Write. Click. Scrapbook.

Sketchbook Saturday

I hope you had a fun week and that your weekend is looking good! I really loved hanging out with you this week and thought, why should the party stop? let's do another day! So here we are for our sketchbook Saturday!

 

For today's post I went looking around the November gallery and spied a lovely layout by the fabulous Jennifer. I thought it would make a lovely sketch so I made one! :) 

 

Here is Jennifer's original layout.

I must admit that I fell in love with the handdrawn circle. Sigh. Isn't it lovely? Mmm. It didn't translate as well in the sketch. Please look past the rigid nature of the circle.

 

Here is my layout. I'm sorry for the snow pics. It's not that I am hoping for an early winter, it's just that the photos were perfect for the layout.

I really loved this sketch and am certain you will be seeing another layout from it soon! I hope you enjoy it, too! Please remember I love seeing your layouts, too!

Happy Saturday!

scrapbook | what you see (other crafts)

Today brings to close our week together. Our week of looking around to find ideas for journaling, photos, and our scrapbooking pages. I hope you have had fun! I have. And I have five (dare I say?) fabulous layouts to make it even more worthwhile! Such a win win. 

Our parting layout and inspiration came from a craft I saw last weekend at a craft fair. This is one of my favorite craft fairs--and an annual outing for our little circle of friends. One of the tables had the most lovely glittery trees made from book pages. They looked a little like these.

 

Except they were glittery. I loved the idea of the book pages and went looking for embellishments made from books pages. And I found one in the lovely row of little hearts from Elizabeth Kartchner. From there, I built a layout up around it.

It is hard to imagine that this whole layout began with a book page tree! That's one of the things I love most about inspiration--how it takes each of us in a different direction.

Thank you so much for spending your week with me! I appreciate your sharing your time with me. I hope you have had a lovely week and also hope your weekend is magical and filled with creativity!

scrapbook | what you see (pattern)

 

This fall, I am looking to add a little pizazz to my family room. I picked out a paint color, but am still finding ideas for bringing my decor up to date. As I was scouting around HGTV I noticed something that won't be making an appearance in my room (lived through that trend once already!) but is dying for a place on a scrapbook page!

Here it is, the starburst/sunburst:

 

Don't you think it will look fun on a layout? Here is my attempt.

They sort of feel celebratory, don't you think? (Do you think I should switch out the two floating nines? Seeing them here makes them seem much more like Gs. Thoughts?)

I hope you might consider scouting around and finding a pattern that seems like it might be fun for a layout! It was fun to find one and immediately use it!

Happy scrapping! Until tomorrow...

scrapbook | what you see (color)

Happy Wednesday! I hope you are having a wonderful week. I am loving this theme. All day I walk around thinking (and sometimes, it's true, saying aloud), "Hmm. What kind of a page would that make? how about that? and that?" It's been a long time since scrapbooking seemed to consume my every thought. It's delightful to be in the midst of a creative burst. I hope your thoughts are also brimming with ideas and excitement.

 

Today I thought we might focus on color. I have been doing some online browsing for Christmas presents and have seen several color schemes that light my fire. Here are a few.

Mmm. Which one do you think is best? At first I was certain that I was going with the stripes or sleeping bags. But lately, I haven't been using that many colors on each page. So I think I am going with the reindeer hat. Simple. Striking.

Here is the color scheme I made.

And the layout that goes with it.

I love the blue and pink together. And the gold is the perfect complement. Kate Spade really must know what she is doing! heehee! (The hat is from her new collection at GapKids.)

I hope you have a lovely day! Happy color scheming!

click | what do you see

Today is photo day! Hooray! Yesterday we recorded our thoughts about something we saw, then added a photo. Did you finish a layout? I hope you did and that you had fun making it!

 

Today, we are going to take a picture of something that we see. Don't overthink it. Just grab your camera and take a quick peek around your house and pick something. Really. Those of you who do daily photos are so good at this already. You don't need any coaching.

I took mine yesterday. It is of a stack of leftovers. We had two families over for Sunday dinner and made both beef and pork cafe rio with all the fixings. Including three salsas, two dressings, two beans, rice, tomatoes, cheese, and tortillas. (It is my most favorite thing to make for dinner as it gives me lunches for a whole week!) (I take that back. It is my most favorite thing to make for dinner because I LOVE IT! and a welcome side benefit is that it gives me lunches for a whole week. heehee!) I couldn't resist a photo of the stacked up containers. 

 

I cut my photo tall and thin to emphasize the height of the stack. And I posed them in front of my blackboard wall for minimal distraction. I moved my aperture to 1.8 for maximum background blur as well.

 

And I know it's photo day, but might we discuss journaling for just a second? Okay? Thank you!

For the journaling, I decided against journaling about Sunday night, opting instead for a discussion of what a stack of leftovers like this means generally. Here is the journaling.

This tall stack of leftovers means that it was Cafe Rio night. Which also means we had friends for dinner. Which means we stayed up too late, ate too much, yet laughed the perfect amount. Cards were played; Nigel won. This stack means the shoppping list included tomatillos and adobo chiles. That cooking began the day before. This stack means we are blessed with a lovely home, means to provide for our meals, and most importantly, friends with which to share our time and love with. One last thing. This stack also means that we ate a delicious meal. Mmm.

I like that the layout now becomes more about our moments and less about a dinner event. I would prefer to capture the particulars of the evening with a people picture, so this gave me freedom to express my thoughts about the stack and not just about the night.

Thank you for stopping by! Happy snapping!

write | what do you see

Welcome to November and new theme! This month, as you know, our theme is Look Around. I am thrilled to explore this theme in my pages this month as it seems endless. Today we are going to make a layout based upon something we see, or rather something we feel or think.

 

This morning as I took the dog for a walk, the air was crisp and cool. I found myself thinking how glad I to have a dog to walk, as it gets me out of the house, and into the fresh air that I love so much but avoid so often. Then I began thinking about how much I love crisp air. How it wakes me. How it provides such a clean start to my day. How it send filled with possibility. I thought about how crisp air reminds me of being in school and walking to school for so many many years. It makes me hungry for apples. And makes my love of denim and sweaters seem so perfect. 

All that from a walk around the block. I snapped a photo to use to pretty up my page (because everyone loves a good picture book!) and now I can make my layout.

 

I'm pretty certain that if I had taken the picture, then found it next week, or next month, on my computer, and decided to include it on a layout, I might have written,

Today the sky was very blue and the air was crisp and filled with the hope of autumn. I love Ohio in fall.

Which is all true, but all very blah blah blah. And not why I took the photo. Sometimes if I let a photo sit too long, I don't remember the purpose behind taking it. And then my journaling becomes overwrought or filled with inauthentic platitudes that don't truly express my feelings. Which brings me to my challenge to you today. If you have a story to tell: write it down. Even if you don't make a page right away, write it down, add a date, and put it somewhere accessible. Then when you have moment to scrapbook, you will have something real to say.

Happy Monday. and in the words of Amy, happy writing!

Sunday Photo + Words

Welcome, November!

Halloween has been put to bed. And now the holiday season begins! With only 53 days until Christmas and 46 days until Hannukah, now begins the time when our surroundings are magnificently magical. No matter where you look, color, texture, sights and smells will greet us and envelope us in holiday spirit. This month we are encouraging you to look around and allow what you see to impact the pages you create. All month we will be inspired to create from that which surrounds us. We can't wait to inspire you, too, to

 

And to begin, may we present our November gallery, Glitter, Sparkle, Shine. Gold has made a tremendous comeback, and it, and all things metal and sparkle are anxious to take center stage on your pages. Please enjoy our glittery, sparkly, shiny pages! They are a wonderful start to our month and hope you feel inspired!

 

 

Leave a Little Sparkle | Jennifer Hignite

12 x 12 | materials On the Bright Side Digital kit by P&Co Designers, Summerific Elements by creashens (doodles)

A Note from Jennifer
This layout was so fun to put together! I love all of the gold and sparkle embellishments that are so popular right now! With three boys I don’t use them as often as I would like! The gallery this month was a fun challenge to push me out of my comfort zone and have fun with a little glitter, sparkle and shine!

November Fun Fact
November is always a favorite month in our house, because two of my boys celebrate birthdays this month!

 

 

Loving | Celeste Smith

12 x 12 | materials kit (Currently by Karla Dudley) + fonts (Rocky by Karla Dudley)

A Note from Celeste
My shine on this page is the bits of gold and also the cool sunny effect on the photo. I think it really adds a lot to the page and definitely fits the theme!

November Fun Fact
Sam turns 11 this month. I just can’t believe it! I've been scrapping and sharing online for ten years so a lot of you have seen him grow up. Eleven! Can you believe it?

 

 

Merrily, Merrily, Merrily | Cristina C. Scrap

8.5 x 11 | materials cardstock (LCI) + embellishments (Studio Calico) + stickers (American Crafts) + ink (Hero Arts, Ranger Ink) + stamps (Studio Calico) + mist (Heidi Swapp) + adhesive (Glue Glider Pro, Martha Stewart, American Crafts)

A Note from Cristina
Between Project Life and December Daily (which I’ve done for 4 years, and counting) I rarely scrap Christmas pages, but I was inspired to create this one when I tried spraying that lovely wood veneer piece with gold mist.

November Fun Fact
I am so excited that my parents will come to visit us over Thanksgiving.. my dad hasn't made it over since 2008 so it’s going to be extra special!

 

 

Every Time | Amy Sorensen

12 x 12 | materials sparkly silver cardstock + "singing" embellishment (Pink Paislee) + alpha stickers (Lily Bee) + silver pen (Pentel Sunburst) + fonts (Branboll Felt (script), Futura (sans serif), Veneer Extras (dingbat))

A Note from Amy
To make the silver cursive text, I printed those words in very light grey and then went over them with a silver pen.

November Fun Fact
I am going to participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) this month. Wish me luck & happy writing!

 

 

Happy Together | Jennifer Larson

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzill) + patterned paper (Heidi Swapp) + die cuts (Heidi Swapp) + tags (Crate Paper) + ink (Jenni Bowlin) + stickers (Crate Paper) + pen (Copic) + kit (Scrapbook Circle November Little Moments)

A Note from Jennifer
I thought of this picture for the theme because of the sun shining on their hair. I’m giving this page to my mom for her birthday this month, so I cut pieces of pretty paper into 1x1 inch pieces and “quilted” them with diagonal stitching, an homage to my mom, a master quilter. I added more shine with gold sentiment stickers and a heart. As an English teacher, I’d like to say that the torn title has some symbolism, my mom living so far away and coming together with the boys to celebrate my son’s birthday, just like the letter t, but no—I just accidentally ripped it when I was inking it. Those die cuts are delicate little suckers.

November Fun Fact
My favorite recipe in the fall is Butternut Squash Soup made with a bit of cayenne and cream cheese. Mmm!

 

 

Hello Date Night | Diane Payne

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Chickaniddy Crafts, Gossamer Blue, My Mind's Eye) + flair (A Flair For Buttons) + brads (My Mind's Eye) + die cuts (My Mind's Eye, Teresa Collins) + mini folder (Teresa Collins) + mist (Studio Calico) + stickers (Chickaniddy Crafts) + rub ons (Crate Paper)

A Note from Diane
This layout features one my favorite things to use on a layout…gold. It has been in for a while now and I don't think I will ever grow old of it.

November Fun Fact
I'm looking forward to our son coming home from college during Thanksgiving and having my entire family in my house again!

 

 

Summer Selfie | Sue Althouse

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Canson Watercolor Paper) + patterned paper (Pink Paislee, Webster's Pages) + letter stickers, die cuts (Pink Paislee) + Watercolors (Michaels) + twine (Doodlebug) + staples (Tim Holtz) + Twinkle Goosebumps (Queen & Company) + pen (Micron)

A Note from Sue
This layout takes me back to warmer weather and our summer vacation. Life is so good at the beach, and I wanted to capture that joyfulness with glitter, sparkle and shine!

November Fun Fact
We will celebrate Thanksgiving at my sister's house. My annual contribution is scalloped oysters. Some don't care for them, so that leaves more for the rest of us!

 

My Bling | Lisa Borbely

8.5 x 11 | materials patterned paper (Websters Pages, BasicGrey) + stickers (American Crafts) + journaling card (Cocoa Daisy)

A Note from Lisa
I don't think I have done a layout like this before, you know on this story. Since my bling is silver I wanted to have silvery bling on the page but I had gold glitter stickers. So I made my own with 3D glue squares that I punched with my small circle punch and poured silver glitter on top. Ah, the joys of being a crafter!

 

 

Primping | Aliza Deutsch

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzil Basics Paper) + patterned paper (Cocoa Daisy, We R Memory Keepers) + wood veneer (Shimelle) + thickers (American Crafts) + other embellishment (Crate Paper) + stamp (Cocoa Daisy, American Crafts) + ink (Versamark) + fonts ( Loved by the King)

A Note from Aliza
I will be honest, whatever the theme is for any given November, I am pretty sure that I will somehow fit Comic Con into that theme. I do like the way it came together this year. It feels authentic. I just pulled out lots of gold products that are oh, so trendy, but I had never managed to use. I kept the rest of the layout pretty neutral, just because if you are going to have a sparkly layout about boys dressed as super heroes, it seems like a prudent thing to do.

November Fun Fact
I have been wearing Dansko clogs for about 7 years straight, and I recently made a switch to Dr. Marten Mary Janes. What crazy thing will I do next?!

 

 

Love | Marnie Flores

12 x 12 | materials kit (Dialogue, Pixels & Co Collaboration) + flair (Dear Classy by creashens) + washi tape, title letters (Sugarplum) + fonts (Frenchy) 

A Note from Marnie
I was so excited to purchase some of the new gold digital elements and papers. I love white and gold together--it just seems sophisticated to me! 

November Fun Fact
Birthday season officially kicks off in 10 days. Then we have a birthday about every three weeks until mid January. Lots of parties to throw, and presents to unwrap! Such fun!

 

We hope you enjoyed the gallery and are looking forward to a loely month together!