Studio J is a fun way to get several pages done very quickly. I like the layouts and themes available in tons of colors and patterns. There's no cropping pictures, searching through paper, ribbon, or embellishments (although I love doing that, it takes TIME!). I was able to get 4 double page layouts done in one evening. I ordered them for $5 per double page, they print them & mail them to me, but they also sent me a JPG file of the pages. I called around locally & found out I can have a 12x12 print done for about $4.50 a page ($9 per double), so it's actually cheaper to have Studio J print & mail (plus Studio J is all acid free). I love a bargain :)
I'm anxious to see what the prints look like. I might add some 3D embellishments to add a little to them, I guess I'll decide when they get here.
One of the things I love about scrapbooking is that it reminds me to take pictures. It's easy to go through day to day life and never think that these moments are the things we want to remember. We always photograph graduations, weddings, and other big events, but that is such a small fraction of what we experience. Parents almost always photograph the first day of kindergarten, and maybe the first day of school every year, but there are so many days that go by that we never think about recording it.
Scrapbooking also gives me the wonderful experience remembering & recording what happened. I get to look through the pictures over & over until I pick which ones make it onto a page. Scrapbooking gives me a chance to stop and remember, it's so easy to never take the time to enjoy the memories!
So here we go . . . Decorating the memories!!
This is an intro type page that has pictures of several places we visited. I love the obviously patriotic theme & the pictures that are easily identified as Washington, DC. When people look at the book, I want it to be easy to tell where these pictures are from.
This paper is "Independence Day" it's not available through Close to my Heart anymore, but the paper & all the embellishments can still be found on Studio J! I added some ribbon, embellishments, and stitching to the basic layout Studio J provided. It way really easy to make changes to the layout. There was a place to add journaling & titles which made planning very easy. The first is the left side & the second is the right, then what they will look like next to each other in an album.
This one is all about the Vietnam War Veterans Memorial. I have a ton of pics from this memorial because it was one of the first we visited and it is quite an experience to be among all the life-size statues of soldiers "walking" through the garden designed to resemble Vietnam. The wall is amazing in person - I didn't know my husband got a picture of the soldiers in the wall until I sorted pictures for the scrapbook. I never imagined we would be able to capture the background since you have to be at the right angle to see them.
This is Buzz & bumble, a new paper in the current idea book. I didn't use anything with the bees, but I like the other patterns. All I had to do was choose the paper, then the layout, added the pictures, embellishments and journaling. Fast & easy.
The Arlington National Cemetery & Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is something everyone should see at least once. The paper is Victory. I LOVE this paper, it has a camo page that isn't included on this layout, but is really cool!
We took time away from the fast pace we'd been keeping sightseeing to canoe up the Potomac River. It was a lot of fun to be all by ourselves on the water.
This paper is Elemental. I like that it is red, white, & blue, but it isn't overly patriotic. The letters, buttons, bows, and ribbons are all options available to add anywhere you want to!
I still have 746 pictures to go, but at least this is a start, and it just took me a couple hours. If you have boxes of pictures you don't know what to do with, or you haven't tried scrapbooking yet, give it a try & be amazed at what you can make! Start decorating your memories!
Click <<HERE>> to enter Studio J, You will need to log on, but it's free to design & explore as much as you want to. There's no charge until you want to purchase pages. There's a $5 special until March 15 . . . and you know how I love a bargain!!!
