Layering and Repeating with Alphas

Last week I read a post about layering (I think on the October Afternoon blog).  At the same time I was working on a layout using an old picture of my son (now 20).  I went a little crazy, especially with the tidbits and varrious ephemera packs I had sitting around. 

Then I got out my alphas and added my son's initial as a repeating element.  You will see the letter "S" over and over. 

 I even put his initials on one little tab.

This layout is a bit of departure from my normal style, but was lots of fun.  And I'm excited to think about a letter as a repeating element for other layouts in the future.

Hope everybody in Sandy's path stays safe.  I'm off to work through a rainy Monday.  Have a great day!

No Pictures?

Despite my best efforts, once in a while I am working on an album and find myself with no pictures of either the event or child I want to include.  Yesterday, I was working on Nicholas's freshman album and realized we had no pictures of him on Thanksgiving - but I know he was there. 

So I put together this layout titled "Where's Nicholas?"  I included photographs of other family members who shared the day with us and took the opportunity to journal about the places in the house he was most likely to choose when he had time to just hang out.

I started with this fun sketch from Purple Pumpkin and turned it into a two page layout.  I love the homey, traditional holiday feel the PP doilies add too.



I'd love to hear your tips for those times when you have no pictures for the page you want to do.  Have a relaxing Sunday.

Great Giveaways

It seems like I'm coming across so many great giveaways right now.  So I thought I'd start a list and share it with all of you.

• Of course, there is my recipe challenge here.

• Sandi Pressley is giving away products from the new Simple Stories SN@P line here 

• Papier de Pandore is giving away this beautiful line called Everyday Portraits.

  

• Papier de Pandore is also giving away this fun line called Little Winter Circus here.

Love to hear about other giveaways.  Hope you're having a great weekend.

A Recipe Challenge and A Prize

I'm still working on the Trick or Treat Crop Challenges at My Scraps and More.  I put this layout together last night using just a few supplies for the challenge requiring both a picture of a pumpkin and the word "pumpkin" on a layout.

Here's what I used:

1. From the October Afternoon Witch Hazel collection, 1 5 inch strip of Chamomille Oil patterned paper
2. From the October Afternoon 9 To 5 collection, 1 5 inch strip of Girl Friday patterned paper
3. From the Fancy Pants Good Life collection, 1 5 inch strip of Sweet patterned paper
4. One 5 inch strip of Coredinations Vintage Collection Cardstock
5. One package of Making Memories Halloween Embellishments (I have about half the package left)
6. Amy Tangerine Corrugated Thickers
7. One Sheet of Black Color Core Cardstock for matting photos

So here's the recipe challenge.  Put together a layout using no more than the following:

1. For a 2 page layout, 4 5 inch strips of paper.  (Pick carefully - I used both the A and B sides of the Chamomille Oil patterned paper.  For a 1 page layout, use 2 5 inch strips of paper.  You can use cardstock or patterned paper.
2. One package of Embellishments
3. One sheet of cardstock for matting photos only
4. Alphabet stickers - either one package or mix and match leftovers from packages you have already used.

 You cannot add any other products to your layout.


Post a link to your layout in the comments here and be a follower of my blog.  I will pick one entry for a $10 gift certificate at My Scraps and More, Two Peas or Studio Calico (winner's choice).   Deadline for entries is midnight November 3.  I will pick a winner by November 5th.

I can't wait to see what you do - I know I will be inspired.  Have a great Saturday.

Stretching My Stash

OK - I'll confess.  I love just having my scrap supplies and I always want to add to my stash.  Worse, I don't like to use my favorites and tend to think I have to go hoping for the perfect touches for each layout.  But my funds are limited, so I am trying to push myself to use the supplies I already have.  I used some of my favorite stash stretching tricks on this layout.

It was for a challenge at My Scraps and More.  Your layout had to be inspired by this paper.  I loved this paper but didn't have any in my stash.  My first thought was to go find some, but I resisted.  Instead I pulled inspiration from the pattern (the chevron paper has similar lines) and the color.  But the color was still a problem.  I don't use or buy purple supplies very often.  But I sat in my scrap room, surrounded by supplies and found some things I thought I could make work.  Here are some tricks I used to stretch my stash and make it work.

•  When using a 12 inch border element, consider cutting it into 2 pieces.  This creates a repeating element that can help pull your layout together.

• Remember - stamp pads aren't just for stamping.  I rummbed the edges of the base paper with a purple stamp pad to add dimenision and, even better, used it to add color to the cute Amy Tangerine card that said "LOVE" but was in all the wrong colors.  By rubbing the stamp pad over it, I added additional dimension and made it work on my layout.

• Mix your bling - it adds interest and that package of favorites will last longer.  Here I mixed Martha Stewart, Creative Memories and Cosmo Cricket. (Those black Martha Stewart pearls are one of my new favorites.)

• Keep mistable thickers around.  Now I don't use or buy many of the spray inks, but you can color them other ways.  I rubbed these with the same purple stamp pad I used to edge the paper and color that Amy Tan embellishment.  It was easy, mess free and I had purple letters with almost no work and without a shopping trip.

I'd love to hear some of your favorites stash stretching tips.  Hope you have a fantastic Friday.

A Pink Halloween

One of the challenges at My Scraps and More last weekend was to incorporate a non-traditional color in a Halloween layout.  I've been working on Nicholas's high school albums for months, so I took the opportunity to do a girly page about a trip to the pumpkin patch when she was younger - and I went pink.

I used old papers from my scrap pile and old stickers from my stash to put this together. And, even though I am scared to stamp directly on my pages, I got out this great chevron background stamp from an SC kit - and love the way it adds just a hint of pink to the kraft background.

Have a great Thursday!

A Dark Background

The Hawks were knocked out of the state soccer tournament last night with a loss (3-2) to Bexley.  Since Nicholas is a senior, it was the end of his high school soccer career.  I don't think he sees it this way yet, but it was a great way to go.

Boys on both teams have played on club teams together and have close personal relationships.  They greeted each other with tremendous affection as they took the field and played a tough game throughout.  Boys on both teams gave the game everything they had.  After the game, Nicholas and a friend broke down in the middle of the field as the teams were shaking hands.  The Bexley team came over to them offering consolation and congratulations - hugs and handshakes all around.  This was a striking difference to a game last week where the opposing coach told his team to refuse the post-game handshakes.

This morning I thought I'd share a soccer layout I completed recently for Nicholas's freshman album in memory of four great years.

The dark background of the striped Authentique paper really made the pictures pop and required little embellishments.  The white patterned paper is old Basic Grey Basics that was buried in my stash.  I added some washi, cardstock stars, a couple of sport themed embellishments from a pack I found on clearance at Hobby Lobby and some transparent elements from the Basic Grey Shine On products from JoAnns.  The end result is a bright, fun layout in another color scheme outside my comfort zone - black, red and turquoise.

Here are a couple of key design elements.

Unusual (for me) title placement - I'm a straight lines kind of girl

simple embellishment clusters

At my house, everyone's a little bit sad this morning as we contemplate life without soccer.  But I'm proud of the effort and sportsmanship I saw last night too.  The experience reflected everything good about high school sports.  Today we start focusing on the future. (And I'm thinking about all those soccer layouts I need to do for the senior album.)

I hope you have a great Wednesday!

Halloween Without Orange

The Trick or Treat crop at My Scraps and More is going on now.  As always with their crops, the challenges are awesome.  One of them is to do a Halloween layout without using orange.  It fit right in with my focus on different color combinations, so I couldn't resist.

I used the October sketch at Artful Delight and came up with this layout using a deep aqua, gold, purple and gray.  It actually might be one of my all time favorite Halloween layouts. 

I especially like the look of those naked chipboard thickers and already have more Amy Tangerine leaves on my "must have" list.

Tomorrow is Nicholas's next tournament game, so I probably won't have a chance to post.  I hope your Monday was great and your Tuesday is even better!

Green and Grey

I finally had a chance to scrap this weekend and found myself faced with more soccer pictures.  (I am really looking forward to working on a "girl" album).  I continued trying new color combinations - this layout uses green and gray. 

I kept the embellishments simple with just a couple of sports themed pieces from a coordinating embellishment pack I found buried in my stash.  I finished it off with the great Bo Bunny rub ons that I found in a clearance bin a thousand years ago and these thickers in a simple font.

The mix of patterns in the simple color palette created a striking layout.

Its off to work for me.  Hope you have a great Monday.

Online Inspiration - the Old Fashioned Way

No projects to share - its high school soccer tournament time here and my son had a game last night.  As a senior, each game might be his last, so they are pretty intense.  By the time I got home, I just wanted warm jammies and a nice glass of red wine.  The Hawks won last night (7-2), so we play again Thursday.  So instead I thought I'd talk about how I keep track of that online inspiration.

I love looking at blogs and scrapbook sites.  The layouts and sketches provide so much inspiration.  The only problem is finding that inspiration back when I have time to work.  Its hard to find that sketch I liked three days ago.

Pinterest seemed the obvious solution.  But my husband and I (and sometimes my daughter) share a computer.  When I'm working on a layout and want to hunt something I saw a few days ago, someone else is usually on the computer (unless it is one of those late night scrapping binges).  I decided I'd have to take the old school approach.

So I bought several small notebooks and a couple of packages of white cardstock.  I cut the cardstock in half and punched holes to creat pages.  I used the dividers in the binders to create dividers.   (I have a whole binder for sketches since I am such an addict.)  And I print those ideas I see and love.

If it is for a challenge, I leave the printout on my desk with the date and any additional info noted until I finish my project of the challenge ends.  Then I cut that design idea out and any others I printed just for fun, and stick them in those idea books.  I also keep a When I'm ready to scrap, those binders are ready to use.  And if I am packing up for a crop, its easy to grab one or two to take along.

How do you keep track of your inspiration?  I'd love to hear.

Have a great Wednesday!

Weekend Fun

I've become a huge fan of online crops and challenges.  They often make me think about my supplies differently and they can provide a jumpstart when I'm feeling stuck or lack motivation.  (Even though I know I'm happier if I find some creative time every day, sometimes its hard to get started.)  And now that the weather is getting chillier, I am happy to huddle under a blanket by the fire with a cup of tea and romance novel. 

So I was excited to see that My Scraps and More was having an online crop this weekend.  Check this out.

We have a number of activities with our kids this weekend, so I'm not sure if I will have much time to play along.  But I'll be getting as much time in as I can.

Hope to see you in the forums for the crop and hope you have a terrific Tuesday.

A Layout With Flair

One of my new addictions is "flair."  Those little tin buttons are so much fun and add so much dimension and interest to layouts.  This layout uses flair to carry your eye across the pages and really brings the design together. 

One of my favorite places to shop for flair is Paper Play Studios.  The three buttons in this layout come from three different collections and I love how they work together. 


I also appreciate the way the buttons are made.  The flat back means they are really easy to adhere to my layouts. 

Before I go, I have to give my husband some credit for this layout.  I knew I wanted to use the Indie Chic chevron paper, but couldn't get started.  He said "use it diagonally."  I told him it wouldn't work, but look at that paper.  It's placed on the diagonal.  Design help comes from the most unexpected places.

Look for that design help at your house and have a great Monday!