Those Maggie Holmes Alphas

I am a confessed hoarder (though I am working on it) and I love my stash.  And alphas are one of my most favorite thing.  So When the new Maggie Holmes acetate alpha came with my Lisse kits, I feel in love.  And I couldn't wait to use it......

I only got the blue ones so I am going to have to order a set.......

I loved the scale - they are about 2 inches wide - and the distressed finish.  They are just so fun.  (Please note that I am a recovering hoarder - I loved them and wanted to use them :)  )

So I decided to use them as the starting point for a layout with a photo from Thanksgiving - our family has a Tripoley tradition and we often play for pennies when we get together.

I used my tiny attacher to create a title up the side of my page.  I loved that it totally filled the space.  I even had to trim the "P".  Then I pulled papers and other bits from my Lisse Street kits to create the simple grid.  That light blue card is a project life card I trimmed down and the sentiment on it is from another PL card.  And of course it took a few ink splatters to finish of the layout.

Thanks for stopping by. 

Starting With A Sketch

One of my favorite starting points is a sketch.  So when I heard My Scraps and More was having a sketchathon in April, I was thrilled.  I've been scrapping a lot, and its the perfect way to keep my momentum going.  I mean, 30 sketches in 30 days?
 
The first sketch was published on April 1; the challenge also required fussy cutting.

I hate fussy cutting so I almost skipped the challenge.  But I really liked the sketch.  And I had photos from hy husband's birthday last summer that were begging to be scrapped.  So I poked around in my scrap room for paper that would lend itself to simple fussy cutting.  I found a sheet printed with black frames that seemed perfect.

The title and chipboard phrase stickers are from the Maggie Holmes Confetti collection.  I used the colors in the numbers to drive my color selections.  And I went to work on the background with my current favorite technique - layering rub ons and ink splatters. I added some small puffy stars from Crate Paper's Journey line to add a bit of dimension.

I'd love to know your favorite starting points for layouts when your stuck.

Thanks for stopping by.