Kiss and Tell Scrapbooking

Repurpose Old Retro Books into Smash Book Scrapbooks

Repurpose your old books into scrapbooks that will actually fit on regular bookshelves.

 
Benefits of this idea:

1. Use old stuff to make new stuff.

2. Free to very affordable.

3. Use up some of your scrapbook supply stash.

4. Have scrapbooks that will actually fit on your regular bookshelves without having to make a trip to Ikea!

5. They are quick and easy to make and are adorable (obviously).

 
Credit for this idea absolutely goes here to the Nerd Nest:  Click Here for the Nerd Nest Awesomeness!

Here's another video showing how I turned a retro home decorating book into a smash book scrapbook:

 

Here's the link to the ustream video in case that box above doesn't work:  http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/17267387.

Are you making these groovy albums?  Share your pictures and/or links in the comments.

Home Made Mini Scrapbooks / Smash Books

I listened to the Paperclipping Roundtable about minibooks {Link:  Making Unique Mini Books - Paperclipping Roundtable Podcast } today and am in LOVE with the books done by Megan of the Nerdy Nest Blog {Link: Megan's Awesome Mini Books from Hardbound Books - Completely Awesome! }.  So I made one of Megan's awesome mini books from a hardbound book - I had the perfect book that I've been waiting to use for just such a project - {I'm so in love with these!} and did a ustream video while making it:

 

Here's the link if that doesn't work (and yes its flash so you probalby can't watch it on the iphone):  http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/17257842.

Then I did another ustream video sort of a show and tell of several of my home-made minibooks, take a look:

 

And here's that link in case the above doesn't work:  http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/17258760.

While most of the time I make 12x12 or 8.5x11 scrapbook layouts, I do enjoy the mini book and find that I most enjoy them when I'm not concerned about finishing them - when they are more of an ongoing work in progress over many seasons.

Do you make home made mini books or have some links to other awesome mini book ideas?  I'd love to see them - please share in the comments.

Making Holiday Gift Baskets (for $21.00 each)

 
Watch my new ustream video to see how I made this huge holiday gift basket for $21.00 (hint- I already had the basket & the bottle of wine) but the rest of the goodies I got at Target for $21.00 total including chocolate popcorn, macadamia nut cookies, Pepperidge Farms Gingerbread cookies, flavored coffee, Stash Tea, Coldstone Creamery Truffles & much more!

 

This year I'm going green and saving green - so I'm repurposing as much as I can (like the baskets and the wine!).  I've also decided to skip the 3000+ Christmas photocards that we normally send and I'm going to take the family photo on the beach but I'm going to skip all that paper, and work, and postage and just post the family pictures on this blog & on my work blog.  This year I'm focusing on keeping the holidays as simple as possible and I'm trying to add more meaning with photo centered gifts for my family.  These baskets are gifts for our work friends. 

Home-Made Christmas Present Idea with Photos: Scrapbooking Project with Old Fashioned Slide Show Carousel

 
This is what I'm working on right now & here's why:

My Grandfather had 20+ Photo Carousels full of slides from his travels to Europe with my Grandma Grace.  Most of the photos were of the sites of Europe so they are sort of interesting, but now what we are all more interested in is pictures of my Grandparents and our family.  I've inherited all of these Carousels.  My aunt and I occasionally get out our old fashioned slide projectors (we actually have 2 and they are a bit tempermental so its good to have 2 because neither of them works consistentenly well).  But my issue with the Carousels is that the boxes are big - probably about 12x12x2 so they take up a lot of physical space.  My other issue is that my Grandfather's Carousels are nostalgic and sentimental for me so I sort of can't bear to throw them away (gasp) or even part with them.  And my family hasn't shown any interest in wanting them. 

 

This past weekend, I went to an antique show and I picked up three carousels for $1.00 each so while shaking my head at myself, I bought them and figured I could play with them and not feel bad if I played with them and ruined them somehow since the ones from the antique show don't hold sentimental value for me. 

 
This is what I've done so far with one of them - I've just added a paper tag in each of the slide slots (or most of them - I see one in this photo that's empty).  I'm planning to add photos & words & stuff & give them away as Christmas presents for family members.  I've ordered a bunch of wallet sized photos & will be picking them up today & I'll show more of my progress with this project soon.