Credit Where Credit is Due

If you like the techniques used on the last three layouts that I've posted then this book if for you. It's packed full of awesome out of the box scrapping ideas and I can't wait to try ALL of them! While they might at first seem intimidating to a linear scrapper- don't let that keep you from using these ideas- a little bit of a new technique goes a long way when trying to give your pages a fresh new look.
There is nothing I love more that getting a brand new scrapping book. I spend hours upon hours pouring over the pages and ooohing and awwwing over the pictures of the examples. It's my number one weapon when I find myself in a scrapping slump. I find to get myself out of it all I have to do is pull a couple of my scrapping books off of the shelf and spend an evening page flipping to get me back in the scrapping groove.

Details, Details

At first glance this looks like a typical layout. But, on closer inspection you'll find there are a lot of details. Including the frame around the photo.

To achieve this look I allowed a one inch border of brown cardstock on either side of my photo. Along this border in sort of a random pattern I placed silver star brads. Once I checked to make sure I could easily slip my photograph into place, I removed the photo and began painting everything with brown acrylic paint. It took a couple of coats of paint, so be patient. Once everything dried I glued my photograph into place. This is a technique I know I will be using a lot more often.
While the cool 3-D effect is difficult to see in the photographs I highly recommend that you give it a try. You won't be disappointed.

Before It's Gone

I live in an area that is changing. It's quickly growing with lots of homes, shopping and schools being built. I drive past this old Cotton Gin almost everyday and I found myself wondering how long it would be there, if anyone besides me cared.
So, I decided to start taking photographs of it and other things in my area that I love before they are gone. For the layout I wanted to something special, so I made the background "paper". Strips of masking tape were coated with Gesso which was then dried and painted. Once completely dried they were applied in a random order to my cardstock. The title is made from Tim Holtz's Grungeboard which I tried to make look rusted and weathered. I'm falling in love with this more artistic form of Scrapbooking.

Paper Piecing

If you'll remember in an earlier post I talked about my love for paper piecing and how I am definately going to do more of it on my layouts. Well I stuck to my guns and over the weekend made this layout with a paper pieced totem pole. Yep each piece and each color on the totem pole was cut from paper! I think it was worth the effort and it didn't take as long and you are thinking it did. Better yet, I didn't have a decent picture of the life sized totem pole I made for cub scout camp - without the paper piecing the only memory would have been a poor quality photo and it's a one of a kind, perfect embellishment for my page.

Keeping Busy

Whew the last few weeks have been busy! Both my boys are officially out of school for the summer. My oldest packed up and left yesterday for 8 weeks at his summer job. My youngest is recouperating from a fall from his bike that took off most of the skin from the palm of his right had and his right knee and I'm just trying to keep up with them all.

I'm working on lots of things. Especially organizing and house cleaning- my home has really gotten away from me over the last few months. It's making me CRAZY.

I have been working on some crafts... including Macrame Bracelets. I'll be spending 2 seperate weeks at Boy Scout Summer Camp this summer and I always like to come up with a craft I think the boys would like to do that will keep them busy during down time.

Okay so this example is kinda girly - but, you get the picture.

It's a lot easier than I thought it would be and the cost is minimal. I found the instructions online at Rings & Things a really great site full of fun jewlery ideas and instructions. For the camp I am thinking of doing the same bracelet -but, using 2 colors of hemp (Boy Scout colors) of course- not sure about beads yet.

Hope you'll stop back. I promise to be much better about posting!

Masculine Pages

Just a couple of magazine ads for IKEA- but, I took some scrapping tips from them. Stripes=Strenght, Pattern=Power. Pretty interesting. I'd say this holds true when thinking about bold stripes and bold colors and shapes in patterns.



I love the stitching around the letters- they look like felt lettering. Using a simple font the words just jump off the page. All in all these ads have helped me- having 2 sons I do a lot of masculine pages. In a world of scrapping that has embraced, glitter, bling and an endless array of flowers, masculine pages can sometimes be tough. I equate it to clothes shopping. Women's clothing makes up 75% of the floor in any department store with the Men's section religated to just a corner. Blue, Green, Khaki, Blue, Green, Khaki, Brown, Black, Brown, Black.
Yawn.

Collage

While a little to funky for me - I love the idea behind this. Creating artwork for my home using my Scrapping skills. If you look closely I see a lot of scrappy things going on here. Rubber stamping, Foam stamping, paints and inks. Scrapbook tiles, Dymo labeler. Are the large dots stickers or maybe die cuts? Is the scroll work on the "spinner" rub-ons?

I'll be redoing my youngest son's bedroom this summer and I can't wait for us to work together on some art for his walls, why not? Afterall I have all the supplies!

National Scrapbook Day

In celebration of National Scrapbook Day and to make up for all my time AWOL.. I've decided to make a bunch of Blog Entries today...I've been saving up some ideas and projects to share... hope you enjoy them.

Scrappy Chic
These photos taken from the May 2007 issue of Real Simple magazine are so inspirational to me. Look closely. The ladies are hand drawn and then lightly watercolored. It's their clothes that blow me away - simply cut from fabric or paper or ribbons they are glued directly onto the figures. I love how they are draped and folded into place.

To add to the realizm real beads, buttons and trims are added along with a little hand sewing to add seams.


As scrappers we can so do this! How often are we need in something more "grown up" than cutesy?

Don't be intimidated by the hand drawing - how about printing out a photograph and then adding homemade clothing on top of it?

Another option would be to search the internet for fashion drawings then print them out onto a transparency- then quickly turning the transparency over onto your cardstock and quickly rubbing it all over- lightly transfering the image (be sure to hold the transparency still) Fun!

Bargain Alert!

Found this deal yesterday at Big Lots! American Crafts ribbons and Embellishments.
Each package $2.00. So for the low, low price of $10.00 I walked away with 18 spools of ribbon, 60 Elegant chipboard pieces and 65 foam punctuation pieces. Oh yeah!

Update !

I'm baccckk! Sorry for being AWOL... between life and a computer virus I have been missing from the Online Scene and have had some serious withdrawls!

First, tomorrow is National Scrapbook Day and we're having an Inspiration Online Crop at Rocky Mountain Hobbies to celebrate. It's going to be great fun with a dozen Quickfire Challenges you can create in an hour or less and other terrific projects. 8am until Midnight(Eastern).

We've decided to definately keep the dog... thanks to everyone for your awesome name suggestions. We've decided to name him Bueller after Ferris Bueller. LOVE that movie and I can't resist the thought of standing on the porch calling him..and then saying... anyone? anyone? when he doesn't come.

I've got some cool bargains and such to post. But, I think I'll wait until tomorrow.