Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Finally!! Mini Book #23

Now that we've moved into the new house, I'm finally getting back into the swing of things.
It's been over a year since my last mini book video, and I was a little rusty with this one. Probably because I had the papers cut and prepared a year ago and forgot what I was doing with them! There are a lot of "ums" and "soooos" in the video lol. Please excuse my ill preparedness. 
Mini Book #23
It is a cute little mini that is easy to put together. Basically just an envelope mini album made from scratch.
I might play around with this style of book some more, changing the size and shape, adding more pages.
 The next mini book will be coming soon!

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Just a little music stimulation today

I need music for motivation in my life. Been crushing on this song today...


Of course everything by Paramore is good. Enjoy!

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Do Feed The Animals!

Back today with another layout. I found this sketch on the Fancy Pants Design blog and decided to play along.
I found these photos of the boys feeding goats at the zoo and new the colorful pictures would look great with the Fancy Pants Wave Searcher papers I had. I made my own embellishments using the circle paper, cutting the shapes out. I stamped some and added pen to others. These I layered on the Filter Paper Embellishments that are also from Fancy Pants. I colored them with Smooch Spritz and Glimmer Mist.
 For the title piece, I cut it out with my CriCut and colored it with distress inks to match the layout.
Items I used in this layout:
Fancy Pants Designs • Stamp • Summer Soul
Tattered Angels • Glimmer Mist • Antique Brass
Tim Holtz • Distress Tool
Fiskers • 1" Circle Punch
The Paper Studios • 1.5" Scallop Punch

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

The Things You Said...

I've recently had some time to play in my craft room, so I thought I would do a couple challenges to fill my time. I found this sketch on the Paper Bakery site. It was my first time visiting their site and I didn't have one of there kits to play with, but I had a lot of fun putting my layout together based on the sketch.
I had a fun photo of Brett begging for a cookie on his plate that I had been meaning to get scrapped, so this was my opportunity. All of the papers I used (minus the cream card stock I used for the background) are from October Afternoon.
I love how the title piece came out, I go a little more in depth to that below.
I am also participating in a challenge by Frosted Designs. The challenge is to use handwriting and inks on your layout. I hand wrote my journal spot and used inks to color the title piece above.
When creating my titles, more often than not, I turn to my computer. I use Adobe Illustrator to lay out the title to fit the space and design that I am looking for. Hey no one can say my graphic design degree is being wasted now can they!
 I use Illustrator to make my title because I can easily save it as an SVG file and cut it out with my Cri Cut. I usually cut out more than one, it's always nice to have a back up if I tear one or don't like the color I've made it.
 
 I color my title pieces many different ways, stamping, inking, stickles, etc. For this one I sprayed it with some Clear Snap Smooch Spritz. I also usually run it through my xyron, but alas, this title was too big for my 2.5 sticker maker. Hmmm maybe time to invest in a bigger one?

I did manage to easily attach my title to the layout using glossy accents.
Thank you to Paper Bakery & Frosted Designs for the inspiration to make this layout!

Sunday, April 20, 2014

Sketch N Scrap Card Challenge #24

Our last sketch for April is this wonderful card. Upload your take on this sketch to the Sketch-N-Scrap blog for a chance to win a great prize. Make sure you check us out in May as we are celebrating our second birthday party and there are fun activities planned every day!
This card was a lot of fun to make and came together easily. I'll be saving this sketch for more cards in the future.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Sketch N Scrap Layout Challenge #55

Can you believe it is mid April already! Easter is right around the corner. But make sure you save some time for scrapping because I have another wonderful sketch for you from Sketch-N-Scrap.
I'm still digging through my stash of Christmas photos and found these of Brileigh. There is just something to watching a child open a gift. Watching the excitement on their face is the best part.
I created my title piece in Adobe Illustrator and then cut it out using my cricut. I colored it to match with my distress inks.
Items I used in this layout:
Jillibean Soup • Christmas Eve Chowder • Salt & Pepper
Jillibean Soup • Christmas Eve Chowder • Frozen Lobster Tail
Jillibean Soup • Christmas Eve Chowder • Boiling Water
Jillibean Soup • Christmas Eve Chowder • Pea Pod Bites
Jillibean Soup • Christmas Eve Chowder • Bite Size Bits
Cricut Expression
Xyron • Sticker Maker

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Sketch N Scrap Inspired By Layout

Today I have the Sketch-N-Scrap "Inspired By" sketch for you.

For my layout, I chose a recent photo of the kids from our outing last month to the Scooby Doo Musical.
I love sifting through my papers looking for ones that work together. I often mix brands and put together my own color schemes. I pulled colors out of the photo to make my paper choices on this layout. The title was cut out with my cricut and colored with a smooch spritzer.
And I'm proud to announce that my daughter has made her first layout! I had accidentally printed out two photos, so I gave her one to see what she would do with it. She always keeps a close eye on me and what I'm doing. She has her own desk in my craft room, along with her own papers and supplies. I really like how she gave Scooby glasses. LOL. Not bad for a 4 year old!
Product I used in my layout:
My Little Shoebox • Destination • Journey
Crate Paper • Story Teller • 12x12 Paper Pad
Elle's Studio • The Sweet Life • Cutouts
Elle's Studio • Handmade Layers Large • Journaling Tags
The Paper Studios • 2" Banner Punch
EK Success • Round Binding Edge • Border Punch
Xyron • Sticker Maker
Cricut Expression
My Stash • Sprayed Flowers
My Stash • Brads

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Sketch N Scrap Layout Challenge #54

Happy April Fools!
But it's no joke that I have an awesome sketch for you today! And our prize this month is a $20 gift certificate to Creative Embellishments, how cool is that! Want a chance to win? Upload your take on this sketch to the Sketch-N-Scrap blog.
I've finally gotten around to scrapping some of the photos from Christmas, but I have oh so much more to do... It's a tough job!
I used a pre-printed tag for my title piece and dripped a little encaustic paint on the layout for texture.
Items I used in this layout:
Authentique • Wonder • Yearning
Authentique • Wonder • Headlines
Authentique • Wonder • Icons
Authentique • Wonder • Tabloids
Crate Paper • Peppermint Collection • Candy Cane
Crate Paper • Snow Day Collection • Festive
American Crafts • Christmas • Roller Date Stamp
American Crafts • Zap Heat Gun
R&F • Encaustic Paint • Mars Black