Taking Good Pictures

Every good scrapbooker knows that the first step to a great scrapbook page is a great picture. Because let’s face it, your pictures are the main focus of your scrapbook pages. You can place all the wonderful pattern papers, stickers and embellishments on your pages, but if you start with a bad photo, none of those things matter. It’s all about the picture. So let’s discuss a few things that will enable you to take better pictures.

Know Your Camera- This may seem painfully obvious, but think about it. How many people do you know who actually read the owner’s manual that comes with all new cameras? Usually, when we purchase a new camera, we just play around with it. Start off right and learn your camera’s features.

Use Your Tripod- This little gadget really does help in taking good pictures. Besides, with a tripod you can be in the pictures you’re taking instead of always being behind the camera.

Use Your Macro Mode- This feature helps you to take beautiful close-ups of your subject. I use mine to take the pictures of the projects I design. It shows all the wonderful small features that you might miss in the normal mode.

Simplify Your Backgrounds- By removing all the excess clutter in your pictures, you can better achieve making your subject the true focal point of your pictures.

Here are the Top 10 Tips from Kodak

1. Get down on your subject’s level
2. Use a plain background
3. Use your flash outdoors
4. Move in close to your subject
5. Take some vertical pictures
6. Lock the focus
7. Move your set object from the middle
8. Know your flash’s range
9. Watch the light
10. Be a picture director

Thank you for joining me. Until next time…

Crafty hugs,

Lisa

Stampin’ Queen Creations

Wordless Wednesday- 3/21/12

Thanks for joining me. Until next time...

Crafty hugs,

Lisa

Stampin' Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!!!

Scrap & Stamp Arts Magazine

Hi Everyone, 

I thought for today’s post I would share a project that I created for Scrap & Stamp Magazine. The project is called “Gone Fishing” and it was something I designed and sold to the magazine over 10 years ago!

I have hundreds of my designs published to date and the feeling that I get each time I see my work in a magazine or book is always the same. It’s so exciting! But this time was a little different. For one thing, looking at this project again after all this time reminded me of how far I have come in my talent. I’m so much better now! And the second feeling was much more emotional. I had created this project for my dad as a Father’s Day gift but unfortunately he had passed away before I could give it to him.  

So, although I have mixed feelings about this project one thing is for sure. Every time I see it, it reminds me of my dad. And that is something I will treasure always. Do you have a project that you created that gives you a similar feeling? I would love to hear about it.

Thanks for joining me. Until next time…

 

Crafty hugs,

Lisa

Stampin’ Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!!!

A Great Contest!

Hi Everyone!

I was asked to pass along this information about a contest that is running now. The sponsors are When Creativity Knocks and the Craft and Hobby Association. All the information is below. Be sure to check it out.

Crafty hugs,

Lisa

Stampin' Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!!!

March is National Craft Month!

When Creativity Knocks has teamed up with the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) to bring you a month of getting your craft on! Ana Araujo, When Creativity Knocks Designer, has created an "I HEART CRAFTS" tattoo image for you to use.
Attached is the FREE PDF: http://whencreativityknocks.com/mycraftspace/m/store/view/I-Heart-Crafts-PDF

Print It! Reduce It! Enlarge It! Craft It!
Create with it any way your heart desires!

Post your "I HEART CRAFTS" tattoo image projects that you created at:
http://whencreativityknocks.com/mycraftspace/ or
http://www.craftplace.org/

Who's eligible? Everyone, no age restrictions.
All those who post to be eligible to win prizes from top craft manufacturers.

Each Friday starting March 9th, and continuing on March 16th, 23rd and 30th, a winner will be picked from those who posted on the sites.

Thank You,
Ana Araujo, When Creativity Knocks
Keri Cunningham, CHA

Crafting with Crohn's Disease

When I began this blog adventure, I told you a little bit about my life. I believe that part of my responsibility as the author of my blog is not only to inform and inspire you on everything I know about scrapbooking and stamping, but to also share the things that go on in my life outside of my studio. I feel like the more you come to know me, the more you’ll enjoy what I write about. So, with that being said I thought I would share with all of you what my life is like living with a chronic illness called Crohn’s Disease. I hope that by hearing my story maybe it will help another person out there not to give up when faced with the reality of living with a chronic illness, and how crafting has saved my life.

 I began crafting as a child with my mom. We tried all kinds of different crafts. We would sew, paint, do wood work, glue things together. You name it and we did it. It was such a wonderful time in my life. As a late teen, I began experimenting with rubber stamps and then scrapbooking. That was it. I was hooked! With all of the different crafts that we dabbled in, these became first of all my favorite, and then they became my passion. I would eat, sleep, and breathe rubber stamping. As I grew older, my husband began taking me to the different stamp stores. We could be five miles away and I would lean my head out the window and say to him “It’s coming up soon, Honey. I can smell the rubber!” Needless to say, my husband thought I was nuts!

When I became a young adult, after the birth of my daughter, I began getting very sick. I would catch cols and flues all the time and then I started with vomiting and diarrhea. I would go to the doctors only to be told that I had the stomach flu, or maybe I had anorexia (which is a joke because I hate to throw up!) Or maybe, and this one was my favorite, maybe I was suffering from post partum depression. My daughter was three years old for goodness sake! Needless to say, the sicker I became the more depresses I was. On top of all of that I rarely picked up a rubber stamp. I was in a very bad way.

In 1984, after three years of illness and a 60 pound weight loss, I was finally diagnosed with an intestinal illness called Crohn’s Disease. I know this is weird to say, but I was actually happy. It took me years later to figure out that I wasn’t happy to have a disease, I was just happy that we finally knew what was going on with me. But all of it took a toll on me. My doctors told my husband that if they were to operate on me now, I would die on the table. Not because my illness was that out of control, but because I had lost the will to live. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. After some long conversations with my family and a visit from my little girl, I decided that I needed this surgery and most importantly, I needed to live. As I started to heal from my surgery and my heart began to heal from the depression, I still wasn’t back to my old self. My mom suggested I should start rubber stamping again. As I would finish one project and then begin another, I started to feel a weight being lifted off of me and I was beginning to just feel happy once again.

Through the years since my diagnoses and that very first surgery, I have had many ups and downs in my life. This disease sucks the life out of you and your family. Since 1984, I have had 51 hospitalizations and as of last year, I have had 20 surgeries. I have had my spirit broken and repaired more times than I can count. Each time I would return to my life’s passion of rubber stamping and scrapbooking. There are three things that have saved my life more than once over these last 28 years. They are, my faith in God, the love and support of my family and friends, and of course my passion for rubber stamping and scrapbooking. Without any of those things, I would not be here today and I certainly would not be able to carry on. And I continue to thank my mom for nurturing my love of crafting all those years ago.

So, I'll leave you with this thought. If you’re living with a chronic illness or dealing with some bad things in life, stop and smell the rubber (or roses if you're not a stamper!). It changed my life and it can change yours too.

 Thanks for joining me. Until next time…

Crafty hugs,

Lisa

Stampin’ Queen Creations

 

Give The Queen A Call!!!

Ann Butler on Creative Living TV Show

As I posted on Monday, my friend, Ann Butler, and I had the opportunity to fly to New Mexico to film the craft show, "Creative Living with Sheryl Borden".  To hear more about Ann's visit to the show, check out her blog in the upcoming weeks at- www.creativitystirsthesoul.com

Here's what Ann had to say about it!

This week I had the opportunity to be a guest on

"Creative Living with Sheryl Borden"

her show has been on the air for

the past 35 years which

is amazing....it was wonderful
to be able to tape 4 segments

which will air in the fall of 2012.

Here is a photo that was taken

during my "Magazine Purse" segment.

I will share more photos and

information about the show
over the next few weeks!

Wordless Wednesday- 3/14/12

Thank you for joining me. Until next time...

Crafty hugs,

Lisa

Stampin' Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!!!

A Great Give Away from Terry Ricioli!

Hi Everyone,

I am super happy to announce another great give away from a designer friend of mine, Terry Ricioli! She has a fabulous new book called "Vintage Impressions Jewelry". To see this wonderful book, please visit Terry's blog at

http://terryriciolidesigns.blogspot.com/2012/03/book-giveaway.html

Thanks for joining me. Until next time...

Crafty hugs,

Lisa

Stampin' Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!!!

Creative Living with Sheryl Borden

I am so excited I could just about burst!!! I just came back from New Mexico with my designer friend, Ann Butler. We traveled to New Mexico to film the craft show “Creative Living with Sheryl Borden” on PBS. 

Filming the show with Sheryl has been one of the greatest highlights of my life. She is one of the most down to earth people you could ever meet. She is definitely what I would call a sweet southern bell! I will be sharing more pictures and some video of my time on the show. So, stayed tuned for that, but in the meantime here’s a few photos of us playing on the set! 

Thank you Sheryl for the amazing time! I can’t wait to go back!!!

Thanks for joining me. Until next time…

Crafty hugs,

Lisa

Stampin’ Queen Creations

 Give The Queen A Call!!!

Pretty & Playful Paper Purses

I have a special treat for you today. Two pretty projects instead of one. Enjoy!!!

Thanks for joining me. Until next time...

Crafty hugs,

Lisa

Stampin' Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!!!

MATERIALS NEEDED

Purse pattern

Green leaf pattern paper- 2 sheets  8 ½” x 11”

Blue Gingham pattern paper- 2 sheets  8 ½” x 11”

White card stock

Tan card stock

Trim

Buttons

Tassel

Ribbon

Rope ribbon

Self Adhesive Velcro

¼” Hole punch

Xyron â850 with Acid-Free Permanent Adhesive Cartridge

Aleene’sÒ Ultimate Glue Gun

Pop Up GLUE DOTSÒ

Faber CastellÒ Chalk Pencils

Chalk Palette

Green embroidery floss

Eyelet Setter and pink eyelets

Black permanent marker

Dove blender pen

 

Note Cards for Ivy Purse

Olive card stock- 8 ½” x 5 ½”

Mauve card stock- 5 ½”h x 4”w

Tan card stock- 5”h x 3 ¾”w

Tan card stock- (2) 2 ¼” x 2 ¼”

Stamp A Memory inkpad- Soft Rose and Sand

Archival Ink- Olive

Rubber Stamps:

Checkered Shadow, Small Leaf by Hero Arts

Note Cards for Butterfly Purse

 Blue card stock- 8 ½” x 5 ½”

Green card stock- 4”h x 5 ½”w

Yellow card stock- 3 ¾”h x 5”w

White card stock- 3 ½”h x 4 ¾”w

Memories inkpad- Black

Designers Ink- Morning Glory Blue

Rubber Stamps:

Water Lily Skiing by Penny Black

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PURSES

Step 1. Lay card stock on an old box lid or newspaper and spray with adhesive. NOTE: Due to the fumes involved it’s best to use spray adhesive in a well ventilated area. Adhere blue gingham pattern paper to white card stock and the green leaf pattern paper to the tan card stock. 

Step 2. Place pattern pieces on the card stock side of papers, trace and cut out. Using a ruler and stylist, score papers along score lines. Fold all score lines. Glue front and back of purse together with glue gun.

Step 3. Punch holes in the top of purses. Run ribbon through both holes and tie knots on the inside of the purse. With glue gun, adhere trim along top edges of purse. Add buttons and tassels for decorative touch. Cut a small square of self adhesive Velcro and adhere under  top flap of purse.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR IVY NOTECARDS

Step 1. Fold olive card stock in half to form a 4 ¼” x 5 ½” note card. Layer mauve and tan card stock to olive note card using Xyron machine or spray adhesive. On small tan squares, stamp checkerboard shadow stamp with soft rose inkpad. In the center of the checkerboard image, stamp leaf with olive inkpad.

Step 2. Adhere small tan squares to the front of the note card using a Pop Up GLUE DOTSÒ. Make a small bow with mauve ribbon and adhere to the center of the note card, between the two small squares. See pcture for placement if needed.

 INSTRUCTIONS FOR BUTTERFLY NOTE CARDS

Step 1. Fold blue card stock in half to form a 4 ¼” x 5 ½” note card. Layer green and yellow card stock to blue note card using Xyron machine. On white card stock, stamp “Water Lily Skiing” using black inkpad. On a scrap piece of white card stock, ink image again using only the butterfly portion of the stamp. Cut out and set aside. Stamp “A Warm Hello” with blue inkpad on note card.

Step 2. Color stamped images using chalk pencils and a chalk palette. Make small hole on note card and “set” pink eyelet following manufacturers instructions on the eyelet setter. Attach green embroidery thread through the eyelet and tape down one end on the back of the white card stock and the other end by the butterfly. Adhere the cut out butterfly on top of the note card butterfly with a tiny dot of hot glue.

            NOTE: Be careful not to glue the whole butterfly down. You want the wings to appear in motion.

Step 3. Draw a line around the stamped card stock with a black permanent marker. Make small water lines with black marker. Adhere white card stock to note card with XyronÒ machine.

Wordless Wednesday 3-7-12

Thank you for joining me. Until next time...

Crafty hugs,

Lisa

Stampin' Quen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!!!

Check it out....

Get a FREE E-book

offered to you from

Fave Craft's....it is

filled with St. Patrick's Day Crafts

Let “Irish for a day” help you plan

your St. Patrick’s Day festivities.

This holiday craft guide is complete

with what to wear, how to decorate,

gifts to give and fun activities.

Including a collection of St. Patrick’s Day

recipes to complete the day.

Click here to get your FREE E-Book!

It's Almost Spring

Well, it’s the first Monday of the month and if you’ve been following my blog then you’ll realize that means it time for another round of fun and blog hopping with the fabulous designers of the Designer Craft Connection!  

This month our theme was “Spring” and I thought I would share with all of you my “Flowers & Dragonflies” frame. It’s so fun and colorful and to me it just screams “Spring”!!!

If you’re new to the Designer Craft Connection blog hop, then let me explain real quickly. There are about 50 different professional designers, who on the first Monday of each month post a project that we have created with whatever the theme is for that month. What that means for you is that you can “hop” to each of our blogs to get 50+ project ideas! That is a heck of a lot of ideas all in one place (so to speak). 

For a bonus this month, there are many designers that are offering giveaways on their blogs!!! Lots of different prizes to be won this month. The way to see all of these great ideas and have a chance to win some cool prizes, just click on the Designer Craft Connection blinkie on the right side of my blog. It’s going to be fabulous fun, so let’s get hopping!!!

Thanks for joinging me. Until next time…

Crafty Hugs,

Lisa

Stampin’ Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!!!

 

Supplies

• Sizzix® Bigz Die- Leaves #657119
• Sizzix® Big Shot Die Cut Machine
• Sizzix® Label, Ornate #3 & #5
• Provo Craft® Wood Frame
• Floral Pattern Paper
• Leafy Pattern Paper
• Card Stock- White, Pink, Light Green, Green & Lavender
• Colored Mini Brads
• 1/8” Hole Punch
• Pink Wire
• Ribbon
• Floral Trim
• Beacon Adhesives® Zip Dry Paper Glue™
• Glue Gun
• Therm-O-Web® 3D Foam Squares
• Lavender Acrylic Paint
• Spray Sealer
• Decorative Scissors
• Copic® Sketch Markers
• Clearsnap® ColorBox® Archival Dye Inkpad- Black
• Stephanie Barnard™ The Stamps of Life Sets- Creations2Fill & Cone2Dish 

Instructions

Paint frame with Lavender acrylic paint, let dry. Spray frame with sealer, let dry. Using Zip Dry Paper Glue, adhere floral pattern paper to front of frame. Adhere floral trim to frame, set aside.

Adhere leafy pattern paper to light green card stock. Run paper through the Big Shot machine with the leaves die according to manufacturer’s instructions. Repeat three times. Run the paper through four more times cutting out just the small leaf. You should have four large and medium leaves and eight small leave. Trim leaves with decorative scissors.

Stamp flowers with black inkpad, color with Copic markers and cut out. Use a pencil to “fluff” the four flowers in the vase. Stamp vase twice with black inkpad on lavender card stock, cut out. Apply foam squares to vases and adhere together.

Remove frame backing and cover with light green card stock. Replace backing. Punch holes in the center of each flower and add brads. Adhere four small leaves and wire to back of flowers. Adhere vase to frame center and add flowers. Adhere flowers and leaves to four corners of the frame.

On white card stock, stamp dragonfly twice with black inkpad. Color with markers, cut out. Shape wire into antennas and adhere to back of front dragonfly. Wrap wire around pencil a few times, cut and adhere to dragonfly. Apply foam squares and adhere dragonflies together.

Run pink and green card stock through Big Shot machine using the label dies. Stamp saying onto pink card stock. Add lines and dots with a marker. Adhere dragonfly to back of pink label, then adhere both labels together. Adhere labels to frame. Adhere bow to vase.

Brenda Pinnick on HSN

I am super excited to announce that my good friend, Brenda Pinnick, will be appearing on HSN. She will be filming on March 6^th at 2:00am and also at 12:00pm. And since March 6^th is National Scrapbook Day there will never be a better time to check out her two new collections.  

 Not only are there paper and stamp products, but the collection began as a fabric collection with Henry Glass & Co. and is officially launching at Quilt Market, soon. Also launching at Quilt Market are Brenda’s new crafting (sewing) dies with Sizzix, which also coordinate with the Piccadilly Collection!

The first collection is a scrapbook kit called Piccadilly Circle and her second collection is a stamp kit called Londonderry. Her new kits all coordinate together and they will be exclusive to HSN. Once they’re gone, they’re gone. So make sure you watch Brenda on HSN and order these great new kits for yourself and your friends! 

If you would like a sneak peek of these fabulous collections, please visit www.brendapinnick.com or www.brendapinninck.com/colorcafe

Thanks for joining me. Until next time…

Crafty hugs,

Lisa Rojas

Stampin’ Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!!!

Flower Power Girl

Anyone who knows me knows that I just love color! For me, the more color the better. That is just one of the reasons I love this scrapbook page. It’s so full of color and it’s just plain fun! But of course the main reason I love this page is being able to look back through the years and relive the memories of my very special flower girl. 

The pictures are of my beautiful baby daughter, Richelle. Although my baby girl has grown into a wonderful, beautiful adult, I can still remember how much she loved being outside and she absolutely loved flowers. In these pictures, Richelle is at my parent’s house and she is helping her Granny plant some flowers in the front yard. My mom is having a hard time getting Richelle to actually plant the flowers because she was too busy putting them up to her face to smell them. She didn’t want to put the flowers in the ground. My mom spent most of their flower planting time chasing Richelle around the yard with all of the flowers in her arms. It was so cute to watch! 

Richelle still loves flowers to this day, some 28 years later. But now, just like all those years ago, she would rather put them in a vase then plant them in the ground. I am so proud of my daughter, because just like the flowers she loves so much, she has blossomed and bloomed into a beautiful young woman. My wish for her is to one day have a little flower girl of her own. There is nothing in the world that can compare to that!

 Thank you for joining me. Until next time…

Crafty hugs,

Lisa

Stampin’ Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!!!

Flower Power Scrapbook Page

 

Materials

12”x 12” Purple card stock

8” x 101/2” Floral pattern paper

Pastel gingham frames- 3

Fuchsia card stock- scrap pieces

Flower Power title

White card stock

Various fibers

Watercolor pencils

Flower brads

Eyelets & eyelet setter

Wire- green 24 gauge and pink 26 gauge

E-Z tape runner

3-D foam squares

Wire cutters

Scissors

Round tags

Black marker

Paintbrush

Black dye based inkpad

Shoe and Bugs by Rubbernecker rubber stamps

Flower by Hampton Art stamps

Instructions

Adhere floral pattern paper to purple card stock. Create two pockets from floral paper. Create four tags from fuchsia card stock. Add pictures and text to the tags.

Add pictures to gingham frames. Adhere frames to floral paper. Add background to “Flower Power” title with fuchsia card stock. Adhere pockets to purple card stock. Tie fibers and round tags to fuchsia tags. Place tags in pockets. 

Stamp shoe, flowers and bugs on white card stock with black inkpad. Use watercolor pencils and paintbrush to color all stamped images. Cut out images. Add wire to bugs to create their legs and antennas. 

Place flower brads in center of the flowers. Add eyelets to shoe with eyelet setter. Thread ribbon through eyelets to create shoe strings. 

Adhere flowers and shoe to page. Using 3-D foam squares, adhere title and bugs to page. Add fibers all around the page edges. Add brads to all four corners of the page.

My Beautiful Daughter Now at 30 years old!
Richelle Elisabeth Rojas

March is National Craft Month

Did you know that March is National Craft Month? Since I was born in this month, it explains a lot about my creative nature and the journey into my creative life. I thought that since March is National Craft Month, I would share some of the things I'm working on.

I will be a very busy girl this month. I am currently working on the following:

v  Creating projects for a television appearance I will be filming on PBS

v  Creating new projects for magazine publication

v  Working up some designs for a few manufacturers I work with

v  Playing with some new product! My favorite thing to do!

I am super excited about my television appearance, but also a little nervous too. Everyone that knows me knows that I love to talk and teach. I guess this is the same thing but instead of 30 people watching me, it might be closer to a couple 100,000 or more. Okay, now I have totally freaked myself out!!!! What if I make a complete fool of myself? Oh well, it wouldn’t be the first time that I would have done something stupid, it would just be the first time on television! So, after you read this, please say a little prayer for me. Since I’m stepping out of my comfort zone I could use all the extra help I can get!

These are the things that I’m going to be doing this month. What about you? Have you tried to step out of your comfort zone? Why not try a new technique that you’ve been afraid to try? Heck, I figure if I can try something new, you can too! It’s okay go ahead and give it a shot. I’ll be here waiting to see how you did. I may be bald from pulling my hair out from stress, but I’ll be here. Drop me a line and let me know what you’re doing for National Craft Month!

Thanks for joining me. Until next time…

Crafty hugs,

Lisa

Stampin’ Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!!!

Wordless Wednesday 2/29/12

Thank you forjoining me. Until next time...

Crafty hugs,

Lisa

Stampin' Queen Creations

Give The Queen A Call!!!