Best. Mascara. Ever

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

More Bird Crazy Cards

Does anyone else make cards but then not send them?  I've been a little bit obsessed with making cards with the Bird Crazy stamps - but I am bad about sending them!  Another item to hoard?  Hopefully not!

I have been using up tons of tags that I made when I was practicing a new technique.  I didn't want to throw them out, but I wasn't sure how to use them on a card or project.  May Flaum (www.craftwithmay.com) to the rescue (again).  I took the "Camp Scrap" classes this summer, but didn't get through all of the lessons until now (she provides a lot of content!).  Some of the lessons in the technique section focused on getting those tags used.  So I am feeling good about getting them onto cards.




Having all of the painted tags on hand and ready to go, makes the card background come together really fast.  I tore 6x6 paper pads for the middle layer and picked a coordinating paper for the background (then adhered to a pre-made white card from Michael's).  The birds take a little more time, but are so much fun to make it seems easy.  The birds all have 3 dimensional pieces (wings, eyes, beak, accessories) which really make a huge difference with the final product - hard to see from the pictures I took.  

Hope you can have some fun making something today!

Leslie

Monday, September 21, 2015

Stencils & Spray Mist

It's been fun pulling out messy products and just playing.  I did not have a plan when I started, so I was happy when this turned into a completed layout!

I used Heidi Swapp stencils and sprayed Dylusions spray mist and crossed my fingers that it wouldn't get everywhere!  It has a little messy (or should I say, "artsy") look to it.  After I added the paper strips and stickers, I intentionally splattered a few drops of the blue ink to tie it all together.

It was a pretty quick and simple layout, but I am pleased with the results.




Hope you can play with some artsy items today!

Leslie

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Joined the Crazy bird craze

So I resisted those darn Tim Holtz "Crazy Bird" stamps for like a year (Ok, so they probably didn't even hit the shelves until January 2015... but it felt like forever) and then they came out with accessories for the birds and I couldn't resist any longer.  The birds are just so cute and fun to color and stamp and "accessorize!"




I happened to have some hot pink crepe paper strips on my desk and it just screamed to be made into a tutu for the bird.  I was hand cutting the birds, but there was a die set for them and my sweet husband encouraged me to get it - what a difference! (Yay Stamp Asylum for always having just what I "need").  The detailed cuts are awesome.  I can't wait for the die set to come out for the accessories - I'm still cutting those out by hand (balloons, hat, present, flowers, hearts... bunny ears, paint brushes, candy canes etc!).

I need to figure out how to make cards in a more standard fashion so that each card doesn't take me hours to make!  Each piece was pretty fast to  make, but I had a hard time figuring out how to put it all together!  I think I've got it now.

Now I see why everyone was blowing up the internet with "Crazy Bird" images!

Hope you can get crazy today!

Leslie

Friday, July 17, 2015

Monochromatic

Well, I'm not sure if this is technically "monochromatic" - but it was inspired by a prompt from CampScrap (www.CraftWithMay.com) by May Flaum.  (Have I mentioned how much I like her style of video, her layouts and her willingness to just go for it?)

I chose a neutral background and then used scraps of green and brown papers ( either from 6x6 paper pads or literally from my scrap bin) and made this two page layout of one of our trips to Acadia National Park in Maine.  One of my favorite places in the world!  I added wood veneer birds and buttons to add a little interest.  I kind of forgot to leave room for my journaling, so I hid it in a pocket behind a picture.  I could have done some stitching to add some texture, but I decided to go with simple instead! (read: lazy)




It's a fairly simple design, but I am pleased with the results.  

Hope you can take it easy (be lazy) today!

Leslie

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

A little sparkle

My son had the opportunity to travel to China with a friend (and his family)  three summers ago.  I haven't quite finished these layouts because I want to confirm the journaling with my son.  I know I want to write about the unusual things he ate (and liked) and some of the more personal stories from his trip.  So I have left a large journaling block to accommodate that story.  I scrap-lifted this layout from May Flaum in one of her classes.  It works really well for a lot of pictures and/or journaling.  You can just make the center block an embellished title and that works well too.


This next layout is also about his trip.  I used gold paint with a stamp to create a background and then I cut the butterfly images from a piece of scrapbook paper.  I added a little stickles to the butterfly wings to add a little sparkle and a few sequins too.




I just need to add the journaling and they are done!

Hope you can create something with sparkle today!

Leslie

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Summer Fun

I've been having fun playing with lots of different techniques - spray misting, stenciling, layering, watercolors - you name it.  The trouble with having such a plethora of techniques on the brain is that sometimes it is hard to settle down and just pick one to focus on!  I get stuck staring at the papers and pictures imagining all of the different possibilities and therefore, get absolutely nothing accomplished.  I need to learn to just pick one and move forward and not look back!

Here is a summer layout I did about one of our excursions in Boston.




I love the bright summer colors and had fun mixing in some watercolors in the background and some stencils with Tim Holtz distress inks for some texture.  I layered papers (mostly from my scrap bin) and even did a little stitching on the page.  Glued down and done!

Hope you can move forward with a project today!

Leslie

Friday, June 26, 2015

Feeling Artsy

I don't think "artsy" is a word, but I'm using it anyway.  I enjoy trying different techniques for my scrapbook layouts.  Sometimes I like clean and graphic layouts and sometimes I want to go for a more messy, creative look (a.k.a. "artsy").  I have been following Missy Whidden's blog (http://littlenuggetcreations.blogspot.com) and love her designs.  This is my version of her style:



Watercoloring the background (with the "smoosh" technique - paint some leftover plastic packaging and "smoosh" it onto your background), stenciling, stamping, layering papers and adding lots of embellishments - so fun to make!  Sometimes getting messy helps get the creative process going.  So if you haven't gotten your fingers inky or your desk splattered with a little paint recently - give it a try.  Go ahead and get a little "artsy" - haha.

Hope you can get messy today!

Leslie


Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Motivated (again!)

I ran into a fellow crafter at Stamp Asylum, my favorite LSS (Local Stamping Store... as close to a Local Scrapbook Store as it gets these days) and she remembered me from the class we took and mentioned that she follows my blog.  Er, um... well followed it when I was updating it.  She inspired me to get back to blogging.   I'm having difficulty logging in to my Google circle account (too many user names and passwords!) but will link to her blog as soon as I figure out how to do that!

I have been busy crafting - just not taking pictures and posting.  So, with the sun finally appearing in Texas, and some new motivation, I went outside today and took lots of photos of my scrapbook layouts.  My goal for this year is to use all of this technology to connect with some new crafty friends (and maybe inspire my old creative friends to come back to the dark side and craft with me!).




I used a kit from The Scrap Room and a few goodies from my stash.  I painted the wood veneer citrus slice and the arrows in bright orange, pink and yellow (Tim Holtz acrylic paints).  The words were cut from a Bella Blvd paper and I backed them with teal paper to  make them stand out a bit more.  Just a little bit of journaling and a few paint splatters and it was finished!

Hope someone inspires you today!

Leslie

Saturday, April 25, 2015

A Series of Fortunate events

I can not multi-task (apparently no one really can) because I have quite a few layouts from February that, not only did I create, but I photographed and uploaded to the computer, but since I loaded them onto Flickr for the LOAD challenge, I forgot to put them on my blog as well.  Lately, I have been cranking out layouts, but haven't managed to photograph them, so they too have not made it onto my blog.  I can only handle one technology at a time, haha.  Oh well.  I have made progress on that front, so I guess I will just keep trying!

This layout was from the February LOAD challenge, which was to create a layout from a book title. My daughter actually helped with this one.  And although this is a very well know story among the family, it is not one that I had ever scrapbooked.  Love that this story (how my college roommate and I married brothers and live near each other and have kids that are cousins!) finally got a layout of its own.


I love using my kits from the Scrap Room ( www.scrap-room.com ) because they always seem to combine papers that I like together.  Although I admit on this layout I cut strips and used both the front and backsides of the papers and mixed and matched them, so it may not really be recognizable - which is another reason I like the kits.  They can be used with the included recipe card or used as a starting point and everyone's layout is going to be completely different.

I hope a "series of fortunate events" occurs for you today!

Leslie

Thursday, April 16, 2015

A Do-Over!

For some reason this layout gave me trouble.  I think I got stuck on wanting to use the paper, embellishments, and ticket stubs (ephemera - the "fancy" scrapbook term for all the memorabilia we collect on trips) and couldn't seem to get it all to balance.  I actually re-did one of the pages after I had decided it was done because it was just bothering me.  Not sure if it really made a difference, but it made me feel better.  So now it is officially done and I'm not changing it.

Can you spot the differences?



I added the teal background on the left hand page and added touches of it on the right side.  I felt like it "tightened" it up and balanced it better.   Probably not a big deal either way, but it made me feel better to "fix" it.

Hope you can be balanced today!

Leslie

Monday, April 6, 2015

Connections

It's funny how once you start thinking about a word, it seems to pop up everywhere.  I've been thinking about connections and how it seems that we all have a drive and a need to make connections - with the past, with each other and maybe even future generations.

It's one of the reasons I enjoy scrapbooking.  I can connect with my own family and our stories, but I can also connect with other people and enjoy finding out their stories.

I'm taking (another) class from May Flaum on making vacation albums.  It's been a really great class which has sparked some fun ideas.  This is a layout which captured a lot of pictures from our day trip to Florence and came together pretty fast.  It's definitely inspired by one of May's layouts.


I was able to crop a lot of the photos without compromising the image and fit a ton of photos on the layout.  I'll probably add a little journaling along the bottom, but the title kind of says it all!

Hope you can make some connections today!

Leslie

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

The Best One Ever!

Okay, so it is not about the best scrapbook layout ever (although, I do like this one), it is about the best husband ever!  The other night he (out of the blue) stood up and grabbed one of my old scrapbooks out of the bookcase.  We sat together and looked at pictures from 2002 and 2003.  It was so much fun to reminisce over the pictures, the stories and the memories!  I read my little snippets of journaling and was reminded of so many experiences.  I was so glad to have the books.  And I didn't spend anytime critiquing my scrapbook "style."  I enjoy making the pages, I love looking through the books, and I really love sharing them with other people.  I don't love every layout, but I love being able to jog my memory with all of the stories and people that appear in my albums.

So this layout today is for my cute husband!  Thanks for reminding me why I love to scrapbook and for always giving me "encouragement!" and support.


Hope you can share your stories with someone today!

Leslie

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Springtime!

The weather if finally getting back to a more "normal" range for this time of year.  Sunshine and warm winds.  My kind of weather.  I haven't been posting here because of spring break and upon our return, pure laziness left over from vacation mode!  I have been creating lots of scrapbook layouts and playing with some new techniques.  Now I just need to photograph them and post about it!

I created this layout for the LOAD (Layout a Day) challenge in February.  I think it was a color challenge - Madeline colors - blue, yellow and white.  I am going to use this as a cover page for our 2012 trip to Europe - 17 of us family members and extended family traveling together.  A great trip!




I am usually a two page layout person - except for title pages in my albums - but I do enjoy making single page layouts.  I find it easier to layer and cluster embellishments on a single page.  Limiting the selection of product to three colors for the challenge had me putting lots of different items together but it still felt unified because they were all related by color.  It was fun to pull out old items that had been in my stash for a long time (such as the buttons, epoxy stickers and flower chipboard pieces) and pull them together for a layout.  I love getting the pictures onto a page!

I hope you can think about sunshine today!

Leslie

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

A dog's life

I recently had to say goodbye to one of my dogs.  I knew it was coming sooner rather than later, but even so, it seemed sudden and traumatic.  She was my dog and she had eyes only for me.  So I am sad.  Especially at meal time.  She never missed a meal and made sure I was putting dinner out for all of the dogs precisely at 7am and 5pm.  I keep forgetting to feed the other three now that she is not here to remind us!

One of the layouts I did for the LOAD (Layout a Day) challenge in February (and I missed the 28 complete layouts in February by a mile... but I did maybe 14 layouts... a little more if you count a two page layout as 2... so I am really happy!) was about my dogs and how we ended up with four.  So glad to have this story recorded.


Our theme for this day was to be inspired by a fairy tale.  Okay, so I twisted it a little.  I couldn't really get into the fairy tale motif, so I made it a "Furry Tail" instead.  Having this challenge inspired me to produce a story based layout (starting with the story I wanted to tell rather than documenting an event that happened) and made me glad to document the reason we are crazy enough to have four (sigh, three) dogs!

Hope you can share a story today!

Leslie

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

What, me worry?

So my youngest is learning to drive.  We haven't had much time to practice yet, but she has her first drive time with a driving instructor this weekend.  I'm not sure who will be more scared - my daughter or the instructor!

The challenge for this layout was to use a large photo with small/ limited text to convey the story.  I found this photo from a trip to Colorado and paired it with a more current photo.  I think the story is self explanatory!


I'm not sure if you can see her face as she is "driving" the car, but it is pretty priceless.  Hopefully she won't be looking so anxious when she is driving for real! (Or maybe a little anxious is good).

I think I will go back to the layout and add a little journaling to tie everything together, but overall, I like the layout and the story.  I would not have documented these events in this way without the LOAD challenge.  So fun to stretch myself out of my "usual" style.

Hope you can stretch yourself today!

Leslie

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

A little late

So I am a little late to call this a Valentine's post, but I am going to do it anyway!  Better late than never I think.  This layout was in response to a color challenge as part of the LOAD (Layout a Day Event).  The colors we were supposed to use were red, black and white.  I added pink - since red and white make pink... and some grey... you know it counts!


I liked how the black background I was using as a backdrop (to photograph my layout) looked, so I ended up going back and trimming the layout down on the left and bottom and adding a strip of black.  Having a specific color scheme in mind helped me pull the colors from my scrap bin and helped keep the layout looking coordinated.  The layout came together really quickly and reminded me that scrapbooking doesn't need to be complicated or take a long time.  It is just important to get the memories down and the stories recorded. (It is also nice to have a really BIG stash of stuff to pull from... and I do have a big stash of goodies!!!)

Hope you can squeeze in a few minutes to do something you love today!

Leslie

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Juggling

I've been creating scrapbook layouts like crazy (one a day - really!) because of this awesome challenge I am participating in (LOAD 215 with Lain Ehmann).  I don't know why it is so motivating, but it is.  I'm having fun stretching my creativity and telling stories in a new way.  Juggling different color combinations, themes, and styles helps spark new ideas.

Here is a layout I did (ok, so it is not quite finished... journaling to happen later) for a challenge relating to "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" - which I interpreted loosely!




I will be journaling for "The very hungry Boy and the Best Time ever" about our food adventures in Istanbul and France as we dropped him off for school.  He is an adventurous eater - and it is nice to capture that story.

Hope you can juggle some new ideas in your head today!

Leslie

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Down for the Count

So I experienced a little food poisoning Thursday night.  I was down for the count.  In bed for 24 hours.  No food.  Teeny, tiny sips of waters.  No television.  Nothing.  Just down.  But, somehow, when it was over, I just popped back up feeling great.  Go figure!  Silver lining:  I will try and use this as motivation to be healthier and more motivated to exercise - I do not want to be sickly if I can help it.

I've missed a couple of my daily LOAD (layout a day) challenges due to the sickness... but this was one I did using a quote from the book The Secret Garden.  I really like how this one came out. It didn't photograph very well, but you get the general idea.




I had all of those butterflies in a dish on my desk from various projects, experiments and general leftovers - it was fun to put them all on the page.  They are all different textures, styles and colors and yet by having the common element, it all seems to work together.

Hope you can put it all together today!

Leslie

Thursday, February 5, 2015

It's all about the story...

Well, I have made it to day 5 on my LOAD (Layout a Day with Lain Ehmann).  So inspiring to get a daily prompt and then "have" to upload the image to the Flickr group by 10pm.  Somehow the idea of a deadline makes me stop procrastinating and forces me to just tape it down!  (Reminds me of those college English papers I procrastinated until the deadline was upon me!)

Here is the layout I did for day 2 - inspired (very loosely) by the children's book "Goodnight Moon."


I jumped to this layout about a good night and the story of how this good night almost killed my mother (so much walking to get to the London Eye with a bad heart - who knew?) but in the end led to her finding out about the problem and taking care of it.

Moral of the LOAD challenge so far... it doesn't take much of a prompt to lead to inspiration- and a layout can be done in small increments throughout the day as time allows.  The story and the pictures are documented.  I'm realizing that getting those stories down is what is important to me - I can see the pictures as they scroll across my screen saver or on my apple tv - but I can't remember the stories when I see the pictures that way.  So I'm really happy that I am putting the stories and the pictures together...it's why I still love scrapbooking.

Hope you can document a story today!

Leslie

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

One a Day

So I have signed up for (and started) participating in Lain Ehmann's LOAD (Layout a Day) challenge for the month of February.  Yup.  A Layout a DAY!!! That will be 28 layouts in February if I make it through the challenge.  It is totally motivating (uh, for the two days I have participated) and helps me actually complete layouts.  What I really love is that it is focused on stories - not just making the photos look pretty (although, of course we do that too!).  This year the theme for the month is Childhood stories - I've loosely interpreted the prompts, but I have told two stories that might not have been recorded without this challenge.

It is really fun!  I think it is inspiring because not only are you getting new ideas from the prompts, but there are hundreds (yes - there are still scrappers out there!!!) of people participating and encouraging you.  I'll keep you posted as the month goes on.  It is a bit of a marathon and not a sprint... so we will see if I can keep it up as the days continue.

Here is the layout I made for the first day:



Here is hoping you can get your "one a day" task done - no matter what it might be.

Leslie

Monday, February 2, 2015

Messy

So the latest trend in scrapbooking is "mixed media" art - don't get me wrong - it has been around for a long time, it is just now trendy with products marketed just for mixed media art and art journals.  And while most of us have been mixing plenty of mediums already (stickers, ribbons, paint, spray mists etc) I'm defining this as more textures, more layers, more of everything!  Products like gesso, texture paste, gel medium and so forth are used on canvases and scrapbook layouts.  It's messy.  And creative.  And fun.

The key lessons are:  It is ok (and in fact preferred) to make a mess.  And, Don't give up, just keep going!  

I really enjoyed to process of making this image.  I did end up using it for another sympathy card.  The lighting is not great, but here is the card I made with my "mixed media" art.


There are a lot of layers and textures to this card.  I did not have a plan when I started the project - I just kept adding papers, paint, spray mists, stamps, texture paste through a stencil and layered on stickers and distress markers. It was fun to create and I was happy with the end result.

Hope you can get messy today!

Leslie

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

With Sympathy

Unfortunately, I seem to be making a lot of sympathy cards these days.  I forget to take pictures of the cards since I am focused on making it, writing a note and getting it in the mail in a timely fashion.  I should probably make a supply so I have some on hand.

This card came together fairly quickly.  I used a stamp on watercolor paper and then used my Tim Holtz distress inks to create a watercolor effect.  I added some stickles for some sparkle on the butterfly and then layered the watercolor paper on a book page.  The sentiment is gold heat embossed and adhered to the background black card stock which was run through my Vagabond machine with an embossing folder.  It is hard to see the texture in the black background, but it is there.



It is hard having to send a sympathy card, but I feel good knowing that I made it with love.

Hopefully this is the last sympathy card I will make for a while!

Leslie




Monday, January 19, 2015

A bit Rusty

I have to admit that I am a bit rusty when it comes to creativity!  I'm just not feeling "in the groove" or confident in my projects... but I have decided to just keep moving forward.  I created a scrapbook layout about our stop in Chartres (ok, so it is almost three years ago now... what?!?) but it's finished and in an album.  The memories are recorded and I am moving on!  I'm encouraged that my next layout is coming together with much less effort and I am liking it better.

Sometimes I think I give up too quickly.  It is certainly true with diet and work out goals - if I don't have instant success, I stop trying.  So my new philosophy is going to be to set small goals and have early success and just keep moving forward.  Baby steps.  So if my scrapbook layouts aren't perfect, I'm okay with it.  I'm just going to keep on gluing... and inking... and stamping!




Hope you can keep moving forward!

Leslie

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Backwards and Forwards

So I took some time off from scrapbooking, crafting, blogging, and general computer activities - I didn't watch videos, listen to podcasts or look at other people's blogs... and I will admit, it is hard to get going again.  And just when I was starting to feel the urge to go get creative, I went to my desk and had approximately 1 square inch of clean space.  Hmm.  Hard to create in such a mess.  So, it being a new year and all, I have made a few resolutions... not that I am all that uptight about resolutions!

Looking backward over this past year, I am excited that I accomplished some "resolutions" from last year.  I started (and maintained) this blog.  As a result of blogging, I felt more committed to producing layouts and cards, and so created a lot more projects in this past year than I expected.  Yay. I also wanted to read more, which I have done.  Another yay.  Not quite so much with the ever present goal of eating healthier and moving more.  I think that gets a nay for the past year... we will keep it on the list!

I've been watching videos of all of the new products coming out at the CHA tradeshow (Craft and Hobby Associaiton) and although I have been better about using supplies I have, I have to admit I am tempted by the new stuff coming.  So cute.  If you want to be inspired to create and want to see some cool new products for scrapbooking, home decor and card making, head to www.paperclipping.com to see the videos they produce about all of the new goodies.  I think their videos are the best (especially the ones with Tim Holtz).

This year I resolve to get creating, get organizing and get healthier!  How about you?





Looking forward to a great year!

Leslie
 
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