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.

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!

Happy Monday

I've been trying to create at least one or two layouts or projects each month from my Project Life Picks.  This month it ended up being a couple of layouts.  Today, I'm sharing the second one that I'd created during February.  I know, I'm a little behind schedule, but in my defense, I was sick for a solid two weeks and had a houseful of guests for one of those weeks. 

As a result, this may be a banner week on the blog as I try to catch you all up on what I've been busy at lately.

If you rather have the quick version, here is the video!

The project below came as a result of the fantastic supplies I picked up at Blue Moon last month.  I will freely admit that I overshopped last month. Yes, I really did.  There was a LOT of great new release product in the shop and I got a little carried away. I ended up with a few more full sheets of Patterned Paper than I really needed.

Not to worry, the sorts of papers I tend to use in my PL are like the background below.  They create great base cards for PL but also work as a nice background for a full page.  (and the grid helps me keep things straight, which I definately need help on!)

We had several days where we got snow in February, which means it was absolutely a banner month.  This was the first of the heavier snows and my son and I were like two little kids running around and whooping and hollering in it.  Soooo much fun.  I wanted to document the great time we had.

I used that great Julie Fei-fan Balzar mask again to add a bit more texture to the base page.

I also use the Dienamic's die to create quite a few of the elements on my page.  I love how versatile this particular group of dies has been.  There is no substitute for great design and this set of designs rocks!  There are no less than 10 die cut pieces on this project.

I also allowing myself to pull some random pieces from my stash as there is something I need.   This time it was the Jenni Bowlin tags, white thickers and some word stickers from Authentique.

If you're looking for the full list of goodies, you can find all the original products from the February picks right here.

I plan to be back tomorrow to share more fun so I hope to see you then.  Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Girl

Good morning! I've got one last layout to show you from Scrapbook Simple's January kits,  Only You and You and Me.  Somehow this one slipped through the cracks. Ooops

My efforts for this page were about creating a fun base on the left side of the page that takes advantage of the variety of tapes, garland and patterned papers in the kit.  I started by using the star mask from the Stars Were Gleaming December add-on. I then printed a polaroid style version of my photo.  Then it was a matter of layering strips and tapes together.  

I love that I'll be able to use the tapes included in the kits in the months to come, don't you!

Have you learned to layer and cover up what you put down first, so just a bit peeks out?  I've found that is one of the secrets to effective layering.  When I first began, I was loathe to cover up my favorite pieces, but I've since found that doing so is what makes a page intriguing.

What have you layered lately?  Do you enjoy layers, find them intimidating?  Tell me your layering experiences.

Hello Friday

When I looked at all the gorgeous patterns in this months Scrapbook Circle kits, Only You and You & Me. I knew I wanted to find a way to really showcase the fun colors and patterns.  What better way to accomplish that then with blocks of color and pattern?

However, I didn’t want the overall design to be a big block.  Hence…..a wompy grid!

I used my old school Creative Memories square punches to cut out squares as well as borders so I got a variety of different sizes and configurations.  Then, all I needed to do was decorate the squares with all the fun pieces from the kits.

A few of the blocks were created using the tapes from the kits.  You’ll note bits and pieces of the doilies, small punched shapes, diecuts.  I used a lot of foam dots to pop the elements up off of the page.

If you ever catch yourself in a bind for how to make your page look ‘together’ a grid will always pull you through.  It’s a no-fail way to design a layout everytime.

I hope you have had a wonderful week and have plans for an even better weekend.  May God Bless you and I'll see you next week!