Saturday, May 4, 2013

Scrap Around the World

Happy International Scrapbooking Day (ISD)!!!  Hope you get some time to play with paper today!!!



ISD seems like the perfect time to share my entry for the first challenge of the new Scrap Around the World blog.  I am so excited about this new challenge blog.  It has everything I like--international fellowship, a design team I admire, and challenge guidelines that leave room for personal interpretation.

Supplies: blue/brown woodgrain paper by Kaisercraft; orange woodgrain paper by My Mind's Eye; alphabet stickers & grid/latice paper by October Afternoon; Bingo cards & house sticker by Simple Stories; rust-orange paper by Bo Bunny; dotted paper by Fancy Pants; aqua paper by FabScraps; floral paper by Echo Park; journaling card by Doodlebug; decorative scissors by Fiskars; corner punch by Creative Memories; key by Zeus & Zoe; button by Blumenthal Lansing; metal finding by Olla Podrida; decorative tape by 3M; orange paint by Plaid; white pen, white paint, & glitter by Ranger; ink by Clearsnap; stamp by Paper Inspirations; upcycled items: wheat penny, corrugated cardboard,bubble wrap, & book page.

Here is my layout, entitled "Home."  It's part of a new project that I started recently, an 8x8" album with cute photos of and stories about my three cats (RIP).  It's a nice way to remember them.


Above is the sketch for the challenge.  In translating the design to the 8x8" page, I adjusted the proportions of the elements.  It was fun, and I'm enjoying working on this smaller scale.  Most of the photos of my cats are old ones, from before I had a digital camera, and I think this kind of photo works well on this smaller page size.


The little clipboard is a pull-out tab with hidden journaling.  It explains why a simple cardboard box came to symbolize the idea of "home" for my cat, Shadow

Shadow felt a bit confused when she and Scott moved to the Twin Cities.  A few days later, Scott and I got married.  We received a wedding gift from my aunt and uncle, and Shadow immediately jumped in the empty box.  Since she liked it so much, we kept it for her.  It became her special place to sit and rest.  If the other cats were feeling feisty, all they had to do to annoy Shadow was to sit in her box  We brought it with us both times we moved.  For Shadow, the box symbolized home.


The mood board above provided the inspiration for this challenge.  As you'll see from the detail photos below, I was inspired by the colors (turquoise/rusty orange), the wood (the door); the repeated circles (the chandelier), the swirly pattern (the tablecloth); and the overall aged/vintage look.

Let's take a look at a few detail images from my layout: 

Here is Shadow, sitting in her box.  My goodness, you can certainly tell that Scott and I were still students at this time.  Our apartment is furnished in the "early attic style," with cinder block bookshelves and a camp stool as a TV stand.  No DVDs at this time, but you can see our VCR and extensive collection of VHS movies.  :)


I got artsy for this part of the page.  The base is an old book page, covered in acrylic paint mixed with a dash of turquoise glitter.  After this mixture dried, I stamped over it in gold ink.  Then I used a thin strip of bubble wrap to stamp the row of circles.  I purposely chose a book page with the word "box" printed on it, and you can see that I penciled lines around the word "box."  I never miss an opportunity to reinforce a theme.  :)


In this part of the page, I explored the idea of "home," with the house sticker, the Bingo cards, and the antique-looking house key.


Layers, layers, layers.  I even layered multiple pieces of the tape.  This is actually the first decorative tape I've ever purchased--true story!  Up until this point, I had resisted jumping on the washi tape bandwagon.  But then I saw this high-quality tape, made by my favorite adhesive manufacturer, 3M/Scotch.  So, now I own my first roll of decorative tape, and I love it.  :) 


Layers, layers, and even more layers!  The 8x8" album I'm using doesn't have page protectors, so I don't have to limit the height of my pages.  I'm enjoying that.  :)

Thanks for stopping by my blog to take a look at my layout.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

 

22 comments:

Unknown said...

I love what you've done here Denise! I'm so sorry I'm behind with my blog reading. I've had a faulty internet connection for 2 months now so once I've done my DT work that takes not 5 times longer there's no room for browsing :( Amazing page though & thanks so much for playing & supporting my site - so glad you like it!!

Elisabeth Sarkis said...

Uauu..love it, beautiful wor Denise
xoxo

Dawn said...

This is a wonderful page; so many fantastic little details and layers and I love how you've carefully selected all the elements around your theme. I also have a book dedicated to my cat - it is a great way to capture and remember their personalities and all their little quirks :)

Hugs, Dawn

Leonie said...

Hello Denise, thanks so much for taking part in our inaugural challenge at SATW. Fabulous paper layering on your layout. :)

Angi Barrs said...

Fabulous! I love the heart on the house!

ANUPAMA CHOUDARY said...

Love your layered page, Denise. The woodgrain pp looks perfect. Adorable picture of your cat. Thank you for taking part in the May challenge at Scrap Around the World!

Darnell said...

What a lovely memory book you've made about your cats, Denise! I enjoyed going through the process in your post ... especially the bit about the cinder block bookcases - us, too!! Oh, those were the days!!

Paula said...

What a fabulous take on this challenge! I love your mix of colours & your layering! :)

Mary Jo said...

What a great page!
And I love the story behind it :)

Eila Sandberg said...

Ha ha I can totally relate to that box! exactly what our Alice does too, HER box! lots of thought gone into all the wonderful details, love the idea of your album. Thanks a bunch for sharing your page with us at SATW!

juscrap said...

Hi Denise! Gorgeous page! Thanks for playing with us at Scrap Around The World.

Cathy said...

Hi Denise, love all the details in your layout. I've never done scrapbooking so it was fantastic to see how you put yours together. Love the story about Shadow, when we got our kitten the owner handed us her favourite box too!! Cathy x

Keren Tamir said...

fantastic Denise!! love your take on the challenge both in the sketch and the moodboard!! thanks for joining us at SATW!!

Naiara said...

Beautiful works.
Congrats!
Kiss

Inkyfingers said...

This is so creative Denise and I love how you homed in on each area to show us your process. Great use of washi tape too. You've almost persuaded me to get a first roll too!

Svjetlana said...

Gorgeous page Denise, lovely take on the challenge!

Bellaidea said...

What a great take on our SATW challenge! Well done, thank you!

Denise van Deventer said...

Great layering and details! Love the photo of your kitty too in her beloved box! You did a great job with this page....fabulous!

Jessy Christopher said...

I love going thru ur details and how u used the mood board as ur inspiration. Amazing. Thanks for playing along at SATW!!

Christin aka Umenorskan said...

Great take on the challenge. Thank you for playing along Scrap Around the World.

Jules the Bling Princess said...

Thank-you for joining us at Scrap Around The World. Your mood board inspiration is awesome!!! And I adore the topic - such a gorgeous kitty.

alexandra polyzou said...

beautiful page!!!!Thank you for taking part in the May challenge at Scrap Around the World!!!