Simple Scrapping (and I'm good with that!)

Although it's hard for me to accept the fact that my kids are back in school, we are starting to settle in to the routine. It's been a busy couple of weeks with school, soccer, and life.

Today I finally set aside the time to just relax and do some simple scrapping. Both of these layouts were inspired by the gorgeous patterned paper. I love the paper so much that I decided simple would be best and I really love the result. To me, this is proof that you don't need to spend hours on a layout - just let the photo and paper shine, and it's all good.

Today's scrap therapy was just what I needed. The gorgeous patterned papers are from Studio Calico, another benefit of subbing to their kits! ♥

Scraplifting Elements of Design

Scraplifting is such a fun and easy way to get your mojo running. Scraplifting (to me) doesn't mean an exact replica of a layout. I prefer to use it as a jumping point for creativity. Yesterday I scraplifted Just G (Gillian) at Studio Calico. I searched her gallery and found a few layouts that spoke to me. I noticed a few repeating elements in these layouts: photo shapes, repeating elements, 8 1/2 x 11 layouts, and gray backgrounds. Here is my scraplift of Gillian's style.

Since I mainly scrap 12x12, I used a gray background and layered an 8 1/2x11 piece on top to be the main focal point. In her gallery, I noticed lots of photo shapes and I knew I had to give this a try. (One great benefit of scraplifting is trying new things, right?!) To create the heart-shaped photo, I used PicMonkey's new shapes editing tool (it's in the frames section of editing), I LOVE how this turned out. **The first time I tried it, too much sky was showing, and I wanted the focus to be on the gorgeous, turquoise water, so I just cropped my photo first, and then added it to the frame.** I then saved the heart-shaped photo on my computer and printed one large photo. To get the little photos, I just used the contact sheet option on my printer and trimmed around the hearts. I think I just discovered a new favorite technique! One final tip: I printed my main photo on luster photo paper and the small hearts on matte. I wanted the small hearts to feel like embellishments.

If you're in a creative rut, go find someone to scraplift! You may just surprise yourself like I did with this layout! Thanks for the inspiration, Gillian! To see Gillian's gallery, click here.

Silhouette Sunday

A couple of weeks ago, I helped a friend learn the basics of cutting on the Silhouette. I will admit, I'm a little lazy when it comes to using it, but after helping her, I realized how much I love this machine and it's a shame not to use it more. The Sunday Sketch from Studio Calico's blog today, was all the inspiration I needed to fire up my machine. I started with the large star and decided to back it with a couple of circle cuts. The title is from Kerri Bradford's July Fourth collection. Since the title is so delicate, I machine-stitched it to the star. It's amazing how quickly a layout can come together with the Silhouette!

I'm going to challenge myself to use my Silhouette more often, starting with the rest of these photos from July, 2012! ;)

May Madness

I have decided the month of May surpasses December in regards to schedule overload. Thankfully, I survived it and I'm now slowly relaxing into our summer schedule. Even though I didn't have big blocks of time to spend in my scraproom, I still managed to do a few challenges from various sites and want to share them with you today.

I realized that even when I'm pressed for time, it's not that hard to squeeze in a layout or two. Scrapping (for me), is also a stress reliever, so I must scrap for health benefits. :) Challenges are a quick and easy way to get a layout going, if you haven't tried them, you should!

Gelatos with a Touch of Gold

Over the past couple of days, I've been participating in the Studio Calico CHA 2014 Crop. We've had lots of fun sharing and creating together. Challenge #2 is a color challenge to use navy, pool, lime, pink, and gold. I will admit, I am not a huge fan of gold on layouts (I prefer silver), but sometimes you have to go with the flow. Challenge #8 is to use a digital die cut element on the layout. I decided to combine the two challenges and much to my surprise, I actually love the small touches of gold on this layout!

I started with the digital element of the hearts from SC's digital shop. I used my Cameo to cut the hearts, I also used the Cameo to sketch hearts on another sheet of cardstock to use as a template for painting. I took the sketched cardstock and painted in the hearts with Gelatos, I also added a sheet of vellum over the painted hearts to soften the colors. The die cut hearts were placed over the top and with a few embellishments the layout was complete

This layout is proof that I need to be a little more open to trends that I don't like. Are you team silver or team gold? :) I am happy to report that I've seen some silver popping up in the CHA sneaks!

My Newest Obsession...

Is embossing! I just love that I can add dimension to my favorite stamps! For this layout, I stamped 100% Brave Girl with VersaMark on different colors of cardstock. I then added fun colors of Zing Embossing Powder and heat set the words. I then cut out the pieces to mimic the patterned paper. Foam pop-up pieces were used to add even more dimension to the page. I then got really brave and tried it on a Flair badge -- and much to my surprise, it actually worked. I was afraid the plastic on the badge would melt, but luckily, it didn't.

Sometimes I add random things that aren't really "scrapbook" items to my layouts. Check out this cute Post-It note from Target... I just stamped the Post-It note with the just a note stamp from Studio Calico! ♥

My tip of the day: Don't just collect embossing powders so they look pretty on your shelf -- grab your heat gun and have some fun! *************************************************** Products used: Studio Calico Summer of '69 kit, Flair Badge, Smash Tape, Zing Embossing Powder, Glitz Teeny Alpha, Technique Tuesday stamps

Simple Stories = Simply Gorgeous!

Yes, I did just say that my album is gorgeous but what can I say... sweet photos of my children and fabulous papers from Simple Stories Mix & Match Collection as a base for my book and I'm in LOVE!

I used Kim Watson's great idea for using up little flags... use them to make banners- pure genius! I simply folded the flags over the twine and tied knots between each one. How cute is that?!

I love these stamps from Cocoa Daisy and knew I wanted to use them for these photos. First, I stamped with VersaMark, used Zing Embossing Powder (Color: Powder) and then heat set. Seriously, I can't stop looking at it - so pretty!

One of the best things about this Simple Stories collection, is that the pages are already gorgeous with any embellishment. With just a few touches, you can have Simply Gorgeous pages! ************************** Supplies: Simple Stories: Mix & Match Album, Studio Calico: Stamps, wood veneer birds, star stickers, Memoir Linen Paper, Cocoa Daisy: Stamps, Authentique: Diction word stickers, October Afternoon: Little Flyer, stickers Prima: Pearls Cavallini & Co.: Washi Tape Flora & Fauna Bella Blvd: washi tape Pink Paislee: Mistables, Basic Grey Picadilly letter stickers Thickers: Regards, Zing Embossing Powder (color:Powder)

Scrappy, Crazy Socks

My daughter attends a camp every summer and each day has a different theme: crazy hat, crazy hair, crazy socks, etc. I somehow manage to forget about the "crazy days" until the week of the camp, which leaves me unprepared and scrambling for ideas. This year was no exception, I had been busy with house projects all day and my sweet daughter reminds me at bedtime that we have not worked on her "crazy socks". I almost didn't do it but I looked at her sad face and looked around my craft room and thought, "Surely, I can come up with something, after all, I could open a retail establishment in here!" My eyes landed on some big, colorful flowers and the inspiration hit me. We had so much fun gluing flowers and pom-poms to her soccer socks. I realized in that moment, that she was so happy, just creating with me. At that point she said, "Mommy, Even if I don't win tomorrow, I love my socks." The true joy for her was already there. ♥

When I picked her up from camp that day, she proudly announced she was co-winner of Crazy Socks Day! Finally, a champ! Of course I had to do a layout about the socks and along came a sketch on Studio Calico's blog and here is my take on the sketch.

When I look at this layout, I'm reminded of all the things I love about scrapbooking. Capturing life's special moments is what it's all about, to me (with an added bonus of playing with glue, pretty paper, and embellishments!) Products used: Studio Calico's June Kits (Elmwood Park & Monkey Bars)

Summer Fresh = Summer Fun

I started scrapping July 4th, 2011 photos last year but never finished them. I just couldn't get into a groove, but it's all good because along came the Summer Fresh collection from Simple Stories along with Cocoa Daisy's June kit. ♥ This collection captures the essence of my photos with it's simple, fun designs with a homespun feel. The first two layouts are a mishmosh of My Mind's Eye, Jenni Bowlin, Studio Calico...

The following layout was created from the 6/24/12 Sunday Sketch at www.StudioCalico.com. I used a blank tag and embossed with a Cuttlebug folder. I then used Distress Ink to highlight the stars. I think it's my favorite thing on the layout!

I love using WRMK divided page protectors. It's a great way to add lots of photos with touches of scrappy products.

It was such a beautiful day -- we had just set up for lunch outside and a huge thunderstorm came rolling through (of course.) We opened up the barn and took the party inside. You may think the fireworks pics are from our local show but you would be mistaken -- yes, my dear husband is responsible for the pyrotechnic extravaganza! Here's to waiting a whole year to finish a group of photos. Thank you, Simple Stories, for coming to my rescue. Wishing you all a fun-filled summer!

It's like riding a bike...

Scrapping, that is -- although I've thoroughly enjoyed my art immersion, I was starting to miss my favorite pastime. I woke up yesterday and decided I would take the time to scrap. It felt so good to get back to the photos, paper & glue.

Here are a couple of layouts...

Last summer, my brother took the kids fishing while on vacation. (Thank you, Uncle Barry!) When I saw this paper from the March Cocoa Daisy kit, I knew it was the perfect match for the photos. I simply cut out around the fish and added some Dew Drops for the fish eyes. Such a simple page, but I really love the end result!

The second layout simply captures my son finding the first sand dollar of the week -- always a big deal in our family! I cut the ribbon in half to border the photos.

In case you're wondering if I scrap every.single.photo, the answer is, "NO!" I use these nifty divided page protectors and simply slide the photos into the slots. It's a great way to see the photos you love but don't necessarily want to scrap.

Well, it feels great to be back, doing what I love! This week is our Spring Break, so I'm grabbing my camera and I'm ready to capture some fun, family moments. Thanks for stopping by!

My Inspired Apron

I'll soon be attending Inspired - Soulful Artist Workshop at Donna Downey's studio. The only thing we're required to bring is an apron. Of course, I didn't want to use my kitchen aprons so I decided to buy one and embellish it. Here is how I turned my inexpensive white apron into a fun, personalized project.

I started with chipboard letters to use as a mask for misting the monogram. I used my favorite Mister Huey's (Dewey.)

Just to give it some "character", I soaked one of the ties in coffee. lol Just kidding, it was obviously an accident, but I just had to share. Maybe my craft table isn't the best spot for my coffee.

I stamped the image at the bottom with several different colors of Mister Huey's. I wasn't thrilled (actually hated) the stamping in the upper corners, so I cut out some fabric flowers and glued them down with some cute buttons and now I love it!

I had a cute little scrap of fabric lying around (already cut into a scalloped shape) and thought it would be adorable on the pocket. I do believe in full disclosure, so I must admit that on my first attempt to top-stitch the scallop, I.sewed.the.pocket.closed. lol Thankfully, I do own a seam ripper and it was easily fixed.

For the little dots, I used Faber-Castell artist pens.

I truly can't wait to be inspired by Donna, Christy Tomlinson and all the participants at the retreat! A special thanks to my dear husband -- without his support, I wouldn't be able to follow my passion and go play in some paint while he holds down the fort! ♥

Connected x2

It's really fascinating to me how we've all become so dependant on our electronic devices for work, play, etc. I just happened to catch my son playing on two computers one day, while watching television, with ear buds in to listen to a You Tube tutorial! Talk about multi-tasking.

Of course, I had to grab my camera to capture the insanity and I whipped up a little layout to document. I titled it, "because 2 is better than 1" for obvious reasons. My son got the biggest grin on his face when he saw it.

I used Mister Huey's (Bonnie Blue & Pickle) to spray the chipboard number and then popped up the 2 inside the frame. I really love the results. For those of you struggling with mists, this is my favorite way to use them. You can enjoy all the beautiful colors without splatters of ink all over your layout.

I also want to share the cover pages for my kids' elementary school albums. This is such a fun and easy way to showcase those cherished school photos. Plus, I love to see the changes from year to year on one page.

As much as I adore the school layouts, when I look at them, I start to get emotional. Time is passing much too quickly -- I can't believe my son will be in middle school in August. I'll save my tears for another post.

Have a fabulous day and thank you for stopping by.