Two Pagers & Layout Love Linky

I signed up for May Flaum's & Nic Howards, Double Take class at Big Picture Classes the beginning of May and am just getting around to doing it!   Two-Pagers are not my usual go-to style, so in the spirit of challenging myself to expand my creative horizons, I thought this would be a fun challenge to take on.  I completed two vacation layouts in the past couple of days, using the sketches from class.  I really love that I was able to incorporate lots of photos, because I took about 500 on this mini-vacation and printed about 330 of them.  I NEED to incorporate lots of photos.  :)    

I am also participating in SoapHouseMama's , Layout Love Linky , to share our latest unblogged layouts.  :) 

So here goes: 

That is all I can share for now... I have a couple more layouts that I created for Creative Scrappers, but I can't share those until the July reveal.  :)  Speaking of Creative Scrappers and reveals, tomorrow the new sketch + Design Team "A", will be revealed first thing in the morning! Just read that the July Sponsor is My Creative Classroom -- they have some awesome classes!  Be sure to check it out and play along with us! :)

Pinterest Inspiration

Do you ever feel like you are stuck in a scrapping rut?  Do you ever feel like you are sort of doing the same thing over and over and your layouts are looking very similar?  Not that there is anything wrong with repetition and process, unless you are feeling bored with it.  I was feeling this way and wanted to try some new techniques and sort of break out of my comfortable little scrappy box.    So, what did I do?  Went to Pinterest, of course,  in search of inspiration!  

I have been on pinterest awhile and LOVE it!  The problem is that I pin all these great ideas, but don't often utilize the ideas.  I challenged myself to find a layout that inspired me and scraplift it.  

I found this gorgeous layout to scraplift:  I did a little research and found out it was created by Spica.  You should go check out all the lovely layouts on her blog!  She is a very talented scrapper indeed! 

What I love about this layout is the twine used sort-of-like a clothesline, with all the fun embellishments hanging off.  I have had these tiny clothes pins in my stash awhile and could never really figure out a way to incorporate them in my layouts.  Plus, I have had this same chipboard collection by My Minds Eye that I couldn't seem to find a good spot for either.   Bonus!  Inspiration and Stash Busting!  ---You know how I love stash busting! :)  ---
Here is my pinterest/scraplifted layout:

Overall, I am very pleased with how this turned out.  It felt really good to get out of my comfort zone.  It did take me a little longer than most of my layouts, but well worth the extra time spent.

If you are feeling in a scrappy rut, I encourage you to head to pinterest and find a layout that speaks to you... and don't just pin it... lift it!  :)

Good News & Layouts

I got the job!  The interview went well and I really liked the principal and vp.  We hit it off!   Come to find out, the school I will be teaching at is the same school my mom went to all through elementary school.  Kind of full circle, don't you think?  :)

Thanks to everyone for the "good luck" wishes and prayers!  I appreciate you very much! :)

I have a few layouts to share today.

This first one was based on Shimelle's latest starting point.  I love these photos!  That make me laugh every time I look at them!  

I am starting to work on pages from our Road Trip earlier this month.  We were gone 5 days and I took almost 500 pictures!  LOL!  All of those won't end up on a layout more than likely! :) 

My last layout to share today.  This is still Day #1 of our last Road Trip.  I have never really photographed food, but I think I will do more of it!  I really like how this layout turned out! :)   This is my sketch challenge #10 entry for ACOT.

Thanks for checking out my latest!  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Mother's Day -2012

A new layout using Shimelle's Sketch of the Week.   I used some Basic Grey papers from the PB&J collection which came in my June kit from Cocoa Daisy.  The floral accents are Sassafras Lass Foldies cut apart to work with my design. (I LOVE these!)  The alphabet came from Target, can't remember the manufacturer.  The red and white chipboard buttons are from Jenni Bowlin... I have had these in my stash forever!  I loved them and didn't want to get rid of them, but I never could find a good place to use them.  Now I have!  So glad I kept them all these years!  LOL!

*Side note:  I have a job interview in the morning for a Kindergarten or Third Grade teaching position.  Interviews make me nervous!  Ughhh!  Keep me in your prayers and feel free to share any interview advice! :)

Shimelle's Starting Point Layout

A new starting point from Shimelle, yippeee!  I love these challenges!  Here is a photo of Shimelle's starting point and a link to the original post.  If you haven't participated in one of these challenges... you should really give it a try!  It is fun and a great creative-muscle stretcher!  :)

Here is what I came up with:

These are photos my sweetie took during our Pre-K Graduation Ceremony.  It was a bitter-sweet event.  Sweet. because I loved seeing all my students celebrate this milestone.  Bitter, because it marked the end of my time with this group of students, who I came to love like my own.  They don't prepare you for that during college! :(  I was surprised by my own emotions!

Most of the products I used on this page are from Sassfras Lass (Cherry Delicious, Ellie"s Tale, Count Me In, & Paper Crush Collections), which sadly is no longer in the Scrapbook business.  I believe they are designing fabric now?  Anyway, I stocked up on their products awhile back and now I am taking Shimelle's wise advice to "use it while you love it." No hoarding! :)

Ray of Sunshine: Start-to-Finish

I really enjoy watching videos and reading blog posts that feature start-to-finish projects.  Other than Shimelle, (of course!), one of my new favorite creative-process bloggers is Ashli Oliver (www.purplemailbox.com).  Her start-to-finish posts never fail to inspire me and teach me something new. I love her artsy style! Check her out!  

Anyway, I love that there are bloggers who are not afraid to put their selves out there and share their creativity.  I want to be like that.  So, I hope you enjoy viewing the creative process of my "a ray of sunshine" layout. 

 Caran D' Ache Neocolor II Watersoluble Pastels, are the bomb!  I just added some color to the top portion of the pastel container (scribbled on it!) and mixed in some water.  I get the brush saturated with the watercolor and splatter it at a diagonal  across the page.  Note:  The water will cause your cardstock to buckle a bit.  That doesn't bother me too much, because I know once it goes into it's final resting place (album) it will flatten out somewhat.  If this really bothers you, you could use watercolor paper as a base.  It is just a little more expensive.

I have had these AC Dear Lizzy rub-ons for several months and decided to either use them or loose them! I just started randomly adding the rub-ons to the edges of the paper.

 I overlapped them and angled them in three different spots around the page.  This is my "visual" triangle... so far.  You will see at the end of this post, that a lot of the rub-ons end up getting covered up some.  That is okay with me.

 I found some coordinating papers (most are from the AC Dear Lizzy- Neapolitan Collection) and started cutting some rectangles in different sizes.  The largest rectangle at the bottom is a cloud pattern on vellum, that piece is going to serve as my anchor for the rest of the layers.  On top of that I created a mat by angling and stacking the other rectangles. Lastly, I use a couple of the decorative-sides of the branding strips to run vertically through and across the other layers to create some balance.

 Added the photo of my precious grand-baby, Emery.  I gave it a white mat, which helps it "stand-out" amongst the other lovely colors and patterns.  Next, I started playing around with placement for some embellishments (Bingo Card and Jar) and cut out some of those darling little vellum clouds.  I move stuff around the page, as I am creating... a lot!  Which is why I only add adhesive to the center of things, that way I can layer and move stuff around pretty easily.

 These are a few things I pulled out of my stash for the "texturing" portion of the layout. :)

 I gathered the lace as I stitched to add a little dimension.

 More adding ...

 and more...

 and more...

 A little subtracting...  I covered up the "Contagious Laugh" sticker, which was VERY stuck, with some Washi Tape, because I decided that this is where I wanted to add my title.  I also removed the "All Smiles" sticker on the Jar embellishment.

 Had to take a lunch break, because I was STARVING! :)  By the way, this is left over Quinoa Tabbouleh, I made for supper yesterday.  It is DELICIOUS and very nutritious!

 Back to creating...  I added a few stickers and my journaling.

Well, that is the final layout!  I hope you found some inspiration!  Thanks for joining me on this creative journey!

Creative Scrappers New CT Members:

I am so excited to be apart of this talented line up of designers! I have long been a follower of the Creative Scrappers blog and am always inspired by the sketches.  It just so happened that the timing was right, (school let out for the summer) so I applied and was thrilled to receive the email asking me to join the team! Thanks Kristine Davidson! :)      

Olga Heldwein - Poland
Jenny Evans - USA
Ana Castro - Brazil
Véronique Gagné - Canada
Stacey Apps - Australia

Katarzyna Grzegorzewska - Poland
Helen Tilbury - South Africa
Michelle Buijsman - Netherlands
Anna Komenda - Poland
Debbi Tehrani - USA

Elisabeth Bakken - Norway
Deanna Misner - USA
Marilyn Rivera - Puerto Rico
Elena Olinevich - Belarus
Keren Tamir - Canada

Sil Barros - Brazil
Kathleen Skou - USA
Chiqui Gutierrez - Philippines
Tracee Provis - United Kingdom
Rita Ribeiro - Brazil

Vanessa Gaultier - France
                   Kelly Shults - USA    <-------  That's me! :)
Heather Leopard - USA
Marie-Josée Hamel - Canada
Kristine Davidson - Canada ( Coordinator )

Scrap Stash Buster -Part 2

We just got back from a mini vacation and although I tried to get these completed (Scrap Stash Buster) layouts posted before we left, I simply ran out of time.  Such is life. :)    

You can read all about how I challenged myself to use up the majority of my scrap stash here.   Overall I created  13 layout bases using up the scraps in my overflowing scrap basket.  Even though I have been super busy, I managed to complete the rest of the layouts in a couple of days.  When I had a few minutes free, I used that time to add photos, embellishments, and journaling.  I also worked on more than one layout at a time.  Which is new for me.  I found that while I had my embellishments/ letter stickers out, it was pretty convenient to add a little something here and there to each of the layouts I had in progress,  and since a lot of the layouts had some of the same colors/patterns/etc. the embellishments would work for more than one layout.  It was a big time saver, since I didn't have to pull out the embellishments over and over to coordinate with each layout. 

In my original challenge, I said that I had to use everything I create, like it or not.  Well, there was one layout base that I got a little crazy with the stencils and spray inks.  It didn't end up as a layout, but I used some of my punches and created lots of little embellishments for future projects.  So, it didn't go to waste! :)

I am very happy with all the layouts I created and about using up what was in my scrap basket.  I even rewarded myself with a few new supplies!

Without further ado, here are the final seven layouts: 

*  This was my favorite layout of the bunch!  I challenged myself to use some of my unloved, barely used stamps, watercolors, embossing powder, and a few odds in ends that have been sitting in my embellishment drawer for too long.    

A parting note:

I tend to over-think when creating, so this process and my time limitations really helped me to just do it and not put so much thought into every single detail, like I normally do.  It was a very liberating and time-freeing process.  I encourage you to set some limitations and force yourself not to over-think the creative process.  Just let your whim and intuition take over.  You may not love the final product... but then again you MAY! :) 

Scrap Basket Buster Challenge

 

My scrap basket was overflowing. (This photo is an older one, because I failed to get a before photo of my scrap basket.  So, this photo doesn't really do it justice.)  It was literally overflowing with gorgeous patterns and colors!  All this scrap goodness was making me feel guilty.  Yes. Guilty.  I hate to see all these lovely papers go unused and unloved.  

Part of my problem is TIME.  I am sure many of you can relate. :)  I just don't have a ton of time to scrap.  Plus, I am a very slow scrapper!  I needed a more expedient method of using up these scraps.  Something I can do in small increments of time.  For me, the fastest part of creating a layout is getting the paper layered on the background.  Also, I can do this in short spurts of time.  The slowest part for me is adding photos, embellishments, journaling, etc.  

So, I issued myself the following challenge:

• Create as many layouts as possible, using up these scraps.
•  No new papers, other than full sheets for the backgrounds.
• Add photos, journaling, and other embellishments after I have created base layouts.
• Whatever I create (like it or not), I must use it somehow!
• Tools are okay.

Some of the tools I used.

It took me about a week... a few minutes here and there, to create the following 13 layout bases.

( *I failed to get a before photo of these two "blank" layout bases)  

This is what my scrap basket looks like now:

I used at least 3/4 of the scraps in my basket!  I am so proud and feel so much better, knowing that I am not wasting all this pretty paper!  Plus, I have 13 new layouts which means I can tell 13 new stories!  Whoot! Whoot!

Below are 5 of the completed layouts, using the scrap-bases:

I got these layouts done in two days, a relatively short time span for me.  I will share the rest of my layouts, as I complete them. 

Final Thoughts:  I really like this method of scrapbooking!  It works for me.    If you are short on time and have an overflowing scrap stash, this might work for you too!  Why not give it a try? If you do take the challenge on, I would LOVE to see what you create!  

Please share a link and comments are always appreciated!  :)