Sweet Summertime

Hello, friends! My blog has been a little neglected because of house projects, vacation, etc., but now I'm back and ready to create! I enrolled in Gossamer Blue's Pretty Paper class because I fell in love with the kit being offered. The paper and stamps are AMAZING! As I was editing some vacation photos, I realized some of them were a perfect match for the kit, so I got busy creating. :)

I knew I wanted this layout to be clean and photo-focused, so I opted for a classic grid pattern. To make the patterned paper stretch, I cut strips instead of mounting the photos on it. To make the title pop, I used Zing embossing powder - I love how it gives subtle dimension and color contrast. I love this clean, fresh and beach-y layout, sometimes less is more and this is the perfect example. If you're interested in the process, I have a YouTube video of this layout here.

Now that camps and vacation are over, it's time to kick back and enjoy the dog days of summer! Thank you for stopping by my blog. xo

Masking Magic

A few weeks ago, I watched a Kristina Werner YouTube video with masking and stamping. I was instantly smitten with the design concept and knew I wanted to replicate the look on a layout. I gathered several botanical stamps and a few photos and got started. The concept is that you make a shaped mask (circle, square, etc.) and stamp along the edge of the shape. When you remove the mask, you are left with the most beautiful image. This photo is was taken after I removed the mask. This technique is so fabulous and the options are limitless.

Here is my completed layout. I have decided this is one of my all-time favorite layouts. I can't stop looking at it. :)

Even though this technique was geared for a card, I love that I can use it for scrapbooking. If you'd like to see my process video for this layout, click here. I encourage you to act on the things that inspire you, I'm sure you'll find the magic in the process. Thanks for stopping by, wishing you a blessed and creative day! xo

Recharging

You may or may not have noticed that I took a little break from blogging. It was not intentional, I just faded away. I have been doing some crafting, YouTube viewing, and scrappy soul-searching as the year is winding down. I was even considering closing down my blog. I initially started blogging to have a spot to share my crafty things, then I got caught up in trying to make it on a design team. Now I have come full circle and have decided that I do enjoy blogging (and crafting), for myself - imagine that! :)

I've been doing some craft room purging, and during that process realized that I have a ton of scrap supplies that I truly love and need to use them. I know that sounds ridiculous and obvious, but it's easy to forget all the beautiful things I already have when new products keep arriving every month. lol You all know I am a fan of kit clubs, but I am challenging myself to take a break for a few months and use my stash. I'm really excited to dig into my goodies and have some fun!

During my recent YouTube binge, I discovered a stamp company that I love! WPLUS9 has the most amazing stamps and matching dies. I had a chance to play around with my new stamps last weekend and I'm hooked! Here are a few photos of some quick and easy projects I made with them.

As you can see, they are fabulous! The shipping and customer service is top-notch, be sure to check them out if you love stamps. It feels good to be back, thanks for stopping by my blog! ♥

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!