R is for Ryan

Ryan had a chance to be a practice model for a family friend getting trained in photography. I loved the gray with the bright, vivid red background. I used a Studio Calico kit for the first Ryan layout and Amy Tangerine Stitched collection for the second. The Love cut file is from Kerri Bradford Design blog and store. The labels and stickers are Kelly Purkey in the Simon Says Stamp Store.

Hello Fall Love

Studio Calico's October Walden Scrapbook kit was mainly used. I adore the colorful vellum leaves that were included along with the chevron and hello stamps. The clouds are Studio Calico cut files. The scripty love cloud is one of Paige Evans  designs for Studio Calico. Maggie Holmes Open Book mini card- I love everything about this sums up our beautiful fall day. You four loved laughing as you collected piles of leaves at Lochness Park and threw them in the air on cue! The cloud paper from Studio Calico is just a favorite of mine and perfect for the colors in these pictures.

You and Me

This was a simple layout using American Cradts DIY woodgrain paper and square cards from October Afternoon. Embellishments are all from Studio Calico kits. The diamond shaped embellishments were repeated in the rub ons, puffy stickers, and Kal Barteski leaf transparency. The fun fall masking tape is from the October Project Life Walden kit for Studio Calico. I loved how our photo fit perfectly with the sentiment "You and Me in a Tree" card from the cut apart squares from October Afternoon.

Magical Memories

Paper Issues offers free cut files in their online shop and this one is their circles and stars file.  The sparkly sequin paper is from Carta Bella.  To make the background varied, I layered various circles cut from Studio Calico kit papers.  The Crate Paper Maggie Holmes Open Book Collection Gold glitter Thickers were used in the title for "Memories" and the hearts to connect the three photos.  Enamel dots and sequins were used to create clusters at different places in the LO.  Journaling fit right along the diecut border.  Sewing around some of the circles on the background die cut added texture and interest to the stars.  Chip and Dale coordinate perfectly with this star-studded LO for our Hollywood Studios trip.

Hello Adventure

To add to the movement on this page, I layered the photos with Glitz Design 6 x 6 papers, overlapped the photos at an angle, and used labels to journal.  The stitching templates were from Bazzill  Basics.  The pink floss was from an Amy Tangerine stitching kit.  The background paper was from Amy Tangerine's Plus One collection and was the fun bold print that reminded me of a beach towel to go along with the pool bliss on the page.

Never Stop Loving Learning

It is great to use the negative space that remains on the cardstock after using a diecut machine.  In this case, I had cut out speech bubbles and thought it would be a perfect way to document the first day of school.  The speech bubbles created a perfect grid format for this layout.  A 6 x 6 paper pad is a great way to group elements similar to what I did on this page.  This LO was all from Amy Tangerine's Stitched Collection from American Crafts.  The small paper pieces were easy to stack and stitch together and provide bits of advice for my three students!  Having the three children's photos from the first day created a strong visual triangle.  I also added to the triangle by using Amy Tangerine Thicker numbers for their new grade level and bursts of mist near their photo.  The mini alphabet stickers are my favorite Kelly Purkey stickers from Simon Says Stamp.  The date stamp I have been using in many layouts is the Heidi Swapp stamp from Michael's.

5 Faves: Enjoy Getaways

I used various papers in my stash to sew strips to create a border at the top and the bottom to add interest to the text background paper.  I sewed down the center of the strips and lifted them at the top and bottom for added texture and shadows for depth.  The photos were grouped based on a weekend getaway we took this past September.  The "enjoy" is a cut file found on Kerri Bradford Design's website/blog.  To make it stand out, I watercolored the area behind it for added visual interest.  I used an enamel dot for the j.  The little bits on the page are from October Afternoon and Studio Calico.  The wood veneer and doily were from a Studio Calico kit.

Photo tips to try on your next adventure:  Take photos of the various textures on the ground, capture your feet or shoes in action, and find a reflection as I did in the rearview mirror or in something else!

You Four

Using American Crafts collection by Shimelle for the base, I used a 9 x 12 photo of my four children printed by Persnickety Prints.  My challenge was to scrap a longer quote found on Pinterest and use up a bunch of letter stickers.

Love the various textures and sizes that make the title pop.  Keep on de-stashing your stickers!

Paper Issues

Found on Paper Issues blog November 15, 2014 for the Sketch #2 Project Round Up

Stacie linked up this fun layout via Instagram. She used It Factor by WeRMemory Keepers. Love it!

I enjoy Paper Issues http://www.paperissues.blogspot.com challenges and sketches.  The Oktoberfest layout I was featured on their blog was for their Saturday Sketch #2 in November.

.This page was completed for Paper Issues Birds of A Feather Issue.  The peacock pictures from the apple orchard this past fall made this page come together quickly.  It was the perfect reason to open the Studio Calico wood veneer birds, as well.  The leaf/feather cut files are found in Paper Issues shop.  I watercolored Brooklyn to add some script in addition to the Amy Tangerine letters from two of her collections.  The Amy Tangerine Stitched paper in gray with the feathers was meant for a page like this and I paired it with aBella Blvd wood grain paper,  I sewed both papers together added the doily and done.

This can be found on Paper Issues Blog Fan Feature #2 on December 5th, 2014.

9. Stacie shared this wonderful page about peacocks. The color combo is perfect with these photos and how cute are the wood veneer birds? I also spy leaves from our Grateful Leaves November Free Cut File on this beautiful page.

The Hardest Step is the First One

I have had the "I need to get organized and get my pictures onto a blog" on my to-do list for several years now.  I have read blogs, followed blogs, and commented.  It is easy to spend time perusing others' fab blogs getting inspired and losing track of time!  Today, two weeks into the new year, was my push to get one started.  So here it is, and slowly I will get it all figured out to customize.  Baby steps!

 

Amy Tangerine's Stitched collection from American Crafts was perfect to accompany a picture from a trip to Hawaii.  Having a larger quote style title was a fun way to tie in a two page spread. 

 I started doing only 8 1/2 x 11 pages and then exclusively only made coordinated two page 12 x 12 spreads for years.  Lately, I am all about doing random 12 x 12 pages without much thought or stress into what comes next in the album!  This was exciting to challenge myself to get back into two page spreads!

Here's the double pager:

#Aloha I need more of that in my travel plans!

For a close up:

Sewing the tissue paper fringe was a bit challenging to align straight, so I went for the hula skirt random look and used the corner that was bare to sneak in this little thought and some heart stamps.