Photo Puzzle Blocks: A Perfect Gift for (Almost) All Ages

Q: What happens when photos, paper and Glue Dots® get together with wood blocks? 

A: A photo puzzle is born!

These photo puzzle blocks make the perfect gift for kids 3 to 93! The puzzle is easy to make and can be completed in a few hours, including drying time. Here's what you'll need to do:

Gather Supplies:

• 12 1" wood blocks
• Glue Dots®: Mini, Craft
• 3 3x4" photographs (copies)
• 3 3x4" pieces of paper (I used DCWV recycled paper)
• filing tool (I used a nail filer)
• decoupage
• paint brush
• paper trimmer

1. Cut a photograph into 12 1" squares.
 

2. Adhere the squares to the wood blocks by placing one Craft Glue Dot® into the center of each square and Mini Glue Dots® on each corner.
 

3. Repeat Steps 1 & 2 with the remaining photographs and paper.
 

4. Gently sand the edges of each wood block. (This is optional, but will help clean up the edges and mask imperfections.)
 

5. Brush a light coat of decoupage onto the blocks to seal them and let dry. Repeat if necessary.

A simple and thoughtful gift for children or loved ones, photo puzzle blocks are sure to provide a few smiles and endless fun.

Thanks for stopping by ScrappinMemories4U.com! Be sure to visit tomorrow for my weekly Twitter post which will feature design team calls!

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Disclosure: I wrote this blog post while participating on the Glue Dots design team.

21 Green Scrapbooking Supplies You Already Own

Eco-friendly scrapbooking is simple: Use what you have and be creative. By "going green" on your scrapbook pages, you can save money as well as precious resources. You don't have to stop buying all the pretty paper you see at the store or in catalogs. Green scrapbooking is not a twelve-step program, but a way to balance the excess consumption of all that pretty paper and embellishments in your scrapbooks. So take a look around you. What do you see that can be used in a scrapbook or as a scrapbook?

1. Paper scraps
2. Worn-out fabric
3. Old buttons
4. Broken jewelry
5. Leftover fibers (ribbon, thread, etc.)
6. Produce mesh
7. Scratched CDs
8. Cardboard (cereal boxes, paper rolls)
9. Greeting cards
10. Words in magazines
11. Unwanted board books
12. Maps
13. Dictionary pages
14. Calendars
15. Playing cards
16. Wrapping paper
17. Puzzle pieces
18. Junk mail
19. Notebook paper
20. Candy wrappers
21. _____________ You fill in the blank.

Here are some of my eco-friendly scrapbook layouts:

"Autumn" (8x8 Page Layout)

"The Mantis" (8x8 Page Layout)

"Trash The Dress" (12x12 Page Layout)

"My Green 2Do List" (12x12 Page Layout)

Want to learn more? Read my guest post, Elaborando Una Página de Scrapbook "Ecológica,"on Zaira Ivette's blog, Hacer Scrapbooks. (There's a translate button at the top of the page.) Hacer Scrapbooks is also on Twitter as @HacerScrapbooks.

All layouts were created by Danielle Hunter of Scrappin' Memories 4U.

You may also be interested in:

• 11 ways to be an eco-friendly scrapbooker
• Green scrapbooking and an eco-friendly mini-scrapbook
• Green scrapboooking has a new supporter: @ecoscrapbook
• Nail polish paintings, ecoSCRAPBOOK & Etsy

How to make business card bookmarks using recycled scrapbook paper

If you're like me and own a small business with a limited budget, this project is for you. In the past, I've ordered business cards from Vistaprint with great results, but had to wait a few weeks to receive them since I chose the the slowest, yet cheapest shipping option available. Due to an upcoming craft show, I needed something fast and wanted more design options so I opted to make my own business cards, but with a unique twist.

Since I'm a scrapbooker and try to be environmentally conscious as much as possible, I decided to create business card bookmarks and print them on recycled paper. By doing this, I saved money, virgin paper and didn't have to worry about the environmental impacts of shipping the business cards.

Do you want to know how I made my business cards? Follow the simple instructions below and you can make your own business card bookmarks too!

Supplies:

• DCWV recycled paper, trimmed to 8.5x11
• Fiskars paper trimmer
• Fiskars rectangle hand punch
• 4" strips of ribbon
• computer
• printer

1. Create a new label template in a word processing application. Input the label width (4") and height (1.5") to be able to print 14 business card bookmarks per sheet of paper.

2. Type up your business information to fit into the label. Copy and paste the information until all 14 labels are complete. Save and print.

3. Use a paper trimmer to cut each business card bookmark.

4. Punch a hole in the center of one end of the business card bookmark. Repeat.

5. Fold your pre-cut ribbon in half and insert into the punched hole.

6. Take the two end pieces through the loop and gently pull until you have a knot at the end of the business card bookmark.

7. Clean up the ribbon edges with scissors if necessary. Repeat until all the business card bookmarks are complete.

And there you have it! A simple, crafty and inexpensive way to promote your small business:

Thanks for stopping by ScrappinMemories4U.com!

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The Retweetables: Getting messy, laughing and talking about fears

I never got the chance to "Trash the Dress" after my wedding almost ten years ago. Although my dress did get a little messy because of the rain prior to the outdoor ceremony and right after my husband and I said our vows, I didn't get it dirty on purpose. Even after a professional cleaning, there are a few mud stains on my wedding dress, but I don't mind because if I would have known about dress trashing back then, I definitely would have jumped in a lake, rolled around in the sand or splashed a rainbow of colored paint on my dress.

Since I didn't "Trash the Dress" back in 2000, I trashed it a couple weeks ago on the scrapbook layout above. It appears as though I'm in water (I hope) with a sunset (an old CD) in the background. I crazily and messily distressed and inked the edges of just about everything and added a few other details.

I decided to share this layout with you today because I spotted a few "messy" tweets (and others that are noteworthy) during the past week, which are now part of The Retweetables. You must say "The Retweetables" with a deep, yet energetic voice to really make it work and point your finger to the sky. I don't know why, but this is always in my mind when I do my #retweetable post.

Okay. Here they are:

Messy

• @modpodgerocks: Current projects underway - I love mess making! http://twitpic.com/2kktbw 
• @scrapbookcom: The Tim Holtz products and Grungy/Vintage Style work well together on this Layout... http://ow.ly/2yBHM

Messy & Funny

• @CraftyChica: RT @karenfayeth: On the Shoebox Blog, "Where Glitter Comes From"...I'd always wondered. Posting for my friend, @craftychica  http://bit.ly/cetdNT

Funny

• @luisitas: You know you are an scrapbooker if....: I was digging into my magazines and found this article from Simple Scrapbo... http://bit.ly/bWG5Fa

Fear Talkin'

• @SirScrapalot: New Post | Take the Scrapbooking Bull By the Horns - What scrapbooking fears do you have?  What are you most afraid ... http://ht.ly/18TLsr

Layout supplies: DCWV recycled paper, Heidi Swapp edge distresser, CD, produce mesh, brads, ink pad, computer font, Basic Grey chipboard, letter stamps, Scenic Route arrow, GlueDots.

Thanks for stopping by ScrappinMemories4U.com! See you on Twitter! And visit tomorrow since I will have a very big announcement!!

You may also be interested in:

The Retweetables: Just for scrapbookers

Things I learned on Twitter

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30 Green Things To Do

1. Utilize curbside recycling
2. Reduce plastic bag consumption
3. Buy secondhand clothing & household items
4. Learn organic gardening
5. Reuse boxes for storage
6. Buy products with reusable packaging
7. Snack on SunChips with the compostable bag
8. Drink Capri Sun & turn in pouches to Terracycle
9. Remove as much plastic from kitchen as possible
10. Stop buying so many paper plates
11. Make wall art with photo greeting cards
12. Reuse plastic container lazy susan as picnicware
13. Let the kids create things from the recycling bin
14. Use the blank side of school papers as notepads
15. Buy organic food
16. Eat less meat
17. Turn a favorite hobby into an eco-friendly one
18. Read about greener living
19. Wash full loads of laundry in cold water
20. Use fragrance & dye-free laundry detergent
21. Make natural cleaning products
22. Avoid air fresheners & spray perfume
23. Buy phthalate free children's hair & body wash
24. Recycle toxic nail polish & buy safer alternatives
25. Participate in Earth Day activities
26. Remember to take reusable bags into the store
27. Don’t buy plastic products with PVC
28. Take shorter showers
29. Read all ingredient labels
30. Spread the word and educate others

Try one thing or try them all. If one of the green things to do isn't for you, move onto the next and try again at a later time. My family went almost two full months without using paper plates, but life is hectic and I hate doing dishes (we don't own a dishwasher), so we still use an occasional paper plate or two or four. That's okay for now. We are trying to be better than we used to be and that's what matters.

What green things do you do?

You may also be interested in:

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• Kitty litter + newspaper + decoupage = Scrapbooking storage

Thanks for stopping by ScrappinMemories4U.com!

I won Marcal Small Steps seeds and now it's your turn!!!

If you follow me on Twitter (@ohiodanielle), you may have heard that I won seeds from Marcal Small Steps (@MarcalSmallStep). Yay for me! It was the first (and only) time I ever won anything on Twitter. A week after the contest, a large envelope arrived in the mail will an abundance of Mammoth Sunflower seeds. What a coincidence! I had already planned on planting this large type of sunflower for backyard privacy like I did in 2007:


These Mammoth Sunflowers grew TALL which is why I wanted to plant them again.

Sunflowers are happy flowers. They grow small and they grow tall, but no matter their size, sunflowers provide cheerful smiles and plentiful seeds. AND now YOU get a chance to experience your very own sunflower garden!

The first 6 people that comment on this post and leave their Twitter name or email address will win Marcal Small Steps Mammoth Sunflower Seeds!


Winners will receive two packets of Mammoth Grey Stripe Sunflower seeds! Good luck!

Layout Supplies Used: DCWV 70% Recycled Paper, Glue Dots, Fiskars Adhesive Tabs, brads, cardboard, Heidi Swapp Edge Distresser, AC Memory Marker.

11 ways to be an eco-friendly scrapbooker

How can scrapbookers be eco-friendly and consume massive amounts of paper? The arts and crafts industry has begun to take steps toward greener scrapbooking options by offering supplies using recycled and sustainable resources. Scrapbookers now have choices to allow room for eco-friendly crafting. Here are eleven simple ways to become a green, eco-friendly scrapbooker:

1. Save paper scraps.
2. Decorate scrapbook pages with gifts.
3. Keep layouts warm with old clothes.
4. Dig into the recycling bin.
5. Shop at green craft companies.
6. Stock up on recycled paper.
7. Add recycled plastic to scrapbooks.
8. Stick things together with eco-friendly glue.
9. Use non-traditional scrapbook albums.
10. Create a recycled craft space.
11. Become a digital scrapbooker.

Read the entire article, Green scrapbooking: Ways to be an eco-friendly scrapbooker, here.

The Green Stack: Scrapbooking with DCWV's recycled cardstock

In a recent post, Green scrapbooking & an eco-friendly mini-scrapbook, I mentioned that I purchased DCWV's Green Stack: 70% Recycled Paper. Below are four 8x8 layouts I created using this stack, as well as paper scraps, buttons, leftover ribbon and string. All the quotes came from Meditations on the Earth: A Book of Quotations, Poetry, and Prose.

Maumee River, Fall 2008:

Maumee River, River Road:

The mantis I found on my front porch:

Polar bears at the Toledo Zoo:

Come back tomorrow to see how I turned a kitty litter container into storage for my scrapbooking supplies. Don't forget to follow me as EcoScrapbook on Twitter, where I tweet about eco-friendly crafting and scrapbooking.