Scrappy UFOs (Unfinished Objects)

Ask any scrapbooker if they have any UFOs and the answer is a resounding "YES!" Even though I stay pretty current with my scrapbooking, I still had a huge stack of these, stuffed in an ArtBin waiting for me and my mojo. UFOs happen for many reasons but here are the two that seem to be consistent for me: 1.Challenges. I'll do a layout for a challenge and then throw it and the rest of the photos I want to scrap with it into my bin. I've had some in my bins for years - how crazy is that? 2.Creative block. We've all been there... You start a layout with the best intentions and then suddenly the creative energy is gone and once again, the project gets pushed aside. Every time I would open the bin, I would just look at the stack of UFOs from various years and just close the lid.

This week I came up with a solution to tackle my UFOs. I took all my UFOs and put them into my scrapbooks. Since I scrap chronologically and use D-ring albums, this was fairly easy to do. I just put my photos and misc. things into a page protector and stuck a sticky tab at the top.

Since I did this, I've completed five UFOs! It's so easy to just grab an album, flip to a tab, finish the project, and move on. It's funny, now when I open the album and see a little UFO tab, I smile, welcome the challenge of completing it, and wonder why I didn't do this a long time ago. It's also great when you have a limited time to scrap, since half the work is already done.

Don't be afraid of UFOs, it's just photos and paper after all. I hope this little organizational tip has helped you in some way.

Webster's Love ♥

I've had these photos since April, 2009 just waiting to be scrapped. We had an April snow that year (which doesn't happen often), so of course, I took photos! I'm not sure why I never scrapped them, I just wasn't "feeling" it. Along comes Webster's Pages Color & Composition collection designed by Allison Kreft... You know where this is going, right? It was love at first sight with these papers, overlays, and embellishments. I just received my order this week and as I was organizing my photos to be scrapped, these jumped out at me. It was time!

I started with the That Way paper but wanted it to have a little dimension so I machine-stitched lines on the paper. It gives such a lovely, subtle effect, I think. I love the beautiful damask overlay in the collection and wanted to use it to mat my photo. I layered vellum under the overlay so that the design of the overlay wouldn't be lost on the patterned paper. Once I had my photos in place I decided it needed a little more dimension, so I grabbed some stamps, Versamark, and my Zing Embossing Powder. I didn't want to overpower the page with the snowflakes so I added just a few, here and there. You may need to click on the photo to see the embossing.

I can't tell you how happy I am that I waited to scrap these photos! It's a good reminder to me that I don't want to force a layout, when the time is right, it will all come together!

Buttons, Brads, and Bling!

I love the Scrap Your Stash videos on Two Peas. Every week we get a different challenge to actually use our treasured stash. This week's challenge by Paige Evans was to use buttons, brads, and bling as a frame or to frame any shape we choose. Sounds easy enough, right? My choice was a shamrock because my son's birthday is St. Patrick's Day. I cut the shamrock and some additional leaves (hearts) from assorted patterned papers using my Cameo. The fun part of this is gathering all the embellishments and attaching them. I will say that it took quite some time to do this, but it's so worth it in the end.

This was such a fun and relaxing layout to do. It was like a trip down memory lane seeing some embellishments I've had in my stash over ten years! If you're like me and need a push to use up some goodies, be sure to check out the Scrap Your Stash videos - I'm sure you'll be hooked just like me!

And the Winner is...

Andrea Amu! Congrats, Andrea! Thank you to everyone that stopped by to enter!

Flowers from Daddy

Today I want to share a sweet layout I created using a photo of my daughter with her Valentine's Day flowers from Daddy.

I love this Webster's Pages paper (Composition/Color-Weathered) from the Cocoa Daisy add-on Renderings and decided to use it as my background paper. I saved a few petals and flowers from my daughter's bouquet and filled the glassine envelope with them. I used a Fiskars border punch to add a fun detail to the envelope. I found the adorable canvas stickers at Target (American Crafts-Everyday) and I've been hoarding them for the perfect layout and this was it! Just a few strips of washi tape and a little more embellishment and my layout was complete.

I know this layout will be treasured by my daughter for years to come and that's what scrapbooking is all about!

Free To Fly

I recently participated in Wilna's Art Workshop at Two Peas in a Bucket. One of her challenges was to use paint on a layout, I chose watercolor because I love the soft look it creates. I thought it would be fun to do a layout about my recent PanPastel workshop at Donna Downey's studio. I found 12x12 watercolor paper at Scrappin' In the City in Knoxville and have decided I need this stuff in bulk - LOVE it!

I painted a simple frame as a backdrop for the photos, added a few leaves, branches, and used the gorgeous feather stamps from Cocoa Daisy. This layout is special to me because it represents this fabulous stage of my life, where I'm free to try, learn, and embrace new things. My challenge for you today is to try something new, push yourself out of your comfort zone, and see where it will lead you!

Journaling Card Mini Album

Today I'll be sharing one last project I created as Guest Designer for Citrus Twist. Last year at King's Island, I took several Instagram photos with my phone. I thought it would be fun to make a mini-album using the pics along with Pebbles Journaling Cards.

This was such a fast and easy way to create a mini-album that we'll cherish always. It's also a great way to use up your journaling card stash! Have a great weekend!