November's Guest DT Diva Nancy from The Nickel Nook

How long have you been scrapbooking?

I've been scrapbooking for about two years now. It all started when I attended a family reunion with a brand new camera. I came home with hundreds of pictures and I just had to do something with them! lol So I created my first scrapbook album and from then on I was hooked. 

What is your scrapbook style?

I don't know if I really have a particular style yet...I really love to dabble in all of them. That's why I enjoy the challenges that I participate in. They encourage me to try new things that I haven't attempted yet.  

Where do you create your projects?

I'm very fortunate to have a large space of my own to work in. My room is about 13' x 15' and my wonderful husband has filled it with shelves, cupboards, and built-ins for me. We also have managed to pick up several store closing units that provide fantastic storage and work surfaces. It's a very organized space and I really am grateful for it!

What is your favorite scrapbooking tools/colors/techniques?

I must confess that I'm a real tool junkie! I love to use use great tools that do their job, so I have lots of tools! I love using my Big Kick, Slice Machine, trimmers, and punches! Yet I also love to do things old school so I still go back to my decorative scissors on a regular basis. I love to use lots of color or no color, so I have a good variety of inks, paper and embellishments. There are so many fabulous techniques to use and learn and I am always learning new ones...it's never-ending fun!! 

Where do you find inspiration?

I find inspiration EVERYWHERE! If you've seen my blog then you know that I find lots of inspiration in the Bible, in music, and my garden. I also am inspired by my friends and their fabulous work, my family, memories, photos, products...again, it's never-ending fun! lol 

What is your favorite scrapbooking tip?

I would say my best tip would be to get out some of your "toys" that you really love and just play with them! Have fun and do whatever makes you happy! Nothing has to be perfect and nothing has to be done a certain way. It just has to be YOUR way because you are the one creating it! :o)

Now onto Nancy's project!!!!

Hello, my friends!

I have made a special project to celebrate my time here as Guest DT Diva. Since I'm hanging out at the Mansion for the month of November, what could be better than a house mini album? Today I'm going to share a little bit about my process of putting this mini album together. First though, here's a peek at the finished product:

This album is entitled "OUR HOME IS FILLED WITH..." I'll share more about that later in later posts, but for now we'll just talk about the construction. The first thing I did was gather up some supplies that I decided I wanted to use.

Then it's time to cover the base pieces with the paper. I covered my house pieces liberally with my ATG adhesive, laid my chosen paper over, and used my craft knife to trim around. I did this on all the pieces of the album. Some careful planning was involved due to the varying sizes of the album pieces. Next, it's time to smooth all the edges of the album. I've discovered a quick and easy tip when it comes to the sanding all the edges...I use my Dremel Tool. I used to use my sanding block and emery board, but when I saw the Imaginisce d-stress tool it reminded me of my Dremel sanding tip and I tried that. It works like a charm...so quick and easy! I just have to remember to keep it on a LOW speed, or I have a completely new shape! lol 

Usually I ink all my edges with but this time I wanted to try something different. I thought white would look nice so I painted all the edges with white acrylic paint. When using acrylic paint on paper products, try to use a good quality paint because it has less water in it. Also, use a dry bush and don't ever add water. I applied the paint and set the pages up on some paint bottles until it was dry. When you paint with acrylic paint it leaves quite a "tooth" or a texture. My solution for this is to take a little piece of brown paper bag and give it a quick sanding. This does a fabulous job of removing all the tooth but not taking away any of the color. It leaves it as smooth as the paper.

For the front cover I used one of the great house stickers as it fit the shape perfectly. I backed it with cardstock and popped it up on dimensionals. I then punched out a few tiny flowers and glued them along the fence. A few tiny bling and it was finished. 

Since I bound my album along the bottom, and it's made to open forward, I really needed to make a closure of some kind. I also want to have the flexibility of adding more to this album as time passes, so it couldn't be a solid closure. Here's what I came up with:

The title is a label placed in a Grungeboard book plate that has been heat embossed in white and backed with a tulle ruffle. I took a long piece of tulle and tied random knots along it's length. A loop is sandwiched between the title and a chipboard circle with velcro adhered on the back. The other end of the tulle is looped through another chipboard circle with the other side of the velcro. This end of the tulle is then tied in a bow and can be tightened or loosened as needed. This fastener can just be wrapped around the album and placed above the house to look rather cloudish! 

So that's my mini album construction! Thanks so much for sticking with me for such a LONG post! Hey, wake up...it's over!! lol Next Sunday,

 I'll start showing you the inside pages! If you have any questions please leave a comment! In the meantime give some thought to what your house is filled with and have a JOYFUL week! :o)