Stash Dive time!!

October Afternoon and Crate paper are the two brands that I absolutely love and will not get rid of no matter how old they are!  Some of the papers on this layout are from 2009!  You know what though...it doesn't matter one bit to me.  I have found in all of my years scrapping that there are trendy and classic papers and embellishments.  The trendy things I have to use while they are still trendy, but the classics I keep in my stash.  

The blue floral paper is so sweet and was perfect for this photo!  This is one of my favorite childhood photos.  I don't think that I have any others that have my absolute best friend in them which is sad.  I adored Stacy and we were best of friends until her family moved.  Sadly, we lost touch.

I decided to use this journaling card to tell the who and the what.  I also pulled out my stash of October Afternoon buttons.  These buttons are from later collections but they work perfectly with the older lines. I used a total of EIGHT different October Afternoon lines on this layout! It just shows how well these collections mix and match together!

I love this sweet doe!  I hoarded this sweet sticker and am so glad that I did because it is perfect in this cluster!  This is another example of bringing newer items in with your older stash.  The doe is from the Daily Flash collection.

This is one of my favorite layouts that I have completed recently and I'm sure it's because of the memories.  It's easy when you have children to forget to document yourself or your significant other, so I am going to try and be better about getting our memories down as well.

If you'd like to take a peek at my process, I have a video below.  I'd love to know what you think!  

Supplies:

October Afternoon Daily Flash Girl Talk stickers

October Afternoon Woodland Park buttons

October Afternoon Cakewalk buttons

October Afternoon Schoolhouse No. 2 Pencil paper

October Afternoon Schoolhouse Chalkboard paper

October Afternoon Report Card Bus Route paper

October Afternoon Report Card Journal Cards

October Afternoon Report Card Label stickers

October Afternoon Midway Carousel paper

October Afternoon Seaside Sandcastle paper

October Afternoon Daily Flash Milk Money Tin Pins

October Afternoon Mini Market Green and Creme alpha stickers

Studio Calico Alphabet Stickers Charcoal

It's really the little things...

Several years ago my daughter wrote a letter to the tooth fairy and left it on her bedside table, along with a nickel.  Here is what the letter said:

Dear Tooth Fairy,

I don't want money. Give it to someone who needs it more. I'm blessed. Give it to someone who's not. Here's 5 cents more. I like littlest pet shops. I hope you give the money who needs it more than a blessed child like me.

Since really,
Emily

I may not be a perfect parent, but that made me feel like we were doing something right.  

I used this kit from Hip Kit club to make this layout.  I love the way that it turned out and makes me so happy that I put this note away in a safe place.  I plan on tucking the original note in a pocket that I make on the back of the page.

I love these gold Thicker words and they are perfect to make a quick title!

I have a process video if you'd like to take a closer peek at my process.

Supplies:
 Crate Paper - Wonder - Enamel Dots & Sequins
Crate Paper - Wonder - Ephemera
We R Memory Keepers - Wildflower - Gold Word Thickers
 Pink Fresh Studios - Happy Things - Puffy Stickers
Studio Calico - Amelia - Paper 002
 Pink Fresh Studio - Happy Things - Botanical Sparkle Paper
 American Crafts - Dear Lizzy Fine & Dandy - Phrase & Accent      Thickers
Hero Arts Heart Patterns Stencil, Basic Grey

Crafty Maven Getaway Online Crop

There is an awesome online crop on the Crafty Maven Getaway with several challenges and prizes.  Check out the channel here and the Facebook group here.  You will find the details on the Facebook group, but the channel has several layouts of various YouTubers that made the challenges.

I decided to challenge everyone to Speed Scrap.  It normally takes me 1-1.5 hours to complete a layout, and that is fine with me.  Every now and then though I love to finish a layout quick though, so I decided to challenge myself and others.  This layout took me under 35 minutes and that included clean up and rummaging for my Thickers to use on the title.  Here is my layout using the August Hip Kit.

I have some helpful hints that I find work for me in creating a speedy page.  First, I use a kit.  It helps having someone else do the work for me of putting various papers and embellishments together.  Second, pre-cut anything that you know that you are going to use.  I knew that I wanted to use the PinkFresh cut apart sheet, so I did it before I sat down to complete my page.  This is a bit sneaky, but choose a photo that you don't need to journal, or has very little journaling.  I'm going to write the girls names but other than that and the date, there is nothing else that I need to say about this layout.  Another thing is to stick with a few colors.  I also painted my background, but you could use a pretty patterned paper in which you don't want to cover up to achieve the same look.

If you want to take a peek at the video, click  on it below.  If you have any questions I'll be glad to answer them!

Supplies:

Pink Fresh Studio - Happy Things - Happy Words Paper

Pink Fresh Studios - Happy Things - Puffy Stickers

Crate Paper - Wonder - Enamel Dots & Sequins

Liquitex Heavy Body Acrylic Paint - Bright Aqua Green 

Liquitex Heavy Body Acrylic Paint - Titanium White

Heidi Swapp bows - black

Teresa Collins Nine & Co Word Vellum Stickers

Thickers - Doll Black Glitter Foam

Amy Tangerine - Plus One - Doubles

Another School Layout!!

I am so not interested in theme scrapbooking and I don't really know why. I decided to participate in a Facebook challenge to get myself in gear and so far I've made 3 school layouts.  This page has 2 photos; one of Emily's schedule and the other of what she did after receiving her schedule. Here is the layout that I created with my September Hip Kit.  I love this kit and I could kick myself for not adding in the extra paper!

I love doilies and these bright yellow doilies make this layout.

I love the look of the rub-ons peeking out from under this cluster, and that pencil was perfect for this layout!

Close up of the journaling.

I love this building and thought that it made the perfect school.  

I do have a process video if you'd like to take a peek at my process.

Supplies:

American Crafts - Amy Tangerine - Finders Keepers - Seeker Paper

Elle's Studio - Thankful - Fun Times Paper

American Crafts - Amy Tangerine - Finders Keepers - Enamel Hearts

American Crafts - Amy Tangerine - Finders Keepers - Rub-Ons

American Crafts - Amy Tangerine - Finders Keepers -  Die Cut Shapes

Doodlebug Bumblebee doilies

Maggie Holmes sequins

Heidi Swapp color shine - Patina and Gold

Elle's Studio Cienna stamps

Happiness is Chocolate!

Such a creative title....not really, but sometimes I just have to move on and be thankful that another memory has been documented!  This picture is from several years ago when we were at a water park.  Before we leave any park it is our family tradition to get a treat and ice cream is always a popular choice.

I combined the June and July Hip Kits since there was so much Poolside yumminess in them.  I am very happy with the way that this layout came together.  

Gold glitter ice cream cones are the perfect addition to this...actually there isn't many times that gold and glitter aren't welcome on my pages. I love this embellishment cluster!  I pre-made a few embellishments and hoped that they would make my pages come together a bit faster.  It didn't work with this page, but that's okay.  I still enjoyed the process.

One more closer peek at the mist.  I love the shimmer!

If you are interested in taking a closer peek at my process I have a video.

Supplies:

Crate Paper Poolside Twilight Thickers
Crate Paper Poolside Layered Embellishments
Crate Paper Poolside Glittered Ephemera
Crate Paper Poolside Sunshine patterned paper
Crate Paper Poolside Chipboard Accents 
Elle’s Studio – Let’s Eat – Meal Planner Paper
Pink Paislee Atlas Latitude paper
Fancy Pants Designs – Summer Sun – Tags

Back to School!!

It's hard to believe that we are starting a new school year!  Having teenagers, it is more difficult to take back to school pictures.  They have several teachers and you don't get to take them to see their classroom.  So what's a scrapbooker going to do?  Get creative!  This year I decided to take pictures of their schedules.  I think that it will be neat to look at how they change in the coming years.  

One of my Facebook groups had a challenge to scrap some Back to School pages.  I don't really like to scrap theme pictures, so I decided that I would participate.  I bought the Shimelle paper pack at Michael's when it was $5.00.  I have absolutely no guilt whatsoever when I purchase these, even if I only get a couple of layouts done with the papers.  This is what I came up with...and I like how it turned out.

I have trouble getting clips on my pages, but this one was perfect and I like that it is not on the picture itself.

Another peek at the layers.  I used my Felicity Jane stamps on the label.

I finally got the Pink Paislee banner letters on another page!  Thickers are my go-to but I really like the way these look.

I found this flair in my stash and thought it was perfect.  I channeled my inner Shimelle with this embellishment cluster.  I thought that it was only appropriate.

I have a process video if you'd like to take a closer peek at the process.

Supplies:

Shimelle paper pad - red, blue, and numbers paper

Grey stars - Studio Calico

Papers from my stash

Freckled Fawn clip

Flair - unknown

Jillibean Beanboard alphas - tart teal

Pink Paislee Pen Pals alpha

Webster's Pages Allison Kreft "Happy" alphas

October Afternoon enamel shapes

Stamp - Felicity Jane

EK Success notebook punch

Martha Stewart pinked circle punch

I'm on the Crafty Maven channel today....

I am so excited to be up on the Crafty Maven channel today for Free-Flow Wednesday.  The inspiration piece was beautiful this week, and I was inspired by the music, the silver and greys, and the different hues of blue.

I started out looking through my stash for things that went along with the inspiration piece.  The Allison Kreft collection Capture Life by Echo Park was perfect.  I love the music paper and I felt it was screaming for me to cut it on the diagonal.  So I did and I love how it turned out.

Here's a close up shot of the photo layers.  I love the different textures and the bling.

I love the colors of this page, especially the unexpected pops of blues.

I've included the link to the Crafty Maven channel as well.

Supplies:

Echo Park Capture Life - Damask

Echo Park Capture Life - City Scape

Echo Park Capture Life - Journaling Cards

Echo Park Capture Life - Bokeh Teal

POW Glitter paper

Authentique Seaside - Voyage

Freckled Fawn glitter stas

My Favorite Things Die-namics Musical Notes 

Recollections washi and doilies

Thickers - Gilded

October Afternoon Decade stamp

October Afternoon Snap Caps - Snapshots

Versafine onyx black

Distress Ink - Evergreen Bough

Prima chalk ink - Tin Can

Harrison's Harbor Watch

In July's Hip Kit, there were several food related items and at first I thought that there was no way that I would be using them.  I had completely forgotten about this picture though and when I was organizing some pictures I found it.  I love the end result of this layout and the kit made it a breeze to put it together.

I couldn't have chosen a better kit to use for this picture!  I love how the yellow picks up the lemon on the plate.  My favorite part of this page though is the wood veneer utensils!  They are so stinking cute!  I embossed them with Ranger embossing powder in silver.

Seriously!! Are these not the cutest!

I have a process video up if you'd like to take a closer peek at my process.

Supplies:

 Elle's Studio - Let's Eat - Five Star Paper

 Elle's Studio - Let's Eat - Bits Die Cuts

October Afternoon - Pop Drops

Crate Paper - Maggie Holmes - Confetti Adorn Foam Thickers

Elle's Studio - Let's Eat - Wood Veneer Shapes

Crate Paper – Journey – Cork Stickers

Ranger Silver Embossing powder