There are so many times a day I stop and smile, thinking about how much I love the lifestyle we've chosen. Our space may be smaller but it seems easier to keep clean since we have fewer possessions. When we yell, it's not across the house at each other. When the kids are bored, we can send them outside (or threaten them with more schoolwork bwahaha). Our kitchen is now large enough that Ray and I can do dishes and cook at the same time! There is just one piece of my everyday "normal" that seems to be missing and makes my heart pine for the old place, and that is...
SCRAPBOOKING.
Not that I don't have supplies along for the ride, oh you know I didn't leave home without them! A lot less if them, yes, but I like to think of that as a great reason to (someday) shop for more. No, what I'm talking about is the luxury I had and yes, took for granted, of being able to make a page at the slightest hint of inspiration. With an open door to my craft room and it's fountain of papers, embellishments and adhesives sitting out at the ready, I could easily start a page on a whim and complete it at my leisure. I loved it when my desk was clean and beckoning to me whenever I went to the bathroom, washed clothes, or, well it didn't matter where I was, the room's siren call would not be long resisted!
Now I must be more thoughtful about how I spend my time when it comes to crafting. Despite having more time on my hands than ever before, I must enjoy that time with my family. I must enjoy the great outdoors outside my door as never before! I have very little time when a hefty baby us not in my arms, and as much as I'd like him to help me, I can't have him touching the things I use i.e. adhesives, etc. It's not a sacrifice I mind making, BUT I do miss the 24/7 make fests I've been in the habit of creating for myself the last decade. I feel like so much of this chapter in our family's life story is being forgotten as it goes undocumented. Guiltily I think, "it's up to me to record all this fun we are having!"
All of this pining made this layout even more satisfying to create. It's the first page I've made since we moved into our moterhime, and the first picture of August I've scrapbooked. This little dude has me completely wrapped around his chubby finger and the sentiment on that large sticker is a nod to our connectivity. On his head he has a small hemangioma that his pediatrician told me is part of his placenta that broke off and was absorbed within the womb... so I like to think we share a special bond and cherish him all the more because of it ♡
So what gets in the way of your creativity? Is it physical, mental, or a combination. I urge you to break the block and "make" some time to follow your passions! Thanks for stopping to get crafty with me today,
♡
Wow, the I love Sunshine collection pieces included in this month's scrapbooking kit from EmbellishKits.com were so packed full of fun and the warm colors of Summer, I could hardly stop making from it! In fact, after I completed the double page layout featured in our July EmbellishKits.com Scrapbooking kit preview video earlier this month, I went on to create two more scrapbook pages, ten cards, and two beautiful home décor pieces. And I STILL have goodies to play with! Check out this month's scrapbooking kit share video to see just how many stickers, chipboard elements and paper scraps I still have, and don't forget, many of these items should still be available through our favorite online source for papercrafts, EmbellishOnline.com
This month Shelby sent us a cool cut-apart sheet from Echo Park's I Love Sunshine collection. The 2x12 inch paper strips can be cut however you like, and in our tutorial video, we did some fussy cutting to create awesome embellishment clusters. For this half of the other double page layout designed for this month, we took the days of the week, and cut around the tabs, stacked them, and wow! Now we have layers that lead us through the week in filo-fax fashion.
Christmas in July~ Sliding Into Summer at St. Nicholas'
I love to dig into my own stash of stickers, but there were so many pieces to choose from this kit, I could go really go crazy! See how I split a rainbow polka dot chipboard frame to house two different stickers sets? I also added sunglasses, the rest of the rainbow dot border, a chipboard butterfly on top of a few squares from that ultra summery sheet that looks like postage stamps. The reverse pattern is stretched across the page and gives the photos a cohesive background. Another darker blue mat behind the focal photo pops it off the page- and don't those smiles bring a grin your way too?
I mixed my own alphas and combined them with that large chipboard SUMMER to create a fun title which reads, Sliding Into Summer. If you're ever stuck for a title, hit up Google and search for ___________scrapbook title. I typed in "Summer fun kids scrapbook title" and found one that fit my theme and style.
Relax- Days Like This Make Life Sweet
For the opposite side, I cut a tiny bit off of two sides of my background so there is a bit of white peeking out . I love that offset look. There was a reason for it though- you may have read or heard me say how much I hoard paper, so the background here is actually about five different paper strips, assembled on top of a plain white piece of cardstock. Using paper economically really makes these kits stretch, but even if you follow the clear cutting guide and placement directions included, you'll have lot's of left over paper and embellishments when you're done. Stacking pennant shaped pieces of paper is a terrific way to use up some or all of those scrap papers! Vary the widths and lengths for added interest and dimension. You could even use pop dots or foam adhesive under some of the tips so they appear to wave in the breeze.
A little birdie told me, Be Brave
Instead of one large photo, I chose four smaller photos of my daughter experiencing the glory of the outdoors on that same camping trip you saw photos from in June's scrapbooking tutorial and kit preview video. She loves paper (of course; she IS my teaching assistant), so I included some of my scraps in a little bouquet for that adorable chipboard bird to hold proudly. The wood veneer flag is the only piece on this layout that was pulled from my stash.
I love this photo of her with her dad; when I was a little girl my dad would coax me closer to the edge so I could see those amazing views that my fear of heights would have prohibited. Having my dad there when this picture was taken, well, it just made story come full circle and that is one of the best parts of scrapbooking memories to me. Oh, and yes I did venture close enough to the edge to look over this rock into the pristine blue-green waters of the river flowing behind us- and even snapped a photo (carefully). Now for the card collection!
Cats are people, too
An associate of mine recently gifted me a large assortment of greeting card fronts, and I put a few of them to use this month. For this cute cat card, I just layered a recycled card front with some washi tape on the bottom. Saved some glue that way, too! For the embellishment at the bottom, I layered a sticker that I didn't think I'd use under the chipboard flower cluster. On a large sticker sheet, it's okay to not like every single icon included. Take a glance a the sticker's shapes; think of how those shapes can be layered behind other pieces, and build up from there. A little bow made from the included baker's twine completes the front, and then I cut a small amount from the side and adhered a border sticker to peek from the inside. A little fun and it pulls all the colors together, too.
No really, it can't get any easier than this!
The next card was made in the same "batch"- I usually create between two and four cards at a go when I'm in the groove. You know, every day lol. Now, printed card bases are another really great option for creating quickly. Here, I've used one with a printed pattern on it- even easier than cutting a piece myself! Then, another card front cut down to size, a butterfly cut from another card, and finally, a foam adhesive backed sticker from our kit which reads, "It can't get any better than This."
Have you ever had a cool glass of lemonade on a hot summer's day? Well, if you haven't, you should, and if you have, I think you'll agree that there is little else that could be so refreshing this time of year (unless you are 21+ haha). I tried to channel some of that feeling into this Summer Fun card, and grabbed another pre printed card with a tiny black chevron on cream.
Customize your stickers!
Using some alcohol markers and a few big brush pens, I colored in a few of the stripes with cream and two different aquas on the top, and a green line at the bottom to mimic the sky and ground. Then the lemonade stand sticker, and a postage square of color, split in two and layered behind the Summer Fun chipboard piece to create a custom banner for my card front's booth! Tiny knots of the bakers twine at each end of the banner, a stamped pennant waving in the breeze, and a pinwheel sun. How Fun!
Splashing Optional
Here is that same preprinted background you saw earlier, this time I just layered a bunch of the scraps- I got the idea from that rainbow, "Paint Sample" patterned paper from this collection.
A few stickers, including the Cool in the Pool which I layered over a scrap of the blue swirl/postage icons paper. Add three or four different colors and sizes of blue bling, and you'll be ready for a dip! Hey, if you bring this card along, you can write to a friend about how much fun you're having. Even if they are sitting right next to you.
Here's another card that's "cool." The icons featured in the background all come on one sheet of paper- hmmm, that was hard! Actually, I did find some thinking required, for me anyway, in regards to which icons I wanted to cut solo, and how to keep a block big enough to include on other projects. I dressed up the front by adding blue bling from Queen & Co on top of that small piece of blue. Another little scrap was stretched to appear top to bottom- you can just barely see that peek of aqua, but it really adds a lot and helps to ground the entire card front. I also added tiny blings to the flip flops, the sun, to the pink square at bottom right, and to the O in HOT.
Can you see the shadows created by two different layers of foam adhesive? Bringing dimension to your project may cost more to mail, but the effect is well worth it. The elements seem to jump off the page now! If it's really hot where you are, like it is here this week, I apologize for making that popsicle look so delectable :-)
Now, where is the best place to enjoy the sun besides the pool (or for some, from inside an air conditioned haven)? At the beach, of course! My aunt and uncle were down there playing last weekend and inspired me to use eight more stickers from that large 12x12 sheet in this month's scrapbooking kit. Building a scene like this does take some imaginative planning- or not! Have fun, or if fun is fearful, cut your stickers from their sheets so you can move the elements around freely.
The sun up top is cut from a paper scrap, and the other journaling square, pulled from my stash for it's colorful border, is turned on it's side as a layering base. Speaking of having fun and using your imagination, take a look at my "waves," they are really just the pieces left behind from where I peeled off the border stickers!
Inspired by love <3
My aunt and uncle spent a lot of time downstate at the beach, and since we loved to spend time with them, my family was often camped nearby. I have so many fond memories of doing so, and many of them were stirred up when I saw their family photo up on facebook after their return. My beautiful aunt has set such a strong example for our family as she underwent multiple treatments in her fight against cancer these last few years, and I was happy not just for her returning hair, which looks uber-chic, but for her being in a place she loves, surrounded by the family that remains by her side through thick and thin. You just gotta love LOVE!
It's getting hot in here, so wear a cute swimsuit!
Another friend who just moved into an apartment with a pool inspired this next card- Hot Summer Days should come with some all natural sunscreen, huh? Or an umbrella with comfortable seating, and some rainbows! LOL, I found a place for one of the hundred or so paper clips I've brought home from the corporate world. It just goes to show, with a little pattern and bakers twine, even the simplest of household or office items can be transformed into a cute embellishment cluster.
Sequins + Fair Fun = End of Summer Fun
Sequins have made a resurgence amongst crafter's supplies, and it's no wonder! They are sparkly, simple to add, and you get A LOT for a little $. I built a little Fair scene on this card front and added gold sequins to the pre-printed background. For this custom stand, I used the chipboard lemonade stand and cut off the top where the lemonade sign sat. Then I used foam adhesive to pop up the Summer Fun banner sticker, and behind that I used some old Echo Park tile letters to allude to the fall fun that's just around the corner. Hmm, I'll have to take a look for my leaf-themed products and start to change my mood to sweater weather... But not quite yet! Another friend just took her family for a long needed vacation to Hawaii. As I remembered her expressions of "Why don't moments like that- amazingly good times- last forever!?" my eyes fell on the manufacturer's strips and the little paper collection titles that come on them. If you scroll back up to that camping layout I made for Rainier, you'll see I've used a few there as well. Layered over that pink chevron chipboard banner piece with a little splash of green behind that cluster, this tiny scrap of paper brings a simple sentiment to the front of my card. Truthfully, there is an "I" on that pennant, but I didn't want to use it that way! So remember, when you can't think of a way to use an embellishment, take a look at the colors and it's shape, and you may be surprised to find it on your next project after all!
Now, with all this colorful summer fun going on in my craft room (and sometimes in front of our picture window at the dining room table), I thought it would be great to pair a pop or two of color with some black and white and cream for a striking ensemble. Adding a bit of sparkle wouldn't hurt, either, huh? I used some of Heidi Swapp's gold & silver foiled calendar inserts for this card- just a few squares of your paper stash would work just as well, though, don't you think? This card was so easy to make, I thought the chipboard sentiment, Lazy Day was more than appropriate. Have you ever stopped to think about how many crafters you've had the pleasure of sharing creative space or ideas with, be it online or in person~ sometimes those people you watch on YouTube are almost like family! I tend to think of designers that same way, and my heart really went out to the Swapp family last week as they mourned the sudden loss of Heidi's son.
All because two people fell in love...
Unfortunate happenings like that can be a reminder to cherish loudly the ones we love ourselves. With a lot of realizations and positive changes in our relationships the last few months, I felt our family would benefit from an affirmation list of sorts. It just so happened that the last free class I taught at Michael's was going to be a Tim Holz inspired mixed media piece of home décor- perfect!
Taking an old frame picked up garage sale whose glass had broken, I layered more Heidi Swapp papers under and to the backs of a few acrylic tags. Another of her calendar cards made a place for my statements, and then I used one of her wood veneer pieces at the bottom. So why is this project included in this list of things made from our July EmbellishKits.com scrapbooking kit? Because if you look closely, you'll see another tiny bow made from the baker's twine from this month!
Love This!
And what did I bring to class to use in my in-class demo? More of that kit lol- I was able to use up the rest of those rhinestones, more stickers, and even some of the postage paper icons and some chipboard. Now that's what I call a sunshine filled piece of art!
Thanks for joining me in a review of the many projects I've created so far from the July Scrapbooking kit from EmbellishKits.com. There is plenty more Echo Park to shop from at EmbellishOnline.com, so if you'd like to recreate your own focal point for the home, your album, or to send to a friend, click on those links and send some happy to your home.
Next month I'll be scrapbooking and more with one of the Alternative kits... hint, hint, it's a heritage theme! So start looking through your stash (or just apply a few aging app filters) for your favorite family photos, and be prepared for an onslaught of memory preserving momentum coming your way :-)
Happy Scrapping!
Summer is here and while I'm certainly not one to complain about gorgeous weather and an abundance of outdoor activities, all this sunshine can be really distracting! Here I am, selling more cards than ever, and for once I don't have a ready supply of 40+ cards waiting to go to the store, be handed out and or mailed to friends. No, instead of spending my spare moments crafting up a storm of patterned paper and bling, I've been doing the unthinkable: gardening.
You messin' with my broccoli?!?
For most, gardening is an activity that is anticipated with joy- not me. In my life's experience, gardening was best performed under the tutelage of those middle aged people wearing their grubbies, who could then justify both not changing their clothes to go to the store while boasting of tomato sizing as "knowledge." Trust me, my choice when growing up was always going to be, Lay in the yard reading a book, over, Dig weeds and go on a slug hunt. So imagine my surprise when I found myself at the end of the day Tuesday realizing that BY CHOICE I had spent the entire day working amongst my 33 plants varieties. shudder Well, I got my dues. That night our neighbors came by and bit down all my most awesome seedlings. There went the last of last year's broccoli, all of the strawberries I've been cultivating, the 20+ flowers from my bean plants just attempting their climb up the fence. My friends, have you ever known the delicacy that is venison? Cause I'm about to go all Daryl Dixon on these leaf eaters!
Okay, maybe more like Katniss Everdean. But I'll keep it EverGREEN lol. Seriously, I've never had a reason to complain about deer and often times laugh at the retelling of their garden prowling audacity. But seriously, I do love venison and I'm really ticked about losing all that hard tilled plant growth. Oh well, lesson learned... get my butt back to the craft table and create flowers with paper in my hands instead of dirt under my nails. After all, the garden surely needs "recovery" time, huh? (And I need time to set up my tree stand!)
Have you ever noticed, even if it's an activity you adore, if you haven't been working at it diligently, the first couple tries at starting up again can make you feel a little rusty. Whenever I'm stumped for inspiration, I turn to some back issues of PaperCrafts or a Creating Keepsakes Magazine, find some images I enjoy, and then shop my stash for items that will help me recreate the look. Sometimes its more about the design; often times I'll notice that I've fallen into a rut as far as placement, so interpreting a design that is abnormal to you is a great way to break into the creative juices we all know you have stored up inside you :-)
If nothing from your inspiration source calls out to you, (or perhaps too many items do) you can always "phone a friend." For this first card, I asked my breakfast tablemates to select one of the four cards shown as my reference, and then searched for like items for the card chosen. Basically the elements were, patterened paper background, distressed tag with large rustic brad, and a sticker and sentiment placed on the tag. Pretty, simple, and yea! a reason to use a tag!
Now...
WOW!
Well, I found a tag and layered on a flower sticker, sentiment sticker, and then a punched sherbet heart. Added hand drawn stitching around the tag, punched that matte bronze brad through and tada! For more attention, I matted my subtle patterned paper with a dark brown thin cardstock, and then backed it with a superhero blue speckled card base. Hiding the brad backs adds to the overall finished look... I still needed something though, so I went back to the sticker sheets and added part of a border sticker from Basic Grey's Little Black Dress collection. STILL not satisfied, I turned to my favorite embellishment and added tiny rhinestones here and there, taking the card from Now, to WOW! Here's my second example for garden free gardening. This time I was happy about everything enough to take a picture and text it to a friend after the initial creation phase. One thing that's great about photographing your art is that it allows a different perspective somehow, and what jumped out to me wasn't the sentiment, but that large black space in the top left corner.
The green cardstock is actually a paint sample, so what did I do? I just cut into the next color on the sample card, rounded that corner, added some similar inking, and voila! Now, I loved the addition of that piece instantly. Except...
It still wan't right to me! So, I just played with the background paper and adjusted it until I could say, WOW! The perfect amount of flowers and greenery and no dirty clothes, hands, shoes or face to go with it lol.
I hope you can use some of these dress up tricks on your next project- if something just doesn't seem perfect about what you make, try taking a picture of it. Does an area jump out at you, or do you notice a place that could use some additional fixing? Hey, what's the worse that can happen?
Oh, and just in case you are considering sending me a half birthday present next weekend...
In this series, I've been exploring different ways to make use of those cute little six by six inch paper pads of patterned paper available from most designers. These miniature replicas of the full sized sheets are perfect for using on your scrapbook pages, as well as on your cards; their smaller sized prints can even help you include somewhat bolder patterns with ease. Another bonus? If you fall in love with a new release but can't justify the purchase price, you can still get the designs you love and not break the bank- or appear to be walking through the door with yet another ream of paper!
Bonus number three? A lot of the collection pads are coming out double sided. Yes, twice as much fun in one small price! Look at how easy it was to just tear out two of the same pattern (green snowflake) from my Jillibean Soup Winter Tortellin & Spinach Soup 6x6 mini pad. This brand actually gives you three sheets of each double sided design, so I had no problem using two sheets for my background. I did have a problem tearing the paper out, but no worries, I just cut it across with my paper trimmer and used my kraft background to create a lovely border. A little inked distressing on the edges, along with a few coordinating stickers from the same company, and my Mommy & Me layout was almost done.
Do you have a problem cutting into a 12x12 sheet of paper... I'm not sure why it is so hard for me but I really struggle with it. With the smaller designs, I don't have that problem at all! See the row of houses that anchors my page? Yes, it was cut from a pint sized sheet as well. Perfectly coordinated embellishment base for my word cluster down there! A few more little houses up at the top help to create that visual triangle, along with the repeated cirlces stickers and typewriter motif.
I'm really pleased with how this page turned out. It was super simple to create, with the die cut circle as a photo mat to break up the very linear design of photo and sticker placement. So many people comment that Sunday is like a little mini-me, and what better way to visually tell that story than with some little mini prints! So how will you use your little darlings? Leave a comment below and come back by my blog to see the rest of my Six by Six series. Happy crafting friends!
Just thought I'd give you a glimpse into my creative process with a look at how I translate sketches into scrapbook pages. This page by Becky Higgins is more simple with colors and linear alignment than my style tends to be, but I was still able to use her layout as inspiration to create my Winter Wonderland Sledding, double page layout last weekend.
Just like Becky, I added a photo strip to the right and journaling on the right. There are a few other similarities, can you find them?
Turning to sketches for inspiration makes it even easier for me to capture the memories I want in my albums. Give it a try; the next time you're thumbing through a magazine, and pause to admire an article, advertisement, or other design, try incorporating some of those ideas into your own creation!
P.S. Do sentiment stickers count as letters?! Cause suddenly I'm not doing so well with my February product challenge :-)
Shout out to my cousin Luis in Indiana! This cards for you, dude :-D
Here is my first interpretation of our DieCutCrazy challenge sketch!
I'll be posting several on my blog and on instsgram @annabrdshw this month to promote the giveaway.
This all from the Alpine collection by S.E.I. If you are ever stumped for color or pattern combinations, looking within one brand or collection will help you blend patterns and colors effortlessly, After all, the designers have already matched it all up for you!
Told my daughter Rainier, she would really like to win a prize for making a card....unfortunately she is only about to turn three and has not even tried to follow the sketch... kids!
Hee he hee hope you are feeling inspired to win a new silhouette Cameo too!
AND
now you can look through my last year of scrapbooking in the comfort of your home!
I didn't know it when I started this layout, but for once, I appear to be scrapbooking chronologically! These pictures are from a trip our family took to Anacortes, WA this last November. The girls and I had a few hours to find some fun at the nearby Burlington Children's Museum (while their dad had his remaining wisdom teeth extracted).
I based my layout on Shimelle's sketch number thirty three for 2013. Her sketch puts the focus on the photo and allows for more journaling... I didn't include any journaling, but its possible I may in the future.
Behind this photo I layered a beautiful transparency from Jo-Ann's. A I recall, it came with three others in a package from the dollar bin. You can see how I used another of those transparencies in my Rainie Wears Glasses?! process video.
My personal scrapbooking challenge for this year is to focus on a different type of embellishment each month, and this month my product to use is Baker's Twine. A simple addition but I always like the look on other designer pages. So far, so good on incorporating a bit on each layout for this month.. of course, it's only a week in and so far I have made I think three. So three for three yippee for me!
One of my other goals is to use all those things I've had for years and not found a way to use them. So out from the dusty Cropper Hopper of never used vellum came this full 12x12 sheet of white netting. I layered the entire piece over another oldie but goodie: a page from one of those big DCWV stacks of printed cardstock, circa 2009 :-)
To secure my baker's twine I cut and covered the ends with a tiny piece of washi tape, and then a glue dot in each corner of my photo mat worked to hold it against that net. For good measure I added a line of TomBow mono liquid adhesive after I got everything situated. I think it ended up a little crooked, but oh well.
Here's a look at the coordinating page on the left, using a lot of the same colors and another sheet from the DCWV Rustic glossy/glitter stack. Another, smaller piece of white netting in the bottom right corner for grounding and continuity... Kept it simple but I did sneak a small piece of baker's twine on this Amy Tangerine tag. I added some washi tape with music notes on it because at any children's museum, there are usually lots of instruments for kids to try out! I don't remember if we saw any at this one, but that's a minor detail that we can gloss over :-D
And here's the two page layout that comes before these pages. With just a little guidance from me, Rainier built this page featuring cute pictures of her and Ray posing for me in the backyard of the hotel we stayed at, the Shipwreck Inn. Great view of a harbor if you're ever looking to visit the Fidalgo Bay area. My favorite piece is that vellum envelope; inside is a handwritten note from dad to daughter saying how much he enjoys traveling with her. Awww!
Last week my cousin's boys twin boys celebrated their first birthday. I am so in awe of she juggles the two of them with the needs of her six year old too. Somedays I feel ready for baby number three- and other days I want to run in my craft room and slam the door shut on mothering, if only for a wee bit :-)
I've been wanting to try my hand at the Subway art trend I've noticed appearing throughout the year in different forms but until this project I hadn't visualized his to do it. Then it occurred to me that I could be denting my humongous collection of word stickers if I spaced a whole bunch across this little photo holder I was creating for my cousin.
I'm really happy with the balance of the simple outside title, "My Boys," and then the wow! impact of the opening page.
On the inside I chalk inked some raw chipboard and added a few label stickers. I figure she can place a favorite photo of each boy alongside their initial.
Then of course she needed a card.
And of course you need to see this scrap able photo of my girls at the party, which had a farm theme and was held at Schultz farm out in Orting, WA.
Now I must be more thoughtful about how I spend my time when it comes to crafting. Despite having more time on my hands than ever before, I must enjoy that time with my family. I must enjoy the great outdoors outside my door as never before! I have very little time when a hefty baby us not in my arms, and as much as I'd like him to help me, I can't have him touching the things I use i.e. adhesives, etc. It's not a sacrifice I mind making, BUT I do miss the 24/7 make fests I've been in the habit of creating for myself the last decade. I feel like so much of this chapter in our family's life story is being forgotten as it goes undocumented. Guiltily I think, "it's up to me to record all this fun we are having!"
Now I must be more thoughtful about how I spend my time when it comes to crafting. Despite having more time on my hands than ever before, I must enjoy that time with my family. I must enjoy the great outdoors outside my door as never before! I have very little time when a hefty baby us not in my arms, and as much as I'd like him to help me, I can't have him touching the things I use i.e. adhesives, etc. It's not a sacrifice I mind making, BUT I do miss the 24/7 make fests I've been in the habit of creating for myself the last decade. I feel like so much of this chapter in our family's life story is being forgotten as it goes undocumented. Guiltily I think, "it's up to me to record all this fun we are having!"
