LaLa Scraps

At Long Last

For quite awhile, I've been wanting to do a layout about my senior prom. I had the journaling written, and I had all the supplies I wanted to use assembled. I was on the lookout for a sketch that would accommodate the 5x7 photo, as well as the smaller, odd-sized snapshots. I couldn't find one, and I looked...a LOT.

Eventually, I had to sit myself down at the table and just get it done, and here it is.

(Supplies: Pink alpha stickers by American Crafts. Silver alpha stickers by Making Memories. Vanilla cardstock by Stampin' Up! Buttons by Bo Bunny, Costumakers, La Mode. Ribbon by Making Memories. Fabric roses by Precocious Paper. All other supplies by Prima.)

I'm a bit frustrated about the quality of the photos, but sunshine in Michigan is fickle, so I'm just going with it!

Here's the pages separately:

And here's some closeups for detail:

I LOVE that beige and white button. Oh, so pretty!

Those are the initials of the high school I attended. :)

I'm so glad to have this layout done, and I really like that I was able to incorporate the smaller photos and all that journaling, though it was a bit of work cutting up those strips and gluing them down.

It's a good feeling to do a layout I like that's my own design. I might try my hand at those more often.

Pages to Share

Last weekend, I spent some time planning some pages, and through the week, I found time to scrap.

Walking Riverside

(Supplies: Alpha stickers by American Crafts. All other supplies by Stampin' Up!)

Those beautiful summery papers that I bought from Stampin' Up! probably 2 years ago at least provided the perfect background for these photos from a walk my husband and I took with Mom last summer. I did some fussy cutting from a scrap of floral patterned paper. I love putting scraps to good use! I also used asterisks from the package of Thickers as the flower centers to tie things together.

Lunch at Jersey Mike's

(Supplies: Cardstock by The Paper Company. Brads by JoAnn Essentials. All other supplies by October Afternoon.)

I started out following a sketch, but it didn't work out too well with the size of the photo, so I just put the page together without it. I liked that I was able to use the sea-themed collection, Seaside, on a page about lunch at a favorite sandwich place.

The Cows

(Supplies: Cardstock by Recollections and The Paper Company. Stamps and ink by Stampin' Up! Patterned paper and diecut by Three Bugs in a Rug. Butterfly punches by Martha Stewart and EK Success. Gems, unknown manufacturer.)

This layout was a total scraplift of a digital layout by Amy Patterson published in the December 2011 issue of Scrapbooks, Etc. In the original, there was one long photo across the page, whereas I used two. I like that I was able to document something about my Mom that has never made it into my scrapbooks, a little piece of her personality that was important to record.

Mais Oui

(Supplies: White and black cardstock, red ink, and stamps by Stampin' Up! Red cardstock by Archivers. Black ink by Tim Holtz Distress. Paint by Adirondack. Buttons, unknown manufacturer. Brads by American Crafts and Making Memories. Pearls by Queen and Co. Alpha stickers by American Crafts. Gems by Doodlebug, Me and My Big Ideas, K&Company, Heidi Swapp, and Studio 112.)

One of the things I love to do is stamp with paint. I love the texture and the look, and I especially love the shimmer of pearl paint like this. I scraplifted a layout by May Flaum from a Big Picture class I took awhile back. I like using all those little bits. Here's a closer shot to show detail:

I also liked using Halloween stamps in a bit of a different way, with different colors to highlight the theme of the photos. This was a fun page to make.

Fall Together

(Supplies: Cardstock by Stampin' Up! Patterned paper by Bella Blvd. Stickers by DCWV. Chalk ink by VersaMagic.)

Another scraplift from the August/September 2009 issue of Scrapbooks, Etc., a layout by Jamie Waters. What I liked about the original was all that white space on the left page, balancing out the five photos on the right, and I think it looks great in my version, too. I'm going to do more layouts like this, maybe try a 12x12 version.

Cardstock Challenge

The local scrapbook store issued a design team call not too long ago. One of the challenges was to create a layout with no patterned paper of any kind, using cardstock in two different innovative ways.

I decided to give it a try:

(Supplies: Cardstock, various sources. Alphabet dies by QuicKutz. Leaf punch by EK Success. Spray ink by Glimmer Mist. Paint by Adirondack. Chalk ink by VersaMagic. White pen by American Crafts. Gems by Zva Creative.)

Here's a couple closeups to show detail:

First, I assembled a lot of kraft cardstock scraps, at least three different shades, and punched a whole lot of leaves out of them. I used the punched leaves as a mask, arranging them on a 12x12 piece of kraft cardstock, spraying with two shades of spray mist to create a mottled, leafy pattern. I painted some of the leaves with white pearl paint thinned with water, which gave the kraft paper an almost platinum tone. Same with the die cut letters.

While the leaves dried, I cut the original 12x12 down to 11x11, inked the edges and attached it to another 12x12 kraft cardstock. Then I arranged the leaves in a swirl pattern to frame the photo, which I'd matted and edged with gold paint to match the mists, added the title, the date, and a swirl of gems.

The leaves not only create pattern in two ways, they also add texture and visual interest, as well as creating a swirling frame for a wonderful photo from our wedding, which was themed "Autumn Leaves."

I loved the effect of painting on kraft cardstock, so I'll be using that again, perhaps with stamping this time. No secret how I love to stamp with paint.

Happy Friday - Cocoa Daisy

Look what I got in today's mail:

I was on the fence about joining a kit club for a long, long time. Clearly, I tipped over into going ahead with it. I joined up with Cocoa Daisy just a few days ago.

I opened up that box...

And there was all this yumminess inside!

That's the main January kit, full of all kinds of wonderful papers and embellishments and that great teacup stamp I can hardly wait to ink up.

And that's an add-on and a cupcake stamp I got for free as a bonus for signing up for a 6-month subscription.

Sitting at the table, going through all those goodies, I smiled and smiled. Most of the papers and embellishments aren't things I would have chosen for myself. But that's one of the reasons I signed up for a kit club. I wanted to stretch my creative comfort zone, and this is going to be a really fun way to do just that.

Hmmm...wonder what I'll create...

Scrapping Up a Storm

Last Friday, my husband treated me to a night out cropping at our local scrapbook store, the delightful Scrappy Chic.

Not only did the ladies I sat with accept me into their group like I was one of their own, but I got a lot of layouts made, and the momentum continued in the days that followed, so that I have several to share.

Our Wreath

(Supplies: Cardstock by Recollections. Brads by Making Memories. Gems by Doodlebug Designs. Metal embellishment by TPC Studio. Chipboard alpha stickers by American Crafts. Green marker by Stampin' Up! All other supplies by Echo Park.)

I used the brand new circle dies my sweet Mommy gave me for Christmas both to cut the circle for the title and to draw the circle for the journaling block. I used a sketch from the new book my good friend Janet got me as a gift, PageMaps 2, so it was a Christmas layout in more ways than one!

Bring on the Snow

(Supplies: Cardstock by Stampin' Up! and Recollections. Snowflakes by Creative Impressions and K&Company. Gems by Me and My Big Ideas. Gem snowflake by Martha Stewart. All other supplies by Echo Park.)

Another sketch from PageMaps 2, and I got to dig into the new Winter Park collection by Echo Park that I also got for Christmas.

A Touch of Winter

(Supplies: Cardstock by Recollections. Patterned paper and brads by Bo Bunny. Gems by K&Company. Snowflakes by Creative Impressions.)

I do like how a simple layout helps the photos standout, and I'm really digging kraft cardstock as a background lately.

All Bundled Up

(Supplies: Cardstock by Stampin' Up! and The Paper Company. Patterned paper by Echo Park and Bo Bunny. Brads by Bo Bunny. Alpha stickers by Glitz and Glitter. Snowflakes by Creative Impressions.)

Totally LOVing all that blue! Another sketch that really worked well for this photo of my little Mommy decked out in winter gear.

One thing that made me really happy about all these layouts: I used up a lot of product, some of it several years old. Always feels good to me to put good stuff to good use on pages, rather than having it taking up space in drawers. I'm looking forward to feeding this good momentum I've been feeling and using even more of the pretties I'm so lucky to have in my stash.

 

Not a Favorite

It doesn't happen often, thankfully.

But every once in awhile, I create a page that I don't like. Oh, I create pages all the time that aren't as good as I'd like them or don't live up to what I imagined.

But this page? I just don't like it.

(Supplies: Background cardstock by Bo Bunny. Kraft cardstock by Scenic Route. Dimensional stickers by Me and My Big Ideas. Chalk ink by ColorBox. Gems by K&Company. All other supplies by Basic Grey.)

I put this page together at a crop I attended recently. I'd been reading an Ella Publishing eBook called Eight is Enough, which is full to the brim of awesome inspiration, by the way, and I decided to try the challenge of limiting myself to only 8 products.

Hmm...if I were to base the success of the challenge on THIS page? I probably wouldn't try it again, but I made others that worked out a lot better.

In fact, I was very tempted to pull the photos off and remake this page, but I changed my mind. At least for now.

In an effort to focus on the positive, here's what I DO like about this layout:

1. The colors are radiant. I particularly like the luminous quality of the design in the patterned paper.

2. The journaling really captures the essence of my feelings for Daniel at the time it was written, and it does a great job of honoring our 9 years together.

3. The use of items in my stash that were set to be given away or sold. I love putting remnants to good use.

What I don't like is a longer list I will make the executive decision not to enumerate. The story got told, and I never made a commitment to myself that I would like every single scrapbook page I ever made.

A bonus? This page inspired a card I made with leftover supplies that will probably be the Valentine I give to someone very special.

A Favorite

Putting some layouts into an album today, I came across a favorite page of mine from awhile back. Not often do I really love a page I've done, but that was the case with this page.

(Supplies: Pink cardstock by Stampin' Up! White cardstock by The Paper Company. Buttons by Making Memories. Patterned paper and flower sticker by Basic Grey. Glitter by Stickles. Larger gems by Sticko. Alpha stickers by American Crafts. Smaller gems and pearls, unknown manufacturer.)

There was a contest, and this was my entry. Part of the contest was guessing the identity of the baby on the page, so my bit of journaling, the identification of that baby in the picture--it's me!--was hidden under the center of one of the flowers.

A couple of close-up shots to show the detail:

(So love that little heart button!)

I had such a good time creating this page. It's one of my favorites becuase it looks so well-balanced, so eye-catching, and it was my own design, not scraplifted.

Sadly, I didn't win the contest, but I'm glad I participated.

{I realize these photos are dark; even when there's sunlight in Michigan this time of year, it leans toward dim.}

Sketch Challenge from Artful Delight

I've been meaning to participate in the sketch challenge at Artful Delight for awhile, now, and I finally got around to it with the January sketch, which is really versatile and inspired two different layouts.

Wonder

(Supplies: Brads by Making Memories. Gems by Kaiser and Me and My Big Ideas. Cardstock by Stampin' Up! Ink by Tim Holtz Distress. Alpha stickers by American Crafts. Metal embellishment by TPC Studios. All other supplies by Echo Park.)

I chose that calendar paper because it hints at the subject of the layout, the passage of time, and because it provided a lighter background than the red I originally thought of using, which ended up being the background for my second layout:

The Gift of Time

(Supplies: Cardstock by Archivers. Patterned paper by Echo Park. Large alpha stickers by American Crafts. Small alpha stickers by October Afternoon. Brads by Making Memories. Tree sticker by Stampendous. Glitter by Stickles.)

Check out this post for the sketch itself and be sure to check out all of Artful Delight's lovely kits!

 

Journal Your Christmas

As promised earlier, I am posting some photos of my favorite pages from my Journal Your Christmas album, which I completed yesterday.

A really fun page that took a lot of time, but I really love it, especially the variety of numbers.

I think those adorable birds are supposed to be turtle doves, from the 12 Days of Christmas fame. Perfect for a page about me and Daniel and our first Christmas as a married couple.

One thing I really enjoyed about this album was incorporating so many different types of page protectors, including this six photo slot page containing a self-interview with questions from that day's prompt.

Another example of page variety, I used a Starbucks bag to display this photo of our gift wrap...

...with journaling in some white space on the reverse.

Because there were prompts every day--37 in all!--I kept most of the pages simple.

I have to admit: I LOVE this page! I chose to do an alternate prompt, Christmas Future, instead of Christmas past, and a page in my December Victoria provided the perfect backdrop. I simply copied the page onto cardstock, mounted it on patterned paper, did a bit of embellishing and a few lines of journaling.

Another simple page that came together easily and quickly.

I like doing these pages that are a slice of my life right now, and I thought this was the perfect way to end the year.

My thanks to Shimelle Laine for so much inspiration throughout the month of December and the first days of January. I am delighted with this project and really glad I took part in the class.

2012 Projects

Welcome to a beautiful January morning! I had such good intentions of posting regularly throughout the holiday season, but about mid-December, I realized that I'd taken on far too much for a season so busy and full of activities and responsibilities. Another whirlwind Christmas behind me (I'll be posting pages from my Journal Your Christmas album a bit later), everything is back to routine, and I'm giving more serious thought to what scrapping projects I want to accomplish in the New Year.

(My living room, after all the holiday decorations were put away.)

One thing I really love to do is document daily life. One of my favorite projects ever was a mini album I did when I first heard about December Daily on Ali Edwards' blog. I called it "12 Days," and I documented the twelve days leading up to and including December 25th. Thinking about that project, I thought it might be fun to do one like it four different times this year, one mini book for each season.

The first one will be in March/April to document 12 regular spring days in my life. The second will be in June, the 3rd in October, probably including my 10th wedding anniversary. The last will be in December, just twelve days of daily Christmas documentation, rather than the whole month. Trying to keep up with every day of December with everything else going on detracts from my enjoyment, so I'm paring down this year.

I'm also hoping to participate in the 12 on 12 project, taking twelve photos on the 12th of each month. I like the immediacy and spontaneity of that idea. I've done it once before, though only in one month, and I loved the page I created with those photos.

I plan to keep on scrapbooking the memories of my past. I plan to use up a lot of my stash, probably purging a great deal of it that I simply no longer use. Maybe I will do a few giveaways right here, so keep watch.

What projects are you working on or planning for the brilliant New Year that just got underway?