Make A Wish

The process for this page was very different than my usual. First I sketched out a basic design, knowing that I had all these fun embellishments from Scraptastic's Shake It Off kit. Then I put the main papers together: a neutral patterned paper background, with two smaller patterned papers arranged on top. One is given a zigzag edge; the other is a smaller strip with a label-holder title. I even began adding embellishments along the (almost) center line.

But what was missing from this process???!!!

The photo!!!

Yes, I had the look I wanted, but couldn't narrow down which picture to add. I had an old photo from my sorority days, a group shot from a dinner party, and the 87th birthday picture which you see below. It was just one of those layouts where every photo seemed to draw life from the page, and I had a hard time choosing! But birthday it was. (Ooops...I took this photo before I added the journaling. The sun came out and I jumped up with my camera to get a few pics before it retreated again. Imagine a little journaling card the color of the leaves tucked to the left of the photo.)

Butterflies, wood veneer, library cards, pockets and tags were just some of the "ephemera" added to the top of the herringbone patterned paper: 

A "triangle of green" draws the eye around the page...from the fun embellishments, to the words and photo, and down to the title of the page, stamped and framed in a wood veneer label holder:

Make A Wish. I ultimately decided on the 87th birthday photo because it WAS such a momentous occasion. Yes, we had pulled off another surprise party. Last year it was for my dad; this year for Tommy's mom. I can only pray that good health and longevity is passed down to me and mine!

Sunday Best

The following was shared on the Scraptastic blog yesterday, featuring a collection from the Scraptastic Store:

Flipping through the patterned papers of Maggie Holmes' Open Book collection for Crate Paper, one of the patterns caught my eye and actually had me do a double-take. It resembled the wallpaper that I remember from my grandmother's house! Although I didn't end up using that particular pattern on my layout, the scenario is what prompted me to scrap the picture below. My grandparents, mom, and her siblings were posing for a rare portrait next to their home, all decked out in their finest clothes...their Sunday Best:

A smattering of mist in aqua and yellow dresses up the white cardstock background paper. Various patterns are layered beneath the photo and their predominant colors (aqua, pink and yellow) are echoed by the vellum accents layered along the left hand side of the page.

Fabric brads from the Open Book collection complete the little cluster below:

Sheer letters, leftovers from an older Scraptastic kit, are paired with sparkly Thickers for the title:

SUPPLIES: Patterned Paper (Maggie Holmes Open Book-Chapters Paper, Years Paper, 3x5 Paper, Memoir Paper, Clippings Paper), Stickers (Maggie Holmes Open Book Chipboard Stickers), Brads (Maggie Holmes Open Book Fabric Brads), Vellum Ephemera, Thickers, sequins, mini-pearls, and mist.

I love when pretty papers can bring to life a black and white photo from long ago! 

It's Starting To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

It certainly is...with all the snow and cold weather sweeping the country! And it will look even more like Christmas at my house when Scraptastic's fabulous Most Wonderful Time of the Year kit hits my door. Here's a peek at some of the paper and goodies included. (Check back for full reveal December 1st.)

Such gorgeous and rich colors, perfect for this joyous season!

And check out what else is making its debut! The Scraptastic Stocking Stuffer kit! Chock full of seasonal color and embellishments, it's ideal for scrapbook layouts, project life, advent calendars, December Daily albums and more. For your inspiration, 8 design team members have put together a special class, the Stocking Stuffer Class. Here are the details:

 http://www.scraptasticclub.com/products/2014-stocking-stuffer-kit

Wow...I can't wait to see what's in store. Are you humming Christmas songs yet? 

Hello

I've been on a mission to scrap more of my "less-than-perfect" photos, like this one. It was somewhat grainy, taken indoors in a low-light situation, shot with my cell phone camera, but a precious moment all the same. No worries. Scraptastic's Shake It Off kit came to the rescue.

I took a favorite technique, paper weaving, and gave it a different look by varying the widths of the papers, weaving them loosely with spaces in between strips, and notching their ends like banners. 

The solid green and star patterned strips are actually opposite sides of the same sheet of paper. Along with the dark brown paper, they form the basis for my woven background.

Next, wood veneer, stickers, flair, leaves and butterflies, all goodies from the Scraptastic kit, were placed in a cluster around the left hand side of the photo. 

And finally, a ribbon embellishment gives a title to the page. It sure was a hello moment. Kevin, the youngest of five and not used to being around little ones, was holding his cousin's baby boy! Babies were and still are a bit of a curiosity to him...but he managed well. ;)

Remember This

Remember indeed! What I really need to remember is that photos with an overwhelming amount of blue can be scrapped without a single stitch of that color! I've been putting aside a lot of Kevin's swim team photos because I thought I didn't have papers with the "right" colors, but I was wrong. The layout, below, with not a single blue paper, becomes a study in contrasts, and I love it! 

Case in point: the bold orange dot paper and pink and red stripe are more vivid against the neutral background, white tags contrast with black, and because it has none of the aforementioned colors, the photo pops!

Everything on the page is from the November Shake It Off kit from Scraptastic, beginning with a pretty die-cut title. Patterned papers and puffy stickers from Gossamer Blue's On My Desk collection embellish it nicely: 

Here you can see a bit of the star cut file that I sliced up and tucked around the banners and tags:

More puffy stickers, rub-ons and a coordinating cut-apart add a happy little detail to the bottom of the page:

Yep...these kids are happy. And I'm happy to have realized that a blue photo does not require blue papers! ;)

Where's the ON Button?

Pinterest Monday has become a tradition on the Scraptastic blog, a tradition that gets us thinking outside the box and trying new things. The stitched-look lettering of the pin we chose to highlight this week gave me the idea to highlight one particular word of my title. Why did I choose to scrap a cassette? It's a story about changing technology that my family still finds amusing!

The stitched theme was carried over to the quilt-look cardstock squares:

Stitched Squares How-To: Cut (8) 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch squares of red polka dot patterned paper. Cut a 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 square from the heart patterned paper, then quarter it by cutting on the diagonal to form 4 triangles from each square. Cut another 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch square from the blue dot patterned paper, then quarter as described above. Arrange as shown, adhere and sew around edges if desired.

Stitched Lettering How-To: After choosing your word, print in desired font and size on printer paper. Using a pencil, scratch on the reverse side of the paper, then trace letter on right side to transfer image to cardstock. Using pencil and ruler, lightly draw diagonal lines across letters, then punch holes along the perimeter of each letter where the lines intersect. Erase pencil lines and then stitch with 3 strands of embroidery thread.

Papers, stickers, cork stars, tag, and Thickers are from Scraptastic's Shake It Off kit and add-on. Triangle border is from Scraptastic's Free Fallin' stamp set.

Today And Everyday

I shared the following layout on the Scraptastic blog yesterday. It's the polar opposite of the page I shared last week! Whereas Smooth Seas took advantage of the peaceful blue hues on the B-sides of Echo Park's Creative Agenda collection, today's page combines all the color I can find. Same collection, totally different look!

Inspired by the 4x6 "Make Them Count" journaling card, I incorporated a rainbow of color with Creative Agenda stickers and papers in the brightest of hues on my page, Today & Everyday:

 

Lacy ferns, die-cut from various scraps of paper, are part of the story as well, an ode to the real plants that  flanked the stone bridge in the photo:

 

 Sentiments on the label stickers lend support to the page's theme of making every moment count:

SUPPLIES: Patterned Paper (Echo Park Creative Agenda-Days of the Week Paper, 3x4 Journaling Cards Paper, Positively Paper, Checklists Paper, 4x6 Journaling Cards Paper), Stickers (Echo Park Creative Agenda Element Stickers), Flair (Scraptastic), Thickers Chipboard Letter Stickers.

Don't waste any time! Head on over to the Scraptastic Store for this fabulous collection from Kaitlyn Sheaffer. 

Smooth Seas

I shared the following page on the Scraptastic blog last week, featuring papers and embellishments from their brand new store!

It was easy to assemble an almost monochromatic page using the b-sides of the otherwise colorful Creative Agenda collection from Kaitlyn Shaeffer for Echo Park. The calmer, more subtle patterns were perfect for my paddleboarding photos from this past summer:

Here are some close-ups:

SUPPLIES: Patterned Paper (Echo Park Creative Agenda-BlueStripe Paper, Arrows Paper, 3x4 Journaling Cards Paper, Positively Paper, 4x6 Journaling Cards Paper), Stickers (Echo Park Creative Agenda Element Stickers), Flair (Gossamer Blue On My Desk Badges), Buttons, Mist, Thickers Chipboard Letter Stickers.

Stay tuned for another page with this collection...one that makes the most of those colorful "A-sides" this time!

It's A Wonderful Life

Today I'm sharing a final layout with the Heart It Races kit from Scraptastic. It features several die-cuts from Chickaniddy Crafts, and was inspired by a pin from Pinterest. 

First the layout:

Then the pin:

As you can see, my interpretation includes several rows of handstitching (with the aid of an Amy Tangerine template). Cross-stitch, zig-zag, and straight lines of stitching are interspersed with rows of patterned paper. The title occupies its very own row, stretching from one end of the page to the other.

The bottom-most strip of paper boasts uneven scallops, cut free-hand from one of the papers,

while the little cluster of die-cuts highlights a favorite photo:

And there's another one of those fox embellishments! So cool that they are trending right now! 

Speaking of which, I was in K-mart picking up some household supplies, when I wandered over to the clothing section and found a cute fox print blouse-long sleeve, button down, 100% cotton...my kind of comfortable! I would have bought it if they had my size! Yep, I'm loving the popularity of foxes. ;)