I Tried

I think I shall sub-title this post: "Why I Don't Scrapbook" or maybe "Why I Only Make Cards". You see, I had this idea. Okay, I saw this idea and decided it would make a great non-card project to sell at my markets, so I tried to make one. A test-drive, if you will. I always test-drive an idea before I dive in, just in case I'm a failure. Heaven knows I don't need extra supplies in my stash.

So here's the cover of my finished project:

I could have done better, but I'll explain in a moment why I didn't bother. ;/

Here are the Jan & Feb pages:

I kept it real simple, and not because I wanted to. More details in a moment. But what I WILL tell you is these are two pieces of the same paper, just opposite sides. I took the strip that was cut off and used it to hold the month's letters. I like the contrast, what can I say?

The letters were stamped with Dusty Durango (retired) and Old Olive inks using the long-ago retired Alpha Dots set (I think that's what it's called.) I punched out the letters with a 3/4" circle punch. You should have seen me trying to think of all the letters I needed and in which colors. OMG.

The tabs. Oh, yes, I am actually quite proud of those. Here is one pre-sticking:


I struggled with how to make these. First, I punched out 6 or 7 Kraft tabs. Then I tried to figure out how to get the letters on there. Print them on clear labels? Nah, they'd eventually come off. Print them on clear sticker material? I only have white. (Do they even make clear?) Then I got a brainstorm to print the letters! I even got them the right size on my first try!

But how to get them onto the tabs? Well, DUUUUH, why not print them first, then punch them out? I am a freaking genius sometimes. So I futzed with Word until I got them all right, then printed them on Kraft card stock and punched them out. It only took me 2 hours to figure that one out.

Then there's the whole calendar thing. I futzed and played and screamed at my PC that is old and probably dying. Then I decided to use Excel to print them. Then I stopped. Why do I even NEED a calendar?! Seriously? Most of these birthday lists are by day of the month, and you don't need a stinking grid for that! What you DO need are some lines to write on.

Do you know I own NOT ONE journaling stamp? True. But you know what? I have a COMPUTER that can PRINT LINES. That is, if the computer isn't dying and if the Word document will open in under 5 minutes. And if the stoopid printer was listening to my wail to please, oh pretty please, recognize that I am sending you a document to print. Sigh. So I eventually printed 3 pages of lines (my life rocks, yes?) and die-cut them for the pages.

(Are you feeling a little stabby yet? I am.)

So let's look at those Jan/Feb pages again so I can point out a few more things:


Do you see those handsome tabs? It only took me about 30 minutes to figure out where to attach them. I started with the top one, then did the bottom one, then I centered the middle one. NO, I DID NOT! IT IS CROOKED! And since I attached it with red-line tape, it's not going anywhere. At this point, I knew my book was ruined. I so suk at these things.

But let's go ahead and not neglect poor Sep/Oct:

Yeah, just more of the same. Here is my version of the open end of the envelope pages:

And you can see that some of the months do actually have Old Olive lettering. Sigh.

And now I'll go into the sad tale of why this is the first and last one of these I will ever make.

The Pros:
1. I used a big chunk of an un-opened package of Fall Flowers DSP from at least 2 years ago.
2. I used 7 kraft envelopes that I bought and have not used many of.
3. Um ...
4. Er .....

The Cons:
1. If I had been thinking clearly, I could have gotten 4 books out of one package of DSP. But I wasn't, and I won't.
2. I spent hours - HOURS - trying to figure out a calendar idea and I never used it. Scrapped the whole thing.
3. I can't do anything straight.
4. The pages are boring.
5. I spent the better part of 3 days putting this together.
6. I can't do anything straight.

Now let's talk about that sukky cover:


By the time I stuck on that middle tab crooked, I realized this was my first and last book, and that it wasn't going to be sold. That made it MINE. Not that I'll use it, but still ... the rules were now different, as in "I don't care".

Now it needed rrrrrrrrrrrribbon, so I gave it ribbon. Then it needed letters so you'd know what the darn thing was. After several attempts with some wooden letters, trying different words to see if they'd fit, like "b d book" or "dates" or "date book" or "imp dts", I finally gave up with the wood and dug into my stash. I found some neglected cork letters and decided that "Special Dates" would work, because you could easily write down anniversaries as well as birthdays, right?

The white flower is to fill the big green empty, and the three too-tiny pearls were an attempt at balance.

Sigh. I should stick to cards, I really should.

So that is my tale of woe. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go back to card-making. I feel some irreverence rising to the surface.

Thanks for stopping by!