American Crafts for Springtime!

Merry Christmas! Are you ready for spring now? (Last year I found Cadbury Mini Eggs at Shopko on CHRISTMAS EVE. No joke.)

If you are ready for some springtime scrappin', head on in to Paper Pals and check out the new American Crafts Blue Skies line! A. Dor. A. Ble.

I had so much fun with these papers-- I had some photos waiting to scrap and these colors really worked well.

The layout of my niece was inspired by a Cathy Zielske who made a very similar hybrid page. I like the simplicity of her designs. It helps the photos you feature to really shine. Add a few paper flowers and brads, and you've got a layout!

I came up with my card concepts after being inspired by the great Remarks Journaling Stickers also by American Crafts.

Still to come-- another layout with these papers where I'll feature TWELVE photos on one 12x12 layout. Come back next week to see how to do it.

Until then, Christmas blessings to you and yours!

"Love, Love Me Do" and Cards!

I had fun putting together these cards using the My Minds Eye *Love Me Do* collection. My lighting was not the best when doing these .. so the reds look much more like burgundy. The first card I used swiss dot textured red CS. The pp is from the Love Me Do line which has designs on both sides. The die cut is part of the Love Me Do embellishment/die-cut sheet -- lots of fun circles, hearts, birds & so many more shapes which I used on my two layouts and also on these cards.

On the middle card I distressed/sanded the PP before putting it onto the CS. I highlighted with some rhinestones. Hey, a girl loves bling -- especially on Valentines Day. I topped the ric-rac border from the embellishment sheet with red ric-rac to provide texture & depth.

On the third card I again used the swiss dot red CS, the birds are from the embellishment sheet and also the half circle on the top left hand corner (it was actually a circle that I cut in half). I added the smaller circle (again from the embellishment sheet) and then added the black dots using a .05 marker.

The Love Me Do line makes card making easy. The papers are all reversible, fun to work with and the embellishment sheet tops it all off! Can't wait to see what you do with this line.

"Love, Love Me Do ... You Know I Love You"

Once I saw the theme of the new My Mind's Eye "Love Me Do" line ... just can't get the song out of my head. What a colorful line! I've been working on these layouts off & on for a few weeks. (Had to take my honeymoon during that time). So after a honeymoon, the Valentine papers were perfect. And also a great break from Christmas cards. The "Love Me Do' line is full of muted-bright colors. I'm one for using cardstock and then adding to the LO with the pattern paper. One thing about the Love Me Do line is the embellishments that come with the line. I chose the pictures from my layouts from my daughter & her family's portraits last spring. The playfulness of the paper highlighted the playful feeling of the pictures.

Pink Paislee Cupid Collection

I have to admit I was a little timid to head into Valentine's Day already, but it turned out to be a great escape from the reds and greens of Christmas I've been working with lately.

I hardly ever use paper exactly as it's supposed to be used (specific holiday) and this line was no exception. I found the color scheme of the Cupid Collection was perfect for scrapping this photo of my daughter in the mountains of Austria.

And then, lucky me, I just happened to have a photo of me and my guy at the top of the Eiffel Tower to go along with all of the great french-themed die cuts and border stickers. Again, it wasn't Valentine's Day, but there sure was a lot of love in the air!

Two layouts and I still had scraps left to make these cute cards.

This was the first time I've worked with Pink Paislee product and I was pleased. Lots of coordinating bright colors and embellishments, which was such a nice punch of spring during these dreary winter days.

Sister-to-Sister

The new Karen Foster "Sister-to-Sister" collection is the perfect paper for my two favorite sisters!

We R Memory Keepers....

I LOVE using this We R Memory Keepers divided page...what a fun and easy way to complete a layout with a little different twist!!

And now for the cards

I made the cards using my scraps from the Life Stories line from My Mind's Eye. On the "thinking of you card" I tried some folding and then stapled the folds and weaved a skinny strip of paper through the staples. The flower is just circles that I folded in half then in half then in half till I couldn't fold anymore. Then I put a brad in the middle to hold the four layers together.

My Mind's Eye-Life Stories-Page Two

This was a simple page. I stitched on my photos before adhering them. It gives the edges of the photo a raised look when you glue them down. The center of the page is actually an idea I got from the Oct 2009 issue of scrapbooks etc. pg. 24. I cut out the circle in the middle of the page and then backed it with red paper that I attached with adhesive foam. I tried to make the Merry Christmas circle look like an ornament. It doesn't really show well in the photo. The paper and punch outs are from the Life Stories line from My Mind's Eye.

My Mind's Eye-Life Stories

This paper is called "Description of Activity". I don't know if it is just the season but the paper made me think of Christmas. The words written on the side made me think of a vacation. So that is what I did. I also got a sheet of punch outs that would work great to journal with. I really like the look of this paper and it is so thick. I stitched on my photos before adhering them. I liked the journalling prompts on the right side. It made telling the story easy.

These are my final two pages from the 2 pieces of pattern paper and two pieces of card stock. The 12x2 strip on the left hand side does not stay in the pocket very well so when I scrap the other side of the photo sleeve I am going to adhere them to the sleeve with a staple or eyelet.
The sleeve on the top were I placed the title is actually about 12 1/4 inches long. Since I was running out of paper I used my scraps of blue to extend it a bit.

More We R Memory Keepers divided pages

Do you see a pattern here? These pages are fun to use and make quick layouts so easy. During this busy season these are a must have!

More We R Memory Keepers Sleeves

Here's my take on these versatile photo sleeves. My sleeve contained (4)4x6 pockets and (1)5x7 pocket, and although I didn't have a 5x7 photo I wanted to use, I did have a lot to say, so I included my journaling there instead. I decided to use the whole thing like a traditional scrapbook page, and after matting my photos and including a few embellishments, the layout took only about 30 minutes start to finish. I really like the results. These sleeve pages would make short work of a lot of photos in an appealing way, for, say, a trip to Europe.
(Yes I'm still working on my albums).

Photo Sleeves from We R Memory Keepers

The simple part of these photo sleeves is that it's so easy to crop and place your main elements (photos and background paper).

But don't let that stifle your creativity! After I filled the slots in the page, I added lots of embellishments on the OUTSIDE of the pockets to connect them all together.

I also found it easy to go hybrid with these. I don't have a 12x12 format printer, so all of my hybrid work has to be narrower than 8.5". So 4x6 (or in my case 4x12) pieces of paper are easy to create on the computer and print to add to the pockets.

I got to feature photos of my son as "speed racer" with his favorite little tricycle. It's been retired now, but it's sure fun to look back at the time he spent driving that little "motorcycle" around!

So I love these sleeves since they follow the great grid rule of good design, but when you "think outside of the box" you're not limited to staying in them!

More to add

I did two more pages with the amazing We R Memory Keepers photo sleeves. So far I have made 5 pages with 2 pieces of pattern paper and 2 pieces of card stock. I have enough supplies left over to make one maybe two more pages. Plus the pattern paper from Making Memories (Flower Patch) is double sided so when you slip it into the photo sleeve you can see the back of the paper. How thrifty is that? My pages are not jaw droppingly creative but they are fast and easy. I have taken a huge bite out of the stack of summer 08 pictures I had. I am feeling happy about that.

Easy Photo Sleeves

I am planning on using the photo sleeves from We R Memory Keepers for all my Summer 2008 Vacation photos. I have so many photos and these divided photo sleeves make it super fast and easy. There is not a lot going on in this page but I just wanted to show how super easy they are. I used the left over Making Memories flower patch paper I had from the original challenge.

We R Memory Keepers Grid Pages *First Birthday*

We R Memory Keepers has created a way to streamline layouts,  include more than one picture on a layout and also provide continuity of layouts.  One idea is to create a 12x12 Layout and then follow-up using the various grid-pages to include the extra photos you'd like to add but not necessarily want to take the time to create more layouts.



The page I chose was a 12x12 with 3 4x6 grids on the left side & 1 6x12 grid on the right side.  I chose pictures from my grandson's, MJ, first birthday.  Supplies:  Bazzil CS, Creative Imaginations PP & buttons from my 'stash'.  I used my Cuttlebug to make the First Birthday letters and my Xyron adhesive. 

The fun thing about the grids is that a person could choose to put a picture on its own with no embellishments, cardstock or patterned paper into the sleeve.  Or, as I did in a couple of pictures, I trimmed the photo, added CS & PP and a couple buttons & journaled.  I didn't want to add too many embellishments as I wanted the focus to be on the simplicity & easy to use aspect of the Memory Keepers Grid pages.  With the We R Memory Keepers Grid Pages, there are a wide variety to choose from. 
I enjoy journaling in my own penmanship, so added a small 'blurb' at the bottom of the page -- using the Patterned Pattern to relay the Happy Birthday theme. 

New Design Team Member!

We would like to WELCOME our newest Design Team Member - Suzy McNeilly! We are excited to have her on our team and can't wait for you all to see how creative she is!

Ring albums made easy photo sleeves

These We R Memory Keepers made easy photo sleeves really do make scrapping easy. Not that I have ever thought of scrapping as a chore but when you are looking at boxes and boxes of pictures it can seem daunting. I love grids so the 9-4x4 inch pockets on this sleeve are perfect. It is so easy to find pictures that you can crop down to 4x4 without cropping out details. The Making Memories flower patch paper was perfect for my summer vacation photos. I especially liked the grid paper to journal on. I experimented with writing on my photos in the blank spaces with a Zig marker and it worked well. I cut around the butterfly wings and added some pop ups to make them stick up. I used my rock candy stickles over the waves and "pool fun" to give it a bit of bling. I free hand cut out the circles for the flower then ran my scissors along the edges to give it a distressed look. This was a fast two pages for me. I am hooked on these photo sleeves.

FOR THIS I AM THANKFUL

I was going to write a whole list of things that I am thankful for but when I looked at the pictures I had on the page I decided that I would just have it be about family. It is hard to see the details but the circles on the pictures all say family. I covered them with my favorite clear bubble stickers. I did shadow letters on the Cricut in the same color card stock but on the top layer I stamped random swirly stamps to try and match the paper. All of the papers I used I have had for a very long time and always thought they were so pretty. Thanks for the challenge Angela.

Being Thankful

Okay-- Challenge out to the team!

Tis the season to be thankful. What are you thankful for? Record in via papercrafting in some way, shape or form, and come back here to share it!

Andy, happy thanksgiving!

New Eskimo Kisses by Basic Grey

If you've followed the Design Team Blog for awhile, you know how much I enjoy working with Basic Grey paper. Their patterns are often funky and cool, busy and colorful, and yet, oh so delightful to use for creative projects.

The Eskimo Kisses line that is out for the holidays is no exception. Not only is the paper exceptionally versatile, the chip board accents, and other embellies, make creating layouts, cards, and even gable boxes a snap!

And while I used this line for more traditional Christmas layouts, this paper could have many many other uses (it's not just for this holiday...anymore*).

And while I am certainly in a Glossy Accents and fine glitter phase, so I'm probably biased, I do think the extra dimension and sparkle that is added by these products is soooooo perfect for this holiday line!

Enjoy!

Anita

* You saw my "re-purpose your holiday paper challenge, right? Scroll down here...

Halloween paper for Pine Derby races?

When I issued the challenge, I had an advantage...I made this layout a month or so ago. This layout combines a few of my "loves":

• Scenic Route paper (this is last year's Halloween line). So sad they are going out of business.
• Harrison (my youngest)
• AWANA Grand Prix races (like Pine Derby races for Boy Scouts)

I adore the colors in this paper...using lime green should be "mandatory" for Halloween paper, don't you think? Sure, the other side of this paper has ghosts on it, but this side has stars, swirls, dots...all of which conveyed motion to me...perfect for racing pine derby cars!

Anita

Anita's Holiday Paper Challenge

Anita, great challenge! And thanks for posting it the day I finished my DT layout that fit your specifications! (Pure luck, I tell you...)

I had some more of the BOO! to You! papers by My Minds Eye, and realized that in our household, Halloween is not the only scary time of year. My sweet 6 year old has learned that the big bad world outside of Mommy's care can be daunting. And she's learning how to cope with it.

So I created a layout that shares the feelings my 6 year old has. And one day she can look back and see how much she's grown and learned since that first day of kindergarten in 2008.

Again, it's a hybrid layout. I used Renee Pearson's high contrast photo effect in PSE and my title block with a faux finish brush. I printed the center photo/title square and then used papers and embellishements from the die cut sheet to finish out the page.

So, don't just assume halloween papers can only be used for events in October! Be creative.

BOO! to You! from My Mind's Eye

I haven't seen any paper lines from My Mind's Eye that I haven't liked. Great company.

And wouldn't ya know it, their halloween stuff for this year is just great! I was lucky enough to make a trick or treat box to add to the gable box parade at Paper Pals. All the ladies did such unique projects... how could I make mine different? I came up with adding windows (using the new Bazzill Clear transparency paper).



Sure had fun with this one!

Themed Paper Challenge

I used last year's (or was it two years?) Christmas paper, Figgy Pudding, from Basic Grey to make this quick layout of my guy and me in the beautiful mountains of southern Germany. I painted all the edges and punched out the hearts from the paper too. The title letters are felt stickers from American Crafts.

Thanks Anita! That was fun.

Themed paper challenge

My little cottage cheese monster page using Halloween paper and stickers for my daughter's first time feeding herself.

Thank you Anita for the challenge. It took me a while to think of something. I kept on trying to do something with Christmas then I thought about Halloween. I had actually bought this paper from Paper Pals last year and hadn't yet used it. I did some embroidering stitching for the spider web.

I have a challenge that I have been thinking of but I am going to wait a bit till I post it. He He.

DT Challenge...Thinking outside the "box"...

...or in this case, holiday-themed paper.

Confused?

What can you do with a specific holiday-themed paper that isn't for that holiday? Cards, layouts, altered item, whatever strikes your fancy...let's see it!

Anita

Getting in the Spirit with Graphic 45

I was so eager to work with this Christmas Past paper line by Graphic 45. It is so beautiful and reminds me of patterns and colors that were in my grandma's house around the holidays. I was contemplating using the Making Memories Mistletoe line for my December Daily Album, but I think I may have just found a new favorite. Or maybe I'll use them both?

This is a traditional Christmas photo at our house and I'd love to pull all the years together into a mini book to display around the holidays. As I've mentioned before, when I'm working with many different patterns of paper, I tend to make some sort of grid. All the patterns of this line work really well together, so putting the layout together was quick, and after adding some gold photo corners and numbers, I simply had to choose my favorite designs from the coordinating die cut sheet as embellishments. I did a little sewing to tie the patterned grid together (thanks for the inspiration Leah) and of course inked every single edge with brown ink. Because of the busy patterns I wanted to keep the overall design simple, so I chose to journal around the outside of the layout to add a border element and additional continuity.

Aren't these great? They were fun and easy to make, and there are enough tags on the die cut sheet to make short work of your Christmas cards this year. Sorry for the spoil if you're on my list!

Gable Box

Here's my box. I love projects like this, seeing what everyone creates with their supplies. We're all so very unique and amazing!!

My paper kit this month is new Christmas from Graphic 45. My gears have been turning all morning, it's the perfect line for vintage photos, hmmmm....

Inspired!!

I was so inspired by Leah's use of this new Creative Imaginations "Zoe" baby paper that I just had to have some to "play" with!! We don't have a new baby in the family, but I have this picture of Kate (now 4 years old!!) and I thought it worked perfectly with the paper!! I totally scraplifted the idea of Leah's to put buttons on the tree!! This paper is just adorable, and it comes in the "Zack" version for baby boys!!

Thanks, Leah, for the inspiration!! (The thickness of the buttons caused the layout to scan a little funny, but you can get the idea!)

Creative Imaginations Line

It is so exciting to get the call from Shawna telling me to come pick up my goodies. I had almost bought this paper for a baby book I am working on. It is so adorable. I was not too sure what I was going to do with the box. Then I started thinking about gable roofs. That is when I came up with the house idea. Originally I was going to make a little doll house and some paper dolls and outfits. My daughter is almost 3 so I don't think she would be into it yet. She likes her baby dolls to be naked. Then I thought of the idea for a keepsake baby box and still keep the house idea. It was like I was a little girl again. I had a lot of fun building my house. I embossed my windows with some clear embossing on blue paper. I scored the paper for the house front every 1/2 inch. The roof is alternating pinking edge and straight edge. I painted the handles baby pink and then decoupaged the whole box when I was done. I also cut a 5x8 piece of paper board to go in the bottom of the box to make it sit better. I did not like the way the top closed so I attached two magnets and a bit of ribbon to help pull the magnets apart.

This is a scrap lift from a July 2009 issue of Scrapbooks etc. pg. 24. I did some stitching on my page which was fun. I like the quilt look of this page.

Another scrap lift which didn't really end up looking that much like the original. This one was from a Creating Keepsakes July 2008 magazine pg. 99. This is the kind of paper that is so cute you don't want to cover any of it up. I find that when I am given these kits to create with I become more creative. When I scrap with the paper I have at home sometimes I will not use it because I don't want to cut it up or don't know what to do with it even though I really like it. Then I end up saving things thinking I will use it one day. Therefore I have a bunch of paper that I love and don't use. So thank you Shawna and Karen for challenging me. It has really pushed me to be more creative.