Boom!

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Hey there. Writing up a short post today to share a LO I made using a sketch by Laura Whitaker for ScrapMuch?


The photo I chose has my son looking up towards fireworks. I flipped the sketch upside down, so I could create exploding fireworks in an upward motion. To keep them from 'floating' on the page, I wove some twine around, then under the photo, continuing to the bottom of the page.  I wanted to add more color to the page, so I layered up the bottom strips a bit more. A few small clusters of embellishments and sentiments about the page and that's it. 


This is the only photo of just the 3 of us form this trip to Disneyland. It was a very long and unseasonably cold day. But how can you say it's time to go just as the Fireworks begin? The answer is you can't. And although he was much more interested in watching than taking the photo (as he should be), it's meaningful just the same.

Thanks as always for stopping to look at my creative view. There is more coming this week, so stop back again soon.

Supplies: PP-stickers, washi-Bella Blvd, bling-Freckled Fawn, enamel dots-MME, silhouette, pen-EK Success, Souffle



3 Friends

Monday, February 23, 2015

Well hello there. It's Monday again. Time for a new sketch reveal at Let's Get Sketchy.


I liked this one. But if you know anything about me, I don't always play by the rules. I felt like I had been using a lot of circles lately, so I changed it up using a triangle cut file created for Paper Issues. The general idea of the sketch is there, just with a different shape and a vertical photo instead of horizontal.

These are two of my friends from high school. We try to get together when I am visiting my family near where they live. I just like that after so long, and years not being in touch, that we can still call each other friends.

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. There is always more to share, so come back again soon

Supplies: CS-Bazzill, PP, flair, die cuts & stickers-Basic Grey, sequins-Michaels, wood pieces-Gossamer Blue, alphas-Simple Storeis, Freckled Fawn, mist-Studio Calico, Heidi Swapp, Silhouette, cut file-Jennifer Chapin for Paper Issues.  

In a Class of your own

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Good morning! It's Die Cut Saturday over at Paper Issues. Did you know that at least once a month a new FREE cut file is available in the Paper Issues shop? This week, Jennifer Chapin created an awesome file thatI know I can use multiple times.

When I first saw it, all I could think about is Big Bird singing the alphabet song. I didn't create around that this time, but I know how I will use it in the future. Today, I made a school themed page. I cut the file as an 8x8 stencil, and used it to create a mask for the background of the page. I kind of like how the mist is heavier and lighter in places. It looks like the letters are floating. The rest of the supplies are all from the Simple Stories Smarty Pants Collection which you can find in the Paper Issues store

My son is in a special education class at school. This is his most awesome aide. She is one of the best he's ever had. I love that they were captured working, and that he looks like he is paying attention. She is a big reason why he has made progress and continues to do so. I also love that all of these supplies enable me to add my sense of humor about him onto the page as well. 

I wanted to play along at Boys Rule this month. I was happy to be able to use their sketch for this LO. Again, I made it work for me by using one 4x6 photo, instead of 2 smaller ones. 


Check out the other inspiring work created by the incredibly talented Paper Issues Design Team on todays  Die Cut Saturday blog post. And remember, you can save 20% on your order in the Paper Issues shop by using coupon code BEACHGAL at checkout!

Supplies-CS-Bazzill, PP-Stickers, brads- Simple Stories, enamel dots-MME, Basic Grey, cut file-Jennifer Chapin for Paper Issues, silhouette, Mist-Tattered Angels, ink-colorbox, pen-EK Success


Love Bug

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

I'm back. I keep saying I have lots to share...I guess I'm living up to that this week.  Today, Paper Issues Product Spotlight is Crate Paper's Kiss Kiss line.  I received a few pieces in a page kit I got at my LSS, so I decided to play along.

I don't usually work with pastels, let alone lovey-dovey themed papers, but I really wanted to try. I am thrilled with what I came up with. I did have an ulterior motive, I really wanted to use the ladybug! Over the past year, I have taken several great selfies with my younger son. He loves looking at the phone camera super close up. This was an opportunity to use one that showcases his incredibly silly grin as he clings to me playfully, as he often does.  I've always called him my little love bug, (as well as many other names too)


The XO paper is awesome. Especially for a photo of hugs. I used a lot of the "together" and generic heart type embellishments that came in the package. I love the darker very with the pastel pink and of course, the gold.  I needed a little contrast so I threw in a bit of mint green. 

The design is inspired by My Scraps & More sketch #99. I chose to layer and stagger embellishments and matter the photo on the larger heart, instead of using banners.  

As always, thanks for stopping to look at my creative view. There is still more to come this week, so come back again.

Supplies: PP & die cuts-Crate paper, sequin heart-Maya Road, Vellum & ladybug-Paper Issues Swag Bag, epoxy-Freckled Fawn, Stitch template-American Crafts-Washi-MME, alpha-Webster's Pages, thread-DMC, Mist-Studio Calico, Heidi Swapp, Silhouette

Want these products? Use the code BEACHGAL for 20% off your order at Paper Issues!



Puppy Love

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Well hello there and good Tuesday to you. 

It's Devra today, and I'm sharing another layout I did for the current Issue "Hip to be Square". 

Nope, there aren't a lot of squares here, except the 12x12 foundation cardstock. I did use quite a bit of the Feb Swag Bag to create the layers. Let me tell you, those precut 3x4, papers and all the little bits of joy sure make it easy to create with ease. It all goes together! I literally dropped the pretty paper heart confetti onto the page and stuck them down where they landed.


I also used some flair by our sponsor A Flair for Buttons,  Want to get some flair of your own? Use the coupon code IHAVEISSUES15 for 10% off your flair order until the end of February.


I knew when I saw these Studio Calico Wood Veneer that the holes were there just for me to sew them.

How perfect is that flair in the middle of those Freckled Fawn Wood Alphas?


If I were you, I'd head over to the Paper Issues shop RIGHT NOW to get your hands on some of these  goodies. There are so many new items to play with. And to help you out, use the code BEACHGAL for 20% off your order

Other supplies: CS-Bazzill, Wood banner, epoxy stickers-Freckled Fawn, mist-Tattered Angels, Heidi Swapp, thread-DMC












We are....

Monday, February 16, 2015

Oh hello! I have been waiting, and waiting for today! It's not only time for a new issue at Paper Issues, but my first time contributing!  Now that we've got the excitement out of the way, the new issue is called It's Hip to Be Square, sponsored by A Flair for Buttons

There are so many ways to use this, but I wanted to highlight the flair. I went with squares, as well as the hip and trendy bits aspect by using the ombre paper, clustered embellishments, sequins and of course, the flair. I began with a 12x12 square base.  I was happy to find a way to use the slide transparencies, and even more thrilled when I found some square sequins! How does the flair fit in? Well, when working with so many straight lines, I needed some visual interest. The flair and their happy colors and sayings were perfect for that.


This is my very bestest BFF and I. We met for lunch at our old stomping grounds. Back in high school, we could only have a coke, so now that we could, we had a beer with our lunch. Not just any beer though, a Dos XX. And we laughed and laughed....Basically this page is a tribute to our friendship, filled with humor and making fun of ourselves, as we've done as long as we've known each other. 

Here are some suggestions on how to use It's Hip to Be Square:

Use 3x3, 4x4, 6x6/8x8/12x12 paper, photos and other square elements use a grid design, use paper that has squares on it, favorite room in your house, quilt-like patterns, show off current scrapbooking trends (chevron, bokeh, woodgrain, arrows, etc.), square dancing, square root, baked goods because bars, brownies, etc. are cut into squares, city block, square brackets, square knot (scouting or boating), game boards like chess, checkers, Scrabble (and online variations), a square meal, use A Flair for Buttons products

New to A Flair for Buttons ? Learn more about them here:
A Flair for Buttons on Facebook
A Flair for Buttons on Pinterest
A Flair for Buttons on Instagram
A Flair for Buttons on Twitter
Shop A Flair for Buttons on Easy
A Flair for Buttons blog

A Flair for Buttons is generously offering a discount for the remainder of this month.  Use the coupon code IHAVEISSUES15 for 10% off your flair order until the end of February.



One more thing. One of our super talented team members created a Free Cut File!

Remember, Paper Issues always has the newest scrapbook supplies. Use the coupon code BEACHGAL for 20% off your order.

Supplies:-PP, Diecuts, & stickers-Basic Grey, Alphas-American Crafts, Basic Grey, Flair-A Flair for Buttons, sequins-Michaels, stamp-Freckled Fawn, ink-Memento

Back to the Future

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Since I have so much to share, I thought I'd write two posts today. So if you are looking for today's Picture This reveal, please go HERE

Now for this week's challenge at Red Carpet Studios. We are asking you to create a project inspired by The Movie My Fair Lady, with the added required elements of it being girly with lots of layers.


Well, this was a nice treat for me. I do buy "girly" product, in the hope that I will have time (err, make the time) to do more pages about me or with me in them. I do love pink things, and shiny things. I just don't get to use them that often.  

You want girly, I can do girly. Any excuse to use this paper collection that I love. I grabbed some of the neutral as well as colorful papers and just started layering them until I got a look that I liked. I ws so happy to be able to use flowers, that I challenged myself to use the largest die cut in the group. It was perfect for the lower corner. Two smaller embellishment clusters and done. It was easy and fun to  put together, not to mention to play with these supplies.


This is a photo of a long lost friend of mine. We met when we were 6 years old, stayed friends throughout high school, even after she moved away, then lost touch. This is one of the rare cases when I can say, thanks to Facebook, we recently found each other. While on vacation last summer, we met up, and caught up, and reconnected. I thought this title was perfect to reflect this. 

Thanks for taking part in the journey through my creative view. Come back again soon, there's a lot going on this week.

Supplies: CS-American Crafts, PP, Die cuts, stickers & brad-Basic Grey, washi-Freckled Fawn, alphas-American Crafts, Basic Grey, enamel dots-Doodlebug Designs, bling-Queen & Co, mist-Heidi Swapp


Mom's "helper"

It's a double post day today. If you are looking for today's Red Carpet Studio post. please go HERE

It's time for a new challenge at Picture This. This time, there are only two required elements:
3 photos + vertical placement

I actually found this to be an easier concept to tackle. I use a vertical placement often, with varying numbers and sizes of photos.  Now I just needed a design nudge so the page didn't look like some of the others. I went to the Get It Scrapped template archive and found this sketch from the 3 Acts Scrapbook Coach class.  I flipped the sketch, resulting in my layout below. The photo quality isn't great. I chose small patterns in primary colors on a neutral background to make them look a little better. The two smaller clusters create a visual triangle. One of the clusters is grounded by bleeding off the edge of the page. The Title cluster is grounded by the small ledge of paper.

I also used the required elements for the current Scrap Our Stash WASHI challenge. I used Washi tape, Alphas, Spray Mist, Handwritten journaling, and inked edges


I found some old rolls of film and had them developed. Only a few of the photos were viable. They were all grainy though. I reprinted these in smaller sizes and the quality improved.  Once again I m reminded of all the ways that he explored his environment. To most people, this is a child getting into mischief. To me, he's learning something new. He's wondering what happens when he pulls the laundry out of the basket. To me it's an opportunity to teach him "give me". To me it's a reminder of how far he has come, how much he has learned. It is also a chance to see what he still likes to do. 

Thanks for stopping by my creative view today. Come back again. There is always lots to share.

Supplies: CS-Bazzill, PP & journal card-Lilly Bee, die cuts-Crate Paper, Lilly Bee, wood pieces, American Crafts, Crate Paper, Wasi-Queen & Co and Bella Blvd, Alpha-Basic Grey, enamel dots-MME, thread- DMC, mist-Studio Calico


Pinspire Me with Paper Issues

Monday, February 9, 2015

Hey there. It's Pinspire Me Monday over on the Paper Issues Blog. Team member Shannon put together this colorful board for everyone to play along with.


And holy moly, I made a CARD! I used several bits from the February Swag Bag. I was also inspired to use the current card sketch  from the Sketchy Saturday Link Party. Do you see those sequined hearts? I love them! They are Maya Road and if you hurry, you can find the gold ones in the shop!


Short and sweet today. But I have a coupon code for you. Go shopping and use this for 20% off your order




I REALLY want....

Hey there and Happy Monday to you. I know many of you don't like Monday's, but I really don't mind them. I have a layout to share that is part of today's Let's Get Sketchy reveal. Here is this week's sketch


Here is my page. I had a little fun with this one. I used larger photos which took up more space. I just made everything a little bit bigger too. I loved the colors of these papers. They have all the colors that are in his shirt. I sewed 2 of the circles and glued some twine into the center. Due to the scale of the rest of the elements, I used small clusters of small embellishments. 


Recently, I found several rolls of film and disposable cameras. I took them to be developed hoping there'd be some hidden gems. Well, there was plenty of grainy photos, but only a few gems. These were some of the ones that I was able to use. This kiddo has loved Cheerios since he could first eat them. Good to know that nothing has changed in the 10 years since these photos were taken in 2005. 

Thanks for taking a look at my creative view today. Come back again. There's lots to share.

Supplies: CS-American Crafts, PP & twine-Doodlebug Designs, stitch template-Bazzill, thread-DMC, clip-Freckled Fawn, Enamel dots-MME, wood veneer-Studio Calico, Basic Grey, stickers-Crate Paper, brad-Simple Stories, Sequins & mist-Studio Calico, Alphas-American Crafts, Basic Grey

Hello Beautiful

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Good morning. There is a new Get It Scrapped article today:  Using modern product to create a layout with vintage photos. For the purpose of this article, vintage was defined as 30 years or older. What??? That means my baby photos fit in this category! 

Ok, well, that made it easy for me to choose the photos. The hard part for me was finding the right papers. Many of the trendy motifs include view master icons and vintage cameras. The photos are losing some of their color, but were still dark in the background. I found using a pastel palette worked for these baby photos to add some focus to the subjects.  The patterns and embellishments I chose are a mix of current trends. Banners, chevron and dot papers are layered multiple times. Wood, acrylic, sequins and flair are used to create the embellishment clusters. These are all supplies I use regularly. I used a bunch of scraps, and kept moving them around to create a layered matte for the photos. I used a strip of paper as a shelf to ground the photos, than added small embellishments clusters around the page.


I wound up hiding the journaling. I wrote more than I thought I would, as different emotions bubbled up as I was working on this. The photos are of my parents and Grandmother holding me at about 2 weeks old. I began to wonder what they were thinking, and if those thoughts were similar to mine when I was holding my children at that age.

Thanks for stopping by today and looking at my creative view. There is more inspiration in the article, check it out and try it yourself.

Supplies: Paper-American Crafts, Carta Bella, Wood-Freckled Fawn, Recollections, sequins-Studio Calico, Hero Arts, die cuts-Heidi Swapp, My Minds Eye, flair-Freckled Fawn, Mist-Heidi Swapp, Washi Tape-My Minds Eye, Studio B, pen-American Crafts, adhesive-EK Success, Recollections



A Mug A Day

Sunday, February 1, 2015

If you are looking for Red Carpet Studios reveal, please go HERE
If you are looking for Picture This reveal, please go HERE

Some of you may remember In October and November 2014, I accepted a challenge from my son regarding our coffee mugs. He asked me one morning why I drink from the same cup everyday. I told him I don't. He then challenged me to drink from a different mug every ay until I had drank from them all. If you know me, you know my answer was  #amugaday #challengeaccepted.

Well, the challenge lasted 32 days, and I took a photo, then posted it to Instagram every morning, using the hashtags above. That in itself is a challenge I beat. (I am not good at photo a day challenges). Most days, I wrote a small description or meaning about the mug.

The following is a mini album I made of my coffee mug collection, using the photos I took during my challenge. It is also the perfect project to feature in today's Paper Issues Swag Bag Sunday.  It came together so easily, thanks to the Paper Issues Swag Bags. I had actually saved most of the pieces from my Oct Swag Bag, when I started the challenge. Pre-cut 4x4 and 3x4 pics of patterned paper? Yes Please!

The pages feature today use pieces from the January Swag Bag. But I have to admit, there are pieces from the October one as well. Like I said, I saved them specifically for this project.

All I did was cut multiple pics of white yardstick into 4x4 pieces.

I inked the edges of the patterned papers to give some definition, then adhered them in slightly different ways to the cardstock.

I used the embellishments included in the Swag bag to jazz up the small pages a little.

Some page have a bit of washi tape added, or a stamp on a plain white embellishment.

The collage featured on the Paper Issues Blog today

Then I put them in this fabulous 4x4 mini album by We Are Memory Keepers, also available in the Paper Issues shop.

Is it super fancy? Nope. But Im not a huge mini album person, and 4x4 is a really small canvas. Simple is the way to go for me in this case.

There is a lot of new merchandise in the Paper Issue store. Head over term now and use the code BEACHGAL for 20% off your order


Thanks for stopping by today and peeking into my creative view. There's always more to here, so stop back again soon

Supplies-Paper Issues Swag Bag, WRMK 4x4 neon album. CS-Bazzill, Washi-Jenni Bowlin, numbers-Freckled Fawn

Minion Mayhem

Please go HERE for Paper Issues Swag bag Sunday post
Please go HERE for Red Carpet Studio post

Happy February and SuperBowl Sunday! It is a busy blog day around here for a Sunday, so I'll try to be brief.  This page was created for today's reveal at Picture This Challenge blog

The requirements for this challenge are: 2 photos + repetition + splatter 


I had to clarify the repetition part. It is repetition of the photo.  This is not something I really do. But, as always, I rise to a challenge and decided on these photos. I took the small one first on my Instax camera, then took a photo of that photo to blow up to 5x4.  Once I began the page, it came together quickly. The design inspiration comes from the Get It Scrapped Clustered Layouts Scrapbook Coach eBook.  I used paper and elements from some Paper Issues Swag Bags, a few extra embellishments and that was it. the splatter part was easy. I do that regularly.  This also works well for the current "Perfect Pairings" link party at Paper Issues.

Thanks for stopping to look at my creative view today. I've always new projects to share, so come back again.

Supplies: PP-BoBunny, Swag Bag, Alphas-American Crafts, Basic Grey, October Afternoon, Enamel dots-MME, Washi, hearts, stars & clip-Freckled Fawn, mist-Studio Calico, Tattered Angels, stitch template-American Crafts, thread-DMC, tag-Jillibean Soup


SnowScape

Please go HERE for today's Paper Issues Swag Bag Post
Please go HERE for today's Picture This post  

Hey there, I'm here today for several Sunday reveals. This first one is this week's challenge at Red Carpet Studios. This week's movie inspiration is Winter's Tale with the challenge to use paint or gesso and a winter theme.

I used to take a lot of photos of my backyard after a snow storm. I wasn't are I would ever do anything with them though. Now that I no longer live there, I have a different perspective.  These are photos from 2010, the last winter in this home, the last photos I have of our snowy backyard. 


I needed a simple design, so I scoured one of my Pinterest boards and found this sketch from Sketch-N-Scrap. I had a few winter themed papers with embellishments making this easy to put together. The doilies liken themselves to snowflakes, working well on the page. I used a small amount of paint, the splatters in the background. I like the contrast of the red to brighten the page. 

I'm glad you came by today to look at my creative view. It's a busy week, come back gain soon

Supplies: PP, Echo Park, Carta Bella, Stickers-Carta Bella, Bling-unknown, mist-Studio Calico, Doilies-BoBunny

 
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