Play Outdoors

This was the 2nd page I made during the [InkieQuill] [ScrapStream]! I challenged myself a bit with this one. I have one box of embellishments that I rarely open up. It has all of my 3-dimensional and miscellaneous embellishments, lots of flowers but also things like the kite, leaves and oversize wood veneer. I decided that I wanted to try to use some stuff from that box on this page.

After working on a [page with a very clear direction], I was happy to just play around with some fun embellishments to figure out something that would work.

I started by trimming 1/4 in. strips of an old Studio Calico patterned paper and framing my photo with them. Then I dipped the photos edges in brown paint, something [Nicole Harper] use to do. Next, I decided to mat my photo with white cardstock, but didn't have the right size so I improvised with two scraps. They're intentionally jaunty.

When I printed this photo at 6x8, I envisioned writing my journaling directly on the photo in the grass. But I decided my title would look better there. I thought it needed something though, so I used some roller stamps and white and gold ink to stamp directly onto the photo. It's subtle, but you can see it much better IRL.

For the title, I decided to use these [whimsical letters] I purchased from [Just Nick.] No better font to cut out the word "play" from! I layered up all of the embellishments I pulled from my embellishment box in the bottom right hand corner of the photo and added my few lines of journaling just below.

Of all the pages I made, I think this one is least like my usual style. But I still really really like it! Tomorrow I'll share the heart page, so check back for more details about it!

cheers & besos,

ScrapStream

I had so much freakin fun participating in Adele aka InkieQuill's ScrapStream No. 3! It was like cropping with a friend. I got up to my own scrapbook mischief and made five pages. I created with no rhyme or reason. Just went through some of my latest photos, printed them in sizes I thought would work (some didn't) and made pages without kits or parameters. Like I said, so much fun! 

If you're interested in watching the not live ScrapStream you can see it here [Part 1] [Part 2] I'm definitely planning to re-watch the parts I was asleep for.

I think I'll blog about one of these each day this week! So check back to find out more :)

cheers & besos,

Photo of the Photo...

I'm determined to scrapbook as much of my 2008 travels as possible this year. I've even made it part of my scrapbook goals! This is a photo I took in Prague, a country I've barely scrapbooked about! Even though this trip was one of my most favorite trips ever in life.

I used the Scrapbook Circle February kit and was challenged by Tessa to use this great marble print. So many of the domes in that city were a similar color, so I thought it'd be fun to pair it with them.

Journaling Reads:
I took some really epic photos on this trip. But this one topped them all. It’s a photo of Mark taking a photo of Kevin taking a photo of Jon. I also love the couple embracing on the side. And the lady’s head is so perfectly framed in the dome. It’s one of my favorite photos that I’ve ever taken. It instantly takes me back to this trip with those boys. Absolutely one of the best trips of my life!

Tessa also is blogging about this over on the Scrapbook Circle blog. Head over there to read more!

cheers & besos,

Penguin

I had so much fun playing with the November Scrapbook Circle kit. It definitely has a Christmas vibe to it, but I made a few pages this month that didn't really have anything to do with Christmas. This page is all about the time I met a penguin. 

I really wasn't intending to scrap about this experience. But after seeing the great penguin die cut in the Pinkfresh Studio die cut pack, I thought this would be the perfect story to share this month!

For the page itself, I channeled my inner Jennifer Larson. Using an enlarged black and white photo with journaling strips on top is definitely something I've picked up from her.

I love that scrapbooking helps me remember these random but fun moments. I'd nearly forgotten I'd met this penguin until I saw that die cut. I love it when good products spark memories too!

cheers & besos,

January Project Life

It's done! It's been done. I just ended up photographing the pages 3 different times because things kept going wrong! But it's done now and here for you to see =)

It's been two straight months and I'm still not sure how much I like this project. I mean I like it when it's done. But it takes sooo much time! And it means that I can't make layouts. Which is still my number one love.

Basically, I'm ambivalent. I'll keep with it for now. But I'm not sure I can make it through the full year. We shall see.

This first page was inspired by Elsie Larsen's title page. I loved the two photos plus the pretty cards. And I really really wanted to get some gold on here. The title and stars are on a transparency.

I used some of Shanna Noel's January BYOC cards from The Lily Pad and a freebie digital template from Jennifer Wilson at Simple Scrappers.

I went hunting for bits of purple and did some watercoloring on the grid side of a card.

My mama sent me the cutest card so I added some tabs directly to the little pocket and right in the middle of these two pages. I loved that it had the orchid purple flowers that tied in so well with those cards!

I was so confused about what to do with this page but I really love how the winner card came together. I also had a few more stories I wanted to tell but not enough photos or things to say so I cut down a 4 pocket page to two pockets.

I drew and then watercolored a card since I didn't have any photos of us having drinks. It might be my favorite card!

I made the top insert card by layering tape onto a white piece of cardstock.

And I got the idea for the AM/PM cards from Stephanie Baxter...I think.

I used some of my Paislee Press printables and more water colors for the Road Trip spread. 

I made the 4x6 insert card using these great Lindsay Letters stamps and some yellow and mint inks.

Writing around my feet was an idea I got from Molly Frances.

This spread is super busy to me. But I really like the date night one! I love these frame templates by Cathy Zielske. I have started to use them on a few projects, but I don't think any of them have actually ever been finished. I cut them up to next to nothing, but I got to use them!

And the final page is a full print of a photo of me and Mac. I overlaid one of the Sugar Rush png cut files. I played a bit with the opacity, and when it was printed I painted the "I heart U" with white paint.

Done until next month! I'll have to write a post about my process soon.

cheers & besos,

Great Grandma's Quilt

I have exactly one family heirloom. And let me tell you, it is wickedly awesomely cool. My great-grandma Juanita hand made/stitched this "quilt". (It's a bed cover, complete with ruffle. But I'll continue to call it a quilt.)

The detail in it is amazing, and the colors are so beautiful. It's folky and a tad in your face. But I think that might be exactly why I love it so much. 

It's also a part of my culture and my heritage. The colors even remind me of the Mexican flag. I'm so lucky to have it hanging in my house. 

The page I made is fairly simple: an enlarged photo, some smaller accent photos, title, hand stitching and a few drops of paint. That's really all there is to it.

The rest is all about the journaling. I conjured up all the lessons Jill talked about in Scrapbooking for the Soul; and really took my time writing and editing my journaling.

I had a lot to say about this heirloom, and since its a hand made quilt I really wanted the journaling to be handwritten. But I couldn't make it all fit! So I had to compromise a bit by mixing in an "aged" typewriter font while leaving spaces for some handwritten words.

Journaling Reads:
There is a thread that connects me to her. 

I know bits and pieces about my great grandma. I know she had cotton colored hair and a love for red nail polish. I hear she was a tiny sprite full of gumption. They tell me she loved to travel and would just up and leave without telling anyone. She would go visit this friend or that one. I also know she made things with her hands. Beautiful things such as this quilt. She hand stitched every leaf, every flower, she created la Madre out of thread.

I feel this in my bones: because of her, I make things. Except my medium is paper and glue. I love creating things out of nothing; weaving patterns together, playing with color and technique. 

I'm thankful to have such precious reminder of how akin I am to her. She was a tiny ancestor who I only briefly met. But we are probably more alike than I know. The thread that connects her to me is heART.

cheers & besos,

Blessed are the Brave

Hey there!! I feel like I haven't been updating as much this year. It's probably true. But I'm still creating and planning and also printing out photos for my Project Life. I seem to be focusing a lot of energy on the latter. Uploading photos, editing, printing them the appropriate sizes. At this point, I'm just slipping things in pockets, so I can go back to have fun and embellish later. We'll see if that strategy works. I'm still trying to figure this whole Project Life thing out! But I digress....

I'm also still loving being a part of the Simple Scrapper community. Jennifer debuted a new Jumpstarts concept this year. It's exactly what you think it is, in that they are videos that are meant to jumpstart your creativity or help jog your memory. This page is a direct result of that inaugural video. Part of the challenge was to document a time when you had courage. For me, that was almost too easy. The bravest thing I ever did was to move to London after college. More on that in just a bit.

Before I talk about the idea for the page, I wanted to talk about the design. I have to say, it has me pretty excited!

I decided to create my own counterfeit kit this month and I used the January Hip Kit Club as my inspiration. I've had this gorgeous Amy Tangerine print in my stash, but I've almost been too intimidated by its beauty to actually use it. Choosing that kit forced me to reconsider it and I'm so glad that it actually made it into the scrapbook!

It's a really spectacular piece and I wanted to use as much of it as I could. But I ended up doing something way different with it. I sliced it down the middle and then pieced it back together. I decided to hide my journaling and did this by gluing the photo strip onto a folded piece. It unfolds to show all of my journaling.

But that's not all folks! I turned the other side into a flap as well. But this covered up an enlarged photo.

From the get go, I knew I wanted to use a line of black and white photos along the side. But it wasn't until I was choosing photos (and after I printed a strip that just didn't work with this page) that I decided to throw in the enlarged print of me in front of Big Ben.

This is what the layout looks like when its all unfolded. (And I have no idea why all of the color got sucked out of this photo!!) The gray polka dot is the B side to the horizontal stripe.

And what it looks like when the photo strip is folded down. Which is how I printed my photos to begin with, on one 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of photo paper.

The majority of the embellishing went on this top flap. I used the Cut & Paste sticker book, wood veneer alphas, silver glitter Thickers, those awesome Printshop word stickers and just a few drops of gray ink to embellish. All of which I pulled for my counterfeit January Hip Kit Club kit.

I think what I love most about this page is that it reminds me of a file folder. Given my love for all thing office supplies, that makes me ridiculously happy.

But back to the Jumpstarts and this whole concept of courage. My journaling reads:

Blessed are the brave for they will have adventures. This was by far and away the adventure of a lifetime. Looking back, I really have no idea how/why I threw myself into that situation headfirst, no fear and no trepidation. It's so not me, typically.

After college I made up my mind to move to London. So I figured out how to do it and I just went. I didn't know anyone there. I had never met any of the 5 people I was going to be living with. I had only been to London one other time so I most definitely didn't know the city. If anything went wrong, I was at least 24 hours away from anyone familiar who could rush to my rescue.

Writing all that out makes me wonder why I signed up in the first place. But going back through that list with hindsight, I know I had nothing to worry about. I may not have known anyone when I got there. But by the end, I had dozens of people I would consider my friends. I may not have met my 5 flat mates before, but they became the best friends I've ever had, my true & honest soul mates. I didn't know the city at the beginning, but I learned as much about it as I could. It's a city you continue learning about. And every time I go back, I learn something new!

Moving to London was the bravest thing I've ever had to do and the best decision I ever made. And it never would have happened if I hadn't plucked up the courage to simply pack a bag, get on the plane and go.

See what I mean guys, I'm having so much fun being part of this new community. I'm loving all of the inspiration and the page ideas. I never would have thought to make this page otherwise! It's now the unofficial title page to my album. And something just darn pretty to look at!

cheers & besos,

Lorelai Gilmore

Happy New Year all! I hope you had a lovely NYE. Mine was a quiet night with an absolutely amazing dinner. MT and I got all dressed up and ate ourselves into a coma. We took some great photos...that I haven't even uploaded to my computer yet. But I'll get to them eventually.

Meanwhile, I've been crafting up a storm but haven't been able to finish anything until today. My December album, yeah that's done. It's in the book! I'm in the process of editing all those photos for the blog. But in the meantime, I wanted to share a page I made today. I came up with this idea just yesterday. And I love how it came out!

If you don't know Gilmore Girls, then you don't know that Lorelai Gilmore is enamored with snow. We share this. Growing up in Texas, I haven't had much opportunity to see it. So anytime I do, it's a big deal. Matt snapped these photos of me when we were at his parents in Ohio last week.

That fabulous blue hat (got it for Christmas this year) really makes these photos pop! So blue is where I took this page. I pulled out blue and silver stuff and used paint, paper, glitter tape, glitter and a doily to back the Silhouette cut I created.

I'm fabulously happy with my first page of the year. It's really and came together so quickly. Just love it when that happens, don't you?

cheers & besos,

She

Hello Story has been one of my most favorite classes! I'm loving these story structures, and for the most part, I'm keeping up with the class. Here's a page made with last week's prompt. It's about the places I've been. 

It took awhile to build that list on the left hand side there, and it isn't even complete. I had to delete a few of the repeated places to make sure I had room for all of the cities. But I'm so glad I have at least a good start of a list all in one place!

I typed this up in PSE and printed it onto vellum before adding it to my page. I like that you can still see the cloud paper underneath it.

I was originally going to make an 8 1/2 x 11 page and so I printed the photo that wide. But then I grabbed this gorgeous paper and knew I wanted to show case as much of it as I could. So it stayed 12x12.

At the very beginning, I had this vision of a line of embellishments along one side. I dug into my stash of October Afternoon Travel Girl and Basic Grey Carte Postale embellishments to place along the line of the Freckled Fawn London Underground tape (eek, I love it a ton! but it looks like they don't have it anymore which is a total bummer)

I added my title directly to the photo using Photoshop Elements (font: Windsor Hand). It's this title that's part of the Hello Story prompt which is about 6 word stories.

I loved this totally random photo that I snapped while we were driving to Austin (note: I'm in the passenger side so definitely NOT driving!). I love the movement in the photo. I love the selfie that's not me smiling at my phone. I love the landscape. I love the reflections (I'm big on reflections!) It's a special photo that so perfectly conveys this title of adventure seeking.

This is part of a series of "She" layouts I've made. Here are two other layouts [She] [She]. They are some of my favorites. I think its the words. And really, most of them are about travel. It's my absolute favorite thing to do!

cheers & besos,