huge statement wall bulletin board for under $20

You may have seen this project up last week at So You Think You're Crafty - scroll down for the full tutorial!

Years ago (when digital cameras weren't the norm and we actually printed out all our photos) my husband bought a bulletin board and covered it with photos of the the two of us and our son as a birthday gift for me. He made a collage with the photos, covering every inch of the 2x3 ft board. We hung it up in our apartment and I loved looking at it. Ten years and four moves later and I have no idea where that bulletin board has gotten to, so I decided to recreate it, on a supersized scale. 

My bulletin board is three feet high and seven feet across, and fills up most of the wall behind our kitchen table. It's huge, but the board itself is made from a lightweight building supply you can find at any hardware store and it only cost $11.

Interested in the full how-to? Read on.

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free template downloads and instructions for treat packaging

If you've checked in lately, you've already seen the pretty treat packaging I've designed because I wanted a special way to package up individual servings of treats for giving away. Today I'm sharing free printable templates for each of the packages, as well as a sheet of tags with fun "sweet" sayings on them.

Each package can be made fairly quickly using one sheet of 8.5x11 paper, EXCEPT the brownie box which needs to be 8.5x12 (so cut down a piece of 12x12 scrapbook paper for this box). First, you'll need to download or print the PDF template for any of the boxes you'd like to make. Click on each link below to be taken to the PDF, then you can right click the file to save to your computer or print directly from your browser. All boxes will look nicer and be a bit sturdier if you use a heavier weight scrapbook paper (cardstock weight works great). Plan to line your boxes with wax paper or extra cupcake liners so you don't end up with grease spots from the treats. (Instructions for each package follow.)

Cupcake Box   Cupcake Lid   Cookie Bag   Brownie Box   Truffle Box   Tags

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repeating hexagon wall art

Right now the walls in my kitchen and living room are completely blank. I painted them a few months ago and haven't figured out exactly what's going up yet. I have lots of photographs up throughout the house, so I've been looking for a different sort of wall decoration - but of course I don't actually want to spend money on artwork.

While trying to tidy my desk a few weeks ago I pulled out a box of scrapbook paper I've had for years and never gotten around to using (even though I love it), and an idea was born.

Why not find a way to display some of this gorgeous paper on my walls? I started going through all my scrapbook paper, pulling out a mix of old and new papers in colors and prints that I thought went well together. I considered circles of different papers on canvases, then thought about recreating quilt blocks with paper. Nothing seemed quite right until I thought of a repeating hexagon (or beehive) pattern. Once I had the plan, it was only a few days until the piece was completed.

The final wall art measures 2.5' tall and 4.5' wide, so it's large enough to make an impact, but I spent under $10 on the entire project (I didn't purchase any new paper, and I constructed the frame out of leftover baseboard trim). Here's how:

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scrapbook: Win a copy of the July/August issue of Creating Keepsakes!

It's time for another Creating Keepsakes giveaway! We just had one a few weeks ago, last time for the Living the Dream class over at Big Picture Classes. The winner has been contacted already, so sorry if you didn't win - but we just keep giving stuff away, so keep checking back.

Today we're giving away a copy of the July/August 2012 issue of CK:

There's all kinds of cool stuff in here. I got to contribute to an article about different types of fun summer albums you can make. My assignment was to create a "scrapbook by numbers" album that I could put together with my kids. I used a 6x6 board book and created very basic pages, adding the photos but leaving spots for title, journaling, and embellishments. Each open spot was numbered 1, 2, or 3 (for title, journaling, or embellishments), and then my kids had a stash of supplies they could use to finish up the pages. It was really fun! Here's the cover and a completed page from the album:

I created some sketches from my album that you can download for free here! The sketches are available as PDFs, and also as .psd templates if you'd like to complete your album digitally. You can find all the other online extras for the issue at that link as well.

If you'd like to purchase a copy of the issue, click here.

And as always, if you'd like to WIN a copy, just leave me a comment! If you want to enter twice, simply like my blog on facebook or pin one of the photos from my blog, then leave me another comment telling me which one you did.

And if you want even more chances to win, visit these other blogs:

Scrapbook Society

Erika Hayes

A Matter of Memories

Thanks! And good luck!

scrapbook: start to finish (in an hour!)

First off, I'm guest blogging over at the Creating Keepsakes blog today, talking about using pinterest as a color scheme inspiration source. CK is "scrapbooking around the house" this week during the lead-up to National Scrapbooking Day, and today's room is the living room. I used images of gorgeous livings rooms on pinterest to create five different color schemes for use on your scrapbook pages. I also show you a layout I made about a recent family trip to Arches National Park using one of the color schemes.

But OF COURSE I had more pictures from our trip than I could fit on one layout, so I made another. I thought it might be fun to show you how I put together the layout from start to finish. It's a fairly simple layout, so it took me less than an hour to create.

I always think it's fun to see how other people approach making layouts. Today's layout was created digitally in Photoshop Elements, but  the process for putting it together is very similar to the process I use when I create paper layouts.

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scrapbook: Another creating keepsakes giveaway!

***Just in case you're not a scrapbooker, here's what else is coming up this week: Wed - a free pattern download, Th - the best ever french bread and garlic spread recipe, F - a dress refasion. We now return to your regularly scheduled programming***

Anyone here remember Simple Scrapbooks Magazine? It was CK's "little sister" mag that focused on a clean, simple approach to scrapbooking. It's the magazine that got me hooked on scrapbooking, and it's where I learned to appreciate a graphic style. Sadly, it's been out of print for a few years, and while I love CK, I still miss it. That's why I was so excited to learn that Creating Keepsakes was going to release a Simple Scrapbooks Special Issue.

Cool right? Even cooler (for me at least :) was the fact that I got to write an article for this issue. My sister Brittany helped me brainstorm article ideas when I was visiting her last summer, and one of them got accepted: Three Levels of Scrapbooking. The article shows a level one, level two, level three approach to scrapbooking, where level one is the ultimate in ease and speed, and levels two and three get a little more complex while still remaining "simple." It was a blast to work on. Here's my layout from the article:

I also had the chance to contribute to another article, this one about scraplifting. Here's my layout from that article:

Then I was pretty excited when I got two more layouts picked up from the general page calls. You can find those two in the article about scrapbooking using basics + 4-6 supplies.

But enough about me! :) Check out all the online content for the issue here.

And click on the icon below for a fun tour of the issue!

If you'd like to purchase a copy of the issue, head to CK's online store...

OR if you want to WIN a free copy of the issue, leave me a comment! If you want two chances to win, leave me a second comment telling me you've either pinned a photo from one of my posts or liked me on facebook (just use that insanely huge facebook button over on the right side).

And if you need even more chances to win, head on over to these blogs who are also hosting giveaways today!

Paper Crafters Corner

Kim Jackson

Megan Hoepnner

Remember to check back in a few days to see if you've won! 

scrapbook: win a copy of ck's latest issue!

The May/June 2012 issue of Creating Keepsakes hits newstands today, and CK's giving one of you a chance to win your very own copy straight from my blog!

It's a fantastic issue, full of all sorts of tips and tricks. My favorite article of the issue is all about scrapbooking your family, which starts off with a layout by Cindy Tobey on which she uses baker's twine to create a really cool background (p. 44). And there are some great layouts in the reader gallery this month, including a Disney land layout by Jennie McGarvey that combines a clean design with fun pictures and a sophisticated mix of patterned papers.

I have a layout featured in the Tips and Tricks sections of this issue:

As seen in the May/June 2012 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine. Copyright Creative Crafts Group. Posted with prior permission from the publisher. 

Check out p. 20 to find my layout, then hop online to see all the extra features and downloads that go along with this issue, including the video I made teaching you how to make a chevron pattern from striped digital paper! (And in case you are wondering, yes I feel like a complete dork when I listen to myself on this video - not that I sit around all day listening to my own video, but you know what I mean, right?)

If you want to purchase your own copy, you can do so here.

But if you want a chance to win a free copy, leave me a comment! If you'd like an even better chance to win, leave me a second comment telling me which photo/post from my blog you have pinned on pinterest or liked on facebook. And if you want to be sure you never miss another post or CK giveaway from itsalwaysautumn, click on that supersized button on my sidebar to like my page on facebook.

And just in case you need more chances to win a free issue, check out these other blogs that are giving away copies as well!

Paper Crafters Corner

Kim Jackson

Megan Hoepnner

Remember to check back in a few days to see if you've won! 

scrapbook: don't forget the big kids

So when it comes time to sit down and work on a scrapbook page, it's pretty easy to get completely enraptured by pictures of your littlest one giving kisses to her bunny. I mean, who doesn't want to sit and move these photos around on a page?

But if all you do is take pictures of the baby and make scrapbook pages of her, your husband might start accusing you of loving her better than all your big kids, as a joke of course. But then your big kids might overhear your husband accusing you of loving the baby best, and they might start wondering why you haven't taken any pictures of them lately. (Actually, they'll probably just be relieved you haven't ordered them to stand in that spot and smile FOR REAL lately, but it's possible they could start feeling a little left out.) 

Then you'd have to explain that of course you don't love the baby best, you just spend the most time with her since she's home all day while the big kids are gone at school. And with all the baby milestones to document, there's a myriad of scrapbook pages just waiting to happen, while the big kids just keep doing the same stuff they've been doing for years. But since your husband isn't likely to buy that explanation, here are some ways to make sure you don't forget the big kids when it comes to your scrapbook:

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