Welcome to the Creative Scrapbooking Diva Mansion Tour! To celebrate National Scrapbooking Day, May 7th, we wanted to share with you the wonderful groups of CSDivas.   You should have arrived here from Stephanie's Magic of Ordinary Days.  If this is your first stop, please start at Ann's Scraps of Time.

"Creative Scrapbooking Divas is ... a place for Divas to inspire, create and enjoy the process! We encourage members to create, try different things, challenge themselves and enjoy the process. At CSDivas we don't sell anything, we have monthly challenges with RAKs offered, Sponsored grand prize, great camaraderie, and we like to Spotlight our members and their fabulous creations. Most of all we want our Diva members to have fun!!!"

   We have 8 Design Team Divas aka tour guides to give you a taste of what is offered at the Diva Mansion. If you are just joining us now, you can go to Ann's blog to start at the beginning.

Our Tour List:
Ann- Gadgets/Mixin Up-Ann's Scraps of Time
Yolie- Traditional Layout- JustYolie, JustCreate
Sandy- Cards/Cricut- ScrapBook Blessings
Vanessa- Faithbooking- Creating Sensations
Alecia- Cookbooking- Welcome to Alecia's
Stephanie- Technique- The Magic of Ordinary Days
Pam- Mini album/BOM- Dreamer's Klub  >>YOU ARE HERE!
Luisa- Gift ideas- Creative Designs by Luisa

Please show some love and leave a comment for each DT Diva, some are offering a cute little RAK! You can also get entered in the Grand Prize drawing from CSDivas....

a) becoming a new member who:  completes their profile, uploads their picture and post their Introductions

OR

b) Current members, posting a NEW project to any of the groups by midnight May 7th.

In both cases please post a comment and/or upload your project here: DIVAS MANSION TOUR BLOG HOP THREAD! So we can keep good track of players who earns a ticket for the Grand Prize!

Now onto my Mansion "Room" to tour.......

A couple of months back, we did a restructuring of the groups (design team changeover!) and I inherited 2 groups...Book of Me (BOM) and Mini Albums. These were combined into one group, but are really still 2 groups. Since it is new, it is the smallest group in the room, with only 6 members!

       I must admit I've not done much with the Mini Albums section, but I am going on a retreat this next weekend, so on the 15th look for a mini book challenge!  This section will not always be a challenge, just because mini albums aren't as quick and easy to do as a LO!  But I would love to see samples of mini-albums you have created or are working on.  We will start talking about the different kinds of mini's and I have pulled up some patterns on-line to share a tutorial or two.  Keep checking back.Here is a front cover of an album I did at a CKC class in October...

The BOM part of the group is my real love.  I have a huge need to tell the stories of my life...and my ancestors' lives.  My Grandmother was the historian in our family and of 28 grandchildren, only 3 of us took time to listen to her stories....of cattle rustlers, Oklahoma land run, my mother's childhood...she should've written a book.  She didn't, but I am.  I am writing about my love of school, my hate of school (grew up!), favorite toys, boyfriends, true love, inner feelings.

   Now, don't let that scare you!  You can also NOT write all the touchy feely things in your BOM.  It is intended for your needs and your memories.  Once a month I will give a prompt in the form of a challenge...April was elementary school..

For May the topic is My Mom and I....which I haven't even done, cause I am trying to dig up a picture of the 2 of us!  I may end up being only journaling...I do that on occasion!  But as you can tell, I love to write...it just flows off my fingertips! 

       So my blog challenge to you is to do a NEW page, OF YOU and submit it to the group. (You have to join the group to be able to submit!). I will have a RAK for a random participant.  And don't forget to leave a comment here...you can even follow me if you would like..I know I would like to become friends with all of you!

Now, on to Luisa's blog....

I'm dreamin' of finishing my album...you keep dreamin' too.

Glad April is over!

Let me start by saying, I can't believe I haven't blogged in a month!  WOW!  But I basically haven't scrapped in a month and that is even more sad...or amazing.  April has been a tough month and I for one am ready to put it behind me.  I blew out my knee (having meniscus surgery in mid May) and had a large skin cancer removed. It was benign but took a BIG chunk out of my upper arm.  It is healing nicely and will be hidden by short sleeves!  So, I am pretty much over doctors....   I know I will get some scrap time in after my surgery, because I can't drive for quite awhile.  I drive a 5 speed and I'm afraid of how much pain the clutch is going to cause!

   Enough whining!  I have gotten some items finished.  If you are from Creative Scrapbooking Divas...you have already seen these.  But not all of you are members there (WHY NOT?!?), so I am repeating them!  I finally finished this project!  I started it about 3 years ago, put it away and you know what happens when a project is no longer on your work desk...it just doesn't exist!  So I pulled it out to show it as an example in my BOM/Mini Album Group at CSDivas.

It is a kit that I bought from Daisy D's (how long have they been outta business?) and I was going to do a class with it! Again, I said it went into the black hole that is unfinished projects!! The album itself sits on the outside of what is basically a cardboard pencil box. I didn't use my original, but a copy that I mirror imaged to fit the layout correctly.

  I began with copies of old pictures of myself as a little girl.  There aren't too many of them, as we really

couldn't afford to have pictures developed.

  I stamped the word Playtime of tiny little tags and attached them with brads!

I used the next 2 pages for other "treasures" in my life.  My brothers were my constant companions and there are very few things I would change about our childhood!  The ribbon was the biggest pain! I punched 4 holes in the green piece of card stock, then poked the ribbon in the holes, taping it down on the back to secure it.  I could never get it the same length on the outside edges, but gave up.  It is good enough for me!

 The second page is for Eugene. I typed his story on the red journal block, but you can't read it and has to be redone.  Then a picture of Eugene will go on it

No early childhood would be complete without horrid school photos!  I copied my handwriting and my moms writing from the back of the pictures to preserve it. And no, again I didn't use originals because this box will be handled alot and I didn't want them destroyed.  They will go into an album, where they can be protected from dirty fingers!

The inside of the box...yes it is empty....I am putting my childhood treasures in there.  I didn't want to show your for fear you would break into my house and steal my plastic farm animals or my charm bracelet or....I can't tell you...it's a secret!

I'm off to fill my box with my childhood dreams....

fill something with your dreams today!