j.de.lu designs

Duct Tape Wallets

2012-01-30T07:27:00.000-08:00

Now I'm officially addicted to duct tape. SO many fun things to make, including a super cute women's wallet!

If you're interested in a wallet, please click on the "Duck Tape Wallet" tab above.
Thank you!

Jamie

Just Craftin' away!

2011-07-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

I have lots to share but when it comes to taking pictures of the crafts I've been doing, that's where I get meh about it all because I don't have a good light area in our house for picture taking so then I end up not posting. Not a good excuse, I know. No matter what, I decided to post anyway. :)

I am most excited about Week in the Life that starts next week. This will be my 3rd year following along with Ali Edwards and I just love it. You document all the little and big things that happen in the week once a year. Even what you ate, listened too, everything. Believe it or not, it's the routine, mundane things that are really fun to recall years later. Stuff you would never remember. By the last day, Sunday, I'm pretty much pictured out, but it feels so good to have that whole week documented and an album done. Nothing fancy, unless you want it to be. This is the first year where I have pre-made my album. Although it works for others, I've discovered that I really don't like the regimented "spots" for pictures, like you need 4 4x6 horizontal photos and 2 4x6 verticals each day, etc. That really stresses me out because I never have enough of a certain size or the right direction of the photo. So this year my album is completely open. It's an 8 1/2 by 11 ish album bound by my Zutter Bind-it-all. No pre-designed sections for pictures or words, whether I have 10 pictures for that day or 1, it will all work. And I can add more pages if needed. Here are some pictures of the album, tags and pockets that I created.

If you aren't already, join in and do Week in the Life. So fun!

Life on the Scrap Beach Challenge #5

2011-07-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

Challenge #5 was to do a page/project about home. I printed out some smaller pictures of around our home and found a mini album that was just right for it. This album is the Door Plate Album from Basic Grey. This was definitely the fastest I've ever completed a mini album, one day! Woohoo!

Life on the Scrap Beach Challenge #4

2011-07-05T12:46:00.000-07:00

Challenge #4 was to use an unfinished kit. I defnitely have plenty of those!

Life on the Scrap Beach Challenge #3

2011-07-05T12:42:00.000-07:00

Here is my entry for Challenge #3 which states that NO FLOWERS can be used. That's pretty hard to do, considering I had a few cute July 4th themed flowers, but I still like how it turned out. :)

Life on the Scrap Beach Challenge #2

2011-07-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

Katheryn from The Scrap Beach (I'm obsessed with her Ustream classes) had six challenges this weekend and here's my entry into Challenge #2. You had to do a LO using the gallon, quarter, pint design.

Mom & Me layout

2011-06-12T18:21:00.000-07:00

I recently found the picture on the left of my mom and knew I had one similar from when I was that age as a flower girl too. While completing this page today, I realized we were both the same age at the time we were flower girls and we were both in our Aunt's weddings! Similarities in life are so amazing.

The many adventures...

2011-06-06T19:19:00.000-07:00

A new 12x12 layout I recently completed with 3 hidden journaling spots. This page came together pretty quickly and it was fun to write about all my car's adventures. :)

Still loving using all my sassafras goodies so that's a lot of what's on this page.

If only I had my camera!

2011-05-31T11:31:00.000-07:00

I made these cookies I saw on Pinterest. They are chocolate chip cookies with a double stuffed Oreo inside. They were so good, I had to make another batch before we had some family and friends over this weekend. They all loved them! Especially our four year old nephew Gabriel. I SO wish I had my camera the moment he bit into the oreo cookie in the middle of the chocolate chip cookie... his face lit up and he started showing everyone and excitedly yelling, "there's another cookie inside!" It was so funny.

Gotta love those honest reactions from children.

So many memories

2011-05-25T20:19:00.000-07:00

A new 12x12 LO I completed tonight with my sassafras goodies. LOVE that it doesn't take me long to do a page when I limit myself to using only things from one kit. Yay for completed pages! :)

Journaling: it will take a book to write down all the fun, crazy, hilarious memories Nichole & I have had. It started in high school , around 1993 and although we live farther apart now, we can still pick up where we left off. GOOD TIMES!

"I'm Iron Man!'

2011-05-23T20:51:00.000-07:00

This LO is for a sketch challenge for Elle's Studio. Definitely a different design than I am used to using. This sketch was fun!

I had just gotten a big box of sassafras goodies I purchased and LOVED how everything coordinated. I cut out some of the designs out of the paper to create separate little embellishments.

From Scrapbook LO's

Journaling: As soon as his floaties were on, he yelled: "I'm Iron Man!"

game*boys LO

2011-05-23T20:34:00.000-07:00

This LO is for the Stretch your Sketches Challenge Series over at Ella Publishing. LOVE when I can finish a LO in one day! Woohoo!

From Scrapbook LO's

Knew I was only going to use one photo so the other two photo spots were going to take some ingenuity. I looked through my husbands gaming magazines and found a generic looking controller, cut it out and used it as a mask and sprayed glimmer mist over it on the bottom right, then on the top left. At this point they looked like butterflies so I knew I had to outline them. Then I added the swirly drawn "cords".

Journaling: Easter 2010 - John, Gabriel & Julien playing video games while the rest of the family was hiding Easter eggs in the house (it was raining outside).

Pagemap Challenge

2011-05-18T19:46:00.000-07:00

My first attempt at making rosette's. I learned how to make them from Kathryn on her Ustream show. I used stitching rub-ons around the white part of the page and my new $1 Joann stamps. (The camera and the word "smile"). Hard to tell in the photo, but I put a circle of Glossy Accents on the stamped camera "lens".

Project... meet Progress

2011-05-14T11:37:00.000-07:00

Finally able to complete another step in my paper organization. In this post, I showed my first step in seperating patterned color paper from plain colored paper. I had to wait until I purchased another 12x12 paper holder to finish the project. Last night I finally picked up another organizer at Joann's with my 40% off coupon - of course!

I would like a couple more of these plastic paper holders to hold the packaged kits that already have coordinated product together.

And as I was finished up this project, I realized another thing I would like to do, is have a clear plastic bag (the kind kits come in) to put all the small pieces of each color right behind each color tab. Although the whole project is not complete, I do love that I've completed another step in my ever-changing organization system.

Sharing space

2011-05-10T17:18:00.000-07:00

My hubby and I share a room for our hobbies and it's a little room. So seeing this when I walk in the room is not a complete surprise but here's what happens when the hubby's gaming chair bumps a couple of my organized paper holders *sigh*

National Scrapbook Day tomorrow!

2011-05-06T17:44:00.000-07:00

I told the hubby a few weeks ago about May 7th. "It's gonna be me and my scrap-space that day - ALL day". Since then, plans have changed a little and we'll be doing something in the evening but the rest of the day is still as planned. Woohoo! There are so many giveaways and challenges on scrapbooking blogs like the ones I'll be watching:

Following the Paper Trail - Ustream starts at 9am PST
Studio Calico - blog
Studio Sassafras - blog hop
Big Picture Classes

Studio Calico already has some of their challenges listed and I've been making a list. Thank goodness they are giving everyone until May 13th to post their finished pages.

I hope everyone has time to participate in some of the challenges. I'm going to try and do as many as I can. The best part is that I'll have more scrapbooking LO's completed!

New 12x12 LO

2011-05-04T19:07:00.000-07:00

I created this LO using this Pagemaps sketch. I don't normally layer this many things on a layout but LOVE how it turned out!

Journaling reads: his love for lemons began in the womb, when Katie became strangely addicted to lemons during her pregnancy. In this picture, John had just given Gabriel the lemon slice from his tea. John asked, "What do you say?" (hoping for a "thank you") Gabriel instead said, "sour". Funny boy. :)

A card?!?!

2011-05-02T17:40:00.000-07:00

I don't create cards as often as I do LO's but I had to create a thank you card for a friend and I like how this one turned out!

Easter picture catch-up

2011-05-01T06:44:00.000-07:00

I just remembered I said I would post more pictures of Easter decos after Easter. Couldn't resist adding some family pictures too.

The spring garland I made here

Some $1 deals I found at Michael's for the table

Our 4 year old nephew (also the only grandchild), is LOVIN' Easter

He made out like a bandit!

+ lots of eggs to find

Easter decos

Weekly Idea-Share

2011-04-29T14:55:00.000-07:00

This page was a last minute addition to an album I was hired to do. I mis-calculated the amount of pages I needed and ended the album with one side being empty. GASP! So I found some of the extra pictures I had put aside when doing the other pages and put them together with some embellishments. At that point I had the top left pictures/embellishments and the bottom right pictures/embellishments. It just looked like I did what I said I did, which was throw everything on the page (not cute). So I remembered my new white glossy accents and decided to make a circle of dots connecting the two corners of pictures/embellishments and also mimicking the background paper. I added another little circle of dots to the top left of the page also (just 'cause it was so much fun to add the other circle!).

Hope this gives you another idea to add to your arsenal. :)

A Day in Photos

2011-04-27T10:58:00.000-07:00

from my cell

Love my window seat at work

My fav song right now - so fun to listen to!

Ugh - a meeting

Lunch

Trying to grow a little christmas tree - so far, so good

On the way home

See more "day in photos" here

A new LO

2011-04-25T21:32:00.000-07:00

This page started out as an entry for a design team call but I missed the deadline. Although I missed the design team call, I still have another layout done AND it made me use some of my forgotten stamps to make the background! Yay!

Journaling: Our goal was always to get him to smile...mission accomplished

Thank you for stopping by!

Jamie

Weekly Idea-Share

2011-04-22T13:06:00.000-07:00

This weekend I am hosting Easter for our family for the first time so I've been thinking about some simple (and inexpensive) ways to decorate. I got this idea from one of my absolute FAVORITE scrapbooking blogs from Stephanie Howell.

I didn't have as cute of a selection of paper doilies at my dollar store but I got some white round ones and used chalk ink, my favorite glimmer mist (it used to be called Peacock but I can't find the link, so I linked to one that is close to the same), and some yellow paint to color them springy colors.

Then I attached little embellishments to some of them.

Then I strung them on some silver stretchy cord and hung them up on a mirror that hangs over our fireplace. FYI - I don't like the mirror but we rent and it has to stay - so I work with it :(

I think it turned out pretty cute! SUCCESS - one easter decoration up! :)

I'll post more Easter/Spring deco pictures after the festivities. Have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Blogging about Blogging

2011-04-18T17:41:00.000-07:00

Here I told you about a class I was taking to improve my blogging. It was wonderful. I actually completed some posts and got some comments! Yay! Thank you for reading and your comments! I'm now taking the next class called "Beyond Blogging for Scrapbookers".

I'm trying to improve my blog, so I'd love to see your comments and even just a "hi" would be so wonderful!

If you would, please click below to answer a quick survey question:

Weekly idea-share

2011-04-15T12:59:00.000-07:00

I AM ADDICTED TO LETTER STICKERS. You should just know that now. Of course, when I have a favorite letter sticker, I run out of those certain letters so quickly. So I ran out of "e"'s to complete this little girls' name for the album I was making. I cut the shape of the "e" from the sticker sheet, then found the closest color of cardstock I had to this pink, traced two more "e"'s, cut them out and adhered them. The pink was still a little off so I coated each letter with glossy accents. After it dried, the letters matched almost perfectly!

I hope this tip helps!

The big-time (for us, anyway)

2011-04-14T07:00:00.000-07:00

We had heard about this restaurant from friends who really enjoyed it so we decided we wanted to try it. We normally don't spend a lot on meals so when we saw online that it was going to be over $50 for dinner, it was a good excuse to go out for our anniversary.

It was a fun experience and we had a super nice waiter who was willing to explain it all to us, "first-time-fondue-r's". A suprising part was how long it took to eat. It was about 2 1/2 hours!

We experimented with all the different meats and dipping sauces. The hubby is not all about dipping sauces ever and I can't get enough of them. What a great pair we make!

The dessert was, by far, my very favorite! The cheescake was SOOOO yummy dipped in the chocolate. Gotta go back, even if it's just for dessert!

A funny thing he said

2011-04-12T12:10:00.000-07:00

This boy is our 4 year old nephew. We have him stay at our house every once in a while since he is such a fun boy. And we get our "kid-fix" since we don't have any children of our own yet.

On one of his last visits, we decided to get donuts in the morning. Yes, I know, it's not healthy, but hey it was a treat! Or so we thought.

After putting the donut in front of him, he tasted it and reluctantly took one more small bite. He didn't seem very happy so we asked him if it tasted okay. He said a shy, "yes". So my husband offered him a yogurt. He took a bite of that, closed his eyes, smiled and said, "mmmmm, NOW I'M HAPPY!"

So that's a constant phrase in our house. "Now, I'm happy!"

Weekly Idea-Share

2011-04-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

As scrapbookers and crafters, we know that some of the best ideas come from trial-and-error. The following was a trial-and-AWESOME! (cheeeeeesy, I know :) ) But I was pretty excited when this worked! An album I was hired to do recently was requested to include lots of purple and lots of butterflies. I found these butterfly stickers I purchased previously from The Dollar Tree which were for putting on walls for decoration. I normally find it difficult to decorate the front of a 12x12 album because I always feel it needs larger embellishments. These butterflies were the perfect size.

I decided to see if they would stick to the cover of the purple album I had purchased for this project.... THEY DID! And quite well too! I didn't even need any extra adhesive. If the clear cover that the album is in was not going to stay on the album, I would have used some adhesive, but since it's staying on it, it keeps the butterflies in place. So I'll see you in the wall decor section of your local dollar store!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Projects in Progress

2011-04-05T19:23:00.000-07:00

Scrapbook Paper Re-Org In the picture below: my scrapbooking paper, in the dividers on the shelf, mostly organized by color. More scrapbooking paper in the big clear bin below, not organized. I LOVE to organize my scrapbooking stuff. Re-organization usually happens after a big project and I realize (as I'm trying to find a certain embellishment or colored paper) I need an easier way to find that certain something. After being hired to complete two different 12x12 albums over the past couple months, I've realized I need more organization for my paper.

Before:

Now, I've split up the solid colors from the prints. So immediately after the "Pink" tab, is a "Pink (Patterned)" tab. BUT now that I've finally gotten all my paper in the 12x12 organizers, everything is majorly squished. So now I need a few more of these 12x12 organizers when finances allow. I'll take a picture when I've finished the project. Can't wait to finish, so in the future if I just want, for example, a blue solid piece of paper for a matte behind a photo, I'll be able to find it much faster than searching through patterned AND solid blue paper.

_________________________________

ANOTHER PROJECT: Spring planting Although we live in an apartment, we have an area in front of our door and up our walkway that I fill with potted plants.This area does not get a lot of sun, but cute flowers survive pretty well (when I remember to water them) during the spring. We purchased some bulbs and plants from the 99 cent store this past Saturday and Sunday happened to be a perfect day to start planting. I hauled the plants to my table on our patio to start the project. Shown are my new little plants and bulbs in the front and a few of my ready-to-be-cleaned-up pots in the back. The succulent plants found in almost every pot of mine are my favorite since they don't require much water and LOVE the shade. But I do get tired of having only green plants, hence the annual spring flower planting.

So once the bulbs have started to come up (fingers-crossed) and it looks all spring-y, I'll post a picture.

Project Life Giveaway!

2011-04-05T12:49:00.000-07:00

Go to this link and see how to win a Project Life by Becky Higgins. I entered! Sure it's April already, but it's never too late to document life!

Weekly Scrapbooking idea-share

2011-03-31T20:04:00.000-07:00

A recent scrapbook album I completed for a friend included the page below:

When a scrapbook friend saw the page, she said she always wondered how to use the scrapbook pages with all the words linked together. So I thought I'd share how I used the words on the page. After picking the pictures that would work best with some of the words, I used an Exacto-knife to cut some of the connected words to make a spot for the pictures to sit.

Then I used some peach glitter glue ($1 at Michael's - woohoo!) to go over the letters that I wanted to have stand out. After the glitter glue dried, some of the letters curled up so I used some quick-dry glue under a couple letters of each word to keep them attached to the picture.

The funny

2011-03-30T11:26:00.000-07:00

If I've gotta have some laughter (and who doesn't need more of that!) here are my go-to's (in no particular order):

*   Baby Laughing videos like this one. They have the best, true laugh.

*   Kristen Wiig is my favorite character on SNL and this is my FAVORITE skit:

*   "Bob's Burgers" - My new favorite show! SO funny.

*    My hubby and I both have a very sarcastic sense of humor and I LOVE that he makes me laugh all the time.

*    Our fur-child, a dog named Gizmo, makes me laugh all the time with his antics.

*   When someone walks in front of a camera acting as if they don't know they're in "the shot", in a skit or on a show. That gets me every time. I know, I'm crazy.

Hope these things make you laugh too (except for the last one, I know it's pretty random) :)

Envelope Mini Album

2011-03-29T16:48:00.000-07:00

I learned the design of this album from Laura Denison's Youtube video. Ever since finding her videos I've been obsessed with the wonderfully creative things she does. I highly recommend checking her out.

What I love today mini album

2011-03-27T14:10:00.000-07:00

I used a Tim Holtz grungeboard album that I picked up at my LSS. I had no idea what I was going to use it for, but I just HAD to have it. Shortly after I bought it, I remembered I'd always wanted to do an album of what I love at this moment. This album didn't have so many pages that I felt like I couldn't complete it. LOVE that feeling! I finally got to experience using grungeboard. I love it! It shows off my favorite glimmer mist color (Peacock) just perfectly!

It get's me through and then some

2011-03-24T11:01:00.000-07:00

My Monday through Friday, 40 hr a week, pays-the-bills job is just that. But I am SOOOO thankful that I can listen with headphones to whatever I want while I work. Here's what I listen to:

"Wake Up with Taylor" on Cosmo Radio - SiriusXM. My computer at home records the shows daily and emails them to me so I can skip the commercials and never miss a minute of the funniest show. I just love it. It's pretty quiet at my work and sometimes it's pretty hard not to laugh out loud at these two. Laughter just makes the day better! :)

This moment...

2011-03-22T22:06:00.000-07:00

The moment this picture was taken, I could think of nothing but how much I loved my new husband and how happy I was that our day had finally arrived. This MOMENT = U + ME

Blogging for Scrapbookers Class

2011-03-22T12:41:00.000-07:00

I've been blogging (definitely not consistently) for about 4 years now. In the past year or two, I've really started to do a lot more scrapbooking and play with my collection of scrapbooking items. This is due in BIG part to finally having a dedicated corner where I can leave all my scrapbooking supplies out and a closet to organize everything. Realizing how much fun I have creating pages, albums and crafts, I want to do this all the time! My newest goal is to be on a design team, sharing my pages and crafts.

I found a class called "Blogging for Scrapbookers" by Shimelle and am really looking forward to learning more about blogging my scrapbooking. I follow many scrapbookers' blogs and would love to do what they do by sharing their pages and crafts with more than just a picture. I struggle with knowing what to write on the blog and I am wondering how to take a pictures without all my clutter in the background. I hope that all the things I learn will help me on my journey to be a better scrapbooker and *fingers crossed* to be on a design team someday!

If anyone in the class is reading this - Hi! Can't wait to learn together!

12 x 12 baby girl album

2011-03-21T19:56:00.000-07:00

Here is another album I was hired to do. I received a picture of her daughter's bedroom set which included pastels and butterfly's and flowers. I created this album with this info in mind:

She was really happy with her album.

12 x 12 Butterfly Album

2011-03-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

I was hired to complete an album for a co-worker. He wanted an album as a surprise gift for his wife for her b-day. He told me she loved purple and butterflies. With that info, I made this album:

I was so happy when I heard his wife loved the album. Here is an email I received from my co-worker who hired me to do the album.

From: Henry Mitchell

Sent: Wednesday, February 16, 2011 8:42 AM
To: Jamie DeLuna
Subject: wow

It is awesome, did not know what to expect, and now that I have seen it, she is going to FLIP

Thanks a million and it was worth every penny and more….

H. Mitch Mitchell

Toilet Paper Roll Album

2010-08-02T20:06:00.000-07:00

Sounds weird, I know but it turned out really cute! Everyone I show this little album to doesn't realize it's toilet paper rolls until I tell them. This was super fun to make.

Some new 2-page LO's

2010-07-28T21:16:00.000-07:00

The newest LO

2010-07-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

Grad Layout

2010-06-28T11:47:00.000-07:00

More layouts...

2010-06-19T16:28:00.000-07:00

LOVE = Paperclipping.com

2010-06-19T16:26:00.000-07:00

Recently I've been super inspired by Noell Hyman on Paperclipping.com. Since I've become a member and watched all the videos I've really been scrapbooking often. For the last 12 yrs or so I would only scrapbook when I had an album or card to make for a specific person and occasion (i.e. an Alaska album for my MIL for Mother's Day). Lately, I find myself thinking of possible layouts ALL the time. The paperclipping tutorials really give me a base for my scrapbook page and embellishments. Instead of me thinking, "well, I have all the papers and embellishments that I love but I'm overwhelmed thinking how I put them all together", now I just want to get in to all my stuff and just put it together. I also have reasons for why embellishments look good in certain places and why it just makes sense. It gives me confidence to actually put pages together! Paperclipping live is great too, since you get to see her use products and learn how to use them. I never thought I needed distress inks like the ones Tim Holtz has since I would use my favorite little brown stamp pad to put distress edges on any of my papers. But seeing the distress inks in action when Noell uses them, made me go get some. They are so fun to use! Wow, you'd think I was getting paid to say all this but I'm not...I just LOVE paperclipping.com! :)

P.S. don't even get me started on The Paperclipping Roundtable - their weekly podcast. LOVE IT too!

i just wanna know...

2010-06-16T16:05:00.000-07:00

This layout uses a tutorial from paperclipping.com, where I learned how to affix transparencies. It is episode #47, Transparent Issues. This episode taught me how to use Diamond Glaze and small pop dots to adhere the transparencies. Priceless info!!!

National Scrapbooking Day w/Noell Hyman

2010-06-02T21:36:00.000-07:00

Noell Hyman from paperclipping.com had an awesome challenge to follow her live show on National Scrapbooking Day this year and it was SO fun! I even ended up winning 3 of the prizes that were given away in random drawings for posting pictures!

First, I narrowed it down to these supplies:

This is my version of an L shaped embellishment grouping:

This is my version of a Header grouping:

This is my version of an Anchored grouping:

This is my version of a Power grouping:

This is my version of a Border grouping:

This was the most fun I've ever had doing a scrapbooking project. Knowing that this was just for me was so nice, since I usually make the books to give away to friends and family.

Scrabble Tile Bracelet

2010-05-12T18:51:00.000-07:00

This bracelet was a gift for a very wonderful family friend. She has LOTS of pets so I took pictures of all of them and attached them to scrabble tiles, then to a charm bracelet. She loves having pictures of all her "kids" on her bracelet.

8x8 shadow box frame

2009-05-17T16:09:00.000-07:00

From 5.17.09a

12x12 Alaska Vacation Album

2009-05-17T15:33:00.000-07:00

12 x 12 Baby Boy Scrapbook

2009-05-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

Press play to see all 40 pages of this previously sold scrapbook to see examples of my designs.