Warming Up to Yellow

As I've mentioned multiple times on this blog, yellow is my least favorite color by far.  That being said, I think this page might be slowly changing my mind.  I'm still trying to cut back on the massive amount of scrapbooking stash I have and decided to go a little crazy with the yellow flowers on this page.  I really like the way that they ended up looking.

I think being able to bring some black into play (which is one of my favorite colors) helped me tone down the yellow and endear me to it more.  I think it also gives the page a bit more dimension than it usually would have had.

Identifiable elements:

• Flowers- Textured Elements by Petaloo
• Cameras- Rub-Ons by Hambly Screen Prints

Hiatus is Over

I really didn't mean to get as far behind with this blog as I have but I suppose that's just life.  I'm back (hopefully for good this time) and I made this page in celebration.

This page was really fun for me to make and I really like how it turned out.  I had fun using papers I love and getting to use some of my stash at the same time.  For awhile I had felt fairly uninspired but after my unintentional break I got some of my mojo back.  Plus, with it being as dreary out as it is this time of year, the bright colors really cheered me up.

Identifiable Elements:

• Background paper- "Mayfield" by Studio Calico
• Letters- Alphachips by Me & My Big Ideas

Hoarder's Hump Day

Not much has changed since this photo was taken.  I still prefer sleeping surrounded by too many pillows and blankets.  This is a Hoarder's Hump Day of me trying to use a bunch of stickers and buttons that I've had stored away for way too long.

I think the page turn out slightly lack luster but I also think it serves it purpose.  I try not to stress  too much over Hoarder's Hump Day pages since the main goal isn't to create the most beautiful art in the world but more so to keep from being wasteful and the like.

I did get to use some new thickers though so that was exciting.  I love when I get to use glitter to make a page sparkle!

Identifiable Elements:

• Blue patterned paper- "I Love My Family" collection by Echo Park Paper Co.
• Border stickers- "Pretty Party" collection by Crate Paper
• Green glitter buttons- Favorite Findings by BlumenthalLansing Company
• Thickers- Alpha chips by Me & My Big Ideas

Cold Turkey

Today's Cold Turkey was a time crunch one.  I ended up not getting as much crafting done as I had anticipated this last weekend but I didn't want to fall behind on my Christmas cards so I threw this one together with a bunch of scraps I had around.

There's not much else for me to say about it.  I like it alright but it's definitely not anything special.  The one solace I have is knowing that I at least finished SOMETHING and was able to use up some scraps so as to not add to my already too large hoard.

Cold Turkey

This was a fun card for me to make because I wanted to experiment using negative space and punching out shapes on a larger color block.  I had fun strategically figuring out where to punch the diamonds out on the red part.

I also got to use some letters up that I'd had for awhile but hadn't been using.  I like that the card overall doesn't seem too cliche as a Christmas card.  I usually don't even like red and green together but I'm trying to use the combo some for the season.

This card was pretty quick but with Christmas fast approaching I don't think that's a bad thing!

Hoarder's Hump Day

My mission to thin out everything I've been hoarding for far too long continues!  This page was the last of the yellow alphabet that I have always loved but now I am left with a random assortment of letters that can't be made to spell anything useful so it is time we parted ways.

The page itself is a little bland but that's bound to happen when I'm working with parts of my stash that are more than out of season.  The colors for these pieces were hard to match since they were slightly "off" of just about all of my newer elements.

I'm not really sorry to see any of these bits go.  There's a reason that they haven't been used yet.  That being said I'm pretty impressed with the way this page turned out.  I don't dislike it despite the fact that I tend to dislike these colors and the style.

Identifiable Elements:

• Border stickers- "Pretty Party" collection by Crate Paper

Cold Turkey

I decided to go for yet another Christmas Card avoiding the green and red scheme and upped the ante by trying to use a blue for the base of the card that I usually under any other circumstance would deem to be more of a summer shade than a winter one.

I tried to tone it down a little by using the navy blue paper which I also knew would look good with the navy in the Merry Christmas sticker.  It needed some more umph (it wouldn't be my card without it) so I used a gold foil heart and some pearls to give it texture and shine!

I really love how it turned out and I can't wait to send it off to some lucky person!

Identifiable Elements:

• Navy paper- Modern Graphics collection by Cricut
• Merry Christmas sticker- Sleigh Ride Combo Stickers by BoBunny
• Pearls- Adhesive Gems in Fall Harvest by K&Company

Go With the Flow(ers)

I'm in love with this page.  It started out just as an adventure to use the background paper since I've decided I would like to get rid of the small filing drawer I have a lot of my paper in.  It's heavy, hard to open, and difficult to see what I have.  I could just take the papers I have in there out but I think it would be wiser to try and actually use what's in it first.

To compliment this page I happened to pick up these canvas flowers on a whim just a few days ago.  I had no idea at the time how great of a purchase they would be!

I don't have much to say about this page.  I just really like it and I think that speaks for itself.

Identifiable Elements:

• Background paper- The Color of Memories by American Crafts
• Gems- Bucket of Bling by Horizon Group USA
• Flowers- Petaloo
• Letters- "Summer Fresh" collection by Simple Stories
• Block words- "Summer Fresh" collection by Simple Stories

Cold Turkey

Back when the old version of this blog was up and running I did something I called "Cold Turkey" where I made it my mission to make some Christmas cards throughout November so I wouldn't feel as rushed come December.  I decided to do it again this year and plan on posting a new Christmas card every Tuesday and Thursday this month (except probably Thanksgiving itself since that just feels wrong).

To start it off I decided to make this Christmas card which I was simple and quick to make (I'm travelling out of state this weekend so I've been spending today mostly packing).

I love when I'm able to avoid making your typical green and red Christmas cards which is what I enjoy about this one as well.  

Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with this venture throughout the month and be all ready for December!  Wish me luck!

Identifiable Elements:

• Merry Christmas sticker- Sleigh Ride collection by BoBunny
• Rhinestones- Adhesive Gems by Simply Creative
• Brown paper- Neutrals card stock stack by DCWV

3

For the next three days since it's finally Halloween week I've decided to post some of the cards I've made for my department.  I am attaching candy to all of them and leaving them on their desks for a happy Halloween surprise!

I've had a lot of this Halloween themed paper and embellishments for quite some time but unfortunately I don't have very many photos from Halloween to use them with.  These cards are a good way for me to use some of my favorite spooky things and know that some one will appreciate them!

Fast Card Friday

Today's card was a super fast card that I honestly made just to get rid of the last little bit of twine ribbon that I had left.  I've had it for years and years and was sick of looking at it.  I kept holding onto it for the "right moment" but that never came so I decided to force a "right moment"!

The rest of the card was super simple, just stamping thank you and punching out some cute hearts.  I think it turned out nicely and it suites the fall season well.  Of course, it wouldn't be one of MY projects without some bling.  

Not only did I get to use my twine but I also was able to use scrap paper that I unfortunately can't identify.

Identifiable Elements:

• Tree paper- "I Love Family" collection by Echo Park Paper Co.
• Thank you stamp- Wacky Wishes by Stampin' Up!

Heavy Weight

Today was a day that was a test of my adhesive abilities.  I bought these cool bows not long ago without fully taking into account how large and heavy they were.  It took  a lot of glue dots and a lot of patience to get them stuck down for good (hopefully).

Since the bows were so thick I tried to keep the page from getting to massive.  I didn't want to add 5 lbs. to my scrapbook just for one page!

Luckily, I feel that the paper, enamel stickers, and light weight Thickers were able to give the page enough interest without me have to add to much to what was there.

Identifiable Elements:

• Background paper - "Newsprint" from the Classic Calico Collection by Studio Calico
• Enamel dots - Enamel Dots by We R Memory Keepers
• Bows - Ribbon Trim Bows by Santoro London
• Thickers - Here + There by American Crafts
• Torn papers - Modern Graphics Deluxe Paper by Cricut

Fast Card Friday

Today's Fast Card Friday truly was fast.  I used all pre-made pieces and was able to slap it together quite quickly!  I thought this would be a good card to use as more of my friends are taking major steps in their lives with getting new jobs or buying their first houses.

The other great thing about this card was that I was able to use up the last of a rhinestone sheet and the last of these pink flowers which means my goal of clearing my stash is even closer to being completed!

Because of this goal I unfortunately can only identify one piece of this card but at least it's one of the important bits!

Identifiable Elements

• Pink flowers- Paper Shapes in Gerbera Cotton Candy by Bazzill Basics Paper

Make It Work

Today's page inspiration came from a set of border stickers that I've had for quite some time but always found an excuse not to use.  I decided that today would be the day I would use some of them and find a way to make them work!

It really was a struggle for me to find paper and other elements that I found "match".  I've not been as on board with the eclectic style that I have seen a lot of lately in the scrapbooking world so it was difficult to remind myself that things don't need to "match" in order to "match".  (Do you think I've said the word "match" enough there?)

I don't hate the way this page turned out so that in and of itself makes this venture a success.  I was also able to use those bright blue letter stickers that I've deemed to bright to use on multiple occasions.  The page isn't too fancy but it turned out better than my negative attitude going into it had expected.

Identifiable Elements:

• Background paper - "Record" by Studio Calico
• Yellow flowers - Burlap flowers by Petaloo
• Blue pearls - Double Dot Jewels by BoBunny
• Yellow paper - "I Love Family" collection by Echo Park Paper Co.
• Red paper - "I Love Family" collection by Echo Park Paper Co.
• Border stickers - Border Stickers from the Random Collection by Crate Paper

Meh

I'm not too pumped about this page but after staring at it for way too long, walking away from it, coming back to it a few days later, staring at it some more, etc. I felt it was time to just call it done and good enough.  I need to allow myself some "bad pages" or else I will go absolutely insane.

The goal I had set out with in mind for this page was to use some of the these quote stickers that I had had stashed away for quite some time.  I've stock purchasing quote stickers recently because I always find it difficult to match the quotes with appropriate pictures.

In that sense, this page isn't a failure, though I wish I could've found a way to give it a little more "umph" but I was feeling uninspired.

Some pages won't be as good as others and that's okay.

Identifiable Elements:

• Black flourishes - Rub On Borders from the After Five Collection by Kaiser Craft
• Quote stickers - "ChitChat Stickers" from the Chalk Garden collection by Three Bugs in a Rug
• Hexagon pattern paper - I Love My Family collection by Echo Park Paper Co.

Float On

Today's post was a fun relaxing one to do that let me use a background paper that I had been dying to find the perfect picture for.

I love the way that this paper looks with the photo of my dad and I paddle boating at one of my grandparents' friends' house back in the day.  The colors match perfectly!

I started realizing that I don't have a ton of photos from my childhood left to scrapbook so I might have to raid my mom's stash when I visit them at Thanksgiving.  These pages are always some of the most fun for me to make and I'd love to have more old photos to work with.

Identifiable Elements:

• Background paper - "Somewhere in Time Passage" from the Somewhere in Time collection by BoBunny
• Enamel hearts and circles- Enamel Shapes by We R Memory Keepers
• Large letters- Summer Fresh collection by Simple Stories
• Small letters- Summer Fresh collection by Simple Stories

Fast Card Friday

Today I was inspired by the most random thing possible.  I was looking through some of my font stickers and noticed I was running out of these red ones so I decided to try and figure out what I could spell with them.  When I realized I could spell "Good Luck" I knew I had a Fast Card Friday on my hands.

To make the rest of the card I sprayed some distressing ink, punched out some cute ovals, and slapped on some rhinestones.  It truly was a fast card AND it had the added bonus of letting me use up some of the pieces I'd been meaning to.

Luckily I have friends who are constantly growing as people and taking on new endeavors so I know this card will be put to good use!

Identifiable Elements:

• Distressing ink- Pinstripe by Mister Huey's Color Mists
• Oval paper- I Love Family collection by Echo Park Paper Co.
• Rhinestones- Adhesive gems by Imaginisce

Hoarder's Hump Day

Today's hump day was definitely needed.  I'm still trying desperately to get my craft room organized and part of my biggest problem is the sheer volume of stuff I have to find space for so I figured the best way to solve that problem would be to just use it all, right?!

I have a TON of journal note cards which I honestly know I will never use for their intended purpose so I took some and punched all of these pretty flowers out of them.

I also got to use more of the transparent paper that I used for a SOS challenge last month and I only have a little left so thankfully that'll be gone soon too.  Since this is a true Hoarder's Hump Day I unfortunately can't name many of the bits that I used for this page.

Identifiable Elements:

• Background paper- American Crafts
• Transparent paper- "Raven Dots" by Bazzill Basics Paper

Glitter Gone Wild

Today's page really tested my patience to make.  I impulsively decided to cover a majority of a piece of plain blue card stock in gold glitter to make a cool looking pattern, but I didn't totally think it through.  Not really a total shock given my personality.

While the glitter background turned out really cool, it presented a massive problem in which I couldn't get anything to stay glued to the glitter.  I ended up lightly scraping away some glitter to get glue and mini glue dots to stay attached to the page after trying multiple other techniques (I almost resorted to gorilla glue but wasn't sure how that would affect my photographs).

Despite the fact that this page took me literal days to make when most of my pages require about a quarter of that effort.  I really think it looks cool.  I'm not entirely sure how well it'll hold up, but we'll see.

It really should be used for a Hoarder's Hump Day since I can only identify one element in it but at the effort equated to the page being more than that.

Identifiable Elements:

• Jewels - Jewel Borders by Forever in Time Paper Craft Collection

Fast Card Friday

The dreaded orange felt is back.  I promise there's not much of it left. Sorta.

Once again, this was a quick card that I slapped together.  It was for a friend of mine who was kind enough to send me a gift card to Meijer after I found out I am a celiac a few months back and needed to get all new (more expensive) groceries.  

There wasn't much time for digging through embellishments so I used some unlabeled orange glitter glue (it was a gift, I didn't buy any shady black-market glitter glue) to add some more texture and dimension to the piece.

Glitter glues really emphasize the handmade element of cards that I love.

The base card is from a really old (I'm talking YEARS) card kit.

Identifiable Elements:

• Orange paper- the "Melon Ball" paper pack by Colorbӧk
• Tree paper- "I Love Family" 6X6 Paper Pads by Echo Park Paper Co.

Couldn't Wait 'Til Wednesday

This page probably should've been saved for a Hoarder's Hump Day but I'm just too proud of it to wait!  I'm super excited that I got to use the custom Thickers of glitter that I had originally made for a different page.  I had ended up not using them because I didn't think they worked but when I found these photos and realized the phrase and the date were right I immediately knew I had to work with them!

Lots of times I find myself trying to steer away from red and especially yellow so I'm really proud of myself for embracing this background paper.  I'm surprised at how much I ended up loving it!

I used a lot of things I'd been hoarding so unfortunately the pieces I can identify is limited.  It's my goal to eventually pare down my stash to only things that I name but I believe that's just a pipe dream at this point.

Identifiable Elements:

• Background paper- School Days collection by Bazzill Basics Paper
• Rhinestones- Adhesive Gems by Simply Creative
• Custom thickers- DIYthickers in Shoebox by American Crafts

There's a First Time for Everything!

Today I decided to use a paper collection that I've been neglecting.  I used to use this set frequently but since I've restarted this blog I hadn't used it once.  Surprisingly, I still have a lot of it left (probably too much).

The reason I used to use these papers a lot was because I was in love with the color combos and I must say, I still am.  They were difficult to photograph but I just blame that on the lack of even natural light I get in my place.

The buttons on this page were a bit of a challenge for me mentally because I found myself constantly wanting to line them up or group them in sets of three but I forced my brain to work outside of it's usual tendencies and I'm very pleased with the results.

Sometimes I have to remind myself to try new things and that's okay.

I'm proud to say that this is the FIRST page I've ever made that I can identify ALL of the elements!  Good thing it's Saturday because I think that deserves a glass of wine in celebration!  Cheers!

Identifiable Elements:

• Buttons- Favorite Findings in Violet Glitter by Blumenthal Lansing Company
• Phrase stickers- Stickers by Momenta
• Letter stickers- Chaos & Confusion Green Alphabet Cardstock Stickers by Three Bugs in a Rug
• All papers- Fresh Linen collection by Colorbök

Fast Card Friday

This Fast Card Friday only happened because I realized I might actually start needing baby cards.  I've never really had a need as I hardly know anyone having kids but I was at work one day and we were talking about how it seemed like we had so many pregnant coworkers giving birth recently and I decided I might want to have some cards on hand for that.

I luckily have some paper die cuts of baby related things that my mom gave me from her old Creative Memories stash.  I used the purple booties to start because I thought they were really cute and I really like purple.  A lot of this is random stuff I had stashed away.  It was really quick to throw together and I already have a potential recipient!

Identifiable Elements:

• Backround paper- Kraft Classics paper pad by SEI
• Rhinestones- Adhesive Gems by Simply Creative

Hoarder's Hump Day

Although I'm not a huge fan of the page today, it feels really good to get rid of some things that I've been holding onto for way too long.

For this page I was able to use some of the red letters that I was running low on and have had for years, as well as the die cut flags from some old Stampin' Up! kits.  I like the design I came up with but I feel like it still might need some sprucing at some point down the road.

All things considered I think this page served it's purpose and I couldn't as for much more than that. 

Identifiable Elements:

• Background paper- Kraft Classics paper pad by SEI

Unique as a Unicorn

As much as I love this unicorn I'd been hoarding I just had no idea when I'd ever use him.  Luckily I found the perfect opportunity today and he finally is getting the recognition he deserves!

This lovely photo was taken of me as a child after a fall rain and the raincoat I was wearing gave me all the inspiration for this page.  It also made me think that I might want to start wearing more pink now (maybe, I'm still not sold on the idea).

Matching my photos to my pages is one of my favorite parts of scrapbooking.

Surprisingly, I actually can identify a lot of the elements on this page, despite the fact that it was yet another effort to purge my collection.  That in and of itself is quite the achievement!

Identifiable Bits:

• Textured paper rectangles- Two Scoops Cardstock by Bazzill Basics Paper
• Background paper- "Today" from the Recorded collection by Webster's Pages
• Wood paper- Wild Card collection by BoBunny
• Yellow letters- Summer Fresh by Simple Stories
• Pink rhinestones- Adhesive gems by imaginisce

4 Photo Frenzy

I've noticed that not too many scrappers seem to be doing 4 photo layouts without cropping their photos but I have a lot of pages that I need to get done that'll fit that description.  Today's page is one of them.

Most of these photos weren't super croppable (I'm making that a word now) so I decided to embrace it.  I used a heavily patterned paper for the background so that I could have visual interest without piling too much on and making the page heavy.  

I refuse to crop my memories for aesthetics.

I added a few finishing touches with the chipboard and rhinestones (because I can never have enough bling).  Unfortunately, a lot of this page came from my stash with no name.

For such a fast page to put together this turned out to be one of my favorites that I've done in awhile!

Identifiable Elements:

• Sticker letters- Summer Fresh collection by Simple Stories
• Rhinestones- Adhesive Gems by Simply Creative

Fast Card Friday

Today's fast card is fast in that it doesn't take long to put the pieces together but it does take a bit of time to dry.  I still consider it fast because without drying time it only took me about 10 minutes to create.

This card was fun to make because I tried out something different with glitter glue.  I lumped a whole lot of streaks of glitter onto the white piece that I had stamped flowers on then unleashed my inner toddler and smeared it with my fingers to get them to mix together.

Finger painting is just as fun as an adult.

I got a little messy myself but I think the otherwise clean lines of the card balance out the visual interest of the glitter.

Unfortunately the blue and green glitter glues had no label as I won them from a contest many years back.

Identifiable Elements:

• Flower stamp- Secret Garden by Stampin' Up!
• Birthday stamp- Bring On the Cake by Stampin' Up!
• Ink- Basic Gray by Stampin' Up!
• Gold glitter- Glitter Glue by Studio G
• Green paper- Neutrals cradstock stack by DCWV
• Rhinestones- Adhesive Gems by Simply Creative

Let's Get Sketchy

I decided to take on another challenge today since I wasn't able to on Sunday (I was adventuring through a seemingly impossible corn maze).  The challenge I chose is from Let's Get Sketchy where they give you a sketch and you create your page around it.  I made the following page from their sketch which I decided to take a loose interpretation of because often when I see a sketch I find myself trying to copy it exactly instead of letting my creative juices flow.

This page was pretty fun to make though I had to resist the urge to add excessive bling like I usually do.  I liked getting to use multiple patterns and play around with their positioning

It was a fun page for a fun photo and I really enjoyed making it!  I especially enjoyed getting to use the unique buttons I found at a flea market (they seem more practical as scrapbook embellishments than actual buttons).

Identifiable Elements:

• Torn papers- Modern Graphics Deluxe Paper by Cricut
• Small letters- Summer Fresh collection by Simple Stories
• Background paper- "Garden Bench" from the Miss Teagen Sue collection by Bazzill Basics Paper
• Large letters- Summer Fresh collection by Simple Stories

Hoarder's Hump Day

Today's Hoarder's Hump Day mostly focused me scrapping photos that I've been hoarding rather than elements.

The photo for today might look very plain but it is a photo that I took to send to my boyfriend (at the time) when I went with his roommate to look at the house they'd all be renting next year and help him move in (the other guys were coming later that summer).  This house ended up being one filled with great memories and this photo reminds me of that exciting time of new adventures.

Sometimes it's the "random" photos that hold the most memories.

Since this photo isn't as visually exciting as most I didn't want to overpower it with a crazy page.  I tried to keep everything simple like it is.  I think I accomplished that (probably to a fault, but oh well).

Identifiable Elements:

• Flowers- Blossoms in Orange by Queen & Co.
• Background paper- "Melon Ball" collection by Colorbӧk
• Worded paper-"Melon Ball" collection by Colorbӧk
• Green paper- Neutrals cardstock stack by DCWV
• Rhinestones- Adhesive gems by Imaginisce

Glitter Problem

I'm surprised that I don't regret created this page despite the fact that my work space now has glitter that I'm sure I'll be finding months from now.  I had so much fun creating the the circles in the background.  I covered parts of them in glue then dumped the glitter on.  no special technique to it!

I had to keep myself from going too far with the glitter.  I almost used glitter lettering as well but luckily I talked myself out of it and went for some classic white instead. 

Glitter addiction is only a problem if you let it be.

I've never been a fan of the color yellow so I wanted to bring out the accents in the background paper without resorting to using more true yellow.

I also didn't realize that this was holiday paper until I cut off the label!  I just love the way the blues mesh with everything.

Identifiable elements:

• Background paper- Sleigh Ride collection by BoBunny
• Gray paper- Neutrals card stock stack by DCWV
• White raised heart stickers- Lovely Hearts by Sticko

Can I Legally Marry Paper?

I was so excited to make this page because I got to use some of the paper from a collection of 6x6" that I fell in love with awhile back.  The Wild Card Collection by Bo Bunny speaks to me on an emotional level that I can't explain (maybe a little dramatic for paper but I don't care).

I loved cutting out the fun shapes and mixing and matching them to get just the right balance.  I also got to use some cream colored ribbon that I have a surplus of but never get around to using.  

Overall, I absolutely love how this page turned out and I really enjoyed making it.

Finding geometric balance on a page is one of my favorite things to do.

Identifiable Elements:

• Patterned papers- Wild Card 6x6" Collection by Bo Bunny
• Enamel hearts and circles- Enamel Shapes by We R Memory Keepers
• Ribbon- Grosgrain Ribbon by Stampin' Up!
• Lettering- Marquise Pearl Letter Stickers by American Crafts Thickers