Black and White

If you visit here much at all, you know that I love mixing colors, patterns and textures.  It is my favorite thing about scrapbooking. But sometimesa challenge helps nudge (shove) me out of my box.  This week I came across two challenges that would take color (mostly) out of the mix. 

One of the March "Layout A Week" challenges at Studio Calico asked that you make black and white the focus of your project.  And one of the challenges at the Paper Issues Spring Crop called for a monochromatic layout.  So I went for it.....

I limited myself to black and white (and a little gold) for a layout.  And to be honest, I kind of love it.

I focused on mixing patterns and textures while trying to maintain a "light" feel.  The black plastic grid was from an ancient Studio Calico kit and had been hanging on my peg board forever.  When choosing papers I used two vellums (because they add lots of texture without adding much visual weight) and patterns that were predominantly white.  A chalkboard shipping tag added a different texture and a pop of black.  And the black and white photo really pulled it all together.

I'm not giving up all those pretty patterned papers but this was a fun exercise with a great end result.  And that nudge out of my box is the reason I love creative challenges.  It pushes me to try something different I never would have tried.

I hope you're finding your own scrappy time.  Try something new the next time you sit down to play.  You might just love what you make.

Watercolor Splatters

Every Sunday Paper Issues posts a scraplift challenge on their facebook fan page.  The inspiration layouts are always amazing, but I'll be honest - I don't take the challenge very often.  But this week, the challenge was stuck in my head.

This is the inspiration layout by Michelle Arseneault Gallant - her design is simple but the color choices are really striking.



So I decided to do my own version of the layout.  - I had a single photo of my dog (one of my favorite subjects lately) and used this layout as inspiration for my own design.

I maintained the general design but added more layers under the photo - I love mixing patterns and colors in the layers under a photo. I started with the papers and embellishments in the January Citrus Twist Scrapbook and Pocket Life kits.  I found a neutral strip that worked well at the top of my page - no cutting needed.  I added a few extra embellishments (the blue heart clip, the gold heart, the too cute die cut and the wood stars) from my stash.

Then it was time for some ink splatters.  If you visit here much, you know that just about every project has some ink splatters.  I usually use spray inks on a round paint brush.  But I really wanted to match the dark blue in the paper and die cuts -- and I just didn't have an ink that worked. I pulled out my cheap set of watercolors from Michaels, got the brush really wet and picked a blue that matched the papers.  I used the paint to create the splatters and it worked perfectly!

So today was a win - I finished a layout, tried something new with my current stash and fit in some crafty time for the seventh day in a row.  I'm feeling pretty good about sticking to my resolutions and "trying."

I hope you're having a good week too.  Thanks for stopping by.

All the Colors

Sometimes I get stuck in a color rut - lately its been all about blue and yellow.  But the April kits from Citrus Twist had lots of bright, fun colors.  So I went looking for a picture that would work with a layout that uses all the colors.  I found an old one of my daughter looking through her haul on Halloween.

Then I hunted down a sketch that provided the chance to use lots of layers and bits so I could pull out the colors in the photo.  The April sketch at Paper Issues was perfect!

I focused on the layered horizontal elements, the large circle, the banner and the tag for my layout. 

I started with papers from the April Citrus Twist kits - the green, the black and white stripe and the small piece under the tag.  Then I went to my scraps and stash to pull out other pieces.  .  I was excited to used the acrylic "hooray" from a recent haul from Colorcast Designs.  Then I kept adding bits from both the Citrus Twist kits and my stash til I felt like the layout was balanced.  The bit of black and white polka dot paper was the last thing I added - and it made all the difference - it seemed to ground the whole layout.

I hope your Tuesday is filled with all the colors - thanks for stopping by.

Making it My Own

Paper Issues has a scraplift challenge every Sunday.  I don't always complete the challenges, but I never forget to look - it is always eye candy!  This week's layout was by "Orange Gearle" and I loved it!

I loved the basic design, the bold colors, all the mixed media work and all the fun details.  But it was way outside my comfort zone.  "Messy" scares me a little and I have to be in the mood to experiment - otherwise I am just too afraid of ruining a project (totally dumb since I am playing with paper, but still scary).  And I rarely use such bold color combinations - I am generally drawn to soft colors in my own projects.

But the basic design stuck with me - and I had an idea that was definitely inspired by the design in the inspiration piece.

 
See - totally in my own way.  Everything was from my February Studio Calico box (except the shipping tags).  I layered the tags and photo, slid the heart paper underneath after inking the torn edge to add a bit more dimension and slid the woodgrain paper under the gold hearts to help make them pop.  Then I stitched through the tags using a paper piercer and gold thread.

Essentially I replaced the mixed media work with layers of paper.  But I was inspired to dig out one of my all time favorite stamps and do some repetitive stamping using pink and gray ink on the shipping tags.  I created a couple of embellishment clusters (the top one includes the title) to finish my basic design.  The last thing I added were paper strips at the top and bottom of the page to anchor the layout.

Easy -peasy.......And I captured the basic elements of the inspiration layout while adapting it to my own style.  And honestly, it would have gone together in about 30 minutes if I hadn't added the stitching.  I am just a slow sewer. 

Hope your week is going well.  Thanks for stopping by.

Saturday Morning Inspiration

I try to schedule some crafty time every weekend - and the more the better.  Most Saturdays I start my weekend by checking out my favorite sites for inspiration.  I let the things I see "sit" in my head while I do some chores and errands.  Then when I have some time, ideas are ready. 

Yesterday I found two of my favorite starting points in my browsing.  It was Sketchy Saturday at Paper Issues......

and 3 to Inspire at Citrus Twist Kits.  The 3 to inspire prompts were using frames, ink splatters and repetitive stamping.  And my first layout of the weekend was inspired by both of those starting points.

I really loved the sketch at Paper Issues and it inspired by design. I used one 4x6 photo and a cluster of frames in place of the three photos.  Otherwise I stayed pretty close to the sketch.  And I love the way the Crate Paper Hello Love papers work perfectly for Christmas.

The 3 to Inspire prompts definitely led me in the direction of the frames.  The pink and gold frame is from the Hello Chipboard and the others are from my stash I backed them with neutral papers to create layers and dimension.  Then I added a large acrylic phrase from Color Cast Designs to the cluster of frames.

I added some other acrylic pieces from the Pinkfresh Christmas collection and we were good to go.

Hope you're having a crafty weekend too.  Thanks for stopping by.

3 Generations

For me scrapbooking is generally about finding a way to excercise the creative side of my brain.  But the chance to capture special moments is a big part of that too.  And when there was a rare picture of me with my mother and my daughter, I knew I wanted to scrap it (probably for both my daughter's album and our family album) even though the photo quality was poor.

The January Studio Calico kits arrive on my doorstep Friday and I fell in love with all the papers and embellishments immediately.  It is just beautiful and packed full of bits and pieces.I started by pulling some of my favorite papers to work with.


I haven't been scrrapping much so I knew I would have a hard time getting started.  So I went looking for a sketch. The current sketch challenge at Paper Issues was just what I was looking for.

I really liked all the layers (of course) and the angled paper under the photo block really caught my eye.

The angled paper under the photo block in the sketch inspired me to angle all my layers.  And I am seriously in love with the large alphas that are so trendy right now.  These color theory alphas are amazing.  And the alternating colors reminds me a little bit of candy canes - perfect for the theme of my layout. 

Hope you all are getting your scrappy mojo back after the holidays.  I am trying hard - I still have my December Daily to finish and have started working on my One Little Word album (this is a first time project for me and I am super excited), but am determined to find time to make some traditional layouts too.  Have a great week.

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.

30 Minute Layouts

I am great at collecting classes - but it seems like I never take the time to actually work through the lessons.  But last Saturday I had lots of time (my husband was sick and my daughter was doing the teenager thing and staying in her room), so I opened the class from Lilith Eckels at Big Picture Classes.  It was titled "30 Minute Layouts" and I am the slowest scrapper known to man most days so it seemed like a perfect fit.  Plus Lilith rocks - I always love her projects.  So I figured it was good for some eye candy if nothing else.

Have I mentioned that I am painfully slow when I scrapbook.  I obsess over the placement of every enamel dot, die cut and piece of veneer.  I can move one label around for hours trying to find the perfect place.  So imagine my surprise when I had worked through 2 lessons and had two completed layouts in about 3 hours.  This was record setting pace for me.

The first lesson was really about choosing supplies and organizing.  I watched the video and read through the narrative - and then whipped together a layout about work.

The second lesson is about pulling layouts together with leftovers from other projects.  I started with a stack of scraps by my trimmer and embellishments scattered across my desk.

I added the base paper, the veneer hearts, and the label.  Everthing else was sitting on my desk .  If I didn't use it, I would have to put it away.  I call this a win-win.  I played, ended up with a layout and have less to put away.    (Note:  Design inspired by sketchy saturday at PI)

Then I made a second layout with the scraps from the scraps - all I added was the base paper and the alphas.

So maybe I should take more of those classes I collect?  And for sure I am going to consider possibilities before I clean up. 

Thanks for stopping by.

No April Fool's Trick - The Blog Is Back

So I've been away - for months - after planning and being sure that I could maintain my blog.  But this winter did me in (not quite literally).  We had the Christmas chaos and then just before the holiday I started getting sick.  And I stayed that way til early March.  I fell on the ice and snow walking the dog (more than once).  And through it all I wasn't feeling very creative or productive.  So I didn't really have much to blog about.  But in the last couple of weeks my scrappy mojo seems to be back.  So I am ready to get back to my blog. 

First thing's first - I have an open giveaway from way back in November/early December and I need to pick a winner.  (I know its Christmas supplies, but if you are like me, Christmas themed pages and projects cross your desk throughout the year.)

On November 17, penny said:

Wow! Great giveaway. I can't wait to see how your album progresses. I have never done a holiday book. 

Penny, email me at juliee181 at gmail dot com to claim your prize.  And guys, I really apologize for the time it took me to name a winner.  I promise to do better.

Now - what have I been working on?  Lots of good stuff. Last week I was playing in the Paper Issues crop.  My projects included three quick cards I though I would share.

The first challenge I am sharing required the color orange and stamping.  Here's what I came up with.

 

The design is super simple - the patterned base paper does most of the work.  I just added a label, a frame, and a tag.  Epoxy stickers from the new Amy Tangerine collection were the perfect finishing touch.

The second was for an alphabet challenge.  I used the awesome ampersand vellum from Webster's Pages and the bold tile thicker for my basic design.  The fun part was punching stars from tile style mini alphas to finish it off.

The third card was to make something connected to music.  I had a bag printed with the music for happy birthday that had been hanging out in my stash for a really long time.  So I cut it apart to serve as the base of my card.  Then it was all about the layers.  I love that I used lots of bits from my stash for this card and ended up with something fresh and pretty.

 Thanks for visiting.  I'll talk to you soon.