The Imaginant

Simple Scrapper designs for March

2012-02-27T07:00:00.001-05:00

I made 2 pages this month with the March Simple Scrapper Layouts. For the Switzerland page, I replaced all the 2x2 boxes from the template with one long strip of paper. I had cut up lots of 2x2 squares of paper and laid them out to use, but this take on it felt right with these pictures.

Materials: Paper: Black & White; Bazzill Basics Quicksand & Lily Pond; K&Company Teal Floral Newspaper Print; Orchestra by Reminisce; Alpha Thickers by American Crafts: Template from Simple Scrapper Premium Membership.

Details below: In the last detail picture above, the balcony looks like it's coming off the paper. I think that's neat.

Thursday night I busted out the paint and began a happy painting frenzy. Who needs mist when you have acrylic? Don't mind the Halloween-y theme. Clemson vs. BC games are usually around Halloween and make for a rare excuse to play with orange and purple and black. Plus, Tom's practically in costume.

Materials: Paper: 1. Black Magic and 2. Wicked Potions from the Apothecary Emporium Collection by Eco Park; 3. Reprint from the Out Of Print Collection by Basic Grey; 4. Bazzill Basics Avalanche (White) 5. Tan Scraps; Washi Tape by Amuse; Ribbon by Paper Trey Ink; Sticker Border: Dots and Stripes by Echo Park; Sticker by Creative Imaginations (Harry Potter Series); Silhouette & fonts: Bebas Neue and Lobster 1.3; Acrylic Paint; Template from Simple Scrapper Premium Membership

Paint, Die Cutting, Banners, and Rays

2012-02-26T22:00:00.001-05:00

Following up on my post from yesterday, here are the details:

The first picture is a 2-layer Congratulations card. I misted the bottom layer and made a cut out of the top using my Silhouette Cameo.

The next images are of an interactive card to say "Congrats" and "Yay!" to a very old friend of mine who is finally pregnant. I am soooo happy for her. The Silhouette helped me cut out the letters for an excessive YAYYYYYY banner. I chose an old paper that was kid-like and misted it to be messy since I wanted it to be gleefully child-like. (The recipient isn't really a pastel girl, and I wanted to respect that.). When she opens the card, the banner will open, and boy oh boy will she be surprised. :)

The next image is of my birthday project page. Turns out I didn't really work on it on my birthday or the day after, but I will eventually. Step one was painting. That was the most fun. Paint was EVERYWHERE, and it was fantastic. The rainbow rays are staying. The rest is up in the air. I'm still figuring out what direction I want to go. This will be here when I'm ready:

Happy Birthday Season! It's that time of year! (Or I suppose late may is ;) Plus it's leap year, so I feel like we should celebrate the 29th. Right?

Why Hello 29

2012-02-25T09:53:00.007-05:00

Why hello, 29.

So pleasant to see you.

How will you turn out, I wonder.

What was that you said?

Today will be filled with Scrapbooking and Target and Downton Abby?

And pistachio ice cream that my husband made?

Well that certainly sounds wonderful!

What else did you say?

This is the year I am to practice self-kindness?

Alright, Ms. 29. I think I can do that.

And meditation and relaxation daily?

29, you're getting a little ambitious.

You are ambitious?

Ha. Well that's fine then. I can be too.

You may stay.

I think we'll be great friends.

----------------------------------

To start my day and year with lifted spirits, I set out my cards to other people, a gift from a friend, and my ongoing birthday project to greet me this morning. More to come. That little polka dotted number is a banner card. Just you wait!

Ten Tips for Better Type: Try #2

2012-02-12T07:00:00.001-05:00

This time in Ten Tips for Better Type, we used what we learned and Cathy's template (I flipped it) to create a layout. Here is mine. The font is St. Marie. The photographers caught these images on my wedding day in the signing room after the ceremony.

Paper is Basic Gray June Bug/Fresco and American Crafts Tulle/the Goods.

Snow Layout with Woodgrain Remix Screen Print

2012-02-08T07:00:00.001-05:00

This shiny, pearled, woodsy paper is the best. And perfect for my tiny, woodsy apartment in North Carolina. The snow was a luxury for both me and my mom, and these expressions on her face are priceless.

Materials: Papers are Woodgrain Remix Screen Prints by Hambly Studios (2011), jovial/flannel pajamas by Basic Grey (2010), and memorandum/time clock by lilybee designs (2011), and Book Jacket/Memoir Paper by Studio Calico; Sticker is Garden Cafe Biscotti Delights Embellishments by American Crafts; "Snow" my own work, using Illustrator, based on the original design in the circle; Washi tape by Amuse; Lime Twist baker's twine by American Crafts

Ten Tips for Better Type: Try #1

2012-02-04T15:00:00.000-05:00

I'm taking Cathy Zielske's Ten Tips for Better Type at Big Picture Classes, and I can feel the difference already.

Also, I have experimented with another rosette. The first, a fan rosette, is on my "Lucky you" card, which can be found here.

Single page with my first try using the 10 tips for better type. Materials: Plaid paper is Oxford/Ivy League by Basic Grey (2011); Books paper is Oxford/Study Hall by Basic Grey (2011); Brown paper is from At Home Cardstock Stack by DCWV (2009); Green/Stripes paper is Guest Towels/ Scrapbook Walls by Chatter Box; Amuse Washi tape;ColorBox Pigment in Frost White.

Full Double page spread with details. Materials of right page: Plaid paper is Oxford/Ivy League by Basic Grey (2011); Books paper is Oxford/Study Hall by Basic Grey (2011); Blue paper is from At Home Cardstock Stack by DCWV (2009); Chipboard letters is "Undressed" by Basic Grey; ColorBox Pigment in Frost White.

Wedding Banner, Guest Box, Brunch Invites

2012-02-03T07:00:00.017-05:00

Back in October, a friend of mine got married, and I helped her with several craft projects. The first is a "Here comes the Bride" banner. I'm thinking about selling it on Etsy, but I haven't decided yet. (If you would like this for yourself, let me know, and I'll set up shop.) The second is the guest box. She really did all of it. I was just put on the assembly line. :) The last pictures are from the Bridal Luncheon my mom and I threw for her at High Cotton, in Charleston. The pictures show some of the details and the invitation.

If you want to see images from their Mad-men style engagement session which was featured in Southern Weddings Magazine and from their gorgeous reception at Country Creek at I'On, check them out on Hyer Images blog. Most beautiful wedding ever. Goodness, her dress was divine!

[Note: Feb/3/12, Hyer Images' website is down right now, so check back later for the extra pictures]

Wedding photography by Hyer Images, based in Charleston, SC

(font on the banner is Chopin Script)

The boxes were elegant and full of delicious Benne wafers.

The company we kept was the best part. The food was right up there too.

You can see the beautiful Miss A hiding behind the hydrangeas. Hi A!!

(fonts are Arabic Typesetting and Mr. Sheffield)

Simple Scrapper Layout

2012-01-29T18:00:00.003-05:00

This month's Simple Scrapper sketches were so inspiring that I went ahead and made two layouts with them. Here is the second. It requires two 4x6 pictures, which, let's admit, we've all got plenty on hand to work with.

After I took these pictures, I hand wrote: "written Oct 19, 2011" after the journaling. I've shown details and the two-page spread below.

Left page:

The grid paper is Scarf/Autumn Press by Studio Calico

The orange papers were scraps.

The purple gingham is scrap vintage (circa 1997, I think).

The stickers were 2 sets of thickers by American Crafts and EK Sucess

Sketch template from Simple Scrapper's Premium Membership

Right page:

The grid paper is Time Clock/Memorandum Paper by Lily Bee Designs

Orange paper is Cupboard/Memoir Paper by Studio Calico

The purple gingham is the same as above

Thickers are Delight by American Crafts

Crate paper $2 brad

October Afternoon camera

**The Premium Membership at Simple Scrapper provides skills and shortcuts to help you simplify and find more meaning in your memory keeping.

Rainbow Rays Card

2012-01-25T19:00:00.002-05:00

I'm a total sucker for rainbows, so when the Runway inspired challenge was rainbow-ish (picture below), I began "oohing" and "ahhing" at all the creations made by the designers and the entrants, and then I made one myself.

I drew it out on a paper first and then cut out the pieces as templates.

Colored paper

Black glitter paper

Amuse washi tape

My own design for the circle

Double-page horizontal grid

2012-01-24T07:00:00.007-05:00

The left page of this double page spread is inspired from one of Simple Scrapper's February templates. This template was so easy to use and consistently let to gorgeous layouts. Just wait 'til you see everyone else's take on it!

Don't be afraid to mix patterns, especially when using a grid. (It adds dimension.) Take a look at what papers you have and place a few patterns and non-patterns around visually until you find a look that you like together. Then just run with it!

This double-page scrapbook layout is of a wedding we went to on October 22nd. The bride decorated with white and navy, so I thought these neutrals suited the event. The gray paper makes me happy since it reminds me of the background to my blog. When I saw it in the store, I bought 4 pages. :)

Gray paper is TheGoods/Tulle by American Crafts

Glitter papers (both blue & black) by Recollections

Glitter Damask paper is Brun Antique News Shimmer by Making Memories

Navy, floral, silver, lettered, and blue paper are from my stash and unknown.

White Letters are dimensional stickers/Sticko by EK Success

+ letters from my Silhouette (nd"=Lobster 1.3)

Frame is designed using a free template from Silhuette

White paint (on flags and "22nd") is by ColorBox

Sketch template from Simple Scrapper's Premium Membership

**The Premium Membership at Simple Scrapper provides skills and shortcuts to help you simplify and find more meaning in your memory keeping.

Happy 30th!

2012-01-22T11:00:00.003-05:00

The ColorQ Challenge this week was a group of beautiful winter-palatte jewel tones. Any fair-skinned brunette should know them well. And this card will be going to a fair-skinned brunette as she hits the big 3-0.

I've had the paper for a while and have been hoarding it because it's so beautiful. The pictures don't do the foil burgundy circles justice. They flicker between berry and burgundy in the light.

Circle paper "Amplified/Jukebox" by American crafts

Amuse burgundy paper and washi tapes
Inspired by {this card} by Seriously...Brains

Sentiment is of my own design

An album finished / Challenge fun

2012-01-21T19:00:00.002-05:00

I have finished my Spring/Summer 2006 Album! YAY! {More posts to come}

Are my albums chronological? Yes. By year. I'm totally cool with that. If something is abstract (for example: then vs. now, why I love my mom, how our place is decorated), then that page is categorized by the most recent pictures on the page, or if there is extensive journalling that represents more recent thoughts or emotions, then the page gets categorized based on the date the journalling was written. I do this since each page represents a snapshot in time: either literally or as a snapshot of my thoughts. For me, this is the easiest, most consistent method of organization.

And back to the point of this post: this page is of an event in Spring/Summer 2006. The colors go nicely with those from the Play Date Cafe's challenge [link left, image below]. Very wintery like bare tree limbs and antiqued neutrals. I went very simple with a clean grid in a window.

Solid papers are all Bazzill Basics paper
Patterned paper is Persian Floral by ChatterboxInc.
Letters are by Recollections
Fabric brad is by Crate Paper
Window box was made with the Silhouette Cameo, but you can just cut out a box too.

Colors:

Simple Scrapper Design Team

2012-01-16T16:00:00.007-05:00

I'm so excited; I've been bursting for what feels like ages to announce this. I'm a part of the Simple Scrapper Team! {Click here to see the very wonderful Simple Scrapper Team}

Simple Scrapper is a one-stop-shop for quick tips and ideas to make sure scrapbooking remains fun and simple. I could shout the message over and over again! Jennifer Wilson is the brains behind Simple Scrapper, and she has handpicked a phenomenal group of women for the design team! I am honored to be counted as one!

Cupcake cards

2012-01-13T21:04:00.007-05:00

Some adorable cupcake stickers served as inspiration for a few birthday cards. The first card was made to go along with the colors for the ColorQ challenge. I put the cupcake in a layered window.

White paper by Paper Trey Ink

Gray patterned papper The Goods/Tulle by American Crafts

Twine is Lime Twist by My Mind's Eye

Cupcakes by Jolee

Color Challenge Colors:

White paper by Paper Trey Ink
Hambly Little Circles Overlay
Cupcakes by Jolee

Before/After Photo Editing

2012-01-11T07:00:00.004-05:00

I was asked to show the before & after pictures to my Out in French Press Vintage post.

My camera is a point and click that doesn't focus correctly, so I sharpened the image in Photoshop. You should be able to do this in any layer-based photo editor. Photographers might cringe at this, but since these pictures are going to be 4x6's or 5x7's in my scrapbook, I wasn't too worried about professional quality. "Good enough" will do. This is not the time to let perfectionism take over. This is the time to accept "lovely."

The real magic to my picture is the Urban Cross action from Maggie Holmes' Color Mix Action Set. It really did most of the work. You can buy it for Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. Totally worth it.

Here's what I did in Photoshop. (Feel free to skip #1.)

1. If needed, sharpen the person in the picture.

a. Duplicate original picture in a new layer.

b. Smart Sharpen the new layer.

c. Select/Highlight the person in the picture. (Use the quick selection tool!)

d. Create a layer mask [see image].

e. Highlight the original and the masked layer together and duplicate them

f. Convert the dups to a smart object, and then rasterize the layer.

2. Highlight the new layer (or original if you skipped #1).

3. Run the Urban Cross Action.

4. Set the Opacity of the new layer to 44%.

Scrapbooking from a journal

2012-01-10T07:00:00.001-05:00

For this 2-page spread, I wanted to include a lot of things:

-All 5 pages of my journalling from my birthday in Australia***

-All 5 4x6 pictures from that day**

-Quotations*

-A ribbon from my favorite/affordable clothes store in AU

-A tour and rental magazine that I brought home.

-A bright and happy theme to remind me what a wonderful day it was*

Before I begin, let me say, I did not succeed. I prioritized [note the *'s]. Including the story of one of the best birthdays ever--as written directly in my journal--was most important, so I focused on that. My handwriting back then was beautiful, and I'm so happy I was able to include it. Since I scribble quickly at work these days instead of carefully color-coding like I did for my school notes, my handwriting has become a bit sloppy.

All items but the magazine made it. To compromise with the magazine, I cut a few clips from it and tossed the rest. And here is my finished double page spread.

Materials: Brad by Crate Paper; Chipboard by Octoberafternoon; Turquoise paper by Bazzill Bascis; Wave paper is Salt Air/Sea Garden by Cosmo Cricket ; Yellow paper by American Crafts; Paint paper I've had for ages from a place in North Carolina; Washi tape by A.muse

Directions: First, I scanned all pages individually. Then I created a photoshop document that was 30 inches long and 8.5 inches wide. I opened all 5 journal pages in photoshop and rotated each by a degree or 2 so that the lines were straight. Once this was done, I dragged each page to the 30x8.5 document and stacked them in order for a total of 29 inches of journalling. I removed about a paragraph and shrunk the rest so that it fit within 24". And then I printed by taping two 12" sheets together.

One of my favorite travel quotations:

Out in French Press Vintage

2012-01-09T07:00:00.007-05:00

One of my goals over the past year has been to take better photos. A very big part of this is editing. I use Photoshop. Photoshop Elements works perfectly too. In the pictures below, Tom took the ones of me. I took the others.

For the color photos, I used Maggie Holmes' Cool Mix Action Set which works phenomenally with bricks. The originals were lovely, but a bit drab. To make up for my point-and-shoot camera skills, I sharpened the images of us using the "Sharp Smarten" tool. I left the background blurry. Once that was done, I ran the Urban Cool action. It required 3 or 4 steps per picture.

For the picture of both of us, a basic gradient tool--set to gray and white instead of black and white--gave the picture an airy feel. Once coloring was done, I added a nod to Cole Porter and a vertical line. I played around with size and placement until it felt right.

Of note, I began taking these pictures because I wanted to show off the new green top from my friend who has a lovely vintage shop, French Press Vintage [blog here; etsy shop here]. She keeps track of her customers and loves having pictures of them "out in vintage." {Go look--you'll see.} Her shop is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I'm totally hooked! The prices are very affordable, and the goodies are delightful!

Scrapbooking with 'Hello Sunshine' Paper

2012-01-08T07:00:00.007-05:00

These are some images from a very special weekend at home in 2005. It was happy and fun, and I wanted the page to reflect that. So I made it colorful and glittery, using the Zippy/Hello Sunshine bird paper by American Crafts. The page is flat because it's going in a very thick album.

Bird/Yellow Paper by American Crafts

Glitter paper by Recollections

Lucky by Cosmo Cricket

String by Hand-Dyed Hobbies

Rainbow and Texture on a Scrapbook page

2012-01-06T14:00:00.004-05:00

For ages, I have been wanting to make pages that truly reflect my style. (Sparing you my arguments of "style can't be defined in words," I'll just move on to what I saw on Pinterest.) After examining my pins on my Scraphappy board, I noticed a pattern: often my favorite scrapbook pins include rainbows or patterns that mimic rainbows. The pages appear simple but are full of layers and texture.

So I tried it with a family portrait at Thanksgiving. My favorite thing about this page is the texture, which can be seen in the detail shot below. I finally made a rainbow! This page has layers of loveliness. Using inspiration from the photo, I balanced the tans and oranges with turquoise and blue. To add weight to the layout, I used a horizontal stripe across the lower portion of the layout and added a deep turquoise to both sides: a flower with textured petals on the left and a saying + washi tape on the right. I'm very happy with how this turned out.

(I'll add the papers and embellishments later.)

Happy Friday!

A Year In Review

2011-12-30T13:00:00.003-05:00

A friend of mine is participating in the Year in Review blog hop, so I thought I'd join too. What a great way to look back over the year, highlight some of my favorite projects, and summarize what I've been up to. I'm going to break this up into types: some favorite single cards, some lovely sets of cards, some of my favorites scrapbook pages, flat/graphic cards I made this year, things I've been learning.

Some of my favorite single cards:

Both of these cards have some self-designed elements

which makes them feel oh-so-personal

[December]

Some lovely sets of cards:

[October -- testing out fun new supplies]

[November -- using what I had]

Some of my favorite scrapbook pages:

[Made in November; posted in December]

I love grids.

[December]

Flat/graphic cards:

I got minted!

[March]

And made some invitations!

[July]

And I drew a lovely Christmas card!

[Made in August; posted in December]

Things I've been learning:

How to take better pictures

[March]

How to take intriguing detail shots

[September]

How to experiment with new ideas
[November]

Happy 2012, everyone!!

Mixed Patterns Campbell's plaid Card

2011-12-29T21:00:00.014-05:00

When I saw the challenge from Embellish Magazine for this week, I almost died. Ok, not died, but I did a little happy dance. You see, not only are these some of my favorite colors (I love fall), but you see that tie under the scarf? It's remarkably similar to the Campbell's dress plaid. It's not my family tartan. It was my high school's color. That's right. This pattern of plaid was my high school color. If we get into specifics, our "colors" were navy, green, and white with "a touch of yellow." No lie. They were that specific.

I was talking about a card, wasn't I? So, here is what I did. I used the inspiration from their picture exactly [see below]. Using the Campbell's Dress plaid, a little houndstooth, and a little Scottish touch (thus "Scot"--not "Scott"), I have a beautiful birthday card for another Scotland lover: my dad. {And Dad, if you're reading this, yes, you will have to wait a full month.}

The houndstooth paper was printed from a digital paper by Biograffiti

Campbell's plaid -- it's around

The brand of the scalloped paper is a mystery.

Woodland Phrase Stickers by Martha Stewart (whatever, they were adorable and on sale)

The shield is a free cuttable for the Silhouette Cameo

The design/typography was inspired by PaperTreyInk's Holiday Photo Finishers;

Fonts used were: LemonChicken, Currency, Bebas Neue,

CK Tall Type, Modern No. 20, Hill House, and Lobster 1.3,

Challenge picture below. It is perfect! Talk about an inspiration!

Use what you have

2011-12-28T19:00:00.014-05:00

I appreciate good design and art in any form, but paper crafting can be a wee bit expensive if not controlled. I want to address the question: how do you balance paper crafting with new items and follow the motto, use what you have?

1. Keep your organization and tools simple. I have a large paper filer for my paper. This is sorted by color. I have a bag that carries my tools, brads, washi tape, ribbon and other bulky items. A smaller bag keeps my embellishments. Other than that, I have my computer and a regular printer/scanner. For Christmas, I got a Silhouette Cameo, but I have been functioning using the basics listed above for 14 years. Using less space keeps me organized and less wasteful without hoarding.

2. Get to know a design program. My work set me up with the Adobe package, but if you are not so lucky, Photoshop Elements can become your best friend. It does pretty much everything I do design-wise and is a wonderful tool for any crafter. CreativeLive gives a wonderful 8-hour online video showing you everything! Once you have this and understand the basics, you can design so many things (like words, sentiments, journaling, layouts) on your own.

3. Buy only what you love. Using products that you know you love makes a big difference in your happiness with your craft. If there is a texture paper or embellishment that inspires you, buy it and use it on several projects. Each page, card, or other project that you use with it will make you happy, and that is better than buying 20 pages for 9.99 or a set of stickers on sale (yay!) but that makes you feel drab.

4. Sell stamps on ebay when you are finished with them. Some organizations don't ship overseas, and there is host of people who would love your leftovers!

5. Save lovely scraps. This saving method can easily turn into hoarding, but the key is knowing what you love and what is so-so. Save what you love. Toss something that is so-so. Strips can be used as a banner. Or you can print on it. Squares can be used as part of a grid. (Ex: my Christmas layout in which I used a pink square from 2001. No lie. It is older than my nephew.)

6. Test run a style before you invest. Jumping on the bandwagon can be fun, but some trends are just trends and may not fit your style. Before going out and buying one of every color, try one or 2 of an item to see if it fits your style.

7. Be proud of everything you make. Don't just make to make. Don't just buy to buy. Think about the types of projects that make you happy and the styles that make you happy. Keep track of your tastes on a place like Pinterest to determine what trends or new ideas you think really match your style.

8. If there is a paper or embellishment that you think is starting to kill your creative mojo, use it now to get it out of the way. Make a single card (like I did for a Christmas present) or a set of cards (like I did for Thanksgiving). You're probably thinking: how did you not like those items? Let me tell you: I had had the stickers for at least 8 years each, and they were just sitting there taking up space. The longer they sat, the less likely they were to get used. They were cute, and I did like them, but my scrapbooking style had evolved so that I was not going to use them in my scrapbooks. But as cards, they were great. The end result was adorable, and they are no longer taking up my precious storage space and killing my mojo.

9. Treat yourself on occasion. It's totally fine.

Polar Bear Christmas Card

2011-12-19T07:00:00.003-05:00

For our Christmas card this year, I followed my husband's taste by having one side of the card a non-photo holiday card with a polar bear. I call this the front of the card. (The back had a full-bleed photo. Oh sneaky me.) Before I made this, I agonized for ages over how I was going to make a card that represented him. Ages! Then it came to me! I had never seen this idea before, but it just made sense: an outline with words.

I absolutely love this polar bear and love how the cursive words look like fur. The secret to my bear? I traced the outline of a polar bear with cursive words, scanned it, and edited the color in illustrator. It was really that easy. To ensure people knew I did it myself, I included our names and the year at the belly of the bear. From what I have learned, very few people noticed this. Many people didn't even notice that within the outline were holiday words. Alas. I still love him.

Font: My own handwriting and Bebas Neue

Black, White, & Turquoise Christmas Gift Tags

2011-12-18T11:00:00.003-05:00

The Play Date Cafe is hosting a color challenge where the colors are black, white, & a splash of turquoise. I instantly thought of typography, and with Christmas a week away, gift tags seemed most appropriate.

I designed the text in Illustrator, using inspiration from a stamp from PaperTreyInk's Holiday Photo Finishers and a saying from someecards.com. After I designed and printed the tags, I added some turquoise accents and backed the tags in black glitter or music notes. For some people stamping is easier. For me, making the sentiment myself is more fun and personal--and most importantly: cheaper. I'm a big fan of using what I have, and I have a printer.

Paper Goodies:

A.Muse Washi Tape

Recollections Glitter Tape

Black glitter paper

Fonts:

Arabic Typesetting

CK Ali Edward's Hand

Currency

Baskerville Old Face

Bebas Neue

Hill House

---

Bebas Neue

---

FFF Tusj Bold

ColourQ Christmas Colors

2011-12-16T18:00:00.002-05:00

The ColourQ challenge this week is very Christmas-y but outside of my box. This color choice reminds me so much of how my sister decorates for Christmas: curly with polka-dots, texture, pink, lime & pine green, and red. I channeled my inner sister and ran with it.

Here is my scrapbook page + detail from our Christmas last year. I'm a big fan of grids used on layouts. They make things cleaner, simpler, and prettier (in my opinion). But they are especially useful if you have a short story or are lacking for inspiration. A grid almost always helps!

Left page of the 2 page spread

Details from the two-page spread (2nd page not shown)

The embellishments were from October Afternoon,

but I seem to have misplaced my slip of paper that

said where the other items were from. I'll find them soon!

A Boston Summer in 3 layouts

2011-12-14T21:00:00.001-05:00

Before I moved here, I visited. I stayed with Tom and his family all summer, and when we'd have visitors, we'd go into the city. Must-sees on a visit to Boston: Red Sox game, Green Monster, Cambridge, Boston Commons and Gardens, Museum of Science. Once you've done these, then go exploring the other stuff. And visit during the Summer or Fall: July - October. The weather is atrocious the rest of the year.

These are 3 very different layouts. The first, I use a grid and a frame. The second, is a single picture with a cluster. The third focuses on the title.

The grid & frame:

Narrowing down the pictures could have been difficult, but these were easily my favorites. I decided which pictures I wanted to leave full sized and cut the rest down to fit the grid. Then there is matting: white, red, and blue. I added tickets, passes, etc as embellishments on the side.

I love a good grid.

Navy and red Bazzill Basics paper.

Red Recollections glitter paper

Jolee's boutique stickers: Boston

Newspaper-looking paper: Writing by Creative Imaginantion

The single & cluster:

I choose a 5x7 portrait image, matted and centered it. A vertical layout shows action, and a horizontal line shows gravity and peace. So I clustered at the horizontal line since the story is him relaxing at a fire pit. Adding a second, lower cluster moves the eye diagonally through the journaling. The circle is there to give balance and pull the eyes back up to the image.

Paper: Cosmo Cricket: Ginger (Cerca 1934), Wednesday (Girl Friday);

and Basic Gray: Jovial pomegranate

Journal card: ELE805 Social Club Elements by Cosmo Cricket.

Fun & I'm lucky: EcoModern die cuts by K&Company

Glitter paper by Recollections

Ribbon from a bag from Anthropologie

Fabric Brad: Wild Saffron by K&Company

Washi tape: Amuse

The Title Focus:

Here I used pictures as the frame and accents and used them to highlight the title and journaling. I masked a rectangle before I spritzed to add an extra layer of interest.

Paper: khaki and checked scraps;

Laugh and happy: EcoModern die cuts by K&Company

Circle punch

SmoochSPRITZ

Buttons, buttons, digital buttons!

2011-12-13T09:00:00.005-05:00

A little design fun. I made call to action buttons! See the ones on the right just under my picture? I made them and uploaded them and they all work: pinterest, twitter, email, reader, bloglovin'. Being relatively new to the digital, blog-designing world of scrapbooking, I'll take my little design triumphs where I can. Baby steps in blog fun, right?

I've also added a "followers" link (finally, I know) which I have been encouraged to do.

Regarding actual scrapbooking and cards, I've been on a roll, making--not posting. I just finished my last pre-printed photos and have to wait for the next batch of pictures to come in. Also, I have created a new design template I love and will post that later.

Lucky You!

2011-12-06T22:00:00.004-05:00

I'm giving Studio Calico's Sunday Sketch a shot. I'm absolutely in love with their 4th sketch/card, so I used that as my inspiration.

This card is for my friend Suzanne from thecardyard.blogspot.com who was contacted to be published in a British craft magazine. As in, they found and contacted her. Which is the ULTIMATE compliment! So congrats to you, Suzanne! You totally deserve it!

The bingo paper was a downloadable I got from Pinterest.

The striped paper is from Crate Paper.

The notepad paper is actually a sheet from a notepad from PaperTreyInk.

Recollections scalloped glitter tape + unknown striped paper (x2).

White card stock is from PaperTreyInk. Their paper is the thickest!

Lucky YOU! and Congrats! was designed by me in Illustrator.

My Sketchpad Win

2011-12-04T21:00:00.004-05:00

Back in November, I opened my email and saw a comment on my blog was posted by Amy Tan{gerine}. After about a minute of complete and total confusion, I totally flipped out. Completely and totally flipped. She chose me as her winner to win Kelly Purkey's Sketchpad. Have you seen their work? They are design geniuses.

YAY!! The excitement has worn down a tad, but not by much. The sketchpad has 75 fantastic layouts--all well chosen--and it's one of my go-to's for inspiration. There are tons of great places to go for ideas, and I use as many as I can. This is one.

As an aside, her blog post that day was about her time as a student. Apparently, we both went to Georgia Tech. We also both transferred. Neither of us became engineers. Since I was only there a semester, it seems that we did not overlap, but that shared experience makes me happy.

Talk about a slice of the good life! :)

Banners Challenge

2011-12-03T18:47:00.008-05:00

Embellishment Magazine Color Trends challenge of the week is "banners" + green, purple, orange, and brown. Given my Clemson upbringing (orange + purple = team; green + brown = football games) and my tendency towards masculine looks, this challenge was really right up my alley. Unfortunately for me, the person for whom I made this card is not a Clemson guy, so I really couldn't run with that theme (dang). He is, however, an English guy and a Tennessee fan, so I used a lighter orange with writing. Ta-da! A masculine card.

Here are the steps:

-Use scraps of 3 colored papers to make little triangles.

-Glue the little triangles to a a deep purple strip scrap.

-Affix 2 brads to bring the banner look together.

-Add sentiment

For the sentiment, I cut the "happy birthday" using the Silhouette Cameo my mom got me for Christmas. If you don't have one, a stamp or a handwritten "happy birthday" right above the banner and on the side would look great with the banner a little higher. White and silver ink shows on the brown.

(I still can't believe she got me the Cameo.)

Purple and orange spritz on the purple paper.

Good Tidings and Cheer

2011-11-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

Christmas is my favorite time of year. The merriment. The cheer. The use of my favorite colors on everything. The glowing lights. The family time. It's everything, I'm sure. From November until January 1st, every year, I'm in a perpetual state of stressful happiness. True to form, I have been this year also.

While I send out designed, picture-focused Christmas cards, I still crave to make things by hand. So I did. I made the sentiment ("good tidings and cheer" + shape) in Illustrator, printed them on luxuriously thick card stock, and cut out the shape using tiny scissors. After the 2D layers were placed, I stuck the sentiments on the cards with some sturdy pop-up tape so that the effect was 3D.

Let Christmas begin!

2011-11-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is over, so it's time to put up the tree and get ready for Christmas, which I easily think is the best holiday ever. (Not to mitigate giving thanks.)

Christmas with my parents is during the Thanksgiving holiday this year, so we exchanged presents today. This card was made to be a money holder for my mom who is a sewer and embroiderer and wants to go to another Bernina class in Alabama this next year. Every little bit helps, so she asked for money specifically as her gift. Ask and you will receive!

Green paper by Amuse

Red glitter paper by Recollections

Stickers were a gift, but I assume they can be found at Michaels or A.C. Moore

Why I scrapbook

2011-11-20T21:00:00.002-05:00

One of the wonderful things I love about my hobby is the use of colors and layers and textures. It's the ability to take your experiences and express them more than the pictures alone can. It is by no means an important hobby, but it's a wonderful outlet for me. It's a way I look into my past and remember the good times. Working with picture after picture reminds me to be thankful for what I do have.

And working with color and texture while I do so is happy!

Holiday Happy

2011-11-18T12:00:00.005-05:00

I've been listening to Christmas music and making ornaments. Lots and lots of ornaments. It's been a great evening activity over the past few weeks. A couple of movies/tv shows, a little music, a mega paper-cutter, and a lot of patience.

They are really easy to make if you have a paper cutter and time. Cut your paper longways into 1/2" strips. If you want the curls to hold better, curl each strip with scissors. Then wrap each strand into tight curls. I used washi tape and duct tape rollers to hold the spirals tight until it was time to put them in the ornaments. Then I stuffed the ornaments!

Paper = Martha Stewart Crafts - Woodland Collection - Christmas

Double-sided paper is key

4" fillable glass balls

Charleston: where history lives

2011-11-14T07:00:00.004-05:00

I highly recommend Charleston, SC to anyone who has never been. It's slogan is Charleston, where history lives, and it has been named 2011 Top U.S. City at Condé Nast Traveler magazine’s Readers’ Choice Awards this year.

[Click here and watch the video]

This is the south I know and love. Southern hospitality. Delicious food with rich personality. Beautiful, historic architecture. Houses shaded in pastels. Others with dark brick with white trim and black shutters. Cobblestone and brick as sidewalks and streets. Lush gardens, thickened by the moisture in the air. Intricately detailed rod iron gates. An unspoken value of living life well. Deep culture and deeply rooted traditions. Yes, there are some problems in the area too. The income disparity is impressive and depressing at once. It is in so many places around the world, and Charleston ranks among them.

But visit anyway. If you can't take heat, don't go from May - September. You'll find October - April is best. A bit chilly for my taste, but y'all would love it! So here you have it. A brief little view of a neighborhood, the Battery, in one of my favorite cities.

This last picture is of my Dad and Tom at the Battery.

The rest are from our walk in the area.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-12T09:00:00.001-05:00

I've been on a use-what-you have kick for months. Unfortunately for my new mantra and my budget, while I've been using what I have, I've also been tempted with way too many new things. For this project, I actually did use what I had! YAY! Go me! (Finally!) I bought one sheet of the fall paper a while back. I had no plans for it and had no idea how I would work that into a scrapbook since I never use florals. Plus I had these stickers from ages ago when I was obsessed with the Me&MyBigIdeas stickers. They are still adorable, but they aren't going in my books either. Solution? Thanksgiving cards! Perfect! What a great way to tell my impressively large family that I love them and am thankful for them!

They'll be in the mail soon!

Paper is Autumn Foliage by Chatter Box Inc.

Solid paper by A.muse

Stickers are Me and My Big Ideas Thanksgiving Kids (mambo minis)

Glitter paper + Embellishment strings & ribbons

Birthday wishes

2011-11-11T17:00:00.001-05:00

This was a birthday card I made for a friend last week. I don't have a Cricut or Big Shot or a die cutter of any sort. I just printed out a star and cut it out myself.

Paper from a Recollections set

Let there be light!

2011-11-09T19:00:00.006-05:00

This picture is from an Easter Sunday at home with my family a couple years back.

I love light neutrals and white on white because using colorless mediums emphasizes textures and layers and creativity that you don't get when you cave to color. It reminds me of something I read somewhere about wedding dresses. Not having color to work with forces the designer to be creative artistically with style and texture. I did that here but with a much smaller, less dramatic scale. And I did use color a little.

So here I used scraps. With lots of texture. Plus washi tape. With a fabric brad and lots of light neutrals. I'm in heaven.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

2011-11-07T21:00:00.003-05:00

For 5 years, high school through early college, I worked at a breakfast and lunch cafe/bakery called Tiffany's. I loved that job. I hated the early mornings. Oh man, the early Saturday mornings were terrible! But the cream cheese brownies were fantastic. With little chocolate morsels. Delicious.

These pictures are of me and my boss. The page is going in one of my super old albums, so I made it somewhat simple to fit the style of the book.

Glitter houndstooth paper: Houndstooth black by American Crafts

Plaid paper by Me and my big ideas (2004)

Fleur de Lys by 7gypsies

Amplifed 8 track by American Crafts

Purple floral paper is Retro Collage by Recollections

Brad is K-OLOGY Hanna Stitched by K&Company

Letters by Amy Tangerine

Washi tape by Amuse

Basic Craft colored paper

Waban

2011-11-04T08:00:00.002-04:00

My morning commute. I took this picture on Wednesday.

For a little one

2011-11-03T09:00:00.000-04:00

One of my dear, dear friends growing up JUST had a little girl! It's crazy to think that her baby will grow up as a New Yorker. From the city. But she will!! May she be healthy and happy!

paper and ribbon are Ivory from Paper Tray Ink

Sentiment is 'baby girl' by makingmemories

Color Challenge

2011-11-02T19:30:00.002-04:00

Color Q is having a color challenge. Red and tealish-indigo together are one of my favorite combos (see picture on right), but I didn't go my normal direction. I decided to make a masculine card for this challenge and went for woodsy instead of girly or art deco. Neutral with accents, like the lamp in the sample!

The paper is actually ivory from papertreyink.
All other items are from my stock.
Use what you have!

for the love of Charleston

2011-11-01T22:00:00.001-04:00

I was here this weekend.

It was glorious.

More pictures to come.

Sometime.

I love Charleston.

text in picture inspired by debee campos

Happy Together

2011-10-29T17:00:00.002-04:00

For my modern, bold, independent, and now-married friend Vivian and her now husband. May you live your lives happily, together.

Paper is old (use what you have and buy beautiful paper when you don't!)

Washi tape by Amuse

sticker = from soft spoken by me and my big ideas (I think)

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-27T07:00:00.004-04:00

I'm getting ready for Halloween by making cards with orange and purple. These cards look fancy, but they were really simple. A little spritz, a single stamp, a little sticker, a little washi tape. You still have time!

Happy Halloween!

Orange and Purple Spritz by Smooch Spritz

Washi tape by Amuse

Glitter Foam Stickers by Making Memories

Brown splatter stamp by Paper Tray Ink

Please note the orange and purple spray and the South Carolina-style tree in the back. It's a little nod to my roots.

SnowVenture

2011-10-26T07:00:00.004-04:00

So I've been eying this type of picture for a while but have been too chicken to try. Lesa Snider at CreativeLive and later Tara Malone at Creating Keepsakes have inspired me to just go ahead and make color pop photos. I know this is totally out of season, but whatever. It's happy. Plus Tom's hat is a Clemson one, and Clemson is 8-0. And Boston might get a snow storm this weekend. So this is kind of appropriate.

We have this awesome state preserve across the street from our home which is wonderful throughout the year for all sorts of adventuring. I love our adventures. Hurricane adventures, hiking adventures, snow adventures: I'm down with whatever. In the Spring and Summer we go on picnics and watch the geese and baby duckies. In the winter, we go for walks, and Tom finds sticks (i.e. broken branches) that he uses for walking. One day we will find one and carve a face on it like the ones we see at Hillbilly day. Maybe. Probably not. I digress. There is an echoing bridge that goes across the river, and the picture in the bottom left is from the top of the bridge. I can't believe the ice had formed hearts! Very cool.

Mess Around

2011-10-25T21:00:00.000-04:00

I am the master of clutter.

The queen of clean.

And this is my workspace:

Right smack dab in the middle of our living room floor. Our place isn't big enough to have any sort of permanent, accessible working area. Instead, I have the bottom half of a closet that I stuff like a jigsaw puzzle when I pack up. Which means when I pull stuff out to work on, I'm making a week of it and a HUGE mess.

...And now I get to clean it up. Every itty bitty piece of paper. Oh my!

A busy fall

2011-10-24T07:00:00.003-04:00

It's been busy around our house as it often is in the Fall. We've had one "free" weekend since August. There's been a Bachelor party, a Bachelorette weekend, 3 weddings (1 more to go), and 3 weekends with my old friends. I realized I met each of these old friends 8 years apart: at 6, 14, and 22.

at King Richard's Faire (I met this friend at 6. We go waaaaay back.)

Showing Dutch friends around Boston/Cambridge/Newburyport
(I met this friend at 22)

After dinner with my high school buddy who was down from Vermont

(I met this friend at 14)

Twinkle, Twinkle

2011-10-23T13:00:00.002-04:00

Some friends of ours had a baby boy in September. We're so excited for them! We are sending them a card and gift a little late, but I assume they will appreciate it just the same.

The ribbon is from an Antropologie bag (reuse, recycle!). The paper is double sided and possibly out of print. But it was perfect for this. I used scalloped and circular punches. Often, simple is best.

Paper (back and front) is Persian floral by chatterbox inc.

C-L-E-M-S-O-N

2011-10-20T09:00:00.005-04:00

Another week and another win! This streak, 7-0, is really, really rare, and I'm nervous that Clemson is going to 'pull a Clemson' (i.e. do really well to difficult teams but losing to the easy ones, etc.). Sports Center uses the term now, so it's legit. But even if we do go downhill now, we've done better that we've done in aaaaages, so I'm pretty happy. Plus our coach is reeeally nice. Which is a glorious change from the last guy. That, and we're top 10. Crazy!

The writing is about growing up in the southern/college football culture. The pictures are semi-recent with my sister, college friends, and husband. My husband and I met my last year there. Does he count as a college-sweetheart? Hmm...I'm never thought about that. I guess he does even though it was pretty late in college. Cute.

I digress. Since I haven't quite figured out what I'm going to consistently do with my digital pictures, I went ahead and did a digital orange and purple page with digital 'flags' and 'paper' that I won from Danielle Young Designs. (see here. Thanks Danielle!)

Digital flags and paper from Danielle Young Designs

More of Eight

2011-10-19T09:00:00.005-04:00

These are the pages that I did a while back that go with the teasers from yesterday. I am severely lacking in pictures from eighth grade, but here are some more! Also, if anyone from these posts spots a picture of them that they can't stand, email me, and I'll blur you out.

striped paper = hoboken by lime rickey (Basic Grey 2008)

orange paper = double sided bookshelf/Crichton by American Crafts

white polka dotted paper (under yellow) = Yellow Splatter by Making Memories

crazy colorful paper on the right= tutti frutti by lime rickey (Basic Grey 2008)

yellow paper = handmade from my favorite scrapbook store in NC (sorry)

stickers = from soft spoken by me and my big ideas

+ blue stripes paper + string

paper = pink damask (from previous post)

stickers = from soft spoken by me and my big ideas

+ blue spritz

Eighth grade

2011-10-18T20:00:00.008-04:00

Since I began my first album in the 9th grade, I'm working backwards and scrapbooking my childhood. First stop: middle school.

There was a lot of phone talking with massive cordless phones. We had VHSes and CDs. Hunter green was in. Instant messages started taking off. I loved plaid and hippy things (yay, plaid!) and began experimenting with clothing by getting my mom to make me empire-waist dresses to my specifications. I did a lot of musical theater. My 11 years of dance experience--yes, 11--were finally handy. My mom, totally oblivious to my age, was still buying me dolls, and I displayed them for fear of her retribution. Ha! Nah, she's not that scary. Dolls though?Seriously? I was 13! I didn't even like dolls at 4!

So middle school it is! I kind of like going through my old pictures. (shocking, I know) But it's like I'm making my own yearbook with the people I like! And I can cut out all the bad photos I want! I'm not going to because let's face it--none of us were our best in middle school, so whatever: I was who I was! More to come!

(the two pages above to come)

background paper=tutu pink by Bazzill Basics Paper

floral paper = fresco by june bug (Basic Grey 2009, re-stocking soon)

glitter paper = pink damask by Recollections

stickers = eight grade by soft spoken/me and my big ideas

+ glitter tape + glitter paper + scrap paper + old string

Punch-buggy orange!

2011-10-13T13:00:00.000-04:00

It's football season! And Clemson is 6-0. YAY! I just wanted to say that before this weekend when something terrible is bound to happen. We might "pull a Clemson" as the sports blogs like to say. But we've made it this far and by golly, I'm gonna cheer. We haven't been doing this well since I was in high school. High School! Go Tigers!

I made this page some time in the past 6 months with pictures from 2005. I have so may football pictures that I break them up by year. I haven't done an "over the years" page because it makes a small impact when you've been an adult during all the digital days. Did you know I didn't even get a digital camera until 2005? After I studied abroad? I know, right?

So, about the page: this was the first page I ever used a stamp on. And let me tell you, until a month ago, I hated stamps. (I know, I know.) I'm turning around now, but they are just so permanent, and I'm a control-Z kind of girl. My favorite part of the page is the patterned stripes that overlay the blue. That and the pop-up letter buttons I found at a scrapbook store in Durham, NC. The set was on sale for a buck. The soft texture of the buttons is fantastic.

I suppose my real favorite part is the picture. See Fuzzy? He's the one standing by me here. He went by "Fuzzy" and drove an orange VW convertible bug. The people standing around us are part of the tailgating gang: some of my dad's fraternity brothers, friends, and their kids. We are missing a significant number of people here, but the picture is great anyway.

Birthday gifts

2011-10-10T09:00:00.002-04:00

It's my sister's birthday again! This paper reminds me of her. I think it's because she used to have bulk versions of similar paper back when she was making stationery. The one I used is light brown stripes on white. I added a little blue glitter because the card needed a little something to break up the monotone colors. And because none of my "plain paper" was doing it for me. (oh glitter...I'm such a sucker for you at the moment.) And for the record, I did try pink. My sister loves pink, but it just wasn't jivin' with the gold. Sorry Jenna! Happy Birthday!
It always makes me a little sad that my pictures don't look as good as the real thing. Oh well. I think we're aiming to get a fancy camera for Christmas. Maybe then I'll get the focus and the color right. :)

Glitter paper by Recollections from Michaels

Background paper Andrea Victoria "Wishing Flowers" 2009 My Mind's Eye

The presents were from a New Year's card from a friend
(Reduce, reuse, and recycle, I say!)

Stripes like peace

2011-09-15T23:00:00.009-04:00

The Embellishment challenge this week is stripes. Given that I'm obsessed with stripes (see my pintrest if you have any doubt), I had to participate. I had no idea where to start. I had a few ideas in mind, but my stripe idea revamped itself when I was looking for blue paper to match. Tada--blue stripes all ready for me.

This challenge requires you to create a card, scrapbook layout, or altered item using the color challenge and stripes. Stripes are a current new trend. You can definitely find them in the fashion world and also in home interior designs. Traditionally, stripes have a nautical feel; however, they now have more styles, such as feminine. Let’s see what you can create in the world of stripes!

The main colors are featured in the challenge inspiration board above. Remember, colors can be incorporated into your project in more ways than cardstock.
***

Here is my submission. I made this for a friend of mine who has a pet that is not doing well. He is 18 and a half and has lived a good happy life, but parting with any pet is really, really difficult--much less one that has been with you for 2 decades. I didn't go too fashion-y with the stripes. It just didn't feel right to do that for this card. And the paper I found reminded me of water and peace, which is what I was going for. The red is meaningful too.

The colored papers are ancient. I have no idea who made them.
The glitter paper can be found at Michael's.
I used foam pops for the patterned layer.
I made the "stamp" using Illustrator.

Sisters, Sisters

2011-09-15T21:00:00.003-04:00

As I am getting used to this whole digital thing, I am experimenting with all of the fun things you can do. My favorite part of digital scrapbooking? Control-Z. My other favorite part, having pictures whatever size and shape I want with the click of my finger. And picking out fonts--which can be a curse too if you get font happy like me and spend hooouurs on them. But generally, if you have a template, it can be super quick. Can be. You can have it take as long as you want. Which I do. Even for a simple page like this. I played with all sorts of embellishments, but chose to go super simple because that's my sister's style, and the page is about her.

paper is from feifeistuff

stripe is from KittyDesigns

The post title comes from Irving Berlin's song "Sisters, sisters" which we like to sing together.

Dapper Dan

2011-09-12T22:00:00.005-04:00

We had a fun and exhausting weekend on Martha's Vineyard at my brother and sister-in-law's steampunk wedding at Allen Farm. It was beautiful and peaceful and the full moon reflected off the pond and the ocean in a hypnotizing sort of way. It was fun and happy and so very personalized. The flowers were handmade from paper with gears and clocks in the centers. There was a bird cage for the gifts. And we sat at the Hogwarts table.

Tom was best man. I was well-dressed (like the rest of the guests). I wish there was a repertoire of the guests' costumes to look back on so that we can recall all fancy outfits and ultimately all of our love and support of the bride and groom.

I went a little frillier than I usually do. This page is boxy and linear. I might edit this soon. We'll see.

The papers were from Magical Moments Freebie
by Kitty Designs & Vera Li which I got free from oscraps.
The pictures were downloaded from fb, so I can't take credit for them.
The flower was from our wedding card to them.

Platitudes

2011-09-07T14:00:00.001-04:00

Let's talk about platitudes. I'll go first. They don't make sense half the time, and they can seem a bit like cop-outs. There is one in particular that drives me batty. I have included it below, edited to be true.

(handwritten and scanned)

Riverway

2011-09-06T10:00:00.000-04:00

On my way to work, I walk through a short span of woods on a running trail. The trail takes me along a river, where I watch geese and ducks and their goslings and ducklings and where I cross a stone bridge and walk up stone steps which lead me back into the city world. It is the best part of my whole day. Perhaps this is an exaggeration since I could reasonably argue that the best part of my day is when I'm with Tom in the evening. Even so, strolling along the trail is one of the best ways to start a day.

One of my favorite things is looking up through the trees to the morning sun. The leaves hide the direct glare from the sun by forming layers upon layers of bright green and leaf-shaped shadows. They bring me peace and a smile. I take several seconds, sometimes several minutes, each morning to just be. To take it in and sigh. This is my happy place.

Stratford-upon-Avon (or "I could find out contries in her")

2011-09-01T10:00:00.010-04:00

There is no journalling in this Stratford-upon-Avon page, but I had no words. Or rather, I had too many. I'm fond of travel and theater, and I could have not put all of my thoughts onto the page. I remember every detail of this town. The river, the play (picture taken after Comedy of Errors), the costumes, the ducks, the magician in the park, the house, the garden (picture), the architecture (picture), the shop at the theater where I bought my Shakespearean insults magnets, the Indian food. Man oh man is the Indian food good in England! Consistently well made wherever we went.

I chose paper and embellishments that reminded me of my experience. The paper with red velvet flourishes reminded me of the tapestry in the home. The khaki and vellum patterned paper reminded me of something old and complemented the look I was going for. The stripes resemble the buildings, and the gears the time period. I kept it simple so the focus was on the day, not the design.

Big Idea Festival

2011-08-30T20:41:00.013-04:00

From August 15th-26th, the Big Idea Festival revealed a new word a day. Each day, we were to create a page about our experience with the word. This was very new to me: I had never made digital scrap pages before nor have I ever participated in a class like this. (School classes yes, but those were mostly math and had grades. This didn't.)

I did 6 of the 12 words. Three were posted last week (less, wonder, enjoy). Two others are below: live and play.

The papers are from Biograffit and Magical Moments.

The fonts are my favorites: Arabic Typesetting (words), Mr. Sheffield (cursive), and Engravers (LIVE).

Now with Play, I batted around 2 options--[edited] the final is below.

I used Biograffiti paper and a Magical Moments stripe (free from Oscraps).

BPC: Day 3: Less

2011-08-24T10:00:00.002-04:00

Glitter letters by Glitz Alphaz {Green} by Vicki Stegall.
Paper by Biograffiti.

Operation Nice

2011-08-23T15:00:00.001-04:00

I've just discovered the site Operation Nice and their NICE tips. I love this. The world should have more of this. Kindness goes a long way. To be clear, I'm not advocating for complete submission and kindness to the point of self deprivation. But I'm advocating for a consideration of other people. Perhaps even above a commonsense etiquette, I'm advocating going a step beyond the norm to make someone smile and brighten their day.

Some of my favorites from the site:

If you buy something from a vending machine, leave the change in the change thingy for the next person. It's funny how someone finding an unexpected quarter makes their day.
If you pack lunches for your loved one, stick a small note telling them to have a great day. Similarly, hide small love letters in your significant others pockets/bags/jackets.
Clear the snow off a neighbor's car after a big snowfall.
When you see a mom with a stroller going into a building - hold the door for her. She'll appreciate it more than you'll know!
Send a random e-Card to someone you haven't talked to in a while for no special reason.
Make eye contact with people and smile.
Wave when someone lets you merge on the road.
Let someone who has five items at the grocery store go in front of you and your cart full of items.
Give a child's old toys to a shelter every holiday season instead of trashing them.
Let someone pregnant or older sit in your seat when none are available.
Thank your spouse, significant other, roommate, mom, etc. whenever they prepare a meal for you. It shows great appreciation.
When someone you come in contact with is doing a good job, tell them.

BPC Day 2: Wonder

2011-08-22T10:00:00.000-04:00

For "today's" (i.e. Aug 16th's) Big Picture Class Challenge, we were encouraged to do a page based on the word Wonder. Further, we were told to pick one of the following for our own musings:

-Learn something new. What's something you've been wondering about? Google it, and record your findings on your page.
-Put it back on the radar. Marvel at an everyday occurrence with surprise and amazement, as though you were seeing it for the first time…and then document it.
-Embrace your inner superhero. Are you a wonder in the kitchen? At karaoke night? At your craft table? We all have at least one superpower! Document what it is that brings out your inner Wonder Woman.

I embraced my inner superhero: Wonder Woman! (Get it?!) Seriously though, I'm a big-picture, right-brained woman who finds happiness in the little things of life. My super power might be the ability to find joy. (I certainly can't fly!)

Ever since my wedding and since the best man's speech, whenever I hear the word wonder, I think of that day and my husband. The journalling tells the story. The picture tells the story too. (A friend tells me this picture perfectly sums up my husband's and my relationship. I just think it's awesome.)

This page was made digitally. I wanted to keep it simple so you can really focus on the fun. After all, life should be full of fun.

A couple of fun things of note:
1. There was a fantastic tufted, navy sofa in the pastor's study, so we borrowed it for a few minutes. If I ever find it's twin, I'm buying it on the spot--no questions asked.
2. The stuffed animal's name is Chumba and is a Kelley family tradition: each year one of the 5 kids takes him and documents all of his activities. He's a very well-traveled gorilla. Long story short, 2010 was our year and Chumba made it to the wedding.

BPC Day 5: Enjoy

2011-08-21T21:29:00.006-04:00

So y'all have already seen the picture already, but this is my first digital scrapbook page. Ever. Crazy, I know. I've done plenty of hybrid pages, but they just take too long--doing the computer part, then hooking up the printer, then printing, then cutting, then using. It's really quite a mess. But this was clean as a whistle. (Are whistles even clean? They seem like they'd be dirty.)

The page was inspired by Big Picture Classes Day 5: Enjoy. I had to give it a go. What else could one want other than enjoyment? [Childlike] Wonder? Less [stuff & worries]? Oh man, I'm so excited about these daily challenges. And luckily, they aren't due until the 28th, so I can do them out of order! (Which is good because I have.)

I took this picture right before the annual festival in Newburyport, MA. The people walking ahead of me are my husband and his little sister. Walking around with nothing to do and with people I love is my idea of enjoyment. Plus we got ice cream! What's not to enjoy about that!?

Yellow = Happiness

2011-08-16T10:00:00.007-04:00

I have a love affair with shoes. My husband knows. When I came back from Switzerland this year, instead of getting me the traditional flowers, he greeted me with a new pair of Enzo Angiolinis because he knows how much I love my navy (2007) and yellow ones (2009). He is fantastic. I love him.

The yellow pair is so beautifully structured and bold, I finally caved and took a picture.

(They are as fantastic as they look and oh so comfortable.)

I met Tom in 2005, so it's been quite a while. Within a few months, he took me to Chicago via Tennessee to visit his brother and our soon-to-be sister-in-law (who have been together a very long while). The pictures of our 2006 road trip have been sitting in the dark for ages. And in classic scrapbook fashion, I finally got around to introducing Tom to my albums very recently. It's a little sad, but hey, we've been having fun. We like fun.

(The picture is from our Toy-R-Us adventure mid-trip.)

cake and candles

2011-08-15T10:00:00.005-04:00

I made this card for my sister. I wrote the sentiment on the inside. I used pink, black glitter, silver, and some pink stripped paper that I think I've had for 8-10 years. Go me! I used pink again! Although I could have stuck with something more along the lines of her palate (see Pink, Yellow and Green--Oh my!), I went with something nearer to my own taste. Plus this fantastic sticker!

A bit of trivia about me: my favorite colors in the 3rd grade were

black with hot pink polka dots. I was very specific.

Pink, yellow, and green--Oh my!

2011-08-14T18:00:00.004-04:00

Embellish Magazine is having another color trends challenge with my sisters favorite colors this time: yellow, pink, and green. The guidelines are below:

This challenge requires you to create a card, scrapbook layout, or altered item using the color challenge and coloring. We want to see what you can do with the coloring technique. So gather up your markers, paints, and inks and add lots of fun color to your designs.
The main colors are featured in the challenge inspiration board above. Remember, colors can be incorporated into your project in more ways than cardstock. Feel free to use white or cream/black or brown as neturals in your projects.

Working with these colors is a HUGE challenge for me. I have about 5 pink papers--maybe 7. And I am kind of yellowed out from college since gold was one of my sorority's colors. I have sooo many yellow papers and embellishments that I don't touch. They are great in small doses, but to me a little goes a long way. So for this challenge, the true challenge then was not only using the colors, but incorporating the colors onto a scrapbook page a) that I like and suits my personality and style and b) that I can look at and say "this represents the moment."

My friend's birthday was perfect as she is pretty girly and as we celebrated in Charleston, a preppy city. And I had this floral paper to die for. (Ok, not to die for, but very "her" and so happy). The problem with regard to this challenge is that this paper includes some blatant red and a touch of a other colors here and there, but the point of a challenge is to be challenged and boy was I! Pink, green, and yellow, all in one! Eek!

Above: Full 2-page spread based on pink, yellow, and green

(Also, I'm a few years behind in my albums. As in 5 years behind. I'm not too worried about it.)

How awesome was 2007?

2011-08-09T22:56:00.018-04:00

Very awesome! And why was it so awesome? Because I was just able to go through all of my pictures and play with Maggie Holmes' Photoshop Action Set. You really have no idea how much fun that was. My dear husband sat by me patiently while I hogged the computer.

(My Dad's big birthday party. We are missing JFKF)

(Christmas in Williamsburg, Virginia)

(The family, sometime near Thanksgiving)

And for Harry Potter. Did I mention Harry Potter? Thank you J.K. Rowling. You are amazing.

We were in the car with the books and book on tape at 12:14. By a very lucky chance, my sister had to return something to Talbots earlier that day. She wanted to see the big, fancy Barnes and Nobles and got us 2 of the few remaining "first 50" wrist bands. The other 4 colors were grouped by 200s. The last group had 500+. It was c-r-a-z-y. Did I mention we were in the car by 12:14? Oh my gosh! I was amazing!

The calm before Yankee Homecoming

2011-08-07T10:00:00.000-04:00

Yankee Homecoming was this past week in Newburyport, MA. Newburyport is always well decorated, and the day before the festivities went up, I snapped a few pictures on State Street as Tom and his sister and I walked around. It's a very, very old town with a lot of charm. It's the quintessential "quaint."

(columns and flowers)

(brick and flags, Old-time-y American [with a modern bank])

(old lamps)

All that glitters is gold

2011-08-04T21:00:00.006-04:00

Embellish Magazine is having a challenge with my favorite colors: neutrals and navy. The guidelines are below:

This challenge requires you to create a card, scrapbook layout, or altered item using the color challenge and patterned paper. Patterned paper is a perfect way to add design, texture, and color to paper crafts. Find some coordinating patterned paper and create to your heart’s content.
The main colors are featured in the challenge inspiration board above. Remember, colors can be incorporated into your project in more ways than cardstock.

Naturally, I chose a scrapbook page, and my pictures incorporate navy and blue, so that's where the navy is. I LOVE this pattern paper I bought from Michael's. I'm on a bit of a glitter kick and have a soft spot for damask (see wedding thank yous) and books and other old-fashioned things. Basically, I like modern vintage. And a little bit of quirk.

Glitter damask & text paper = modern & old-fashion
Gears = quirk (inspired by my brother-in-law and his soon to be wife)

Full page with brown, tan, ivory and navy (in the pictures)

These pictures were taken in Brussels, Belgium where a good friend of mine lived for middle and high school. My dad and I had the best time there, and she and her family were fantastic hosts! I loved it. The friends, the food, the city (note the old, old stately buildings). The story written here was one of my favorite travel stories. I can't repeat it all here, but there were some language barriers and a bridal shower. It was awesome.

happy hippy

2011-08-04T10:00:00.000-04:00

I typically use my traditional stationery for formal thank you notes, but when my note is to a friend, I prefer fun ones. This one was handmade using Anna Griffen paper folded over the front and back of a card and with shaped glitter tape from Michael's. I cut the bottom to match the shape of the glitter. And, yes, I could have added a little white pop-up flag with "thank you" on it, but on my cards, I like what's inside to be a surprise. And the pattern on the paper was just sooo happy!

(glitter!)

Razzle dazzle

2011-08-02T10:00:00.001-04:00

I love Chicago, the musical. Love it. I cannot say this enough. I want to be Roxie Hart and have men in top hats and tails and my name in lights. Perhaps it's not the easiest request, but I can at least watch the movie and pretend. And the music is fantastic! (see here. and here. and here.)

I'm throwing a bachelorette party in a little over a month. Given that the bride is also obsessed with Chicago (the city and the musical), it was fitting to do this:

For these, I printed out the black and white invitation on cardstock, put glitter tape just on the inside of black cardstock. I pasted the printed invitation on top of both and glued very thick glitter paper to the back.

The red glitter makes me giddy. I'm not a particularly good photographer, and my camera can't zoom properly (i.e, on the knot), but the bottom image is a satin knot tied around the "to bring" list. I just pasted the printed cardstock on the glitter paper.

Golden

2011-08-01T20:00:00.000-04:00

I made this for my godmother who is very religious and so very, very nice. It was quite simple to make with a little ivory, a little gold, and some fancy paper.

Steampunk Festival

2011-07-22T23:10:00.015-04:00

In May, my dad came up to visit me and Tom. As a preparation for Tom's brother's steampunk wedding, we ventured out to the Steampunk Festival, where we saw gadgets and gizmos of plenty. Most were for display only, but if you were willing to forfeit a pretty penny, you could purchase anything from machines to clothes to accessories. Some people had wonderful costumes, but others were in medieval attire. Which, if you do not know this, is not steampunk.

What is steampunk, you ask? Let's ask wiki: steampunk. Basically, it's Victorian-era style fantasy. Think clocks and blimps and time travel and petticoats.

(Not in a petticoat. And not technically steampunk, but this car is awesome.)

Doubly Happy

2011-03-23T22:00:00.001-04:00

Back in November, I submitted a Save-the-Date design to Minted.com, and in January, the Minted crew sent me an email, informing me that my design had been selected for sale (Wahoo!!) and letting me know I had 2 weeks to resubmit the design in Illustrator in 3 different color ways. (Ahh!!) Panic set in. My Illustrator skills were severely lacking. So after some intense Illustrator lessons with a friend of mine, I submitted the fronts and backs of the card + skinny wraps and envelope liners within the 2 week deadline. Wahoo again! I owe my friend a HUGE thank you for all her help and education! So, thank you!!

The colors I chose were neutrals (white and gray or gray and navy) since neutrals go with everything, but staying true to the traditional Chinese wedding colors, I chose red also. Plus, red is fantastic.

Then, last week while on vacation, the Minted crew sent another email with a link: the new Save-the-Dates were up! YAY!! I now present my official design which can be found here:

This link in the picture (above) lets you preview the 3 color ways (seen below),
the front of the skinny-wrapper, and several of the backer options .

The 3 colorways. The backer has a large double-happiness character in the middle.

I am so excited about this! I've been playing with paper and doing art for so long--and plus I have a strong fondness for cards and other "happy mail." It's wonderful to see something I made for sale by a company that makes such wonderful products.

Relax and have a go

2011-03-22T16:00:00.002-04:00

On my latest trip to Switzerland, most of my trip was spent in a breast cancer conference, which was interesting. But I spent my free time relaxing with my colleagues, for dinners and a half-day-trip to Zurich, and a little on my own, for a stroll around Rorschach. My lack of German knowledge wasn't a problem--not because the people all spoke English (they didn't)--but because people have the same expressions everywhere. The miming was fantastic and wonderfully humorous.

After the conference, I made a decision to take time to relax and have some alone time. While taking Sunday afternoon to stroll the waterfront, I saw two men walked out of the Bodensee into the town of Rorschach, Switzerland in their scuba gear. I used hand gestures to ask if I could take a picture of them. They immediately laughed with themselves, making pointing motions with each other to their ridiculous gear, and moved into a posed position.

Scuba men from the Bodensee

On my stroll, I also questioned a woman as to where she got her ice cream; I offered to take pictures of groups of people and asked them to take pictures of me; I giggled over puppies and dogs and interacted with their owners--all without words. It was so happy. It was a beautiful day, and people were in the mood to enjoy themselves. We all appreciate being appreciated, and most of us, it seems, enjoy friendly interactions. A smile, hand motions, and "thank you very much" in the German took me a long way.

Spring springing on the Bodensee

Zurich was lovely, and I look some pictures there too. Four of us had a mini-excursion into the city between checking into the airport and flying away. Upon arrival, we saw a dominating stone wall across the river and determined it had to be from a castle. So after eating lunch and finding a museum, we ventured out on our castle ("Schloss") hunt. I went around asking for the "Schloss." This confused people as there was no castle but a wall and a park on top of the hill. "But it used to be a castle," one excited man told us. I'll take "used to be a Schloss." So we climbed up the (very) steep hill and found the park that used to be a castle where we took pictures on the foreboding wall. There were giant chess sets that were occupied by locals as well as a set of swings that was occupied by no one. My self-imposed rule about swings is, "if I see swings, I must have a go." And so I did. Sadly for the others, no one else joined me. But I had a wonderful time.

Please be sweet, my chickadee

2011-02-19T22:05:00.003-05:00

During college, the film De-Lovely came out. My roommates insisted that I go with them because, as they put it, I would love the music and probably knew most of it anyway. So in 2004, I was introduced to Cole Porter, the composer and lyricist to some wonderful songs of old. He was risque and bold, and though his songs seem showtune-y to the modern ear, the words can still be shocking in our anything-goes society.

So in honor of Cole Porter and my recent marriage, I created Valentine's Day cards for my friends and family and, in doing so, I assume I astounded everyone by using both pink and hearts. Happy February!

Irish Escape

2011-01-23T20:15:00.001-05:00

Tom and I went to Ireland for our honeymoon in July. Having finally published the pictures on facebook, I thought I'd share a few from Dromoland Castle, where we stayed the first 2 nights. The pictures here are unedited, straight from the camera. With grounds like that, it was hard to screw-up any photography. In the first and last pictures, you can see the room we stayed in in the tower. All in all, it was wonderful. And we were only 2 days into our trip!

Enjoy the pictures! Happy Sunday!

'Tis the Season

2010-12-12T16:07:00.002-05:00

The first Christmas card of the year arrived December 3rd. My cousin, his wife, and 2 kids wished us a Merry Christmas. The next day, 2 others arrived, one of which announced that a friend of mine is pregnant. The announcement came in a clever photo on the Christmas card and with a separate note. I love this season. I love the carols, the pop songs, the colors, the lights, the snow (when I can get it), the joy, the spirit, and I love that this is the season to catch up with old friends and family and tell each other what's going on in our lives. Granted, we have facebook for the constant updates, secret stalking, or public exclamations, but this is the season we say "I think of you, and I'm glad you're in my life." This is when we make it personal. And that is joyous.

Being the paper crafter, closet designer, and lover of all-things-art that I am, I enjoy creating regardless of the time of year. But this pre-Christmas Season, I have gone a little into a moderate overdrive. Over the past 3 months, I have created 3 wedding albums as Christmas presents, done some non-Christmas things, and created 3 Christmas cards. It's been fun. I loved working on them all. My own card was copied from Minted.com and ordered for cheaper, but as I did not sell it to anyone, I am under the impression that it was perfectly legal. The other 2, I designed myself; they are shown here.

This was made for my in-laws. Paula called me up today, hoping
I would make something with this picture, so I whipped this up.

My sister moved this year, so she wanted to include their new address and
a picture of their house on the Christmas card. She also wanted 4 more photos:
one of the new dog, one of the old one, one of the family, and one of her son.
Her house is beautiful! And I love the phrase she chose--it's fitting!

If you are interested in having either of these Christmas cards as your own holiday card, please feel free to contact me. I'm happy to put something together for you.

Double Happiness

2010-12-10T23:43:00.000-05:00

I've done it again, hopefully better this time. This design was inspired by my colleagues, who are disproportionately Chinese, and by my interest in all things Asian--both Eastern and Southern. Yu-Hui, one of these wonderful colleagues, kindly wrote "double happiness" for me, which I scanned, uploaded, and played with in Photoshop. Though my language is pretty solidly English, I've noticed that other cultures and languages aren't often represented by the many American card companies. I've also noticed that people in the States come from everywhere. So it seems appropriately fitting to have at least some options for different cultural heritages.

And while Minted.com is not taking votes at the moment,
moment, they are taking critiques. So please critique
away, and when the time comes, vote!

Bridesmaids cards

2010-11-25T10:00:00.001-05:00

These are my thank you notes to my bridesmaids, to my junior bridesmaid, and to my bride's man. The damask pattern was made for my save-the-dates and other wedding stuffs using a stamp. I made a dress shape in Photoshop, printed it, and cut out the dresses. I tied knots with satin ribbon around each dress. Then it was a matter of layering: the card, the pattern, the ivory background, the dress w/ the ribbon.

(all in a row)

Photoshop fun

2010-11-10T11:53:00.000-05:00

My sister got married in the mid-90s before digital photography became the main form of documentation. Given the date and given that the photos have aged a little, her wedding photos were not digital and did not pop. So, my sister scanned an image of her and our Dad, and I let Photoshop do the rest. Here we have a updated image of my sister and our dad on her wedding day back in the 1990s. Doesn't she look bright and happy? She is positively glowing.

I used exposure, gamma, brightness, contrasts,
a warming photo filter, and masks.

Random Acts of Culture

2010-11-08T14:48:00.001-05:00

KnightsArts.org is on a mission to give Random Acts of Culture. May we all be so fortunate to have this come to our cities. For now, the lucky cites are Charlotte, Akron, Detroit, Macon, Miami, Philadelphia, San Jose, and St. Paul.

Choirs take over Macy's in Center City Philadelphia.