The Big Yes

One of the November kits I received from Studio Calico was the kit curated to go along with the Marcy Penner mini book class.  I have the class waiting for me, but decided that I was going to use this kit for traditional layouts - mostly because I couldn't wait to use that giant acrylic "YES" on a project.

And when I saw last week's scrapbook sketch at Studio Calico, I thought it was the perfect layout design.

Here is the layout I put together using the sketch and the "yes" as inspiration.

The papers and embellishments (except that light blue alpha) are all from the November Studio Calico kits.  The papers and colors were perfect for this picture of fish my daughter took on a trip to the conservatory.  She has really started to experiment with photography and my husband's "big camera" over the past year.  And I am having lots of fun documenting her journey experimenting with photography in her albums.  If she sticks with photography as a hobby, I think she will like the opportunity to look back at some of her early photos in later years.

Thanks for stopping by.

A Baby Collection For My Teenager

My baby is going to be 16 this month.  So when the Citrus Kit add-on featured the newest baby collection from SevenPaper (Clara) I thought it was something that I could pass on. 

But it turns out - I couldn't really resist the kit.  Included some products from other lines that weren't so themed, the b sides of the papers were generally very versatile, I loved the phrase stickers and who could pass up those amazing vellum star die cuts.  And it turns out that some of the first products I used from my Citrus Twist November kits were from that add-on.

I started with the November 15th sketch at Stuck?! Sketches.

As usual, my layout seemed to take on a life of its own.  I started with an idea that was pretty close to the sketch, but the elements that stood out to me were the horizontal layers under the phtoo and the embellishment clusters.  And I ended up here.

 But I think that is why I love sketches so much - they provide a ton of inspiration and give you lots of room for creativity.

The stars, the text paper, and both the pink and white phrase stickers all came from that baby themed kit.  And they were perfect for this homecoming dance photo of my daughter and her friends.  (I love that she is willing to share photos she and her friends take so that I can include them in her albums.) 

So don't forget to check out those baby products - you might be missing out on something that is perfect for your next project.

Thanks for stopping by.

Repeating Shapes

Paper Issues sponsored an online crop over the weekend that was filled with great challenges.  (If you want to play along, the challenges aren't due til midnight Saturday, so there is plenty of time.)  One of those challenges was to use at least 10 circle, triangle or square shapes on your layout.  Now this sounds pretty easy, but I was stumped.  (And yes, I know I do a lot of grid design, but nothing was working.)

I decided to use squares and knew I wanted to vary the size of the squares on my layout.  And I picked a picture.  But I spent more time than I want to admit staring at the piece of paper I thought I wanted to use as my base.  Finally I pulled out some scraps of white cardstock and cut them into 3, 2 and 1 inch squares.  Then I moved them around on the base paper until I was happy with the design.

Next I replaced one of the 3 inch squares with my photo.  Then I started digging through my basket of small scraps for papers that coordinated with my photo.  (The photo was of beach glass, so I was looking for a "beach-y" mix of colors.)  Each time a scrap caught my eye, I pulled it out and cut it into a square.  Then I would replace one of the white cardstock squares I had used to develop my layout.  I repeated this process til all the cardstock squares had been replaced with patterned paper.

I used some Evalicious puffy alphas - these are white with gold polka dots - to fit my title into the grid.  Next I added a few trips of washi tape and a puffy rectangle sticker to break up the squares just a bit and link to the rectangular title.  I added just a few embellishments to finish off the project, trying to coordinate with the colors in the patterned paper.  Some gold splats and I was done.

How do you use your scraps?  Link me up to your projects - I can always use some new ideas.

Thanks for stopping by.

When A Circle Becomes A Square

The sketch this month at My Creative Sketches is great.  The design has lots of layers and is really versatile. 

But that big circle behind the photo block really challenged me.  I have lots of tools to make cutting the circle easy, but I was feeling super lazy.  So I made it a big vellum square - this anchored the layout without adding a lot of weight.  I layered frames, labels and tags under the squares to add some of the visual interest the circle added to the original design.

The papers are mostly pink paislee - a mix from the Cedar Lane and Memorandum collections.  They are two of my favorite collections ever!  The colors and patterns are really versatile.  And that paper that is all the patterned stripes adds tons of dimension and interest.

If you use the sketch, link me up - I'd love to see.

Thanks for stopping by.

Using Old Rub Ons

Rub-ons are one of my favorite embellishments.  But sometimes I keep them too long.  (You know - saving them for the perfect project).  And then they crack or some of the images stick to the paper backing that is supposed to protect them.  I hadn't had this package of Amy Tangerine rub-ons that long - but when  opened them they looked like a supply I had hoarded too long.

 But these were really pretty and I am a frugal scrapbooker - I hate throwing away any supplies.  So I used them to make a fun background for this layout.

 First I created the two photo blocks and attached them to the base paper.  Then I added gold and teal ink splatters - cause I can't make a layout with splatters.  I used a couple of rub-ons for another package that were still in good shape to start to build the backgournd.  Other embellishments went next.  Then I randomly place the sheet of damaged rubons on the layout (trying to create a connection between the two photo blocks) and added bits of color and pattern.  I didn't worry about overlapping the rub-ons with themselves or with ink splatters.  The title went next.

And there you have it - a beautiful mixed media background using supplies that were headed for the trash.

Sharing Handmade Kindness

I came across a challenge on Jennifer McGuire's blog that I have to share.  Its the Share Handmade Kindness challenge.    She is posting challenges to help inspire us all to share things we make this month. 

I love this idea - after all I have a basket full of handmade cards that I never send or give to anyone.  And I love to bake but everyone at my house is trying not to eat a lot of sweets.  So I decided to play along.

The challenge this week is to share handmade kindness with friends and family.  So last night I whipped up a batch of my "famous" championship chocolate chip cookies.  I put them in little cellophane bags to share with friends at work - because homemade cookies make everything better.....

My original plan was to make cute little tags to attach to each bag.  But honestly, by the time I worked all day, walked the dog for an hour and made the cookies I was tired.  So first I thought that I would set the cookies aside and make the tags tonight.  Then I thought that I would just put the cookies in the cookie jar.  After all - no one knew I was making them so no one would be disappointed.

And then I watched Jennifer's video about the challenge again.  The purpose of the Jennifer's challenge to share things we make is not to impress people with how pretty the gift is.  And it's not to give the prettiest thing ever.  The purpose of the challenge is to do something kind.  And a little bag of homemade cookies on your desk would make you smile - you would know that someone cared about you. 

So the handmade tags with pretty ribbon didn't go on the bags.  The silver twist-ties that came with the bags worked perfectly.  Handmade kindness doesn't have to mean fancy - it just means thoughtful. 

So I am excited to see what the next challenge is.  And I am challenging myself to focus on the act of giving and not the act of making the prettiest card or the most elaborate gift.  Instead this is a great opportunity to remember the joy that comes with giving.

If you are playing along, I'd love to see what you made. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Two Colors

Mixing patterned papers might be one of my favorite things in the whole world.  But, for me, that usually means 4-5 colors on a layout.  So when I saw a challenge that said "use one color and an accent color" I wondered if I could do it.

I am down to the scraps from my October Citrus Twist kits.  But I had several black and white papers left - and a great teal stripe that I loved and somehow hadn't used.  So game on.......

design inspired by sketch at Stuck?! and 3 to inspire prompts at Citrus Twist Kits

The current sketch at Stuck!? provided a starting point.  They are partnering with Scrap It With A Song - this is a new challenge blog to me.  Scrap It With A Song offers songs as an inspiration point.  This month one of the songs was the Beatles' Octopus Road.  I took inspiration from the context of doing things together and used a picture of my son with his cousin. 

I  ended up really loving the final result (I treated gold as a neutral which might have been cheating....)I think what really made this work was the embellishment clusters which allowed me to add bits of teal to tie in with that striped paper.

This is the first time I played with thread this way and the gold really popped against the other colors.  And mixing the teal and gold splatters (no layout is done without splatters) tied it together.

So do you mix lots of colors or keep it simple on your projects.  I'd love to see .........

Thanks for stopping by.

Big and Subtle

Big titles seem to be on trend right now.  And they can be fun.  But I have to admit to struggling with them sometimes.  I love playing with patterned paper and little embellishments and sometimes a big title just seems like "too much."  But these white Amy Tangerine thickers came with a recent kit

At first I wasn't sure what to do with them since I tend to use light backgrounds for my projects.  But it turns out that they are the perfect way to add a big title without overwhelming a layout.

This layout was inspired by the 4 part scraptober fest challenge - a sketch, a color challenge, a stash callenge (2 kinds of washi) and a photo of yourself

I used a piece of subtle grid paper for my layout base and the big white words pop of the page without overwhelming my picture - or the simple layout design.  And I love that phrase -  "to be continued" - for a layout about me and who I am today.  Because - even at 53 - I think I am most definitely a work in progress.

I'd love any ideas you have for the white thicker words .......I have the rest of the package to use up.

Thanks for stopping by.

A Photo On Vellum

I almost always order my prints - for the past 18 months or so it's been from Persnickety Prints.  But I've been wanting to experiment with printing photos on vellum (I think it might be a great technique to incorporate into a December Daily.)  So when we went apple picking, I decided to give it a try.  (I have a fairly basic inkjet printer.) 

I picked a photo of two apples and gave it a go.  The ink was visibly wet when it came out of the printer so I set it aside to dry for about an hour.  The end result was definitely worth waiting for - it have a beautiful soft feel that I wouldn't have achieved on cardstock.

products from October Citrus Twist kits.

I did run into a problem when I started to build my layout.  If you visit very often, you know that I like to layer lots of patterned papers.  And I found the patterns showing through my photo and changing the look of the image.  (In some instances I think this would be a great effect, but not what I was going for here.)

 I tried placing it on white card stock, but I lost a lot of the translucent feel the vellum brought to the table.  So I ended up layering a second piece of plain vellum under the photo and that worked perfectly.  And you can see where I used my tiny attacher to add the photo to my layout.  (I didn't want the adhesive to mar the image.)

I definitely will play with this technique again - it is so much fun and creates a unique look for the photo.  If you have any tricks you use to print photos on vellum, I'd love to hear them.

Thanks for stopping by.

A Blurry Photo

Sometimes (a lot of the time) it seems like the photo that captures my imagination is blurry or otherwise poor quality.  I used to discard those pictures, but I've come to realize that those photos might best tell the story in my heart.  So I've given myself permission to use them.

This photo of my 15 year old daughter swinging is a great example.  I love that she still appreciates the joy and freedom that can be found when you "swing high" and I felt like the blurry feel gave a sense of motion that helped tell the story.

I printed it as a 4x4 with a white border in black and white for my layout.  Printing in black and white is one of my best tricks with blurry photos - somehow it makes the blurry feel seem intentional.  And the white border helps the picture pop and adds a bit of a vintage feel.

design inspired by sketch from Citrus Twist kits

This layout is also put together using the October Citrus Twist kits (I added the sequins and vellum from my stash).  I was so excited to get those Dear Lizzy rub-ons .  I used them in two ways on this layout - first too help add depth to  and to stretch an embellishment cluster.  And the second is a recent favorite - I love layering a large rub on over patterned paper.  The word "love" is so soft and pretty and seems to belong on that pretty floral print.

So how do you feel about photos that aren't great quality - do your trash them or treasure them?

Thanks for stopping by

A New Kit from Citrus Twist

I started playing with the October kits from Citrus Twist Kits this week.  And I have to say that they are probably my favorite ever from any kit club - seriously gorgeous and super versatile.  I have knocked 5 layouts out so far and still am inspired by the products I have left.

This is one of the first layouts I did.  It was for a scraplift challenge at Paper Issues.  The inspiration layout (below) was by Jen Boumis.

I was really taken by the vertical block in the center with two photos layered horizontally over it.  But I only had one photo, so I substituted lots of layers for the second picture.  I used a transparency for the vertical block to keep the layout from feeling heavy.

When I was done playing with layers I realized I couldn't find a good place to add journaling.  I used a label sticker at the bottom of the vertical block.  It served two functions - both a place for journaling and it helped to adhere the transparency.

I am off to play some more - I hope you find some time to scrap this weekend.  Thanks for stopping by

Oh No - I Don't Have A Kit to Play With.......

For years, my favorite part of scrapbooking was building a diverse stash and mixing and matching products for each layout.  Then I became a kit subscriber.  I was still mixing and matching, but from the kit (already curated by someone very talented).  And, for the most part, my stash just sat.

Currently I sub to 2 kits - Studio Calico and Citrus Twist Kits.  I feel like I am in a period of transition - the Studio Calico kits have not been clicking with my style lately and I have been experimenting with the Citrus Twist kits (for quite a while now).  For whatever reason,  I am having a hard time canceling my SC subscription. 

So last week I received my SC kit - and I mostly hated it.  I made one layout and then incorporated it into my stash.  (Maybe I will finally cancel?)  But my Citrus Twist kit is still on the way.  And on Thursday, I was home with time to play -

So I had to go to my stash and mix product from scratch.  I ended up pulling a piece from Dear Lizzy Documentary for my base.  Then I added bits from studio calico kits, seven paper, pinkfresh studios, pink paislee and crate paper.   And I made this......

design inspired by sketch at Citrus Twist kits

I had a great time picking papers and embellishments to use.  And I love the final project.  It has exactly the bright, fun, pretty feel I was going for.  And I used lots of bits from my stash. 

So Thursday I remembered how much fun it is to mix products all by myself.  Maybe I need to scrap this way more and rely on kits less?

Thanks for stopping by.

Those Thickers

One of my favorite things in the Crate Paper Wonder line was those oversized thickers. 

I love the mix of colors and patterns, and the font is just fun!  But boy have I had a hard time using them.  So when I came across a challenge to use a big title, I was determined....  and here is what I came up with.

Most of the products came from my September Citrus Twist kits.  It's lots of  products from Wonder but there is some Pink Paislee mixed in - and that great yellow paper is from Basic Grey.  And of course, I can't finish a project without ink splatters.  I started with gold, but when they didn't really pop, I added some black too. 

Thanks for stopping by.

From Card to Layout

Every Sunday Studio Calico publishes 3 sketches - a layout sketch, a card sketch and a project life sketch.  A member of the Creative Team shares a project inspired by one of the sketches.  This week Celine Navarro used the card sketch to inspire a two page layout.

And she challenged everyone to take a sketch for one project type and use it to inspire another kind of project.  I found her layout really inspiring so I tried a layout with the card sketch as an inspiration.

Most of the supplies for this layout came from the Wink Wink scrapbook kit and the scrapbook add-on.  that black and white paper I used to create the angle is my favorite thing in the kits.  (I really don't care for the kits and think this is the only project I will be making with them, but I am really happy with it.)  I rubbed a gold ink pad lightly over the white embossed tag to add a bit of dimension and used one of the frames from the add-on to create a the base for the cluster at the bottom of the page.

Hope you've been finding time to play lately.  Thanks for stopping by.

About A Special Boy

My nephew is an extraordinary child.  He faces many challenges but does it with a positive attitude, a smile and lots of love.  Every time I see him, I remember that it is most important to focus on our blessings.  So when the Crate Paper Wonder line came out, I knew I wanted to use this paper on a layout about him.

 I started with a sketch from My Creative Sketches.  It provided a great starting point but left me lots of room to create my own design.

Because I wanted the words on the patterned paper that provided my starting point, I replaced the banners with a piece of that paper.  Those words really tell the story about my nephew. 

I used die cuts and other papers from the Wonder line to build layers and tell my story.  Those felt hearts are the cutest thing ever!  And I used the red tag that slides into the glassine bag for journaling.  That way I could document his story while protecting his privacy. 

The challenge at My Creative Sketches is open til October 14th.  If you play along, link me up.  I'd love to see your layout.

Thanks for stopping by.

Keeping It Soft

Last week I decided to do the sketch challenge at Citrus Twist Kits.  I loved the design and how the designer's (Chantal Phillipes)  interpretation was so soft and pretty.

I was determined to create a soft and pretty layout too.  And I finally managed (but it took me a couple of tries over the course of several days.

This was really a different approach for me.  I rarely start with a "feel" for a layout.  Instead I pull papers and pictures and see where they take me.  But I have to admit that I really like my final product.

What is your starting point?  Do you start with a "feel" for your project?

Thanks for stopping by.

Scraplift Sunday

Paper Issues posts a scraplift challenge every Sunday.  And last week's layout included my two favorite things - layers and a grid.  So you know I was in. 

This is the inspiration layout by Heather Joyce.  It is totally amazing  with all those bits and pieces.  

My version is simpler - I focused on a large layered photo block with a grid underneath. 

I started with my September Citrus Twist goodies and added from my stash.

I used my new favorite trick and trimmed from the top of the page so I kept the detail in the branding strip.  And I have to tell you - those arrows from Pink Paislee might be my new favorite thing. 

Thanks for stopping by.

World Card Making Day

Saturday was World Card Making Day.  It was also my daughter's homecoming dance.  As a result, I didn't have much time to play.  But I did crank out cards for the six challenges at Studio Calico.  They were all super quick and easy.....

Challenge 1: Use a project life card

I had been hoarding that stitched card forever and it was perfect for this challenge.

Challenge 2:  A fall card

It turns out that I have almost nothing fall like in my stash so this was a tough one.  That wood veneer piece from the last Pinkfresh Studio kit saved me.  And I did like the gold and copper against the dark blue background.

Challenge 3:  Use an alph stamp or alpha stickers 

This card was all about the colors.  Sometimes a simple design with great colors can have a big impact.

Challenge 4:  Use a stamp or die you haven't used before.

I rarely use my stamps and have gotten rid of tons (literally maybe) over the summer.  But this one I loved.  I went way out of my comfort zone with layered stamping, stamping on wood and even using watercolors for the sky.  It might just be my favorite card in the bunch.

Challenge 5 - Use at least two die-cuts

I used the scribble circle die from pinkfresh studios and a feather die from studio calico for this quick and easy card.  I like that it is so versatile and could be used in a number of situations.

Challenge 6:  a Christmas card that could be mailed easily and that is reproducable.

My original plan was to use gold heat embossing on the sentiment.  But after several tries, I couldn't get a result that left the word "twinkle" clear.  I did use an old trick here and chalk the edges of each layer.  It helps to give the illusion of dimension when you don't want to add thickness.


 Even though I didn't have much time to play, 6 cards was enough to remind me of all the reasons I enjoy card-making (even though I really consider myself a traditional scrapbooker.  Here are my top five reasons:

1.  It's a great way to try new techniques - things are way less intimidating on a small scale project and I'm generally way less worried about "ruining" something.  I mean I actually used my watercolors on a project.........
2. I use products that otherwise wouldn't ever get used - like that kite.  It was super cute but I wasn't sure I was ever going to use it.
3.  I have the hardest time throwing away scraps - but those small pieces of paper have a tendency to get out of control.  Cards are the perfect way to use them.
4. Sending a homemade card is a great way to share my love of papercrafting with all those people in my life who just don't get it.  (We all have those people right?)
5. I can make a really pretty card with lots of layers very quickly (as compared to making a layout).  This is a great way to squeeze in some scrapping time in a really busy week.
6. I actually use my stamps.

So did you participate in world card making day?  What did you make?

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.

Switching Kits

Currently I am subscribing to kits from Studio Calico and Citrus Twist kits (while I try to decide what to do about my SC sub.  Last month I mixed the kits together as a way to use them both.  But I actually ended up feeling overwhelmed by the choices and realized it wasn't a good way to evaluate the kits that worked for me.  So this month I used SC for two week and now I'm breaking out the September Citrus Twist kits. 

The papers in the Citrus Twist kits are beautiful so I went for lots of layers on my first kit - that way I got to use lots of pretty paper.  I did add a piece of woodgrain paper to serve as the base and a couple craps to the layout. 

My favorite part of the box this month was all the die cuts!  We got a partial pack of those fun triangles from Pinkfresh Studio, a package from Crate Paper Wonder, and a package from WRMK Wildflower.  And I had a package from Pink Paislee Cedar Lane in my box.  So I dumped them all into containers in the top of my Raskog to use with the kits.  I love the Pinkfresh Studio wood veneer and little cork arrows too.  I think I managed to use all my favorites on this layout

I can't wait to make something else with this kit.  Thanks for stopping by.