fun with arrows

Only one piece of a pattern? Thats ok.

Have you ever found the perfect pattern paper only to discover the store only has one left? You stand there thinking "But its so perfect for my page..... I really wanted two....."

There is no whining in scrapbooking my friends.

You can do it with one. I promise. I too have stood there watching the empty slot where the paper came from, hoping a second sheet would just magically appear. But I am telling you...it can be done.

I know - you are thinking but 6 inches per side of the layout isn't a wide enough strip.... Or is it?

In this layout I had two different patterns- one sheet each, and 12 photos and I made it work. Note the rounded off  corners of each of the paper strips. The rounded edges gave a finished look to the round and oval photos... ( an old redo for my sons toddler book- and could not find the negatives) I simply taped down the strips of the checkered flag paper, to a slightly wider strip of red cardstock and rounded one corner on each of them, making the entire now 8 inch wide set look complete. Nice trick hey? Neatly turned a six inch halved pattern paper into an 8 plus inch background.... viola!

birthday pages.....

There is nothing more frustrating than teenage non themed birthday pages.
My son turned 18 and decided that he wanted to take his friends and go paint balling, something you can only do with your parents permission until you are 18. Needless to say, there are no photos of them actually paintballing or even full of paint because they changed clothes before they came home. Fortunately I found the perfect paper for the theme.... and used it to work a scraplift I found on A scrappy patch.

 

Multiple pictures of people that were guests at the party posed another problem, too many photos. So I found a great layout with circles.

 

May layouts

Okay so I know, I have been a little MIA this month- but there has been a lot going on around here- birthdays, graduations etc.... I have had very little time to keep up with myself. I have however managed to squeeze in a little time to myself. So here are the results of my May retreat and friday night crops at home....

What does it need?

So I am really struggling to find an embellishment to help me finish this page off. Any ideas?

I love the layout, I am loving the colors, just need that big something to finish it off... its been on my desk for a week now and I stare at it for hours, so for now I am calling it good until I find the perfect finishing touch. Any suggestions?

I love it when a redo comes together....

I debated whether or not to redo this page in my son's book. Originally the page had no photos, just an old faded napkin from the baby shower and a cut out of the teddy bear from the plate, and a card that was signed by my hubby;'s coworkers..... but boy am I glad I decided to go for it!
 I added, the two photos, canvas and lace to the pocket that now holds a tag with the guest and gift list, and the teddy bear plate cut out. I know not everyone is into the 3-d stuff- but I have to say this pge proved to me why I have redone his baby book.
Mojo's lesson number one for anyone planning to start scrapbooking... do not, I repeat DO NOT begin with a baby book, wedding book or other VIP event... start with a vacation, or a gift album and once you find your style , then move on to those VIP albums. You will be much happier with the result, I promise.

Using busy Pattern Paper

One of my strong points, I am told, is the ability to pick good patterned paper.
That was not always the case.
After 19 years of collecting paper, I have nearly two tons.... at the very least. Occasionally I run across a piece that I have to question myself, "REALLY?" what was I thinking? Then one day I find the perfect photos to go with it and I no longer question my mojo...it was meant to be.
 I think I have carried around this paper for years. The key is keeping the stronger patterns at bay by using a smaller amount of them with strong solid background paper. Make your photos pop by usuing a small white matte backed by a strong dark color that compliments the photo and fades the busy pattern into the background where it belongs.

Angles love curves

I really struggled with the angle on this layout. But one of the first things I learned when I upped my scrap pages.... angles love curves.... using both rectangular, square and circles or ovals together make a page more pleasing to the eye.

Mixing Textiles, Make it Pop!

Sometimes simple paper and glue make the most beautiful pages, but sometimes you need that extra special something to make your page pop!

On this layout, I used fabric, canvas ribbon, denim and fabric feel fun foam!The hardest part was figuring out what adhesive to use. Anyone who scraps with me will laugh when I say this--This is not the time for glue dots... as they do not hold well on fun foam. I can tell you do not use the quick dry adhesive to glue down strips of fun foam, it curls the paper....next time I will try out the actual fun foam glue. I'll let you know if that works better. Anyway I had been saving this fabric feel bandana fun foam for years, its about time I find somewhere to use it. My son's Woody costume provided the perfect excuse. There are so many different textiles and textures out there- you just have to walk through your local craft store to find them and try them! We do not have to limit ourselves to one flat medium... I can't believe I am gonna say it... yes, Virginia, there is more in this world than plain old paper!

Passion for Paint

I played a little last night. I found a challenge online that required the use of a household item to create the background with paint or ink in some way.
So for some time I walked around my house looking for just the right item, tearing through my pantry, digging through drawers, closets and etc... I had a bubble wrap thing in my head, but alas bubble wrap has a short life in this house so there was none to be found. Eventually I discovered a piece of leftover rug backing, (It's supposed to keep your kitchen mats from sliding all over the floor. but I have not had much luck with it.) It was the perfect shape. I cut a piece from it so it was eaiser to work with, then used my stipple brush to stipple acrylic paint in a round section to one side, then used the mat as a stamp pressing the paint to my background randomly. (Of course I practiced on a scrap first.) It really added something to the background and helped me to ground the true blue theme paper I had chosen for the layout. I am really pleased with the results.

Sometimes we have to learn how to look at things a different way to find inspiration. I always say it, to the creative eye inspiration is everywhere you just have to look for it.

 

MY Favorite things

I was thinking as I was putting the final touches on this layout tonight...A dangerous pastime...I know. But look at all the fun little ways to embellish a layout! We have so many techniques, and so many types of craft supplies, so many ways to change them up to make them what we need them to be. When we put them all together we can create art, true art. A lasting gift for our children and their children. A piece of us, a piece of our heart, a piece of our memory lives in each and every page. I don't mean just the pictures, I mean when we complete a layout it is as handcrafted with love, sweat,tears and yes, sometimes even blood...It becomes a piece of us, a piece of the friends we papercraft with, a piece of time itself.

Sometimes, I think we forget that what we are creating is more than just a photo album. That the scraps and little embellishments are more than just the tons of stuff we have collected for years. That the pages we count up and boast how many we completed are more than just a way to use it up. I scrap for a reason deeper than that. I scrapbook because it is who I am, because it is a part of my personality, because without the friends I have made, the things I have learned, the stories that have been shared at crops my life would be very different. Looking at all of the "little" things I used on this page, all of the different techniques, and supplies and all of the time I put into it... I see something far more than the number of eyelets I used. And I love it. How many techniques and little things can you see?

For the love of a Princess

My baby girl turns three on Monday. I can hardly believe it. Of course she is totally into dress up and tea parties and all those wonderful little girl things.
It never fails....
Her "most favorite princess ever"....in her own words, is Belle, from beauty and the beast, and of course guess which princess is not featured in the main three on invites and plates and etc for parties. After a little research on line and a 5 day wait we managed to aquire the plates and napkins and cups with belle on them, but alas they were out of the invitations. So cardicapped little me decided I was going to have to make them myself....
Actually I love the way they turned out!

Fabulous Fun with Words

I am a title guru. It is pretty close to impossible for me to do a page without one. I am obsessed with title idea books. Maybe its the writer in me.
Or maybe it just makes a page extra cute! I found this idea on A Scrappy Patch from Cafe Mom and fell in love with the challenge. I have been having a blast scrappin with the ladies online and the "virtual" crop feeling has been a new way for me to find inspiration from across the United States.

The challenge? Create a crossword puzzle theme title...what a "FUN, Fantastic" way to play with words!

Change Your Perspective

It's funny sometimes, how we tend to get stuck on an idea.
I was totally inspired to re do the Family tree page in my Son's baby book. Originally, it was the old creative memories pre printed page, that just had blue and pink drawings of ribbon that you wrote the names and dates down on... I thought I was so creative at the time, and cut out tiny little photos of everyone on our tree and put the photos at the edge of the names and dates, at the time I thought it was clever... Then I found this layout!
 
So I bravely started the redo Friday night while a few friends were over, scrappin the night away with me. At first I thought I would split the tree down the middle using the center of my two page layout as a split for the two sides of the family. I had it kind of laying on my background paper with the 5 x 7 on the right, as the layout I found online had called for, But it just was not fitting the way I needed it too. I was stuck... I found myself moving things around and trying different angles, and nothing was quite working the way I had thought. One of my friends saw me struggling and came over, what if you switch the layout around? Flip it... Reverse it... It's funny I am always telling people when I am teaching them how to use a layout that you can turn it any direction and change the sizes and shapes, but did I thinkof it when I needed to do just that? Of course not.
I switched the background pages, right to left and did the layout in reverse... and it worked like a charm.

Sometimes we just need a friend to change our perspective. To get us out of the rut we put ourselves in... And this is why I love scrapbooking...