Write. Click. Scrapbook.

scrapbook!

Hello! Welcome to Scrapbook! Saturday. I am so happy to be here with you today. Didn't you think this month's gallery was amazing? I loved reading the little bits of advice, the life lessons, and the resolutions. As I made notes of pages I wanted to make, I found my journaling list was long. It's not that I wasn't inspired by the design or products on the pages, I was just so beguiled by the words, that I failed to note the rest. Does this happen to you sometimes, too?

Even though the stories were the first notice, going back through with an eye on design I was glad that I had taken the time, as there is much to love there, too! I run through life so quickly, that I often forget to truly pay attention. Similarly, it is easy  to click through the gallery without actually absorbing anything. But when I sit down and look, really look, I find all sorts of treasures that I might have missed. Let's get started and see what we can find.

SKETCH

First up is our sketch. Looking to Jennifer's January gallery layout,

Diane created this sketch for us:

 

And look at how well our team made use of it. 

 

Amy followed the sketch closely, and made great use of a beautiful photo as a background.

 

Jennie swapped the journaling block for some spotted vellum. A lovely part of sketches is their flexibility.

 

LisaO has all the elements but shuffled them around a bit.

 

Aliza's page is not for the faint of heart! I love how she shortened the lower strip, making it even with the title's edge. Don't you think it transforms the sketch into something new?

I stuck closely to the sketch, but deleted a couple of embellishments, and stretched my photos into rectangles as my photos weren't cropable. (Is that even a word??!!)

 

Lastly, we have Diane's lovely layout. Do you see the sketch in it? She told me that she began with the sketch, but once the photos came into play it took on a life of its own. Don't you love when that happens? The sketch gets you started and then creative lightning strikes and suddenly you have a wonderful layout sitting in front of you. Just like that!

 You may download the layered template here. Enjoy!

 

ROYGBIV

Take a moment and pop on over to the gallery and see if there is a color scheme that appeals to you. There are five kraft layouts, ten with white backgrounds, and a handful with prominent patterned paper. Have you a preference?

Looking for an entire palette, I was drawn to Jennie's layout from our Note to Self gallery.

With its soft muted hues, I just knew it would make a lovely color scheme for us this month.

I used it on a layout celebrating an exhibit I saw this past week featuring Aurora Robson. (Be sure to stop by her site. Her work is amazing!) Her work was all in white with a white window behind it, so the light papers were the perfect backdrop.

I hope that you will find these shades as useful as I have!

 

TRENDING

This month we have three equally outstanding trends: arrows, tags and labels. I spotted 11 layouts with arrows, 12 with tags, and 10 with labels. How about you? have you been using them lately, too? Should we check? I'll wait if you want to go find the last layout you made so you can see...

Did you find some? I did...

Alright, maybe I just made it...  I had fun adding in all three elements. I hope you will have fun, too!

 

Thank you, for joining me today! What a great week. With Christa's ideas for getting our men into our scrapbooks and with all the CHA sneak peaks, this week couldn't have been better. Thank you for letting me highlight some inspiration from our gallery, and thank you Diane, for putting our sketch together! Can't wait to see you all back tomorrow!

scrapbook!

Hi! It's Marnie, also known as shopper, wrapper, baker, and general holiday elf. In all the excitement of the season, it's sometimes so hard to find/take time to scrapbook. But sometimes taking just a moment away makes all the difference. And gets a page done, which is a perfect holiday gift to ourselves!

Today we have three ideas to help you get a photo and memory preserved.

 

SKETCH

This month's sketch comes from Katie's layout in our December gallery. 

Diane created a sketch for us based upon Katie's layout.

If you prefer, she also created a layered downloadable template that's available here.

 

Diane used the sketch to create a wonderful layout. We did a secret Santa exchange and she got a box of washi tape! How fun, right? It didn't take her long to dig right in and put it to good use!

I love everything about this layout. With such lovely and fun photos as a starting place, the horizontal lines create a terrific backdrop. And Diane's layout truly proves that you don't need traditional colors for a lovely holiday page.

 

When I went looking for a tall rectangle and a square photo, I found two in the Christmas batch from last year. I thought Crystal's funky Christmas kit was the perfect place to start for colors and embellishements. I quite like the result. Thank you, Katie, for a terrific starting place!

If you would like a layered template, all ready for a quick layout, just click here!

 

ROGYBIV

This month for our color palette, I was hoping or something with a bit of holiday mixed in with a bit of winter and I found just what I wanted in Sarah's layout.

Doesn't it look lovely with its grey skies, chilly blues, and berries?

I couldn't wait to see it on paper...

 

 

TRENDING

This month our gallery has 17 layouts that showcase photographs with relationships. Looking through, I saw moms and sons, fathers and sons. I saw moms and daughters. Siblings. Families. And love. So much love. This month I thought our third prompt would be to find a photo that showcases the love in a relationship. 

Here is mine. Thank you for giving me a reason to put it together.

Thank you for stopping by! I hope that you can put the sketch, the color palette, and the phototrend to use on a layout or three!

scrapbook!

Happy Saturday! With another week done, we are just in time for scrapbook! Saturday. Today we have our usual sketch, a color palette, and a trend alert. Three things to help your pages come alive and come together.

 

SKETCH

This month's sketch comes from Erin's layout in our gallery. 

Here it is transformed into a sketch.

 

And here is the sketch turned into a layout! I love how easily this one came together. I stayed very true to the sketch. No reason to stray on that one!

If you would like a layered template, all ready for a quick layout, just click here!

 

ROGYBIV

This month for our color palette, I looked back to our gallery and was beguiled by Jennifer Larson's layout.

and knew it needed to be our October color palette. I love the yellows and greens in equal proportions and the little drops of raspberry and brown.

I was so excited by how it turned out!

 

TRENDING

This month our gallery has 8 layouts that have rainbow colors on them. From Sarah's which goes all around the rainbow, to Emily's which takes turns stepping down the rainbow, and 6 others which dabble in the full color spectrum.

I borrowed elements from many of the layouts and put together a new rainbow layout!

Thank you for stopping by! I hope that you can put the sketch, the color palette, and the rainbow color trend to use on a layout or three!

Welcome, October!

Welcome, October! We are officially entering holiday season. This month brings Halloween, and then it is just a quick few weeks until Christmas! Okay, okay... I know. Let's not panic!

This month we have lots of fun in store! First, for the remainder of this week we have some very special guests. Deb Duty will be next, followed by our first collaborative theme week of the season to help us get in a spooky mood. Teka Cochonneau will be finishing up our month. Can't wait!!

And now, let's have a drumroll as it is 

A new month always brings a new gallery! This month, our theme is Pinterest Made Me Do It! For the past year, Pinterest has swept the online community. For scrapbookers, it is a dream come true as it is just so completely visual! With just a click, you can see specific loveliness. We thought you might like to see how Pinterest impacts us and affects the pages and projects we make!

Don't forget that there are now two ways to enjoy the layouts. You may scroll below, or you may click over to the photo album! The layouts will be full size in the photoalbum and the journaling will be available there, too! But again, you may stay right here and get a taste of each layout. Enjoy!

 

Sweet Girl | Katie Ehmann

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Crate Paper, Kesi'Art, Basic Grey, American Crafts, Hambly, October Afternoon) + embellishments (October Afternoon, Studio Calico, Ormolu, Prima, Kaiser Craft, My Mind's Eye) + stickers (American Crafts) + vellum + typewriter

Inspired by this pin. The original source may be found here.

A Note from Katie
I loved the circles in various muted tones and shades. I decided to go with a more monotone approach and only used colors that coordinated with my photo. I covered some of the punched circles with vellum.

October Fun Fact
While summer is my favorite season, I love October in Michigan. Pumpkin patches, cider mills, jumping in leaves, and Halloween are a few of my October loves. Plus, our neighborhood holds a scarecrow contest which is super fun and I most certainly plan on winning this year!

 

 

The View | Lisa Ottosson

Inspired by this pin.

A Note from Lisa
This page just happen to be inspired by one of Diane Payne's layouts! I have had it in my "Paper" board on Pinterest for a while and I love the tags with the journaling.

October Fun Fact
Do you know I have a series on my blog called From pin to reality? Yes, it is where I actually use all the cool stuff I pin to good use as inspiration! 

 

 

Life With a Brother is More Fun | Deb Duty

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Studio Calico, Authentique, October Afternoon) + embellishments (Studio Calico, October Afternoon) + letter stickers (American Crafts, Pink Paislee, October Afternoon) + stamps (Studio Calico, Basic Grey)

Inspired by this pin. The original source may be found here.

A Note from Deb
I chose this layout to scraplift because I love the layers and the messy look. I did some misting and for the first time distressed the edges of my paper!

October Fun Fact
I am getting ready to go to my first crop in about 15 years!

 

 

Four | Diane Payne


12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Jillibean Soup) + embellishments (Jillibean Soup, Pebbles, Inc., Divine Twine)



Inspired by this pin. The original source may be found here.

A Note from Diane

I thought the colored tiles with the paint swatches below made a great design for a layout and used it as a sketch. I substituted bold bright colors for the subtle hues and added my photo, jounaling and embellishment cluster to right of the design.


October Fun Fact

October is my favorite month of the year!

 

Spring Recital I Christa Paustenbaugh

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts) + patterned papers (Jenni Bowlin Studios) + stickers (Jenni Bowlin Studios) + plastic flower (Jenni Bowlin Studios) + chipboard (Jenni Bowlin) + jewels (Making Memories) + stamp (Jenni Bowlin)

Inspired by this pin. The original source may be found here.

A Note from Christa
I loved the quilted look of this Pinterest piece and wanted to replicate that in part of my layout. I cut 2” squares and cut them into triangles to all fit together in the same pattern as the quilt. I then stitched it to look more like a quilt effect.

October Fun Fact
This is the first year we won’t have to worry about it being too cold on Halloween to wear non long sleeved costumes. Living in a sub-tropical climate has its advantages, one of them being short sleeves and shorts while going out trick or treating!

 

On My Mind | Jennifer Larson

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts, Bazzill) + patterned paper (Studio Calico, Echo Park, My Mind’s Eye, American Crafts, Kesi'Art) + embellishments (Studio Calico) + stickers (American Crafts, Pink Paislee) + punch (EK Success) + circle cutter (Coluzzle) + ink (Jenni Bowlin) + fonts (Times New Roman)

Inspired by this pin. The original source is here.

A Note from Jennifer Larson
I am a wonderful pinner-from-Pinterest but a lazy creator-from-Pinterest. As a result, I purposefully scrolled back to find inspiration from one of my oldest pins. I found a pin from the Indigo Bunting back from March, which made me want to scrap a page of what’s on my mind, using the various-sized circles as inspiration.

October Fun Fact
I will be running in my fourth 5K this month, which is definitely on my mind right now!

 

Smile | Valerie O'Neall

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts) + vellum (Strathmore) + markers (Copic) + stamps (American Crafts, My Mind's Eye) + snapshots tag (Elle's Studio) + stamp ink (Staz On)

Inspired by this pin. The original source is here.

A Note from Valerie
This layout was inspired by a camera illustration by Dan Gnelding of Grayhood Design & Illustration.
This was such a fun challenge! It was actually a little hard to narrow it down and find the one pin I wanted to use as inspiration. I also had a lot of fun trying out this new technique with the vellum and Copic Airbrush System that I've had in my head for awhile. It worked almost as well as I imagined.

October Fun Fact
I just finished reading Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis. LOVED it! I want to buy multiple copies and lend it to everyone I know.

 

Inspired by Pinterest | Kathy Martin

12 x 12 | < b>materials card stock (Bazzill Basics) + patterned paper (My Mind’s Eye and Teresa Collins) + embellishments (Fancy Pants, Love My Tapes, My Mind’s Eye, Pebbles, Tim Holtz)

Inspired by this board.

A Note from Kathy Martin
I’ve been keeping a crochet and knitting board on Pinterest even though I don’t know how to do either. Just a couple weeks ago I decided to take the plunge and found a YouTube tutorial saved on my board and taught myself to crochet.

August Fun Fact
I finished the scarf and look forward its snuggly warmth around my neck this winter. I’m currently working on a blanket and I’m a quarter of the way done!

 

Cusp | Francine Clouden

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Dear Lizzy, Amy Tangerine, American Crafts) + chipboard stickers (American Crafts) + stickers (American Crafts, Amy Tangerine) + stamp (Dear Lizzy) + brad (Amy Tangerine) + masking tape + baker's twine + mini clothespins

Inspired by this pin. The original source is here.

A Note from Francine
As soon as I saw this ad on Pinterest I added it to my inspiration board. I just loved the large photo with the hanging tags, twine and mini clothespins. The great thing about inspiration is that you don't have to use everything, just the elements that stand out to you, You will notice that my layout has nothing to do with the holidays.

October Fun Fact
I'm looking forward to cracking open the first butternut squash from our garden this month.

 

Milo | Celeste Smith

12 x 12 | materials digital kit (Daydream by Tracy Martin at One Story Down) + alphabet (Noted Alphabet by Valorie Brown at One Story Down) + font (Traveling Typewriter)

Inspired by this pin. The original source is here.

A Note from Celeste
When I saw these pretty stitched cakes, I knew I wanted to use a white on white stitched background on a page. I love how the stitching gives the background some nice texture and draws the eye from the top left corner to the heart of the page.

October Fun Fact
Last year, Halloween was cancelled in our town due to a crazy early snowstorm that downed power lines and trees. The boys were so unhappy. They can't wait to get to trick-or-treat again this year!

 

NYC | Paula Gilarde

12 x 12 | materialscardstock (Core'dinations) + embellishments (Jillibean Soup twine and buttons) + stickers (Cosmo Cricket, October Afternoon, Studio Calico)

Inspired by this pin. The original source is here.

A Note from Paula
I've always been a collector of memorabilia. Even before I started scrapbooking, I used to save my tickets stubs and bits and pieces from places I visited. I occasionally try to incorporate one or two into my layouts but when I saw this layout by Amanda Jones on Pinterest, I was inspired to use ALL the ephemera I collected from our trip to NYC. It's a fun way to remember everything we did. In fact, I liked it so much that I pinned it twice!

October Fun Fact
I'm looking forward to the return of chilly weather so that I have an excuse to spend time indoors working on all the crafty projects that I've pinned!

 

be-YOU-tiful | Teka Cochonneau

8.5 x 11 | materials patterned paper (Jillibean Soup, Sassafrass) + embellishments (Jillibean Soup, Studio Calico) + stickers (Jillibean Soup) + stamps (Studio Calico) + washi (October Afternoon)

Inspired by this pin. The original source is here.

A Note from Teka
Pinterest is one of my favorite inspirational sites. I use it for ideas for backgrounds, colors, quotes, tutorials and so much more. Today I wanted to use a title from a cool quirky sign that is originally from Etsy.

October Fun Fact
October makes me want to cook. For some reason I crave curry when the weather starts to cool.

 

Rides | Vivian Masket

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzill Basics) + patterned paper (October Afternoon) + flashcard (October Afternoon) + washi tape (October Afternoon) + stickers (October Afternoon) + die cutting machine (Silhouette) + font (Typenoksidi)

Inspired by this pin. The original source is here.

A Note from Vivian
I love the look of confetti, but I find the mess of it daunting. I solved that problem my creating reverse confetti. I used a Silhouette cut file that contained multiple different shapes and then simply backed it with a vibrant patterned paper to create a fun confetti-look background for my layout…with one-step gluing rather than gluing down a hundred pieces of confetti..

October Fun Fact
October is my favorite month of the year. It always brings both our first snow and lots of days in the 80s (sometimes after the first snow!). The colors are just gorgeous everywhere we go.

 

Today | Alexandra Sirugue-Macleod

8.5 x 11 | materials paper and stamps (Penny Black) + glassine envelope and tag (Staples)+ paper clip (Target) + alphabets (Quickutz)

Inspired by this layout.

A Note from Alexandra
I love Laura’s fresh style and was inspired to lift the design of her page. It is an 8 1/2 by 11 inch page and it bears the same title "Today." The stamp and patterned paper (Madison collection)are from Penny Black. I used white ink and white embossing powder to stamp/heat emboss the border (Puzzle Parts) over a wash of water colors. The glassine bag is adhered underneath the stamped image and allows for more journaling to be tucked away.

October Fun Fact
While attending the Sorbonne, I worked as a bookie every morning!

 

More | Amy Sorensen

12 x 12 | materials patterened paper (Crate Paper, Echo Park, Pebbles) + alpha stickers (Basic Grey) + pennants (Silhouette) + fonts (Origin, Cafe Rojo)

A Note from Amy
My layout was inspired by two different pins. The first one wasn't actually pinned in Pinterest though! I first clicked on this pin that Lisa Kisch had pinned to the WCS Write board. Then I followed the link to the original website, The Handmade Home, and while browsing her blog I found this post (which has a funny bit about comic sans), which introduced me to the font Cafe Rojo. When I saw it I was like,hmmmmm, that looks just like a Basic Grey alpha sticker. So I dug around in my drawers until I found one. (These happen to be from their Lemonade line but there are several Basic Grey stickers that match this font nearly exactly.)

Still with me?

My next step down the inspiration path was to this pin also done by Lisa in the WCS Write board. I loved the repetition of the word "more," so I went digging through photos to find some that would work. The thing I loved about this process is that I might never have scrapped these pictures, because they're not very good—bad indoor lighting and grainy results. But they fit so well with the idea that I went ahead and used them anyway!

October Fun Fact
Back in September I told you I'd be trying to finish my son Kaleb's dinosaur quilt. I didn't quite manage to finish it, but the entire top is pieced and I'll start quilting it soon!

 

Shaved Ice | Erin Sweeney

8.5 x 11 | materials patterned paper (KI Memories, Scenic Route, Studio Calico, My Mind’s Eye) + stickers (American Crafts)

Inspired by this pin. The original source is here.

A Note from Erin
I pinned this game to my Halloween board since I’m starting to gather ideas for Mackenzie’s preschool Halloween party. I drew my inspiration from the buckets - replicating the circles and placing them on top of strips of patterned paper, just as the buckets are on rectangles of concrete.

October Fun Fact
My baby has just turned 2, which means I officially no longer have a baby, but rather a toddler. Let the terrible two’s begin!

 

Scenes | Emily Spahn

8.5 x 11 | materials {Gossamer Blue kit}: patterned paper (Bella Blvd, Jillibean Soup, October Afternoon) + alphabet stickers (Webster's Pages, Jillibean Soup, Prima Marketing) + buttons (Bella Blvd) + die cut tags (Chic Tags) + washi tape (Bella Blvd) + twine (Lawn Fawn) + cardstock (American Crafts) + border punch (Fiskars)

Inspired by this pin. The original source is here.

October Fun Fact
October is a month that I have a love/hate relationship with. I love everything about fall…apple picking, the pumpkin patch, football games, etc. However, I do not love that we tend to be busy with said fun activities every single weekend! We are definitely a busy family that's always on the move! But, I wouldn't change it for anything…before we know it, the snow will be here!!

 

Rockin’ Her Birthday Duds | Sarah Pendergrast

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (American Crafts) + embellishments (October Afternoon, Studio Calico) + mask (Studio Calico) + mist (Studio Calico)+ stickers (American Crafts Thickers)

Inspired by this pin.

October Fun Fact
I’m secretly jealous of my daughter’s obsession with everything “rockstar.” I can only wish I was as “cool” when I was a kid! I have a feeling though she’ll eventually end up like me, a sporty nerd. ;)

 

Count | Emily Pitts

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzill Basics) + patterned papers, alphabet, stickers (Simple Stories) + floss (DMC) + chipboard (Maya Road) + embossing powder (Prima) + thread (Coats & Clark) + pen (EK Success)

Inspired by this pin. The original source is here.

A Note from Emily
I am not a huge fan of the hexagon shape, but pull it out like this and I find it really cool. I knew it would be easy to replace one of the hexagons with a photo, but was worried how to do that with the precision it required.

AH HA moment—a template! I hand cut an elongated hexagon that would fit over the photo, traced it in the middle of a large piece of paper and then cut it out again so I’d have a template to use when I cut the photo so it would fit perfectly in the shape. I used the same template to create all the shapes, hand cut them, and then moved everything around until it looked right.

I wasn’t too sure how to place my title, I usually don’t block one like this, but by leaving the top left and bottom right of the design open so you’d have a visual place to enter, see the title inside the shape, move to the photo, and then exit through the other space. I am happy with how it turned out.

A hand-stitched title supported the playful feel I was going for, and the happy and energetic repeated pattern is fun, kind of quirky, and full of life, very much like my daughter and her dear friend.

October Fun Fact
If my life were a movie, I’d want Drew Barrymore to play me. I also really like the subjunctive tense.

 

Our New Normal | Marnie Flores

12 x 12 | materials patterned papers & elements (Crystal Wilkerson) + font (KG Call Me Maybe)

Inspired by this pin. The original source is here.

A Note from Marnie
I loved all the colors and the banners and well, just everything about Nicole's layout. I added in a place for journaling at the bottom because I just didn't want to detract from that top left hand corner white space!!

October Fun Fact
Last summer, Costco had a lifesize skeleton guy for sale. My kids convinced my sweet spouse to buy it (something which I am sure took all of .01 milliseconds!). Today is the day the scary guy gets to come play. They are soooooo excited!

 

Dare Greatly | Marnie Flores

8 x 10 | materials patterned papers (Crystal Wilkerson) + ruler (Lori Whitlock) + elements (Jen Barrett Designs) + font (dropping tears sans)

Inspired by this pin. The original source is here.

A Note from Marnie
The beauty of Pinterest is that once you find something you love, you click on the designer and then suddenly lose yourself and fall in love with all sorts of other things. Then you try to make one just like it. Then you realize that you need to just be yourself. Then magic can happen. Just need to let go. That's the hardest part.

Before we go, we wanted to let you know that one of our partners is having a sale! Blurb is offering 15% off any book you create with promo code FALL15OFFBOOK. As the cold weather season begins, a Blurb book makes the perfect indoor project for the entire family. Plus, with Blurb, you can create a photo book by uploading your Instagram and Facebook images! Don't let your pictures sit in a camera. Capture your favorite moments today and create a photo book that you can cherish for a lifetime. Enjoy creating your Blurb Book today! Be sure to click through the link to let them know we sent you!

That's it! Another amazing gallery from our equally amazing write. click. scrapbook. team!Thank you, dear readers, for stopping by and please leave a comment for our designers letting them know how much you loved their layouts!

In Review

Hello and welcome to our final September Saturday! We have had a wonderful month here and hope that you have had as well. While we love our Summertime Dailies, our week long author weeks are near and dear to our hearts, and this month has been spectacular! Marnie got us off to a good start with a week of preparations for a "new year." Then Francine provided us all with a much appreciated photography skills week. Monika spearheaded an inspirational week demonstrating the many uses of twine which lead us right into this technique week filled with Kathy's amazing talents, hints, and suggestions.

And as if that wasn't enough, we had our Saturday workshop challenges. Did you practice adding in details as per Amy's helpful article? Or maybe you were inspired by Lisa's monthly photo challenge? You still have a couple of days before the calendar changes to put together a plan for the month of October... Lastly, Marnie brought you three more page starters, with a sketch, a color combo, and a design trend.

It really has been an incredible, information-packed, inspiration-filled month.

Before we welcome October, as with each month's end, today we are taking one last walk back through our gallery. Let's look back at Looking Back!

 

This month we are going to maintain our lists, but with a twist. Using our gallery layouts, we've put together three lists of ten things we can try on our layouts.

1. make a list of things that you mightn't have expected from your life Diane
2. find a childhood photo and let your mind wander. spend 10 minutes recording memories. Vivian
3. write about something that affected you greatly Celeste
4. find a childhood photo. write down the thing that first comes to mind. Deb
5. relate the story of a skill that was acquired Erin
6. find a then and now photo pairing and record the changes Christa
7. write about a recent event as if it had happened longer before. see how (if) your perspective changes. Alexandra
8. record things about your older children that their younger selves would have loved Amy
9. compare and contrast a photo from now with a photo taken on the exact day two years earlier. Marnie
10. document your ongoing (or everchanging!) food loves Francine

 

1. use a now and a then photo Francine
2. find an photo that you haven't scrapped that shows a snippet of real life Emily
3. gather a selection of photos that span a year and use them all on one layout Jennifer
4. use a photo more than 15 years old Monika
5. find friends who have shown up in photos over the years. put the photos all on one layout. Paula
6. enlarge a closeup photograph Teka
7. find a photo from the same day two years earlier. use both on one layout. Marnie
8. ask your parents for a photo of you as a child with your grandparent(s) Kelly
9. go take a photo of a place you used to live/visit/spend time (even if it doesn't look the same) Katie
10. take a photo of your rearview mirror or side mirror to help emphasize a reflective layout Diane

 

1. use a graphic element three times in varying proportion Katie
2. mask and mist Valerie
3. punch an element out of your patterned paper and then use the punched piece elsewhere on the layout Lisa
4. use patterned paper that helps tell the story of your layout Kathy
5. use a calender element on a page about change Christa
6. use varying shades of the same color Sarah
7. try out a new size Alexandra
8. trim your photos and papers in varying sizes of the same shape Jennifer
9. keep all your page elements in a central column Teka
10. use two primary colors and one secondary Deb

 

30 more reasons to scrapbook!! And to help you create some fun pages we have a new printable for you that accompanies our theme of Looking Back.

You may download it here. And for extra points, see if you can name the tv show that inspired the 90s tag!

Have a terrific weekend and we will see you back Monday for our brand new gallery!

scrapbook!

Happy Saturday! What a terrific week we have had with Monika and The Twinery! We hope you enjoyed all the ideas and found inspiration a-plenty! With another week done, we are just in time for scrapbook! Saturday. Today we have a sketch, a color palette, and a trend alert. Three things to help your pages come alive and come together.

 

SKETCH

This month's sketch comes from Kathy's layout in our gallery. 

I was excited to create my own layout with Kathy's sketch. I knew I could stay pretty true to the basics, but that I would need to put those tilted photos back on the grid (I am not so good with askew!). It came together quickly! I even left the grey and navy as I loved them so much. Hopefully yours will be so fast, too!

If you would like a layered template, all ready for a quick layout, just click here!

 

ROGYBIV

I have been perusing home reno sites this month and saw this color combo 

and knew it needed to be our September color pallette. I love the drenched hues and the bold colors balanced with the soft greys.

Look how great it looks on a layout!

 

TRENDING

This month, there were 6 layouts with doily elements in the Looking Back gallery. Guess that means it's my turn!!

Thank you for stopping by! I hope that you will take a moment to make a layout or three!!

PREPPING FOR A GOOD YEAR day five: birthdays

Funny thing, birthdays. They come once a year. On a specific day. Bringing with it a specific age. (For most, that is. Mine hasn't moved in a long while. Do you think I need to bump up to 35 this year instead of my usual 29? Nigel is going to be 14 which makes me think that 29n needs to become 35b. Oh, how that math is keeping me honest'ish!) Coming once a year means you can count on them (for better or worse), which makes birthdays prime candidates for pre-planned pages!!

This year, if all goes well, we will celebrate 5 in house birthdays. We sometimes travel to family for a birthday or two, but this week is about planning for scheduled events, which means I am going to ignore the potentials, and stick with the for certains.

Let's get starting planning our layouts.

 

COLOR

Each child in our family has a fabric birthday banner. A few years back I was inspired by Pottery Barn's fabric birthday banner, so I made one for each of my girls. Then Nigel asked for one, too, so he didn't feel like a second rate citizen (hahaha! hard to be 6 years older than a princess or two!). Their banners come out every year the night before their birthdays and then stay for the week. Poppy's is purple, Lavender's pink, and Nigel's blue, green, and grey.

Last year, we added a personalized poster for each child. It stood next to their gifts on the table, and now sits atop their shelf in their bedroom. Here are the girls' posters.

You can see that the colors match their banners, which means the color palette for their party decor is well set!

 

DESIGN

My littles still have parties, with 5ish friends that come help celebrate. They have already picked their themes and activities which will help me know what to expect for their layouts. Further, I usually try to get a horizontal group shot, and then vertical individuals of each of the party goers. I will see if I can fit everything on one page, but realize I may have to venture into the two page layout category.

Nigel hasn't done an official party for a couple of years. Instead, he opts to take a friend to the movies. And now that phones have cameras I can get a picture while we are there. (He is much less bothered by my snapping a phone pic than hauling out my big camera.) His layout will just need room for one phone photo which means it will be more square than usual.

Richard's party will be a family affair with dinner, presents, and cake. His photos will include a food shot, a cake shot, and then some present-opening photos. These are the highlights for his birthday. A few years ago, I realized that I wasn't very good at buying him presents, so I began a new tradition of thematic gifts. His presents are small, low-budget, and must fit within the theme. The first was "As Seen On TV." Others have included "Go Go Kitchen Gadgets," "Dinner & a Movie," and the least successful, "Welcome to Hollywood" (which was tooth whitening and sunglasses!). Knowing that the presents play a fun part of the day, I am going to plan for a five photo layout: four presents, and a kids n' dad photo. I will let the food/cake shots be their own layout.

I am not a big center of attention girl, so my party will be a family dinner of grilled steak and seasoned potatoes. With a gluten free brownie for dessert. (Oh, how I miss my baked goods... sigh... ) My gifts are homemade cards and a Yagoot gift card (my froyo of choice). There are only so many Yagoot layouts a girl can make, so my birthday layout will just need room for a picture of the meal and my family.

 

LAYOUTS

The Birthday Person

The first three layouts that I put together will incorporate the subway art and a vertical birthday photo. My kids each have their own books, so I went ahead and made them each the same. Even if they all went in one book, they would be separated by a month each, so that they are the same isn't too crazy, right? I left the layouts relatively plain as the subway art has lots to read and lots of different fonts.

The Birthday Celebrations

Now, we need some birthday celebration layouts! Remembering all the planning details, let's put together some layouts. In order of appearance on the calendar...

And with that, all our birthdays will be recorded on time and in cute ways!! Who knew I had it in me??

 

I hope that you have had a fantastic week. I have appreciated you comments and your input. Hopefully you have gained a new strategy for completing some of those pages that we know we can count on year after year.

Additionally, I have long understood that organization in my home frees my spirit. This week I learned that the same is true of my scrapbooks. Fear of event layouts has a way of weighing down my spirit and causing me to hide from my photos. But with all that we have accomplished this week, I feel fulfilled and ready for all those layouts that I love to make! Please tell me if your experience is the same.

I hope you have a wonderful autumn. Amy will be here tomorrow for some journaling love and Francine will be here Monday to start a new week!! Thank you, dear friends and readers, for stopping by!

PREPPING FOR A GOOD YEAR day four: holidays

Happy day! I am so glad to have you back!! I really appreciate your company this week. I hope that you are having fun thinking about ways to stay ahead of your event photos! I cannot believe that I am going to have a football season captured, 10 school events taken care of, and by the end of today's post, 9 holiday layouts! That's right, today is about the holidays.

Looking to my beloved google calendar, I listed the holidays that we will celebrate this year:

1. Halloween
2. Thanksgiving
3. Christmas
4. Valentine's Day
5. St. Patrick's Day
6. Easter
7. Mother's Day
8. Father's Day
9. Fourth of July

Event photos. Which means I am scared away and therefore fail to properly record. But in prepping for the nine holidays, I set aside my concerns and dove head first into creating some layouts. Because the approach to each layout is unique, we will evaluate their designs one at a time.

I am hoping that there will be lots of crossover for your holiday schedules, too, so perhaps we can both use up the layout ideas!

Let's get started.

1. Halloween

Halloween is a big deal at our house. I have nearly as many Halloween decorations as I do Christmas decorations!! Every year we go trick or treating, and all three of mine will dress up. Because they change their mind on costumes about 6000 times a day for every day in October, I decided to go with a basic Halloween color scheme. To best capture the costumes, the photos will be vertical. I usually try to get the same sort of shot for each costume, so I felt safe going with three similarly sized photos. I also know that a layout with three kids need equal representation lest one feel more beloved than another... For a three vertical photo design, I opened up to my sweet friend and inspiration, Jody Wenke! and found this which seemed perfect! I even opted for a graphic element for my title in honor of Jody's creativity!

2. Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving at our house is a food day. Turkey, potatoes, vegetables, pies, more vegetables, more pies. Every year, I end up with tons more food photos than people! And they tend to be horizontal so that I can get lots of food in each shot. When I was visiting Teka's blog, I found a layout that had a big focal photo. Making it a four photo instead, I now have room for the turkey, the trimmings, the pie, and a place setting. We have repeating decor that is traditional in its colors, so I just followed that palette for my layout.

3. Christmas

A few years ago, I put my camera away for Christmas morning, but now realize I can't remember much about the presents or the morning. So this year, I am going to get a few more shots of the kids and their excitement. Knowing I will have several photos, and knowing that I am not very comfortable with two page layouts, I went looking for a sketch. I found this one at SketchSupport.com. I took a few elements off, but stayed otherwise relatively true to the sketch. I kept it whimsical and light as our morning photos will be in our coordinating pj's!

4. Valentine's Day

When I was peeking at Jody's site, I saw my favorite layout and thought it would make a sweet Valentine's layout. Each year, the girls get a love shirt for the day, and we make homemade Valentines for their class. I figured this page could go either way. Or maybe it will house a picture of them reading the love note that I promise myself every year that I will write. Maybe this will be the year I do!

5. St. Patrick's Day

St. Patty's day at our house is mostly the hat and shirt! We have a giant tall Suessian hat in two tone green. I think it will match these colors well. Thinking that the hat is tall, I left room for a long skinny photo. And I will squeeze a little journaling in there, too. I didn't want it to be too plain, so I added a little subway-art effect on one of the rectangles. Do you like the bit of pizzazz?

6. Easter

I am realizing as I type this, that we dress for our holidays. Halloween costumes, Christmas dresses, Christmas pj's, Valentine's tees, St Patty's tees, and now, Easter dresses. Goodness, I suddenly feel so shallow. Thank heavens for Old Navy and Target so that the budget survives!!

I digress... Nigel is past cute shirts and ties, having moved into the land of white shirts and a dark suit. So I thought this page could focus on the girls. I picked traditional Easter colors, thinking the pastels will allow Lavender to still have pink on her outfit, and Poppy with her purple will fit right in! Again, the photo needs to capture my apparent need to shop and dress, so the photos will be vertical. I had a journaling square, but then wondered how much I would say about their dresses? If necessary, I will add one back in later.

7. Mother's Day

I have talked about my Mother's Day present before--a complaint free trip to the park for mom and kid photos. For this one, we sometimes go in Sunday dress, sometimes come home and change. And if we do that, everyone picks a favorite outfit that allows their personality to shine through, so the colors may be varied. To maximize my chances for success, I prepped with a grey page with elements neither too formal, nor too casual. I could have gone vertical or horizontal on this one (I will have both) so I just picked horizontal for fun! I did round the corners to soften the look. And I made sure to change up the direction of the shadowing so that it didn't have funky in between spacing.

8. Father's Day

We love Father's Day at our house! It means we grill a juicy steak dinner for Richard and he is good to make a big scene when he opens the kids' homemade cards. I wanted a layout that could be flexible for either of these photo ops, both of which would be a horizontal shot.

I didn't have a particular idea in mind for the design, so I went browsing online, and found this layout. I loved the vertical rectangles--they gave the feeling and warmth of a pieced quilt. To maintain that thought, I selected colors and patterns that would feel collected. Curated, if you will. I mimicked the stitching, too, for that added sense of a quilt.

9. Fourth of July

The final holiday layouts is the Fourth of July. We have celebrated our last three years in Utah. So while I don't love traveling that far, chances are, we will be there next year, too. Which means we will go to Day's Market, buy a package of fireworks for the kids, and then head over to the church parking lot to light them. And while I may go vertical for photographs of big (real) fireworks, our parking lot show is more smoke bombs and snappers, making nearly all the photos horizontal. And plentiful. Which meant I could do a repeating grid. Adding in some patriotic colors, and we have ourselves a festive and fun layout!

 

Wow. Who knew that event layouts could be so fun? I had a great time picking out colors and hunting for designs. In fact, I realized as I was making these layouts, that I needn't fear event layouts. They are a terrific excuse to use iconic colors and patterns, and don't need to be any fancier than any other layout I create. I am certain that the lack of storytelling and the multiple photos have been stumbling blocks for me. But in making these 9, I realized that the photos can carry a bulk of the story weight, and that is okay. Just because a holiday photo doesn't come with a particular story, doesn't mean the photos can't be scrapbooked. Nor do I have to pick just one great photo. I can use grids to add lots of photos. Repeating successful strategies isn't boring, it is brilliant! Grids work and they fit my design aesthetic, so they are awesome. 

I hope you will all take an evening to put together your holiday layouts, too. Especially if event layouts have scared you like they did me. I have been scrapbooking for more than 13 years, and putting these layouts together as a group has taught me so much about my perceived deficiencies. I really feel like I made a breakthrough!! Thank you for taking the journey with me!!

Tomorrow will be our final day of our "Prepping for a Good Year" week. I hope you will join me for one last set of ideas and layouts!

Have an incredible day!

 

PREPPING FOR A GOOD YEAR day two: sports

Welcome back! I hope you enjoyed your Labor Day yesterday (by not laboring--the irony of which has never ceased to make me giggle!). Are you ready to  roll up your sleeves, dig in, and get dirty? If you missed yesterday, you may want to pop back over there to read the backstory for our week. Go now, we will wait for you...

Did you have a moment to think about your upcoming scrapbooking goals and opportunities? I hope so! I also hope that some of your life will overlap with mine so that we can lean on each other for ideas and inspiration this week!

Today we are going to tackle sports. It is a prime candidate for preplanning as it comes with a schedule.  Which is where we are going to begin.

 

THE SCHEDULE

As we plan to scrapbook a sports season, let's evaluate the season. I am going to chart out our football season. Would you like to take a minute and sketch out your season, too?

Here's mine:

Indoor training begins in February and runs through the last week of school. Then there are two weeks off. And then conditioning begins. Twice a week. Until mid-July. And then becomes daily. Mornings until school starts and then moves to afterschool. Once school begins, practice is four times a week after school. Games are weekly. For about 8 weeks. Then there is an end of season get-together. And then we breathe until February. (Well, actually just turn our sights to soccer...)

 

THE PHOTOS

Sports photos will follow the events. Let's take a minute and pair our expected photos to their events. Here is my list:

For indoor training, there won't be any photos. (It starts at 6:15 in the morning which is hours too early for me. (Besides, it takes place in the gymnasium at school and I have learned to allow my children some boundaries. (hahaha!))) There will be a couple of pics from conditioning. A handful from practice. And tons from the games. We will also order the official school team and individual photos. Oh, and a few from the closing night social.

 

THE PAGES

Now, let's anticipate the pages we will make based upon our knowledge of the photos we will take.

You know I don't love scrapbooking events. But that seems like a necessary evil if I am going to do something with all those pages. But I really don't like making event pages--there's just so little to say. So what if I made a minialbum or a photobook? You know I love those!! And I can build it on a template which seems like a terrific help in saving time and actually getting the photos and memories recorded. I am hoping the minialbum can also be the place where I record the indoor training, conditioning, and practice schedules. I think the official photo, and closing photos would work well here as well. I am going to consider the minialbum the keeper of all things pertaining to the season.

Behind the events, there are going to be pages. Touching ones about life lessons, overcoming obstacles, and having fun. For these, I can use training photos, or unrelated-to-football photos, or borrow from game day photos (knowing I will have so very many!). The scores can go in the photobook. The behind the scenes stories and memories can go on individual pages.

 

PREPPING FOR SUCCESS 

MINIALBUM

Embracing my digi love, I am going to go with a photobook. But I really believe this could be reproduced with a paper mini.

Because I know the schedule, I can go ahead and build the whole book. Here is the format I think I can follow:

1. cover
2. official photo
3. training schedule
4. game schedule
5. game pages
6. closing party

Color will be easy as I will opt for school colors. Pages 2, 3, 4, and 6 will be individual but with consistency. Page 5 (a through g) will be for game days. They will need lots of photos and a few details. 

Let's get started.

Cover

For the cover, I decided to re-cycle a subway art I made for Nigel for his season last year. I updated it a little and will tweak it if I need to before I send the book in for printing. I am hoping, too, that perhaps this could become an annual book with a repeating cover, complete with updates, of course.

Official Photo

I measured the photo from last year so I knew the dimensions. I used the same general format as the cover. And borrowed the gold color from the color of the boys' pants. Page two will be the team photo.

Schedules

I am going to have to find the schedules to add them in, but I did build the pages. I kept the same framework and colors. And am thinking I will add in a little extra stuff when I get the calendar done.

Game Pages

Because I know the schedule, I can go ahead and build the game pages. I knew I would want room for lots of photos and few details. So I came up with this basic design:

I already have all the teams and dates filled out on layered templates waiting for game day! Here is how week one looks all filled in:

(I changed a couple of the subheadings to better match the notes Nigel made for me.) I am so excited to have a way to document the details of the game, and to include lots of action shots. But my favorite part? Feeling like it is going to be successful due to the preplanning!! Woohoo!

 

So far, we have two weeks of games behind us and I have both weeks already documented and ready to go. Which means I am miles ahead of last year. Ooh, having a plan feels so good!

Remember my list of photos? We are all there, with the exception of the closing party. I think it will follow the structure of the game day pages for photos, so I am going to wait to make it.

Just a couple of random thoughts... Were my book not digital, I could make an envelope page for the schedule pages, in lieu of writing out the schedule. Further, I realized in the making of this book, that I really want some practice photos. I am going to take a long lens and hide behind some trees and to get some pictures to help make a better looking schedule section.

 

I really like the idea that the whole season of events is put in one place. From training to season end. And I really love that I already have two weeks done. But most of all, I love that in asking Nigel to write his thoughts on the games, I had a little extra time with him and had a chance to bond with him over something very important to him. And now he knows that it is important to me, too.

 

What do you think? Will a mini or a photobook would work for your sport?

EXTRAS

We encourage sports for our children as it builds both their bodies and their spirits. (And for a teenage boy, it provides a lot of conversation starters!!) The lessons, successes and silliness will all be recorded in the kids' regular albums. Here is one I made after his game last week.

Honestly, there's not a lot of preplanning that can go on with these pages, but when I take out the game day photos and madness, it makes the rest feel very doable.

 

I hope this gives you a couple of ideas for handling the stack of sports photos growing as fast as your little athletes!!

I also hope you will come back tomorrow for another way we can prepare to scrapbook those planned events for our new "year!" See you tomorrow!

Welcome, September!

September is here. This month, not only will the leaves begin to change; so, too, does our format. We hope you enjoyed this year's summertime dailies. A delightful smattering of technique, permissions, and inspirations, our summertime dailies are a carefree schedule for a carefree season.

But school is back in session and so are we! Our weekly author series return beginning Monday. This month, you can look forward to the reading the wit and wonder of Marnie Flores, Francine Clouden, Monika Wright, and Kathy Martin.

They have four weeks of top notch content ready for you--we look forward to seeing you each day as you stop by for some scrapbooking fun and learning. If you haven't already, you may want to consider subscribing to the our feed, then you won't miss a thing! Just click the subscribe button up there and to the right in the grey navigation bar!!

 

A new month always brings a new gallery! And this month, the theme is Looking Back. September seemed the perfect season to look back and document a change, a memory, or something that you hadn't yet. We hope you enjoy our layouts! And now, you have two ways to enjoy the layouts. You may scroll below, or you may click over to the photo album! The layouts will be full size in the photoalbum and the journaling will be available there, too! But now, you may stay right here and get a taste of each layout. We hope that allows you to comment on the projects more easily and to let each designer know how much you appreciate the time and effort they spend to bring you a little artistic love! Enjoy!

 

The More Things Change | Francine Clouden

12x12 | materials patterned paper (October Afternoon, Studio Calico, Crate Paper) + chipboard stickers (October Afternoon) + stickers (Glitz Design, Authentique) + Bingo Card (Jenni Bowlin) + button + spray inks

A Note from Francine
This page documents Kieran’s abiding love for hummus. He is 8 months old in the first photo, and 21 months old in the second. Looking back at the first photo from the perspective of the second is when I first realized how much he had changed from being a baby!

September Fun Fact
I can’t believe I am saying this but I am actually looking forward to cooler autumn days. Not winter though, never winter!

 

 

Little House | Katie Ehmann

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Echo Park, My Mind's Eye, Tim & Beck for Studio Calico, Simple Stories) + embellishments (My Mind's Eye, Studio Calico, Freckled Fawn) + stickers (American Crafts, October Afternoon)

A Note from Katie
I took this photo of my grandparent's old house a few months before it was demolished. I spent much of my childhood visiting this house, and am so grateful that I have these memories documented. I hand cut the big patterned paper heart with pinking shears and then cut it again, flipping the outer heart to make the contrasting border. I used wood veneer hearts as embellishments to tie the theme together.

September Fun Fact
I love September because it is the start of the college football season and I get to watch my alma mater, the University of Michigan Wolverines play in The Big House! There is nothing like cheering them on with over 107,501 screaming fans! Go Blue!

 

 

Looking Back | Diane Payne


12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (October Afternoon, Pebbles Inc.) + embellishments (October Afternoon, A Flair for Buttons, Studio Calico, My Paper Shop, Milky Way Jewelry, Whisker Graphics) + stickers (October Afternoon, Basic Grey)



A Note from Diane

With the theme this month I thought it would be fun to reflect on where I've been since I was a little girl and what I wish I would have done a little differently along the way. I hope this layout will give future generations a better idea of what I find important.


September Fun Fact

When I was a little girl, my parents took us on two week long summer vacations by car. It brings back fond memories for me and is probably why I love road trips so much!

 

 

Remember | Emily Spahn



8.5 x 11 | materials {Gossamer Blue kit}: patterned paper (Echo Park, Pebbles, My Mind’s Eye) + cardstock (Stampin’ Up!) + buttons (October Afternoon) + resin flowers (Prima) + chipboard buttons (My Mind’s Eye) + chipboard alphabet (American Crafts) + twine (October Afternoon) + die cut (October Afternoon) + metal flower (EK Success) + journaling sticker (My Mind’s Eye)>



A Note from Emily

A long time ago I printed out a bunch of 5x7 photos. I don’t know why I love this one so much…something about the “everyday-ness” of it all. It’s even more special now, as our dog in the photo passed away earlier this year. I love recording these simple ordinary memories.






September Fun Fact

September is my favorite month. It’s my birthday month, but I especially love it because it signals the beginning of fall! I can’t wait for sweater weather, football games, changing leaves, and all of the other amazing parts of fall.

 

 

First Father's Day | Valerie O'Neall

8.5 x 11 | materials cardstock (American Crafts) + patterned paper (Sassafras, My Mind's Eye, and Crate Paper) + circle tags (Elle's Studio) + mask and mist (Studio Calico) + alpha stickers (October Afternoon) + stamp (American Crafts Dear Lizzy) + other (buttons, shipping tags, twine, and date stamp)

A Note from Valerie
I don't have a school-age child yet, so I decided on this photo to look back on from my hubby's first Father's Day. I started with a very neutral black and grey color scheme, but a little color ended up finding it's way onto the layout.

September Fun Fact
I'm canning for the first time ever this year. I've had a garden for four(?) years now, but this is the first time I've had enough excess for canning and been brave enough to try it.

 

 

Then - Now | Lisa Ottosson

8.5 x 11 | materials patterned paper (Amy Tangerine) + embellishments (Sweet Shoppe.com Kristin Cronin-Barrow, iloveitall on etsy)

A Note from Lisa
Late August always makes me look back on the year and several years as my daughters birthday is August 31st. This year she turns 13…

I wanted to quickly add that the now and then circles are from a digital kit that is called For the love of: conversation. It was bought at Sweet Shoppe.com.

Also, when I went to look for older photos of Myrra (the dog) and Stina (my daughter) I couldn´t find any although I know we have several. I really wanted to include some of them on this page, so I dug out our old home videos and took screen shots! The photos are terrible of course, but the memories are surely not! The older photos are held in the glassine bag.

September Fun Fact
Right now I am freaking out about officially being a mom of a teenager!

 

 

A Day to Remember | Vivian Masket

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzill Basics) + patterned paper (October Afternoon) + mini-album pages (October Afternoon) + die cuts (October Afternoon) + stickers (October Afternoon) + chipboard (October Afternoon) + pen (Sakura) + font (Typenoksidi) 




A Note from Vivian

Mini-album pages, used as both a journaling spot and patterned paper, helped me to pull this layout together quickly.

September Fun Fact

I created this layout while on vacation at my parents’ house, not far from the beach where this photo was taken.

 

 

Third Grade 2012 | Jennifer Larson

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzill) + patterned paper (Pebbles, October Afternoon) + tags (Elle’s Studio, Studio Calico) + stickers (Pebbles) + floss (DMC) + templates (Bazzill) + pen (Zig)

A Note from Jennifer Larson
I am terribly behind on school photos. Rather than going back over a year to create layouts for each milestone event, I put them all on one page, using a circle ( and many more circles!) to symbolize the year.

September Fun Fact
I teach high school English, and let me tell you, the teachers are just as nervous and excited on day one as the kids are!

 

 

here's the story | Celeste Smith

12 x 12 | materials kit (One Little Bird & Sahlin Studio Worn at The Lilypad) + masks(Robyn Meierotto Cut It Out at Design House Digital) + stitching(Robyn Meierotto In Stitches Neutrals at Design House Digital) + frame (Kitschy Digitals Vintage Photo Frames at Kitschy Digitals)

A Note from Celeste
This is the last photo I have to my mom and dad with me. We weren't much of a photo taking family. I wish I had more! Unfortunately, this story is a little sad. My father is now having chemotherapy and has a long road to travel. We are hoping for the best!

September Fun Fact
My oldest started middle school this year. It's amazing I'm excited and nervous for him all at the same time. Let's hope he catches on to it quickly - he's my forgetful one!

 

 

8 Years | Kathy Martin

12 x 12 | < b>materials cardstock (Bazzill Basics) + patterned paper (Little Yellow Bicycle) + embellishments (American Crafts, Jillibean Soup, May Arts, Bella Blvd)

A Note from Kathy
This October marks eight years since we moved cross country from Hollister, California to North Carolina. It’s amazing to think back through these years and how much has changed and how we’ve grown as a family.

September Fun Fact
There’s actually a Hollister, California, but it’s not a beach community like the famous Hollister clothing company. We lived in Hollister for six years. It’s a small town between San Jose and the Monterey Bay surrounded by world famous farms. Most notorious are the strawberries from Watsonville, but there’s also Gilroy, the garlic capital of the world and Castroville which is the artichoke capital of the world.

 

 

Looking Back | Monika Wright

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Pebbles) + embellishments, letter stickers, border (Pebbles) + flapper, flair button (Ormolu) + sewing machine (Singer) + punch, die cut (Stampin’ Up) + shipping tag, chipboard (craft supply)

 

A Note from Monika 
Looking Back...this month’s theme. So I literally went looking back to a stack of photos that have been calling out for some attention and pulled this photo of my now 20-year old son. This photo was printed 3 years ago at which time I sat down and wrote some journaling about the photo. How’s that for looking back on a photo taken 17 years ago and journaling written 3 years ago finally coming to life on a layout.

September Fun Fact 
I haven’t ridden a bike since I was in my teens. My husband earned incentive points through his company and chose a bike for me, which I am guessing means I need to get my little tooshie on and actually now ride. Watch out girls, Mama’s on two wheels!

 

 

My Fish School Bag | Deb Duty

8.5 x 11 | materials patterned paper (Studio Calico, American Crafts, October Afternoon) + embellishments (Studio Calico, October Afternoon, Prima, My Paper Shop) + letter stickers (October Afternoon) + stamps (Studio Calico)

A Note from Deb
With the theme this month, I decided to go way back. I've been scanning old photos from my mother's house. This was the first day of preschool when I was about to be four. I have such a bad memory so it's really nice to have old photos to help remind me of things I had forgotten.

September Fun Fact
When I was little I so wanted hair like Marcia Brady. I was very happy when I got my first Chi flat iron about ten years ago. Finally I can have straight hair! I've been flat ironing it ever since. I wear it curly (which is better described as frizzy) very rarely.

 

 

Looking Back | Paula Gilarde

12 x 12 | materials template (Meant to Be Layered Template (Katie Pertiet)) + metallics (Lynn Grieveson) + labels (Banner Labels No. 1 (Katie Pertiet)) + title stickers (Wooden Alpha No. 8 (Katie Pertiet))

A Note from Paula
I can't believe I've know these girls for almost 20 years. It makes me feel old! We got together recently and it made me think about all the fun times we had over the years.

 

 

Blessed Love Happy | Teka

8.5 x 11 | materials patterned paper (Jillibean Soup) + embellishments (My Minds Eye) + Bling (Recollections) + Twine (Jillibean Soup)

A Note from Teka
I love using products on a page that are leftovers from other projects. Makes me feel "green". The kraft banner is actually a page left over from a mini I did for Jillibean Soup.

September Fun Fact
I always feel the most creative in the morning after a fresh cup of coffee.

 

 

Little Red Tricycle | Erin Sweeney

8.5 x 11 | materials patterned paper (My Mind’s Eye, Studio Calico, American Crafts) + embellishments (K & Company) + letter stickers (American Crafts) 

A Note from Erin
I printed these pictures 2 years ago, yet somehow they never got scrapbooked. As Mackenzie will be turning five soon, it’s fun to look back at her as a toddler.

September Fun Fact
I lose things. Often. I’ve lost two sets of keys with the remote keyless entry – both after driving home. How does that happen?

 

 

& Time Flies I Christa Paustenbaugh

12 X 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts, Crate Paper, Echo Park) + patterned papers (Studio Calico) + stickers (Crate Paper) + wood veneer (Studio Calico, Studio Calico) + brads (My Mind’s eye) + chipboard (American Crafts, Studio Calico) + flair (A Flair for Buttons Etsy Shop) + wood veneer (Studio Calico) + twine (Ormolu) + die cut machine (Silhouette SD)

A Note from Christa
The theme for this month came at just the right time for me, but also broke my heart in half too. My oldest is getting ready to start her final year of elementary school so I dug up an old photo from when she was starting her elementary school journey at the ripe old age of 5. I see the physical changes in her, but also remember all the emotional and mental changes too. She’s starting her 4th different school this year and I couldn’t be more proud of how resilient she is!

September Fun Fact
I love September: the crisp air, football get togethers and a regular routine in our house. This year is a bit different though: no crisp air in September in a tropical climate and those football parties will be during the week after the games are already played in the States! It’ll be a new normal for us!

 

 

1976 | Sarah Pendergrast

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Studio Calico, Basic Grey, Jillibean Soup, My Minds Eye) + embellishments (October Afternoon, Studio Calico, Banana Fish Studio, K & Co) + stickers (American Crafts. October Afternoon) + tools (QuicKutz, Silhouette, Martha Stewart)

A Note from Sarah
My design was inspired by a Hambly overlay. I used butterfly punches and die cuts to replicate the design using a yellow gradient.

September Fun Fact
I’m the youngest of five kids, and the closest to me in age is seven years older. It was a happy mix of being a bit spoiled as the “baby” and an only child at the same time!

 

 

Looking Back | Alexandra Sirigue-McLeod

 

Still Here | Amy Sorensen

12 x 12 | materials paisley stamps (Close to My Heart) + round swirly stamp (Hero Arts) + fleur-de-lis and bird on a stem stamps (unknown) + StazOn ink (Tsukineko) + markers (Copic) + clock hands (Silhouette) + ribbon + Samo Sans and Janda Stylish Script fonts

A Note from Amy
For the stamped border, I wanted a colorful swirl of pattern and bright hues.To make it, I stamped with big stamps, letting the images come out a little messy and soft so they could blend into each other. Then I just had fun coloring in all the blank spaces. I wrote the journaling in a similar way, with run-on sentences and ampersands and a stream-of-consciousness feel.

September Fun Fact
My September goal is to finally finish the quilt I've been working on for my seven-year-old. Since he was four. The only good thing about my procrastination is that now I know to make it bigger than I had originally planned. Someone should check up on me!

 

 

Two Years Later | Marnie Flores

8.5 x 8.5 | materials patterned paper (Creativity by Crystal, Crystal Wilkerson) + fonts (Josefin Sans Std, Bebas)

A Note from Marnie
I thought for this month's gallery, I would be putting together a layout comparing all three kids on their first day of kindergarten. But when I opened the folder for Poppy's first day, I saw this picture. And knew that this was the story that needed to be told.

September Fun Fact
I have something every single day this month. And on a couple of days, we have three places to be at the same time!! It's going to be a fun month!

 

Bike | Kelly Jeppson

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (American Crafts) + letter cut-outs (BasicGrey) + circle punch + white gel pen

A Note From Kelly
My parents gave all the kids in my family a cd of "vintage" family photos, and this is one of my favorites from the collection. It's a photo of me and my cousins with my grandpa, who passed away when I was pretty young. We used to all go on bike rides together, with me on the back of Grandpa's bike because I was too young to keep up with the big kids. I know that the photo is grainy - it was probably taken circa 1980.

September Fun Fact
My husband just bought me a road bike - I'm still trying to figure out how to shift! And I think she needs an Italian name, as she's a Specialized "Dolce" model. Any suggestions?

 

Thank you, write. click. scrapbook. team for creating a most beautiful gallery! And thank you, dear readers, for spending your precious time with us! We hope you feel inspired to create some fun today!