Inspired by the Paper

I am seriously addicted to patterned paper.  I buy it, I hoard it and I'm inspired by it. I often start with a piece of beautiful patterned paper as the base for a color scheme when I start a layout.  And when I open a kit, the paper is the first thing I look at.

This sheet of paper from the October Afternoon Summertime collection jumped out at me when I unpacked my September Citrus Twist kits. 

I loved the colors and bold pattern.  But I thought it was going to be super hard to use. 

When I looked more closely I really focused on the lines in the pattern.  Taking a leap of faith, I cut a large triangular piece using those lines and placed it along one side of my base paper.  I cut a smaller piece to place on the opposite side.   And then decided to place my photo right in the center.

I added some scraps of black paper to help add definition and built up my photo block with coordinating papers.  I added some die cuts and a title with great vellum alphas from the last ever Pinkfresh Studio embellishment kit and my layout was done - I thought.

But I had never cut that grey polka dot branding strip off the bottom of the base paper.  I really liked the way it looked so I ended up trimming the other end of the paper so I could keep those polka dots.  (Another make it work moment :) )

Then I was done...... and ready to pick some papers for my next project (it is the best part of scrapping)

Thanks for stopping by.

Finding My Way Back

I haven't been creating much but I think I'm finding my way back - Yay!  The September kits from Studio Calico are beautiful and I have made three layouts so far with them.  I especially like that I have made some soft and pretty things and some bright, fun things. 

This layout was inspired the sketch at Stuck!  They posted a new sketch this week.  Since it featured lots of layers, it gave me a chance to use lots of the pretty papers in the Brimfield kits.

And here is my take on the layout

I tried using my cuttlebug and dies out of vellum for the circular elements.  I know I'm probably the last one to this party but I love the effect.  (The die is from a Pinkfresh Studio embellishment kit.)


I have some more Brimfield layouts to share so keep an eye out.  Thanks for stopping by.

Chic Tags Color Challenge - and A Non-Traditional Halloween Layout

Chic Tags posts a challenge every Sunday.  I don't always have a chance to complete them, but I always check in for some inspiration.  This week's challenge is a color challenge - full of springy colors.  So I did a Halloween layout - I think it is so much fun to use unexpected colors on seasonal layouts.

 My layout is a two pager, but each page can stand on its own from a design perspective.  I accomplished this by using a common paper for the center block that runs across each page and using a uniform paper and ribbon border across the bottom of the design.  Here's the first page:

And here's the second page:

I also used common embellishments across the pages to tie them together - rubons, wood veneer, and sequins.  I especially like the way the rubons worked when I applied them across multiple papers.

 

 Do you have tricks for creating two page layouts?  I'd love some tips.  Hope you had a marvelous Monday!

This Is Me

There are almost no pictures of me in the albums I do.  In fact, there are almost no pictures of me at all.  If you look at our albums it looks like I don't exist.  That's the reason this month's Studio Calico class originally attracted me.  It was going to force me to document my existence.

But I have to say, its turned into much more than that.  I haven't gotten many pages done, but thinking about what to include and how to organize the album has turned into a journey where I am learning about me. And I'm experimenting with things that I might not try in my albums ordinarily, taking the opportunity to play with feminine colors and products, and generally stepping out of my creative box.  This might be the best class ever!

So I thought I'd share the start of my album.

I chose a SNAP album for my project, but am using it with a landscape orientation.  I'm really liking this format.  I decorated the cover with Heidi Swapp Color Shine, Prima wood veneer, October afternoon washi, divine twine, and Amy Tangerine.  Those Amy Tangerine alphas are my all time favorite.

The first page I did was the title page - I originally started with the gray and white Heidi Swapp paper just because I like the bold gray and white stripes.  After I cut the page to size, I had a scrap left.  I sprayed it with some mint color shine and silver Mr. Hueys just to see what would happen.  I loved the end result and ended up using pop dots to apply it to my page for an interesting dimensional effect.  I added some of my favorite embellishments - shipping tags, flair (from Fancy Pants) and sequins plus some Glitz giant rhinestones. One of my biggest challenges is letting go of control, so I pushed out of that box and used random squiggles of glossy accents to attach sequins - they landed where they landed.

I'll share more from my album later - its slow going but lots of fun.  I'd love to know what fun projects you are working on.  Have a great Tuesday!

Easter

I am tired of dreary winter days and the news is predicting a snowstorm tomorrow and Wednesday.  So I decided to scrap something springy to lighten the mood.  I used sketch 3 at the My Scraps and More Sketch-a-thon as my starting point.  But it was a card sketch and I have to admit that the end product doesn't look a lot like the sketch.  But you can judge for yourself.  Here's the sketch.

And here's the layout I came up with.

You had to use punched images in your layout.  I have an old creative memories punch I used for the small butterflies.  I punched them from the October Afternoon pie chart patterned paper on the bottom of the layout, positioning the punch to get different colors on the wings.  The base paper is from Creative Memories and the orange paper is from KI Memories.  The embellishments are from Basic Grey, My Minds Eye, and Amy Tangerine.  The chipboard butterflies were in my stash.

The snow is supposed to start here during the day tomorrow so I'm hoping for a snow day on Wednesday.  Stay warm and have a great week

Wish I Was There

The Winter Craft and Hobby Association show (CHA) starts today an i wish I was there.  I've been watching all the sneaks and can't believe the great lines coming out.  (I hope my lottery ticket wins!)

Since I can't be there, I thought I'd share some of my favorite sneaks with you - these are line I know will find their way into my stash.

DIY by Crate Paper - I think this is my absolute favorite - look at the transparencies and other great embellishments!


Snippets by Studio Calico - love the colors, patterns and wood veneer




 

Daily Flash  by October Afternoon - they are just starting to show sneaks but I love this one - especially the die cuts and alphas.



Composition and Color by Websters Pages - This is an Allison Kreft design and gorgeous.  I love the colors and patterns, those little bags and nini folders - and think I need it all.

 


Hipster by Basic Grey - I love the colors, the acetate alpha and the wood veneer is amazing!



 
Day To Day by Elles Studio - the collection has great patterned paper, colors and design elements.





 

 
by Theresa Collins - inspired by memories of her mom - I love the colors and those enamel dots






 

Collectable by My Minds Eye - I love the way MME brings out different themes within a collection; it provides so many opportunities to mix and match product and create your own look.  And they have lots of new enamel dots colors (which are one of my big weaknesses.)
 

 




 

 

Since I'm not there, I'm just going to keep checking things out online and building my giant wish list.  And I think I'll play along with the CHA events at 2Peas and Studio Calico.  Are you paying attention to all the great new releases?  What are your favorites?

Everybody Loves A Parade

I love the holidays and can easily get consumed by them.  But in past years I quit making progress in my other albums and had a hard time getting started back up in Januray.  So this year I am making a concious choice to take time once in a while to do a page in a "regular album." 

One of my current projects in Elisabeth's 5th grade album.  One of the first things I wanted to capture was the Labor Day parade.  This week's sketch at the My Scraps and More Sketch Blog provided a great starting point.  I added lots of bright colors and a little sparkle to capture that fun spirit.


Here's what I ended up with.  It's bright and fun (and two pages).

Both the yellow paper and the chevron paper are from Crate Paper.  Thye other patterned paper is from Cosmo Cricket.  Then you can find some October Afternoon, some Jillibean Soup (those journaling cards have been in my stash forever), some Elle's Studio, some Studio Calico, Some American Crafts, some Paper Play Studio and some Basic Grey.  and I did some different things (for me) on this layout.

• I used some of those brads I accumulate but never use.  These wer from the October Afternoon Midway collection.
• I used sparkly thickers.
• I spread my journaling across the layout.  You can find it in three places.
• I added the picture mounted in pink with pop dots so it became a focal point.

Are you working on anything besides Christmas projects?  Let me know and enjoy your Sunday.  

December Daily -Stuck Already?

Saturday night I met a friend from teh Two Peas chat board at ARchivers for a crop.  We had a great time working together, and it was wonderful to make a new friend.  But, I have to admit, I wasn't really in the mood before I went - I didn't know what to take to work on and wasn't really feeling very creative.

So I packed up my December Daily "kit" and album along with my other Christmas scraps and embellishments.  I was going to work on DD pages so I could just drop in my pictures.  Once I got there, I made a huge mess,but couldn't really get started.  So I decided to do something with the inside covers. (Not part of my plan at all)

First I decorated the inside back cover, adding a pocket for extra photos and those photos of friends that come in the mail at the holidays.

I always struggle with what to do with those pictures and now I have a great place to store them so we can look at them in the future.

And then the inside front cover.

I love this Dear Lizzy vellum with the big gold polka dots!

After I did the covers I finished foundation pages through the end of November, created the December dividing pages and figured out how to incorporate a transparency for the first time ever.  All in all, it turned into a productive night.  And here are the lessons learned:

1) When you don't feel like packing up for a crop, it is worth it to go.  Chances are you will enjoy yourself, find some inspiration and get more done than you would at home.

2)  When you're stumped, just start with something - even if you weren't planning on doing it or end up taking it apart later.  Making the first cut and sticking the first thing down will get you going.

I was really glad I went Saturday - I made a new friend and got lots done.  I'll share some of those pages later.  Hope your Tuesday was good and that Wednesday is even better.