Linda Sattgast, at Scrapper’s Guide is a gifted teacher! Her site is subscription based. I think it is $36 a year, but you get great downloads and great video tutorials. I highly recomend this site for someone looking to better their digital scrapbooking skills using Adobe Photoshop or Photoshop Elements!

MemoriesareHomemade make them often, the summer is slowly slipping away! Get a way with those dear to you! Even if it is only to the backyard! The chores can wait! The memories will be worth it!

12 X 12 Layout Design

With minimal detail it is easy to plan out your scrapbook pages! A simple sketch on a piece of notepaper works great! For this sketch to the left I used photoshop elements 5.

This layout utilizes 6 wallet size photos and one 4X6. Please   send me a link to your gallery and show me the pages that you create using this layout.

Only you know your story! Only you can tell it! You may not think it is worth telling, believe me it is. Your children and grandchildren would benefit greatly from a written account of your life! I would strongly urge you to give careful consideration to this. There are plenty of resources to help you accomplish this goal. Tonight I was cleaning up the “Favorites” folder in Internet Explorer and found this link that I had saved, back in April. My Father is working on a book of his life and I bought him this book for his birthday! I hope this resource is helpful to you!

MemoriesareHomemade, Make them often…Make them last!

Today, I saw the most spectacular rainbow I have ever seen! It was the full spectrum full arch, it was gorgeous! God is so good!

I thought it only appropriate to share this color tool link with you today! I personally have a difficult time matching colors, so it is great to see what others do!

Enjoy and remember MemoriesareHomemade!

Look for inspiration while going about your daily tasks. Everywhere around you there are colors, textures and patterns. Look at fabrics, paper, floor tiles, wall coverings, magazines, greeting cards and google of coarse. You will find inspiration in the most unusual places, if only you are looking for it.

Remember as you are doing your chores to keep your mind open to any inspiration that is around you. You truly will design (scrap, cardmaking, etc.) better if you look for the details that are all around you! MemoriesareHomemade!

My wife “Sweet Annie” as I lovingly call her, gave me a most treasured possession for Christmas a couple of years ago! She took an old rustic looking jar with a simple tin lid and placed on it a label that she decorated with stars on it and the words “Simple Blessings” in her beautiful handwriting! She dangled a simple red ribbon from the metal loop handle of the tin lid. She then took tags of many sizes and hand wrote “Simple Blessings” with a heart before and after these words. She did this to each tag. On the other side of each tag she wrote simple phrases that she new had meaning to us like, “Watching fireflies ‘glow’ on a Summer evening” or “Children Friends knocking at your door and asking you to ‘come out and play’ “. This is a most treasured possession because my wife crafted it herself, she tailored it to me and it helps to keep me focused on the important things in life; which after all are truly “Simple Blessings”.

You to can craft a special gift for someone in your life. It doesn’t have to be extravagant, just representative of who you are. It doesn’t have to be for any special occasion. A gift often is more meaningful when it is not expected, a “just because I love you” gift! Remember MemoriesareHomemade!

Summer is well underway. If your vacation is anything like mine, then you are staying close to home! Still you can enjoy the summer with some of your favorite people, by hosting a summer fun backyard party! Make some special invitations out of your favorite summer themed patterned paper! Use cardstock for the base of the card, then decorate it as you like. It might be nice to create flip-flops out of paper and ribbon to decorate your card with. Be creative, use your imagination. Remember, MemoriesAreHomemade!

This site is dedicated to the many special people in our lives (both yours and mine), that have enriched our experience. These are the people whom we may spend our lives with often, or maybe for a season. They have brought us joy and we are greatful for them.