Gratitude

With the fast-paced world we live in, it is often hard to just stop and be grateful for all that we have. It is even harder, it seems, to take the time to let others in our lives know how much we appreciate them. In this world of social media, our fingers are constantly typing away, but as paper crafters, we know we can whip up a card in a matter of minutes. I challenge you, in this month where we celebrate Thanksgiving, to go a step further. Put that card in an envelope, stick a stamp on it and send it to someone you care about!!

Here is an example of one that I recently did...

~Shannon

An invitation...

to have some fun with your scraps!! I love to go through my scraps from time to time just to challenge myself and see what I can create. So many times I come across papers that I had forgotten I still had and my mojo is kicked into high gear!

So here is a party invitation that I came up with using my scraps...

This was just a reminder of how many different colors and patterns of paper there are in the Scrappin Sports & More lines!!

What will you do with your scraps?

~Shannon

Products Used:
1360 5th/6th Grade
1356 Kindergarten
1399 3rd/4th Grade
1357 1st Grade
5575 High School Stickers
1425 Swimming
1368 Basketball

Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween from Scrappin Sports & More! Do you have spooky plans for this evening? How have you spread the holiday cheer? How about sending cards to your favorite ghoul-friends?

However you celebrate...I hope you have a great day!!

~Shannon

Products Used:

1359 Kindergarten
1356 3rd/4th Grade

He's a Black Belt!

My son, Logan, worked very hard to earn his first degree black belt. With years of training several days a week, he finally got it. We were very proud of him. Luckily, everyone was pretty happy they got their belts so we could get a group picture of all the graduates!! And it was pretty handy that Scrappin Sports & More just released new Karate paper!!

Take martial arts classes? The other side of the paper is dedicated to Tae Kwon Do!!

~Shannon

Milestones

For me, running a 4 mile race never seemed possible, but this year...at the ripe ole age of FORTY, I did it!!! Yep, I was slow, but I did it! So what was the first thing I did after gulping down a bottle of water, taking some Advil and a nap? I broke out my Scrappin Sports & More supplies and got to scrappin...

I definitely see more races in my future. Good thing I have a large supply of papers in my stash!!

~Shannon

Products Used:
1383 Volleyball
1376 Homecoming
1322 Cross Country
1265 Racing Flags
5548 Stopwatches Cardstock Stickers

2...4...6...8...Who do we appreciate??

Mom, of course, for making this notebook to put all my cheers in! Sometimes, creativity happens in the easiest places. Just purchase a notebook and add a little pazzazz!!

~Shannon

Products Used:
1386 Girls Rule Cheerleading
1339 The Sport is Cheer/Gymnastics
1412 Cheerleading
1326 Hockey

Tennis Anyone?

This year, my son started taking tennis lessons and he loves it!! I have to admit, I am enjoying watching a new sport and having a new subject to scrap.

What new sports have you tried lately?

~Shannon



Products Used:
1332 Tennis
1352 The Sport Is Tennis
1381 Tennis

Back to School

and time to get caught up on school pictures from LAST school year! :) Last year my daughter earned her first letter, which was really exciting. She had an awards breakfast and was kind enough to let me take one quick picture of her with her prize! Scrappin Sports & More has such a colorful sports line that it was easy to put papers together to match her school colors!!

One more school picture done!! Are you caught up?

~Shannon

Products Used:
#1363 Sophomore
#1359 3rd/4th Grade

Wardrobe malfunction

Nothing is worse when you are on the swim team than when you lose your goggles. Luckily, this only happened to my son once this season, but when it did, he just kept swimming til he reached the end of the race. Mom, of course, was there with the camera to document!!

~Shannon

Products Used:
#1427 Teeball
#1250 Swimming Game
#1378 Prom
#5511 Swimming cardstock stickers

Scraplifting for inspiration

Do you ever see something so inspiring that you just have to scraplift it? Isn't that why we all have tons of pins on our scrapbooking board? Well, Creating Keepsakes hosts a monthly scraplift challenge and I just had to try it out with our new Sports & Activities line.

Check it out...

Here is the layout that inspired me to create this...

Thank you so much for the inspiration!!! So blog fans...what inspires you? Is there a project on the Scrappin Sports & More blog? If you scraplift a project, come back and tell us about it. Share your layout. We love hearing from you!!  And remember, we are now on Pinterest!!!

~Shannon Blinn

Products Used:
1423 Soccer (Sports & Activities)
1259 Soccer balls (Name of the Game)
1393 Soccer (Girl's Rule)
1379 Soccer (Title Sports)
5570 Soccer (super sized sticker)
5541 Soccer (cardstock stickers)
1405 Soccer (Sporty Words)

Slam Dunk!

That's what the new Sports & Activities line is. So fun and so versatile!!! I am just in love!!! Here is a layout I made with the basketball line...

~Shannon

Products Used:
Basketball (Supersized Sticker)
Basketball (Sports on Fire)
Basketball (Sports & Activities)
Baseketball (Name of the Game)

Time for a Swim!

If you are like us, this summer has been HOT!!! So what better way to cool off than to hit the pool? For us, this is a daily occurance because my son is on the swim team. When I found out that Scrappin Sports & More were releasing new swimming paper (complete with a B side that is just as awesome as the A side) I was so happy!!

~Shannon

Products Used:
1425 Swimming (Sports and Activities)
1427 Teeball (Sports and Activities)

The new line has arrived!!

There's nothing more satisfying than getting a box of scrapbook paper in the mail. When I got mine...filled with all the newly released paper from the Sports & Activities line...I immediately ran to my scraproom to play!!

Here is a layout I made with the softball paper. It works SO WELL with all the other softball papers that Scrappin Sports & More carry!!

~Shannon

Products Used:
1394 Softball (Girls Rule)
1331 Softball (Sports Head On)
1380 Softball (Title Sports)
1424 Softball (Sports & Activities)
5542 Softball (cardstock stickers)

4th of July decorations...upcycling!

The 4th of July is just around the corner and if you are like me, you will want to have a cookout with cute decorations! Well, here is one that you can make with a used tin can (washed of course) and toilet paper rolls!!!

It's easy as can be. Start with a tin can (like one you use for veggies) and cover it with your favorite paper. Scrappin Sports & More has some amazing stars and stripes on the B side...and even some A sides. For this project, I used both #1374 Gymnastics from the Title Sports line and #1391 Gymnastics from the Girl's Rule line. Bet you couldn't tell this paper was from a GYMNASTICS line could you??

After you cover the can, cover the toilet paper rolls. The tops are made from circles. Just cut a large circle, slightly larger than the top opening. I folded it in 4th and cut along the 1/4th line. That allowed me to fold it under to make the tops. I attached the top with mod podge, but any glue would probably work. I then used skewers like you use for kabobs to add the tails to the rockets. 

Embellish as desired and viola!

~Shannon Blinn

What's up Buttercup?

Every time we go to Arkansas to visit my sister in law, the kids are excited to go visit the horse, Buttercup, that lives next door. She is a very nice horse and enjoys the carrots she receives from my kids very much. It's hard not to stop and snap a picture because she is truly a very beautiful horse.

I have to say that it is very handy that Scrappin Sports & More also carries animal paper, so I always have plenty of horse-related paper and embellishments to use when I am in the mood to scrap some pictures of our dear Buttercup.

~Shannon

Products Used:
#5557 Horse Cardstock Stickers
#1296 Horses (Down on the farm)
#1243 Football Game (Game Day)
#1251 Tennis Game (Game Day)

Soccer Season

A few years ago Logan was really into soccer. As an officially soccer mom, I can remember running around every Saturday to watch him play in rain, sun and freezing winds. It is certainly not a sport for the weak at heart. But he always looked so cute in his uniform and he always tried so hard. I sort of miss those days as we move on to other sports. That's the best part of scrapping...pulling out those older pictures to scrap or looking at a layout you did from a few years back!

~Shannon

Products Used:

#1248 Soccer Game

#1375 Hockey

#1379 Soccer

#5541 Soccer cardstock stickers

Teacher Gift Weekend

Hey there scrapbook fans...stay tuned this weekend for a couple of tutorials to help you get started on those end of the year teacher gifts!! (yeah...we're here to help!)

First up is this adorable little backpack mini album...perfect to add class pictures to as a reminder of the students that year. Make an extra one for yourself as a keepsake...or as a gift to a classmate that is extra special!

Here's what you will need to begin this project...
11" x 3" strip of cardstock (I used brown)
11" x 2 3/4" strip of cardstock (2)
2 pieces of ribbon - 8" each
2 brads
2 magnets (optional)
4" x 2 1/2" piece of patterned paper (8)
5" x 5" piece of patterned paper
3" x 2 3/4" piece of patterned paper (either cardstock weight or reinforced with cardstock)
2 1/4" x 2 1/4" square piece of patterned paper (either cardstock weight or reinforced with cardstock)

Step 1:
Score 11" strip at 4 1/2", 5 1/2" and 6 1/2". Crease and fold up the center to create a tent fold.

Step 2:
Score top flap piece (3" x 2 3/4") at 1 1/4" and 1 1/2" and ahere to top back of backpack to create flap closer. (Note...you can use a corner punch to round the edges of the front flap if you want that look).

Step 3:
Score 5" x 5" square at 1/2"on one end so that you have 5" x 4 1/2" piece. Score at 2 1/4" and fold in half, adhering top edge to folded 1/2" edge.

Step 4:
Fold in half to form 2 pockets. Using a circle punch, punch 1/2 circles at the tops of each pocket.
Score 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" pocket flap piece at 1" and 1 1/4" and adhere the piece to the back of the pocket.

Step 5: Inside Page Assembly
Score 11" x 2 3/4" strips at 4 1/2", 5 1/2" and 6 1/2".
Adhere center tent folds to frame tent fold.
Adhere decorative pieces (4" x 2 1/2") to the page inserts and add your own embellishments, photos, etc.

Step 6: Final Assembly
Punch/Make 2 sets of whole in the back of the backpack to run ribbon through. Secure each by tying knots at the ends.
Place brads on lower fronts of flaps. Line up with mini magnets and adhere magnets to the main frame and pockets. (Note: if you don't have magnets, you can secure the brads all the way through so that the brad is your closure)
Adhere pocket to the front of the backpack.

And here is your final project! And because Scrappin Sports & More has such an extensive school line...you can find just about any color to use on your backpack. I used the Kindergarten and 3rd Grade papers so that I could use the blue and yellow to match my son's school colors.

Stay tuned tomorrow for another fun project!!

~Shannon

A little bit of hockey and a whole lot of paper

I have said it before and I will say it again...I LOVE that Scrappin Sports and More has paper lines that are so easy to put together!!! I also LOVE that they have such an extensive Hockey line (including PERSONALIZED papers!!)

Check it out...

~Shannon

Products Used:

#906 Custom Spirit Names
1393 Soccer (Girls Rule)
1345 Hockey (The Sport Is)
5568 Hockey Super Size Cardstock Sticer

How 'bout a little football?

Well, since the football world (at least in Indiana and Colorado) are all a-buzz with the news that Peyton Manning has left the Colts and is now a Bronco, it seemed fitting to post a layout I did documenting the last Super Bowl. With so many football supplies to choose from, I just had to use a few! And because the papers are so easy to use together, it was easy to mix and match!!

~Shannon

Products Used:
5578 Super Sporty Words Clear Sticker Football
1343 Football
1198 Football reflections

She loves the beam

My daughter has enjoyed her gymnastics season. Even though it was filled with injury (hence the back brace) she fought through the pain and still managed a few blue ribbons!! So to celebrate, I had to break out the Scrappin Sports and More papers to document her victories!!

The thing I love best about Scrappin Sports & More is how versatile the papers are!! Here I used several difference lines, but they all flow together so well (and in school colors, I might add).

~Shannon

Products Used:

1387 Cheer
1388 Dance
1393 Homecoming/Prom
1359 Third/Fourth Grade
1339 Cheer/Gymnastics