**All photos & designs copyrighted by Rosandra Simmons**

Monday, February 23, 2009

My Cutie Pie




I had to share this other creation. I love this picture

Sunday, February 22, 2009

My First Digi Page



Okay, here it is... nothing fancy. My first digital scrapbook page.

My Work

I've added a slideshow album for my work. I've only added (2) of my projects to it. I'm working on photographing some of my pages as I complete them.

The two projects are chipboard albums. The long rectangular one was made during a techniques class at Gotta Scrap in Rockwall. Patty showed us some things to bling up a chipboard album.

The Valentines book was from a class I took at Crafty Scrapper in Waxahachi. Annette was the teacher for that class. She showed us some neat things to do with chipboard and the Cuttlebug. I put my own style into mine.

As I add to the album I'll send out an update.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Updated Scrapbook Room Photos

I've added some detailed photos of my scrap room. If you need ideas, below you'll find what I used, where I got it, and pricing if I can remember what I paid for it.

Workspace:
The workspace is made of (3) unfinished cabinet units and (2) 6' pieces of countertop from Lowe's. The shelving above the workspace was also purchased at Lowe's. It's pretty much the same as Elfa shelving from The Container Store, just less expensive. It will use the same accessory items in the brackets. The cabinets, countertops, and shelves cost me about $500. This was probably my largest expense, but worth it for a good working surface.

Embellishment Storage:
I use hardware bins that can be purchased at Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe's, or any other store that has a hardware section. I label on the bins for easy identification. I also have a standard peg board that I use to hold packages of rub-ons, stickers, chipboard, etc. It's great for keeping things out so you don't forget about them. The bins will be anywhere from $10-$20, depending on the size you want and where you get them, so shop around.

Paper Storage:
I use a combination of 12x12 paper trays from Jenny Craft (http://www.jennycraft.com/). I bought mine about 3-4 years ago and they were about $40 for a set of (10). I sort them into cardstock and patterned and by the R O Y G B I V system (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet). I have added white, black, and brown, but you get the idea. For themed paper I use a 12x12 accordian file. About $10-$15 depending where you get it and how decorative it is. I separate it by holidays and themes like "baby", "boy", "girl", etc. I do have one additional sorting system, which is my Cropper Hopper vertical storage. These are about $25 at Michael and Hobby Lobby. If you wait for thier sales or a 40% off coupon you score a better deal. I use that for paper companies I LOVE, like Cosmo Cricket, 7 Gypsies, Creative Imaginations, Rusty Pickle, Crate, etc. For paper scraps I use 8x11 Sterilite drawer bins purchased from Walmart. Those are great for separating them by color so you can easily find coordinating pieces.

Tool Storage:
This area is always changing. I use mini drawer storage ($6 at Walmart) for smaller tools, and frequently used tools. (LABEL EVERYTHING... it makes it quicker to find stuff) I use an over the door shoe storage pockets for my punches ($10 at Walmart). For my paints, embossing powders, and misters I bought a door mounted rack from The Container Store ($20) that works great.

Ribbon:
The ribbon rack I actually got from a friend (FREE). It was larger and meant to stand on the floor, but I modified it to mount on my wall.

Cutting Station:
I have an Elfa drawer unit that I keep my Cricut on (this was a repurposed item from our first house when all I had was a scrap closet). I also store my Big Shot cutting system in the drawers. The small dies, and larger mats are stored in the drawers. Next to the drawer units on the wall I mounted a store fixture (Circut City is going out of business and selling the fixtures too. I got the rack holding my large dies and Cricut cartridges for $20)

Covered Storage:
I have a wall cabinet that is still pretty much empty ($50 from Home Depot - it was actually a gift from my dad, he even mounted it on the wall for me). I haven't decided what will live in it yet, because I prefer all my supplies to be in view so I use them. One section does house my software and manuals for my computer and other digital equipment.

Display:
Below the wall cabinet I have a curtain rod ($2 from IKEA, the hooks/clips were another $2) to hold recent creations or inspiration for my pages.

Magazine and Reference Storage:
I use magazine files from IKEA ($4). For sketches and page maps I uses a binder. Stencils store well in binders as well.

Markers and Colored Pencils:
This is one of my favorite elements... I paid $7 for a wine rack at Ross. I then found 4" round jars at IKEA for about $5 that fit perfectly in the rack. It's perfect because it keeps the markers horizontal so they last longer. Especially the double ended ones. This way the ink doesn't settle to one end.

Digital Elements Are Taking Over...

OH MY GOD!!!! I've been able to find some of the coolest freebies in the digital scrapbooking world. It has TOTOALLY added another element to scrapbooking for me and it's FREE!! Who doesn't love free? I will probably have to invest in a external hard drive, because I'm downloading the coolest stuff.

I've found this AWESOME website for tutorials on digital scrapbooking and it's alot easier than I thought. I created my first digi page, but I've been having trouble uploading it. Stay tuned, because it's just a neat concept.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Hybrid Scrapbooking

I have discovered a whole NEW world!!! I've been well aware of digital scrapbooking, but wasn't really interested, because I love the physical texture of classic scrapbooking. However, I've learned that hybrid scrapbooking, using digital scrapbooking elements to add to my classic scrapbooking preferences opens a HUGE world of possibilities.

I found out that I had Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0. I never knew my husband had it for toying around with photos. So now I've been playing around with it. I've found several places to download freebies. Most scrapbooking sites that offer digital downloads will have a freebie section or a freebie of the month that you can download.

I never knew that the digital side could be as much fun as the classic.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Rack For Scrapbook Room


Circut City at Firewheel is going out of business and I was able to get this rack for $20.00

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Upcoming Scrapping Classes and Events

FYI of some upcoming classes/events:

Janet Hopkins is planning on teaching a class here locally March 14th so SAVE THE DATE. I'm really excited about taking it. I've never taken one of her classes, but hear she is AWESOME.

Crafty Scrapper has another Valentines book class they are teaching on February 12th, cost is $35. Check out their website for details. - I'm debating taking that day off and taking the class. I need to get my creative juices flowing.

Gotta Scrap - http://www.gottascraprockwall.com/events.html Check out the GREAT classes they are having for February. There's SO many, I'm trying to figure out what to take.

New Look

Scrappin Addicts has a new look. With the help of House of 3 (Heidi Swapp, Rhonna Farrer, and Janet Hopkins new colaborative) I was able to edit the html for my blog.

Can we get a little more pink over here?

Take a look at Sean's blog http://seansm0m.blogspot.com/ for his new look if you haven't seen it already. Sean picked it out.