I'm scrapping on the slow side today so I thought I'd combine the Big Picture Classes and Two Peas in a Bucket Challenges and this is my Layout for the Challenge #1 mash up: "I statements" + camera motif.
And I made this page and then I took a nap... back to scrapbooking.
I saw a May Photo A Day meme on instagram this morning and decided that instead of taking a photo of the topics, that I'd make double page layouts each day of May based on the prompts.
Also, I added all the bits and embellishments after watching today's Glitter Girl! I keep bins of different types of things (stickers, inks, bling etc) and I try to put stuff from 3-5 bins (out of 10 total bins) on each layout.
So the other bit with the two pagers is that they just don't show up as well online, so here is the left side:
and the right:
I think setting three photos in a row on a 12x 12 page is perhaps the easiest scrapbook layout ever. I did crop two of these photos but it was still easy to fit all three in a horizontal row and embellish around them.
Our cruise left out of Miami so we had a bit of a drive to get there and my daughter was happy to listen to her iphone music; on the journaling I wrote about how I used to listen to 45 records and the list is her current favorite songs.
I consulted with her on her favorite songs:
Also I used the American Crafts letters where you can add your own glitter and I must say I was so happy with the result - it was fun and easy.
I have set up a bunch of embellishment bins and I've been having lots of fun finding random treasures for clusters of embellishments on my scrapbook pages.
We went on a family cruise on Carnival's new ship the Breeze over Spring Break. There were ups and downs but overall we had a fantastic time. One of our minor disappointments was that we ended up going to Key West instead of Turks & Caicos, on top of that, my son didn't even get off the boat in Key West and my daughter saw this excursion as a chance to get flip flops rather than seeing the sights.
My husband had booked us on a catamaran snorkeling trip but cancelled it because it was just too cold and blustery. So he and I were a little less than thrilled to go to Key West - which is a lovely place - but just wasn't on our itinerary, we did try to make the best of it and we did go to the aquarium which was fun.
Journaling: "Mac didn't even want to get off the boat and we were all a bit disappointed that it wasn't Turks & Caicos - but Allison used Key West as her chance to score some new flip flops. " "Making the best of our last minute detour to Key West - Spring Break 2013."
That was the in progress layout & Here is the completed layout:
I'm on the Masterful Scrapbook Design chat now with Debbie Hodge & Corrie Jones & I scraplifted her Go! Go! Go! Go! Layout (you can see it here by clicking through to Corejones' blog).
Madonna wanna be title & journaling to come.
Journaling Reads: "It is so awesome to me that my girl loves Madonna just like I did. She says her favorite song is Madonna's Like A Prayer - me too sister - Love, Your 80s Mommy 3/18/13."
The Story: My daughter came to love Madonna all on her own and I was actually thrilled - I love Madonna too; and while her songs were a bit racy back in the 80s they seem a bit tamer now - but probably still too racy for my 9 year old - but she loves them and I just can't say no - and she looks adorable as a Madonna wannabe - this was her Halloween costume - that she created herself - hot rollered hair courtesy of yours truly. Awesome.
So I got to ask Corrie where to put the title - I had already started the journaling in the lower left and on the Masterful Scrapbook Design live chat she suggested that the title go right in the middle over the middle photo and overlapping a little onto the two other photos. And presto! Done! Thanks Corrie - your pages in Masterful Scrapbook Design are amazing!
P.S. Of course I used my American Crafts Thickers from Two Peas!
Glitter Girl's most recent episode included a 12x12 scrapbook page using 4 6x6 patterned papers and this is a page that is so easy to make and so versatile and satisfying in that you can use up so many of those 6x6 papers you've been collecting - I'm assuming you are collecting them like I am.
The challenge was to "Work Your Weakness" as in use the scrapbooking supply you seem to buy the most. And while I have been hoarding Thickers recently, I've also been addicted to 6x6 paper pads for the past year or two.
I got creative with this layout and tilted it in my "Heads in the Clouds" layout.
So that was a lot of fun - I got so much scrapbooking done in such a short time!
I cut out houses from the Dear Lizzy "Fifth and Frolic" paper line by American Crafts and I've been adding them to old layouts in my Home Sweet Home Book.
I know! I never thought I would change old layouts but in the context of an entire scrapbook, it makes sense to tweak old layouts for a consistent feel of the entire book. I love it and it is easy to do - just tuck a little something here or there - and presto - it looks like I planned it from the beginning!
My husband says the little tweaks don't make any difference to him, but they really do make me love this book more.
I didn't think I could accomplish the Get It Scrapped Design Team Assignment of Using Retro Branding without going digital but I did it! The 3 elements of retro branding are 1. limited and tonal color schemes; 2. simple shapes (like circles); and 3. retro typography.
I found a patterned paper with a retro looking font by Studio Calico and arranged it in the shape of a circle which reminded me of the Wheel of Fortune in the center of a bunch of very dark photos so it stood out and I added a Basic Grey chipboard dart board and the number 4 since we were at a Connect 4 Tournament.
And the story? We went to Geek Fest in Durango, Colorado and I brought my kids to a college bar and we were the oldest and the youngest people in the place - it may not have been the best Mommy move but we weren't there to party - we were there for the Connect Four Tournament!
You'll have to read my scribbly handwriting to get the full effect!
Want to see more scrapbooking layouts inspired by retro branding - all of which imho are way better than mine! - Check out the Get It Scrapped Post!
Want to get in touch with your inner geek, support this blog and play Connect Four again? Check out these affiliate links:
So I love to play along with the Two Peas in a Bucket Video Challenges - it gives me a little something to get started on a layout and helps me to scrapbook much more quickly. The prompts for this layout came from Shannon Tidwell's 213 in 2013 series, the prompts were:
1. Cut a Design from Patterned Paper: I figured Heidi Swapp did this for me and I used one of her "Banner Delights" from the Sugar Chic line.
2. Go Metallic: Again, I used a Heidi Swapp embellishment (the heart on the lower left) which had gold toned sequins.
3. Tie it with a Bow: While I do have Heidi Swapp's Sugar Chic bow on paperclips embellishments - they just seemed too bulky (plus I think I'd rather use them in a mini book) for this page so I tied a bow with baker's twine which seemed perfect for the subject matter of the page - rock candy - which when I was a kid was made at the store where we bought it!
4. Heat It Up With Embossing Powder: Again, I cheated and used Heidi Swapp's Sugar Chic paper and embellishments which came with already heat embossed and glittered accents.
This page came together very quickly and I decided to omit a title because it felt done.
Journaling: "Remember: Colorado Chocolate Factory at the Denver Airport and You two wanted rock candy! 1/2013. I remember when I was a little girl and Grandma Grace would bring me and my sister Jenny down to Padanaram Village to feed the ducks and often she'd let us get a treat at the Village Market and I'd either get a Tootsie Pop and look for the Indian (native american) shooting a star on the wrapper (which meant you got an extra pop for free) or a stick of rock candy. - Katie / Mommy - child in the 1970s."
I admit it, my latest online Scrapbooking obsession is Instagram. Immediate interaction & gratification. Love love love it.
I like to overconsume information - which is maybe why I don't like Twitter as much as other things like Instagram and Pinterest that allows me to go crazy following people. I follow a mix of scrapbookers, travel bloggers and photographers with a few random celebrities like Rainn Wilson and, yes (head hung in crap tv shame) Khloe Kardashian.
I will also say that I love Instagram because not only do I get to follow people, people get to follow me and "Like" my things - and lets just say that the same layout can get 31 likes on Instagrams and not even a look on a popular scrapbooking gallery where I post often and don't get much love - its ok, I know; but the truth? I enjoy the Instagram love.
Another reason that I love Instagram is that its a quick reminder to me of what I've been up to lately.
And I can quickly get a glimpse of the scrapbook pages I've mad lately - just the pictures - not bogged down with words like on a blog or even on Pinterest where there are comments. You can see the comments if you like on Instagram, but what I really love is just seeing my pictures with no words. It allows me to see my own trends.
If you are on Instagram, please say hi to me over there - I'm on whenever I get a spare minute & love to chat over there too! As always, I love your comments here too ;)
The Story {the journaling} : "So its been about 8 years since I discovered Stacy Julian - I've always been a scrapbooker but Stacy and Simple Scrapbooks really introduced me to awesome modern scrapbooking. I've been "modern" scrapbooking since about 1998 but it wasn't particularly cool or fun until I "virtually" met this lady and all of her fun friends. They've inspired me and help me document my happy life." (and probably actually make it happier). "Love my online peeps: Online Friends - Online Books - Online Learning."
What prompted this? A combination of a couple things - one being that I found this scrapbook page I made 5 years ago: Blast from the Past: "Stacy Julian Appreciation Week - March 2008" made during the grand old days of Simple Scrapbooks:
Side Note On Photographing Scrapbook Layouts: My scrapbook layout picture taking skills still aren't perfect, but taking that same original photo of the layout and tweaking it in Google's free Picasa photo program: 1. I cropped it to a square; 2. I hit the "I feel Lucky" button; 3. I adjusted the sharpness with the slider tool; and 4. I created a border. And voila - that same layout looks a lot more internet ready right?
Another reason for all this gushing? I've learned some things over the years thanks to my online friends, online books and online scrapbooking classes and communities. Today I've been thinking about that and about how I have real feelings for my virtual scrapbooking friends - some of whom I've never and will never meet - others whom I have met in real life - and scrapbooking friends I've met online who become real life friends. I've been thinking about how Patti Knox's interview over at Debbie Hodge's Get It Scrapped / Masterful Scrapbook Design so touched my heart and that I knew her and Debbie's essence just from listening to them talk to each other about scrapbooking for one hour. (Click Here for Debbie Hodge's Masterful Scrapbook Design interview with Pattie Knox from November 2012 all about Telling Family Stories and Scrapbooking Old Photos).
This online scrapbooking thing isn't just about recording your family memories, its also about finding your people. I know I've found mine. Its also about appreciating life and thinking about the bigger picture, what you want to focus on and remember and what you want to leave behind.
I've been a fan of Stacy Julian and her Big Picture Concept since her book came out in 2005 and I read it cover to cover on an airplane ride up to see my Grandma Grace. I took Library of Memories (now called Photo Freedom) in 2007 and took the alumni course every year since. This year I think my class enrollment turned into a pumpkin and former students had to sign up again so this was the first year I haven't been in Library of Memories / Photo Freedom - it feels weird. I miss it. The class is completely awesome in so many ways, but it is so amazing to go on that scrapbooking journey with so many other amazing women - and get to hear and see Stacy Julian videos every week for 10 weeks. Yep, I miss that.
I am a member of "A Library of Memories Community" which I think was a one time payment of $15.00 for "Forever Access" to get a weekly email every Thursday. I admit that often times I just get the email and I put it into my "Library of Memories" folder on gmail, but I think if I used it more often my scrapbooking would be even more awesome.
So just for fun, I thought I'd take a look at the Big Picture and Photo Freedom Books today and listen to Stacy's video message in the BPC Class. I took a look at the last Weekly Challenge and it was this:
Creating
It's time to create something with some square-punch pictures! Make a
page or a card or a fun note to put under someone's pillow. Square-punch
pictures are ready to go and EASY to use. Please note how happy this
creative exercise makes you!
So I didn't follow the directions exactly but I did use a couple of square sized photos.
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If you are in A Library of Memories Community there are 4 chats in 2013:
Your
chats with Stacy Julian are scheduled for:
Friday, January 25th 2013 at 5:00pm PT
Thursday, May 9th 2013 at 10:30am PT
Saturday, August 3rd 2013 at 8:00am PT
Thursday, November 7th 2013 at 2:00pm PT
In scrapbooking, I find that I really enjoy having a project that lasts a couple of weeks and follows a loose set of rules. Having a limitation helps my creativity. In this series, I will be using the "limitation" of using PAPER STRIPS. I have a Pinterest Board dedicated to Scrapbook Layouts with Paper Strips - have a look and get some inspiration. If you decide to play along, please post a link to your layout in the comments so I can add your layout to my Pinterest Board.
Here is my first layout using Paper Strips:
Want to play along? Please leave a comment & a link to your page :)
This first time at home sparring with gear which quickly turned into an attack on Daddy was too funny and because of the short amount of time in which this particular event happened one night, meant I had to grab my point & shoot (which happened to be sitting on the sofa table right there - so I didn't even have to move) and do the best I could in about 30 seconds. The photos are far from perfect but tell a story that my family has told at least 100 times since it happened last month. The Story? My daughter took a few years off from karate but she's back and was eagerly awaiting her gear - which meant she could start sparring. The Title? "She has Gear. Dudes: Watch Out."
Can my Canon PowerShot take better photos? Of Course. Should these less than perfect photos stop me from scrapbooking this loved and funny story? Of Course Not! My Advice - do something fun with the colors on the layout: Here I used the yellowish photo with a yellowish and muted background paper and then added a pop of aqua blue and red to make something pop on the page.
My other advice? If you'd like to support this blog and need an extra Canon Power Shot? Check out the following affiliate links. I seriously think that you can never have too many Canon power shots - leave them in your purse, around your house and give them to your kids - they are easy to use, take better photos that shown here, and are relatively inexpensive depending on what you need . I have an iphone 4 and I know that iphone photos are all the rage, but really, for me, I love my Canon power shots and I happily take one whereever I go in addition to my iphone because I think uploading and printing from my canon is a bazillion times easier than all of the iphone app craziness - and yes I know there are apps for that - but really? The little memory card in my Canon is so much easier for me to use. Plus they come in cute colors which you can use a sharpie to write your name (or your kid's name on) and when you use the Canon point and shoot instead of your iphone - then your iphone batteries last longer which I think is sort of a big deal since my iphone is my gateway to hours of surfing Pinterest while doing other things.
I noticed lots of arrows: "bow and arrow" type arrows and directional or sign type arrows in the CHA Winter 2013 releases. I can't help but think that Katniss and the Hunger Games had something to do with that trend (for my Hunger Games Scrapbooking Challenge Series click here for Hunger Games Scrapbook Challenge). I created an arrow using negative space with a scrap of paper that I had that looked a bit like an arrow - then I just added a few bits to complete the negative space look.
The Story: This page is about how my daughter and I cleaned her room (a deep dive clean) over this past weekend and while she didn't get rid of her favorite doll (Baby Buttons), she did get rid of BB's high chair and stroller. My girl is growing up so fast!
Journaling: "Allison, you are nine now and it seems like you'll be a tween very soon, I love to see you grow. These photos were just 2 years ago and yesterday you passed your stroller on to a little friend."
I also did a bit of tone on tone with the punch on the navy paper over the navy background - I think that tone on tone things is going to be getting a lot of scrapbook play in 2013.
Can you see Charlie? He's front row 2nd in from the right. Here we was in 1963 at Pasadena Elementary School with his first grade teacher June Hurley of Tampa Bay Romper Room fame.
I used some images from the internet to create this hybrid scrapbook layout.
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