Hello there!  I'm so happy to be hosting the blog today!  As we enter this new year there is one topic that scrapbookers have been talking about seemingly non-stop.  And if you've been paying attention you know exactly what that topic is, Project Life.  This approach to recording memories is everywhere and the concept has definitely taken hold and resonated with a lot of scrapbookers.  With the Craft and Hobby Association Conference and Trade Show (CHA) coming up this weekend I thought this would be a great time to look at some of the products being released aimed at making scrapbooking easier.  Shall we start?

 

First, a peek of some of the new products from Simple Stories

 

 

With this winter's release Simple Stories will now be providing a complete system of products:  albums, page protectors and patterned paper elements to help make your story telling simple.  They have released a new line of albums in both 12x12 and 6x8 as well as divided page protectors in completely new styles, think great combos of horizontal, vertical and square photos.

They are also introducing several new designs of 3x4 and 4x6 cards with calendars, icons, basic prints and new "Fill in the Blanks", which are designed with journaling prompts.  Here is an example of the new 4x6 Life cards:

 

Visit Simple Stories at their blog to see the entire new release. In full disclosure, I work for Simple Stories as a member of their design team.

 

Next up, the Photo Freedom system from Echo Park.  This line of products was first introduced at last summer's show, here is a new addition to their collections called Happy Go Lucky.

 

Photo Freedom is a concept designed by Stacy Julian.  The philosophy behind these products is the same as the one she has shared for many years, one of keeping things simple.  The Photo Freedom system allows scrapbookers to tell their stories quickly and easily and includes divided page protectors and designer paper inserts.  See all of the Photo Freedom collections and products available through Echo Park, here.

 

Even kit clubs are putting their own spin on the Project Life concept.  Most recently at the beginning of the year Studio Calico released their very first Project Life kit.

 

The kit includes a 4x3 inch stamp set, 31 double-sided journaling cards sized to fit in your Project Life album, and assorted embellishments.  The first month's kit is sold out, however you can find out more about Studio Calico and how to join the waitlist for upcoming kits by visiting their website, here.

 

Of course, no post about Project Life would be complete without going to the source of this idea, Becky Higgins.  Now that the Project Life brand is under the umbrella of American Crafts new collections have been created with the goal of reaching an even wider audience.  Now products and collections will be available in your local scrapbooking store!  Here is a sneak from the winter catalog:

 

Seven new core collections are being released at this winter show along with smaller mini kits.  You can see the entire catalog by visiting Becky's blog.

 

That was just a small introduction to some of the amazing new products that are or will soon be available geared towards Project Life.  Before I go, I did want to say that a lot of these products can be used on traditional layouts too.  The 3x4 and 4x6 cards make color blocking easy, and journaling cards with prompts making writing your story quick and simple too.  So, even if you are not planning on doing a full-scale Project Life album these new products can still inspire you to tell your story all while keeping it simple.

Hello Everyone!  Donna here with you today, and I want to take a moment to interrupt your Christmas preparations to talk to you about a new product from digital designer Crystal Wilkerson that will help you to develop a habit of gratitude and will also help a family in need.

 

This time of year is very special, and for many different reasons.  For Americans, we’ve just celebrated Thanksgiving and now for a lot of us, we are looking forward to, and preparing for Christmas.  We will spend time with our families, and we will try to remember all those great big things in our lives that we are thankful for.  Feelings of gratitude come to us naturally at this time of year, but perhaps you’ve thought about trying to cultivate that same spirit of thanksgiving all year long?  Last month Crystal hosted a Thirty Day Gratitude Challenge and to go along with the challenge she designed 30 gratitude cards with journaling prompts.  Here is an example card and its corresponding journaling prompt:

The cards and prompts fit on an 11 x 8.5 sheet of paper, and can be printed, cut in half, and placed in a 5.5 x 8.5 binder

(you can find the binders and page protectors at office supply stores). 

 

What prompted Crystal to design this project was a desire to help a family whose father is currently battling brain cancer:

 

 

Scott Norton is 30 years old, married to Emily, and a father of two young boys.  In August of this year, the family discovered that Scott had a large cancerous brain tumor.  He has had two surgeries to remove sections the tumor and has undergone radiation therapy to remove the remaining tumor and to prevent the tumor from spreading.  You can read more about their story on Crystal's blog.

 

The thirty quotes for the gratitude journal that Crystal created come in two sets of 15.  Each set costs $2.50.  Which means that all 30 quotes with journaling prompts can be downloaded in a high-quality .JPG format for only $5.  In addition, the second set of quotes also includes a cover page for the inside of your notebook, a contract and bonus quote, insert for the spine and cover of your notebook, and printable notebook paper.  You can find the sets here:  Gratitude Quotes Set 1, Gratitude Quotes Set 2.

 

100% of the proceeds will go to help the Norton family

with their medical expenses.

 

Maybe you are thinking that you don’t have time right now to start a gratitude journal, or that a thirty day commitment would produce more thoughts of guilt than gratitude.  Not a problem!  Because the files are high-quality .JPGs they can be resized, or manipulated and used for more than one purpose.  For example, I printed the gratitude card from Day 15 as a 4 x 6 photo and used it as a title for this layout:

 

 

I also used the journaling prompt for that day to help me focus my thoughts about this photo and that day.  The cards and prompts can be used in any way that you’d like which makes this a truly versatile product.

 

I hope you will take a few moments from your busy schedule today to think about all the things in your life that you are grateful for.  Then, please consider helping this young family in need.  I know they will be thankful and appreciative of your support!

I was inspired by one of the thank you cards made by Kimber McGray. I was drawn to the design of her card because it was very close to my own style and so I knew I'd be able to easily replicate the design myself.

I wanted to make a general sentiment card, something that could be used for a birthday or any celebration, and so I chose the word "Hooray" for my sentiment.

Once that had been decided I set about selecting a few papers from one of my favorite collections, Simple Stories' 100 Days of Summer.

The overall design of my card is almost identical to Kimber's original and the only changes I made were to use a trio of buttons instead of ribbon and I embossed my sentiment in a coordinating color instead of using a sticker. Even with those changes the card came together very quickly. There are so many great cards in the new eBook and I'm looking forward to going back to this book time and time again for inspiration.

Hello everyone!  After last week's break for Boot Camp, I’m back today to share with you the last sketch in the
 

Before we get to the sketch, I want to remind you of the prize for this month.  You might remember that Lawn Fawn is sponsoring this month's Stretch Your Sketches Challenge Series!
 

So, in addition to winning a free copy of my eBook, Stretch Your Sketches

 

the winner will also receive an amazing prize package which includes three sets of stamps:
 

I want to give a big thank you to Lawn Fawn for their sponsorship this month!  Be sure to find out all the latest news about Lawn Fawn by visiting their blog, their Facebook page or by following them on twitter.

Now on to the last sketch of this challenge, it's a simple grid of four 4x4 photos:

 

For this final sketch, Ella Friend Brenda Johnston created an adorable layout about her daughter losing her very first baby tooth.  She kept very close to the original design, but replaced one of the photos with a little calendar to mark this special date:

 

 

So adorable!  Here are a couple of close-ups:

 

Want to join in the fun?  Here's how to play:  First, create your layout based on the sketch.  Next, post it to your blog or any online album and be sure to mention where you got the sketch in your post or caption.  Third, come back to this post and share the link to your layout.  All entries must be posted by September 30, 2011, 11:59 pm PST.  The winner of each month will be chosen at random and will be announced here on The Daily Trumpet.  Prizes will only be shipped to U.S. addresses.  In the event that an international participant wins, she'll receive an Ella gift certificate, and a new winner will be drawn for the physical prize.

As a reminder this is the last month of the sketch challenge.  Like the other months, there are two sketches posted (find the first sketch, here).  If you create two layouts, one from each sketch, you will have two entries - doubling your chances of winning.  I can't wait to see what you create!

Happy Labor Day everyone!  I’m here today to share with you another sketch in our


But before we get to the sketch today, I want to tell you about the prize for this month.  I am so happy to announce that Lawn Fawn is sponsoring this month's Stretch Your Sketches Challenge Series!
 


So, in addition to winning a free copy of my eBook, Stretch Your Sketches


the winner will also receive an amazing prize package which includes three sets of stamps:






I want to give a big thank you to Lawn Fawn for their sponsorship this month!  Be sure to find out all the latest news about Lawn Fawn by visiting their blog, their Facebook page or by following them on twitter.
 
Now on to this month’s sketch!  Here it is:
 


I rotated the sketch and used the polaroid stamp from the Say Cheese stamp set to create this layout:


The journaling reads:  Nathan, daddy and I don’t really like cutting your hair. We absolutely love your curls, but after a while they start to get a bit, wild. So every few months, daddy takes you outside and gives you a haircut. He lets you play with the spray bottle so you’ll sit still (at least a little). Then we just wait until your hair gets crazy again…

Joining me this month in the challenge is Ella Friend, Diana Chen.  Diana said that the timing of this challenge could not have been better for her.  She was so inspired by the sketch that she actually created three layouts!

The first is a literal interpretation of the sketch adapted to 8.5 x 11:


In her second layout, she substituted a 4x6 photo for the two 3x4s in the original sketch:


The title and lyrics (which make up the journaling) are from a Bruno Mars song which Diana and her family heard a lot when they visited the United States earlier in the summer, and now she says the song always makes her think of her beautiful daughter.

For her third layout, Diana flipped the sketch and stepped out of her usual style comfort zone to create this layout:


This layout features her twins (aren't they adorable!) and music as the inspiration for the journaling (this time from the musical Miss Saigon).  She said that while this layout is not her usual style she enjoyed the process of making it and was happy with the finished layout.

 
Want to join in the fun?  Here's how to play:  First, create your layout based on the sketch.  Next, post it to your blog or any online album and be sure to mention where you got the sketch in your post or caption.  Third, come back to this post and share the link to your layout.  All entries must be posted by September 30, 2011, 11:59 pm PST.  The winner of each month will be chosen at random and will be announced here on The Daily Trumpet.  Prizes will only be shipped to U.S. addresses.  In the event that an international participant wins, she'll receive an Ella gift certificate, and a new winner will be drawn for the physical prize.

As a reminder this is the last month of the sketch challenge.  Like the other months, there will be two sketches posted and if you create two layouts, one from each sketch, you will have two entries - doubling your chances of winning!
 
I hope you all will participate with me and make a layout based on this sketch.  If you are playing along here is a button for you to post on your blog.

***Winner of August's Stretch Your Sketches Challenge is Ella reader bradfordm!***
Please email me at donnajannuzzi(at)gmail(dot)com to receive your prize.

Hi everyone!  I'm back today to share the 10th sketch in Ella's
 

This is the second sketch for the month of August; you can see the first sketch for this month here.

Before we get to the sketch, I want to remind you of this month’s prize.  You might remember that Ella Friend Monika Wright is sponsoring this month's Stretch Your Sketches Challenge Series!
 

Monika has an etsy shop where you'll find a wide selection of modern and traditional art prints as well as mini-albums and journals.

So in addition to winning a free copy of my eBook, Stretch Your Sketches
 

the winner will also receive a $20 gift certificate to i love it all.  Here is an example of a print from her shop, the House and Family Rules Subway Art Print:
 

Monika has also generously agreed to ship any items internationally - thank you Monika!

Now on to this month’s sketch!  Here it is:
 

Usually when I use a sketch I follow it fairly closely.  In this case, I really only used the sketch as a starting point for my layout.  As I went to edit the photos I planned on using and as I put together the layout I ended up moving things around quite a bit:
 

These photos are from Mother's Day and the journaling reads:  These are my Mother’s Day photos. You can’t really tell, but I’m holding onto Nathan mostly because he was trying to run away. And Gabe basically refused to look into the camera.
Oh well, we tried. May 2011


Joining me this week in our sketch challenge is Ella Friend, Mary Jo Johnston.  Mary Jo is an incredible card maker and so I asked her to use this week's sketch to make a card.  And instead of creating one card, she made two!
 

 

I love how they are both of these cards are different and yet you can see how they where inspired by the sketch.  Here is what Mary Jo had to say about the sketch, "A great sketch can be exactly what you need to jump start your creativity for a new layout.  But, have you ever thought about stretching your sketch to create a card or even altered project?  I chose to use today's sketch and incorporate it into my love of cardmaking - and I love the result! The blocks in the center of the design provide the perfect focal point for the center of my cards.  The three elements are represented by journaling blocks, stickers and patterned paper.  The journaling location, provided for a traditional layout, can also be used to incorporate a sentiment for your card.  Thanks to Donna for a fabulous sketch!  Break out your scrapbooking supplies and be creative!"

Want to join in the fun?  Here's how to play:  First, create your layout based on the sketch.  Next, post it to your blog or any online album.  Be sure to mention where you got the sketch in your post or caption!  Third, come back to this post and share the link to your layout.  All entries must be posted by August 31, 2011, 11:59 pm PST.  The winner of each month will be chosen at random and will be announced here on The Daily Trumpet. 

Remember, there will be two sketches posted each month.  If you create two layouts, one from each sketch, you will have two entries which will double your chances of winning!
 
I hope you all will participate with me and make a layout based on this sketch.  If you are playing along here is a button for you to post on your blog.

Hi everyone!  I'm back today to share the 9th sketch in Ella's
 

The last sketch in our series featured six photos, which is quite a few for a single page layout, so this week we're getting back to a more basic design:
 

This week I took a turn at stretching the sketch, and I did stretch it quite a bit!  First I rotated the sketch 180 degrees, then I replaced the 6x4 photo with two 3x4s and I replaced the 4x6 photo with a 5x5 pocket (you'll notice that I also clipped a photo to the front of the pocket).  Here is my layout which documents our family's love of In-N-Out:
 

The journaling reads:  Every Sunday after mass we go to In-N-Out for lunch. We’ve had this tradition in our family for almost three years now. When we go, the boys always get stickers. Nathan calls them "stickos" and he likes to make the cars in his picture crash (if you were there you'd get to experience the sound effects too). Gabe on the other hand likes things to make a little more sense and he makes the woman hold the flowers (which is too sweet). One day while we were eating Gabe said, "Isn't In-N-Out great?" Yes, Gabe, it is; we couldn't agree more.

Inside the pocket are the sticker pictures that my two sons made on this particular trip.  Even if we keep this tradition for years to come, I don't know how long these simple stickers will make my boys happy and so while I don't save them every week (can you imagine the stack I would have by now!?) I did want to save at least one set as a reminder of these days.

Joining me this week in the sketch challenge is Ella Friend May Flaum.  She did a literal interpretation of the sketch and made this beautiful layout:
 

Here is what May had to say about the sketch and what inspired her, "What I love about this sketch is that it gives a solid base for a layout, but leaves lots of room for artistic interpretation and creative play. I’m a girl who’s never met a crafting rule I didn’t like to break (or bend) but here I left the photos (4x6), journaling, and title exactly as they were intended. It’s a  solid design, one that should be in every scrapbooker’s sketch book! In looking through my to-be-scrapped photos I came across these two of my girls with their Easter baskets that I thought would work well for this sketch and with one of my new favorites – the Country Drive line from Echo Park. Almost everything on my page is from Echo Park – which made this page come together quickly.
 
The yellow patterned paper I put under my photos to add another layer is about 11” wide and 7 ½” tall. Once my base was done and I had my journaling and photos in place, I added bits of paper (punched and a 1” strip), as well as my title stickers, some stickles and stitching, and a few stickers and accents too. I love the results – and had such fun with this page."


Are you ready to hear about the prizes this month?

Did you know that Ella Friend Monika Wright is the owner of an etsy shop called i love it all? 
 

In her shop you'll find a wide selection of modern and traditional art prints as well as mini-albums and journals and this month i love it all is sponsoring the Stretch Your Sketches Challenge Series!

So in addition to winning a free copy of my eBook, Stretch Your Sketches
 

the winner will also receive a $20 gift certificate to i love it all.  Here is an example of a print from her shop, the House and Family Rules Subway Art Print:
 

Monika has also generously agreed to ship any items internationally - thank you Monika!


Want to join in the fun?  Here's how to play:  First, create your layout based on the sketch.  Next, post it to your blog or any online album.  Be sure to mention where you got the sketch in your post or caption!  Third, come back to this post and share the link to your layout.  All entries must be posted by August 31, 2011, 11:59 pm PST.  The winner of each month will be chosen at random and will be announced here on The Daily Trumpet. 

Remember, there will be two sketches posted each month.  If you create two layouts, one from each sketch, you will have two entries which will double your chances of winning!
 
I hope you all will participate with me and make a layout based on this sketch.  If you are playing along here is a button for you to post on your blog.
 

***Winner of May's Stretch Your Sketch Challenge is Ella reader judean!***
Please email me at donnajannuzzi(at)gmail(dot)com to receive your prize.

Happy Monday everyone!  I’m here today with the second sketch for the month of July's
 

For this second sketch, I decided to use a mix of sizes and orientations for the photos, I thought it might be a fun change:
 

To create my layout I made some minor adjustments to the photo sizes in the sketch, but I kept the placement and orientation of the photos the same.  I used some of my favorite photos from this past spring to make this layout:
 

The journaling reads:  On one of the first warm days of spring, we decided to go on a picnic. Once at the park we enjoyed a simple lunch of PB & Js and apple slices. After we ate, we played in the park.  It was a happy and beautiful day. March 9, 2011

Joining me this week in our sketch challenge is Ella Friend, Keshet Starr.  Here is her take on the sketch:
 

I love Keshet's style and I love this layout!  Here is what she had to say about it, "When I first saw the sketch, I loved how the structured grid design could work really well with fun, whimsical embellishments.  I used my Studio Calico Lawn Party kit and matched the bright colors with these funny photos of an impromptu dance party! Best of all, my layout came together in record time because the hard work of designing the layout was already done for me!"

 
Are you ready to hear about the prizes this month?
 
The winner of this month's challenge will win a copy of my eBook, Stretch Your Sketches
 

and this vintage-inspired prize package
 

 
It includes patterned papers from Making Memories as well as embellishments from American Crafts, Kaisercraft, Prima and Cosmo Cricket; plus there are glassine envelopes, shipping tags, safety pins and twine.  Notice too, the Addy Sentiments Stamps from Studio Calico, these are the same stamps that Valerie used on her card. 

Want to join in the fun?  Here's how to play:  First, create your layout based on the sketch.  Next, post it to your blog or any online album.  Be sure to mention where you got the sketch in your post or caption!  Third, come back to this post and share the link to your layout.  All entries must be posted by July 31, 2011, 11:59 pm PST.  The winner of each month will be chosen at random and will be announced here on The Daily Trumpet.  Prizes will only be shipped to U.S.addresses.  In the event that an international participant wins, she'll receive an Ella gift certificate, and a new winner will be drawn for the physical prize.

Remember, there will be two sketches posted each month.  If you create two layouts, one from each sketch, you will have two entries which will double your chances of winning!
 
I hope you all will participate with me and make a layout based on this sketch.  If you are playing along here is a button for you to post on your blog.
 

***Because last month's winner was an international reader the prize has been redrawn.  Winner of June's Stretch Your Sketch Challenge is Ella reader jleija!***
Please email me at donnajannuzzi(at)gmail(dot)com to receive your prize.

Hello everyone and Happy 4^th of July!  I do hope you are enjoying your long holiday weekend.  Today I’m back to share the 7th sketch in the

Here it is:
 

This design was inspired by an advertisement that I saw in a magazine.  I admit that I don't remember which ad, or which magazine!  I just remember liking the simplicity of the shapes and their arrangement and I thought it would make an excellent sketch for a layout.  I used this week's sketch to make this layout documenting our family's love of pickles:
 

I make these refrigerator pickles every summer and everyone in our family loves them.  They are really simple and easy to make; visit my blog if you'd like the recipe.

Joining me this week in our sketch challenge is Ella Friend, Valerie Mangan.  If you are familiar with Valerie's work, then you know that in addition to creating beautiful layouts Valerie is also an extremely talented card maker.  To mix things up a bit, I asked her to use this week's sketch to make a card:
 

and here is a closer look:
 

 Isn't it beautiful?  Valerie said, "In addition to being a very useful tool for layout making, page sketches are great for making cards too! Donna’s sketches are no exception. In fact her clean, linear designs are a particularly handy jumping off point for cardmaking. In scrapbooking and cardmaking I’m a huge fan of the grid so this sketch was especially fun to work with. I tried a few literal interpretations but thought for the smaller scale of a card, breaking the grid with some circles might be more interesting. While the 2 circular elements are completely different, the 2 patterned paper squares are the same and in monotone pattern to reinforce the grid and anchor the main design element. I put my sentiment in the same place as the title."

 
Are you ready to hear about the prizes this month?
 
The winner of this month's challenge will win a copy of my eBook, Stretch Your Sketches
 

and this vintage inspired prize package
 

 
It includes patterned papers from Making Memories as well as embellishments from American Crafts, Kaisercraft, Prima and Cosmo Cricket; plus there are glassine envelopes, shipping tags, safety pins and twine.  Notice too, the Addy Sentiments Stamps from Studio Calico, these are the same stamps that Valerie used on her card. 

Want to join in the fun?  Here's how to play:  First, create your layout based on the sketch.  Next, post it to your blog or any online album.  Be sure to mention where you got the sketch in your post or caption!  Third, come back to this post and share the link to your layout.  All entries must be posted by July 31, 2011, 11:59 pm PST.  The winner of each month will be chosen at random and will be announced here on The Daily Trumpet.  Prizes will only be shipped to U.S.addresses.  In the event that an international participant wins, she'll receive an Ella gift certificate, and a new winner will be drawn for the physical prize.

Remember, there will be two sketches posted each month.  If you create two layouts, one from each sketch, you will have two entries which will double your chances of winning!
 
I hope you all will participate with me and make a layout based on this sketch.  If you are playing along here is a button for you to post on your blog.
 

***Winner of June's Stretch Your Sketch Challenge is Ella reader di_turner!***
Please email me at donnajannuzzi(at)gmail(dot)com to receive your prize.

Hi!  I’m here today to share with you another sketch and another layout in our
 

This is the second sketch for the month of June; you can see the first sketch for this month you can see it here.


Before we get to the sketch, I want to remind you of this month’s amazing prize.  You might remember that Jillibean Soup is sponsoring this month's Stretch Your Sketches Challenge Series! 

 

So in addition to winning a free copy of my eBook, Stretch Your Sketches

the winner will also receive this prize package
 

Jillibean Soup's latest collection Watermelon Gazpacho Soup.  It is the perfect summer line filled with bright happy colors and lots of fun patterns.  Be sure to visit the Jillibean Soup blog, Bean Talk for inspiration from their design team and more.


Now on to this month’s sketch!  Here it is
 

I know I've said this before, so I hope you don't get tired of reading it, but there are so many different ways you can convert a 12 x 12 sketch to 8.5 x 11.  Here is one version
 

From the original 12 x 12 sketch I created this layout
 

I used Jillibean Soup's Pasta Fagioli for this one.  I really loved the bold colors of this line and they were perfect for these photos.  About those photos, the journaling for this layout reads:  I tried to snap a photo of the boys together at the Hazel’s Easter egg hunt. I took several and these are the best. Only because they make me laugh! Let's just say these two photos say quite a bit about these two boys' individual personalities.  April 23, 2011

 
Want to join in the fun?  Here's how to play:  First, create your layout based on the sketch.  Next, post it to your blog or any online album and be sure to mention where you got the sketch in your post or caption.  Third, come back to this post and share the link to your layout.  All entries must be posted by June 30, 2011, 11:59 pm PST.  The winner of each month will be chosen at random and will be announced here on The Daily Trumpet.  Prizes will only be shipped to U.S.addresses.  In the event that an international participant wins, she'll receive an Ella gift certificate, and a new winner will be drawn for the physical prize.

Remember, there are two sketches posted each month.  If you create two layouts, one from each sketch, you will have two entries which will double your chances of winning!
 
I hope you all will participate with me and make a layout based on this sketch.  If you are playing along here is a button for you to post on your blog.