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Gold & Glitter Day 2

Hi there :)

Jennifer here bringing you day 2 of gold & glitter! I am truly a girly girl at heart and love all things gold & glittery right now when it comes to home decor. It is such a fun trend! That being said, as a mom of 3 boys scrapbooking with gold and glitter is a whole other ball game! I do not use many kits with either gold or glitter in them, nor do I create layouts with gold or glitter on them. My boys would probably think that was "not cool mom!" This weeks theme was a fun challenge to push myself out of my normal scrapbooking comfort zone.

I created this layout for one of my boys with an inspirational quote that I hope he takes with him throughout life.

I used a brown background paper and blue accents to keep the page more gender neutral and to tone down all of the gold and glitter. I enlarged a label to use as the background for my photo and quote, and i just love the way it grounds the whole page. I added in some gold and glitter splatters as well as some washi tape to tie the whole page together. The stitched alphabet along the bottom was the final touch to make the page a little more personal for my guy :)

I hope you are inspired to scrap out of your comfort zone and try a new trend! Who knows maybe you too with give gold and glitter a try and love it!

Welcome, February!

This month we are celebrating love. Not just the romantic kind. But all sorts. Love of people, love of things, love of activities. It's all fair game. We hope you enjoy our lovely loving gallery!

 

 

THIS MAKES MY HEART HAPPY
BY ALIZA

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzill Basics Paper, American Crafts) + patterned paper (Crate Paper) + chipboard (Ali Edwards) + tabs (Fancy Pants Designs) + journal cards (Ali Edwards) + fonts (Ali Edwards, FrenteH1)

A Note from Aliza
This layout took an absurdly long time to be completed. I knew what I wanted to say, which products I wanted to use, and yet it took forever. Some days are like that. Even in Australia.

February Fun Fact
In other dog park related news, I’ve been working on finding all the right items for staying warm while standing outside for an hour. My latest acquisition is Smartwool socks.

 

 

PURE MAGIC
BY LISA

8.5 x 11 | materials rub-on (Studio Calico) + die cut (Studio Calico) + sticker (TGR) + enamel dots (Cocoa Daisy)

A Note from Lisa
I have made a love themed page but without the traditional elements of perhaps a significant other as the main focus. I find heart shapes out in nature all the time and wanted to make a page using some of the most recent ones. And the notion is that if we really want to and look closely, we can see love all around us.

 

 

LOVE TO PLAY
BY JENNY

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Stampin’ Up!) + patterned paper (Crate Paper, Cosmo Cricket, October Afternoon, Echo Park) + flowers (K & Co.) + epoxy stickers (Heidi Swapp) + thickers (American Crafts) + labels (Teresa Collins) + stickers (Studio Calico) + font (Times New Roman)

A Note from Jenny
My One Little Word last year was Play. I made a page about it for my album; these were leftover photos that I decided to use for the family album. I wanted to celebrate our love of playing together.

February Fun Fact
We love playing collaborative games like Pandemic or Forbidden Island where your goal is not to beat each other but to work together to defeat the game.

 

 

LOVE LOVE LOVE
BY KATIE

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Crate Paper, Dear Lizzy, Sassafras, Bella Blvd) + thickers (American Crafts) + chipboard elements (Theresa Collins) + stickers (Webster's Pages) + puffy stickers (Target)

A Note from Katie
This layout was made from patterned paper scraps and border strips all within the pink color family. Making a monochromatic page consisting of paper strips is one of my favorite ways to use up my scraps.

February Fun Fact
After living in Florida since I was 18, this is the time of year when I get super jealous of anyone who lives where there is snow, so I try to remember that we are lucky to live near the beach.

 

 

5 THINGS I LOVE
BY AMY

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (American Crafts, Crate Paper, Pink Paisley, & misc scraps from my scrap bucket) + alphabet stickers (Basic Grey, Elle's Studio, Webster's Pages) + word stickers (Pink Paisley) + rub on (American Crafts)

A Note from Amy
I took this photo with my cell phone this fall...but I didn't want it to feel like an autumn layout. This color scheme felt like a good compromise.

February Fun Fact
This month my husband and I will celebrate our 24th wedding anniversary. I'm not sure how all that time has already passed!

 

 

LOVE YOU
BY TRACIE

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzill) + patterned paper (Bella Blvd.) + stickers (Valentina by Bella Blvd.) + heart punch (Martha Stewart Crafts)

A Note from Tracie
This layout is just a fun page expressing my love for my husband and daughter. I rarely do a layout without a story or any journaling but when I thought about what I would say, it was already said with the words on the stickers! I used a heart punch to add white hearts for a subtle background. To give the larger hearts dimension, I glued them together in stacks of five. All the paper and stickers came from one collection which made this layout super fun and easy to put together!

February Fun Fact
I collect vintage Valentine’s from the 1950’s and I love pink and red so Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays. What’s not to love about a holiday that revolves around chocolate, love and beautiful greeting cards, right?

 

 

BETTER TOGETHER
BY DEE

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts) + patterned paper (Echo Park Paper) + Chipboard Pieces (Ali Edwards) + thickers (American Crafts) + journaling card (Ali Edwards) + acrylic heart (Ali Edwards) + sticker (Ali Edwards) + ink (Stazon)

A Note from Dee
This layout has my heart! It’s been in my mind for months but I never got round to making it. Happy that this theme came along, because I immediately knew It was the perfect match!
And it came together so quickly! That’s what I love with having layouts in your mind, they come together so easily because everything is thought out already!

February Fun Fact
I’m not much of a Valentine's person, it’s too corny for my
taste. I’d rather surprise my loved ones every now and then throughout the year :-)

 

 

LOVE MY DAPPER BOY
BY MARNIE

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Crystal WIlkerson) + fonts (Letter Gothic, Times New Roman)

A Note from Marnie
I have been shying away from the camera lately, so I went with a picture of my eldest. And how much I love him and his sense of style. And I do love it. And him.
The design was based on an ad I saw on the screens at the airport whilst I waited for my flight yesterday. :) The little (not quite) octagons fade gently from right to left. I have a feeling I will try this again...

February Fun Fact
This year I already know what I am getting my sweet husband for Valentine's day. That's a first! He is terribly difficult to buy for!

Out with the Old: help!

Good morning! It's Marnie. Here to discuss "Out with the Old." Here is the trouble. I am a terrible hoarder of hobbies, friends, clothes, and all things memorabilia. When Jenny suggested the topic, I said yes! And then looked around and thought, "Oh, no! What can I kick out of my life?" Because that is me. Someone who takes a scrapbook topic and creates a situation to scrapbook about. Because I don't have enough undone pages, already. ;) 

And I realized, that I have spent the entire 2015 trying to declutter and get rid of things in my home. But I wasn't ready to talk about that yet. The mere fact of doing is a bit overwhelming for someone who invests emotionally in everything. hmpf and sigh. So I went looking for something that has changed. And I found a birthday! Hooray! In with something new without emotional baggage. :)

So here is out with 7 and in with 8!

How about you? anything you are holding on to? Please tell me I'm not the only one!

xx

marnie

Scrapbook your Autumn Traditions: Signs of the Season

Happy Black Friday! Carey here to talk more about our Autumnal Traditions before we jump full swing into Christmas! I've enjoyed all the inspiration this week and hope you've been getting some great ideas to document your autumn traditions.

Of course a big autumn tradition is Thanksgiving and all of the yummy food and fellowship that comes with it! But our traditions include not only the things we do, but also the things and people we see routinely this time of the year. I love this time of year - a time of change, where the air is cool but the earth is warm, the sunlight glows lovely orange as the days shorten, the boots and sweaters come out, and our slow cookers become our new best friends. 

Here's some ideas of how to capture and document the signs of autumn:

1. Take photos of the same thing during the same time of year and see how they change from year to year. I try to take a photo of my house from the same vantage point throughout the seasons and the years.

The last several years I've taken a self portrait (using a timer) of our little family gathered around the table for Thanksgiving lunch. It's fun to see not only how we've changed, but also how the food and decor on the table has changed.

2. Photograph and write about the things you look forward to seeing that only appear this time of year.

3. Document what sights signal a change in the season: warmer clothes, changing colors, shorter days, soups and comfort food, fall decor. Do you change the decor around your home during autumn? Has it changed over the years?

4. What are the sounds unique to fall? Gusty winds, rustling leaves, crunching acorns underfoot, and even leaf blowers all signal fall to me. I love to hear the sounds popping and crunching beneath my feet.

5. Don't forget about the smells of fall: the earthy smell of dry leaves, and of course, pumpkin spice everything!

For those of you braving the stores today, happy shopping! If you're not, I hope you get some time for crafty fun and document some of your autumnal traditions.

Happy Scrapping!

Scrapbook your Autumn Traditions: Apple Orchards

Hello! I'm so glad to be here today. Autumn has always been my favorite season, and living in the midwest has deepened that love. Autumn here is filled with blue skies, crisp air, and the most beautiful colors. I wish it would go on forever. 

Next to Thanksgiving, my favorite fall tradition is apple picking. It's so many things. The colors. The crisp air. The smell of the juicy apples. The drip of the apples down your chin as you get to eat all that you want. And let's not forget the photographs.

When I am there, I take oodles of pics. There are the obligatory apple pictures that make for lovely apple picking layouts.

 

But there are also lots of golden sun photos that make for lovely everyday layouts.

I think that my orchard love is as much for the photos that I come home with as it is for the delightfully delicious afternoon we spend together. A chance to capture my kids being kids away from the everyday distractions. 

How about you? Have you a favorite photo event of fall? Please share!

NO - white paper

When Jenny came up with this fabulous idea, I thought about all the things I could take out of my scrapbooking as a little challenge to myself. And then I read her list. And sitting there quietly hiding as #4 was no white cardstock. And there it was. The challenge of a lifetime!

I'm not sure when it happened (years ago, though, to be certain). But one day as I was putting layouts away, I realized that I am a little in love with white cardstock as my base layer and starting point. Whenever I begin a layout, the first thing on my table or screen is a white paper. And almost always it remains largely uncovered.

So for my NOvember layout I made one without any white paper. Gasp!!!

 

Oh shoot! Darn. I guess I missed the tiniest bit of white matting the photos. Forgive me? 

What are you going to do without this NOvember week? Can't wait to see!!

Mixing patterns | Day 1

Hi there! When we came up with this week´s theme: mixing patterns, I hesitated for a second. Seeing that my last pages have exactly 1 patterned paper in between them, you can say that I am a bit challenged with them. But then again, I do love a good challenge! So mixing patterns it is! 

As I mentioned before, I am not big on using many patterned papers on my pages. But when I do, I rarely use them as backgrounds (even if it has happened!). I rather use my circle punch to get smaller pieces of the papers. Today I want to show you two ways I like to mix patterns (read: use patterned papers) on my pages. 

 

 

As much as I love the warmth and sunshine of summer, I do love the first frost. So, ofcourse I wanted to make a page about that! For my page I have used, wait for it, SIX different patterned papers! Yay! I used the papers that came in my Gossamer Blue Christmas kit for the letters of my title. I love how they went great with the wooden pattern of the paper I used as my mat. 

 

Again, I handcut the letters and it doesn´t bother me if they are uneven or anything. I usually use my craft knife to rough up the edges after cutting them too. 

 

 

This page shows just how many patterned papers my creative mind can handle on one page! Ha! I dived into my scrap paper bin for this one. This is a great way to use up all those pieces that are leftovers from other projects that I always save. I used the photo as my color scheme and added the aqua because it goes so well with red. So I cut all my strips and lined them up in the order I wanted and added a piece of tape to the back so that I only needed to adhere one bigger piece and not every strip indivdually. I am really pleased with how it turned out!

 

How about you? Are you a patterned paper lover? Do you hoard pretty paper or actually use them? Please tell me in the comments!

Lisa

Welcome, November!

Hello to November. And a new gallery. One of our favorite days of the month. This month, we just have one question for you.

Get ready? you might want to grab a snack. Or you will want to shortly after you start reading. Enjoy!

 

 

I'M VEGAN!
BY EWA WESOŁOWSKA

 

12 x 12 | materials base paper (Sweet Pie by Studio Tekturek) + patterned papers (Peach Christmas) + One Way Ticket (Blanket Stories by Studio Tekturek)+ labels (Studio Tekturek) +Oh chipboard (Studio Tekturek)

A Note from Ewa
I've been vegan for few year and it's amazing. I'm feeling great, I don't hurt anybody and I'm full of energy.

November Fun Fact
We're having an amazing Indian summer in Poland now and I love it!!

 

 

SHABBAT IN BARNWELL, S.C.
BY ALIZA DEUTSCH

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (Bazzill Basics Paper) + patterned paper (Kaisercraft) + buttons (unknown) + thickers (American Crafts) + labels (Kaitlin Sheaffer) + stickers (Evalicious) + fonts (Mathlete)

A Note from Aliza
Traveling while keeping kosher and observing the Sabbath requires a little bit of extra planning. So, it was exciting and a little exotic for us to spend a Sabbath in a state park in North Carolina, rather than in a city with food and a synagogue close by. I had wanted to record this aspect of our summer road trip for a while (well, since the summer), but kept pushing it off. I love when the gallery theme pushes me to get stories told.

November Fun Fact
My baby just sent in his college applications!

 

 

THE BEST PEOPLE
BY LISA BORBÉLY

8.5 x 11 | materials flair (Studio Calico) + wood veneer (Studio Calico) + labels (Studio Calico)

A Note from Lisa
I could do a whole album with food related layouts. That´s what you get when you live with a professional chef!

November Fun Fact
I met my fiancé almost 3 years ago, but I always say I met him 20 kilos ago!

 

 

FIRST HARVEST
BY JENNY LARSON

 

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (October Afternoon, Fancy Pants Designs) + brads (Stampin’ Up!) + letter stickers (Prima, Pebbles) + stickers (October Afternoon) + pen (Copic)

A Note from Jenny
Ever since we bought our house, I’ve been a gardener of flowers. This year I really became a gardener of vegetables. I wanted to document my success, so I created this page about the greatest bounty I harvested and the ones that were weaker.

November Fun Fact
I planted watermelon last summer, but the biggest one grew to 2 inches—a little too small to harvest!

 

 

HOME COOKING
BY TRACIE CLAIBORNE

8.5 x 11 | materials cardstock (Bazzill) + patterned paper (Echo Park) + die cuts (October Afternoon, Crate Paper) + wood veneer (Studio Calico) + fonts (Grand Hotel, Segoe)

A Note from Tracie
This layout is one I've had every intention of making for a long while. It's a tribute to my Mom and her cooking. I used the floral because it seemed homey and the die cuts from October Afternoon just happened to have the very same blue. Score! This is kind of an "all about me" page even though it's about my Mom so I'll put it in my about me album.

November Fun Fact
I am my absolute happiest October through December. I love autumn and the holiday season and every day I wear a big grin for no reason at all other than the little happies in my life like pumpkins, candles burning, hot cider, colorful leaves whirling in the wind as I drive and the anticipation of Christmas. There are so many wonderful reasons to live!

 

 

SUMMER MEALS
BY AMY SORENSEN

12 x 12 | materials patterned paper (Echo Park) + big alphabet stickers (Simple Stories) + little alphabet stickers (American Crafts) + embellishment stickers (Echo Park) + date tags (Elle's Studio) + Ashbury Light font

A Note from Amy
I know this is probably strange, but I always have to remind myself to scrapbook the photos I take on my phone. There are so many good images that tell a certain type of story—everyday kinds of memories, little moments, unusual places—on my phone, but forget to use them! So this layout was a conscious effort to look through my phone for stories. I might never have documented these sweet (yet common) moments otherwise.

November Fun Fact
This November marks my grandparents' 80th wedding anniversary.I wish they were still here!

 

 

FOODTRUCKIN’
BY DEE ROSE

12 x 12 | materials cardstock (American Crafts) + patterned paper (Studio Calico, I Lowe Scrap) + wood veneer camera (Studio Calico) + thickers (Twine+Ink) + stamps (Studio Calico) + ink (Studio Calico) + pen (Sharpie)

A Note from Dee
I love how this layout came together pretty quickly with all the little picture squares I printed with my Canon Selphy. I knew I wanted a bold black and white background but I also wanted to add a lot of color since the pictures contain a lot of color as well.. Most of the embellishments are stamped and I love the convenience of this, because you can stamp it just in the color you need.

November Fun Fact
Oh how I love fall! In this time of year I enjoy the fact that it gets dark pretty early and make our home all cozy by lighting the candles. In this time of year I especially love comfort foods such as risotto, chili and stews. And not to forget: lots of speculoos!!

 

 

ON THE MENU
BY MARNIE FLORES

 

12 x 12 | materials paper (Cosmo Cricket) + fonts (Hello Beautiful, Letter Gothic)

A Note from Marnie
On Friday's post, Amy was talking about forgetting to scrapbook the photos on her phone. I have the same trouble.But when it was time for food photos, that is the place to go. I actually didn't get these photos from my phone, though, but from my sons. He is an awesome chef and takes pictures of his masterpieces. Which was perfect for me. (Twice. The first time I got to eat it. The second I got to scrapbook it!)

November Fun Fact
And birthday season begins! My mom, brother, sister, babydoll, uncle, two besties, and me! Bring on the cake!

 

 

BABY FOODIE
BY MARNIE FLORES

 

12 x 12 | materials paper (Crystal Wilkerson) + fonts (CK Jot, Los Spiro)

A Note from Marnie
I know that these photos are not really in season, but I couldn't resist. That middle photo is pure Lavender. I am thinking that similar journaling needs to make an appearance on a layout for each of the other two kids, too!

November Fun Fact
This month we are taking family photos. Outfits curated. Hair appointment booked. And photographer scheduled. Now, just need to find a day without wind and rain!

 

 

KEY LIME YUMMY PIE
BY MARNIE FLORES

12 x 12 | materials journaling cards (Heidi Swapp, Elizabeth Kartchner) + fonts (CK Fresh Regular, Hello Beautiful, CK Journaling)

A Note from Marnie 
This little beauty was made by made baby. I loved baking as a child and love that my girls love it, too. Doesn't this look too good to eat?

November Fun Fact
This year my birthday is not on Thanksgiving or Black Friday. It's going to be a good birthday!

 

Thank you for stopping by! Please join us tomorrow. Lisa and her team will be here showing us how to mix patterned paper!!

Scraplift Yourself: Day 4

Happy {almost} Halloween! Carey Bridges here to continue the fun of scraplifting yourself! I've been in a bit of a creative slump lately when it comes to making full scrapbook layouts. I find the perfect way for me to jump start my scrappy mojo is to scraplift a layout I love. Whether I pick one specific element to lift or roughly follow the same overall design, scraplifting helps get me warmed up and back in the creative mode!

My most frequent method of scraplifting is to follow the same design - this allows me to get creative with the papers and embellishments, but not have to think too hard about placement and layering. It's easy to stay true to an overall design while changing it up for bit a of variety; for example, you can flip it, rotate it, shift the weight, stretch it, or scale it up or down.

When looking for a layout to scraplift, I was looking for a single-photo layout because I wanted to showcase a group photo from last Halloween. I selected a layout that had some fun layering and geometric shapes. 

The colors, patterns, and chevron and hexagon elements just make me happy to look at this layout! Here's the result of my Halloween scraplift:

In my example, I shifted the weight of the layout by moving the main portion of the design from the middle of the layout to to lower left. I also changed the scale by enlarging the design elements (papers, photos, some elements) compared to the original. I kept the feel of geometrics with the stripe, plaid and dot papers, along with the hexagons. The layout came together rather quickly since I already had a basic blueprint to follow.

I hope this week has inspired you to use scraplifting as another tool in your creative toolbox. Join us again tomorrow for more ideas!

Happy Scrapping!

The Color of Autumn: mmm

I love Autumn. I could say it is the crisp air, the chilly nights, the yummy apple recipes, but really it is the golden color of sunshine, the bright blue skies, and all those beautiful leaves. Sigh. Big fat happy sigh.

 

I have been taking all sorts of golden evening photos. And couldn't wait to scrapbook a few of them. For this first one, I went with the apple colors in the photo, and then added some cream, brown, and gold. I'm totally digging them this season!

 

The girls had Friday afternoon free last week, so we hurried to the orchard to get some apples. This picture was making me giggle! The colors I went with are all apples. Yummy!

 

And lastly, a picture of the youngest apple picker's hair. I strayed from the traditional fall colors on this one, as I added in some dark blue and pink, rather than red. I am pretty sure these five colors are going to be put to use on some end of summer layouts as well!

That's it! I hope you are loving the colors as much as I am! Our weatherman announced that tomorrow is the height of fall colors. I am hoping to spend the day outside enjoying all of it. May you, too, be so blessed.

Thank you for stopping by!!