{we are} storytellers

{two sisters designs retires TODAY}

It's true, today is the last day to pick up Two Sisters Designs and Angela Powers individual goodies.

take care,

{storyteller} deann

How to Use the Zutter Bind-It-All for a Mini Album

Here is a tutorial for a hybrid mini-album using the tool by Zutter called the Bind-It-All. You will fall in love with this easy-to-use item, essential for all those mini-albums (remember Christmas season & gifts are just around the corner, so get your Bind-It-All soon!)  This is not a paid endorsement for Zutter. :)

In an article about the Zutter Bind-It-All from Associated Content, Christina VanGinkel writes, "With a small footprint, the Bind-It-All by Zutter is portable and easy to take with you to crops and other events, especially when compared to other binding machines you might find in an office, easy to use, and with a built in center guide, it even allows you to punch evenly spaced holes in projects much wider than the machine itself. The Bind-It-All might be small, but its potential for uses is HUGE!

The Bind-It-All by Zutter is perfect for scrapbook enthusiasts, crafters looking for a way to make a variety of projects from calendars to totes, or even for making those school projects easier to assemble! Just imagine, no more lining up a three-hole punch by eye, hoping that the stack of paper will come together in some fashion equaling even!"

INSTRUCTIONS

First, I created a set of file folders from a template on the Memory Makers blog. I used the Back to School Bundle from the wearestorytellers boutique. You could also use Tiff Brady's Envelope Mini Album template too.

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Next, set the guide to the "D. Inner Pages" setting, which ensures my pages will be aligned.

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Press the handle down all the way which punches the holes.

 

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Next, take the rings and trim them down to size by using a wire cutter or heavy-duty scissors. They are not very hard to cut.

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Since my rings are 1" rings, I set this part to the 1" mark.
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You will get instructions with the machine which explains that you need to put the cover in the back, then put the rings in the holes in the direction shown above.
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Put the album in the space with the open end of the rings touching the base.
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Pull the lever all the way down which makes the machine push the rings closed.

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Then take the cover and pull it around as the first page.

I sewed the chipboard letters to the cover before adhering the template pocket.
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Here is the album open, view from the top.

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View from the side.

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I cut out pieces of a children's dictionary to make the inner cover that goes over the tabs.

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Let me know if you have any questions about this mini-album or the Zutter Bind-It-All!

{storyteller} Julie Ann Shahin

{You're A Child of the 80's If}

Sometimes I wonder what my great-grandparents thought of world events or even current events in our country at the time they were my age. It would have been the time that Theodore Roosevelt was in office as U.S. President, the time of Albert Einstein and his theories of relativity, Las Vegas was a mere dream, and the Wright Brothers were just discovering air flight.

Sometimes I remind myself I need to get out on paper and into scrapbook pages what I think of current politics and of pop culture.  I want future generations to know that I did have opinions on certain things, that I was aware of more than just what happened in my household. I'm out of practice though, also feeling a little bit shy as I normally keep my political views and similar opinions for private conversations among trusted family and friends.

Even though I'm feeling shy of sharing my current thoughts on politics, I can easily and enjoyably (if that is a word?) - share my memories of life in the 1980's. I turned 10 in 1980, and I graduated from high school in 1989 so some of my most formative years happened in that decade.

So much has happened since then that the 80's seem like a lifetime ago actually. I think talking about the 80's feels much safer with 20/20 hindsight is much easier than trying to scrap about pop-culture today. At least for me.

When I decided to work with Tiff Brady's Flashback - The 80's embellishments, all kinds of memories came flooding back.

I decided to create a hybrid mini-album to start capturing those memories in a permanent form. First, I googled "You're a Child of the 80's If..." to help me brainstorm which memories felt most important.  Read this list and see if you can help from laughing out loud.

You Might Be a Child of the 80's If...

• You remember Don Johnson when he was "cool"
• You know who shot J.R
• You remember when Michael Jackson was actually considered something of a sex symbol
• You practice getting in and out of your car through the windows
• You owned at least one skinny leather tie.
• Your first Walkman weighed 10 pounds and was the size of a brick.
• You wore L.A. Gear tennis shoes.
• You know the meaning of Wax on/Wax Off
• You're always "in the mood for dancing"
• If you can "See Better" with sunglasses that have paint splattered all over the lenses.
• You wore lace gloves with the fingers cut off, bangle bracelets up to your elbows, bright red Reebok high tops and parachute pants to a school dance
• You need a shopping cart to carry your personal stereo with you.
• You remember what Michael Jackson looked like before the surgery.
• You go rollerskating every Friday night (not to skate, but to 'hang out')
• You still want to take Karate...(after you move to California)
• You watch NYPD Blue thinking, "Well, they're no Crockett and Tubbs, that's for sure".
• "Outrageous!" is the term to describe something neat and cool
• You think that Garbage Pail Kids are your children's worst enemy ou had a poster of Bo, Luke & Daisy Duke
• There was nothing to question about Bert n' Ernie living together
• The feeling in your thumb is only now just returning after holding down the Atari joystick to    control the racecar in Enduro Racer
• You went out and purchased the sound track for 'Miami Vice'
• You remember the magazines of song lyrics
• If you think Hulk Hogan is the best wrestler of all time. If the best non-slasher movie in your opinion is An American Werewolf In London.
• Two words: The Clapper.
• Six words: "This is your brain on drugs."
• You want to live in 'the Valley'.
• Ferris Bueller was your idol. Y
• ou watched 'Star Search' on a regular basis.
• You can sing all the words to "One Night in Bangkok" by Murray Head, and now you understand    that it is about chess.
• If you had an entire wardrobe of Esprit clothing (or coveted one.)
• If you know the words to the "Oscar Mayer" theme songs
• Your bangs are teased perfectly to 7 inches above the rest of your hair.
• Have multi-colored earrings that touch your shoulders
• Played Upwords, Boggle or Trivial Pursuit (the original) on a rainy afternoon
• You're still bitter that WHAM broke up
• You know whose phone number is 867-5309
• You drink Diet Coke because Max Headroom told you to
• You can feel St. Elmo's fire burnin' in you.
• You still wear a bandana tied around your leg and/or a ponytail off-center on the side of your    head.
• You have the tendency to turn up the collar of your polo shirts
• You never go out for a night on the town without frosted blue eyeshadow and feathered bangs
• Everything in your wardrobe is either pastel or fluorescent
• People are constantly gagging you with spoons.
• You know all the words to "I'm just a bill, sitting up on Capitol Hill" and "School House Rock."
• The phrase "Where's the beef?" still doubles you over with laughter.
• You still can't believe that Milli Vanilli was deceiving you all that time
• Every now and then, you blurt out: "Ooh noo, Mr. Bill!!!"
• You still watch things on Beta tapes
• You know who Martha Quinn is.
• You still carry your boom box on your shoulder
• You think David Hasselhoff was awesome in Knight Rider but sucks in "Boob Watch."
• You wanted to be "The Hulk" for halloween
• A piece of folded paper and two hands could tell your fortune.
• Knickers and leg warmers were cool
• If you remember Bruce Willis from Moonlighting, not Die Hard
• You had ringside seats for Luke and Laura's wedding
• You ever had a Dorothy Hammill haircut.
• You thought a Commodore 64 was the highest technology available
• When you saw luging at the Winter Olympics you poured water down your driveway and tried it    yourself.
• You want to be "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" 'A Different World' kicked butt Remember "Dancin' to a Big Mac at McDonalds!"
• You know who played Magnum P.I
• One Phrase, "The Plane, The Plane"
• You can name at least three members of the Brat Pack
• Still think banana clips were a godsend
• Still wear Wet n' Wild makeup
• If your idea of hi-tech toys is still the heat-sensitive color-changing sticker on Transformers
• You ever wanted to learn to play "Stairway to Heaven" on the guitar and choreographed "Dancing   Queen" by yourself in your room.
• You still wear your "Members Only" jacket.
• You still have a couple of those barettes made of woven ribbons.
• You had snap bracelets
• You remember when Pee-Wee wasn't a pervert.
• You had had five pairs of socks on at any given time
• You still think Donkey Kong can beat Mario up
• If you still have your scratch-n-sniff sticker collection
• If you ever used Lee Press-On Nails
• If you wear jelly shoes
• If you remember when you heard that drinking soda and eating Pop Rocks would make your    stomach explode
• You still play with that CASIO SK-1 Keyboard
• You're still hoping for a New Kids on the Block reunion tour
• You still argue over who was better: Tiffany or Debbie Gibson
• Every time you hear the "OH YEAH..." song you think of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"
• You still watch tapes of Stingray, McGyver, and Airwolf

Here's my Hybrid Mini-Album that I made titled "I SURVIVED THE 80's" (scroll down for close-up views)"

To create this, I used Tiff Brady's Envelope Templates. I binded it with my Zutter Bind-It-All however you could use a metal ring if you prefer.  I picked out some of my most vivid memories and googled the images. Here are a few screenshots:

Inside each envelope, I will scan and print photos of my childhood during the 80's.  I also took a sheet of Creative Imaginations Narratives by Karen Russell journal tags, and wrote down the pop culture items that I felt most connected to.

Now obviously, the 80's provide so much fruitful content for you to pick from. I could easily expand this page to 20 envelopes or more.  With the Zutter Bind-It-All, you can buy various size coils if you want a larger album.

This is definitely a project I will return to again, and add to over time. It is definitely a wonderful pleasure to take that walk down memory lane.

My Supply List:
**Digital**

Envelope Template: Tiff Brady's Envelope Templates

Embellishments: Tiff Brady's Flashback- The 80's

Papers: Amy Hutchinson's May Blossom Fizz

Photos: Internet

Font: Insaniburger  (burger king font)

Felt embellishment border used for presentation: Tiff Brady's Felty Frames and Craft Trims

**Physical**

Binding: Zutter Bind-It-All

Journal Tags: Karen Russell's Narratives for Creative Imaginations

Pen: Stampin' Up

I hope you are inspired to scrap the 80's the way you remember them. If you do, please come back and link me to it!!!!

by {storyteller} Julie Ann Shahin

The Story of My Garden

Sometimes I'm not sure where I find the time, but I do have another hobby... gardening.  It's about being creative, getting my hands dirty, being surrounded by the beauty of nature and sometimes getting a good workout, too.  I even enjoy weeding!! 

Every year I create a garden journal.  It's a great place to jot down the location of plants, when they bloom, what kind of maintenence they need, etc.  I also try to journal in a way that shows the personality of my garden- including descriptions of how it makes me feel and how my kids interact with it, for example.  Almost like a child's scrapbook, the journal documents the growth and change of my garden- its story. 
In the past I've just used a plain notebook, but this year I was inspired to do something more.  I also wanted it to be a bit more organized.

Here's my journal:

The journal is based on Tiff's Envelope Templates.  They form the dividers for the sections of my journal and also hold plant tags and seed packets- thing I might need to reference later.  I lined the inside of the envelopes with clear self-adhesive vinyl before assembling to protect the pages from any dirt or moisture that might still be on the tags.  Self-adhesive Velcro tabs keep the envelope flaps closed and allow me to open and close them repeatedly. I used the main part of the envelope template to size the cover and journaling pages.

I filled each section with blank journaling pages and also created a quickpage so I can quickly print pages with photos.  Because it's bound with binder rings, I can easily add more pages as I need them.

{we are} storytellers credits:
Envelope Templates by Tiff Brady
inbe{tween} by Emily Powers & Nikki Beaudreau
Treetop Sunrise by Emily Powers
Label It! Alpha by Two Sisters Designs

{storyteller} jennifer

{newsletter sign-up & a tweet treat}

we're on a roll now! we are so busy behind the scenes getting ready for opening day on 2/14, but we wanted to provide you with as much information as we can and often. we've got our newsletter, storytelling, all set up--please add your name to the list and we'll keep you informed of everything going on at the site: promotion, new products, coupons, challenges, etc.

and as our appreciation for signing up for our newsletter, we would like you to have these adorable 'tweet topper' goodie bag toppers designed by our very own emily powers! who wouldn't feel the love when receiving a treat like this! (consider this a 'gift with sign-up' and since we're working on the 'honor system' here, we trust you!)

and the instructions are just as easy as can be...1, 2 3! 1) simply print the tweet toppers. 2) fill snack or sandwich size baggie with your favorite valentines goodies. 3) fold topper in half and staple to your treat baggie. oh and don't forget--give!

DOWNLOAD TWEET TOPPERS HERE.

enjoy and don't forget to sign-up for our newsletter and tell your friends to stop by as well...THANKS!