"Fanta"-stic Fun

No one in my family is much of a pop drinker, but we do love pineapple.  Therefore, we got excited when we came across pineapple-flavored Fanta for the first time.  We split one bottle among the three of us, just to try it out, and we liked it.  It was so syrupy-sweet that just 1/3 of a bottle was the right amount. 

Of course I had to save that Fanta bottle cap and do something creative with it.  I decided to make it into a sunflower.  I used decorative tape and twist ties (from bread wrappers) to fashion a stem and leaves for the flower.  It was a fun and symbolic embellishment to use on this scrapbook page about my son's growth in his martial arts class.

Supplies: cardstock from Neenah Paper; alphabet stickers, die cuts, patterned paper, & enamel shapes from October Afternoon; tape from Scotch/3M; decorative scissors from Fiskars; pens from Zig; household mini stapler, paper clip, twist ties, pencil, & bottle cap; sequin from my stash.

There is nothing wrong with your screen.  Do not attempt to adjust the picture... :)  My journaling on this scrapbook page explains: "A. told me I could only photograph his red belt test if I used Photo Booth.  It was fun, and he passed with flying colors!"

Photo booth is a fun app, and I love the silly pictures that it gave me.  My favorite is the one above, where it looks like my son is sparring with himself.  (He told me that's his evil twin.)  I hope that this scrapbook page brought a smile to your face.  :)

Small Business Saturday

Hello, one and all!  It's "Small Business Saturday," a day to promote local small businesses.  In that vein, I want to share with you a card that I made, using items purchased at my LSS (Scrapbooks Too).
 

Supplies: milk cap & tickets from Jenni Bowlin True Vintage; upcycled book page; alphabet stickers from Doodlebug; ribbon from Scrapbook Fantasies; corner punch from Creative Memories; ink from Clearsnap; paint from Ranger; cardstock from Neenah Paper.

On a recent trip to Scrapbooks Too I was overjoyed to find packs of Jenni Bowlin True Vintage milk caps and tickets.  As the name suggests, these are actual antique items.

The book page comes from a reproduction Dick and Jane reader, purchased at my local library's used book sale.  The cute, imaginative illustration was perfect for a child's birthday card.

I think that Small Business Saturday is a wonderful idea, and I'm happy to support the unique businesses in my local area. 

Epic Summer (Sketchbook 365)

I have to say, with a grateful heart, that my family really had an awesome summer this year.  Here is a scrapbook page about all our summer fun.  I used a sketch from Sketchbook 365.

Supplies: background cardstock from Basic Grey; round alphabet stickers from Imaginisce; patterned paper & all other stickers from Lily Bee; Liquid Pearls, Distress Marker, & crackle glaze from Ranger; blue pen from Zig; household pencil; upcycled bottle cap.

The September sketch for Sketchbook 365 has spots for three photos.  I decided that design was the perfect match for a page that depicts the high points of the three months of summer!

Image source: http://sketchbook365.blogspot.com/2013/08/september-sketch-challenge.html

I had a bunch of scraps from the summery Lily Bee "Pinwheel" line that I wanted to use.  They made a colorful, fun background for my photo strip.

The sketch has a lot of negative space in the background.  I used this negative space to list all the fun things that my family did during the summer.  I added subtle journaling lines and "magical" doodled bubbles with a white ("Picket Fence") Distress Marker.

A real root beer cap (from a refreshing summer drink) became a fun page embellishment.  I flattened the bottle cap slightly, using a pair of pliers, and I added a light coat of crackle glaze over the top.

For added sparkle and texture, I also brushed crackle glaze over the round stickers on the page.

I hope that your summer (if you are in the Northern Hemisphere) was epic too!  If you're in the Southern Hemisphere, then I hope that you have an epic summer ahead of you!

P.S.  Denise's green statement: this layout is green because it uses up scraps and incorporates an upcycled bottle cap.

When the Color Room Gives You Lemons...

Last month I had lots of fun making ten projects with my old Bo Bunny Stash (to see them, check back here on September 10 for my Ten on the Tenth post).  With that task behind me, I wanted to make something with my newer Bo Bunny paper from the Trail Mix collection.  I was inspired by this zesty palette from the Color Room!

I used the palette to make this scrapbook page (pictured below), with two "selfy" photos of my husband and me.  The greyscale photo is from last year, and the color photo is from this year.  Both were taken at the Science Museum of Minnesota; the mirrored walls in the paleontology gallery are perfect for taking self portraits.

Supplies: background cardstock from The Paper Company; patterned kraft cardstock from Neenah Paper; woodgrain paper from Kaiser Craft; woodgrain doily paper from Crate; all other patterned paper from Bo Bunny; yellow patterned card, yellow label stickers,  & woodgrain alphabet stickers from October Afternoon; phrase stickers from Simple Stories; vintage playing cards from Olla Podrida; ticket & milk cap from Jenni Bowlin True Vintage; background stamp from Peddler's Pack; gold ink from Tsukineko; black ink from Hero Arts; yellow paint & crackle glaze from Ranger; green paint from Deco Art; pen from Zig; household twine.

I found lots of little treasures to layer under my photos.  Upcycling real vintage items, such as the ticket and playing cards, makes this layout green (eco-friendly).

I couldn't decide which side of this Bo Bunny paper (shown below) I preferred.  So, I tore it into pieces and used both sides!  I also distressed the paper, inked it randomly with swipes of yellow and green (especially along the edges), and coated it with a thin layer of crackle glaze.

Another fun technique I used on this layout was stamping with real plants.  The smaller leaves, which I stamped on the woodgrain doilies (visible to the lower right of the milk cap in the photo below) are from the plant known as Creeping Charlie...

...and the longer stems (shown in the photo below) are from the plant known as Hostas.

Gotta enjoy these plants while they last!  Colder temperatures are just around the corner.  Thanks for stopping by today to view my summery, lemon-fresh layout!

Scrap Africa Sketch #13: Bubblologist

I had so much fun playing with Sketch #13 from Scrap Africa!  I started with some cute photos of my son blowing bubbles, and I let the carefree feeling of the photos guide my design choices.  Did you know that blowing bubbles can be quite a science?  Well, to my son it is.  That's why I named this layout "Bubblology."  :)

Supplies: patterned paper by October Afternoon; alphabet stickers by Authentique; epoxy stickers by EK Success; bottle cap by Bottle Cap, Inc.; orange flower charm by Trinket Foundry; metal flowers from Olla Podrida; watercolor paint by Angora; acrylic paint by Plaid Enterprises; pen by Zig.

I recently received in the mail a package that was padded with oversized bubble wrap.  I used this bubble wrap to print a bubbly background with watercolor paints.  Not only did I reuse this bubble wrap as a scrapbooking tool, but I washed it after I was done painting, so that I can use it again another time.

I also used my watercolors to add freestyle borders and journaling lines to my page.  Then I used the string printing technique with acrylic paint to add some brighter orange lines (in the places on the sketch where the zigzag lines are).  I also used acrylic paint to define the edges of my photos.

Journaling: "Mixing just the right combination of bubble solution is lots of fun.  It's like chemistry, but safer, since it's just soapy water."  :)

When it came to embellishing the layout, I added playful bits and pieces in a variety of textures: epoxy stickers, a bottle cap, and metal flowers.  The flowers are eco-friendly: the orange one was made from recycled metal by a Minnesota artist at Trinket Foundry, and the other flowers are vintage pieces from an etsy seller called Olla Podrida.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today to view my layout.  I hope that the cute photos and playful energy in this scrapbook page brought a smile to your face.

ETA:  I just realized that I posted about Sketch #13 on the thirteenth day of 2013.  Ooh--cosmic!  :)

Authentique Sketch Challenge

Supplies: All papers and stickers are from Authentique.  The corner rounder is from Creative Memories, the pen is from Zig, the ink is from Autumn Leaves/Stampology, and the bottle cap is from Bottle Cap Inc.

The warm smell of banana cupcakes in the oven...the bright sunshine on an otherwise cold February day...the babbling of my little boy's voice...I can still remember this day so clearly.  It was my son's first birthday, and we had a little party for him with his grandparents, aunts, and uncles.  To capture the memories of this special day, I created the above layout, entitled "The Birthday Boy," using a sketch (seen below) from the Authentique Paper blog.

I love sketches with banners!  I chose a denim patterned paper from Authentique's "Genuine" collection as the base of my layout, because the faux stitching along the top and in the upper right corner highlighted the banner.  I trimmed scraps from various Authentique papers (a great way to use up lots of scraps!) to create each of the individual flags in the banner.  I used a regular stapler to attach the flags in creative ways (see photo below).

The zig-zag/chevron fussy-cut paper is also from the "Genuine" collection, and the fussy-cut star-circles are from the "Celebrate" collection.  I used large alphabet stickers from the "Delightful" collection and small alphabet stickers from the "Gathering" collection to spell out my title.  The photo mat and journaling block are both trimmed from "Free Bird" papers.  Below is a closeup of the journaling.

Even though I combined supplies from many different Authentique collections, I feel like all the supplies fit together really well.  And now I have a special page to house a precious photo.  Thanks for visiting my blog to see "The Birthday Boy"!

Both Sides of the Page: Engagement & Wedding

My readers are scrapbookers, so I know they'll understand what I mean about falling in love with a certain piece of paper.  The biggest dilemma comes when you love BOTH SIDES of a sheet of paper.  Which side will you use?  Will you cut it into pieces so that you can use scraps from both sides on a single layout?  Sometimes I do that.  And other times I simply make layouts on both sides of the paper.  This does require me to plan ahead a bit, so that the two layouts are related enough to come one after the other in the album.  But it usually works out just fine.  And I figure it's a little bit "green," too, since it's less wasteful to fully use both sides of the paper.  This is what I did earlier in the year, when it came time to use a sheet of Graphic 45 paper that I loved.  I used one side to write about my husband's and my engagement.  And I used the other side to write about our wedding.

First let's look at the engagement page...

Supplies: page protector (Office Max), background paper (Graphic 45), chevron paper & pink paper (Cosmo Cricket), striped paper (Crate), title chipboard & product packaging (Studio G), decorative chipboard & flagpole (October Afternoon), large & small alphabet stickers (Simple Stories), banner stickers (Lily Bee Design), bottle cap (Bottle Cap Inc.), rub-ons (October Afternoon), faux brads (Candi by Craftwork Cards), decorative stickers (Cosmo Cricket), glitter (Stickles by Ranger), tulle ribbon (Wyla), decorative scissors (Fiskars).

I only had one small photo for the engagement page, but I had a special engagement card, so I decided to make the card the focal point of the page.  I cut down an archival-quality 8.5x11" page protector from an office supply store and used it to house the card.  I also tucked some other, smaller cards and memorabilia in between the pages of the card, knowing that the page protector would hold everything together safely.

The card featured teddy bears and roses, so I carried those motifs on throughout the rest of the page.  I drew my color scheme from Color Room palette #95.  Below you will find a few detail shots.

The black and white bracket peeking out there is trimmed from product packaging.  I've tied some pale pink tulle ribbon through the hole.

It's always fun to create a banner!

OA teddy bear rub-on layered over a bottle cap.

Unusually for me, I journaled in alphabet stickers.  I used rub-ons to note the year (1997).

The butterflies are stickers, and I gave them bodies made of Stickles.

Whoah!  Went a little old-school and broke out the decorative scissors.  They might actually be from 1997.  :)

On the other side of my beloved Graphic 45 paper, I wrote about our wedding.  This time I drew my inspiration from CSI case file #3. 

Supplies: background paper (Graphic 45), grey paper (Authentique), journaling line template (Creative Memories), fussy-cut butterflies (Jillibean Soup), doilies (Royal Consumer Products), stickers (Bo Bunny), tulle ribbon (Wyla), pen (Creative Memories), beads (Vintage German glass beads).

I used the big block of journaling to tell the story of how my husband and I eloped.  Well, sort of eloped.  Is it still eloping if the couple has already been engaged for a year?  Maybe I'd better just tell you what the journaling says.  Here it is: "Although our beliefs are important to us, we found no fulfillment in planning a big church wedding. Are the "perfect" floral arrangements and the "right" caterer really the key to a great marriage? We don't think so. We had been engaged for a year and we just wanted to finally be married...to begin our "happily ever after"...to grow old together. So, we changed our plans and had a private ceremony in a beautiful park with just our immediate family present. Scott's mom is a pastor, and she performed the ceremony. The waiting was over and our love took flight!"

I still think that semi-eloping is the best decision we ever made!  I added some special details to the page to add a touch of romance.  Here are some closeup shots...

I made my own embelly from beads and knotted tulle.

I just had to turn up one corner of the grey paper, because I love how the B-side coordinates with the Bo Bunny stickers.

At the time, Scott and I were just humoring our photographer by posing for this goofy photo.  But now I love this photo, because it fits so well with the "taking flight" theme of this page.

All the stickers--the big alphas, the mini alphas, the border stickers, and the decorative stickers--were from Bo Buuny, which made coordination a snap.

And that's our wedding story!  Thanks for stopping by today to see both sides of the page.

Saint Nicholas Day

Not everyone in the USA celebrates Saint Nicholas Day, but I have a special affection for this holiday.  It's a day dedicated to the real person on whom the legend of Santa Claus is based.

In this spirit of this festive day, I'd like to share three holiday-related projects--a gift jar, a layout, and a card--with you today.

The first project is the gift jar (above).  I'm reusing a jar that I received as a Christmas gift last year.  When I received it, it was filled with peppermint hot chocolate mix.  That hot chocolate mix is long gone, so I've washed the jar and refilled it--this time, with hard candy.  I've dressed the jar up with papers and stickers from the "Peppermint" collection by Crate Paper.  Appropriate, no?  To make the label for the jar, I adhered a tag sticker to cardstock, then trimmed around the edges.  I spelled my message with the Peppermint alphabet stickers, but dotted my "i" with the little circle left over from the hole in the tag.  I reused gold elastic cord (saved from product packaging) to attach the tag to the jar, and I added a gold gel ink dot to the center of the dot on the "i."

Supplies: patterned paper (October Afternoon), cardstock (Bazzill), journaling cards (October Afternoon), pen (Zig), chipboard accents (October Afternoon), "Romance" alphabet stickers (Authentique), all other alphabet stickers (October Afternoon), bottle caps (Bottle Cap Inc.), rub-ons (October Afternoon), ink (Stewart Superior).

The next project I want to show you is a layout.  (ETA: This layout was published in the February, 2013 issue of Scrap n' Art e-zine.)  I challenged myself to create a non-Christmas layout featuring the colors red and green, and I came up with the page that you see above.  Here are a few detail photos...

My last project for today's post also uses October Afternoon products.  I created this card in response to a recent challenge on the OA blog.  The challenge was to create a project incorporating holiday song lyrics.  As with the layout above, I took the romantic route and created this card for my husband.  I mixed some old-ish "Good Cheer" papers with some new-ish "Sidewalks" papers and stickers, threw in three "Modern Homemaker" labels, and mixed and matched an assortment of alphabets.  I think that mixing together different alphabets is sort of my "thing" right now. 

So, there you have it--three projects influenced by the holiday season.  Thanks for stopping by to take a look at them.  Have a great day!

Small Business Saturday

Today, November 26, is a day to support small businesses.  But really, shouldn't we support small businesses all the time, not just on one special day of the year?  Small businesses are great because they foster creativity, provide employment opportunities, and create a sense of community.  In honor of the day, I'm highlighting three of my favorite, local small businesses in this blog post.

First up is Scrapbooks Too, an independently-owned papercrafting supply shop in the Minneapolis area.  Now, Minneapolis is home to several Archivers stores (as well as Archivers corporate headquarters), but Scrapbooks Too still manages to thrive in this market.  I think there are two reasons for this.  First, Scrapbooks Too provides that personal touch--you feel welcome there from the moment you walk in the door.  Second, Scrapbooks Too has an amazing assortment of products, both new and old.  Check out the layout below, which I made mostly with products purchased at Scrapbooks Too.  On the layout you'll see some items from "Sidewalks," one of the newest OA collections, but you will also see lots of items from "Weathervane," and other older OA lines.  I love shopping at Scrapbooks Too, looking for treasures both new and old.

Supplies: cardstock (Wausau Paper); patterned papers, chipboard, die cuts, stickers, buttons, and journaling card (October Afternoon); border punch (EK Success); pens (Zig); thread (DMC).

More about small businesses after the detail shots...

The next business I'd like to highlight is Dee's Place, one of my favorite sources for beading supplies.  Besides having all the basics, Dee also carries unusual items.  In other words, Dee's Place is another great spot for crafty treasure-hunting.  The owl below is a Christmas ornament I created from a pattern (Sew Simple magazine volume 11), but I "made it my own" by adding the felt flowers under the eyes and the vintage Czech sequins for the spots on the body.  Both the flowers and the sequins are treasures I purchased from Dee; without Dee, my owl would not have quite so much personality!

The final business I'd like to highlight, Glass Garden, is also a beading supply merchant.    The Glass Garden recycled bottle cap charm on my "Urban Beauty" layout below adds a vintage vibe to the page.  I love that so many of the products at Glass Garden are made with recycled materials.

Supplies: Grain Belt charm (Glass Garden Beads), cardstock (American Crafts), cityscape patterned paper (Basic Grey), all other patterned papers (Authentique), border stickers (Bo Bunny), black bottle caps (Bottle Cap Inc.), alphabet stickers (Authentique), rub-ons (October Afternoon--used on bottle cap), pens (Zig), thread (DMC).

I hope that I've encouraged you to check out and support some local businesses.  Even if you don't have any scrapbooking shops in your area, I'll bet you can still find a way to use items from local small businesses in your scrapbooking and other crafts...after all, we crafters are nothing if not creative.  Happy shopping!