Three Easy Summer Projects

In the course of chauffeuring my kiddo from one activity to the next this past week, I spoke with lots of moms.  And they were all saying the same thing: that they are feeling burnt out.  It's that point in the summer when having the kids home full-time is beginning to get a bit stressful.  I'm feeling the pressure, too.  So, I decided to treat my readers to three quick crafting ideas with this post.  These are easy projects that you can do with materials you have on hand.  In the few moments that you have available to relax during your busy summer schedule, try one of these projects.  You will reduce your scrapbooking backlog, while reducing your supply stash at the same time!

Timeline Layout

Graduation Card Set

Mini Album

The first project is a summer timeline layout (below).  It's made with just cardstock, pens, ink, and adhesive, and it offers a way to fit a lot of photos on a single page.  Your layout need not be about gardening.  Put on any sort of summer photos you want, arranged in chronological order.

Supplies: cardstock (all from Wausau Paper), pens (Zig), ink (Clearsnap), adhesive (3M).

To create the circular labels (below), I traced around the base of a 3M glue stick.  The other paper shapes are cut freehand.  Their imperfections only add to the organic feel of the page.  To help the labels and shapes stand out, give their edges a quick swipe of ink before adhering them to the page.

The next project is a set of graduation cards (below).  Maybe you still have a few grad parties to attend this summer, or maybe you just need to restock for next summer.  Either way, it's easy to whip up a set of these cards.

Supplies: card bases and envelopes (Yours Truly), cardstock (assorted scraps--manufacturer unknown), stamps (Northwoods Rubber Stamps--this is one of their Cube Stamps, with coordinating stamps mounted on four sides of the cube), ink (Memories by Stewart Superior), corner rounder (Creative Memories).

You can make these cards assembly-line style.  First, trim scraps of colored cardstock into the shapes shown in the photo.  Mix and match the scraps on each card.  Stamp your images, and adhere the scraps on to the cards.  You could use any combination of colors that you have on hand, but I think that you get a particularly striking look by placing bright scraps against a dark background.

The final project is a mini vacation album (below).  I used it to house postcards from my friends' vacations, but you could use it for your own vacay snaps if you prefer.

Supplies: patterned paper (Echo Park), solid cardstock (Echo Park), alphabet stickers (Echo Park), journaling cards (Echo Park), pens (Zig), dry adhesive (3M), wet adhesive (3M), stapler.

The secret to whipping this album up quickly is to use coordinating products from a single manufacturer.  On the inside of the album (below) I kept the format the same from page to page--one photo, with a journaling card tucked behind it.

To finish off the album, staple the pages together as close as possible to the left-hand edge.  Cover the staples with a folded piece of patterned paper.  Use liquid adhesive to attach this folded strip, since you need a strong bond.  This is how the back of your album will look (below).

Thanks for taking a look at the projects in this post.  And if you're feeling summer stress at the moment, remember to take some time for yourself and relax.  You deserve it!