Scrapping the Old Days

The challenge for myself was to accept the fact that there were "old days" and then find paper that works with my old days pictures. I am hoping this one worked alright :) I liked finally getting this layout into my all about me album! Back then I was totally into Led Zep (still love them) and my boyfriend, lol! He was in the Bahamas while I was in Myrtle Beach with a friend and this was my first trip without the parents... or as we called them back then "parental units", thanks to Saturday Night Live ")We all learned a lot from that show!!! Have you travelled back to scrapbook a " back then" pic?
Deb♥

All About Jen's Groovy Self

Jen is groovy at 39!
Deb♥

I have, as part of my me book, been trying to do a page of me at each age,so, I figured that I should finally do a page of me @ 39 since in a few months I am going to be 40. Did I just say 40?!...wow I am gettin old! Not!:) Lol! For this age, I just loved the banners on the patterned paper and didn’t want to cover it up so I put my pic in the far corner with my Journaling in the banners then I outlined the two banners to bring your attention to that area of my page and title thus creating a white space above.

Tfl! Have a great day!

Baby Jen T!

Aww! Look at Baby Jen! She has a great idea to dig through parent's pictures and work on BOM!!! When is the last time you worked on a layout for your own BOM? Today is the day :)
Deb♥


As I go thru my mom's old picture box and dig up pics of me I have been trying to scrapbook them right away so that I can keep my book of me going so they don’t get lost again. This is a pic of me at about 1 yrs old. Wasn’t I cute!? I just decided to keep this page pretty and simple and I used a patterned paper with colors that remind me of clothes I wore as a kid. And a little bling in the letters and corner brads. Tfl!

If You Would Like to Have a Baby...

I have just the right answer...join If It's Groovy design team!!! We have had so many of our designers become pregnant so there is something about being on this team :)

Congrats to Darlene and family :)
Deb♥

I've had this "baby fever" as I've wanted another baby for so long, but the timing was never right before this year. My husband and I decided we could start "trying" and 4 months later, we made a new baby! :) I am over the moon about this news and I have yet to share with anyone publicly until just very recently (even though I've known since week 4 about this pregnancy-- yes it has been so tempting to just spill the beans already!).

I wanted to find a neat way to tell our parents that they would be grandparents, again(!), so I decided to take a photo of my pregnancy test, write up a little poem, and make a few copies of a greeting card to send out as our announcements. This was so fun for me and I just knew this would have to get scrapbooked in my albums as well. So here is installment one of my second baby album. Maybe I'll do just a few layouts about the developing bump every trimester or so (since I take belly photos every week)? :)

Thanks for looking! :)

Heather's Favorites

I am pretty sure most of us can relate to this! Read on!
Deb♥

Somebody once told me to pick my favorite tool for scrapbooking. What? How? I can't do that!!! I have so much more then one!! I love my distress inks, I love my ATG, my trimmer is a MUST!!! Is my ipod a tool? I have to be listening to music when I am scrapping!

So, I failed! I can NOT just pick one thing that is my favorite. My answer would have to be EVERYTHING! It's the use of many tools and many scrappy supplies that makes being a scrapbooker so much fun!!!

Really? Seriously? Groovy!

Michelle has made a really fun lo that I love, if I do say so myself, but I am biased!!!
Deb♥

I wanted to make a page for myself, especially since I don't do that very often. I found this great overlay by Fancy Pants called "70's" which fits perfect for If It's Groovy(IIG). For my journaling I put the snip-its of the journey to the IIG Design Team. It started with an e-mail from my Scrappy Friend, Jen T. And after some back and forth with Deb. I was announced on IIG Blog on March 21, 2011. Later we found out that we were apart of a few of the same online scrapping sites just never crossed paths yet!
I started this page by using the same picture I have on IIG enlarged it and placed in on my base page, which was taken from a Marcella by K Paper Pad called "Bungalow." I also cut a strip of one of the patterned strips and added that under and across the base page. I also used that same patterned stripe for my journaling. Next, I lined up the overlay and got placement for the VW Bus Rub-on from Cosmo Cricket's "Get Happy" added that to the base page. I took the overlay and added to the top the Groovy Badge from Sticko "Hip Chick" and my words to complete my title "It Is" from American Crafts Thickers in "Meadow" Finally added the Peace symbol from Raisinboat stamps with Black Staz-on ink. Attached the overlay to the base page using mini Glue Dots placed in hidden areas.

A Summer Playlist

Doreen has a really neat idea to share for an All About Me album. Check this one out!!!
Deb♥

Layouts about ourselves are hard.

I know from experience that it's hard to find things about myself that I think would be interesting... But the truth of the matter is even the simpliest things about ourselves may be interesting to others. And in the future, where hopefully our layouts will still exist, they can be comical; think at how we laugh now at our pics from back in the 80s or 90s!!

That's why even though it may be difficult I try to scrap about myself from time to time. And, for those that are camera shy, the cool thing about scrapping about ourselves is we don't always have to use our pics in the layouts. If your scrapping about a hobby or a fav all you need is a pic of that subject.

My layout is a perfect example!

I love music! So much so that I wanted to scrap about my fav cds at the moment since, as you know, over time favs like this will change. Instead of scrapping a pic of me, I used pics of the cd covers on my layout. And luckily, since I had already thrown one of the covers away, I was able to find it on the internet...Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE the internet!

So here I present to you my "Fav CDs - Summer 2011"

BTW just so you can see a different variation of the same idea, I have included another layout, one I created back in the Summer of 2010; this one has no pics.

Hope this encourages you to scrap more about yourself!

This sounds like an awesome idea if you need to add to your about me book! Good thinking Jen!
Deb♥


For all that know me well they know that I also have another hobby I am addicted too other than scrapbooking...it is vampire novels...I am not sure what the lure is but I have been reading them for over a decade. and so, I thought I should scrapbook it. When I saw this dark paper it just reminded me of one of the book covers that I had and then I matted the PIC in a bright blue pulled from the book title and added my title. Have you scrap booked your other hobbies too?

Magazine Inspiration in an Interesting Way!

Applause for Sarah today...read on!
Deb♥



I created this page about myself, which is rare for me. I really wanted to document how I felt about my weight. We all struggle with this at some point right? I wanted to remember my breakthrough with letting go of the guilt I'm constantly putting on myself. To create this page, I looked through my magazines and ripped out motivational quotes that I found. I placed them the way that I wanted to and sewed along the sides of them. The picture I decided to use conveniently shows me enjoying a Sonoran Dog (as seen on Man vs Food)...guilt free! I don't scrap myself very often, but I'm so glad that I documented this freedom that I've giving myself.

Awesome Acrylic Painting

An artist comes in many forms. Here is a great example of how one type of art can lead you into many areas. Have you tried acrylic painting in your scrapbooks or on canvas? Give it a try! Think about the kind of wonderful addition it would be to your All About My Groovy Self book! Here is a truly great piece of art from Darlene ")
Deb♥


I used to attend Fashion Industries High School in NYC back a few years ago, and my elected major was art and graphic design. I had two periods of varied art classes everyday during my 4 years at Fashion. I learned how to work with acrylics, graphite, charcoal, and watercolors during my courses. This collage that I made for this photo showcases some of my better work during high school. Looking at this makes me realize how out-of-touch I am with painting and art! Upon looking through my older art recently, I decided to visit my artsy-ness and try my hand at painting again. Maybe in a few weeks I can share my newest painting with you... until then, won't you give painting on canvas a try? It is very calming and motivational, and you likely have all the supplies in your crafty home already! :)

Let's Check in with The Groovy Chicks: Kelly

Have you met Kelly? Here she is :)
Deb♥

All about me—
Can you guess what my favorite color is? I’ve loved purple ever since I was little and had my bedroom painted lavender with dark purple shag carpeting.










From that description, can you tell it was in the 1970’s? For this layout, I have a lot of purple going on. First, I stamped these purple squares all over white cardstock with these cute square stamps from Inkadinkado. Then, if you look closely, you can see that I took a silver metallic pen and doodled a frame all around the edge of the paper. Next, I cut a large square shape from a template for the mat behind my photo. I cut a silver paper rectangle and rounded the corners. I cut a smaller dark purple rectangle and ran it through the paper crimper before using my paper edgers (have you used yours recently?) to trim the lateral sides. I cut some large purple scalloped circles using a Spellbinders die. For embellishments, I swiped iridescent purple Perfect Pearls on a piece of lace and stretch folded while attaching it to the paper. At the top, is a really pretty pin from Maya Road and a small sequin butterfly. My new favorite punch from Martha Stewart is the die-cut butterfly. It is so intricate—3 of those and a purple flower finish off the design. I made the fun word puzzle on www.wordle.net. Go to the site, hit “create”, type in a bunch of words and hit “go”. It will create a wordle just for you, and you can play with the settings to change the shape, colors, and fonts. It is fun and a little addicting. Have you made a layout all about you? Think of it as a gift to yourself-you never know what you might learn!

Let's Check in with The Groovy Chicks: Heather

I asked The Groovy Chicks to tell me about their layouts that line down the blog. Here is what Heather had to say :)
Deb♥


When I first started working on this layout for the first page of my "Book of Me" album, I had no clue what I was going to title or what I was even going to journal about. So I started asking myself, "Who Am I?", "What do I want people to remember about me?". What I ended up with is on the journaling tag hidden under the photo.



























"She's Not Just a Pretty Face" is a fave song of mine by Shania Twain. I first heard it while at a Sarah Palin convention. Instantly had it downloaded onto my ipod and it still is one of my faves. That is how I came up with the title!

The journaling talks about how I am a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a grandaughter, a coworker, a scrapbooker, etc. etc. but most importantly, I am a Christian woman! I am a daughter of Christ and every day I am seeking His will for my life! Therefore, I am NOT just a pretty face, I am SO much more then that!

I must say that I really enjoyed doing this layout!! Not because it is about me, but because with a house full of men, it was nice to actually get to use pink and other girly colors!!! LOL!

(Thanks to my stepmother for this picture of me!!! She is a photographer and was taking pics of my kids at the apple orchard! She conned *hehe* me into posing for a pic and this is what we ended up with. I really liked this pic . . . after I cropped my body out of it!!! LOL!)

Let's Check in with The Groovy Chicks: Darlene

When I asked The Groovy Chicks to talk to me about their layouts that line down the right side of our blog page here is what Darlene said :)
Deb♥

This was a really fun layout for me to do- I used a sketch by Julie Bonner (http://julie-bonner.blogspot.com/2010/03/thursday.html). I used BasicGrey's, Kioshi Collection, for the striped paper under the photo mat, and I pleated 4 1 1/2 inch strips of some double sided paper and placed it under and peeking out of the Basic Grey striped paper. I embossed and sanded, the freehand cut scallops, on the blue paper and left a bunch of negative space to journal all about myself. I even used a photo from my "bad" side for the first time ever! I added my title, Jenni Bowlin butterfly, and a LilyBeeDesigns brown flower (I added a handmade rose to the center) for embellishments, and that was that! Simple. :) For more info on the journaling read on-

"Imperfectly Perfect- 40+ things I've come to embrace about myself. June 2010

When I get mad, I take a hot shower to cool down. ~I load laundry into the washer, but I forget to dry them. ~I don’t talk before I brush my teeth in the morning. ~I never wear socks to bed because I like for Chris to unwillingly warm my frozen toes with his legs. ~I wait until last minute to accomplish any task, even one with a set deadline. I work well under pressure. ~13-17 year old boys think I’m their age. ~I used to write in a semi-journal in High School, but I trashed it in fear that my parents would find the contents. I regret it now. ~I have had a desire to have another baby for months, if not years now. I have baby fever, but the timing is not right. ~I do not like to feel anything, including hands, clothes, and even my own self, when my legs are not smoothly shaved. ~I stay up way too late past midnight regularly. ~I am newly hooked onto Facebook and Google Reader for blog upkeeps. ~ I hope to be half as good of a mother as my mother is. ~Ok, yes, sometimes I’m controlling and dramatic. ~I get mushy for animals and children, especially sick ones. ~I feel much more older than I am, minus the joint pain. ~Handmade anything is my favorite gift. ~Aside from Summer time (when I’m tan) I hardly go into public without at least foundation and mascara on. ~I am afraid of the dark and I still jump into bed. ~I thoroughly enjoy reading recreationally. ~Internet use is my guilty pleasure, well that and baked goods. J ~I won’t put clean clothes on until I have showered. ~Writing “to-do” lists makes my thoughts de-clutter and stress diminishes. ~I am a perfectionist with life. Everything I make must be just right. I am very critical of myself. ~I HATE roaches. ~My tonsils are always slightly enlarged. ~Randomness in a list format makes me smile. ~Usually at night I feel my nose stopped up so I blow hard and it makes a weird sound. Chris thinks this is disgusting. ~My little sister, Kitana, makes me feel young again. ~My most procrastinated chore is cleaning the bathrooms. ~Taking Ally out of the house makes me feel like a good mom. ~I hardly cry. Maybe once every six weeks. ~I like when people call, text, or email, just to say “I love you” or “I miss you.” J ~I am pretty good at multi-tasking. ~I always wash my hands when I wake up. ~I check my cell phone voice mail about once a month, or when I have 20 compiled messages, ~I usually don’t flush pee in my own toilets. ~Text messages are so much more fun than phone conversations. ~I enjoy popping blemishes. ~I hardly remember specifics of events. ~I taught myself how to thread eyebrows. ~I love to organize by color/style/category. "

Let's Check in with The Groovy Chicks: Natalie

When I asked The Groovy Chicks to talk to me about their layouts lining the right side of the blog here is what Natalie said...

Deb♥

The LO I chose for the blog icon is from one of the first few online challenges from a blog hop that I ever did. I had decided at that point that I wanted to be a designer because I thought I had a style all my own and wanted to share it!

The challenge for this LO was to make a page using a color that described me and I chose brown. I chose brown because it is calming, reminds me of chocolate, and digging in the dirt. It is the color of my hair as well as my eyes and it is warm and earthy like me!

I had never used the square bracket page design before and had to make my own template by using one I found on the internet and then tracing it on a thick piece of chipboard that was from the inside of a calendar. I always hold on to quality chipboard that comes in packaging to use it for templates!

I used all kinds of materials, wood fiber paper,leaves, die cuts, stickers, fibers, inks, and gel markers.

Natalie

Welcome Back Groovy Chick Mandi!

Mandi previously worked here on the IIG DT as a Digi Artist. After maternity leave she rejoins us now and I would love to welcome her back by showing all of you her layout about herself as well as what she had to say about it :)
Deb♥

Mandi
"This layout was done using pink paislee cupid line. It is featuring a picture of me, with all the goals I have accomplished, and would like to accomplish in 2010!"

Let's Check in with The Groovy Chicks: Jen T

I asked The Groovy Chicks to talk with me about their layouts that line down the page here at If It's Groovy. Here is what Jen has to say :)

This lo of me I loved the already dashes border but didn’t like the design on the bottom left corner so I matted my PIC on pp and put that on top of the old design. Then I laid out my flowers to the heart design and then glued them in place. I then topped them with a red gem. The "me" title I added dimension by layering two colors of the same font slightly off each other. then I stamped red swirls onto both sides of the heart and added a diecut corner with another red gem. lastly I just carried black dashes around my PIC and outlined the photo and mat in red to give it a little pop