Angkor Wat

I got my enlarged prints! And can share the first page of the 2 page scraplift with you. I went super simple, even more simple than Celine's original creation. This enlarged photo did all the work for me.

I have to say, even though I wasn't in love with 35mm, I still managed to make good use of it. 6 pages, 2 cards, you just can't beat that.

Mind you, this is with the Main Kit only. I didn't purchase any of the add-ons. That in and of itself was a bit of a challenge. I did have to supplement with my own letter stickers, some tags and a bit of twine here and there. But otherwise, the kit got me through. I might have had to do with the bit of planning I did beforehand. Any way you cut it, I'm happy with my pages and have several more to add to my book!

cheers & besos,

Southern Gate

So I think I'll not be doing green & blue layouts again any time soon. 35mm is officially put to rest. But I have to show you 2 more pages I made with the kit. It's a double page layout! Although not a very traditional one, as one page is 8 1/2 x 11 and the other is 12 x 12. ...and they don't really match match. But they're from the same place! So let's just pretend it's a true double page, deal? ;)

I figured something out while using these hexagons. While I love the look, I find them so hard to work with! I literally had to force myself to use this paper. And it was just a happy accident that the leftover piece I had was exactly 8 1/2 in. wide with the cute little border strip.

Layering was my method for tackling the hexagons. It made them more "star" like for some reason and stars I can work with.

The second half of this page was inspired by a old Sketch Wednesday prompt from Celine's blog. Loved the look of 4 vertical 4x6s. I brought the hexas along on this page as well, using 2 different patterned papers.

This tag is one of those happy accidents. I thought I'd spray it yellow but then it just made the already tan tag even more tan. Then I sprayed with a more sunshiny yellow and that just looked a hot mess. So I hit it with brown which looked ok but adding a last layer of gray over top sealed the deal. I love all of the color depth. It was vaguely reminiscent of the mossy surfaces of the statues themselves.

This day is one I won't ever forget. Traveling with your best friend, what more can one ask for? We couldn't resist taking silly photos with these various serious statues.

And here's the 2 pages side by side.

I love mixing it up and included both 8 1/2 x 11 and 12 x 12 in the same album. Do you do this too? I went extreme in Urijah's Year 1 album with the above sizes as well as 8x8 & 6x6. Check it out here.

cheers & besos,

Bayon

I call scraplift! It's ok, when I'm telling you upfront & not trying to submit my pages for submission to magazines =) 

This gorgeous creation of Celine's was begging to be scraplifted. The big picture she used was what drew me in and this photo of the temple was so detailed it needed to be enlarged.

Used the 35mm kit + the new Studio Calico Abroad collection, some paint, stamps, and wood veneer, but shrunk it down to 8 1/2 x 11. It makes it look magazine-ish to me and I love that!  

cheers & besos,

35mm Cards

I made cards! And with the scraps from my projects no less. They're simple and straightforward, but I love how they turned out.

I wish I had more of that yellow ribbon. It looks gorgeous with the gray hearts!

I know two lovely ladies who will probably find cards in their mailboxes soon. It's been too long since I've sent a just because card.

cheers & besos,

Sketchbook 4| No.12

And just like that I've finished Sketchbook 4. I'll post my usual wrap-up but first, I have to share my final page :) 

I used the my May Studio Calico kit and went to town, filling in the squares and rectangles the sketch called for with patterned papers and photos. I did some shifting around, but the essence of the sketch is still there.

Once again color was the driving force behind my choosing these photos. I took the teal from the domes and the statues and used strips of patterned paper that highlighted the color. I made sure to throw in some green  to accent the bits of greenery.

For this page, I journaled in a list.

1. Travel Buddies: Kori was(is?) one of my favorite travel buddies. We went to Belgium, Morocco, Spain & of course Germany together.

2 & 3. Museum Island & Fernsenturm: This area was gorgeous and so picturesque. We didn't go into the museum but instead soaked it all in from afar.

4. Brandenburg Gate: We had to see this famous landmark. There was no way around it. The square was busy and full of history.

5. Berlin Wall: The famous wall was no less impressive. I think I was most captivated by graffiti all over the walls. And there's something about this area of the city. Although not very far from the bustling Brandenburg area & Check Point Charlie, it was much more subdued.

I played with both color and texture on this page, roughed up and distress inked the edges of each of these patterned paper blocks. And even attempted to do some sewing. I will never get the settings on my machine right!!!

Sketchbook 4 completed: check!
12 pages done: yay!

cheers & besos,

Sketchbook 4| No.11

Do you have sensory memories? Like when you smell or taste something and instantly brings you back to a particular place & time in your life? I had that the other day, when I was eating dried kiwi of all things.

The first time I ever had dried kiwi, I was on a train in China. It was a snack I picked up for the ride from Xi'an to Shanghai and thank goodness I did because we had no idea how long that ride would actually take! I remember being so hungry when we finally made it to Shanghai, all of our kiwi now gone.

I discovered it again in my local grocery store and picked some up to snack on. I'd forgotten that I'd eaten it that first time in China. But the second I tasted it, it brought me back to here, to the exact place in that photo and I knew I had to scrap it.

This has to be one of the most simple layouts I've ever made. There aren't a lot of products and not much dimension. It also photographed terribly. But I love the memory I captured.

I used the 35mm kit + Ditto Letter Stamps + Orchard Mister Huey/Red Maya Mist & some Prima Fluid Edger Chalk ink (love this stuff, it's like butter!)

Journaling Reads: This is how I travel, 2nd, even 3rd class if need be. I know this could be someone else's nightmare, sleeping 2 ft away from a perfect stranger. But if it measn getting where I need or want to be, I'll do it. This was the mother of all train rides, from interior China (Xian) to the coast at Shanghai. It was least 13 hours, probably more. I felt safe and content in my little berth, the boys above me if I needed any help. Plus, it was a breeze compared to traveling 3rd class, sitting upright knee to knee on a crowded train. Some of my most vidi travel memories are from these Chinese trains. We got to experience the whole spectrum on this trip.

And because it's not wildly apparent, those black things down at the bottom are my knees. See! I'm in the photo too =)

Even though the page ended up not having anything to do with kiwi, it's what sparked the memory. Thank you kiwi, for helping me not to forget!

cheers & besos,

Temple

Celine Navarro you are a design genius! There, I said it. I love this lady's style & the funky graphic edge she adds to every page. Plus she travels! A ton. And goes EVERYWHERE! Like seriously, I want her life. But enough of my gushing. Go check out her work, it more than speaks for its' self.

This was one of my inspired by pages that I talked about yesterday. I based my layout off of her India 2012: My top 5 layout. I figured that little flipbook would work perfectly for all of the photos I took at Angkor Wat in Cambodia.

I did my best to make the most of those tiny pages, but small canvases are just not my jam. Each "layout" had it's one challenges and I tried to make them cohesive but also random and varied at the same time. Here's where having the same color scheme and one that works well with your photos really helps!! 

cheers & besos,

Kit Flow: Seeking Inspiration

My May SC kit arrived! All shiny and new in it's lovely kraft pizza box. So I thought I'd share one of my processes for making layouts with these lovely things.

As you can imagine each kit has it's own theme & color scheme. 35mm was all blue, green, cream and brown. There's a bit of red and yellow in there, but just small pieces. There were some hexagons & one of the new flip books Heidi Swapp released this season. It's a nice kit with good bones, but not one of my absolute favorites. Which is what makes using it a fun challenge!

When my kits arrive I label them and put them in these jumbo hefty bags. It's the best way I've found to keep everything together and to be able to quickly see which kit is which.

It shouldn't be a secret by now that color is the driving force behind my pages. I'm an absolute color fiend. I start by searching for photos from my ever increasing catalogue with colors that will work with the kit. 

For this one I reached far back into my coffers and dug out some travel photos from 2008. There were a few places that I thought would work well with these products.

Like possibly Cambodia...

Or maybe Berlin...

I might even dig into some Ireland photos.

Notice the theme? All of the photos have a heavy blue/green influence. Funnily enough I'm even wearing the same t-shirt in a few.

Once I had some photos pulled, I went hunting around for inspiration. It's not something I usually do, but like I mentioned before this kit isn't one of my favorites, so I needed an extra push to form some ideas.

Celine's layouts were most inspiring for me. So I made sketches of a few and picked photos that I thought would work. Here are the layouts I drew some inspiration from: India 2012-My Top 5, First time in India, and Love Life & Life will Love you Back.

I ordered some enlarged prints via Persnickety Prints and am waiting for them to arrive. In the meantime, I made a few pages with regular and tiny prints that I'll be sharing throughout the week.

I also finished up all of my Sketchbook 4 layouts. Here I am mapping out where the photos will go. Those are my silly crude images of each the photos. Doing this helps me figure out the sizes I need to print them at and how I need to cut them down. My Epson PictureMate makes printing these tiny guys a breeze (link is to the newest model).

That's one way I approach using all of these kits I have piled around. Be sure to keep checking back to see how the pages turned out!

Also, this wasn't my usual blog post but I hope it's something you find useful. Please let me know if you're interested in reading more about this type of thing. I'm always interested in sharing "best practice". And if you buy kits, I'd also love to know how you approach using yours!

cheers & besos,

Sketchbook 4| No. 09

Have I told you what Urijah got for his 3rd birthday? A puppy. Grandma and Grandpa just had to give their favorite little boy a puppy with a bow delivered in a box.

Meet Cadie (kinda like Katie). She's the cutest little thing! 100% puppy from what I'm hearing from my parents. She just loves to play!

Naturally, being an energetic little puppy she was attracted to the ball of motion that is Urijah. But what did Urijah think of his birthday present?

Meh, not so much....

He couldn't figure out why the thing kept following him! Or why it wouldn't leave him alone?! Truth be told he was more interested in Cadie's newly made big sister Hazel, whom he's never cared for a day in his life. But eventually, I think he'll come around.

The page came together quickly with the help of Sketchbook 4 Sketch No. 09, 2Peas Color Combo Challenge and the Studio Calico Paper Moon kit. The kit even came with that cute lil puppy dog stamp. Too perfect!

We're happy to welcome Ms. Cadie to the family. She's got some big puppy shoes to fill. No one will ever come close to our beloved Maddie.

cheers & besos,

Sketchbook 4| No. 08

...and we're back, albeit slight out of order =)

Bright & bold was the challenge. I think bright & bold is what I gave 'em! Love the neutral prints & bright colors of Amy Tangerine's new line. They worked perfectly with these photos of Urijah with his Gma & Gpa. 

You might notice there's no journaling. It's the 2nd page to an older pocket page I created. So that meant I just got to have fun!

This is also for the SC Triangle challenge. It's a subtle nod to a nautical theme, they remind me of pennants you might see on a sail boat.

I had fun cutting these long and skinny, adding some washi tape and wood veneer. Speckling some Mister Huey and finishing off with some awesome green Thickers. 

Oh, and this is based off of Sketchbook 4 Day 08's sketch. The original called for strips of patterned paper. I think the triangles were a fun twist on it.

I'm so very very close to finishing Urijah's 2 year old pages! The only thing left to tackle is Christmas. Coming soon to a blog near you ;)

cheers & besos,