Guest designing at October Afternoon today

I am guest designing for October Afternoon this month so today you'll find me over on their blog.

Learn how to simplify your scrapbooking with grid-based design and intensify your mists

on the October Afternoon blog. 

Made it from scratch: OA Make it Merry Mini - Page 2

It's time for page 2!

(And I'm not really sure why my sister thought it was hilarious and I clearly wasn't enthused, but hey... it a memory, right?)

Alright, grab another page base and add a piece of 5"wide x 6" high pattern paper from the October Afternoon 8x8 paper pad. Adhere to the page base and patterned paper together.

Face the back of page 1 to the back of page two. Trace the location of the ring binding holes onto the second page, then punch the holes with a 1/4" punch.

Stitch the edges. This time I just sewed straight lines and let them cross in the corners.

Photo size: 3.5" wide x 3.75" high.
White mat size: 3.75" wide x 4" high.
Green cardstock mat size: 4" wide x 4.5" high.
Make a photo + mat sandwich and set aside for a minute.

Cut a piece of black chevron May Arts ribbon to 5.5 inches and notch the ends.

Cut a piece of silver tinsel pipe cleaner to 4.25" long.

Cut a piece of Maya Road white roses trim to 4."

Use double sided tape/red line tape to affix the black chevron ribbon on the page so that the notch in the banner fits around the bottom binding hole.

Affix the photo + mat stack so it sits partially over the black chevron ribbon.

Sew the raw edge of the roses trim over the bottom edge of the black chevron ribbon

Affix the silver pipecleaner along the bottom of the black chevron ribbon using a tiny attacher.

Cut a section of the word strip out of the Holiday Style Miscellany pack. Outline it with a thin black pen (I used a .03 nib). Attach it to a scrap piece of the snowflake paper and trimmed out leaving a border.

At the top add the rectangular label from the Witch Hazel label set.
Add the year using the numbers from the Peppermint Mini Market stickers.
Get out "December 2012" stamp from the set that comes in the Make in Merry Kit. Ink only the "December" part of the stamp. Then grab the "Hey Santa!" stamp, ink it and stamp it above where you stamped "December."

Clean your stamps (or not) and you're done!

November/December issue of Creating Keepsakes available now!

The latest issue of Creating Keepsakes is on newsstands this week. (Those of you who subscribe probably already have yours in your mailbox.) If you didn't get your copy, you can always go online and order a copy here.

And I'm happy to share a project that I made for this issue with you too! (It's on page 83 for those that want to follow along at home.)

"Elf Banner" as seen in the November/December 2012 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine. 

Copyright Creative Crafts Group. Posted with prior permission from the publisher.

Classic, vintage style

Do you ever buy supplies that you just love, but you can't use them because then they wouldn't be safely tucked away in your stash? I'm totally like that with my Jenni Bowlin products. Partly because I don't want to use them until I have that perfect picture to make good use of them, but also because my LSS doesn't tend to carry her stuff and much of it I've purchased at stores far, far away or online. I totally love how timeless her products are. They're like that classic Ralph Lauren sweater in your closet that never goes out of style.

Well, I've decided that I'm on a mission. I'm going to USE (gasp! yes, I said the "U" word!) my supplies. No more hanging out safely tucked away in their pristine packages. These babies are going on my pages to be beautifully displayed and (safely) tucked away in my albums!

So I sorted through my supplies and pulled out all of my Jenni Bowlin stuff into a pile and just started creating....

Here I used some newer product, the triangle banner stickers and chipboards long with the Blue Ribbon punch to fashion this cute little banner.

And here I used everything I can get my hands on: Some product packaging and some older product along with the new hexagon stickers. Aren't those vintage buttons super cute?

And here's what it looks like all put together - a lovely mix of the old and the new, blended together to create a timeless layout.

Creating Keepsakes Sept/Oct Issue is on Newsstands Today!

The September/October issue of Creating Keepsakes is officially on newsstands today and I'm excited to be included in this issue!

I have a layout in the "Monster Mash" feature article on page 70. It's a variation on one of my all time favorite layouts. (It actually hangs framed in my scraproom...yeah, I like the original version that much!) Would you believe that this was my first foray into using spray mists and paint spatters? ...Anyway, the article is jam-packed with lots of different techniques to try on your next layout. And here's my free tip for you: go to your local hardware store and stock up on those super cheap, thick bristled brushes. They make the best applicator for grungy paint techniques. :)

So head on over to wherever you buy your Creating Keepsakes and pick up an issue! (For you local folks, I spied a few issues at Memory Bound!) And if you don't have a local store, you can buy it online at the Creating Keepsakes store. Go! Get Inspired! :)

Authentique Mini for The Scrapbooking Studio

I know it isn't Monday, but this is my last "Design Team Thursdays" post for awhile so I'm sharing a mini book made for The Scrapbooking Studio Design Team. There are lot of pages, so this post will be just pictures. Scroll through and enjoy. Head on down to The Scrapbooking Studio to see it in person -it's soo much cooler in person!

I used a fun multi-layer painting technique to create a strie style effect to the cover and pages. It's sooo much easier to paint these odd shaped pages than than to cover them with papers, plus it holds up much better to handling too.

I am in love with stitching things right now and the Janome Sew Easy works beautifully on paper. It stitches a little slower than bigger machines which makes it easier to stitch straight and it feeds better. Plus, it's portable size doesn't take up too much space on your crafting table.

I layered one of the matching die cuts on a button to give it a little extra dimension.

I cut up a Prima floral spray to make little mini bouquets for the pages.

Stitching the "family" tab on allows you to slip the photo underneath later, plus you don't have to adhere it to the top of the photo either. 

Well, that's it. My last project for The Scrapbooking Studio Design Team. I've really enjoyed designing for them and I hope you've found some inspiration along the way!

Authentique Blog Sketch Challenge - Layout

Every month Authentique hosts a sketch challenge on their blog. They post a sketch for a layout and card on the first Saturday and you have until the end of the month to complete your projects. I've kind of gotten into participating in challenges over the past year because it gives me a starting place and a deadline. (Apparently both are much needed motivators for me.) So I thought I'd use this month's sketch challenge as the starting point for one of my design team layouts for The Scrapbooking Studio.

Here's this month's layout sketch from Authentique:

One of the things I like about this sketch is that it could be rotated 90 degrees to the left and you'd have a whole new looking layout with the same basic format. I may have to try that next.

And here's my layout based (although perhaps loosely) on the sketch:

The square in the middle offers a great opportunity to use either a gorgeous single photo or a photo collage if you want to pack several photos neatly onto one page. 

Now that I'm looking at this, I am thinking that I need to go back and add some journaling to "tell the story" behind this layout. Journaling is one of the things I struggle with. Fortunately the ledger lines in the background paper will provide an easy way to neatly add words to the pictures.

Papers & Die cuts - Authentique; Buttons - Buttons Galore; Orange flower trim, dress form chipboard - Maya Road; Cream Rose - Prima; DIY letters - Jillibean Soup; Twine - Karen Foster; Thread - Coats & Clark; Sewing Machine - Janome; Ink - Studio G

Live a life less ordinary

I love the My Mind's Eye Lost and Found collection, but I've hesitated to buy it in the past for a few reasons:

1. Because it's that "beautiful" kind of paper that's just so luxurious you feel obligated to hoard it rather than use. 
2. Because as beautiful as the papers are, I struggle to figure out how to work with papers that already have lots of design elements going on.

I had an idea for a page titled "live a life less ordinary" and started out planning to use October Afternoon papers. Then, as I was walking by a table, I saw a kit of this My Mind's Eye papers laying there and the "ordinary" die cut was staring up at me, begging to be used. And well, when something aligns so perfectly, when page karma comes your way, you just have to go along with it right?

I used a Copic Sketch marker to re-color glittered Thickers so they would match the glittered details on the papers.

With banners all the rage, I couldn't resist the opportunity to make a little mini banner with some tiny flags and an assortment of trinkets. Oh, and of course some black and white twine, just in case it wasn't trendy enough :)

Isn't this little wooden button just the most adorable thing ever?

Here's the journaling -in case you were having trouble figuring out what track shoes and a 100K odometer reading had to do with this. 

And last but not least, the completed page.

Christmas Cards on Wednesdays

What can I say? I just can't resist a good kraft paper base!


Still working on getting those cards made and ready to send? No problem, here's another simple (and easy to replicate) design to add to your repertoire. Hey, sometimes simple says it best, right? ;)

Design for The Scrapbooking Studio

Patterned paper - Teresa Collins; Kraft paper - DMD; Black cardstock - Bazzill; Corrugated heart - Jillibean Soup; Star stick pin - Maya Road; Stamp - Inkadoo; Ink - VersaFine; Green ribbon - May Arts

Although, the star is a wee bit lumpy, so you might want to save this one for hand delivery.

Holiday Planner - New Teresa Collins "Christmas Home" Line

Okay, so I know it's not even Halloween yet, but I have to confess. All of this cooler weather last week has me dreaming of snow and thinking of Christmas already!

Click to Bigify.

To make matters worse I happened upon this site the other day: http://christmas.organizedhome.com/

Be still my heart! It's a sited filled with Christmas AND Organization! (I will totally be hot gluing punch cups to sheets of cardboard to store my ornaments in soon.) But then I started thinking. Every year I do keep my own holiday planner of sorts. It's nothing fancy. Just a notebook with gift and to do lists. So I thought hey, I've got time. Why not make a pretty holiday planner? So with that idea and a little inspiration from the Organized Home web site, I set out to design my own planner using the new Teresa Collins "Christmas Home" line that I got from The Scrapbooking Studio. (Even if you don't live near by, they'll ship you supplies. Just give them a call. That's what I do. *wink*).

Now keep in mind, I only decorated the cover. I left the divider pages flat so that you could write on the planner pages without contending with a lumpy and bumpy surface underneath.

If you have Cricut Design Studio, here's my cut file for the tabbed divider pages. (Must have the Fabulous Finds cartridge for it to work.)

Click to Bigify.

 Supplies from The Scrapbooking Studio: Teresa Collins "Christmas Home" patterned papers, decorative brads, and Covers. Theresa Collins Zach's book plates. Kraft snowflakes, kraft journaling spot, acrylic letters, star stick pins, and ledger transparency all from Maya Road. Black and green paint - Ranger. Black cardstock - Bazzill

Want to see this project in person? Head on over to The Scrapbooking Studio!

Christmas Project #4 - Christmas at Home

The holidays are a time to spend with friends and family at home. One of my favorite things to create are mini books that highlight my favorite photos from Christmases past. They can be displayed on plate holders, hung on the tree, or placed in a basket on the coffee table.

I created this fun little mini to document our first Christmas in our first home. It features some shots of us decorating and preparing our house for the holidays. It's funny too look back and see our home so sparsely appointed!

Click the image to bigify.

Quick Flowers

Since I'm out of "Cards on Wednesdays" at the moment, I thought I'd share one of my favorite flower making techniques with you. It's quick, it's easy, and you can make coordinating flowers for your cards or projects in just a few minutes.

Here's a picture of this super-fabulous flower technique in action...

And, here are the instructions for how to make them...

• Cut or punch a circle out of paper.
• Then use your scissors to cut it in a spiral shape leaving a wider piece (about the size of a pencil eraser) at the end to serve as the flower base later. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect. Cutting it unevenly makes for a more interesting flower.
• Starting from the outside end, roll the paper until you get to the wider piece. Allow the paper to unroll to the size of flower you want, put glue on the base and then tuck it under the rolled part. Hold it together until the glue dries (I recommend using zip dry or hot glue).

If you're not wanting to freehand it, here's a template you can use instead...

Unity Challenges - Swing Card

Before participating in this challenge I had never ever heard of a swing card, let alone tried to make one! It took me three tries to get the inner panel cut right, but in the end, I think it was worth it!

If you want to learn how to make a swing card of your very own (or see a video to better understand how the motion works go here).

A very sweet family and a photo-loaded 2 page layout

Awhile ago I started the process of designing my layouts on my computer first, and then actually assembling the layouts later. The purpose for this is two-fold, one, I tend to feel less guilty about ignoring my spouse while sitting on the sofa next to him as I digitally compose my layouts, and 2) I wanted a way to capture the photos and the story promptly so I didn't forget key parts of the story by the time I did get around to scrapping. Oh yeah, plus I also have an aversion to cutting paper wrong. So I guess that was really 3 reasons, but hey, who's really counting anyway?

At the state fair they have a category for 2 page layouts. Well, I'm not a big photo taker (yes, I do realize that's contradictory to my scrapbooking hobby), so I borrowed photos from some friends of ours who have an absolutely adorable family. Plus, she always does a great job of picking a good color story for their clothing and this was no exception. Now, I know lots of you scrapbookers out there are looking for ways to pack a lot of photos into a two page layout, so this 10 photo design is for you!

This entry received an honorable mention as well.

As a bonus, I'm also posting the sketch that I created for this page.

Inky fun with Compressed Air

One of the categories at our state fair is "Rubber Stamping - Other Than Paper." After playing with the Tim Holtz splattered ink technique I thought I'd take the technique to some additional mediums and see how it went. I can report that it doesn't work on Tim's special clay coated tags, it works reasonably well on metal but the ink doesn't seem to "stick" very well, and it works smashingly well on gesso'd canvas. So my inky canvas exploration turned into my fair entry. Plus, I have 96 cabinet doors that need to get used up, so I thought I'd use one of those as well.

This entry got a 3rd place ribbon. Pretty cool since it's the first time I've entered this category.

Materials used: Alcohol Inks, Crackle Paints, Distress Inks; Paint Dabber (Ranger); Compressed Air (office supply); Grungeboard, Ticket, Metal Embellishments (Tim Holtz); Trinket Pins (Maya Road); Ribbon (Jillibean); Stamps (Tim Holtz, Hero arts, Inkadinkadoo, other)