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Keeping you in Stitches: Basic Stitches

It's Jennifer Larson again, sharing some basic stitches I tend to use.

First: you can find basic stitch guides online if you google "embroidery stitches" or "needlework stitches." I find this one helpful (Sharon B's guide) and this one (Johanna's embroidery stitch diagrams). I won't draw stitch diagrams for you on this post, but I will describe the stitches I used on my pages; if you want to look up how to do it more precisely, click on one of these two links and search by the stitch name.

Generally, when stitching on paper, you do not want to holes to be too close together. I use 1/4 inch as a rule, though 1/8 inch can work (sorry for internationals about the measurements--I think this would be about a centimeter for you?). Any closer will probably shred the paper. I use my ruler or straight line hole templates (mosty from Stampin' Up!) to map out my straight line stitching.

 

1. Cross Stitch

I used cross stitches in two ways here: as a line under the title and in between scallops on the bottom border. If you happen to have border punches (of course you do!), adding cross stitches in them makes it super easy. I use the Stampin' Up! stitch template to measure the cross stitches, but a ruler will do as well.

2. Back Stitch

A back stitch is an outline. You can poke holes evenly apart and then stitch until the entire line is filled in. I use this stitch and the cross stitch the most because it is the most practical (and easiest!).

 

3. Running Stitch

This is similar to a back stitch, just with empty space. I use this to outline photo blocks a lot, or to make butterfly or bird trails.

 

4. Blanket Stitch

Blanket stitches are sort of half cross stitches, and they look cozy yet masculine. I like them on borders. I also backstitched a photo corner, one of my favorite things to do.

 

5. Algerian Eye

In my mind, Algerian Eyes are like glorified cross stitches:  to make one, you make a cross stitch and a plus sign. I like them because they are sort of sparkly looking shape-wise, which fit this winter page well.

 

6. Lazy Daisy Stitch

(Please ignore my hair and the fact that I'm massively pregnant in this photo!)

Lasy Daisy stitches are basically a loop you pin down on the page: Put the needle through the hole, then go down the same hole, leaving a loop the size you want. Supposedly, you then just have to stitch down the tip of the loop to form a lovely leaf shape; in all honesty, for me this forms leaves that look like they belong on a pine tree instead of an elm, so I also pin down the sides to make it more of a traditional leaf shape.

 

7. French Knot

French Knots are made by stitcking the needle through the paper and looping the floss around the needle, then poking the needle through the loop, which will form a knot. For some reason, I found that French Knots take more looping for paper than for fabric. When I stitch on cloth, I loop twice; on paper, I do it at least 5 times. On this page, I dotted the "i" with a French Knot; the rest of the word I backstitched after handwriting the word "attitude."

These were some basic stitches; tomorrow I'll share how I use templates to add designs that are amazing looking!

Keeping you in Stitches

Hello! It's Jennifer Larson sharing my first craft love: Embroidery.

I started cross-stitching when I was in third grade; I started scrapbooking when I was 30. I'm not sure when I meshed the two hobbies, but  stitching on layouts is now common for me. Why do I love it? Stitching is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to add detail to a page, and not just any detail, but the kind of detail that makes people stare slack jawed at the page. Seriously.

Here's what I'm planning on sharing for this week:

Day 1:( today) Basic Tools

Day 2: Basic Stitches

Day 3: Templates

Day 4: Adding Details

Day 5: Free Hand Stitching

 

It's day 1, so here are the basic tools I use:

1. foam mat. I bought mine at Michaels for cheap--two dollars?--in the kids craft section. *cheap alternative: back of a mouse pad, if you still have one.
2. paper piercer. I've gone through a few of these. Wine cork for safety. *cheap alternative to paper piercer: Push pin.
3. ruler. I like the Tim Holtz one because it has holes in it. Any ruler will do, though.
4. needles. I choose stainless steel ones so they don't rust, plus one that are not too thick but have a big eye. I'm getting older...
5. a sharp scissors. Just for ribbon and thread, not paper.
6. embroidery floss. I'm a snob and use DMC, which you can get at most craft stores (Joann's, Michaels, specialty embroidery shops). There are 6 threads in DMC; I use three when stitching on paper.

A note about DMC: There are a TON of colors. I own all of them due to cross-stitching, but I find it burdensome to search through them for my pages. I keep certain colors in my scrap supplies:

neutrals. I use white, ecru, black (210),light brown (3863), dark brown (3031), and orange brown (301). The numbers correspond with the DMC number codes, if you are interested in seeking these colors in particular.

rainbow colors. I bought a muted version ( top row: 304, 721, 743, 701, 825, 340) and a bright version (bottom row: 321, 971, 444, 910, 824, 858).

As I scrapped and stitched, I went out and got colors that seemed to fit the color trends  for scrapbooking papers: natural greens (more muted), teals, muted orange, and variegated threads.

These were my basic tools; tomorrow I will share with you the basic stitches I use and some layouts I used them on!

In Review

Hello and welcome to our final October Saturday. We hope you have had a fun month with us. Our month started out with a bang as we were honored to have some magnificent guests. Thank you, again, to Jennie, Connie, Aliza, Cris, Amy, Whitney, Janice, and Christine for sharing their talent with us!

Deb then provided us a marvelous week on stamping, filled with techniques, instruction, and  inspiration. Next, we got in a Halloween mood as the whole team chipped in with festive home decor, crafts, layouts, and more. As the big night draws near, remember to read up on the photo tips! Teka closed out our last full week, giving us myriad reasons to pin even more eye candy on Pinterest. 

Looking back at our Saturday workshops, Amy gave us three challenges and helped us see the difference little changes can make in our journaling. (Doesn't she make it look easy?) Next, Lisa offered up some useful suggestions on using stock photos and creating our own stock photo libraries. Lastly, Marnie put together a sketch from Erin's layout, a color palette from Jennifer's, and brought to focus the rainbow trend from this month's gallery.

Once again, a month of terrific scrapbooking It really has been an incredible, information-packed, inspiration-filled month.

Before we welcome November, as with each month's end, today we are taking one last walk back through our gallery. Shall we take one last look at Pinterest Made Me!?

 

This month we are going to find 25 design ideas based upon our gallery.

1. wrap some twine around an element on your page Katie
2. use three tags, two the same'ish, one different Lisa
3. put a title in large letters on a photograph Lisa
4. distress the edges of your page Deb
5. created a tiled or quilted look with small squares of patterned paper Diane
6. repeat an embellishment using two different mediums Christa
7. trim your photos to the same shape as you trim your patterned paper Jennifer
8. layer a graphic element on your layout Valerie
9. use a two similar buttons in two different ways on the same layout Kathy
10. create a banner with flags of varying shapes and sizes Francine
11. using a foursquare grid, replace one quadrant with a different shape Celeste
12. open that drawer of tickets and other bits of collected ephemera. use it. Paula
13. create a bold visual triangle with your title across the top, your photos lightly narrowed below, and your journaling centered on the bottom Teka
14. place three equally sized photos in a line across your page. drop the center one slightly, making it your focal point Vivian
15. layer your patterned paper from behind and then cut out shapes from the cardstock on top Vivian
16. using one photo and two patterned papers cut into equal sizes, place them horizontally across hte page. then add a circular element behind the middle one, causing sudden movement and grace. Alexandra
17. tear a notebook page for journaling. let the torn side be the bottom for a change. Alexandra
18. create a lyout around a favorite font Amy
19. using varying sizes and perspectives, add no fewer than siz photos onto your layout Kelly
20. purposefully use two contrasting colors in your title Erin
21. add a white on white element to an otherwise colorful page for subdued texture Emily
22. add a typographic element in a way that it becomes more graphic than typo-graphic Sarah
23. leave a bit of white space in a quilted pattern Emily
24. switch out a white background for some grid or notebook paper Marnie
25. identify three trends. put them all on one layout. Marnie
    
    

 Usually our printables coincide with our theme, but this month, we thought a Halloween version might be more fun!

Little embellies, project life cards, a title, something to frame, and sweet little flags. Everything you need to put together some terrific pages. All available for you to download here.

And this time, we made a British version, too! Complete with kilos and (the proper spelling of) favourite! It is available here.

Thank you for stopping!

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!

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!

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 three: school

Welcome back to our week of planning! Thank you for all your kind comments yesterday! I hope that yesterday sparked some ideas for you and helped you think of new ways to tackle repeating events, sporting or otherwise!!

Today we are moving on to another set of pages that could be preplanned: school events. My children's school puts out a yearly calendar that includes all the classroom, PTA, and extracurricular events added by date for the entire school year. As I was dragging and dropping said events into our personal calendar, I made a list of things that would be going on for my kids. Here is that list:

1. day one
2. meet the teacher
3. book fair
4. fall party
5. winter party
6. valentines party
7. spring concert
8. teacher appreciation
9. field day
10. last day

I know that I will bring my camera to these events, and that I will want to document their details. So I am going to build ten layouts that can sit and wait for their photos.

But how will I know what the photos will look like? Well, chances are most of my photos will be horizontal. And having been through a couple (or more!) school years, I have a pretty good idea of what the pictures will be. As for color choices, each of my kids has their favorites, which means their clothes are pretty predictable as well. Further, the parties will match the seasons. I think this gives me enough to get started, and I can make some some small changes or additions later if necessary. Of course, if I know the colors on the layout, I can always dress them accordingly, right? heehee!! (so not above that one. so not above.)

Now, I hear a few of you wondering why not wait for the event to happen and then scrapbook it with pictures in hand? Well, remember yesterday when I noted that event layouts are neither my forte nor my favorite? Well, I'm quite sure that without these ready to go pages, the photos will sit in well organized folders waiting for their day. And despite my good intentions, history has proven that fear of event layouts trumps intention. Nearly without exception.

Until now! Because I have taken this understanding of my weakness and embraced it and figured out a way around it! Hooray for me! Hooray for nearly done pages!!

Here we are! Ten layouts ready for their closeups, Mr. DeMille.

1. day one


2. meet the teacher


3. book fair - For this layout, I looked to Lisa's layout for basic design and structure


4. fall party - I created this one based upon an August Becky Fleck Pagemap


5. winter party


6. valentine's party - this one is from a layout of Deb from the same post as Lisa's layout I used in #3 (I love the weekend posts... You, too?)


7. spring concert


8. teacher appreciation - I recycled an old layout for this one! sneaky...





9. field day - This layout is based upon Valerie's page in our Summer Lovin' gallery





10. last day
    
    

How about your school year? Have you checked your calendar to see what pages you could make ahead? Feel free to copy mine if you would like. I'd be honored that you might want to! I would love you to be this excited for a school's year beginning!! And if you have no school kids, yet or no longer, perhaps just having 10 new layouts is reason for happiness??

I hope you will come back tomorrow for another day of planning and prep! Don't you love the feeling of success on the horizon??!!

A demain! (until 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!

Playing With Type

Hello again everyone! Summer is just winding down over here in France (school doesn't start until the first week of September). I hope you have all had a great summer where ever you are! Today I want to talk a bit about my love of type. I think it is a love that is shared by many of my WCS team mates, and no doubt by many of you.

I tend to consider type as part of my page design when I am creating a layout, and I love nothing better than mixing different fonts. My favourite way of adding my titles, and even journaling is letter stickers. Any scrapbooking kits that contain at least two sets of letter stickers gets my vote! Here are some ways that you can play with type on your pages.

 

Title Work and an Embellishment

I used two different sizes of letter stickers for the title here, the larger red text emphasises the words "red footed" making them pop off the page. In addition I cut out a portion of a sheet of patterned paper that repeated the alphabet over and over, using a piece starting with the letter K for Kieran.

 

Title, Subtitle and Journaling Details

On this page about Kieran doing art on the floor I went to town with letter stickers. I wanted to convey a feeling of fun and anything goes, so chose a different colour and font for each of the four action words. Then I used yet another three fonts for subtitles and journaling details

 

The Title is the Main Element

This page was inspired by a poster that I saw online. That phrase just matched this photo perfectly! I used a bunch of different letter stickers to convey a fun feel, and added an addition detail with the strip of text paper below the photo.

So go ahead! Go grab that letter sticker stash (you know you have one!) and have some fun playing with type!

scrapbook!

For many of us with school age children, this seems to be one of the busiest times of the year. And for those of us with kids in fall sports, our driving/sitting/watching obligations fill the leftover minutes quickly. Despite our hectic calendars (or perhaps because of them?!), our photo pile grows taller and taller. Wooed by the perfect lighting of August evenings, we take lovely summer's end photos. Tasked with school shopping and meet the teacher nights, we take milestone photos. And squeezing in those last minute summer todo items, we document document document. While our pile of photos grows, our time to scrapbook shrinks. 

But do not panic! Soon, the schedule will resume regular programming. And until then, we are here to help you! Today we bring your three challenges to help you put together pages in no time flat! Armed with your photos, and a story to tell, this week we bring you three design starters that we know will be just the nudge your page needs to come together quickly.

 

SKETCH

This month's sketch has room for eight photos! Looking to Erin's Summer Lovin' Gallery layout, Hiking in Bedford, Donna created a template that is perfect for a collection of photos.

Using Donna's sketch, I put together a layout in record time and didn't have to sacrifice any of the photos that I really wanted to include.

Keeping the same orientation, I completely made use of the photo grid, but left out the right side background paper in exchange for some lovely white space. Doing so created some breathing room which allowed for a bigger embellishment, and also more room for journaling--you know how I love my words!!

 

Katie also made great use of Donna's sketch.

Look closely at how Katie rearranged the photos. The shot of Maya in her life jacket takes center stage as it is just a hint bigger than the others.  At first glance, I thought Katie must have sacrificed a photo to get this, but she didn't! There are eight there, just like mine. Isn't it fun to see the difference little changes can make? 

Before we leave Katie's layout, I can't help but notice some other little details. The sunshine is cut out of the red, and the yellow is adhered from behind. Not only does this mean she didn't have to cut and glue each of those tiny little sunshine rays, but it also adds a very current feel, emulating the silhouette trend. And in the center of the sun, behind the button, Katie cut around and around, then pulled the paper forward, allowing for extra contour and depth. Oooh, it's the little details that take a layout from great to fanfreakintastic!

And as always, you are free to right click the sketch up above to save it or if you prefer a layered template, we have one for you, too, that you may download here! Please leave us a comment and a link so that we may see your work of art!

 

ROYGBIV

This month, I fell in love with the colors in Katrina's Summer Lovin' layout, Picture Perfect.

Grey as a color is practical and calm. Blue is harmony and contemplation. Green is hopeful and signifies life and growth. No wonder this layout makes you breathe a bit more deeply and linger a little bit longer.

Here is my color layout.

I know the color element are small, but I love how they shine! And hope that you see that using color doesn't mean using COLOR!

 

TRENDING

This month there was a huge trend in the gallery! Look through these layouts and tell me what they have in common: Vivian, Kathy, Diane, Celeste, Valerie, Christa, Keshet, Donna, and Marie. I'll give you a minute...

...

See it?

...

You guessed it--background graphic elements: grids, graph lines, hexagon outlines, circles, lines, these layouts have them all! Such elements are especially beloved around here as they add a clean graphic nature to a layout without a lot of visual clutter.

I added some lines to a layout and love how it looks!

If you love the look, check out the backside of your patterned paper. Chances are better finding it on the reverse!!

 

There you have it! Three reasons to scrapbook today! Really, I mean it! You will be glad you did, and I can't wait to see your layouts! Soon, please? :)