Better Living Through Scrapbooking

An awesome new scrapbooking challenge blog kicks off today at Better Living Through Scrapbooking.  It's been a while in the making and you can't begin to know how difficult it has been for me to contain myself about the news that I've been invited to be a part of the inaugural Creative Team. I'm thrilled to join a diverse group of Designers chosen specifically to provide a wide variety of scrapbooking styles to users of the Better Scrap challenge blog. Design team introductions are posted at the Better Living Through Scrapbooking blog today and this morning (at some point) I will post a list of the Designers and their links on the sidebar here at Runs with Scraps.

Better Living Through Scrapbooking offers scrapbook challenges, scrapbook layout ideas, scrapbook page ideas, and scrapbook journaling ideas that help inspire you to scrap outside the box.  It's all about scrapping "real life" and well by golly that is right up my alley...as "real life" is going down around here all the time!  If you'd like to learn more about the concept behind Better Living Through Scrapbooking, you can read about it right here.

The first ever challenge is a great one to kick off the start of the new blog.  Challenge #1 is to scrapbook your scrapbooking!  We want you to create a layout or other paper crafting project that showcases some aspect of your scrapbooking hobby. Here are the guidelines that you can also find at Better Scrap.

Choose at least two of the following for your project:
1. Journal about how you've achieved "better living through scrapbooking".
2. Use at least 3 photos of your scrap space.
3. Use the title "I Scrap, Therefore..." (finish the statement in your journaling.)
4. Create a scrapbook layout using photos of your scrapbooks.
5. Have someone take a photo of you surrounded by your supplies, then use that photo as the main image on your page.
6. Create a mini-album "tour" of your scrap room.
7. Journal a list of your ten "can't live without" scrapbooking tools/supplies.

For my inspiration piece I chose to use more than 3 photos of my scrap space and journal a list of ten supplies that I love.  In fact, I actually included 9 sequential photographs of my scrap space that includes all the items I listed as the supplies I love. Additionally I incorporated those listed supplies into the project itself (with the exception of the storage containers and my Scrapcat Ziggy, although I am quite sure that somewhere on this layout there is a certain amount of his cat hair stuck in the adhesive...(that's just how we roll around here).

I couldn't wait to use the new Echo Park, Life is Good collection for this layout.  You can get it yourself right here.

I journaled on a tag that I created using my Cricut and the Sweet Treats Cartridge. My journaling states: "A Loada Scrap I Love. 1. Cricut & Cartridges, 2. Cuttlebug & Folders, 3. Adhesive Gun (ATG), 4. Sewing Machine, 5. Paper Trimmer, 6. Patterned Paper, 7. Papertrey Ink Cardstock, 8. Ribbon, 9. Storage Containers, 10. My Scrapcat - Ziggy.

Ziggy is pictured sitting in my Studio Calico Kit storage drawer. Go figure! :-)

Now before I provide you with the products used on this layout, I just want to encourage you to visit Better Living Through Scrapbooking to see the reveal of all of our Design Team creations!

Supplies Used:

Patterned Paper: Echo Park, Life is Good Paper Collection
Cardstock: Papertrey Ink Vintage Cream, Dark Chocolate and Aqua Mist
Ink: Papertrey Ink Aqua Mist Hybrid, Hero Arts Latte Chalk Ink
Fibers: Papertrey Ink Aqua Mist Swiss Dot ribbon, White Thread from my stash.
Embellishments: Dear Lizzy & American Crafts Flutter Remarks, Papertrey Ink Harvest, Echo Park Life is Good Element Stickers, Gold Vintage Button, JBS Pearl Stick Pin, Papertrey Ink Rustic Cream Button Twine
Other Tools: Fiskars Apron Border Punch, ProvoCraft Cricut Expression Machine, Cuttlebug, Swirls Embossing Folder, Sweet Treats and Mickey Mouse Font Cartridges, Papertrey Ink Pine Feather Press Fillable Frames #3 and Die Cut, Singer Sewing Machine