Haven’t scrapbooked in awhile? Feeling uninspired with your current supplies and same old photos? Want to try scrapbooking or art journaling but don’t where to start? No worries. The ever-creative Kara Haupt is here to save the day!

This & That is a 158 page printable PDF jam-packed with challenges, journaling prompts, and techniques designed to get you scrapbooking again. Mix and match and use this and that to create 30+ pages! Choose one journaling prompt and one technique idea from the pool and combining ideas to get excited about creating again.

Included in the $28.50 price:

• 30 journaling prompts
• 30 technique prompts and ideas
• Tutorial for creating vintage handkerchief albums
• Printable embellishment sheets
• Instructor Video
• Email access to Kara

Last month, I asked my Twitter friends if they thought I was crazy for wanting to crochet a blanket in the middle of July. Crazy? Maybe! But I had this idea for a checkerboard -style baby blanket, and knew I wanted to wrap up our little baby girl in something just like it. So off I went, crocheting little squares that a week later would be joined to create the blanket above. It turned out to be the easiest blanket I’ve ever made, and great for Summer, since you only work with a tiny section at a time until joining them at the end- and I will say, joining  all of the little pieces was certainly time consuming!

So how about you? Are you crafty with a crochet hook, or only wish you could be? Some people appreciate the finished product, but don’t have the desire to work on such an extensive project. I get that. But if you’re somebody who actually wants to learn, and feels overwhelmed- don’t be! I learned how to do all of the stitches you see here by viewing YouTube videos kindly shared by some pretty crafty ladies. You can check out how to do the single crochet (how I made the squares in the above blanket), this video is great. For joining the squares, watch this one. And if you want to make the granny ripple blanket below (fast and easy- promise!), view the crochet-along series here.

Oh, and if you want a crochet blanket, but don’t want to put in the time- I don’t blame you! I purchased the last blanket shown here on Etsy. It was too quirky and cute to pass up.

I’ve really been loving all of those hand-painted looking posters out there. You know, the ones with a message that makes you chuckle or words of wisom that make you think. Part of the beauty of posters like this is their textural quality. I was able to get a similar look by hand writing this verse very small with a gel pen, then blowing it up on a copy machine, and eventually inverting the colors. I love the faded look of the toner-print quality, and the rugged edges of each word. Want to make your own? I’ll show you how!

S U P P L I E S :

• small piece of white paper
• gel pen (the globbier, the better!)
• pencil
• scissors
• picture or poster frame

1.) I started out by writing on a 1.75″ x 2.5″ section of white paper, practicing a few time to make sure I got the spacing and proportion how I wanted it. Then, I went over the words again, letting by pen linger on certain spots to get a globby look that you might expect from a quill pen. (By the way, if you have a quill pen- it would be probably be perfect!)

2.) Then I took my little note to the copy shop (Office Max) and enlarged it on the standard copy machine, starting with 400% and then inverting the colors (in the print options of the black and white copier) and enlarging it again by 180%, or until it was fitting properly within the 10×13″ frame I had brought along. I did try a few different sizes, since each copy only cost me nine cents. I ended up keeping this print for the 10×13″ frame, but then make another larger print which you see photographed below. To do this, I took my inverted 10×13 print to the plotter at the copy shop and enlarged it by 162%, making sure it fit perfectly in my 16×20″ picture frame.

3.) I then laid my picture frame over the print, and traced around the edges with a pencil. I trimmed a little outside of the pencil line, to make sure I didn’t have any gaps when putting it all together. After assembling the glass, paper, and cardboard of the frame, it was ready to hang!

I love this simple technique, and will probably try it again with different writing utensils. I think this would make a great house warming gift, though, just as it is!