2015 Library Project: July Month-in-Review

Hello!  It's time for the next instalment in my son's quest to visit all the libraries in Hennepin County.  When last I wrote about this project, my son had visited 27 of the 41 libraries so far.  Last month (July) he and I visited an additional six libraries.  Would you like to hear a little bit about them?  I think that this will be a long-ish post, so you might want to grab a something to sip before we start.  Covered beverages, like those pictured above (coffee for me, juice for my son) are allowed in the libraries, so go ahead and choose a beverage, and then we'll get started.

Of the six libraries that we visited, three were in the suburbs, and three were in the city (Minneapolis).  Suburban Rogers Library has been one of my favorites so far.  Isn't this seating area (pictured above) inside the Rogers library cute?  Long-time readers of my blog know how much I like color, and this library is decorated with lots of bright colors!
 

Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nokomis_Library

That said, I am really more of a city girl than a suburban girl, so I enjoy getting into Minneapolis to visit libraries like Nokomis (pictured above).  The Nokomis library is made with lots of Minnesota sandstone and other natural materials.
 

Image source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roosevelt_Library

Another Minneapolis library that my son and I visited was Roosevelt (pictured above).  I've come to notice that people often get sentimental about libraries, and rightly so.  I was telling one of my husband's friends about our family's recent library adventures, and he told me that Roosevelt is the library that his mom used to take him to when he was a kid.  He fondly described the library and his favorite books that he used to check out over and over again.  There is just something about libraries that makes us happy, don't you think so?
 

Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Linden_Hills_Branch_Library.jpg

The last Minneapolis library that we visited was Linden Hills.  Besides visiting the library itself, we also visited a book store in the Linden Hills neighborhood.  I mention this because I think that Bleubeard may be interested to know that the bookstore, Wild Rumpus, has three resident cats (plus lots of other animals, too).  :)

The last two libraries that we visited in July were suburban ones.  I don't have photos of these two library buildings, but I did get some funny photos inside.  At the Champlin library you can pick up a summer reading contest form from R2D2.  (There is a shelf holding the forms inside his "head.")  

For even more fun, you can take advantage of a selfie opportunity at the St. Anthony library.  My son and I definitely love our HCL [Hennepin County Libraries].  If we can visit eight more libraries in August, we will have visited them all.  Will we achieve this goal?  Check back in about a month and I'll let you know...

Orange + Orange + Blue

Supplies: paper, mists, & enamel shapes from October Afternoon; pen from Foray; thread from DMC; chipboard from Scrapmatts; mask & button from my stash.

Hello!  I've finally managed to grab a moment to finish up with my sixth (and last) Summer of Color project, another scrapbook page.  The color combo this time around is 2 oranges + 1 blue.  Since the only mists that I own (!) are orange and blue, it was an easy choice to create a misted background for the page.  For the rest of the page, I went with a fun, eclectic look.  Here are a few detail shots.

This is the last year for Summer of Color, so I wanted to be sure to do all the prompts, even though it took me a little longer this year.  Thank you, Kristin, for organizing the Summer of Color--it's been great!   

Masking with Stickers from My Stash

Time for  my monthly destashing post!  This month I focused on using up old stickers.  I made a scrapbook page inspired by the color prompt for week four of the Summer of Color. 

Supplies: cardstock from Neenah Paper; enamel dots, alphabet stickers & patterned paper from October Afternoon; washi tape from Scotch/3M; die cut circles from Graphic 45; Candi dots from Craftwork; laser cut banners from Scrapmatts; square stickers from Bo Bunny; paint from Ranger; black ink from Hero Arts; metallic ink from Tsukineko; household mechanical pencil & bubble wrap; button, ribbon, & label holders from my stash.

I used some very old Bo Bunny stickers from my stash to mask off a checker board pattern.

I went over the masked areas with bisque paint, then removed the stickers.  After the paint dried, I stamped over the checker board pattern with bubble wrap, tore the edges of the cardstock, and built my layout.

From start to finish, this layout was fun to make.  I hope that you enjoyed seeing it.  By the way, please let me know if you have any chess tips for me--my son beats me every time!  :)

Big Adventures

I mentioned in my last post that I've been going on lots of fun summer outings lately.  I thought you might like to see a bit of what I've been doing.  Here is a page that documents some "big stuff" that I have seen on my outings.  This "big stuff" includes giant Lego sculptures at the local arboretum and Japanese spider crabs (the largest crab species in the world) at the local aquarium.
 

Supplies: patterned paper, alphabet stickers, & enamel shapes from October Afternoon; corner punch from Creative Memories; decorative tape from 3M/Scotch; flower from Prima; pen from Zig; household pencil; button & thread from my stash.

Would you like to see a couple more photos of Lego sculptures from the arboretum?  Here you go.  The artist, Sean Kenney, took hundreds of hours and thousands of Lego bricks to build each sculpture.

These summer outings have kept me so busy that I have not had time to link up regularly with the Summer of Color posts.  However, I am finishing up with the color prompts slowly but surely.  The "Big Stuff" layout in this post was inspired by the color prompt for week five.  I'll be back soon to share my layouts for weeks four and six.  Until then, take care!

A Cat from the Past

Hi everyone, I hope that you are all doing well.  I have been enjoying summer to the fullest, spending time in the sun, and going on lots of outings.  This does not leave a whole lot of time for scrapbooking.  But, when I saw that Berry71Bleu's current challenge is to use die cuts, I decided to play along.  Those pre-packaged die cuts make scrapping quick & easy, so this is a perfect challenge for busy summer days.  I decided to make a page about Toby, the cat that Scott's grandparents had when he was growing up.
 

Supplies: cardstock from Neenah Paper; floral paper from Crate; typewriter word paper from American Crafts; arrow die cut, round die cuts, tab die cuts, & enamel shapes from October Afternoon; label & banner die cuts from Elle's Studio; alphabet stickers from Simple Stories; flower from Prima; pen from Foray; twine from my stash.

I used die cuts from two different packs.  The label and banner die cuts are from the "Everyday Moments--Bits and Pieces" pack by Elle's Studio.  The arrow, tabs, and round die cuts are from the "Public Library--Tidbits" pack by October Afternoon.  I layered together die cuts of different sizes to enhance my layout. 

I also added die cuts along the sides of the photos.  To complement the offset photos, I also offset my journaling.  It says: "One day Toby just walked into Scott's grandparents' house and 'adopted' them.  This spunky cat brought big smiles to many people, both young and old.  He knew how to be in the right place at the right time."

I enjoy hearing my husband's stories about Toby.  And I was glad that I could make this page for him.  I'll add it to the scrapbook that I'm making with photos from his childhood.  Thanks for popping by my blog today to take a look!

2015 Library Project: June Month-in-Review

Hello!  Wow, I got such a great response to my last post about my son's summer library project.  Thank you.  I thought it would be fun to keep you updated on the project on a monthly basis.  We visited seven more libraries in June.  These are highlighted in blue on the map below.  (The libraries that we visited last summer are highlighted in yellow.)

Since I'm linking up with Bleubeard and Elizabeth's virtual tea party today, let's begin our tour in north Minneapolis, where you can have an imaginary teatime at the cafe in the North Regional Library's play area.  The mural in the background is an accurate depiction of Lowry Avenue, the street where this library is located.  In the background you can see a bit of the Lowry Avenue Bridge over the Mississippi River, with the skyscrapers of downtown Minneapolis beyond that.

In another part of north Minneapolis, we enjoyed the Sumner Library.  This gorgeous building celebrates its hundredth birthday this year!  I didn't get a photo, but Wikipedia has one for you to see.

The third library in Minneapolis that we visited in June was Central Library in the heart of downtown.  This enormous building has four levels!  I can't even begin to guess how many books are there.  Or how many stairs.  As you see from the photo above, the staircases there are reminiscent of M. C. Escher's famous drawing.  There are elevators and escalators, too, for which I was very grateful, since we visited all four floors.

Moving on to the suburban portions of our escapade, we visited libraries that varied greatly in size.  The largest of these was the Edina Library, where I checked out Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell.  (My take: good, but not as good as Eleanor & Park.  Have any of you read Rowell's books?)  The smallest library we visited was the Osseo Library, which is just one room in Osseo City Hall.

Other charming, small libraries that we visited include the St. Bonifacius Library (pictured above), whose building will celebrate its one hundredth birthday next year, and the Long Lake Library (pictured below), which is conveniently located in a small shopping center.  There really is great diversity among all the Hennepin County libraries.

Before I go, I need to thank fellow T is for Tuesday participant and Twin Citian Halle, who pointed out to me that the Excelsior Library has moved to a new building since last summer.  My son and I visited the new library building, where we were greeted by a delightful wood carving of a book-reading beaver.  If you include the Excelsior Library, my son and I actually visited eight new libraries in June.  Not bad, eh?  I hope that you have also enjoyed this virtual tour of those libraries.

Three Ways to Get Creative with Bubble Wrap

How have I not yet dedicated a destashing post to bubble wrap?  It's something that a lot of us hang on to, and we plan to incorporate it into our art at some point.  If you have a piece or two (or more) of bubble wrap that you've been meaning to get around to using, this post is for you.  I'll show you three ways to use it.

Supplies: cardstock from Neenah Paper; decorative tape from Scotch/3M; tulle from Wyla; alphabet stickers from Bella Blvd; flair badge from October Afternoon; ribbon from Scrapbook Fantasies; rhinestones from Dee's Place; pen from Zig; ink from Hero Arts; assorted acrylic paints; button from my stash; upcycled tissue paper & bubble wrap.

To start out with the basics, you can use bubble wrap as a stamp with a regular ink pad.

Then, you can take bubble wrap stamping to the next level by stamping with acrylic paint.  Using a mix of colors (I used green and white here) creates an interesting marbled effect.

Finally, to add playful texture to your work, you can use bits of bubble wrap as layers and embellishments, as I have done with this pretty pink bubble wrap.  (Wondering where to get pink bubble wrap?  Electronics come packaged in it; the pink color indicates that it has anti-static properties.)

And...that's a wrap.  (Oooh, bad pun.  *Smile & groan.*)

Summer of Color Week 3: Mini Album Page

Yikes, the color palette this week for the Summer of Color is tough: two shades of purple plus one shade of yellow.  Well, last weekend a friend gave me a pack of yellow Prima flowers, so I thought I could do something with those.  And then I remembered that I have an unfinished mini album with some floral stamping and yellow paint in the background of one page.  So I decided to finish that page, and this is how it turned out:
 

Supplies: upcycled cardboard, napkin, bubble wrap, & Easter card; lavender paper from Graphic 45; number paper from My Mind's Eye; alphabet stickers from Basic Grey; flower from Prima; enamel dot from October Afternoon; stamping ink from Hero Arts; assorted acrylic paints.

This mini album documents a trip that my family and I took to Silverwood Park in 2013.  Silverwood Park is dedicated to celebrating the arts, so there is poetry posted on signs along the walking trails there.  There are also signs with phone numbers to call (and QR codes to snap) in order to hear poetry read aloud.  I just checked, and you can still hear a poem if you call the number on the sign in my photo.  Or, for a shorter poem, you can read the posted piece in the photo below.

This arts-centered park was fun to visit, and I took a lot of photos there.  I really had too many photos for a scrapbook page, so I decided to make a mini album.  I started this mini album last year.  I had gotten as far as doing the mixed media backgrounds for the pages, but then I ran out of steam.  It turns out that this Summer of Color palette was just the push that I needed to get back to the album.  In addition to completing this page, I went ahead and finshed the rest of the album, too.  This blog entry focuses on the one page that is my Summer of Color project, but I'll show the completed album in another post at another time.  Bye for now!