Take 2 : Measuring Up

This is my first time trying a 'Take 2'. I guess I'm not so much in the habit of revisiting what I have already done.  However, as it turns out, this will be my third layout based off of this design concept.  I originally took it from an art piece I saw on Pinterest that I fell in love with.

The first layout you see is one I did using Scrapbook Circle's February kit Story Time and the add-on for that month.  You can see that it is strips and lots of sewing along with a bit of embellishment.  However, I didn't get any journaling onto this particular page..

This month, I wanted to try that design again, however, I'm not one to repeat something precisely so I had to think about how I wanted to keep the same idea but change the final look of the page.

So I decided to use the strips as sort of a 'slash' across the page to 'point' to the photo.  I also wanted to inlcude a lot of journaling as I talked about some feelings I've been having regarding measuring up.  The large space below the photo was the perfect place for me to include my story.

This is actually fairly simple to accomplish with the only real tricky part being getting the right cut angle on things that you desire. I used a large square see-through ruler that had 45 degree angles marked on it to get it right.  Other than that, simply cut your strips and sew them down to a base cardstock and then go from there.

I feel like the final page has a similar feel, but is enough different that I don't feel like I just did the same thing over again.  Have you done a Take 2 from your gallery?  Show us on our Facebook Page, you never know we may use your layout in a future blog post.

Our Marriage is Old Enough to Drink!

Ok, I admit it, I was pretty proud of how clever I am coming up with this title.  Now that this is out of the way, I can tell you a bit more about my layout.

The truth is, it's super simple.  I pulled a couple of pages from the DIY Shop paper pad from the July Embellishment add-on.. Cut out the file I created for the title (pictured below) and added a few of the super fun and easy to use embellishments from the Let's Chat kit.  A really easy layout to make but I like the impact.

Since I backed the Silhouette cut with a bold yellow paper, it really does stand out.  To add a bit more emphasis, I outlines the cut with a fine black marker.

 This last rub on I decided not to 'rub on'.  Instead, I cut it from the sheet and stapled it to my photo for a slightly different effect.  I had to cut it out in either case and once I got it trimmed, I like the effect.  I did cut it out a bit more than I might have had I simply used it in the normal fashion.

And yes, in case you're wondering, our marriage really IS old enough to drink. We've been married for 21 years.  Sometimes it seems like just yesterday that we started this adventure together.  I could not be more blessed in my marriage.  Has it always been easy?  Heck no!  But I do believe that we've grown together and individually over the course of our marriage and I am super thankful for that!

Use What You've Got

What has been going on in your life lately?  Did you get to be there? Or is it a story told to you by family members who went on their own?  

I am a picture taking fiend.  I take photos with the pages I will later create in mind.  I take details and panoramas and individual and group shots.  If there are signs, I take shots of those too.  But in the case of the event I scrapped below, I had to make due with the images my non-picture taking hubby supplied me.

He and our son, along with some other guys from our church, went to a recent Promise Keepers event.  They had a great time and two pretty full days of events.  I believe I was given about 5 or 6 total photos, 2/3 of which were blurry.

So, I used what I had and made the page work to tell the story using journaling and the great products found in the June kits, First Avenue and Going Downtown.

In the end, I am really happy with the result.  The photos don't show the detail I would have captured, but evidently, this is what seemed important to the guys that were there and so that becomes what is important on my page.

One of the unique features of this page is that I wanted to use the ABC stickers included in the kit to spell the word 'NOT' in my title, but I wanted it to be Orange to match the fun Basic Grey Rubons.  Not to worry, I used my Versamark ink to ink the letter stickers and then embossed them using an Orange tinted embossing powder.

I framed on of the rub-ons with a mini chipboard polaroid frame which I inked the edges of to make it stand out. I also like the texture provided by the canvas trim included in the kit.

Have you got some examples of 'making it work' from your own scrapbooks?  Please share them on our Facebook page!

Girly Pages and Manly pages from the Same Kit!

May's kits, My Favorite and the Sugar and Spice add-on really had a feminine feel to them.  However, not having lots of girlyness to scrap this month, I had to look past what I saw first to see that this is one super versatile kit!

The first layout I made was an anthology of this years nail polish colors and designs.  How much more girly can you get?!  I love how the soft pinks and yellows textureized by that awesome ribbon really allowed me to create a very feminine page.

Even the font I used for my title adds to the femininity of this project.

Now, on the flip side, I wanted to create a 'Random Facts' page about my hubby.  He's....uh, ......not so much about frills!  (and can you believe this is the first time I've done the random facts thing?!  Where have I been hiding anyway??)

The kit includes some wonderful pieces that complement masculinity very well.  The stars paper, for one, in blue and black created a perfect place to begin my page

I selectively cut a few of the pieces of tape from the Maggie Holmes Washi paper .  And those metal Basic Grey star studs were the perfect accent to my mainly project.

Even the Chipboard pieces which had a lot of feminine shapes and colors, found a place on my page via the small blue frame and the negative of the arrow image.

I colored the corrugated 'potty man' red by just a swipe of ink from my favorite red ink pad.

The lesson is that Scrapbook Circle kits always offer enough versatility to create whatever kind of layout you need them too. I hope you'll share with us some unexpected ways that you used supplies which initially had a specific feel to create a completely different look.  The place to share is our Facebook page.  Can't wait to see what you've created!

Shy Much??

And now for one final layout using the April Scrapbook Circle kits.  (have you seen the May kits yet?!  Gorgeous!)

The photos in the layout below were staged on a recent trip my DD and her hubby took, but they remind me of the beginnings of their relationship.  

The truth is, they danced around an interest in one another for several years before they finally told each other how they really felt.  That was good in reality, but it still makes me chuckle.  I am SO glad that they finally connected as they are a wonderful couple.

I have found myself using less and less paper lately and more and more of the embellishments in a kit.  I guess I just go through phases, but this page is a perfect example of that.  I loved the embellishments this month!  So many fun, transparent pieces and the colors are so very happy!

I ended up using the negative image of the heart and I love how that ends up looking.  If you have trouble with how to attach transparent pieces, sewing and stapling are two perfect options.

So how about you, do you have a 'shy' love story to share?

Ombre Pop!

I have been up to my elbows making plans for a baby shower for a very special woman in my life.  Can you guess who??

Yep, my daughter Kaitlin and hubby Jon are expecting their first child!  We could not be happier at the prospect of being grandparents.  She's not very far along at all, but since the two of them will be in town in May, we are going ahead with the shower May 5th!

I've got one more week to finish my preparations!  Yikes!  I had better get crackin'!

However, I did want to show you this layout  from April's Scrapbook Circle kits, Happy Place and Good Times.  This was my favorite for the month. Well, I think so anyway.  I LOVE how the mist reacts with the Heidi Swapp Color Pop paper.  Soooo much fun!

Did  you notice the very gold 'hello' veneer?  I am currently in love with gold on my pages and so I decided to emboss this veneer piece using 3 coats of gold embossing powder.  It worked like a charm.  All you do is coat the veneer in Versamark, sprinkle with powder, heat and repeat as many times as desired.  It gives a very nice raised effect.

What have you got planned for your week!?

NO MUSTACHE FOR YOU!!

So my son-in-law has the honor of serving our country in the Navy on a Submarine.  One of the perks of such an assignment is that he can grow his hair whereever on his body he chooses.

This time, he choose his upper lip, a situation which most folks consider to be relatively normal.  Not so my daughter.  She finds it quite repulsive.

Alas, when he arrived in port, she was delighted to see him, but somewhat less than impressed with the presentation of the afformentioned mustache.  And so, no mustache for poor Jon.

Here's a wee depiction of his appearance using the months Scrapbook Circle kits, Happy Place and Good Times.

I found a mustache shape on the Worldwide Web and cut it out with my Silhouette. Along with a bit of text.

I had fun with coloring the wood veneers this month. (and did I mention how much I love these ones??!  Well, I surely do.

Hope you're having a great week.

And I forgot to tell you........

that I created this layout that I really really love!  I guess life has been going so fast that I just can't keep up and it seems like a million different things are happening and did you know that my son moved out this week and so we are empty nesters and a friend had a difficult diagnosis and another friend has a seriously painful situation and another friend is going through such a rough time and my other friend called and asked if I could help her with this thing she's dealing with and I got some really incredibly awesome news and I've got three deadlines to meet in the next two days and by the way, I'm getting sick!!!

Yep, that's pretty much the size of it.

So here's some pretty paper to share and a wee video about my pretty paper project and I do so hope that you'll enjoy it.

This one is created with the Scrapbook Circle April Kits!  (How did April arrive so early??)  The kits are called Happy Place and Good Times.  I love love love the colors in these kits.  So perfect for spring.

I went happy with all the pretty soft yellows in this months kits.  And am I the only one who is completely in love with that Heidi Swapp alpha?!  Truly makes me happy. See, in my Happy Place!

I hope you can find your happy place this week!

Use Those Instagrams

Today's layout showcases the use of Instagrams for a 'month in review' style layout.  I did something a little different in the printing.  I created a document that was 12x8 with two inch photos.  Then, I chose some portions to print blank.  When I printed it out, I cut the blank ones out with my Exacto knife and backed them with pretty papers.

One strip of the photos was cut off and added to the bottom of the page.

I added a feather behind the Dear Lizzy card to create a bit of extra texture.

I couldn't leave those little squares and rectangles naked so I added punches, words and some die cuts to keep true to form.

 
The arrow is stitched using Amy Tangerine's stitching templates from the March kits at Scrapbook Circle.  All the supplies are from the Charmed Life and Lucky girl kits over at Scrapbook Circle.

Thanks for stopping in.  Have a happy Thursday.  And if you're of a mind to, our family could use prayer right now. Thanks in advance.

Decompress -- A Layout and a Necessity

I had a tough day a few weeks ago and I really needed to get out and decompress.  I was starting to get quite spun up and I just needed a bit of release.  At the time, we had the company of our dear friends from Mexico, which include my very dear sister in Christ (and certainly in spirit) Rebecca.  She saw my need and suggested we take the car and just go.....somewhere......anywhere.

So we did, and this layout was born as a result of that little decompression event.  I used the kits from the Scrapbook Circle March kits, Charmed Life and Lucky Girl to pull it together.

Have a look!

I like the way there is a lot of space in the middle. Space in the middle was something I needed that day.

I included a bit of the Tim Holtz distress stain in those fun drop splotches.

The title was cut using my Silhouette SD and the Simple Type Condensed font.

Thanks for stopping by!

Altering Printables

I really like it when I can use a particular product in a variety of ways.  I don't like to be limited to a single usage.  The reason is that I am likely to get tired of using a thing the same way over and over, or even twice, if the truth is told.

This is one of the things I really enjoy about Scrapbook Circle's printable products.   Each month, Scrapbook Circle offers a new printable in the Main Kit.   This month, there was a fantastic rainbow stripe card and a fun black and white triangle border piece.

While they were great as they were, I really wanted them to be a little different.  Soooo, I altered them to suit my needs.

Since they come as a png, you can select and duplicate portions of the printable and change it as you desire. I wanted the rainbow card to be closer to a full sheet of paper, or at least to have it longer than it was.  All I had to do was duplicate that section and drag it until it matched the existing pattern but created a larger version. In my case, I duplicated it three times and then printed.  

I did the same with the black and white border to give ma a longer boarder piece.

You can see that I used the rainbow to back the Dear Lizzy cards from the kit.  I also used the Lucky Girl add-on for the Amy Tan templates to sew that fun camera onto my page.

You may also notice that the kit contained pink feathers.  However, I could only use so many pink feather on my projects.  No problem, I altered my feathers too!  For the one on this page, I sprayed it with several colors of mist, including a metallic gold mist from Heidi Swap to give it a unique Ombre effect. Then, when it had dried, I gave it a haircut to tone down on the fluff.

Happy altering!

Simple and Sweet, and Just Enough

Today, I'd like to present the idea of simple is just enough.

You may have noticed that I'm sort of a detail freak. I tend to really love adding lots of tiny details to my projects.  They just make me happy.  But I also find myself really admiring some of the beautifully simple pages I see out there.

For me, that look has been a bit difficult to achieve, but I think I may have stumbled on a recipe that works well for me so I decide to share it with you today.

Here's the formula that worked well for me.  Perhaps it'll fit with your objective as well.

1.  Begin with a high impact photo, printed at least 4x6, but bigger will always work as well.

2.  Choose one or two high impact elements.  These can either be large, arresting because of their color, or something particularly unique.

3.  Choose a large title word.

The way I made this work for me was to start with this beautiful photo I took of my daughter and her husband.  She had recently gotten the small tatoo of her wedding date and an anchor (tribute to her Navy man!) behind her ear.  She wanted an image that would highlight the new tat and her relationship.

This image was the result.

In this months Lucky Girl add-on are some wonderful stitching templates by Amy Tangerine.  I chose to use the word 'LOVE' for this page and knew exactly what the text would be which included this word.  I juxtaposed two versions of the word in different textures, colors and fonts to make a statement that this image is all about the love of my daughter and her husband.

Next, I chose two very high impact elements from the Charmed Life kit.  The feather is large and arresting in the context of a page like this.  I set it next to an image which I misted in a rainbow type effect using the Lucky Charm die cuts in by Dear Lizzy as a mask.  These two items create texture and color and echo the beauty of love.

The only thing left to do was add a border that sort of corrals the feather and misted image and a bit of hand written text under the photo.  There are only 7 things on this page and each one is minimal and makes it's own impact. Each piece is intentional and helps to convey the desired message.  

Have you created a simply but highly impacting project lately?  

Not One, but Two

Hola chickadees!  I've got a couple layouts to share today from the February kits over at Scrapbook Circle. I'm keeping this short and sweet as I have been in my bed since Monday with a very very nasty bug.  So, as you can imagine, I'm tired and cranky.

I'm a little sad I'm not going to be able to wax philosophical over these two pages as they are two of my absolute favorites from February's kits.  But alas, I'm too tired and cranky to go on an on.  So, without further ado.........

Did I mention how much I loved February's kits. Story Time is still available in the shop!  Grab it while you can. And don't forget to pick up March's kits, Charmed Life and Lucky Girl,  which have just been released!.  I'll be showing you some of the fun projects from that kit very soon!

And for the record, I loved all the layouts that came out of these kits.  LOVED!  The colors and paterns were just right up my alley.