Scrap the Challenge: Stash Kit Summary

Today, Mari and I have a video up showing the leftovers from our stash kit, and the layouts that we created. Both of us were ready to move on to something else and use some different products so we decided to retire our kit. We made a total of five layouts with our original goal being four. Woot!! 

I definitely did not even come close to killing the kit, and I'm not even sure I injured it :) I was amazed at just how little it looked like I used from the kit when I felt like my layouts were fairly product heavy. However, I did manage to use up 4 whole sheets of patterned paper, two of which I pulled into the kit from my stash. Three of the four I used as backgrounds, and one of them I fussy cut the florals and used the florals on two of my layouts. The 6x6 paper pad that I included was untouched when I put it in the kit. While I still have more than half of it left, I did make a serious dent in it. I used both sets of Thickers that I added into the kit, but only once for each set. The embellishments that I used the most of were from the Project Life Notes and Things set. I used a ton of them, but I think that are like rabbits and multiplied when I was not looking. I also used four frames from the Notes and Things frames that I had not even opened. That right there made me feel like the kit was a success. 

I did learn a few lessons along the way when putting this kit together. A 6x6 paper pad is a great way to stretch your kit and when I do this again, I will most definitely add it into the kit. I like various alphas for my titles, so two sets of Thickers just wasn't enough variety. I may not pull more into the kit, but I will keep in mind that I am going to most likely pull in additional alphas, and I'm okay with that. In this kit, I pulled in a puffy alpha set and another Thicker set. Another lesson learned from this stash kit is that purchasing a mini Project Life kit that I love is well worth the money. I used so many little bits and several of the 3x4 cards on the layouts.

Here are the layouts that I created with the kit in order of the challenges:

The best part of this challenge was that I did find that it took me less time to create my pages because my kit provided a great jumping off point. I did pull things in from my stash as well, but hey...the whole point is to use the pretty things that we buy! My kit summary video is below and I'm going to link Mari's as well. Have a great weekend my friends!

Mari's summary

Double Header Today :)

I have two process videos to share today, one for My Creative Scrapbook and the other for the Crafty Maven Getaway channel. First up is my final layout using the July main kit from MCS. This layout is a bit different for me and layouts that I usually create, but sometimes it's fun to step outside of your creative comfort zone. The bright colors of this kit are so fun and I wanted to showcase them as focal features on the page. I chose the floral as my jumping off point and then selected the pink and orange as my other two main patterns. I'm not a fan of orange, but this orange polka dot has won me over :) It is the perfect shade and is so much fun with the whimsical polka dots. I decided to place the pink strip on top because I felt like the orange polka dot has more visual weight and thus would ground the layout. Outlining the layers helps to make the patterns stand out and pulls in the black on the Hello banner.

 Often I struggle when it comes to using banners on my page. I found that it was so easy to use this when I had the loose grid on the page. It felt like it belonged in that corner and the chipboard title nestled perfectly underneath.

Embossing is a technique that I just don't do enough! I always love the results and the green helps to pull in the few other green accents that I have on the page.

I decided to outline the banner as well so that it wouldn't get lost on the bold orange paper. This kit came with so many embellishments! I used quite a few on all of my layouts and I still have a ton left. 

Here is my process video if you'd like to take a peek. 

Next up is my layout for the Crafty Maven channel. The mood board this week is so bright and fun. My initial thought was  the Summer Daydreams collection by PhotoPlay. Sadly, I don't have it so I used the Sunshine & Happiness collection by Simple Stories.

Disclaimer: I used a sketch for inspiration and I cannot find it at the moment. I don't like to use things without giving credit, so if I find it I will link it :)

Again, I chose to outline the paper layers so that they would really stand out. The 4x4 card makes the perfect title and I thought it was perfect for these photos.

I love these colors together. For added interest I looped some thread in each of the clusters and chose colors that weren't as dominant.

This girl is one of my favorite images in this collection and I thought she was perfect for this page. I need to look up the date of these photos and then I will finish this journaling spot. I am a procrastinator when it comes to things like this, but I am trying to get better :)

Here's a link to my video. I'd love for you to check it out. Have a wonderful day my friends!

Just Another Happy Memory...

It's Wednesday and that means I have another layout and process video to share with you today for My Creative Scrapbook. I am loving this month's kit! I have some pictures from several summers ago and pulled out this one of me and the kids. I'm usually the photographer so it's nice to make a layout that has a photo with me in it. Now there is actual proof that I was on vacation as well :) 

Two of my favorite papers in the kit are the striped and the small floral. They just made me happy looking at them. Everything on this page is from the kit with the exception of the doilies and the thread. 

 If you have been following me for any length of time you know that titles can be my nemesis. I love it when I can use things in the kit to come up with a title that is good for the page. There really isn't a lot of journaling that I can add, so Happy Memory became the perfect generic title. 

I have a really bad habit. Each year I say that I am going to break it, and I have not yet. I am the one that has a stack of layouts that I need to add journaling and dates on. I have gotten much better though. The main problem is that the dates are not printed on the back of the photos. I print at Costco and have not been able to find where I can have them print the date on the back. That would solve so much of the problem. Right now I only have a pile of about 15 layouts...that size is much more manageable and I have found that when I want to do something scrappy I look up the dates of the photos and complete those pages. I tell you all of this so that you will know that this label will have the date stamped on it...sometime soon. Okay, I will put it on my list to do today because now that I have put my scrappy issue out there it seems pretty lazy :)

If you are still with me, here is a link to the process video. Thanks so much for joining me and I hope that you have a wonderful day!

Once Upon A Time

I"m up on the Crafty Maven Getaway channel today for Sketch It Out Thursday. The timing was perfect because I have been wanting to play with Creative Scrappers sketch #296 by Kristine Davidson and the cut file by Nicole Nowosad. 

 The mood board this week is just lovely! The colors remind me of sherbet and I knew that my Felicity Jane kit would be perfect for this mood board. I was inspired by the colors and the lines that were made with the blending of the colors. I thought that the sketch and cut file made a great pairing with it and I am thrilled with the way that it turned out.

I chose to document these character cups that my kids used so many years ago. I've been trying to clean up and reduce the clutter in the house and I told my husband that I would get rid of the cups only after I had taken a photo. I remember drinking out of cartoon character glass jars that jelly used to come in. I loved those glasses, and my kids loved theirs as well.

I stitched in between the paper layers for a bit of added texture and interest. The vellum shapes are so pretty and may be my favorite embellishment from the kit.

I chose to type my journaling so that it would be incorporated into the layout design. The sketch calls for a journaling box under the photo. I knew that my journaling would not take up that much room and that I wanted to incorporate the journaling with the title. It just made sense to place it under the title. 

 The puffy stickers in this FJ kit are so incredibly sweet!!! I want to stretch these puffy alphas so that I can make lots of cute titles with this kit. I pulled in some Elle's Studio alphas to conserve the letters plus, I really like the look of mixed fonts in my titles.

  
 I am a sucker for pre-made embellishments. Time is precious and I love to get the most out of my scrap time. However, there is something immensely satisfying to me to create an embellishment cluster (or in this case tag) from items that you have and make it look like something that you would buy. I love the way that this tag came together.

I have a process video if you'd like to take a closer peek. Thanks so much and I hope that this layout inspires you to get sketchy :)

Sweet Friends (My Creative Scrapbook)

Hello friends, I am back with another layout to share using the July kit from My Creative Scrapbook kit club. I chose to focus on the pastel colors of this kit and scrap a page of my daughter and one of her friends dressed up for their school dance. If you follow me on Pinterest you might have noticed that I pinned a bunch of layouts and sketches with circles. Circle layouts are trending, and I decided to be brave and take a stab at a layout with circles...including my picture. Cutting my photo in a circle was a big deal for me...I know that it sounds silly. However, I started scrapping in the height of Creative Memories and the debut of their circle cutting system and EVERYTHING was cut into circles. It has taken me a long time to get over my phobia of circles, and I am so happy with the way this layout turned out.

 I used my Shimmerz watercolors and the packaging technique to make the background. I decided to keep my design on a diagonal to help me from feeling overwhelmed with where to place the circles. I think that it also helped that I had pre-cut several circles out of coordinating papers in different sizes. It made it so much easier to swap circles out and make sure that the patterns were separated.

The peach and aqua just screamed for a bit of gold so I added gold stitching and gold Heidi Shine mist for a little pizzazz.

  
I folded over the ribbon trim that came in the kit and stitched it down with gold thread. Good thing that I don't mind that the ribbon is not straight :) I think that it adds to the charm and helps to anchor the title. To complete the layout I added a few embellishments on the clusters and threaded the buttons with gold thread. 

I have a process video if you'd like to take a peek at how it came together. 

Sunshine and Happiness & Alligators (say what?!)

Hey friends! I am back today with a layout that I made using the main kit from My Creative Scrapbook kit club. The main kit is full of Simple Stories Sunshine & Happiness, with a bit of Kaisercraft, Pink Paislee, and Heidi Swapp thrown into for a beautiful summer kit. Here is a photo of the main kit...love these bright colors!

The pictures that I chose to scrap were silly ones that I took of my kids on vacation. We were at Alligator Adventure in Myrtle Beach, and of course Patrick thought it would be hilarious to put his head inside the mouth of the alligator statue. Boys...what can I say?

I love the fact that everything coordinates so well even though the products are not from the same line. I cut this cute saying from the Kaisercraft cut-apart sheet. It's the perfect addition to this cluster.

I think that one of my favorite things about the Simple Stories alpha sticker sheet is all of the phrases that come along with it. They are so versatile and I love the little extra bit that they bring to a layout.

I decided to outline all of the papers with my black Staedtler pen. I love the contrast that it brings to the papers. This is a great technique to help bring papers of different collections together, or in this case to make the layers pop off each other.

I have a process video if you'd like to take a closer look. Have a wonderful day my friends!

Scrap the Challenge: #Dapper

Mari and I have another challenge video up and for this challenge we decided to use our stash kit and use mixed media. I wanted to up the challenge for me...all five of the layouts I have created with the stash kit focused on the more feminine pieces of the kit. I wanted to make a masculine page. My son had recently gotten a hair cut and to say it was a change is an understatement! I wanted to document this special time in his life. 

I started by pulling out pieces of the kit that were typically more masculine. I focused on the neutral colors, and initially pulled in teal as well. In the end my color palette was grey, cream, white, kraft, gold, and a pop of black. I don't normally mix kraft and grey. In my world they complete with one another instead of complementing each other. But I really thought that they worked well together on this page. The background patterned paper was not in the kit, but it has been in my stash for quite a while. I originally planned on trimming off the yellow border, but in the end I decided to stitch around the edge and bring in the gold to make the color pop.

 I layered up several of the 6x6 papers and some of the ephemera to make a focal point for my photo. Some of these papers I had already used and wanted to challenge myself to use those before I cut into whole sheets.  I used black gesso on a Heidi Swapp stencil that I had in an argyle pattern. I felt like it fit my "dapper" theme. It was a huge leap for me to put black gesso onto the pattern paper. There's no covering that up with white paint if it doesn't turn out. 

  

 I decided to use some stamps to add additional pops of black around the photo and to draw your eye around the page. I used some Ali Edward stamps and then just stamped off the image two more times. I like the way that it turned out. The bow tie is one of my favorite ephemera pieces on this page. It just fit the theme so perfectly!

I am thrilled with the way that it turned out. Masculine layouts are just more difficult for me. I'm not sure if it is because of the colors or my lack of masculine products in my stash. However, I have proven to myself that it can be done if you just take some time and plan out your supplies. I have a process video if you'd like to take a peek. Be sure to check out Mari's video as well! Her channel is linked in the description box of my video.