Monday, June 28, 2010

Making the Most of a Mini...

Over spring break, I took my boys on a day trip to explore our state capital. We really enjoyed our trip, but I came home feeling a bit overwhelmed with what to do with the 64 photos I captured that day. The images were parked on my hard drive waiting for a plan until I realized how perfectly the Pink Paislee "Starlight" line would match.


The search was then on for the perfect mini album format to pull it all together. Kaisercrafts's Beyond the Page MDF Long Ticket Album was just the "ticket" since I knew I could easily expand the album to fit my needs.
The Kaisercraft's four 4-1/8"x9-1/8" MDF pages came without rings. I knew I'd be able to add pages as needed and use whatever size rings necessary to accomodate my project. This was an album without limits. To make sure I had enough supplies for this project, I ordered two of each double-sided paper in the line, a sheet of alphabet stickers (who different colors!), adn the element sticker sheet from Scrappin' {Sports} Stuff. The double-sided papers made an excellent option for adding pages into the album. My final project had 17 pages! (And I had plenty of supplies left over!)
To start this project, I edited my photos into 4x6 photo collages so I would have smaller photos in varying sizes to work with.
The first spread in my album includes a Maya Road envelope that holds the "driving itinerary" we printed out for our adventure. I also journaled about our plan and included the first photos from the day. I accented the pages with the Element Stickers, Alpha, and a random Scenic Route chipboard accent I had in a bowl on my desk.
One of my favorite stops that day was to the Rebecca Ruth candy factory. This stop is documented with a "flower" I made using the red liner from one of the bourbon balls I purchased that day. :)
The next stop included more photos and didn't allow much room for journaling. I added a journaling card (Studio Calico) from my stash in between the pages to include a story from this stop.
For the full-sized pages I added to the album, I trimmed them all to 4-1/8"x9-1/8". Then I traced the corners from one of the MDF pages. I could have cut out the corners, but instead lined up a 1" circle punch to punch out the section I had drawn in. For the extra insert cards, I also trimmed the corner.
The next photos didn't require much journaling. The banner stickers from the Elements Sticker Sheet provided just enough space.
The ledger pattern on the backside of one of the patterned papers was the perfect clean backdrop for these photos from a stop at one of the memorials.
Our next stop at a museum provided several stories I wanted to tell. To allow more space for journaling, I added an envelope from my stash (Making Memories). I used it as a mini page for a photo and journaling on each side.
The double alphas with this line made making titles simple.
For our lunch stop at at a little dive, this "menu" journaling card from Studio Calico was a perfect addition.Our next stop was one of the most fun and required some additional journaling space. For that, I used a scrap left over from cutting the 4-1/8" x 9-1/8" pieces of paper. The ledger side made great journaling space!
The back of my journaling card was perfect for adding a sticker strip and another photo. We had tickets from this stop, so I included another Maya Road album to hold them.
The backside of the envelope was great for another photo and story. I was even able to add a brochure from our stop. Having the brochure punched and in the album makes it easy to read all sides without having to remove it from the album. A white ink pen was great for journaling on the darker papers. When an additional journaling card (made from scraps!) was needed for another partial page, an Elements Sticker made a great accent along with a decorative border punch. Finally...the project is complete!

I debated adding ribbons to the rings, but really liked the simplicity of it without them.

I was able to complete this project in just a few hours, spread out over a few days.

Thanks Scrappin' {Sports} Stuff for providing me with the products to tackle this project and make it manageable!

Sunday, June 27, 2010

I feel like sharing...

I realized tonight that I had a few layouts left to share...

Over at PersonalScrapper.com, every so often I host a game called 6 degrees of Separation - a Scraplift game. The rules are pretty simple, we start with a layout and it's passed on to another scrapper who has three days to lift the layout anyway they want. They can lift it exactly or simply be inspired by one or more elements on the page. After the layout is lifted by six scrappers, the results are posted for everyone to see.
I usually start with a layout of my own to send out first. I did that in the last round with my "just precious" layout. It's pretty much made of scraps. I had that Pink Paisley rub-on that I was stumped on how to use. Not overly creative, but the end result was a simple page that I was happy to share. I think I'm happy that the photos remained the focus.
My next layout was a lift for the game. I asked my friend Mel to send me a starting layout. I loved her original and lifted it pretty close. I didn't use as many embellishments though. For this layout, my focus was on the journaling. I really wanted to put into words how precious Blake's handmade Mother's Day windsock was to me. A challenge for an online crop at PersonalScrapper.com inspired me to scrap these photos from Father's Day '09 of the boys with my dad. I used new papers from American Crafts' Abode line. I just added a tag for journaling, a scrap of Fancy Pants ribbon and a couple different alphas. Simple is good. Finally, I have another layout that uses the Pink Paislee "Starlight" line that I received in my designer kit from Scrappin' {Sports} Stuff. I thought these photos of Blake with his Boy Scout Troop selling hot dogs over Memorial Day weekend went well with it. I love the banner stickers that coordinate with this line. Speaking of Blake and Boy Scouts...my boy is finally home. We picked him up at camp on Friday night. I missed him! I spent most of yesterday hugging on him!
Today we took a day trip to visit Tom's family. We enjoyed seeing Toy Story 3 in IMAX 3-D. (It might just be the best Toy Story yet! LOVED it!) Yes, I cried. A lot. Then my boys all had fun out on the river boating with Tom's younger brother and his family.
Tonight I finished up a mini album for our spring break trip that I hope to share soon. I need good daylight to take photos.
I just realized today that June is almost over! I hope everyone is enjoying summer. :)

Friday, June 25, 2010

I {heart} Noel Mignon's "Sun-Kissed"

In May, Noel Mignon's July kit was previewed and an early release date of June 5 was announced. I (im)patiently waited until June 5 to place my order.

I had friends question me about whether or not I was sure I liked it. There was a lot of pink in the kit! But, I loved it. I wanted it. I just HAD to have it.


It arrived. I was not disappointed!


Sure, there were a few patterned papers included that I wouldn't have bought on my own, but I set to work to use them first.


"Almost Famous" uses some My Mind's Eye patterns to document the story of my boys shouting that they were "famous" when they saw my layout in an idea book in Barnes & Noble for the first time (May 2009).This layout also completed a challenge for an online crop at PersonalScrapper.com to use 3 patterned papers, 3 ribbons, and 3 additional embellishments.


I have to admit, I was never a fan of the Basic Grey "Lemonade" line, but there were only two sheets included in the kit. They matched these photos from Mother's Day '09 of the boys with my mom, so I put them to good use. This layout also includes some Making Memories papers (that I wouldn't have bought myself either).I really think the cool embellishments pull it all together and make me happy with this layout.


I didn't really set out to divide up the kit by manufacturer, but now realize that when I scrapped with it, I did that. "Don't Pee in the Pool" is a fun layout that uses the We R Memory Keepers "72 & Sunny" line. Background story: My sister's bathroom was being renovated and yes, there was a toilet on her deck. Blake couldn't resist goofing off with it when we were over there swimming. I thought it was appropriate to use yellow Spritz to spray the background cardstock. ;)


"OOOOO...Catch!" is a page that makes me happy. I mixed a sheet of new Echo Park (yellow dot) with teh WRMK line. I had already printed my photos from this water balloon toss into two 4x6 collages. I just cut the photos apart to get them arranged on my layout. I fell in love with the drink umbrellas that were included in the kit!


Now for some pink. I'm not a fan of pink. Never have been, but I am really drawn to the bright pink and overall color combination of the new Cosmo Cricket DeLovely line.


I used a June '10 PageMaps sketch for "Wonderful Easter." I just added the yellow foam Thickers from my stash. These shots are from this past Easter. Also from this Easter, is "Decorating Eggs." This is an Allison Davis inspired page. I added some Jillibean Soup corrugated alphas (sprayed with three different Glimmer Mists/Spritz colors) and a set of glitter Thickers.
This may become another "go-to" design for future 2-page layouts.


PersonalScrapper.com also had a crop challenge to scrap a childhood memory. I was determined this crop to scrap certain photos and/or use certain products that inspired me instead of working my layouts around challenges. Since no childhood photos were on my wish list to scrap, I thought I'd skip this challenge. But, while scrapping Blake's Easter photos, I came across this one of MY eggs that I colored this Easter. I scrapped it with a story about how we did eggs when I was a kid. (It's pretty much the same way I do with my boys.)



Everything for "Easter Memories" is from the kit, but I added a couple additional alphas.


Speaking of memories, I just LOVED Kevin's description of Easter on a worksheet he brought home from school. I trimmed out the oversized "journaling box" and scrapped it.

And, I just can't use pink products and not scrap Reese! One afternoon when I watched her, we ended up with matching toenails. (I didn't mark the back of my layout, but I'm almost certain I used a PageMaps sketch for this layout. )

I still have a ton of this kit to work with - haven't even touched the Jillibean Soup papers and still have plenty of Echo Park papers, too. I'll be home all next week. Maybe I'll find some time to scrap.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Summer with PersonalScrapper.com

Usually when my PersonalScrapper kit arrives, I can't wait to scrap with it. But, when my June kit arrived earlier this month, I didn't feel like diving right in to it. PS is taking a break this summer, so I knew this kit would be the last until September...But, I do love it. The Fancy Pants "Rusted Sun" line is one of my favorite Fancy Pants releases ever. I am in love with the color scheme.

Well, I am proud to say I finally scrapped with my kit. Some of it. And I have finished five layouts with it so far. All of my layouts use photos from a single outing to a local lake two summers ago. The boys and I went to the lake for a picnic after Vacation Bible School. It was a fun afternoon and I was a bit too thrilled with the photos when I ordered them. I had several 5x7 enlargements!

I think the Rusted Sun line matched them perfectly!

I made a 2-pager of the actual picnic (McDonald's happy meals!) and skipping rocks:My new favorite layout - "it's all in the details" - has a lot of journaling. I had two sheets of this patterned paper and cut the flowers out of one of them to layer with. I also added lots of bling.
The 5x7s weren't always easy to work with... (Kevin reminds me of Forest Gump in that first photo!)
Another simple layout...I distressed the edges of the photos on this one.
The design for "duck, duck...Goose!" was inspired by a layout on the Jillibean Soup blog by Kim Moreno. I have plenty of product leftover in my kit and hope to create more with it soon!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Like Father, Like Son...

My latest design team order arrived from Scrappin' {Sports} Stuff last week. I selected the new Fancy Pants "Like Father, Like Son" son.

As soon as I saw the two sheets of black/grey patterns, I had an idea in mind to use with Kevin's travel team (the Slam) photos. I had purposely ordered two sheets of each of these patterns knowing I'd need to make a 2-page layout. Since I took so many photos of Kevin playing ball, I had them printed 2-up on a 4x6 print.
The rest of the papers in the line have a blue/green/orange color scheme. LOVE it!
I am a sucker for ruled papers since I love to journal so much. These two photos of Tom and Kevin were simply of them goofing off (hence the title: 2 Goofs), but the paper allowed me to journal about how they are alike and different. Again, I had two sheets of this pattern, so I was able to cut the designs out of the second sheet so I could layer them on the layout to add dimension to the page. "Super Dad" used a sketch by Allison Davis. I am such a fan of her work!The photos for "Me & My Dad" are from October '08 when Blake turned 10. I am glad I had them printed out in b/w already. I love how they look against these patterns/colors. This is probably my favorite page using this line. I have lost count of the number of times I've attempted to scrap these photos, but put them away. They don't really tell a story other than the fact that we were going to a wedding. (I forgot to take my camera to the wedding!) But, I think my family cleaned up pretty nice for the event, so I wanted to scrap it. With LFLS, I finally found a color scheme and patterns that worked with these pictures! I just kept my layout really clean and simple. Simple is good. Happy Scrappin'!

Monday, June 21, 2010

Whoa...another (gone) weekend already?

I can't believe another week has passed and the month of June is almost over! I have so many photos from the last week to share...

Blake and I cut some hydrangeas last week to bring inside. I love how they look in my great-grandmother's antique pitcher. I smile every time I walk by my dining room and see them. It's been several days and they still look beautiful.
Kevin has been taking swim lessons three days a week with the American Red Cross in town. Blake and I really enjoyed his diving "skills." Either he'd do a canonball or belly flop! It didn't matter how well his technique was going in, he'd somehow manage to go in a completely different way!3/4 of our family went swimming on Friday afternoon at my sister's pool. It's been miserable here lately! Temps are in the mid-90s with a heat index of over 100 almost every day. The pool felt REALLY nice.Blake worked with Kevin on his swimming. And they played around a fair amount, too.
Saturday and Sunday, Kevin's 8 year-old all-star team traveled to Jeffersonville, Indiana for a baseball tournament.
Highlight of the day: The team went undefeated in pool play on Saturday.
Lowlight of the day: My car was hit with a baseball in the parking lot. Although Sunday was Father's Day, our family spent the day going in separate directions. Tom took Blake to Camp McKee (2-1/2 hours from here) for Boy Scout Camp. He'll be gone until we pick him up on Friday night. (It's been 36 hours since I've seen him and I miss him terribly!)
Kevin and I headed back to Indiana for the tournament. Kevin got to play catcher and he did a really good job! The heat was killer, so the team rotated between three catchers. All that gear is hot! Once again, the team went 2-0. Yay!!! We brought home hardware!Today Kevin wrapped up his swim lessons. I am so proud of him.
Not too long ago he was terrified of the water. Now, he happily jumps off the diving board and swims to the side on his own.
Have a great week!