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

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

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

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

Hoarder's Hump Day

I wasn't planning on doing another Hoarder's Hump Day this week but as I was putting this page together, I quickly realized that's what it was becoming.  All of the bits and pieces that make up this page are things I've been stashing away for far too long.  The brown buttons are even ones I held onto from a sweater I had to trash long ago!

I'm not sure how happy I am with the outcome of this page but I still like it enough to call it finished.  Part of me wanted to keep adding things to make it more eccentric but I didn't want to distract from the photo too much.

Sometimes less is more.

Since it is a Hoarder's Hump Day and I'm mostly trying to use up as many random things I have in my collection, there's really not a ton that i can identify on this page but I did my best sleuthing to figure out what I could!  At least for once I know where the papers came from!

Identifiable Elements:

• Orange butterfly paper- Hey Day collection by Studio Calico
• Lettered paper- Melon Ball collection by Colorbӧk
• Orange leaf paper- Melon Ball collection by Colorbӧk
• Layered stickers- I Love Family collection by Echo Park Paper Co.
• Camera paper- I Love Family collection by Echo Park Paper Co.

Perfect Paper, More Perfect Photo

This page was difficult to photograph because of the absolutely beautiful paper that I used for the background.  You can almost see that it has a glossy emboss and is slightly iridescent in way where it can be either white or light pink depending on how the light catches it.  I thought it would be perfect for this photograph because it is one of my favorites of my grandparents and I from when I was little and it matches perfectly.

I tried to use the tan paper to make sure that the photo really stood out and used minimal embellishments for the same reason.  The only thing I'm considering adding is to this is the year it was taken in if my mom remembers since there wasn't any date on the back.

Unfortunately, I don't know who makes the paper since I got it from a massive clearance pile awhile back but I've listed below the parts that I do know.

Identifiable Elements:

• Beige enamel tear drop shapes- Enamel Shapes by We R Memory Keepers
• Light blue framed stickers- Watering Can Label Stickers by October Afternoon
• Embossed flower stickers- by Vintage Blue
• Textured tan cardstock- "Neutrals" collection 8x8" by DCWV
•  Letters- Marquise Pearl Letter Stickers by Thickers

Stepping Outside the Comfort Zone

This page was a bit of a challenge for me because I decided to try and not cut any straight lines out of paper for it which seems like it would be easy, but often times I find myself defaulting to using that technique for creating geometric interest in a page.  I also decided to force myself to use my least favorite paper out of the Melon Ball collection that I am very fond of.  That being said, I warmed up to it once I saw my finished product and I really like how the page turned out.

The colors on this page aren't perfect matches for each other but I actually think that enhances the aesthetic of it as a whole.

Sometimes pushing yourself outside of your norm can have incredible results.

Usually pages don't take me that long to create because I have a vision going into them but this one took me longer because I kept having to check myself to keep from falling into typical habits.

The photo of my grandma and I looks wonderful with the colors of this page.  I'm very pleased with how well it stands out.  I love it.

Identifiable elements:

• Background paper- Melon Ball 12x12" collection by Colorbӧk
• Lettering- Chaos & Confusion Collection Green Alphabet Cardstock Stickers by Three Bugs in a Rug
• "Lace" stickers- Pretty Part Border Stickers by Crate Paper
• Butterflies stamp- Papillon Potpourri by Stampin' Up!
• Butterflies ink- Cherry Cobbler by Stampin' Up!

Scrap Our Stash September Challenge

Now that I'm back I'm excited to take on some new challenges but first I thought I'd go back to a challenge blog that I always enjoyed and undertake the Scrap Our Stash challenge for the month.

This month the challenge is to use a grid layout and transparency.  Lucky for me my last trip to JoAnn's yielded some transparent papers on sale!  I used the black dots one and in all honesty, while this is my first time using them, I'm in love.

I kept the grid them with the squares and the background I made.  I'm really proud that my squares I cut actually turned out to be square (I'm not always the best at lining my papers up on the cutter)!

I had a little bit of trouble getting my camera to "see" the lettering, but I promise, it's there!

Play along with me at the Scrap Our Stash Challenge blog!

Identifiable Elements: 

• Background paper- The Color of Memories by American Crafts
• Transparent polka dots by- "Raven Dots" by Bazzill Basics Paper
• Black flowers- Jolee's Boutique
• Black embossed swirls- Jolee's Boutique
• Gray embossed cardstock- Two Scoops collection by Bazzill Basics Paper
• Tan cardstock- Neutrals cardstock stack by DCWV