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!

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?  

Tone on Tone Texturing

I have to admit that I am beginning to wonder how it is that I found time to blog daily for a while there. I can scarcely stay afloat at this point. I've been lucky to get one or two posts a week. Ack!

Ah well, I do have a layout I am super happy to share with you today. I wish I had taken a photo of the background so I could show you what it looked like before I put together the whole page. Gotta tell you that I was sorely tempted to just leave it like that and admire it for a good long while. That's the sort of crush I had on this 'paper'.

Oh wait, guess what, I do have this pic that I took. It isn't the whole thing, but it'll give you and idea at any rate. Imagine a whole 12x12 paper like this. You'll understand why I was a little bit loathe to cover it up.

 

But alas, I felt I needed to use this as a paper and dress it up further.  What better way to begin then with some masks and mists.  I used a variety of masks from Donna Downey and Studio Calico to create a pastel wash of color on the left of the page.

Then, I started layering some fun pieces from my stash.

I glued each of the 'xo' design pieces down using liquid glue and a bit of time.  What I love here is the tone on tone effect.  It's very subtle, but also powerful.  In the case of this layout, it makes a strong statement about the theme of the page.

All the product came from Blue Moon Scrapbooking so if you want to pick any of it up, you can find the complete list of products used at this post. (There's also a wee video!)

Oh and I wanted to point out that there is a very freeform stitched heart on the page as well.  I thought you'd like to know that this was totally an afterthought.  As in.......after the layout was finished, I thought it would have looked cool if there were a stitched heart over the whole page.  

Not to be daunted, I went ahead and added one.  It may not be perfect, but it's effective and I like the finished effect.  Was I frightened???? YES!  But I'm glad I decided to be brave.

Hope you have a happy Monday!  Thanks for stopping in!

Project Life -- January 2013

Can you believe that January is already behind us?  I'm a little shocked to be honest.  I'd almost be convinced that it hadn't happened at all except for the fact that I've got a Project Life album to prove that it did!

And that is what I'd like to share with you here today.  I'll be sharing the photos of my layouts as well as tidbits about my philosophy along the way.  I'm excited to see how my process will evolve as we move forward.  I think there will be LOTS of changes in store, both to keep things interesting and to make improvements.

This post will be pretty photo heavy so get ready.  Here we go.  I'll share the full spread, then the individucal pages and finally, any detail images will be interspersed.

The first thing I noticed as I got rolling on this project is that there is more happening in my life than I had realized.  I'm actually having a tough time keeping it to only 2 pages per week.  I think that may change as I move forward, but for now, I've got lots to share about.

Tip: Make sure and include the Entertainment that is catching your attention during this particular period.  The truth is, it really captures us and tells something about who we are. This month, Downton Abbey has had a prominent place in my entertainment.

I'm being careful to not add too many thicker items such as the wood veneer or chip pieces, but if I do add them, I'm trying to add them to the same page for consistency.

Tip: Make sure you are including yourself in your album. This won't be as tough if you're single, or married without children, but if you have young ones, it's tempting to just write about/photograph only others.  Don't do it!  You are important to your family and they'll want to see photos of you, see your thoughts and admire your handwriting.  Even if you don't.

Small details are important to me, so using things like word and shape stickers really makes it more unique for me.

And I know you aren't surprised to find that Washi tape is playing a huge roll in my album.  I love this because it adds color and pattern, it's easy and it's FLAT!  Score!

 I'm also finding that my creativity ebbs and flows.  I'm not letting that stress me.  If I feel super creative to do something above and beyond, that is great.  But if I don't, I'm not going to let that keep me from documenting.  My album isn't about the paper and the tape, it's about the memories being captured so I am keeping that the focus.

This week held a bit more creativity and the page below has lots that I love, both in terms of the photography and the design execution.

A kit company had a Project Life kit that I admired, but wasn't able to get on the waiting list in time for.  It had some fun pieces and one that I particularly admired was a wood veneer card with a cutout of an ampersand.  Not to worry, I created my own similar card using my Silhouette.  It's not exactly the same, but the feeling is close enough and I'm happy with the result.

Overstamping anyone?  I did alot of that this month.  When the stamp didn't stamp true the first time, just do it again!  Graphic!

For the shot below of the TV's at Costco, I didn't care for all the white space at the top of the picture once I got it printed out so I used some washi tape to cover it up and added a sticker title on top.

That's it for the month of January.  You can find info about what all I used to create my PL this month here.
If you'd like to see the video we did of the pages above, you can find that here.

Happy creating!  If you have any questions for me, make sure to leave them in the comments and I'll do the best I can to answer.  If you leave your email, I can answer that way, otherwise, I'll include it in the blog.  Thanks for stoping 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 Thursday -- Valentine's ???

Hello friends.  Pardon me if I sneeze during our conversation today.  I've been laid up with a nasty cold most of this week.  Tea and tissues for me!  Do keep your distance.

Am I the only one who has a love/hate relationship with Valentine's Day?  I'm not sure why I still have, but the truth is, I am not a big fan.  Why, you may ask?  Too many years of being on the wrong side of it at the beginning when my opinion of it was forming I suppose.

However, this year will mark my twenty-second year with the very best of Valentines! (That would be Mr. Schneider)  And so, in honor of my blessings, I've made a layout to give tribute.

Funny thing, I keep wanting to tell our love story, but when I get down to it, the story never quite gets out on paper. (I can talk your head off about it in person though, LOL)

At any rate, I had that intention, but instead, I just ended up with pretty.  Do please indulge me (and forgive me.)  And yes, I've been watching to many British dramas during my illness and have fallen into a bad way with uppity vocabulary. Tis a pity!

This one is created with lovely Lily Bee Design papers from a variety of collections.  I was inspired by this image which turned up on Pinterest.  I liked the look of the ombre and the colorway and decided to give that a go using a variety of papers to create the ombre effect.

I kept the rest of the design simple so as to let those hearts shine.

I also printed the photo on vellum to get that sort of ethereal look.  It took a bit of trial and error to get it to print cleanly but ultimately I managed it. I'll be trying that method more in the future now that I've got it nailed.

So how about you, are you a fan of Valentine's Day?  Got a valentine this year?  Sharing a love story?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.  

Thanks for stopping by and have a lovely Thursday.

Hello Thursday -- December Daily Week 2

Here we are again with another installment of my DD.  I have to admit that I am having more and more fun as I go along on this project.  I got to think up fun ways to incorporate more than one or two photos on some of the days which had a number of notable events.  I think that may be my favorite part.

The only trouble is will I have enough room for it all in the end.  Will have to be more particular as I finish up.  Or perhaps I'll only go to day 25??  I've completed to day 20 so far, but I'm only showing you week 2 this time.

Here we go!

Here is where things began to get super busy.  What else is a girl to do but add things in.  And besides, I had some great OA Miscellany from last year that I hadn't found a reason to use. The 12th turned out to be the perfect opportunity.

The POW paper was in the kit to be cut in the Silhouette, but I've been using it as borders quite happily.

Today was Hunter's 18th birthday as well as a shopping day for me.  I wanted to do something for his special day so I decided to use a bag to create a page just about Hunter.  The trickiest part was how to keep the bag secured so the photo doesn't fall out.  Paper clip seems to do the trick and looks cute besides.

Here is what is found inside the bag!  Hunter with a wry grin.

 And how it looks when the photo is slipped inside and layered with some other fun pieces.

This is the 14th, a dy of great pain for our nation.  I left one page very nearly blank as a memorial to the lives lost in CT.

However, life did go on.  I provided a meal for a recuperating church member and observed a rainbow in the skies of all the unexpected site on a cold winter day.  Perhaps it was meant to serve as a reminder that God is still waiting for us to seek Him in times of trouble.

The skies were gorgeous in all directions.

We all went out to dinner to celebrate Hunter's b-day.

I'll see you next time!  Have a great day!

Hello Friday -- Egads, Has Christmas Come and Gone?

Wow, the last few weeks have just flown by!  And now, I'm trying to pick up the pieces of the mess that has been left behind.  Anyone else still finding bits of wrapping paper??

It's been a good season, some rough spots, but overall pretty good.  I am blessed to know the Savior whom we celebrated on December 25th.  By the way, has anyone seen the movie 'The Star of Bethlehem'??  It is an incredible explanation of how the star which led the wise men came to be from a very scientific point of view.  Highly recommended!

I thought I should share some layouts that I have been a bit late putting up for your viewing pleasure.

Here are two that came from the December kits (All is Bright and Stars Were Gleaming) at Scrapbook Circle!  Stars Were Gleaming is still available and you can add it to your orders for the brand new January kit, Only You!

First up, I wanted to show a layout using a Christmas themed kit that wasn't a Christmas themed layout.

My son was baptised this past summer into the Body of Christ and we were so excited to see him make this decision.  It was a long time in coming.

Initially, I was going for simple, but alas, I just can't do it, so you'll see lots of layers and bits and bobs.

However, I did manage a small piece of simple in this bottom treatment.

The next layout is Christmas all the way.  It's also a lift of Emmanuelle's layout from her Scrapbook Circle kits.  You can see her original layout here.

I loved the bright colors in this months kits and took full advantage of them for this layout.

And I couldn't resist using the Pink Paislee packaging to top my photo.  A very Green solution don't you think!?

The phrase 'Let Your Heart Be Light' has been on my mind this whole season so it was a natural title choice. If you'd like the Silhouette file I created, you can find it here.  You can see the cut in the image below.

Here's wishing you a wonderful day!  And thanks so much for stopping by!