Sunday Sketch March 25th

Due to the return of Mad Men and an otherwise full weekend of teaching Driver's Education and taking care of family duties, I was not able to create an example page to go with my Sunday Sketch...  However, I will look forward to what many of you create with this one.  Please leave me a link.

Go forth and have a wonderfully creative week!

Favorite Finds...

It's not often that I find time to shop, and since I am tucked away in the Rocky Mountains it has to be all online shopping.  But, lately I find myself scouring the web for things that I am giddy to craft with. Below are just a few items I am stalking the postman for...

Echo Park's Note to Self has a lot of my favorite elements like music sheets, text heavy paper and earthy colors.  I also like how it seems like an adult collection. I can't wait!

I really love the idea of 7 Gypsies' Postale Collection.  Not that I am planning "to go postal," but I might get a little crazy figuring out how I am going to use all the goodies.  Who doesn't love those red, blue and white stripes along with fun envelopes and journaling elements.  I can't wait!

I just got this collection in the mail yesterday, so you can imagine I am waiting for the work week to end, so I can "test" it out.  I love the color palette and floral designs in this one.  Can't wait!

What are you stalking the postman for, or what have you carted home from your LSS and hidden in your stash?

Sunday Sketch March 18th

It's another Sunday!  And that means it's time to play with another sketch.  I think I may be a little stuck on pennants, but it seems like maybe I can keep moving them around until I exhaust the idea - LOL.  Hope you can humor me for another week or so, until my brain moves on.  However, still trying to get more photos scrapped, so I thought this was a fun take with three photos.

This is a page of my daughter with our dog.  The dog is now 12 years old and still doing so well and really attached to the kids.  I know wood grain paper, twine and accordion flowers seem to be all the rage, so I tried to include all of them together on this page created with Echo Park's This and That - Graceful Collection.  OMGoodness, the colors are so fun! And, I love the way the bright pinks and teals look against the natural wood.

I added some of Little Yellow Bicycle's Paradise Paper Flower Kit because it was a perfect match and added some nice dimension to the page.  I layered the flowers from the kit and added the twine.  Totally love how these pop off a page.  I highly recommend Tombow Mono Aqua Glue for the twine.  It sticks immediately and dries totally clear.

This title is from the This and That matching Chipboard Pieces.  I added some of Nikki Sivils' Burlap Buttons for some added texture, plus I cannot get enough of those buttons.  Going to need to figure out what I am going to do when they are all gone.

Had to get the old typewriter out again this week for some journaling.  It seems as if every manufacturer has 3 x 4 journal cards, which are really easy to type on.  I like the way the old school typewriter font looks with all of the colors and textures on this page.

I hope you find some inspiration from the sketch and please leave me a link if you use it so I can stop by and admire your interpretation.

Have a creative week!

Come Take a Peek at Front Porch Kits

There is a new kit opportunity on the block... but you won't find many kits like these.  The focus of these kits is on mixed media and projects on the page and beyond.  The Little Blue House is a Creative Arts Studio in Keller, TX and also the home of Front Porch Kits. They specialize in all things creative, from fabulous new products and collections, inspiring projects and kits, and specialty workshops!  You can find much of the inspiration on their blog.

Check out the March Kit that was just released.

You can find specific information about this kit HERE on The Little Blue House website.

Another little bit of news is that I have been invited to do some guest designing for them.  It has been a long time since I worked with kit clubs and I cannot wait to jump into this creative endeavor.  If the other kits have as much texture and novelty as this kit, I can tell it will be very fun.

Please stop by and take a look at the site.

Thank you for stopping by!

Sunday Sketch March 11th

It's another Sunday and time for another new sketch!  I am really loving the idea of large pennants and overlapping elements.  This is a fairly simple design, but you can see by my layout that it has a lot of potential for color blocking and adding bits and pieces in many places on the page.  Hope you find some inspiration from this one.

Can I just say how much I LOVE Teresa Collins' Everyday Moments collection!  I am such a fan of patterned papers with text and navy blue, yellow and white are such a great color palette.  I simply added a spot of green for one more element of color.  I found these photos of my son in my stash and although I think I have scrapped one of these photos before, I have not put them in a combination.  I really love to pair  4 x 6 photos with wallet-sized photos.  Please check out Teresa's design team blog for more ideas!

Okay...you are probably going to have to bear with me, while I explore all of the options a good old-fashioned typewriter brings to scrapbooking.  For those of you who have been doing this for years, just roll your eyes and scroll down to the other close ups.  For those of you who are thinking about finding one.  Here is a little tip.  For really small punch outs, you can roll the whole punch out sheet into the typewriter and then type what you want before punching it out.

Here the punch out is large enough to roll into the typewriter on its own.  I love how the font from the typewriter looks with the beautiful font and sentiment on the Everyday Moments journal card.

I wanted to use this clock cardstock sticker, but it was getting lost against the light patterned paper.  So I took one of my Imaginisce i-top punches and made the funky background "flower."  Then I added another round sentiment from the Everyday Moments punch outs.

I can't seem to do anything without twine these days.  This one from The Twinery makes a great border to add a little pop of green to the color palette.

I have to admit that I need to use up a bunch of stuff in my stash...or give it away.  Sometimes it is hard to let go - LOL.  I added this older Thickers Alphabet and the canvas sticker word from Making Memories (now you know how old it really is - ha).  Together, they made a nice title sentiment.

These little sticker stackers make great journal spots for smaller spaces.  This one has a lot of wonderful sentiment that relates to this day.

Thank you so much for stopping by and have a wonderful week!

NEW Simple Stories Mix & Match Album - Foundations

Have you taken a close look at the Simple Stories  Mix & Match 6 x 8 album?  They are so wonderful and I think the size is perfect for your personal scrapbooking management philosophy - seriously.   I plan to savor the development of my personal album, so today is only a a post about the foundations that starts with a "Simple Story."

For a special album like this with so many journaling elements, I felt inspired to share a very personal story about myself and how I plan to use this album to document a big change in my life . If you look closely, you can read how my story begins in the photo.

As you can see, I have not begun to decorate the cover yet - still in the package - and it may not be decorated for a while, because I really want to see where this book leads me before I commit to the design.  So, blank it shall stay for a bit longer until I figure out a concept.

I'm having some trouble commiting to the full design, so I took one of the Documented 4 x 6 journal elements and typed up what I think is a good beginning and paper-clipped it to the front of the first chipboard divider.  That way I can change it up later or add it to a special pocket.  I probably need to go back and embellish, but like I said, I want to see where this journey leads me and for this project, I am more concerned with getting the story out, before I embellish.

This is the beginning of my story!  There are going to be some big changes in my life as soon as I finish up this current school year, and I want to document how I feel right now, since the school board just approved my sabbatical last week.

One of the things I would love to have  more time for in my life is to write.  I am an English teacher and it seems like I read so much of other's work and don't always take the time to really communicate my own thoughts.  This album/book is going to change all of that.  I have the typewiter and am looking forward to banging some keys just to get it all documented.

This is a photo of me from a few years ago, before my life got so busy with my job and my family and I were moving at a slower pace.  I want to get back to that feeling of calm and contentment.  I am anything but calm right now - though I tend to hide it well.  I think scrapbooking provides a creative outlet that allows me to deplode from how crazy and stressful my life is at work.  However, as of June, 2012, that is all about to change.

Still getting the hang of using a typewriter again.  You would think it was like riding a bike, since it was all I had in high school and college, but alas, I make more mistakes than I would care to admit - which the computer hides beautifully.  Thank goodness for correction tape.

As I said above, I fully plan to go back and embellish my album, but this is a foundation and I want to enjoy the development of something that will be so personal.  I hope that many of you adopt this album and system to document something very dear to you, even your everyday moments.  I am so excited to continue mine.
Materials:



Have a wonderful and creative day!


Thanks

You Love Deals - Giveaway!

My friend Georgana Hall from Adornit, always the entrepreneur, has found another way to dress up the scrapbook world at unbeatable prices.  She has created a website called You Love Deals, where she will offer unique boutique items at a huge savings.  She said I could giveaway one of these lovely scarves to one of my readers just for taking a peek at her website and leaving a comment here at MY Blog about what you liked.  Also if you "like" her Facebook Page, you get another opportunity to win something.  Check out the selection.

I want one!  She also told me that if you place an order by March 12th, she will give you free shipping and free gift!  How is that for a good deal?  Hope you will check it out and leave me a comment here for a chance to win one of these scarves.

 

Have a wonderful day!

Welcome the New Additions to the Simple Stories Design Team

There is some new talent in the Simple Stories neighborhood.  Please help me welcome our returning and newest Simple Stories Design Team members.  2012 is going to be a really exciting year and I am really excited to continue to work with such an exciting company.

 

{Layouts/Cards}
Jill Cornell
Tonya Dirk
Guiseppa Gubler
Kim Holmes -  (returning DT member)
Donna Jannuzzi
Rebecca Keppel
Allison Landy  - (returning DT member)
Shellye McDaniel
Emily Pitts  - (returning DT member)
Melissa Phillips
Liz Qualman  - (returning DT member)
Kay Rogers
Ashley Stephens

{Altered Art/Mixed Media}
Emily Lanham
Kellie Rabideau
Wendy Morris  - (returning DT member)

{International}
Gail Lindner
Cari Locken
Yuki Shimada
Natasja Cats-Verbeek

{Special Projects}
Layle Koncar

Sunday Sketch March 4th

 

I was thinking a very simple sketch this week would be a fun way to get some photos scrapped.  However, there is no doubt in my mind that many of you will take this simple sketch and make it into something over-the-top fabulous.  Obviously you can change up the single 5 x 7 photo into more smaller sized photos.

I find with baby photos, the pages are best kept simple, so all of the attention is focused on the munchkin in the photo.  These are some baby papers that the fabulous Adornit Crew sent me for a guest design spot.  I didn't want to cover up all of the fun artwork in the paper, so I just added the two simple patterned paper shapes that were cut with my Grand Calibur and are meant to "shadow" each other. 

Adornit makes some really fun foam embellishments that match many of their collections.  I combined this foam title with one of the journal sentiments to create the title.  If you vary the heights of the letters in your titles, especially if the words are big and short, it give is a fresh look.

These stars are cardstock stickers that have been layered and pop-dotted for added dimension.  I also inked the edges to make some subtle shadow.

Hope you start your week off right!  Thank you for stopping by!

Practical Scrappers Blog Hop & SB&B Giveaway

I was very flattered when Christine Meyer from Practical Scrappers asked if her design team could use one of my Little Yellow Bicycle projects for inspiration in their Linking with Love Blog Hop.  Each of the design team members used an element or elements from the page to create their own design.  Many of you know how much I like to share, so I was only too happy to play along.  Please visit the Practical Scrappers blog to see which of my pages was the catalyst for this inspiration filled hop.

I promised Christine that I would wrap up the blog hop with a Brand NEW sketch to keep the inspiration flowing.  I like clean lines and bright colors, but I am sure many of you can figure out how to take this sketch and make it fit your style.  The most unique element on the sketch is the anchored twine with the button, but I will look forward to seeing how people change that up a bit.

This page was created for the Spring Issue of Scrapbooking and Beyond Magazine with Doodlebug's Colorwheel Collection.  There is a wonderful giveaway on the Scrapbooking and Beyond website with an enormous, almost disgusting amount of Doodlebug products.  Please visit the link HERE to enter this free contest.

Please hop back to the Practical Scrappers Blog to begin the hop if you are just starting out.

Thank you for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend.