Write. Click. Scrapbook.

scrapbook!

Welcome to our May edition of scrapbook! Saturday. I am having a wonderful month here at write. click. scrapbook. How about you?

This month's gallery is a favorite of mine. I love the reminder to take time to scrapbook our daily moments. Those times in between the events that used to dominate our scrapbooks. I hope that you have felt inspired, too.

For our three scrapbook! challenges we are going to go back to our May gallery, Everydaily III, and find three inspiration pieces. Ready?

 

THE SKETCH

This month, Diane created a sketch based upon Amy's layout, Everyday He, in our Everydaily gallery.

 

Here is her sketch.

I love the tags and the details and that it has matching photos. I couldn't wait to use it. But first, let's look and see how two of my teammates took it on.

 

Jennie's layout chronicles her yummy doggy. She stuck closely to the sketch, but switched her journaling box to one sized more like the tags on the side. I love the little red sequins. Mmm.

 

Diane's layout is going to make you smile!! Her choosing a faux corkboard was so smart. And the pearl tops look just like push pins. Genius! 

This makes my heart happy. The happy smiles and mugging for the selfies are too too fun!!!

 

And here is mine. I turned the photos on their side and then had to take out the title bar. I very lazily left Diane's shapes along the right hand side. (I love when sketches work so well!)

Thank you, Diane, for the sketch this month! If you would like to download a layered template you may do so here. Please leave us a comment if you take a turn with the sketch so that we might see your good works!

 

ROYGBIV

This month the color palette

is based upon Christine's layout, Love to Run.

With all those luscious pinks, I couldn't resist. Here is what I came up with.

I know the pink is bright and central, but the other four colors are there. And helps to take a bit of pep out of the peptol bismol bright!!

 

I can't wait to see what you do with this palette. There are so many ways to go with it. I'm looking forward to seeing yours.

 

TRENDING

This month nearly every layout in the gallery has a color photo. Well, except mine. So I thought perhaps I should join in! 

And while we were doing color, I thought I would go for broke with a color filled background paper, too!

 

That's it! I am so happy that you stopped by and that we could work on some layouts together. I hope that you feel inspired by our gallery and that you will enjoy the colors, designs, and trends you find there!

Enjoy your day!

And don't forget to let me know if you make a layout or two!

Silhouette Digital Machine: Tips, Tricks, and Secrets

Welcome to the final day of Silhouette week with me, Amy Sorensen. (I’m wishing I had more days to blog about this topic—we’ve barely scratched the surface.) Today I wanted to cover some helpful tips and techniques that work with the versatility of the cutter. Let’s jump right in!

A Few Silhouette Secrets

1. The secret to making your cutting mat stay sticky for longer. I discovered this the hard way: I once left a nearly-brand-new cutting mat sitting out, uncovered, on my desk. For an entire ten days of vacation! It was so dusty when I got back, it would hardly hold anything. That’s when I learned that to keep your mat sticky for as long as possible, you’ve got to keep it covered with the plastic sheet it comes with. This keeps the dust out and it also seems to revitalize the stickiness a little bit. Find yourself with a cutting-mat full of objects you’ve cut but don’t have time to peel off? Cover everything up with that plastic sheet until you’re ready to peel.

2. The secret to a dust-free mat. Even though I try to keep my mats protected, they eventually get a little bit of dust on them, or a few tiny pieces of cardstock from intricate cuts. Every once in awhile, give your cutting mat a wash. Use warm water, a little bit of dishwashing soap, and piece of scrunched-up plastic wrap in place of a rag. Rub gently with the plastic to wash off the dust and scraps, then let the mat air dry. (And then hurry up, put the plastic cover back on!) This won’t make the adhesive as sticky as it was when you bought the mat, but it will extend the stickiness.

3. The secret to removing little scraps. Use packing tape! Whenever I cut something that leaves a whole bunch of small leftover pieces, I reach for some packing tape. Roll it into a loop and carefully press it on top of the small remnants. Then peel the tape off and the remnants come off with the tape.

4. The secret to keeping stuff in place. Sometimes your cutting mat has simply lost all its sticky, and you don’t have a new one yet, but you need to cut something. Washi tape to the rescue! I mentioned this on Monday but I think it’s so useful it deserves its very own tip. Jennifer is the brilliant mind behind the idea: use washi tape to hold down the paper/cardstock you’re cutting. It peels right off when you’re finished. Just make sure that the object you’re cutting isn’t too close to the edge of the mat, so it doesn’t overlap the washi. This works perfectly when you only have a small piece of something you want to cut from.

5. The secret to not replacing your blade. If your blade starts to seem dull before its time, pull it out of the cutter and clean out the little tube it’s encased in. Small scraps of paper can clog the space around the blade, making it hard to turn and causing it to cut less precisely.

Silhouette Technique: Foundation Piecing

One of my other favorite hobbies is quilting, and I find that the techniques I learn with fabric quite often translate, in one way or another, to scrapbooking. Foundation piecing is a quilting technique that’s useful for small or intricate shapes; it involves using paper as a foundation, then removing it once you’ve sewn the small pieces together.

I figured out this technique when I made the title for this layout:

I wanted the title to have a mosaic feel, like the tiles you find in a swimming pool. I glued down a whole bunch of diamond shapes on a foundation of white printer paper, welded the word "memory" in the Silhouette software (I used Bemio, which I use almost every time I have a word with a lower-case y because I love this font’s y), and then cut it out with the covered-with-diamonds foundation.

Here’s another example, with step-by-step instructions:

I’ve been wanting to recreate in paper the spiderweb potholders from this blog post ever since I saw it last fall. (I also am itching to make a Halloween quilt—instead of potholders—with the same idea, but that’s totally another post!) Here’s how I made them:

1. I used this triangle card cut file by Loni Harris:

2. I ungrouped the object and deleted the triangle with the flowers:

3. Then I deleted the perforated line, drew a solid one, and grouped it all back together, which gave me a pair of 60° triangles:

4. Next I sized the paired triangles and then copy and pasted the object twice. I rotated one (click on the object, then click Object, Rotate, 180° degrees) and then lined up everything. I grouped these three triangle pairs, copied and pasted, and moved the second one down the mat:

5. Once the cut file was prepared, I got the foundation ready. I used a blank piece of white printer paper and some .5"-ish patterned paper strips. (Two of these are paper selvage—the cute edge design you cut from the edge of a 12x12 sheet.) I inked the edges of the strips, then glued them onto the white printer paper. (It’s necessary to apply glue all the way to the edge of the patterned paper strips!)

6. After letting the foundation piece dry, I cut it into two 8.5" x 2" strips, stuck these on my cutting mat in the corresponding spots, and sent it through the Silhouette. Before cutting, I changed the Cut Settings to Double Cut, since it needed to cut through two pieces of paper. (Click on the Cut button, then Change Settings to change to a Double Cut. This setting will stay in place until you change it.)

7. After cutting, I peeled the triangles off the mat and assembled the spider web following the directions in the potholder link (using double-stick tape instead of thread). Full disclosure: I had to re-glue three of the tiny triangle points. And I learned that it works better to put the web together by making two half-hexagon shapes rather than going in a circle. The edges don’t all quite match up without overlapping them a bit.

I can’t quite express how ridiculously happy these spider webs made me! I think they’d look equally as cute done in blue patterns (as snowflakes) and in pastels (as flowers.)

Silhouette Technique: Use the Pens

The first few times I used my Silhouette, I was a little bit afraid. Probably silly, but overcoming that initial will-I-do-it-right resistance was a little tough for me. That’s probably why I haven’t tried the Silhouette pens yet—but I do believe Diane has helped me get over my fears! She shared this layout:

The "Kisses for Daddy" title was done with the Silhouette pens. Here is her advice for using the pens:

Some designs in the Silhouette store are specifically for sketching. You can search for them by entering sketch designs. They also are indicated with the letter "S" in a grey box. Here's an example of one:

You don't have to use a design that is designated as sketch but sketch/outline images work best.

To sketch a design with your pens, replace the blade with the sketch pen of your choice and from the cut menu choose "sketch pen" under the cutting options. When you are done sketching an item you can also cut it out. To do this, leave the design you just sketched in place in the cutter, offset the design, change the pen back to the blade and cut the offset line.

For fonts, the thin ones work best. There are some options in the Silhouette store and several options at Lettering Delights too.

One great idea for the Silhouette pens is to use them to write the salutation on the inside of a card, like here:

To figure out where to place the text, draw a rectangle the same size as your open card in the Silhouette software. On the right side of the rectangle (the inside part of the card once it's folded), type the greeting, saying, or sentiment you want. Then place the cardstock or patterned paper on the cutting mat in the spot that corresponds to the place the image is in the software. Then delete the box and follow the above steps to sketch.

See! Totally not scary. I'm going to order pens next time I need a new mat or blade.

Silhouette Technique: Hybrid Scrapbooking

Christine taught me about the potential for using digital scrapbooking products with the Silhouette cutters. You can drag .jpg and .png files right from your file manager into the Silhouette Studio window. You can then use the trace and cut feature to turn the image into an object you can cut. To trace the image, click on it, then select Trace from the Object menu. Draw a space around the part you want to trace, then click on the Trace button. Delete the original image and you're left with the shape you can now send to the cutter as usual.

You can also use digital patterned paper with your Silhouette. Open the cut file you'd like to cut. Then drag the patterned paper from your file manager to the object in Silhouette Studio. When you let go of your mouse, the paper fills the shape. Use the print and cut feature to finish the piece.

Here's a great example to show the flexibility of the Silhouette when its paired with digital supplies. Christine created both an entirely digital layout:

and then a paper one with the same supplies as a hybrid layout:

Brilliant, yes? Christine will be sharing other hybrid scrapbooking techniques later this month—I'm excited to learn other techniques from her!

Free Cut Files
Amy Coose shared this cute layout:

The awesome part (well, besides its general gorgeousness): The circle "Love" text embellishment? Totally free! Every Friday, Chic Tags has a free cut file download. The Silhouette store has a weekly free cut file. And you can get the free WCS cut files monthly! We post these on the first day of the month.

And with that, we are at the end of the Silhouette week. I hope it's been helpful to you. Go forth, dear scrapbooker, and cut stuff out with your Silhouette. It's a great way to use your supplies!

Silhouette Digital Machine: Text Features

I confess: all affection for pre-made cut files aside, the real reason I got a digital cutter was for the text capabilities. (After all, any type of alphabet-related supply is automatically my favorite!) The ability to cut out any font in existence? It's the Silhouette's coolest feature in my mind.

Of course, just because you CAN cut out every font in existence doesn't mean that every font looks great once it's cut. Some fonts have lines that are too thin, or jagged edges, and some just don't translate well as digital cuts. Here are some favorite fonts:

Script

Sans Serif

Serif

And some ideas for text embellishments you can make with your Silhouette:

Add text to a solid embellishment

Amy Coose added the word "Sweet" to the tab shape and "Fun" on the chevron arrow. This is easy to do: Simply open the solid shape and size as needed. Click on the Text button, select the font you want to use, and type the word. Then move it right on top of the solid shape and resize. Group these two and you're done!

Christine does something similar with the title on this layout. A banner shape + a clean font (Blackout, in this case, which is a great go-to font) = a quick but awesome title!

Try finding solid shapes to cut that go along with the theme of your layout, or use a tag, journaling box, decorative square, or label shape. I quite often add the date to my layouts by typing it onto a solid shape and then cutting it out.

Use the negative shape

I do this quite often when I cut out words, because it's easier to glue down one piece (with all the letters aligned already!) than a whole bunch of smaller letters. Here's an example from Valerie:

By cutting the chevron designs and the title out of the same white cardstock—and keeping it all together—Valerie created a design that draws your eye right to the title.

This technique is so versatile! Use the negative shape as one of many layers, like Christine did in this layout:

(the script font is Pacifico, another versatile one!)

Write your journaling with negative shapes:

Christa, who is a color-mixing genius, shows that backing each line with a different color adds a certain pop that you can't get any other way.

Or, try mixing negative and positive shapes, like Diane did in this layout:

Layer the letters right on top of your photo for a fresh look.

Create a Mask

Cut out the word you want. Use temporary adhesive to stick it to your background, then spritz the piece with mist. Let it dry for a bit, then peel up the word. Here are a couple of examples:

This layout illustrates just what I love about masking a word: the contrast between the letters' clean edges and the more organic feel that the mist makes. I'm not sure I'll ever not like this!

Diane also shared a layout that uses a mask. This one has a longer, welded title (see the instructions for welding in yesterday's post), which she outlined with pen after the mist dried:

(The "good stuff" embellishment is also made with the Silhouette.) Different mists create different finishes—Diane's mist is less opaque than the one Valerie used, so it lets some of the background paper show through.

Make a great big title

I think it's creatively freeing to know you can cut any size, shape, or color of text that you want to with a Silhouette. For me, this freedom often results in big, big titles! You can make LARGE titles with enormous letters, as in this layout by Diane:

Or this one by Christa:

Or you can make a LONG title with lots of words. Grab an entire sentence from your journaling and turn it into a title. Use a short poem or some song lyrics. Or create a subway-art-esque piece with words that develop your journaling more fully, as in this layout by Valerie:

I used the words of a little jingle I made up for this layout's title:

A favorite quote is also a good source for a long title. Diane uses Captain Jack Sparrow's words in this layout:

And I used a favorite quote about this beach on this one:

And! If you want to cut out the same title, here is the cut file:  Download Net of wonder title

Now! I have a question for you! I love the look of solid cut-out letters, so I rarely add the center of Os and As and Ds back in when I use negative shapes. (See the p, o, and b in the word "problem" on Diane's layout above to see what I mean.)  Do you like to leave the centers empty? Or do you stick down the center shape? I'm curious!

Make sure to check back in tomorrow, when we'll be doing a give away!

Welcome, May!

Hello May! We are so happy to welcome a new month and a new gallery! This month we look forward to our final month of weekly blogging. We were be learning from Francine, Amy, Christine, as well as have help from our team preparing for Father's Day. We can't wait!

A new month brings a new gallery.

May is the month we celebrate the Everyday. Those things that make up our every day lives. The little things that might get lost in our scrapbooks and our memories. Our schedules, our routine. Project Life is a wonderful way to capture the details of our lives. And our scrapbooks are a great place to record some of the details as well. Our team has put together some amazing layouts. We just know you are going to be inspired to create some just like them!

As a reminder, if you would like to see the layouts a bit bigger and with the journaling listed, please hop on over to the gallery album.

Without further ado, may we present... Everydaily III!

The Family that Types Together | Aliza Deutsch

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts) + patterned paper (Jenni Bowlin, Pebbles, Elle’s Studio, Simple Stories, Cocoa Daisy, Webster’s Pages) + buttons (Fancy Pants) + thickers (American Crafts) + labels (Chic Tags) + stickers (My Mind’s Eye, Glitz Designs, Simple Stories) + fonts (Linenstroke)

A Note from Aliza
This layout lists a couple of random reflections about technology and our everyday lives.

May Fun Fact
I am currently obsessed with finding inexpensive rock climbing shoes.

 

Love To Run | Christine Newman

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts, Wausau, Bazzill) + patterned paper (American Crafts) + mask, mist (Studio Calico) + die cuts (American Crafts) + stickers (American Crafts) + paper clip (Freckled Fawn) + stamp (American Crafts) + wood veneers (Studio Calico, Freckled Fawn) + ink (Prima, Palette) + pen (Sharpie, Sakura) + twine (The Twinery) + digital cutter (Silhouette America)

A Note from Christine
When it comes to everyday type of photos, it doesn't get more everyday than this. I exercise almost daily and feel weird if I don't run or workout for a couple of days. I love to eat so working out is a necessity. It also helps me feel less stressed and sleep better.

May Fun Fact
When I was little, I collected scratch-n-sniff stickers. I think I still have some old ones in a box somewhere. I want them to bring those back!

 

Everyday | Celeste Smith

12 x 12 | materials kits (Life's a Ride by Valorie Wibbens, Dayplanner by One Little Bird at The Lilypad) + washi tape (Tape It! by Pink Reptile Designs at The Lilypad) + journaling cards (Happy Note Cards by Gina Miller at the Lilypad) + word art (Life 365 by Karla Dudley at Pixels & Co.) + template(Simple Scrapper Premium Membership)+ font (Underwood Champion)

A Note from Celeste
When I thought about everyday this year, I just couldn't get past the fact that our daily life includes music. My son, Adam, plays the saxophone almost every day either practicing, attending rehearsals or performing. I added the clock stamp and washi to symbolize the time he spends. The musical staff is just clip art that I clipped some digital paper to.

May Fun Fact
My niece is a Bat Mitzvah this month. I'm looking forward to the family gathering together and hearing her give her Torah portion. It is sure to be a special day.

 

Every Day | Valerie O'Neall

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Crate Paper) + tags (Elle's Studio and American Crafts/Dear Lizzy) + stickers (Crate Paper) + alpha stamps (Studio Calico/Hero Arts) + other stamps (Ormolu) + enamel dots (My Mind's Eye) + wood veneer (Studio Calico) + fabric brad (American Crafts) + ink (Memento) + other (Silhouette SD & date stamp) + font (Rockwell)

A Note from Valerie
This layout came together really fast for me this month. I love using my Silhouette for title work (font is Rockwell). These photos are from 2011, but can you believe two years later, this train set is still what my son plays with everyday (best. gift. ever.)!?

May Fun Fact
I was completely anti-texting and anti-smartphone for such a long time. I've only had a plan with texting for two years now, which is so unusual for someone of my generation, but I am now the proud owner of an iPhone.

The Reader | Katie Ehmann

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts) + patterned paper (Kesi’art) + brads (Crate Paper) + thickers (Amy Tamgerine) + tag (Dear Lizzy) + stickers (Amy Tangerine, Dear Lizzy) + die cut (Silhouette Cameo, Studio Calico + stamp (Amy Tangerine) + ink (Versafine)

A Note from Katie
This layout perfectly captures the everyday of my oldest daughter, who is in Kindergarten and is learning to read! I sewed some leftover letters in a random pattern to mirror the letters on the background paper.

May Fun Fact
Every time I play the lotto (which isn’t very often) I seriously think I am going to win, and am crushed with disappointment when I don’t. Some may think that I’m foolish, but I just think I’m an optimist!

 

The 4 O'Clock Stare Down | Diane Payne

12 x 12 |materials patterned paper (Studio Calico, Echo Park, Basic Grey, Simple Stories) + buttons (A Flair for Buttons) + thickers (Ameican Crafts) + labels (My Mind's Eye, Twine & Ink) + stickers (American Crafts, Pebbles, Basic Grey) + pen (American Crafts)

A Note from Diane
At first I was unsure what to document as a daily activity. When the dogs were anxiously waiting to be fed one evening it dawned on me that I should record their daily ritual.

May Fun Fact
In just a few short weeks school will be out. I'm looking forward to a little less structure and sleeping in on the weekends.

 

InstaLife | Lisa Ottosson

8.5 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Backside of Cocoa Daisy March Kit Ad card, Jenni Bowlin) + brad (Dear Lizzy) + flower (homemade) + stickers (Scrapworks, American Crafts)

A Note from Lisa
When I prepared for this month´s theme I was a bit puzzled about what I would do. As I am doing Project Life every week I record our everyday lives in there. Then it hit me! What is the one thing that I use to catch photos of our everyday? Instagram. Right now we Instagram the heck out of our lives. In my journaling I talk about how we say to each other several times a day: That is going straight up on Instagram!

March Fun Fact
I have to remind myself to use my DSLR these days! I am so happy with my iPhone camera!

Errands with Boys | Jennifer Larson

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzill) + patterned paper (Cosmo Cricket, Glitz, Basic Grey, Studio Calico) + buttons (Company Name) + thickers (American Crafts) + tape (Glitz) + enamel dots (My Mind’s Eye) + stickers (Basic Grey, Studio Calico, My Mind’s Eye) + ink (Jenni Bowlin) + chipboard (My Mind’s Eye) + photo frame (Basic Grey) + die cuts (Studio Calico) + twine (Martha Stewart) + fonts (Times New Roman)

A Note from Jennifer Larson
Since my husband travels periodically for work, I become a single parent at certain times of the year, shepherding my boys solo to their various activities. This month I examine those various activities and the fact that my schedule circulates are them. Though it’s a time crunch, I love the time in the car with my boys, particularly our conversations. To remember these errands and the accompanying stress and joy, I printed various photos I took of these errands with boys and put them together on one page.

May Fun Fact
Every Mother’s Day, we go out to eat Chinese food.

 

Everyday Moments|Amy Coose

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzill) + patterned paper (American Crafts, Pebbles, Basic Grey) + flair (Greatest View) + wood veneer (Freckled Fawn) + tags (Chic Tags) + enamel dots (My Mind's Eye) + mist (Heidi Swapp) + pen (American Crafts)

A Note from Amy
This layout really shows my everyday, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Journaling
No matter how hard it is having a baby again, there is nothing I'd rather be doing each day than this.

May Fun Fact
I love these pictures of me getting some good snuggle time. It makes me so happy that I had the chance to experience baby snuggles again. 

 

Rise and Shine | Celeste Smith

12 x 12 | materials kit (Rise & Shine by One Little Bird at the Lilypad) + template ( Plant Your Story: Journaled {volume two} by Sara Gleason at the Lilypad) + font (Century Gothic)

A Note from Celeste
My morning routine just wouldn't be the same without a cup of tea or coffee. Even though I get up in the dark, I make sure that I have an extra ten or fifteen minutes to sit and enjoy it. Notice the floral elements, as a mom to boys, I get my flower fix whenever I can!

 

Everyday | Jennie McGarvey

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Lily Bee Design, Studio Calico) + stickers (Studio Calico) + alphabet stickers (American Crafts) + labels, tags (Chic Tags) + pen (American Crafts) + fonts

A Note from Jennie
My layout has been a while in the making. My son has been wearing exclusively Angels (his favorite baseball team and baseball is his favorite sport) shirts for a while now (two years or so?) and I wanted to make sure I captured that before he moved onto something else or varied his wardrobe.

May Fun Fact
I rarely use the computer for journaling. I prefer to handwrite my journaling, but will occasionally use a typewriter if the project calls for it.

 

Have a Good Day | Deb Duty

12 x 12 | materials) patterned paper (Simple Stories, Teresa Collins, Cosmo Cricket, Fancy Pants, Webster's Pages, American Crafts) + flair (Hello Forever) + chipboard star (Pink Paislee) + alpha (Heidi Swapp, Little Yellow Bicycle, Glitz Design) + labels (Studio Calico) + ink (Hero Arts) + stickers (Studio Calico, Basic Grey) + stamps (Studio Calico) + sequins (Studio Calico) + resin stars (Freckled Fawn) + metal clip (Prima) + cork arrow (Studio Calico) + inventory tag (vintage) + pen (Micron)

A Note from Deb
I took this photo as my boys walked out the door for school while I held on to our dog so she couldn't escape just like I do every morning. I love capturing these simple moments that seem so ordinary at the time, but will one day be just a memory.

May Fun Fact
I generally don't like any scary or intense TV shows, but after my boys introduced me to The Walking Dead, it has become my new favorite. I still can't believe I actually enjoy a show about zombies, but it's just so good!

 

A-Okay | Kelly Jeppson

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Elle’s Studio) + paper elements (BasicGrey) + alpha stickers (Doodlebug Designs) + burlap + washi tape (7Gypsies) + big brad (Studio G)

A Note from Kelly
Life for a mom can be pretty mundane, but at the end of the day, I’m always happy to see the smiling faces of my three kids. It makes it all worth it!

Journaling
Today I might…make breakfast, pack lunches, find homework, socks, shoes, lost toys. Drive to school, to scouts, to soccer, to the store. Eat standing up. Do laundry. Check email. Vacuum. Answer phone calls. Bandage scrapes. Walk the dog. Clean up messes. Make dinner. Stay up late reading. But it’s all a-okay with me, because I get to be your mom.

May Fun Fact
Before we had children, I convinced my husband to get me a Mother’s Day gift because I would be the mother of his future children! Pretty smart, I must say.

 

The Best Part | Sarah Pendergrast

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (October Afternoon, Crate Paper, American Crafts) + epoxy dots (My Minds Eye) + stickers (American Crafts) + letter stickers (October Afternoon, Basic Grey, Heidi Swapp) + labels (Basic Grey) + washi (Freckled Fawn) + pen (American Crafts)

A Note from Sarah
I snapped this shot one day after school, when the two of them were particularly happy to see each other. This photo reminded me that that no matter how glad I am that they are in school during the day, the best part of my day is the after school pickup.

Journaling
No question, one of the best parts of my day is picking you guys up after school. It’s a huge perk of being a stay-at-home parent. I get to hear about recess, see test scores you’re proud of, and watch you hang out with your friends.

May Fun Fact
I’m super excited to start a new volunteer job this month as an urban nature monitor. I will get to count turtles, dragonflies, butterflies etc. that reside right in the middle of our city.

Little Moments | Francine Clouden

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Tim & Beck, American Crafts, Crate Paper, Studio Calico) + chipboard letter stickers (American Crafts) + candy buttons (Studio Calico, BasicGrey) + spray ink (Studio Calico) + clear stamps (Studio Calico, Hero Arts) + rub-ons (American Crafts) + baker's twine + stamping ink

A Note from Francine
Baking with Kieran has become an every day activity because he really loves to bake. We now bake his snacks together most weeks. 
A technique tip: that pink garland under the title was made using letter Vs from my sheet of chipboard letter stickers.

May Fun Fact
After six months in the new house I think it's time to reorganise my scrapbook room!

 

Almost Everyday | Paula Gilarde

12 x 12 | materials LayerWorks No. 175 (Studio DD) + Stay Here kit (Katie Pertiet) + I Heart Stories Wordart Brushes (Ali Edwards) + Wooden Stickers Alpha No 1 (Katie Pertiet) + Painted Text No. 1 (Katie Pertiet) + Instamatic Frames No 3 (Katie Pertiet)

A Note from Paula
Or at least everyday we can, we try to walk the 30 minutes to school. Molly loves it!

 

Everyday He: | Amy Sorensen

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (My Mind's Eye) + alpha stickers (American Crafts, Jillibean Soup, Echo Park, Teresa Collins, Bella Blvd, My Mind's Eye) + die cuts (Silhouette) + circle punch + quilt star punch (Fiskars) + fonts (Satellite, The Only Exception)

A Note from Amy
The real story about this layout is something on the back. To get all of the daily details, I wrote a list of questions for my son Nathan, and asked him to answer them. When I found the paper (he left it under my keyboard and went to bed), I discovered that he'd written his answers AND a sweet note to me. The combination of his handwriting and his note was just so...NATHAN to me. I made a little pocket for the back and stuck the note in it with my response. I do a lot of hidden things on the backs of my layouts. Who knows if anyone will ever see them? But I like knowing they are there.
To make the little banners that back the words "goes" and "to," I punched with the quilt star punch, and then trimmed off the two vertical strips. Voila: instant banner!

May Fun Fact
My oldest kid is graduating from high school this month. HOW did I get to this phase of my life?!?!

 

Hanging Out | Marnie Flores

8.5 x 8.5 | materials patterned paper (Crystal Wilkerson) + fonts (AmerType, Mathlete, CK Jot)

A Note from Marnie
Santa brought a bar and a beam to my house this past December. The bar sits in our front room and welcomes everyone who visits. And my monkeys love it. (One of them averages 3 hours a day on her bar!) I can't even begin to explain how breathtaking it is to watch them do their tricks. They amaze me!!

May Fun Fact
My kids get out of school in May for the first time ever. I grew up going to school until the final Friday in June. (I like to joke that I went to school for an extra year: 1 month x 12 years...) I can't believe that in less than a month we will be on vay-cay-tion!!

 

That's it! We hope you enjoy the gallery! Please leave us word and tell us what caught your eye!

In Review

This has been such a fun month. After mini month, it is always refreshing to be back to layouts and projects. And such amazing layouts we have had.

Kelly started us out with a burst of spring. Then Jenny helped us with our two page layouts, and Lisa sparked our imaginations for digging deeper into our project life albums. Then this week we got ready to say thank you to our teachers. 

 

With just 3 days until our new gallery, it is time to look back at our April gallery, Shapes.

This month's theme lends itself nicely to evaluating the layouts for design magnificence and skill. Let's go one by one and and pull out some design elements that work and which can help you create stronger layouts.

That's it! Please enjoy your weekend and your scrapbooking and we will see you Monday with a new theme week!

scrapbook!

Spring is here! It's official. It might feel more official if there wasn't a freeze and frost pending all weekend, but I am so happy that the grass is green and the trees in bloom that nothing could bring me down!!

 

I love scrapbooking. I just haven't said it lately, and wanted to. I was very touched by Lisa's week, and her thoughts on memory keeping. I feel energized and renewed in my commitment to make pretty pages! I hope that our three scrapbook! Saturday starters will help you want to make some, too!

 

THE SKETCH

This month, Diane created a sketch

based upon Lisa' happy layout, New Family in our April gallery, Shapes.

Want to see some awesome variations? I thought so...

 

Celeste added an extra matte below her photos, and deleted the row of vertical triangles on the right hand side. I love how the spritzing behind the photos and mattes softens the layout and draws your eye inward.

 

Lisa swapped triangles for a strip of washi and used one horizontal photo rather than two vertical, but otherwise stayed pretty true to her original. I love the bursts of yellow against the black and white. (I am having a bit of a love affair with that exact shade right now!!)

 

Aliza played this month, as well. She stayed very true to Diane's sketch, and it looks like it was the perfect starter. This layout has a sweet story... I encourage you to read it!

 

Our next variation comes from the sketchmaster herself, Diane. I love how she uses two sizes of triangles. And how she outlined a random assortment of the tiny ones. Clever. And it captures a great story of how our world is changing.

 

And here is mine. I added a couple of extras and moved the journaling to the side. I was impressed at how versatile this sketch felt.

Thank you, Diane, for the sketch this month! If you would like to download a layered template you may do so here! Please leave us a comment if you take a turn with the sketch so that we might see your good works!

 

ROYGBIV

This month the color palette

is based upon Deb's Shapes layout, Happy Dog.

It's got that lovely color of the year, emerald! I loved how the colors pop so well on the white!! (Though without the white it looks a little in your face, no?)

As I went to make my layout, I realized that I loved the little color sampler and I just went ahead and added it to my layout!

Do you think it looks okay?

 

TRENDING

This month there were several layouts with repeating layered shapes creating corner to corner movement. Katie, Jennie, and Lisa have the most obvious examples.

You can also see it the layouts from Erin, Aliza, Celeste, Valerie, Diane, Paula, and Lisa. Sometimes it is more subtle, or goes from top to bottom, rather than corner to corner, but the pattern is there!

 

Here is mine. I had fun making this one! I went with squares, a bit by accident, but am pretty happy with how it ended up!

I hope that you have had a fun Saturday! Thank you for stopping by! I hope to see your layouts when you are done!! 

Scrapbooking Over the Fold Day 4: Embellishing and it's give.away.day. featuring ELLA PUBLISHING & BIG PICTURE SCRAPBOOKING!

Welcome back! Jennifer Larson sharing a few embellishment tips on two-page layouts before our giveaway.

 

I love embellishing. Love Love Love. The problem? On two-page layouts, there tends to be a lot of photos, so how do you do it without making the spread look too full? Here's some ways I do this on a two-page layout.

 

1. Visual triangle

The visual triangle is a classic, I know, but I admit, I love it. Here I used the speech bubbles to create a visual triangle that led the eye across the page, and gave some humorous side comments to the main journaling as well.

 

Diane Payne did a great job of creating a visual triangle with her stars, which were perfectly thematic as well!

 

2. Balance across the spread.

I learned this from Stacy Julian in her book, The Big Picture. She described a basic embellishment principle that has served me well: what you do on one side of the page, you should do on the other. I would add, with some asymmetry. On the left I added an embellishment cluster, and on the right I made the same cluster but smaller.

 

And here Diane Payne did the same thing: punched circles and dots on the less, the same but fewer on the right.

 

3. Go with very little embellishment.

You can see on some previous pages that I love embellishments; in comparison, on this page I haven't included many embellishments. I'm not crazy enough to go without--not me! Still, this page is mainly photos and strips of patterned paper, plus a stitched circle around the main subject in the big photo.

 

Christa Paustenbaugh was much more austere than I: just the pinked circle next to the main photo plus some tags and a button. Note the visual triangle!

 

This page by Marnie Flores is a perfect example of how stunning a page can be with few embellishments. Look at how beautifully the attention is drawn to the photos! Love the journaling on the photo.

 

And now, for the giveaway!

This week we are excited to have help for three of you!! First, one of you will receive a free copy of the Danielle Flanders' eBook from Ella Publishing, Embellishing Handbook.

Here is a little bit about Danielle's book. 

When it comes to embellishing, how do you know what should go where? And how do you know when enough is enough? Get help from Danielle Flanders' timeless tips for accenting and adorning your scrapbook layouts and cards. In this eBook, you'll learn Danielle's top five strategies for WHY we embellish:
● to establish a focal point
● to set a mood
● to reinforce a style
● to add character and creativity
● to incorporate texture

You'll also delve into her top five strategies for HOW to embellish more effectively:
● vary scale
● use repetition
● choose odd numbers
● create accent clusters
● combine patterns
Each embellishing secret is illustrated by two different projects—a beautiful layout and must-try card idea, all designed by Danielle herself. Get ready to embellish like a pro!

This ebook will certainly contain some strategies for finding places to embellish on your two page layouts!!

 

Next, another lucky reader will take home a free copy of May Flaum's new eBook from Ella Publishing, Fashionable Fast.

Here is a little bit about May's book.

You've heard of being fashionably late, but what about being fashionably FAST? Join the speediest scrapbooker on the block, May Flaum, as she joins forces with five of the fastest (and most fabulous) scrapbookers she knows in Fashionably Fast: 10 strategies for stylish, speedy scrapbook pages. This two-time author and popular instructor has compiled her 10 best time-saving strategies, which are illustrated by 20 gorgeous scrapbook pages and accompanied with 30 minutes of exclusive video instruction! See how easy it can be to accelerate your scrapbooking process without sacrificing artistry. 

 

And our third lucky reader will get a spot in Lisa Day's new class, 28 Days of Sketches.

Here is a little about the class:

Lisa Day is back with another round of 28 sketches! This time, in addition to receiving 28 daily sketches accompanied by layouts from Lisa, you will also receive exclusive layouts and cards from seven fabulous guest stars! This means that you will receive 28 brand new sketches and 56 exclusive projects to inspire you to create beautiful layouts and cards quickly.

Another exciting new addition is that in addition to the 12" x 12" daily sketch, you will see the sketch adapted to a double page layout and an 8 1/2" x 11" sketch. All this means MORE inspiration and MORE ideas of how to make a sketch work for you!

 

We hope these books and this class help your layouts come together more quickly and more beautifully. If you would like to be considered for our giveaway, please leave us a comment telling us more about your use of two page layouts. Do you love them? use them? Exclusively or never? Do you struggle with them? And if so, what part? We love gaining insight into your struggles so that we can help you resolve your issues!

Comments will remain open throughout the evening. Three lucky numbers will be selected at random and posted tomorrow morning. Please remember it is your responsibility to check back and to claim your lucky number before midnight Saturday.

Thanks again for coming! Tomorrow we'll share the lucky number and some journaling tips.

 

Scrapbooking Over the Fold Day 3: Number of Photos

Jennifer Larson again. I'm so glad you're here sharing more about scrapbooking two-page layouts! Today I'll write about the number of photos I use on a two page layout.

Total honesty: I've never scrapped a two-page layout with fewer than 3 photos. Maybe I did one with two photos once that I can't remember, but one or zero photos? Never. Still, one can scrap a variety of photo amounts with two pages, though the size lends itself nicely to scrapping a lot. Here's some examples of how I've scrapped different amounts of photos.

 

1. 0-4 photos

Like I said, I tend to scrap at least 3 photos on a two page layout. This one I used a one-page sketch from Studio Calico.To make it two pages, I looked at the middle of the sketch and sort of stretched it on either side. I hope that makes sense. Grouping the photos together made them look more substantial on the wide 12x24 spread.

More common for me: I stretch the photos out in a line. Here I made use of Pink Paislee's darlng photo frames to house my small photos and make them more weighty on the page.

This darling layout by Christa Paustenbaugh uses three photos on a two page spread. I love how the title goes across the white space on the starring photo! Plus, check out the banner of fun stuff along the side of the starring photo. So much fun.

 

2. 5-7 photos

This too is more common for me. Like I said before, I love lines stretched across two pages. I've heard once that's a good way to unify two pages, with something stretching across the span. Here I used paper and photos. Still lots of white space.

Another winter layout (Sorry! Snowing here today in Minnesota), this one by Diane Payne. I love so much about the page: the colors (not typical winter), the one big photo framed by smaller detail shots, the die cut paper bookending each side. So many design ideas!

 

3. 8-10 photos

A lot of photos, but doable with some breathing room. Since we went to Space Aliens restaurant for my son's birthday, I followed a space theme, making my photo mat planets and orbits.

And here's another page by Diane Payne, this time with 8 photos. I love how they are housed on polaroid frames, taped down by washi.

 

4. 11+ photos.

Otherwise known as a boatload, this is an amount I do rarely, but it's not too difficult. I trim the photos until they all fit across one block, filling in empty space with patterned paper and embellishments. I think there are about 23 photos on this layout. It leaves not much white space, but there is room for small embellishment clusters and a dramatic title.

Another page full of photos, and as a mother of boys, this one by Diane make me smile! I love how clean the page looks with so many photos stretched on the banner, and the pairing of the old and young photos on the bottom is terrific. Great ideas for scrapping school photos.

 

So glad again you could come back and visit! Tomorrow is a special day: I'll talk about embellishing, which I love!

Welcome, April!

April is here and we're not fooling! We are so very excited that a new month is upon us. This month we are looking forward to Kelly, Lisa, Teacher's Appreciation preparation and Mother's Day preparation. We hope to inspire your spring pages, and help you get ready for the holidays ahead of us.

 

The first also brings us a

This month we are celebrating shapes: circles, triangles, hexagons, squares, stars. Whether the graphic elements be big or small, our pages love them all. Here is a look at our gallery as a whole!

And here are the pages one by one. Please click on over to the gallery to see them bigger, and read the journaling! 

That's it! We hope you have found a layout or two, or twenty, that will appeal to you and your scrapbooks! We look forward to seeing your "inspired by" layouts! And please let us know if you like the new cards.

In Review

Happy Saturday! We hope that you are loving MiniMadness month and that you have been inspired to create your own!

This month we celebrated with 37 mini albums. Its a dream come true! We hope you have had fun!

 

There is so much to love about our gallery this month. And with so much to see and process, we know it is a bit easy to overwhelm. So we put together some recipes for you: here are 4x6 reference cards to remind you of the details of each of the albums in our gallery. Feel free to print them and keep them for your records. We hope that it helps!

Once you have these printed, you could bind them together to make a mini album to celebrate our month of minis!

Thank you for stopping by and please enjoy your weekend!