Monday, February 28, 2011

Photo Fabulous

I haven't taken a break, still working steady in the studio, but I wanted to let you know that starting tomorrow I've invited a guest blogger here on MRsCHADT.

I'd like nothing more than to see the extrodinary photos in the back of your guest book albums be the kind to make you sigh or even cry from their beauty. That's why I've asked professional photographer Tonya Wilhelm, of Wilhelm Photography, to give us some tips for those brides-to-be out there, who are looking to hire a photographer for their special day.

So be sure to stay tuned these next three days for Tonya's How to Find the Best Wedding Photographer series!

I'll be back again on Friday.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Glamour Never Sparkled More


It never hurts to add a little glitz to any event, especially with this dazzling new guest book albums in black, gray, and white!  Can you say...party?

These make me think of New Year's Celebrations and Graduation. Perhaps it's the black and white with the sprinkle of glitter and gray that inspire that thought, or maybe the eye catching patterns. I don't know. I'll let you decide.

Each cover is sparkling with silver glitter. Inside white heavy white pages and gray card stock await your personal attention.  I've slipped in matching pens, and have decided now through March to include pens with all my paperback guest book albums and journals.

 Bridal shower? Graduation? Prom celebration? Anniversary? Bachlorette party? What do you think of the new glamour covers?


Saturday, February 26, 2011

Mini Journal Pocket Notebooks

I've always had this philosophy of "let no paper go to waste." If my husband's grandmother was alive, she'd be very proud of me. The woman lived through the great depression and never left anything... and I mean "anything" go to waste. I had a lot of great respect for my husband's grandmother, that's probably why I know she'd appreciate these mini journal pocket notebooks that I made from scrap papers.


When ever I make a guest book album, I usually have a few scraps. The photo above is the scraps I get left over from the regular 5.5" x 8.5" paperback albums. I usually get 3.5" x 5.5" pieces laying around.  Anyway, after last weeks bout of making all those 8" x 8" scrapbook journals and guest book albums, I found myself with a nice paper pile (refer to first photo).

Chad is in a play this month with our local community theater and asked me to make him a little pocket notebook for a prop for the play he is in. He's playing a part of an English detective and wanted one of those flip notebooks you see the detectives on television use.  So, I started cutting up my scraps. I couldn't resist. I love these little pocket notebooks.


They're 3" x 5.5" and a perfect fit for a shirt pocket, jean pocket, and fit nicely into a handbag!  The pages are blank, I kept one for myself. It's a great little notebook to write my to-do list for running errands and even my grocery list.

My father is always carrying on of these with him on the farm to keep track of addresses, cows that need bred, and part numbers for equipment he needs to order. I'll probably pass a few of the more masculine ones his way come father's day.

I would have shown you the one I made for Chad, but he snatched before I could capture it with my camera.

So, what say you about my handy-dandy mini journal pocket notebooks? Can you think of more than one use for them? Leave your idea in the comment section, you never know when I might be inspired to give one or two away!

Friday, February 25, 2011

Custom Order - Eggplant and Plum


Remember the Ivory and Black Damask Guest Book Album from a few weeks ago?  This isn't it. It looks almost like it, but this my friends is a custom order for a very special couple getting married in September.
Their wedding colors are a deep purple, like eggplant or a plum.

Part of customizing a book is being able to match the couples wedding colors, but also to give it a few of those extra special touches.

Like this verse the couple has picked for the front page of their guest book album. A beautiful vow about becoming husband and wife.


I added extra pages to this book, which made it much thicker than my standard guest book albums, but as you can see the binding still looked very nice. I searched for the darkest purple I could find and that is what I used for the ribbon.

So even though it's ivory and black damask, this couple was able to put their own personal imprint on this design with their front page, name card, and color choice.

And, I'm happy to say that this guest book album has been shipped off to the happy couple in Canada.

May their wedding be a blessed and joyous event!

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Gift Pages, Where do they go?


First of all, I apologize. Sometimes I just can't get my camera to cooperate on taking the photos I want, but hopefully this picture will give you an idea of what I'm talking about today.

I wanted to show you the new Gift Page layout that I've designed for inside my guest book albums. I recently had a client contact me and ask me to add this feature in the back of a bridal shower guest book album.

This one in the photograph I placed in the back of a baby shower guest book album. I have to admit though, I was having a tough time trying to decide where the gift pages should go. 

Do they go behind the signature pages or behind the photo card stock pages?

I've been trying to decide. Putting them in the back, behind the photos seems most logical to me. It would be easy for the recorder to flip to the back of the book and write down guest names and gifts given, rather than having to flip through all the guest signature pages first to get to those pages. And, You could read all the signature pages, see the photos, and then see the guest gift list last, but let's face it, 20 years from now, the gifts may not seem as important when reading through all the notes and looking at the pictures to remember the special occasion.

However, I've been known to be wrong. So I'm asking you, where do the gift pages go?

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Victorian Anniversary Guest Book Albums



I love these vintage floral print double sided card stock pages. One I like roses, and two the floral print makes me think anniversary. Maybe because every year I get flowers on my anniversary.
I have to say, that I'm more liking to blue, personal preference, as blue was one of my wedding colors.


In both these books I stamped the corners of the signature pages. The pink pages photographed below belong to the pink and green floral book (1st photo above). .


Inside the blue floral anniversary guest book I placed ivory and creme pages, but with the same stamp design


Each of these anniversary guest book albums features 30 pages for signatures, a place to record memories, and special notes from friends and family. There's also 20 photo card stock pages.

As with any of my book I can add pages, just let me know how many.

It may not be a guest book for a modern bride, maybe a Victorian bride, but most certainly a guest book album worth remembering the special day you were a bride and celebrating all the years of marriage past.

Blue or green, which is preference?

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Gray and Ivory Damask

The ivory damask print on this cover reminds me of the print of shear lace table covers, you know the kind at grandma's house with the old fashion lamps or wash stands?



 Inside the pages are ivory and creme'. I've stamped the signature pages at opposite corners with the floral corner swag stamp.



I've included a matching pen and a felt sleeve to complete the package.

It's formal and antique looking, almost as if it should be in a house entry way or a hall. I think anyone who is looking for something vintage style and yet modern will enjoy this guest book album no matter what the occasion.


Sunday, February 20, 2011

Olive Swirl


I had one piece of this olive swirl paper left and couldn't think of a better way to put it to use than to create this elegant guest book with matching pen.

The binding is wrapped in a bronze fabric that gives a slight shimmer in the right light.  I binded the edge in a 4-hole stab stitch with white satin ribbon.

The pages are white heavy weight paper and ivory card stock.


Instead of stamping these pages, I predesigned them using my Microsoft Publisher Software with simply the word "Guests" at the top of every other page.  So when you open the book, you have guest written on the top right of the right page and the left pages is completely blank.

Wedding, Bridal shower, Baby shower? Or how about graduation? What would you use this guest book album for?

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Three Little Friends


So our Owl had a few friends that came with him from the scrapbook supply store. Meet Mr. groundhog. He's holding up this cute little flower and looking at you with big black eyes. I turned him into a baby shower guest book album.  Inside, his pages say, "Advice to the new mother".

He's definitely a fun conversation piece to be passed down the table while you wait for that new arrival to come.


Along with him is this jutting red sunflower on brown whimsy design. I turned the cover paper into a bridal shower or wedding guest book. Inside here the pages say, "Advice to the Newlyweds". A fun loving couple with a fall wedding were dancing in my mind when I created this guest book album.

And last but not least.....


Love stinks!  You can read my post about skunkie here. He'd make a great couples firsts album for almost any occasion, not excluding a shower or the big "stink day". Okay, weddings don't stink they're flowery and wonderful and a celebration of the union of two people.

I'll be counting 11 years of marriage here in a few short months.

So these are Owls friends. I guess I kinda went backwards from baby to relationship, but I didn't want you to think the skunk was a rerun from another post.  They're all available in my shop. If you can't find one and you'd like a custom guest book album made just drop me a line.

But before you go... which album do you like best out of these three and why? Do the covers fit the themes?

Friday, February 18, 2011

What a Hoot!

My high school mascot was an owl.  When I came across this textured card stock I knew I had to make a book with it. All I could think about was my high school graduation -- because of the owl.

Isn't he adorable?

I created pages using Microsoft Word that put the phrase"Hoot...Hoot..." across the top of the pages, just like the little owl is saying on the front cover. Since the book is small (5.5" x 8.5") it can be taken to school on the last day or passed around at a graduation party for friends and family to sign and write notes.


In the photo pages in the back, I stamped them with a cute little owl. He doesn't match the owl on the cover, but hey their friends and they like to hang out. Who else belongs on a photo page than an owl, right?


Although, high school was quite a while ago.... I can just imagine the fun graduating students will have with an autograph album like this one. In 50 years later, after their grand kids are graduating it will still be fun to pull out and remember the good ole days.

What a hoot!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Journal Album? or Guest Book?


Formal elegance in all it's splendor!

I've had these papers dangling in my DCWV Luxury Stack (affiliate link) for quite some time now. Because of the print it was hard for me to cut and waste a lot of the paper to make the 5.5" x 8.5" guest book albums and the positioning of the paper for the larger 8.5" x 11" wouldn't work.

Then it occurred to me these were perfect pages to create more 8 x 8 journal albums. I know.. I know... more 8 x 8 soft covers.

After I put these precious journal albums together it occurred to me that they could be more than journals. I used the scraps to create a book mark for each and included a matching pen for a complete gift set. But, I can't help thinking that these journal albums could also be used as Bride's Journals, Wedding Planner, and most of all a guest book for a wedding or shower.



The covers make them very formal and elegant. So, I went ahead and stamped the corners of the pages with coordinating colors. Pink and Gold, Navy, and Blue. The photo below is the pink and gold journal album, and I used the corner floral stamp.


I have three different colors available:

Pink and Gold

Navy and Silver
or
Baby Blue and Silver

So is it a Journal Album or is it a Guest Book?  What do you think?

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Guest Book Album - Purple and Black Damask


Purple and Black Damask Guest Book Album

The Ivory and Black Damask Guest Book Album was such a big hit, that I decided to go ahead and create this one purple and black damask print guest book album. I used white ribbon to stitch the binding, and give it an accent away from the purple.


Inside I stamped the pages with the floral corner stamp, which has also become requested most often since the feature of the ivory and black damask guest book. I haven't been able to put this stamp away since I got it out!  It's such an elegant design it doesn't surprise me that I've had so many request for it lately.

Since the stamp is designed for the corner of the page, I've been alternating corners to create the signature pages.

The inside pages of this purple and black damask guest book album are gray and black. There are 40 signature pages and 20 photo pages.


You can see from this angle the different layers of the covers and papers binded together.


To complete the set I placed the guest book album and it's matching pen inside a felt sleeve with little snaps to hold the flap closed.


So what do you think? Does purple work for this book? Or did you prefer the ivory?

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Fairy Tale Dreams


Unicorns and fairies....what is more mythical and imaginative than these?

I know... I told you just two days ago I was on a kick with these paperback journal albums. My oldest daughter loves purple, loves unicorns (so does her mom), and was totally bummed when I told her these were going into the shop.

The covers come from DCWV Fairy Tale Pack (affiliate link). I had the 8 x 8's left over from working on a scrapbook with my oldest daughter and recording our many adventures through out her many surgeries since birth.

The inside pages of these journal albums are grey and purple.  Like the Pregnancy & Mommy Journal Albums, there are 100 pages for writing and 18 pages for photos. The unicorn journal has deep purple card stock for photos in the back and the fairy journal album has lighter purple card stock pages.



I was inspired by the glitter floral design on the fairy cover and had a stamp that was similar, so I stamped the journal pages.

 I apologize, it's hard to see the stamp at the top of the page. I've been trying hard to create better photographs, but my camera didn't seem to like me pushing all it's buttons...lol... so I settled for this photo. :)




Can you imagine creating your own fairy tales in the pages of these journal albums?

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Pregnancy and Mommy Journals


I was quite impressed how yesterday's paperback book came out so well. I guess you could say I got carried away. My paper cutter is probably happy to have a breather after all the cutting and scoring I've done to create this last bunch of books.

I really like these 8 x 8 sized paperback journals. I've also been on a pink kick lately and have noticed that my shops are low on baby themed guest books.

I've always been one to journal, journal almost every day if I can. But I remember journaling through my pregnancies and even after my babies were born Chad bought me this "mommy journal". It was just a simple wire bound book with blank pages and it was divided into three sections on each page and each section had a place for a date. Inside this mommy journal you'd write things like miles stones, firsts (words, steps, etc...), and even funny things or just something your child did that day you wanted to remember.

I enjoy filling out that journal and alot of time I'd tape picture inside it too.

So when I created this last batch of paperback journals I decided to put photo pages in the back. I've officially named them "Journal Albums". 

With the sweet pink and nursery rhyme theme they'd make a wonderful mommy journal or even a pregnancy journal.  There's 100 pages for writing and between 14 and 20 pages for photos (each book varies due to book colors).



The photo above is the Strawberry covered Journal Album . It has pink writing pages and red photo pages.

Just like yesterday's paperback book, you could also use these journals as guest book. I left most of them blank, but stamped a few, like this floral one. I got carried away with flowers.


And I stamped this one with the cute little chic to match the little chic cover on the front




Can you imagine your little one reading this and looking at all the photos when they're ready to be parents?

And yes, for all you mothers of boys, I can create them with boy theme colors and prints too. :)

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...