Scraptastic Sneaks

It's that time again...sneak peeks of all the Scraptastic kits for next month! As usual, they have such pretty colors and so many fabulous embellishments. New for October, each kit comes with free cut file(s). Awesome! Which kit do you think I chose? ;)

"Heart It Races"

 "Thriller"

 October "This Life Noted"

Da-dum....It's Heart It Races for me! No surprise. I seriously could not resist those foxes. :)

Friends & Family

I have a cute Disney page to share with you today, one featuring everyone's favorite little donkey, Eeyore! Papers are all from Scraptastic's The Girl kit and add-on, NOT just for girls! ;)

In keeping with the playful nature of the page, I opted for a sort of wonky title, spelling "fRieNds" with a mix of upper and lower case letters (leftovers from a previous kit) and inverting the letter "s", an idea that I stole from the banner in my photo:

Then I created dimensional paper flowers by layering smaller flower centers over the larger bloom, both fussy cut from patterned paper in the main kit. Pop dots lift up the centers. I also added a few tiny flowers from the Shimelle rub-on transfer sheet.

If you hadn't noticed before, Eeyore always sports a bow on his tail...with a pink ribbon! This originally led me to believe he was a she...but it's not the case. Regardless, I HAD to find a spot for his tail on the page:

Those sweet dimensional bows from The Girl add-on were perfect for my silly little tail.

I wasn't ambitious enough to piece an entire donkey, but the tail I could handle. I love the bit of whimsy it adds to the page.

And now one more photo from Disney World 2011 has been scrapped! Yippee!

The Scrappy Blog Tour

Hi everyone! If you're a scrapbooker, you must have heard of the Scrappy Blog Tour that's weaving its way across the scrappy blog world. Well...like the ALS Ice-Water Challenge, I thought if I just laid low and stayed quiet long enough, no one would take notice and it would pass right over me! LOL...just kidding! I am extremely honored to have been asked to participate by my uber-talented scrappy friend, Monique Liedtke. 

Monique has recently joined the Scraptastic Kit Club Design Team, and has all sorts of other credits to her name. She is so very creative, with a gallery full of colorful and beautifully designed layouts, cards, and paper craft projects. Check out her blog, and find her work over at Studio Calico.

Monique has given me several questions to answer. I hope you enjoy reading a little about my process, style, and favorite products!

1. What am I working on right now?

Right now, I'm putting together a fourth project with Scraptastic's The Girl kit for September. I've decimated my favorite patterned papers in the kit, with just bits and pieces left. To get those lovely little bits onto this page, I'm having to be a bit creative!  

After that...who knows?! I'll look through my most recent envelope of photos to see if there's a story that needs to be told...before I forget too many of the details. ;)

2. How long does it take me to create a project?

A long time. A very long time. The sun rises, sets, and rises again. Seasons change. Really...I am a ...s...l...o...w... scrapper.

It generally takes me 2 days to complete a project, often in fits and spurts. I mean, hey, I have things to do (carpool, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, a part-time job, swim meets, etc.) AND I get distracted easily! I'll run to the computer to find a cut file or quote and end up lost in cyberspace...or Pinterest. Yikes!

3. What are my favorite things to create with at the moment?

Ahhh...there are so many, and yet no one thing shows up consistently on my pages...except patterned paper. That has to be my most fave supply of all! But here are 5 more that I love to add to my layouts:

BINGO CARDS, JOURNALING CARDS, TICKET STUBS

(And other paper ephemera)

CHIPBOARD FRAMES

WOOD VENEER

ROUND THINGS

(Bottlecaps, die-cuts, brads, labels, buttons, flair, and enamel dots)

WASHI TAPE 

4. How does my writing/creative process work? 

I usually start with product...a paper collection or kit that draws me in. Then I go through my ever-growing stack of photos. I'll try to match up favorite photos or those with stories I'm dying to tell, and work my way from more recent to anywhere in the past. Since I didn't start to scrap until after my 5th child was born, I've got lots of photos from which to choose! 

5. How do I become inspired and stay inspired?

This is an easy question! Every scrapper who posts to galleries, blogs, etc. is a source of inspiration. They inspire me to attempt new techniques and try on different styles. I am also immensely inspired by the products themselves. Who doesn't want to tear into a brand new kit or use those cute flair? And whenever I'm at a loss of where to start, I peruse Pinterest, careful not to get overwhelmed. Quilts and art can also be that spark.

6. What is my signature style?

Ooooo...and now a hard question! Scrappy friends say they can spot my pages a mile away, but I'm not sure if my style has a name. I like to call it organized collage. I love to layer and cluster, adding bits and pieces of ephemera here and there, but I am also drawn to straight lines, grid designs, and orderly pages. Even when I'm being "messy", I like it "just so". Imagine that! 

This is a favorite from this past year:

Here are a few more that give an overview of my style. What would *you* call it?

If you've stuck with me so far, I thank you immensely! 

"TAG!...You're it!" And now it's my turn to pick someone who inspires me to continue with this Scrappy Blog Tour! I've asked Susan Stringfellow and she has graciously accepted. I've known her for years, and am always in awe of her constant stream of creativity! Seriously, it never stops...so I'm very interested in hearing her answers. 

Check out Susan's blog next Monday morning for a peek into her scrappy process. It should be fascinating! Meanwhile, stop by her inspiring sketch blog and find her work in these galleries: Scrapbook.com, Scraptastic, and Disney Scrappers.

Get Glittery!

Yesterday I joined Jocelyn on the Scraptastic blog as we hosted the Thursday Challenge. Our theme was "Get Glittery", a perfect fit for my most recent Scraptastic kit. In September's The Girl kit and add-on there are several glittery embellishments: Shimelle rub-ons with gold glitter, pink glitter washi tape, glitter-enhanced dimensional bows from Heidi Swapp, as well as a sparkly aqua alphabet. 

My take on this glitter challenge is a layout aptly titled Sparkle & Shine. Starting with a pink cardstock base, I sprayed and sprinkled both white and gold mist, then followed with several sprarkly embellishments. I wanted this layout to shine...literally! See how the stretch of gold heart rub-ons underlines the title:

A trio of dimensional bows are already embellished with gold glitter, and the butterflies sport sparkly jewels, all easy additions to the page.

Next I made good use of The Girl add-on kit's pink glitter washi tape. A few strips were layered side to side on cardstock and double punched. Both bits find space on my layout: the pinked-edged circle highlights the "here & now" sticker (see above); the leftover portion encircles the flair. See how it sparkles.

At the bottom of my page, die-cuts are strung on twine, with strips of washi tape added between them. The glittery tape was folded over the twine and cut into little notched banners. More sparkle and shine.

Are you up for the challenge? Link up a layout over on the Scraptastic blog for a chance to win a Scraptastic kit!

His Final Fall Semester

Woo-hoo! Chris has begun his Senior year! I'm not sure who is more excited...us or him. ;)

Being away at school, he doesn't make it into many (Read: ANY!) photos, so I coerced them into standing still for just one second, before dh brought him back to the University of Alabama for His Final Fall Semester. One shot was all I got...and off they went!

Leftover bits and pieces of Scraptastic's 2013 Home kit are my starting point for this page, with colors drawn from the photo. A diamond background was machine stitched in place, like a comfy-cosy quilt, and the title was assembled from assorted letter stickers and favorite Thickers.

A couple of leaf embellishments were die-cut, accented with hand-stitched veins, and sewn on with a button...and ode to fall, a season that actually takes its sweet time to arrive down here in the South.

I hope I get to snap a few more photos of Chris before getting the one with him and his diploma! I actually wish he'd send me some pictures of college life, but I guess guys aren't as much into memory keeping as women.

When I was in college, I was the historian of my sorority...and created my very first scrapbook as such...but alas, it remained with Sigma Kappa. What I wouldn't give to find that book today! Chances are it didn't survive Katrina, but it sure would be fun to see those pages now.

The Name Game

It's a pretty fun marketing gimmick, because who doesn't want a Coke bottle with their very own name on it?! When Julie found one with Kevin's name and brought it home to him, I, of course, had to take a picture. What I didn't notice at the time is his shirt, complete with our last name! Pretty cool to have a clothing company whose name/logo is Fox.

 His first name is on the bottle, last name on the shirt.

An old Coke bottlecap completes the scene:

Supplies:
Patterned paper-Basic Grey, Crate Paper (Open Road).
Journaling card-Crate Paper (Open Road).
Stickers-Simple Stories, American Crafts (Amy Tangerine Cut & Paste).
Thickers Foam
Acrylic paint-Delta Ceramcoat.
Digital cut file

Have you found your name on a Coke bottle yet? The closest to my own name is Maddy, a nickname I never use. Oh well!

Paper Issues Link Party

Paper Issues is having a link party going on until September 14th, and by linking up a layout that fits any of the following categories, you have a chance to win a goodie bag of Jillibean Soup products!  

Okey-dokey...I love Soup! ;)

• Show us your mad fussy cutting skills.
• Use scissors or sewing notions as embellishments, maybe even sewing-themed paper.
• Use die cuts of all kinds — pre-made, from a manual die cut machine and/or an electronic machine. Be sure to check out the wonderful Jillibean Soup cut files in the Silhouette store.
• Put the focus on your journaling.
• Share a family story that's been passed down from generation-to-generation.
• Are bedtime stories part of the nighttime routine in your house (as in "tell me a story")? Is there a favorite, one you read over and over and over?
• Show us memorial pages about loved ones who are no longer with us.
• Create a layout that's all about you (as in "all about me")
• Use Jillibean Soup products.

I found a few contenders, and linked the following for its focus on journaling. It caught their eye at Paper Issues and was featured on their blog yesterday.

If you know me, I'm not a prolific "journaler" (is that a word?), but I had a lot I wanted to remember about this fun little jaunt. Seems so long ago, and like yesterday...all at the same time. How is that possible?! Guess that's why we scrap, to remember the good times a little more clearly.

Hello Mickey

We haven't been to see the mouse since summer of 2011,  but I took SO MANY photos during our week at Disney World that I'm STILL working my way through scrapping the ones I love best! So every time I get a new kit or collection, I rummage through those photos and try to scrap at least one. Here's the latest. It was our first day there, and we managed to get an autograph and picture with Mickey himself!

Everything on this page, except the background paper, is from Scraptastic's Celebration kit from August. The colors and patterns can't be beat! Check out those carnival-inspired Thickers:

Also check out this great sketch by Susan Stringfellow. Created for Scraptastic's August sketch challenge, it was the inspiration for my layout.

You can find more sketch-inspired pages on Scraptastic's blog post for August 28.

Hello Mickey! I hope we get the chance to stop by and see you again, preferably before Kevin goes off to college!