From Zero to 43 in No Time Flat

Before the scrapbook retreat I went to a few weeks ago (a Mother's Day gift to myself), I hadn't scrapped a single page for at least two years. Now that I've started again, I can't stop myself. In the last three weeks, I've finished 43 scrapbook pages, five cards, and started my first mini-album (with movable parts, even). It's good, because I've got a big backlog of pictures, but I've decided I need to take a few days off to get some housework done and enjoy the nice weather we're having. Tomorrow, I'm headed to the coast for the weekend to visit my mom - and I'm not taking any scrapbooking/cardmaking supplies with me (though I confess I thought about it).

Here are the four pages I finished yesterday and today. The first pair was inspired by the sketch posted below my pictures. I wasn't necessarily looking to follow a sketch, but I browsed my collection looking for that all-important starting point and ta-da! I found it.

 

Thanks for visiting!

Nautical Mojo

This week over at the Mojo Monday card challenge is a "Tall and Skinny" sketch week. It's a nice, clean sketch and the card I made with it came together fairly quickly for me, mostly because I just used simple shapes instead of stamping. I love to color, so I usually try to incorporate a stamped image, but I wanted to make a nautical card, and love the clean crisp lines - no stamping needed.

Here's the sketch I based it on. You can find information about entering the challenge, along with lots of inspiration, over at http://mojomonday.blogspot.com/

Midnight Scrapping

Last night I got so wrapped up in my scrapbooking and other paper projects that I forgot to sleep! At 5:15 a.m., with the birds singing and dawn breaking, I finally went to bed. Today has been very unproductive, to say the least,. Here's what I accomplished last night: 1) I made a HUGE mess in my craft room; 2) I finished the second page of my Depoe Bay layout, using Sketch 441 from Scrapbook Challenges; 3) made up a bunch of beach themed embellishments to use on future cards and layouts; and 4) started an interactive mini album (more on that later).

Here's the layout I completed, along with a picture of the sketch I used.

The sketch calls for for two 7"x 5" photos, but what I needed on the page were three photos: one vertical 6"x4", and two horizontal 4"x 6". To make it work, I trimmed down the two horizontal photos so that their combined height, including a 1/8th inch space between them, is 6 inches, and the width is 5 inches. Next, I matted them with a combination of papers that form a 7"x10" block - resulting in the photo portion of the layout being about the same size and shape as in the sketch. Although this is a one-page layout, it is being used as the second page of a pair in my album. To create continuity, I used the same papers but in different positions of importance. For example, the wave patterned paper that was used on three banners of the first page is the background paper of this page. I also stamped shells and related images on coordinating light colored paper and used them as embellishments on both pages - some cut out and elevated with pop-dots, some cut out and pasted flat, and others stamped directly on the page.

This sketch and monthly challenges can be found at: http://scrapbookchallenges.com

Although they are separate layouts, from separate sketches rather than a traditional two-page layout, I think the two pages, which will be side-by-side in the album, coordinate nicely and have a unified look.

Follow my blog on Google Plus, subscribe, or just check back soon to find out what it's like to make an interactive mini-album for the very first time. Perhaps it was because my first efforts were made in the middle of the night when portions of my brain were sleeping, but so far I've come up mostly with a pretty good list of what NOT to do...but I remain optimistic.

Whale, whale, whale...what do we have here?

Sorry, couldn't resist the whale pun.  I have a group of 4 photos that I've been wanting to use in a two-page layout or two coordinated one-page layouts. Because of the design on the paper I planned to use and the composition of the photos, I knew that one picture would need to be on a page by itself. I rarely do layouts for one single picture and couldn't think what to do with it until I spotted a sketch by Stuck On U Sketches that featured just one photo. I've made several previous attempts to follow layout sketches, but this is the first time the sketch is even remotely recognizable in my completed page. I turned it sideways to make it work with my photo and paper, but other than that I think I stayed fairly close to the sketch. What do you think?

Original Sketch

Rotated Sketch (as I used it)

http://stuckonusketches.blogspot.com/

I've been trying to work from sketches in order to create pages that don't look so much like all my other pages - to get me out of my comfort zone.  This sketch did that. First, there's the single photo thing, but it also used flags and banners as the major elements.  I love flags and banners on cards, but have never really used them on scrapbook layouts. I did use the three smaller banners, but didn't use the large background banner in its original form. Instead, I cut a large square about the same size as the large banner in the sketch, rounded the corners, and then stretched a whale across it (cut with my Silhouette Cameo) to pull from the subject of the photo and add a little bit of fun. I haven't done the second page yet, but the patterned cardstock used for the three banners on this layout will be the background paper of the page opposite this one, and will have similar, coordinating elements using other papers from this page.

I'm encouraged by this to keep trying layout sketches, and I plan to make the Stuck On U Sketches blog a regular stop when I go searching for ideas.

The Beach Box

Last night I got into my big box of beachy paper. Christmas and the beach are the two paper themes I simply can't stop buying.  I have so much nautical/ocean/beach themed paper I've had to store it separately from my other paper because it was taking up too much room on the shelves.  I make frequent trips to the north Oregon coast, but rarely get to other beach towns. For my 50th birthday and 24th wedding anniversary in 2013, my husband and I took a long weekend in Depot Bay, Oregon, staying at Whales' Rendezvous, an absolutely wonderful B&B. Nearly two years later, I've finally started to scrap those pictures and memories, and created these first two layouts.

I mixed and matched papers from my beach box, using Graphic 45 "By the Sea" for some elements (the red checked and blue checked patterns, the title element at the bottom, and the two little word strips), cut the anchor paper and a couple of picture mats from the KaiserCraft "Sandy Toes" collection, and paper from last year's KaiserCraft "Paradise" papers fills the rectangular center space. It's all atop background papers that I found at a local scrapbook store while we were at the beach that weekend - I have no idea what company made the paper or what it's called, and sadly, that store was going out of business at the time.


After meeting up with a friend I hadn't seen since high school, the three of us went to Yaquina Head Lighthouse to be take in the beautiful vistas and be nearly blown over by the strong wind. I couldn't stand far enough back to get the whole lighthouse in a single picture that showed my husband standing close to it, so the tall picture is actually pieced together from two pictures - hence the word strip going horizontally across the upper half. I haven't scrapped any pictures for myself in years. After a long hiatus from any scrapbooking, I recently finished my niece's wedding album and my husband's golf trip pages, but I'm glad I'm now getting back to my own pictures and memories.

By far, the most valuable supply used in these layouts was my bottle of Undu! Things were glued down, taken up, moved or adjusted several times.  I guess I'm still a bit out of practice, lol.

And by the way...don't let anyone tell you that scrapbooking isn't a dangerous pastime. Injuries happen! ;)

My favorite colors and a lovely sketch for one of my favorite, lovely people...

I LOVED today's sketch from Mojo Monday Card Sketch Challenge. My mom has a birthday coming up and I wanted to make her a special card because she is such a special person in my life. I combined Mojo Monday Card Sketch Challenge 398 with today's Use Your Stuff challenge theme, which was chevrons. I put those together with some of my favorite colors (the color is a little off in the picture - what looks like peach is really more pink), and some favorite paper from my stash and created a card that I will be happy to give to my wonderful mom.

The rose bouquet is cut from the reverse side of the chevron paper. The aqua colored cardstock is from the The Linen Closet stack by DCVW. It's glitter cardstock, but the glitter is very subtle - not too "in your face" sparkly, and I embossed it with an Anna Griffin embossing folder in a rose pattern.

Mojo Monday #398:  http://mojomonday.blogspot.com/2015/05/mojo-monday-398.html
Use Your Stuff #184: http://www.useyourstuff.blogspot.com/2015/05/challenge-184-chevrons.html

A Sweet Sunday Thank You to my Hubby

When I saw this week's theme at the Chocolate, Coffee and Cards challenge blog, which is "Must Say Thank You" (Challenge 91), I knew right away I'd be making the card for my husband.  He does so much for me, and even though I tell him thank you, I sometimes wonder if he really knows just how much I appreciate all that he does.  One of the reasons I like making cards is that it gives me a special way to let the people in my life know how special they are to me.  When I sit down and put my time, creativity, and loving intentions into a handmade card, I think it means more than a phone call or email, and more than words in every day conversation. I hope so, at least - because my cards really do come from the heart.

With the theme and recipient chosen, all I needed was a sketch - which I found this morning on the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge blog (Sketch 269).

Both the sentiment stamp and the cute little kitty stamp are by Stampendous. The paper - which I love - was from my scrap pile, and unfortunately I don't know who makes it.

Having a sketch and a theme to get me started is a bit like card designing with training wheels.  If you want to try these two for yourself, you can find them here:
Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge 269

Chocolate Coffee and Cards - Challenge 91, Must Say Thank You