a trip to Antartica." I promise that some kids will have suggestions like these. Gently explain that those goals are too big for this summer, but are great goals to have on their personal "Bucket List" and that you only have about 60 days between the times when school lets out and begins again. Do not discourage creativity, imagination, and big dreams.

3. In your family meeting, agree upon at least 50 items you wish to accomplish over the summer. Make sure you include fun activites as well as academic ones. This might include "finish a summer reading list for school," "visit the library for storytime," or "take a trip to the local science center." The goal here is to remind the family that just because school is out for the summer, learning does not stop and learning can be fun.

4. Have an adult type up the completed list and print it off the computer, and post the list in a visible place.

5. Each day, have a child pick out one activity that they would like to accomplish during the day. Complete the task and cross it off the list for all to see.

Remember to make your list achievable. There is nothing more disappointing than creating a list that is unrealistic and unable to attain. Here are a few simple ideas
that you may wish to include in order to get the ball rolling in the right direction.

1. Make homemade popsicles.
2. Built an indoor fort.
3. Catch lightning bugs.
4. Take a picnic to the park.
5. Decorate a pair of flip flops.
6. Tie-dye a T-shirt.
7. Plant a small butterfly garden.
8. Eat a funnel cake.
9. Visit the zoo.
10. Have a watermelon seed spitting contest.
11. Go fishing.
12. Read a fiction novel.
13. Build a tree-swing.
14. Watch a matinee at the movie theater.
15. Visit the neighborhood pool.
16. Color the sidewalk with chalk.
17. Create a puzzle.
18. Go on a bike ride.
19. Make cookies.
20. Pick berries at a farm.

For those moms who would like to space out events according to free time or pay days, you may wish to create a summer calendar with a different activity for each day. You may do this on your physical home calendar, your computer or phone, or even in your scrapbooking software. I would suggest doing this if you are a Type A personality like myself. This gives you time in advance to prepare that picnic, buy supplies for art projects, or get discount theme park tickets. There are definitely times when planning ahead is better than being spontaneous. Only you know what is best for you, your family, and your schedule.

For those of you who are taking vacations or are making a scrapbook for the year, you might want to make a page for your scrapbook that simply includes your "Summer Bucket List." This will make a great addition to any memory book. This week, I have created a sample of a scrapbook page with a "Beach Trip Bucket List" using the kit Sand Dollar from Sugar Moon Designs. You may find this kit at Divine Digital.

When creating your “Summer Bucket List” page, be sure to include pictures of you or your family doing activities from the list to make the page more memorable. I also suggest checking off the activities instead of using a strike-out font. Strike-outs make the list a little more difficult to read, and the goal is to show what you accomplished instead of what you did not.

And as always, make a memory today and be sure to have a camera on hand to capture it!>

Congrats to our LOTD CT members!

Hi Shanna here with a weekend spotlight! Our amazing CT members at Scrapping Artistry have really gotten alot of recoginition in this last week all over the digi-scrap community. Here are are few of the layouts I found that have been praised!!

Spring by Memi –recieved LOTD at Divine Digital on April 13th, she used Missy’s Spring Par-tea

Ambie got LOTD at Divine Digital on April 12th, using Sugar Moon’s Vintage Tea Party

Missy got LOTD at Divine Digital on April 3rd using her kit Skylar’s Dream

Shanna also got her Mommy & Skylar layout featured in this week’s With Love Studio Newsletter — using Missy’s Skylar’s Dream kit

Well done ladies!

Tags: divine digital, LOTD, missy's bits, Skylar's Dream, Spring Par-tea, sugar moon, Vintage Tea Party, WLS

Photo Techniques…Selective Color Challenge

Hi, Shanna here with your weekly inspiration aka challenge. This week I was looking at a few of our CT’s great layouts and ran across this one from Marilyn (jmzumer). Marilyn is new to our CT and has been having posting some really awesome layouts she’s made using her MyMemories software.  In this layout Marilyn used a really neat photo technique called Selective Color in this layout she made using Missy’s Bit’s colab “In My Pocket”.

I have used this technique many times in the past in digital scrapping and it is so fun to do to make your photo look different. Here is a Photoshop tutorial I made years ago making this. I believe I was using Photoshop CS2 in this tutorial, but it should be similar in other verisons.

Finished Product

Or vise versa

Here are a couple links for more tutorials using this technique in Photoshop:

Digital Technique: Selective Coloring for Photographs from Scrapbook.com

Selective Color Photoshop Tutorial: The Quick & Easy Way from photoble.com

If you are a MyMemories Software user you can find the tutorial on how to do this HERE

If you make a layout using this technique please, please, please post a link to it in our comment box below. We love seeing our readers layouts using the inspirations we post here at Scrapping Artistry.

Tags: Black & White, MyMemories, Photo editing, Photo Technique, Photoshop, Selective Color

Top of the Mornin’ To You…

Hi there, Shanna here with your weekly spotlight. First, I’d like to say Happy St. Patrick’s Day .

Things are really hoping over here at Scrapping Artistry. Our designers are working on a lot of great new kits coming out soon.

If you haven’t already seen the new collab kit In My Pocket with Missy’s Bits and Barbara Ryan you should take a look at it and run over to MyMemories to pick it up while it’s on sale a few more days.

And look at these great layouts created by our own CT members using In My Pocket

Cammi’s Layout

Memi’s Layout

Hope everyone has a great Saturday and in the honor of St. Patrick’s Day:

“May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light, may good luck pursue you each morning and night.” – an Irish Toast

Tags: Barbara Ryan, Boy Kit, In My Pocket, missy's bits, My Memories

Fabulous Friday!!

Happy Friday my friends, Kara here on this cold day. Scrapping Artistry has some pretty fabulous CT and blog ladies, and I thought that today I would talk about one of our Divine blogger’s Shanna. Shanna has been with us since May of 2011, and she has done some amazing work. We appreciate everything she does for us! Here is some info on the fabulous Shanna.

Hi everyone. I’m Shanna a SAHM to 2 daughters, Allison (6) and Maycie (2 in March). I was born and raised in the Houston area and have been here all my life, minus a few short lived moves to southern Missouri. I married my first love (Keith) in July 1999, we have been together since we were 14. I started digital scrapping not long after Allison was born, but had been working in PSP for about 5 or 6 years before that making avatars,siggies and other graphics for message boards and such. I took a break from digital scrapping for about 2 years after we lost our home to Hurricane Ike and moved then welcomed Maycie into our lives, but I’m back and ready to learn and get more into it and learn. In the past couple months I’ve learned a lot of new tricks and tips in using PS CS3, and can’t wait to learn more.

I am also a part of Robyn Pali and My 4 Princesses Designs CT’s.

Now here are some of Shanna’s fabulous layout’s, please feel free to visit her gallery HERE to show her some love! Everyone deserves some love!

Another CT Spotlight

Good bright and early morning to all of our wonderful bloggers, scrapping friends and more! I hope so far this Sunday morning to going well of you! Today is another day to show off one of our amazing creative goddess’!! Her name is Kim aka kdk929. Here is what you need to know about Miss Kim…

Hello…my name is Kim and I am an addict (digi scrap addict, that is).

I am a SAHM for my 2 children, Jack (age 5) and Peyton (age 2). I started out as a paper scrapbooker back in 1999, though I wouldn’t show those layouts to anyone!!! I became addicted just after my wedding in 2003. I have always been a techy kind of girl and collected digital scrapbook materials long before I started to create anything digitally. I converted to digital back in January 2010 and never turned back. I still have a lot of my paper supplies, because I heard that the one that dies with the most scrapbook paper wins!!! I’m shooting for that prize! I am slowing letting the blood return to my white knuckled hands and releasing my supplies for making projects with my kids.

I first started using Missy and Crystal’s products at ESS (I know….I shouldn’t say it, but I did). I was a Pixie there and had the privilege of working with each of them.

Here are some layout’s done by Kim. This one is used using elements from Missy’s Beachy kit elements and can be found HERE. Be sure to leave Kim some lovin’!

This layout using Crystal’s Blessed Kit is one of my favorites of Kim’s and it can be found HERE as well.

As well as being an awesome, amazing, and very busy mommy, Kim also dedicates here time to  Forever Sisters Scrap Group (My 4 Princesses Designs and Robyn Pali Designs) and Kimberly Schlehahn (KS) Designs. I am also the Advertising Manager for Snips and Snails Designs.

Kim, all of us at Scrapping Artistry would like to thank you for all that you do for us there. Your layouts are amazing, and you do such a great job helping us advertise! Please everyone, leave Kim some love, because we all love her, and she deserves it!! Until next time….Have a blessed day.

Kara

CT Spotlight – Memi!!

Happy Sunday folks, Kara here to talk and brag about one of our awesome CT members, Memi!! Memi has been with our team from the start, she is very fun, loving and outgoing, and she always makes me laugh! Here is some info on our Memi…

Memi is also know as Evelyn, her real name, but since she has become a grandma, everyone knows her as Memi. She discover digi scrapping accidently in a google web search in 2008. She became addicted, and no she is not seeking rehabilitation She never did paper scrapping and the beauty of digi is lack of mess!

Here are a few layouts from our Memi.Thanks Memi, for being my next victim, and thank you for all the amazing work you do for us!

CT Spotlight-Angi!!

Once a month here at SA we will be spotlighting our awesome CT members, these ladies do such a wonderful outstanding job for us that I think it is only fair to award them. Angi has been with us from the beginning and I personally love her to death. She has become a good friend of mine, and I would be lost with out her! Okay, enough of the sappy stuff..LOL. Here is all you need and would like to know about the fabulous Angi!

 Angi say’s that she thinks she is kind of boring and that she lives vicariously through me!! LOL, That is why I love this woman. She is married and has 4 kids, she is very happy that her middle son was born on her wedding anniversary, this way she can remember it Angi started digital scrapping about 20 months ago, and started papers scrapping in 1998. She is a CT Goddess for Scrapping Artistry, Missy’s Bits and Sugar Moon Designs. Angi LOVES  every SNL skit that Christopher Walken did – (I need more cowbell!!!) She volunteer’s at my kids’ school & our church; I’m now a Wildtree representative.

Here are some of Angi’s favorite pages she has made using Missy’s Bits, Sugar Moon’s and SA kits, be sure to leave her some love on these awesome layouts at her gallery HERE

Angi, thank you for all you do for us here at SA, you are a very good friend and we love you!!

Wacky Whimsical Layouts

Do you ever do wacky layouts? I don’t know about you, maybe it’s just my family, but I get a lot of wacky photos of these people! It’s only natural that I end up with a lot of wacky layouts.  I even have a couple of them from back in the days when I paper scrapped. (Don’t judge too harshly, this was at least ten years ago – I kind of cringe when I look at them thinking about how I would improve them today – but my kids love to look at the old ones,  so I leave them alone. )

I’m going to share a couple of them with you because I think it’s a good idea to cut loose sometimes and make some fun wacky layouts. These are the ones my kids like to look back on the best – the laugh every time they look through the albums and that makes me happy that they have these fun memories preserved.

Now, a great deal of wackiness that happens in our family begins with my nephew, he’s just a goofy kid and that’s part of why we love him! When he was little, he was obsessed with Batman – so naturally I have a ton of photos with him in Batman clothing/capes/costumes so this layout idea came to me when I was looking at all the Batman type photos – I mean he even tried to call his mom “Alfred” (which didn’t fly) so it seemed natural to envision him as a little Bruce Wayne/Batman.

Here’s another one – a layout of some of the crazy outfits we photographed my nephew wearing (or not wearing as the case may be – I mean this kid didn’t want to wear clothes until he was in junior high, I swear! If you’re wondering, he’s turned out to be a pretty well adjusted teenager.). I made this layout with plans to one day show his future fiancee these . . .  (again forgive the early amateur layout style)

Maybe these have given you some ideas or inspirations for your own wacky layouts. Here are a few more from out CT members . . . see, we’re all a bit crazy around here!

by Kathyrn

by Kara

by Memi

by Angi