This New York City Area Scrapbook crafter wants to capture your personal stories and memories

Hello!

I recently realized that New York City may be in need of a creative and enterprising paper crafter/ scrapbooker to help capture and illustrate it's many weddings, birthdays and other special events.

I can help!

What I can do:

• Help conceptualize and organize photos and memorabilia into a cohesive story.
• Design modern and colorful scrapbooks, photo montages or shadow boxes that fit your personal style.
• Create single pages or whole books to fit a specific need such as a birthday, anniversary, wedding or other special occasion.
• Create paper based gifts or keepsakes that will be cherished by you and your family.

Why have I decided to offer my services?

When I talk about my hobby (obsession!) to others here in New York City, I hear that they would like to do the same but don't have the time or "the creativity" to do so. 

I believe everyone has the creativity and "the eye" to make their own scrapbooks or pages but even I must admit it's intimidating and overwhelming to get started. 

Then I realized I could blend my past experience as a photo editor and current paper crafts hobby to help you stage and preserve your personal stories.

It was literally my AHA! moment and it made me really happy and grateful, because it's joining two things I do well into one.

Some samples of my work:

Travel and Adventure

Family life and every day moments 

Sports and Entertainment

Engagements, Proms and Bar /Bat Mitzvahs 

Family portrait displays for home or office

Weddings and other special events

Fun cards for any occasion

Family or holiday themed mini photo books

Shadow boxes and birth announcements

Please feel free to contact me at hernandm1@yahoo.com.

I'm ready to help and would love to make some real world scrappy friends to meet up with as well!

Have a great weekend!

Michelle

Here comes DA BOOOOOM! Scrap FX STENCILS yo!

Hello scrap happy folks!
It's friday and I have HUGE Scrap FX product news!
Scrap FX, Australian chipboard manufacturer, has a whole new line of environmentally responsible plastic stencils!!!!

EEEEEEKKK! A whole new product category from my favorite company?
I'm SO EXCITED!!!!
You KNOW how much I LOOOVE me some stencils!!!!

Coming to a store near you (soon):

Chevron/arrow design model number  2012152

Stained Glass Quarter model 2012159

Arrow collage stencil model number  2012130

These are just three of the 28 new designs. Sorry the photos are so small- you'll see the actual stencils in a few weeks BUT

Design team co-ordinator Michelle Logan made a STUNNING page for you to drool over-
check it out!  It's on her blog:
http://mlogandesigns.blogspot.com.au/2012/06/arrowchevron-heaven.html

Scrap FX has been rocking my world lately- here are some product shots from the June 2012 release:

Scrap FX Instant photo frames (a) model number 2012113 and
(b) model 2012114 as well as  Mini Instant frames model number 2012115.
The patterns on these are AMAZING! 

Scrap FX Happy Birthday Banner model number 2012100,  Bow Frames model 2012108,
 Ribbon Bow model 2012105, Bows set of three model number 2009280.

What do you think?
Swing by the Scrap FX blog and let us know!!!

Sneak peek on what's coming up on the Scrap FX blog.
We post new projects daily so add us to your reading list!

The Scrap FX June release focuses on birthday parties, frames for your special occasion images and
horses- perfect for the little ones in your life!

MuChoS SmOoChEs!
Michelle

So I'm 38 years old. A Project 365 Post

This will not be a post where I whine on and on about being "old".

I love being 38 fabulous years old.

I'm happier and more self secure now than at 28.

28 was me running around trying to figure out how to jump start my career and how to afford the latest hand bag or shoes a la Carrie in Sex and the City.

38 year old me is like WOW! CHILL, YO! 

I'm a MOM! 

It STILL trips me out!

Because I get to share moments like this.
Mural by Joshua Abram  Howard

I love the lines I see developing on my smile. 

I've always had the frown lines- frowny face is my default setting.

When I was younger, guys on the subway would say (yell from a distance):

"Smile girl! You're beautiful!"

Actually, the guy who yelled that got a smile. 

The ones who said more obnoxious things got THE LOOK.

It's a cringe worthy look. 

I tried it on myself once... DAAAAUUUUUUMMM!!!

So yeah the smile lines are a good thing- the rabid bull dog look was getting tired.

This week has been busy so I haven't been able to scrap much of anything.

I did experiment with this:

Project Life page!
Materials:  Sassafras Lass Sunshine Broadcast paper (fave ever!),  Fiskars Jenny Bowlin
flying bird punch, Ormolu spot, Studio Calico wood veneer asterisk, Smash polka dot
tape, American Crafts Sunrise alphas (fave font ever!) Hambly chicken wire tranny.

So I saw a photo of the India Street Mural Project online and I simply HAD TO SHOOT IT!

I first thought this would be easy. It was but ONLY
if you pick paper with no border. Cutting this
12 by 12 into 7 by 9 and making the pattern MATCH
was hard. But the final results were great.

India street is about 20 blocks from where I live.

How. Had. I. Missed. It?

The murals went up in 2009.

Dave and The Lolster admire Chris Soria's mural.

I was 5 months pregnant and battling doctors who were telling me I should consider "termination" because my baby would most likely be severely disabled.

I gave 'em THE LOOK. I wore it for the next 2 months.

I just felt it was gonna be ok. I FELT it. 

And she was. And she IS.

First time I let you slide down by yourself. 2/22/12

So there it is. Why I'm so happy. Why every day is a gift. 

Why I'm so freakishly expressive (blabber mouth!).

Try not to totally hate my blubbering. 

I do hold back SOME of it. :)

Not THE LOOK. 

MuChoS SmOoChEs!

Queen For A Day

Queen For a Day- Lola's first birthday cupcake 9/12/10
Materials: American Crafts Confetti glitter paper, Bella Blvd Family Dynamix Quadrants,
American Crafts glitter alphas,  Recollections rhinestone "day" and squares,
Anna Griffin crown brad, Teal stripe alphas from CardBlanc on Etsy

Holy Canoli! I missed my Punky Scraps weekly challenge deadline! OH NOOOO! I'm really sorry Nat and team! I'll get started on my canvas project right away. And YOU- gets to creating! STAT!
Here's the creative prompt:

Punky Scraps Challenge 14- CANVAS

Fun huh?  Why did I think this was due next week? ARGH!

American Crafts "Confetti" line is so CUTE!!!! I wish I had more items but a girl can only spend so much on crafty goodies. Dude when did cheese get so expensive? A pound of grapes, some Heluva Good extra sharp cheddar cheese and a loaf of bread= 12 bucks! I almost fell over! Lola cannot LIVE without her mac and cheese and broccoli lunch so I am one broke Momma.

In scrap related "news"- I have an entire BOX of bling that I've never used! I have bling words, bling shapes, bling animals, bling EVERYTHING- how did I not use my stash on every page? A mystery!
I really love how it brightens up a page but it's super hard to get it to shine on camera- a simple bounce card next to the camera lens to reflect light back onto the page fixes that right up.

I hope you have a wonderful Easter! It will be raining here in NYC so we will spend the day watching movies and playing inside. No eggs this year- Miss Lola is too young and thinks throwing them is more fun.

Miss Lola walks in Alphabet City- that FACE!!! 

Special thanks to Amy- Curly Q Mosaics! she sent me a beautiful package of home made buttons and a gorgeous Easter Themed ATC. I plan to use those buttons on my pages- one even reads:

MUcHoS SmOoChEs!
Loves it!