An Oldie But A Goodie!

Hey, there everyone!!  Here's a challenge and project that are up on the BOAF blog today!
I have a Sunday Scrappy Challenge for you! You are welcome to use this as a BONUS challenge for our Winterfest Crop going on now! If you get this challenge posted in the BOAF Gallery and linked to THIS thread by the end of the day on Wednesday, you'll go into a drawing for a RAK along with those who complete my other crop challenges!

So, what is this challenge you ask?! Well, the challenge is simple: Use a photo that is at least 10 years old.
I used the gorgeous January Kit and another photo that my aunt and uncle gave me last year after my grandmother passed away. It's from their wedding. Since this uncle is my father's brother and this aunt is my mother's sister, the parents in the photo are also both sets of my grandparents! So, this is a very special photo to me. There are not a lot of photos that have all four of my grandparents in it! (Not 100% sure that the date is correct, but I'll double check... ;)  )

Here's a close- up of the gorgeous flower and the banner pieces that I used. There's also a piece of chipboard from the kit extras that worked perfectly here!

 

And, finally a close-up of the photo. From left to right it's my Grampy (my mom's dad), Grammy (my mom's mom), Aunt Sharon (my mom's sister), Uncle Nelson (my dad's brother), Memere (my dad's mom) and Pepere (my dad's dad). Can you see where E's red hair came from in Grammy's big poufy hair?!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you enjoyed my layout and that you'll participate in the challenge!

The whole family....

Hey, there everyone! Here's a post I'm sharing on the BOAF Blog today!

 I've so enjoyed this kit! There's plenty of awesomeness no matter what you're trying to scrap! There's plenty papers that would work with boy themes, girl themes, heritage, black and white or color, winter-- you name it, this kit can do it! The kit also works perfectly for cards!

I am finally feeling the urge to scrap a pile of photos that my aunt and uncle gave me over a year ago. When my grandmother passed last December, my aunts and uncles put together a collection of photos for a dislpay at the funeral. I saw many photos I knew and loved, and several I'd never seen before. My aunt and uncle were so sweet to make copies of many of the photos and gave them to me last Christmas. They have sat on my table, just waiting for the right inspiration. My inspiration arrived in my January kit!

This photo was taken around 1959 and features my dad with his four siblings and his parents. In the photo, my dad is the tallest and has the most hair. Now, it's the exact opposite!!

Here's a closeup of the photo. I was able to get the names of everyone in the photo written underneath.

And, the butterflies-- I fussy cut a bunch of the butterflies from one of the Echo Park papers in the kit to add dimension, color and balance to the layout.

I also created a card to share with you today! I love the chalkboard look to the paper and it looks so cool when using white heat embossing powder with your stamps! And, isn't the color of the flower just GORGEOUS?!?!

Thanks so much for stopping by the BOAF blog! I hope you enjoyed my projects. There are only TWO January kits left, so be sure to grab yours NOW!  Check it out HERE!

Jumping for January Joy!

Hey, scrappy friends!  Sorry I've been a slacker on updating by blog lately.  I had surgery on BOTH of my feet back in December and the road to recovery has been a bit longer than I anticipated.  But, I'm getting my energy and my mobility back slowly but surely.  Thanks for sticking with me!  Here's a post I shared on the Birds of a Feather blog today!

What do you get when you cross rich, beautiful jewel tones with sweet patterns and incredible embellishments? The January 2014 BOAF kit, of course!!! Seriously, this is an amazing kit that is chock full of amazing colors and easy to use embellishments that are perfectly coordinated. The add-ons make it even better!

I have a simple, but pretty layout to share with you today. It features a photo of my daughter taken on her 10th birthday. She's so full of beauty, energy and big dreams.

Here's a close-up of the title and some of the embellishments that I used. Aren't the colors faulous?

I also made a card to share with you today! These flowers (available in the extra embellishments) come grouped together in sweet little bouquets. They made me think of sending someone flowers, so that's exactly what I wanted to do with my card. The patterned paper you see here is part of the extra patterned paper add-on. See the extras are SO worth it!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you enjoyed my projects and that you are inspired to order your BOAF kit TODAY!

Merry Christmas Morning

Hey, there everyone!  Here's a quick article I shared in this week's AWDML newsletter.  If you'd like to be getting these newsletters full of inspiration and prodcuts, just click HERE!

 A really popular technique to use when you would like a page to come together quickly is "blocking." Blocking is when you use blocks of color or patterned paper to balance your design. When creating a scrapbook page, the photo(s) would be included as one (or several) of the blocks. There are many, many examples of this technique available for inspiration. 

For my layout, I used a very simple, but very obvious blocking design.

 

The red block of paper is the same size as my photo in order to create balance. The journal cards are smaller than the other blocks but balance eachother in the design.

 

I used quite a few of the stickers from the collection, along with some foam tape to create dimension on the page. On this photo, you can also see the beautiful script for the title cut from Memory Box dies.

Here, you can see the "Nice List" featuring everyone in our family (including the dog) using some of the alpha stickers included with the collection.

 

 

And, finally the journaling block with the tree. I added the "merry memories" stickers for balance and dimension.

 

I definitely suggest trying out some blocking when you would like to create a fun, simple and quick page!

Products Used:

Patterned Papers and Stickers: Simple Stories December Documented

Dies: Memory Box Merry and Memory Box Christmas

Stickers: Thickers

Adhesives: Sco th Quick Dry Glue and Best Creations Foam Tape

Thanks for stopping by today!  I hope you enjoyed my layout and that you might consider trying this technique out!  Have a great day!!

Just Because...

Hey there, everyone!  Here's a layout I shared on the AWDML Blog last week!

Happy Scrappy Wednesday, everyone!!
I decided that I wanted to use some papers from my stash today-- something that I've had for a while. So, while looking through, I came across the Just Because collection from Little Yellow Bicycle. I LOVED this line when it first came out and I {might} have hoarded it because I didn't want to cut it. I know....I know....
So, today I'm using it and I'm super happy with the layout that I made. I used the title of the collection as inspiration for my title.

And, here's a close-up of the title where I colored the DIY Thickers with a Copic Marker to match the layout perfectly!

 

I hope you enjoyed my layout today and that you're inspired to run to your scrappy stash to create something beautiful... just because!

Thank you for stopping by!

November Kit from Birds of a Feather!

Here's my reveal that was just shared on the BOAF Blog!

I know, I know... I say it with every kit, but really-- it's TRUE!! The colors, textures and patterns are just gorgeous! Amy has such a fantastic sense of how to put together the papers and embellishments!

When I first looked at the kit, I thought it was pretty feminine and started thinking of photos of my daughter that I could use. But, then I decided to challenge myself to make a masculine layout. I took a cute photo of my son in the leaves just yesterday. Since he was wearing a bright green shirt, I flipped it to black and white so that it would work with the colors.

The background paper, the banner pieces, the date stamp, the glittery stickers and the word "ten" (cut from a 12X12 sheet) are all from the November Extras. Amy has fantastic kits but incredible add-ons as well. I can never resist getting all of them!

I knew that I wanted to add a pop of color in there and by layering two banner pieces together, I was able to get the pop of color I wanted as well as some fun dimension. You can also see the fun date stamp here!

I had fun creating the title, but I also used the journaling spots from the kit to make a scalloped border along the top of the page for some added interest. Each journal spot is actually a small stack of papers that you peel off one at a time! So, I just cut a few in half and slid them under the paper. I also cut the star out of one of the patterned papers and adhered it with foam tape.

I also made a simple card to share with you today! The "HELLO" was cut from one of the patterned papers with the kit. I added some fun black bling from my stash to make it a little more flashy. I love the way the black and pink really pop!

I hope you enjoyed my reveal today and that you'll be sure to check out the November 2013 BOAF Kit AND all of the Extras! You will not regret it... ever! Thanks so much for stopping by today!

Make a Wish

Here's a project that I shared on the AWDML Blog last week!

Happy Scrappy Wednesday, everyone!! And, Happy Birthday to A Walk Down Memory Lane!!
To celebrate this fantasic milestone with AWDML, I have a fun and simple birthday layout to share with you today! To a child, there's nothing like blowing out the candles on your cake and making a wish every year! Today's layout features my son at his birthday last year. His next birthday is in just TWO days! I did a few fun things with this one... take a look!

 

In my title, I mixed up the alphas, which I LOVE to do, but I also added a candle in place of the "I". To make the candle, I simply rolled a strip of paper about 4" long into a tube with a small bit of embroidery thread inside for a wick. Then, just a bit of cardstock cut with a circle cutter for a flame! Isn't it super cute?! You can also see some of the Maya Mists paint splatters-- They remind me of confetti!

 

 

And, I also used a Project Life journaling card for my sub-title! The PL Cards are perfect for this type of use! They are so easy to alter and quick to put together!

 

 

Thank you so much for stopping by to celebrate with us! And, here's to MANY more wonderful years for AWDML! Congratulations, Lisa!

So Thankful for the October Kit!

I know I say this about every BOAF kit, but seriously.... I LOVE this kit! It's so beautiful....even more beautiful in person and it's more beautiful every time I play with it! The papers work so beautifully for so many projects-- not just fall ones!

Today I want to share a layout that I made about our trip to Plimoth Plantation this summer. If you've never been there, it's a living history museum where you get to tour a working Pilgrim settlement where there are people who are completely in character as though you just stepped back into the 17th Century! We had so much fun chatting with everyone and seeing everything!

 

 

Here's a close-up of the journaling:

And here, you can see all of the photos I used! Since I am usually a "one photo" scrapper, it was a challenge for me to use so many photos, but I really like how this "film strip" idea worked!

I also have a card to share today. This kit is perfect for making gorgeous Thank-you cards!

Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you are inspired to dig into your October kit! And, if you don't have one, there's ONE left in the store! Don't miss it!

BOAF & Blue Fern Blog Hop!

Hopefully, you have been directed here from Janet's Blog.  If you haven't, please head back to the Birds of a Feather Blog and start hopping from there.  Remember, in order to qualify for the prize, you MUST hop to and comment on each Scrap Chick's blog.
Here's my project using the awesome Blue Fern Studio's chipboard and the BOAF October Kit!

 

This chipboard is FANTASTIC!  Not only is the design beautiful, but it's sturdy enough to work with it without fear that it's going to fall apart  Even though I didn't ink this one, I have used ink on other Blue Fern chipboard, and it takes ink beautifully!  Here's a close-up of the title I used!  Isn't it gorgeous?

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Now you need to hop over to Shawna's blog for the next project! 

Before you go, since this weekend is the Birds of a Feather Bird-day Crop, and since we are celebrating three amazing years, Amy has a special gift to offer you:
All hoppers can receive 10% off your Blue Fern order if you order through BOAF by the crop deadline, Wednesday the 16th. All you need to do is send Amy a private message via the message board OR the gallery, or send an email to birdsofafeatherkits@gmail.com .

Thanks again for stopping by my blog today and for playing along in our blog hop!  I hope you'll come back soon!

Keepin' it Simple

Hey, everyone!!  Here's a post that I shared on the AWDML Blog last week!

Happy Scrappy Wednesday, everyone!! Today I want to share a layout where my mission was to use the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid!). In other words, I wanted to get the basics on the page with out any added frills.

My son had the opportunity to try water skiing a few weeks ago. I had a terrible (and painful) experience with my first try at waterskiing and it was a LONG time before I was comfortable to try again. So, I was pretty nervous for him to try it. For his first attempt I was in the boat with my camera at the ready while my uncle and cousin helped him in the water. The boat took off and he came SO close to getting up. He hung on for the longest time and seemed like all he needed to do was stand up. But, alas, he ended up not quite making it. As you may be able to tell from the photos, his lifejacket was too big which may have been part of the issue.

 

 You can see that I incorporated several different patterned papers, banner-style cut papers and scalloped edges. I also matted the photos, included a title, the date, the location and the word "proud." I felt that the photos, the title and the small details told the story without needing to add journaling. Then a few simple, subtle lines around the border of the paged helped to tie everything together.

Here's a close up of the photos. I still can't believe how close he got on his first try!

Just to note: We did change his lifejacket to a better fitting one after this first try and there aren't many more photos since I was in the water helping for the next attempts (my daughter had my camer and enjoyed taking photos of a big dragon fly rather than her brother's attemts at skiing). He held on so long the first time that we were now in the middle of the lake, so I jumped off the side of the boat and helped. Those teenage years as a lifeguard came in handy!

Thanks for stopping by today! I hope you enjoyed my simple layout and are inspired to try a simple one of your own!

September Kit Sweetness!

Here is my post that is on the Birds of a Feather Blog today!

The September kit is SO worth the wait! The colors, the patterns, the embellishments-- everything-- is so fantastically put together! I love that I use things I wouldn't normally choose for myself!

Today I have two projects to share with you!! First a layout. Not just any layout-- a back to school layout! I really enjoyed cutting into the gorgeous papers and using the fun embellishments like the stitched elements in the top right hand corner and the die-cut arrow from the kit extras!

Here's a closeup of the tite. I used some chiboard from my stash that I colored with a Copic Marker. Then I added some alphas that I had kicking around and a heart from the package of super fun wood embellishments from the kit extras.

The kit has some beautiful flowers that have lots of great ways to layer them together. For my flower center, I used the flower from the one of the clips in the kit. I think it worked perfectly together!

I also made a card that is made mostly from the paper in the kit extras. I couldn't resist this amazingly gorgeous Authentique patterned paper and the die-cut was perfect for stamping on my sentiment. The bow was made using oval dies! Maybe I'll have to share a tutorial on how to do it!

I hope that you enjoyed my projets today. If you don't have your September kit yet, DON'T WAIT! There's only a few left in the store! If you have your kit, but not the extras yet be sure to check them out HERE. They are so much fun!

Be sure to check the BOAF Blog often to see more reveals using this fantastic kit from our uber talented design team

Busy Background Fun

Here's a post that I shared on the AWDML Blog last week!

This weekend, I was scrapping some photos that I took last weekend at our long-overdue family reunion and decided to challenge myself to do two things: use a busy background and use something that I've had in my stash for more than 6 months. And, I was able to accomplish both goals! Mostly I want to share how I tamed the busy background paper.

First of all, busy background paper is always a challenge for me. I tend to shy away from it and choose cardstock or cute little patterns. In order to tackle this paper, I decided to create some neutral space in the middle where I would concentrate the majority of my layout. I essentially created a layout that is roughly 8"X8" and put that in the middle of the background paper. I also used a photo that was a slightly contrasting color pallete to the paper line so that it wouldn't be lost on the page. I think it was relatively successful!

Here's a look at the title strips I made with a label maker and some of the fun elements I added from the sticker sheet that matches the line of paper!

And, here's a peek at the title work. I love to create mixed up titles! The word "summer" is from the sticker elements sheet and then I just added some Thickers around it to create the title.

I hope you enjoyed this layout today and that you feel a little more comfortable tackling a busy background paper!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Stay tuned for more great scrappy projects coming up SOON!

My Loves

Hey there, everyone!!  Here's the layout and post that I shared on the AWDML blog last week!

Happy Scrapy Wednesday, everyone! I hope you're having a fantastic day on this last day of July. Today I have a pretty layout to share with you!

Last week, my friend Patty who is a wonderful photographer took some gorgeous photos of my kids and Duffy. She was sweet enough to give me all of the photos to scrap and I couldn't be more happy! She's the best! So, today I have the first of the series of photos that she took. I really wanted to create a clean, crisp, bright layout that captured the beauty of my kids and the location that is just down the road from my house.

I love the yellows, blues and and greens in Lily Bee's Sweet Shoppe collection and thought they would be perfect for this layout!

I rarely break out the needle and thread to hand stitch, but I really wanted to keep the simple look going on this layout. To make the heart shape, I cut out a large heart with my cricut and then traced around it with my paper piercer to create the pattern for the stitching.

 

The center of the large flower is a wooden button that is part of the Sweet Shoppe Collection. The yellow pearls are actually regular pear accents that I quickly colored with a Copic Marker! I also colored the "MY" in the title with the same marker! Copics make it SO easy to have perfectly matching accents in a matter of seconds! Here's a closeup of one of the flowers so you can see the center.

 

I hope you enjoyed my layout today and some of the tricks that I used to create it! I hope you're inspired to dive right into your scrappy goodies! Thanks for stopping by!  Be sure to check out AWDML for all of the supplies used to create this layout and SO much more!!

You & Me: Confessions of a Mat-a-holic

Here's an article I wrote for the latest edition of the A Walk Down Memory Lane newsletter!  You can subscribere HERE to receive weekly newsletters chock full of tutorials, product and manufacturer features, inspiration and of course, the weekly sale!

 

Hello. My name is Nicole and I am a matting addict. I love to mat everything and I'm admitting it! The good news is that this is NOT a problem I need to stop! It's not bad for my health and (in my opinion) it's GREAT for my layouts!

 I have created a rather simple layout today to illustrate my point. First, here's the basic layout where I did not mat the major parts of my layout (the layers of patterned paper, the journaling and my photo). Please excuse that things are a little crooked here... nothing is glued down. I realy feel that the layout looks washed out and that it needs some POP!

 

One of my favorite ways to make the different elements of my page POP is to add mats! Lots of people mat their photos... but I like to mat EVERYTHING! Here's my layout again with the major elements matted.  Everything just feels more focused to me!

See how your attention is drawn to each element, but doesn't take away from the photo? You may notice that i also colored the title-- I love to color the corrugated alphas with my copics! I also ditched the banner pieces from the first draft of my layout and added the little clothesline sticker. I also added some other elements, most of which are popped up with foam tape to add dimension-- another great way to add some POP to your projects!

 

**Note- I achieved the matching color for the alphas by first coloring with the BG45 and then coloring over it with the B93. Combining Copic colors (do the darker color first) is a great way to customize your colors for any project you're working on!

So try catching the matting fever and see were it takes you! Do you like to use journaling strips? Try matting those and see what you think! Nearly any page element can be matted for a little extra pop! Try it-- you'll like it!

Products Used:

Patterned Paper and Stickers: Echo Park Perfect Summer Collection

Cardstock: Bazzil

Alphas: Jillibean Corrugated Alphas

Adhesive: ATG Gun and Scotch Quick Dry

Copic Markers: B93- Light Crockery Blue and BG45 Nile Blue

 

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today!  I hope you come again soon!

 

BIG FISH!!

Hey there, everyone!!  I hope everyone is having a fantastic summer! We’ve been super busy and on the go for the last few weeks, but this week we are slowing things down and trying to enjoy some of the fun things that can only be done in ths summer… like time at the LAKE! We have some tremendous friends who open their home (and their dock) to us every summer to enjoy any time we want to. We are so grateful and enjoy every minute we are there!

Last week, Colby decided to try fishing from the kayak. He was happily fishing in the “weeds” when he yelled, “I GOT ONE!” Of couse, the fish swallowed his lure, so he couldn’t get it off to release it and had to tow the fish back to the dock for help. When he pulled up to the dock, I saw that he had a great, big bass on his line! He was all smiles, of course!

I was excited to use the Echo Park Perfect Summer collection to scrap these fun photos and this great memory!


One of my favorite things to do while creating my title is to use my Copic Markers to color stickers, chipboard and alphas to match what I’m working on. Here, I used the Jillibean Soup Corrugated Alphas and colored them to perfectly match. Now, I can just get white alphas and then make them match- I never have to worry about not having the right color!

Here’s a close-up of the layout where you can see the fun details added with the fabulous stickers included in the Perfect Summer Collection. I love to pop them up with foam tape to add dimension and used the fishies and the sun sticker to create my visual triangle. I also added some fun Washi tape that looks like a ruler to highlight how “big” the fish is!

I hope you enjoyed my layout today and that you’re inspired to dive right into your scrappy stash!  Thanks so much for stopping by!

It's July...

It's July and that means it's time to share a new sketch from the wonderfully talented Lucy Chesna of My Sketch World!  This month brings a great sketch and I had some fun playing with some brand new Echo Park goodies, too!

Here's my take on it:

Here's a close up of the photo and the title work.  This title incorporates two things I love to do:  mixing my alphas and running the title onto a photo.  I just love the effect!

Here's the sketch that this layout is based on.  You can see that I focused on the four strips and incorporated the journaling strips, the large flower and the title placement.  One of the things I love about using sketches is how you can pick and choose what inspires you and make it your own. Lucy's sketches are particularly perfect for that!

You can go HERE to see what the rest of the team did with the sketch!  There are some fantastic layouts there!  Way to go, ladies!!

Thanks for stopping by today!  I'll be back soon with more good stuff to share!