Wordless(ish) Wednesday

Hard to say who has more personality right now...the almost nine year old or the dog...LOL

Happy Wednesday!

Toni

Layout Share: "This Way to Grade Seven"

Elliot is already in 7th grade, how does that happen? How can he almost (gasp) be a teenager. Starting his second year of Middle School, so much more confidant than last year. So much more sure of himself. So much taller. Such a great student and friend. I could not be any prouder of my first born, who still kisses and hugs me in front of people. I just love this kid.

Here is my layout:

Products Used: 

• Studio Calico September Main Kit (Central High)
• Studio Calico Monroe Mistable Thickers
• Studio Calico printable files for Central High (September kit)
• Mister Huey in Bookworm and Honor Society
• October Afternoon Cakewalk Washi Tape
• Trendy Tape Filmstrip Washi
• Ink-Hero Arts Shadow Ink in Red Royal, Orange Soda, and Butter Bar. Hero Hues Dye Ink in Ocean, and Memento Dye Ink in Pear Tart.
• Fiskars paper punch
• Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher

What have you guys been up to this past week? Any fun creative projects you would like to share? Do you use kits to scrapbook and if so what are your favorites? What do you like to add to kits, or do you just stick to the kit? I would love to hear any and all news.

Happy Monday!

Toni

Furry Family Friday

Just an adorable picture to share today to start your weekend with a smile.

Have a great weekend, I will be back next week with a Studio Calico Central High kit layout to share, a Jillibean Soup card, three Project Life weekly spreads, some fall decorating, and with some luck my finished Summer 2012 mini.

Isabelle and Elizabeth (asleep again, lazy, lazy dog)

What are you working on? Planning ahead? Anything fun to share for fall?

Happy Friday!

Toni

My Mind's Eye Challenge 32: Cards

Cards. They are always so much fun to make. What I really enjoyed about making this card was how many scraps I was able to use from my scrap basket. It is so great to not waste this beautiful paper and accessories! I combined my love for three of my favorite collections from My Mind's Eye, "Follow Your Heart-Be Amazing," "Kraft Funday-Bright Days, as well as "Miss Caroline-Dolled Up." I have not seen these collections combined yet in any online format and I had a great time figuring out a way to make them work together. I also found that the extra buttons and brad with the "Follow Your Heart" and "Kraft Funday" collections coordinated quite nicely. As an added bonus I even used a stamp from a different collection. The sentiment "You are the best friend anyone could possibly have" comes from another collection "Miss Caroline- Dolled Up," I also used the flower stamps from that collection. The only non-My Mind's Eye product used is the base blue cardstock and the small portion of orange cardstock in the flower.

I hope my bestie enjoys receiving this thank you card / your my best friend card. Thank you My Mind's Eye for the great card idea, I am going to be busy in the upcoming week making more thank you cards following this layout idea.

The challenge: Design a card based on this fabulous sketch and use the theme “YOU” on the card (sketch by Anam Stubbington).



This is what I came up with:



What are you creating lately based on sketches? Are you combining different and unusual patterned papers and collections? What are some of your favorite paper combinations? How do you feel about using the 6 x 6 paper pads on your layouts? Do you combine those with 12 x 12 sheets?

Happy Wednesday!

Toni

Layout Share: "Hello 3rd Grade"

I just cannot believe the kids are already back in school and fall is just around the corner. It is still very warm and summer-like here in beautiful Raleigh, NC, but I guess regardless, fall is happening. I am now the proud parent of a 7th and 3rd grader. Seriously? How did that happen? Walking the littlest to her classroom the first day was so weird, I mean she is in the big building, the-one-for-intermediate-grades. But to me she is still just a little girl, a very-tall-and-almost-nine-year-old, but still my little girl (sigh.) 

I am loving the new Studio Calico line "Yearbook, " it might be my favorite paper line ever. Aqua, red, green, gold, orange, yellow and gray. Could the colors get any better? All of my favorite bright colors and a little bit of school stuff thrown in there as well. It is a very versatile line and I will be playing with it a lot this season.

Without further ado, here is my layout.

As you can see from the photos, this layout was all about the layering. I have been very inspired by Studio Calico's Pop off the Page class this month taught by the fabulous Jen Jockish. Jen has further reinforced my love for layering and texture on my layouts. I get so excited finding new ways to make things feel like they are floating over the page, I cannot get enough of this 3D effect. The key to layering I think is starting small, focusing on one area of your page. In the above photo I focused on the lower right hand size of the layout. I put a lot of layering here to draw the eye to the journaling and also to balance out the layering I did on the left hand side (see below.)

Products Used:

Papers:

• Studio Calico Yearbook Papers (Textbook, Hall Pass, Electives, Most Likely, Pi, and Tardy)

Other Studio Calico Products:

• Studio Calico Wood Veneers (Speech and School)
• Studio Calico Yearbook Accent and Phrase Stickers
• Studio Calico Handbook Journal Cards
• Studio Calico Mistable Cameras
• Studio Calico Mister Huey in Warm Calico and Letter Jacket

Other Products:

• American Crafts Mistable Thickers in Roster font
• American Crafts-Amy Tangerine Ready Set Go date stamp-Today (brown handle)
• Jenni Bowlin Studio Chalk Fluid Edgers (Old Road, Attic Dust, Ladybug, and Rock Moss)
• Tsukineko Versafine Ink in Onyx Black
• Freckled Fawn washi tape (Red Starburst, Yellow Starburst, Green Starburst, and Math Class)
• Jillibean Soup-Funny Sayings Soup Labels "It Is What It Is"
• Jillibean Soup -Life is Sweet Soup Labels "This is Your Day to Shine"
• Small star punch from Michael's
• Fiskars paper punch
• Tim Holtz tiny attacher
• Arrow shaped metal paper clip, gold glitter brads and red brads 

*You can find amazing Jillibean soup labels and other fabulous paper combinations and accessories here . Make sure to check out their Soup Staples II paper collection, lots of great basic colors in subtle dots on one side and chevrons on the other. They seriously go with everything. 

Anyone else doing any fun layering on their layouts or excited about really fun paper lines that are out right now? What about feeling slightly sad now that the kids are back in school? Or are you enjoying your time away from the kids? Did anyone watch Parenthood last week-totally-had-me-balling-the-last-five-minutes, but I digress.

Happy Tuesday!

Toni

"It's Okay, I've Got You Baby"

Spending 5 hours on a single-page scrapbook layout is not something I can manage for everything I scrap, but regardless I am glad that I spent that much time on this particular layout. I just love this photo...it so encompasses my daughter right now, it is so her...holding Elizabeth, super tan, wavy and semi-disheveled hair, scars on her arms from picking bug bites. It is a definite glimpse into who Isabelle is right now, isn't that what we all love about scrapbooking? Once in awhile a photo just captures the moment, that period of time so perfectly, and we are dying to scrapbook it and tell that particular story, that is how this photo was for me.

Back story of the photograph-our dog Elizabeth was going to the vet today and was very nervous waiting for the doctor to walk into our examination room. Isabelle (my dog loving little girl, ) quickly swooped her up, holding her like a baby on her shoulder and rocked and patted her saying, "It's Okay I've Got You Baby," over and over again. This was a moment that had to be captured, I quickly grabbed my I-Pod 4S and took some photos. Isabelle is such a little mama and I am so thankful that I photographed and scrapbooked this moment that I want to remember forever.

How I Made My Embellishments Coordinate with my Photograph

One challenge I had with this layout, was finding items that matched the purple in her dress, it is not a color that I found easily in my scrapbooking supply stash or at my local scrapbook store....I remedied that with watercolor. Seriously, if you have never tried it, you have not lived!!! Watercolors are inexpensive, terribly addicting, and an incredibly fun way to color in scrapbook paper and what not. You can use watercolors to add extra color to anything scrapbook related, or also (like I did) to color embellishments/ or paper to coordinate with your photograph, or more specifically my daughter's very colorful dress that takes up a lot of the picture. For example, the cameras in my layout from the Amy Tangerine Sketchbook Line by American Crafts that are purple, aqua, and yellow/green-yup watercolor, Amy Tan did not make the cameras that way, they were just outlined in black, but what a great base. I also colored the SC wood veneer cameras and tweets. The cameras were colored using purple watercolor and I used aqua for the tweets. I also used a cardboard high heel found in the October Afternoon Miscellany pack for an embellishment on this layout. . . this was embossed using Zing embossing powder in Opaque Aqua.

Different Strategies to Make Your Embellishments Coordinate with your Layout

1. Use watercolor. A basic set of watercolor can be purchased for right around $5 at your local craft store.
2. Use American Crafts Zing Embossing Power, or any other embossing powder that you have. These can be purchased in the $6 price range and are great to find in an unusual color that you use a lot of, or just happen to really like.
3. Acrylic paint is another way to alter a layout to match-you can color embellishments, use it to stamp with, you name it. Acrylic paint is very affordable as well, and can be purchased for right around $1 at your local craft store. You can often find them for 2 / $1 with sales as well.
4. Mist or drip excess paint or mist onto a layout...I love to use either acrylic paint or Studio Calico Mister Huey.
5. Stamping-you can use colored ink or black, you can emboss, you can use Versamark, the possibilities are endless.

Supplies Used:

Papers

• Studio Calico Take Note patterned papers
• Studio Calico Heyday Breezy
• Studio Calico Heyday Silly
• Studio Calico Heyday Cheerful
• October Afternoon 9 to 5 Boardroom 
• October Afternoon 9 to 5 Paid in Full
• Amy Tangerine Sketchbook

Other Products Used

• American Crafts Thickers in Bree Font, misted using Studio Calico Mister Hueys in Classic Tan and Taxi
• Studio Calico Heyday Stamp Set Thoughts
• Tsukineko Black Stayz On Ink
• American Crafts Zing Embossing Powder in Opaque Aqua
• Studio Calico wood veneer-cameras, tweets, and stars
• Brads-My Mind's Eye
• Buttons-My Mind's Eye and other assorted
• Jute-used to tie buttons

Anyone else scrapbooking anything very meaningful lately? Have you captured a photograph lately that truly is a representation of a special person in your life at that moment? What about making things coordinate on your page, what do you do to make accessories and paper match the harder to use pictures or other scrapbook items? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Happy Monday!

Toni

Happy Birthday Card

I created a card two days ago for Elliot's 13th Birthday (next May, yes you read correctly, his birthday is not until May 2013, LOL.) I had an idea, so I just went with it and I will save it up until it is needed. I love making cards, it is so relaxing, and fun to create something in a smaller canvas size. Often times I create standard A2 cards or 5. 5 x 4. 25 inches. Sometimes I make horizontal cards, sometimes vertical, you never know, but on this particular day, I was feeling horizontally I guess, so this is what I chose.

The card background is standard white cardstock, something I picked up at Michael's craft store I believe. I then layered the card up with all kinds of fun paper, stickers, staples, and 3 dimensional adhesives. some of the supplies chosen were a nod of sorts to his likes-the math washi (his favorite subject, ) the cut out viewmaster disc (he loves those, ) the "Man of the House" sticker because I always tell him he is the man of the house when dad is gone. 

Making cards for me is an act of love. My family and friends love getting them, and I have so much fun creating and designing them for each and every person.

If you have any questions about how I created this, please do not hesitate to ask.

Products Used:

• Jillibean Soup Macho Nacho 3 Parts Muscle Paper
• Jillibean Soup Soup Staples II Coordinating Paper in Yellow Salt and Turquoise Salt
• Jillibean Soup Alphabeans in Organic Orange, Yarn Yellow, and Tart Teal.
• Jillibean Soup Macho Nacho Soup Cardstock Stickers
• Jillibean Soup Memorable Hexies 4 x 8 Stickers
• Jillibean Soup labels-Journaling II Soup Labels
• Happy Day Index Tab ? Studio Calico class perhaps
• Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher
• Jenni Bowlin Studio Fluid Chalk Edger in Dark Bark
• Echo Park View Master Note to Self 12 x 12 Paper (cut out viewmaster disc)
• Ink-Versafine in Onyx Black ( I seriously love this stuff, such a great, crisp image every time)
• "Bring on the Cake" stamp from Hero Arts 4 x 6 inch clear stamp set, Essential Messages
• Washi tape-Freckeled Fawn, Red Starburst Washi Tape, Math Class Washi Tape 
• American Crafts white glitter ribbon
• American Crafts This to That Foam Dots
• American Craft This to That Permanent Dispenser Dots
• Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam Squares

Happy Monday!

Toni

Layout Share: "Giddy Up Papa"

Going though some older photos the last couple of weeks, I came across this gorgeous photograph of my father with three of the little kidlets. This photo was taken in 2002, and captures a regular activity Papa shared with the grandkids and nieces. It is important to me when scrapbooking that the focus is always on the photograph and the story behind it.  This photograph really is my dad in a nutshell, willing to do just about anything to make the kids laugh and smile. We are very lucky to have him. The three kidlets in the photo, are my nephew Kodi (he is now 16,) my cousin Mary (she is now 14,) and my son Elliot who is now 12 (sigh.)

I wanted the picture to be black and white to draw attention to the fact that this photograph was taken 10 years ago. I knew I wanted the embellishments to be very colorful on top of a neutral backdrop to really help draw attention to the photography subject. I also wanted a variety of colors, but it was important they all coordinate well together. The majority of the colorful papers and embellishments are all from Jillibean Soup. I love their bright colors and wide variety of patterns, basics, and super fun embellishments and label stickers. 

Products used:

• Studio Calico White Woodgrain Cardstock, layered with an 8.5 x 11 inch piece of vellum, layered horizontally (woodgrain was first misted with Studio Calico Mister Huey in Real Red, Warm Calico, Leaf Green, and Sherbet.)
• Patterned Papers (Solids) Jillibean Soup Soup Staples II Coordinating Paper in Orange Salt, Yellow Salt, and Turquoise Salt. 
• Patterned Papers (Other) Jillibean Soup Macho Nacho line, 3 Parts Muscle
• Embellishments (Jillibean Soup) Macho Nacho cardstock stickers, Memorable Hexies 4 x 8 stickers, Journaling II Soup Labels, and Bite Size Bits 12 x 12 Grandma's Lima Bean Soup Paper.
• Embellishments (Others) American Crafts Amy Tangerine Goodness Letters, Studio Calico wood veneer stars and cameras, Tim Holtz tiny staples, film strip washi, and American Crafts aqua glitter ribbon.

Happy Saturday!

Toni