Inspiration Station Sneak Peek: Reason to Celebrate Scrapbooking Process Video

Today I'm spending the day with crafters and scrapbookers at the Pleasanton, California Scrapbook Expo! But if you're not able to join us, be sure to check out the scrapbooking process video I filmed for the Expo's blog "The Weekly Scrapper." You can find all the project photos and details HERE.



You can watch the video HERE on their Youtube channel or below:



Watch for additional project posts from me on their blog each Thursday! And watch for my Expo teaching schedule coming soon!

Come Visit Me at the Scrapbook Expo!

This weekend I will be attending the Scrapbook Expo in Pleasant, California. If you're going to be there, be sure to look for me! I'd love to meet you in person. I'll be walking the show and visiting some of the classrooms. You can find more information about this incredible convention that includes both shopping, as well as, crop and take classes from some of your favorite industry instructors.



Learn more HERE!

I will be teaching at a few of the conventions this year. As those plans get finalized, I'll be sure to share with you which ones I'll be attending. I hope you'll consider taking a class with me. It's always exciting when I can meet my students in person!



In the meantime, if you're looking for some great projects and inspiration, be sure to visit their "Weekly Scrapper" blog HERE for daily videos, project tutorials, and more. I blog there every Thursday in my "Inspiration Station" post in which I share card, layout, and altered art projects.


Make It Meaningful: Sailboat Hook

If you're currently working on a themed room for one of your children, consider altering some of the most common everyday objects turning them into something special. This altered "Sailboat Hook" is perfect for any nautical themed space.



To alter the hook, I first stained the entire piece with an oak woodstain. When dry, I traced the basic shapes of the sailboat onto scrapbooking paper. I used my sewing machine to stitch around the edges of the shapes I created and then I glued them onto the sailboat.

To accommodate the hole of the hook, I marked on the paper where the hook would appear. I then used a circle punch the same diameter as the hole to punch a hole from that mark. I used scissors to cut a slit from the bottom of the sailboat shape up to the bottom of the hole. I then mounted the paper onto the bottom of the sailboat, using the slit I created to slide the paper around the hook. I covered this slit with additional circles.

I suggest that you cover the entire piece with Mod Podge so it can weather the wear and tear of being in a well-used space. Here's another look at this project. Make sure to pin your favorite images so you can recreate this later:



You can find additional "Make It Meaningful" paper crafting projects by searching in my sidebar. You may want to check out the following projects as well:

- Get Well Soup Bowl
- Love You Shaker Pocket

Memories Made #39 Scrapbooking Process Video: Define Good

How often are you stumped for color combinations? Sometimes I get in a color rut, but today I wanted to show you in this scrapbooking process video how you can use a non-traditional color scheme (something you might consider more Christmas colors) to create this layout:

Define Good Scrapbooking Process Video and Layout by Jen Gallacher found at www.jengallacher.com

You can watch the video HERE on my Youtube channel or below:



Here's another look at the layout. Notice the way black marries all of the green, yellow, and red together. It also is a great choice when using a black and white photo:

Define Good Scrapbooking Process Video and Layout by Jen Gallacher found at www.jengallacher.com


Here are the close-up photos of this project:

Define Good Scrapbooking Process Video and Layout by Jen Gallacher found at www.jengallacher.com

Define Good Scrapbooking Process Video and Layout by Jen Gallacher found at www.jengallacher.com

Looking for products to help you recreate this layout? Try clicking the product photos below.

Suggested Products:




Announcing the Release of My "Words Unsaid" Scrapbook Journaling Workshop!

This week I released my "Words Unsaid" scrapbook journaling workshop in my Jen Gallacher store. This incredible class was originally taught through Two Peas In a Bucket, but is now available for direct download from my store HERE.

Words Unsaid Scrapbook Journaling Workshop by Jen Gallacher: http://jen-gallacher.mybigcommerce.com/words-unsaid-self-paced-scrapbooking-workshop/


This informative classes includes the following:

* Three chapter videos
* Three full-color, chapter PDFs
* Supply lists, and tips and tricks for more getting more from the story.

Here's a peek at what you'll get in this class:

Words Unsaid Scrapbook Journaling Workshop by Jen Gallacher: http://jen-gallacher.mybigcommerce.com/words-unsaid-self-paced-scrapbooking-workshop/

Two Peas Students:
 
If you took this class through Two Peas, watch your email  inbox! I'll be offering it to you again, but you will need to opt-in to the workshop newsletter to receive all the details for downloading the class and watching the videos again.

Learn more!

If you didn't take this class, then I highly encourage you to do so. We all have stories we haven't yet shared in our scrapbooks. This class will help you identify them, and them with powerful, yet creative design approaches.


Learn more about this class HERE!

You can also check out the "Tool School" class which I now offer in my store, which shares tips and tricks for using your most beloved tools to create stunning layouts. Download that class HERE!


Inspiration Station Sneak Peek: Painting and Decorating an Embroidery Hoop for a Frame

Frames don't have to be the kind that you buy from your local craft store in the common shape of a rectangle or square. A frame can really be anything that you want, and in this week's Weekly Scrapper blog post I share how to convert an embroidery hoop into a frame. Here's a little peek at the finished project:



Want to see the completed project? Be sure to visit the blog post HERE. This week I share step-by-step instructions for the basic construction of this frame. I promise it will make you think differently about frames in the future!

Next week I'm sharing a layout video on the Weekly Scrapper blog. Be sure to check HERE for all the tutorial and video posts from the Scrapbook Expo.

Just Ask Jen: "Adventure" Layout Scrapbooking Process Video

Scrapbooking layouts are a bit like children. Sometimes it feels wrong to have a favorite, but for this month's "Just Ask Jen" scrapbooking process video I share one of my recent favorite layouts. Here is the layout I created for the Scrapbook and Cards Today Magazine blog:


You can read more about this layout HERE on their blog.

You can watch the video HERE on Youtube or below:



Here are some additional close-up photos of this project:



Suggested Products (click photos for links):



Can You Scrapbook Through Grief and Losing a Child?

This year will mark eight years since the passing of my sweet, eldest child Joseph. Eight years ago my beautiful son was taken by cancer. Eight years ago we were in the depths of despair and trying to figure out how to survive the loss of him.



To read more about Joey's story, click HERE. There have been several blog posts I have written about Joey over the years, and you can find them by using my blog search tool. It will give you some insight into the incredible young man he was and how much he is missed.

While Joey was ill and we were in and out of hospitals for chemotherapy, and radition, and a variety of surgeries to try and stop the cancer, I didn't record many of my memories except in my personal journal. Sometimes I would take my journal up to the hospital and write while he slept. He slept a lot in those latter days. But most of the time I would read to help occupy my mind rather than focus on the overwhelming helplessness that I felt in trying to help my son recover.

There is a point in my journal that I stopped writing. I also stopped taking photos of him because any outside noises or activity was just too much for him. I've looked back at the journal many times and wondered if I have it in me to finish up his story. It was a journal I had kept for over a year, but it only had about 20 pages left to fill. Joey's story stops at the point he was transported by Lifeflight to the hospital on a night we thought he may not make it. While Joey's story in real life continued for a few additional weeks, I cannot bring myself to write those memories.

Joey was a vibrant child who was also rather private. I am private in many ways myself. I also have never experienced something so difficult, so dark, and so painful as the loss of him. I cannot and will not record those memories. While they are locked forever in my heart and mind, I will not put those final days to paper. I will NOT relieve those moments. I will not dwell on the intense emotion of it. I will not focus on the darkest moment of my experiences with him. I will not defile the memory of him. I will not share those memories publicly. I just can't.

I have given myself permission to not share those last days. Because grief is so individual I would never say for anyone else what is appropriate and needed. I just wouldn't know that. I only know what I needed and what works for me.

We mourned his passing for a very long time. We continue to mourn his loss every single day. But I also want my two younger children and even my husband and I to remember him. He left such a beautiful legacy that I want to make sure he is never forgotten. This is important to me.

So there are many memories that I continue to record about him as they come to me or as I feel the need to write them down. Sometimes it is too difficult, and I cry through the process. If I can work through it, then I keep going. If not, I again give myself permission to not share that specific memory. Other memories are bright and happy and easily shared. A photo of him will make me laugh. A memory will bring a smile to one of my children's faces. Those are the stories most easily retold. Those are the memories that make it into my scrapbook.

While it has been eight years since his passing, Joey has a prominent place in my scrapbook albums. He is STILL my son, and he is still part of our family. I find that when I just allow myself to share when I'm ready then it comes more easily to me. And in many ways it has helped me to heal and to preserve his most amazing story in a way that I hope honors him best.



Today on the Paperclipping Roundtable I discussed this topic of loss and scrapbooking with the hosts Noell and Izzy Hyman, as well as, Stacy Julian and Tracy Banks. You can listen in HERE to see what we discussed and how each of us has dealt with scrapbooking about people we love after we've lost them. I'd love to hear your thoughts on how you've shared memories of loved ones who have passed on or the ways you find the strength to share those memories.


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