2013 Europe Backpacking Album - Part 4

Today may be the last of the layouts I completed immediately after taking Shimelle's "The Scrapbook Process" class, but there will be many more layout shares to come in the future. If you missed Parts 1 through 3, you can check them out here, here and here.

I'm sharing two layouts in the same post today, because while they are not a double page spread, I created them with each other in mind. I wanted to make sure they complimented each other as they will be facing pages in the album and of the same location.

For both layouts I used the My Mind's Eye "Hello World" collection and used a Bazzill cardstock for my background.

Layout #1 was based on this sketch.

I kept all my embellishing really simple. I'm loving that I have started using my roller stamps more in my layouts. I have a few that work really well with travel pages. As you can see I did some more floating embellishing and I felt adding the enamel dots to the stamping helped ground it towards my title. The floral chipboard is from the same collection as it the brad.

My journaling wouldn't show up on the floral background paper, so I added a journaling card. Even though it's a dark background, my writing is still legible. I added a couple of chipboard pieces on top of each other. Another brad, flair, geo tag and enamel dots bring it all together.

I turned to the 6x6 paper pad that I had for the collection and used both of the orange diagonal patterned paper pieces. After placing my photo on top of one piece, I randomly cut up the second piece and layered it all together until I liked it. Adding ink to all the edges helped make the layers stand out more.

After adding the orange paper layers to my photo, I felt it didn't stand out enough when I placed it on the background paper, so I added the mint patterned paper behind the photo/paper cluster and it helps your eye focus on the picture instead of it all blending in together.

Layout #2 is based on this sketch.

What can I say about this layout? I think I kinda love it. Even though I have quite a bit going on with my layering and embellishing, I think the photos still stand out.

I recently purchased the October Afternoon travel stamps and love, love, love how they look on the kraft cardstock. I think the stamping made perfect embellishments.

Even incorporated more of the roller stamping too!

Let's take a closer look at all the little details of this cluster.

I  can't get enough of the royal blue enamel pearls!

I used Kelly Purkey's grid rubber stamp on the same kraft cardstock as all my other stamping to give myself a place to journal. I didn't want to use a white pen on the background.

The Tim Holtz "Small Talk" phrase stickers didn't have a problem finding a home on this layout. 

So there you have it! I hope you have enjoyed taking a closer look with me at the 4 layouts I completed.

I can't wait to share additional layouts with you for this album. My hope is to have all of Barcelona completed by the end of August, if not sooner. I estimate I have about 12 more layouts to go in this section of the album.

As my husband said the other week, "For us only spending just over a day in Barcelona, there sure are a lot of layouts for it!" Why yes. Yes there are. And that's ok because stories are being told!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Happy 4th of July to all my American friends!

2013 Europe Backpacking Album - Part 3

Another day, another layout share! Today I'll be sharing the second layout I completed after finishing Shimelle's class "The Scrapbook Process". You can read Part 1 and Part 2 if you missed my previous posts.

The original inspiration for today's layout can be found here. Once again it's a scraplift, but this time I've embellished more than the original.

For this layout I used KaiserCraft's "Wanderlust" collection.

I used my Paper Smooches Pinked Circle Die cut set again. I just love how easily it adds texture to a layout, but also is a great base for building your embellishments.

I pulled out a couple of my Ali Edwards stamps sets.They are both from past Story Kits and I was thrilled to have finally used them. I made sure to stamp in each of the clusters.

The printed dictionary vellum I used is from DYI and even though the words have nothing to do with travel, I don't think it distracts you from the layout. In addition to the large matting piece, I made sure to include a little punched piece on top of each of the pinked circles.

I really love how the main cluster/journaling area turned out.

I incorporated wood veneer from My Mind's Eye "Hello World" collection. The "wood" geotags are from Studio Calico. The green washi tape from Kelly Purkey was the perfect color match.

I felt it was important to have arrows pointing back into the page since my journaling card had arrows pointing off the page. I managed to get my hands on the October Afternoon Daily Flash arrow chipboard the other week and I noticed how well the colors work with my travel layouts.

I'm not one who usually includes floating clustering, but since I did it in my last layout, it was quite easy to do on this one.

That's it. Another story has been told.

Please come back tomorrow where I will be sharing the last two layouts in this series of posts.

2013 Europe Backpacking Album - Part 2

Yesterday, I shared how Shimelle's latest class, "The Scrapbook Process" helped me toward completing more layouts for my 2013 Europe Backpacking album. If you missed it, Part 1 can be read here.

Today, I am happy to share the first of the four layouts I have completed so far.

The original inspiration for my first layout can be found here (Pinterest Link). It's from the Glitter Girl Adventure 75: Extra Large Lessons episode.

For the most part, this is a straight scraplift. While I think the original is more embellished than mine, I followed the same design and placement of my embellishments.

All paper used to create my layout is from the Carta Bella "Travel Stories" collection.

The top embellishment cluster is quite simple. I pulled out my Paper Smooches Pinked Circle Dies to punch three circles in varying sizes to spread throughout the layout.  The smallest one I used here. I topped this cluster off with stickers from Shimelle's "Starshine" collection. The geotag sticker came from the Carta Bella sticker sheet that came with the collection.

I noticed on the original layout that I happened to have the exact same wood veneer used so I thought "Why not?" and on the layout it went.

A tiny floating cluster on top of some washi.

The main cluster at the bottom of the page includes a journaling card from Amy Tangerine "Ready Set Go". The colors on the card didn't match my layout exactly, so I used the remainder of a small border sticker from the top cluster that I ended up cutting to cover up the bits of the card that totally didn't coordinate.

I laid my title out on top of the largest pinked circle. I used the gorgeous teal Fitzgerald Thickers and small alphas from Basic Grey to spell my title. I rummaged through Pink Paislee's "Atlas" ephemera pack and thought the acetate globe and was too cute not to use and it matched perfectly. Another geotag sticker landed in the middle of the globe. The camera and and banners also came from this collection and I placed them all on top of the last pinked circle I punched.

The final touch on the layout was stamping the date on an October Afternoon label.

If you have any questions about this layout, please let me know.

Tomorrow I'll be back to share the next layout!

Mr. & Mrs.

With our 1 Year Wedding Anniversary being today, I thought it would be nice to share with you a layout of one of my favorite wedding photos.

In all honesty I started this layout about 3 weeks ago, but really struggled with putting it all together. When I sat down on Saturday to give it a go at finishing, I realized what my issue had been.

I wanted the first layout I did with our pictures to be just as magical and perfect as I felt it was that day.

When I decided to let the pressure go, everything seemed to fall into place.

I utilized two paper collections to create this layout. It includes 2 patterned papers from Pink Paislee's "C'est La Vie" collection and one from Felicity Jane's "Chloe" April kit. I used a piece of chocolate brown Bazill cardstock to frame the layout and also as a layer in the middle of the layout.

I went with a diagonal design to bring your eye down the page and opted to put my title along the left hand side to bring your eyes back across the page.

I love how this top little cluster came together. I used some leftover Pink Paislee paper to punch out hearts in two different sizes. I thought they looked nice clustered with the gold glitter heart die cut piece and XO tag from Maggie Holmes' "Bloom" ephemera pack. I received the tiny pink puffy hearts from my sister and the gold gems I bought in Michael's the other week.

I'm very happy how my main cluster turned out as I really struggled with how I wanted everything to be placed. Everything had moved from one side of the page to the other several times, before I settled on this design.

I used a Project Life card from Heidi Swapp for my journaling spot. However, instead of handwriting my journaling, I decided to use those wonderful Maggie Holmes tiny word stickers that came out in her "Confetti" collection. I also managed to finally use one of the gold Maggie Holmes doilies. You can see a small portion of it in the above photo. I also cut it in half so I could use it elsewhere on the page.

Shortly after we got married I had purchased a package of wedding themed wood veneers. I absolutely loved the road sign piece. I decided it needed to be painted white in order to go with the page better, especially since I wasn't adding any additional wood veneer pieces to the layout.

I layered it on top of a Becky Higgins Project Life 4x6 photo overlay from the "Desktop" collection. I like how the "You + Me" is nestled right under the sign. I included another die cut piece and paper flowers from Martha Stewart (so sad Michael's doesn't carry her line anymore). I punched a few more hearts, added more puffy hearts and gold gems to complete the grouping.

To finish the page, I added my title along the left side of my photo going vertically. Here you can see the other piece of the gold doily under my title. I finished this off by adding one more paper flower and three more small gems. I used "Imprint" gold foiled Thickers for my title.

Finally, as for my paper layers for the photo, I simply cut a small border in white paper, then another in a pink Bazill cardstock to add a small frame around my photo. I then took a 12x12 piece of vellum and tore it in rectangles using my Tim Holtz ruler and folded and layered them under the photo. I love how it helps you focus on the photo in the layout.

I simply can't believe how fast our first year of marriage has flown by. We've been together for a total of seven years today, and it feels just as amazing as it did when we had our first date. Here's to my hubby who constantly keeps me on my toes, brings me to uncontrollable laughing fits, loves unconditionally, is my rock and is a wonderful daddy to our new fur baby. I love him more than I ever thought was possible.

I hope you enjoyed my layout celebrating our marriage. Now that this first one is complete, I am hoping to get more of our amazing pictures in our album.

Thanks for looking and I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Busy Crafty Bee

Ahhh I am back! After dealing with a nasty upper respiratory infection for the past four weeks, I am FINALLY feeling like my old self again. Thank goodness!

Since I have been daydreaming about another backpacking trip to Europe, I thought I would share with you some of the scrapbook pages I have completed for our 2013 Europe trip. I am not quite sure exactly how long it will take me to complete this album, as we were gone for 3 weeks, but I am going to love working on each page as it takes me right back to our adventure.

Layout #1: "Are We There Yet?"

Layout #2: "Amsterdam Halfway Point"

Layout #3: "Equity Point Hostel"

Layout #4: "Can I Just Eat?"

Layout #5: "The Statue Life"

For these layouts all items came from my stash. Back in January I had purchased the Vintage Travel Project Life cards which I am enjoying adding them where I can, even if I am cutting it up.

I also incorporated some travel themed collections into my stash that I purchased a few months ago which includes: Echo Park's Getaway, KaiserCraft's Wanderlust, My Mind's Eye Hello World and Heidi Swapp No Limits. In a couple of these layouts I used some of the Echo Park and My Mind's Eye collections.

I am printing my pictures out for this album in batches. I am finding it easier to handle all 5,000 pictures (the joy of digital camera) and not feel overwhelmed. I currently have another 5-6 layouts ready to be completed.

My plan is to work on these pages concurrently with the monthly scrapbooking kits I receive so it's not sitting for months and not being completed.

So, that's all for now. I can't wait to share with you all the layouts I completed using my February Hit Kit, some knitting related posts and a huge announcement!

Until then, talk to me. What craftiness you are up to right now? I can't wait to hear!

Lost Time

Even though I have been away from my beloved blog, it doesn't mean I haven't been busy. I seem to have lost myself in the world of scrapbooking these past few weeks. Oh how I have missed all my scrappy goodies for the past couple of years. I think I have been making up for lost time!

I mentioned in a previous post that I had signed up for some scrapbooking kit clubs to try them out. Well I am two months into receiving my kits and I have decided that the front runners for my affection are Clique Kits and Hip Kit Club. Not only do I think their kits are amazing, but their customer service is phenomenal!

As with most scrapbooking kit clubs, you can purchase the main kit and then each month there may be some add-on kits (extra paper, embellishments, etc.) that you can purchase to compliment your main kit.

Today I am going to share with you the layouts I completed using the February Clique Kit. As my subscription started after the kit went live to the public, I only purchased the main kit. I did not purchase any add-on's from Clique Kit directly as the additional paper I wanted was sold out. I did, however, purchase a package of enamel dots, a full pack of die cuts and 4 additional 12x12 patterned papers (2 papers I fussy cut to use as added embellishments for my pages) from the same line and managed to eek out 14 layouts.

Please note that in some layouts besides the cardstock, I did embellish from my stash (i.e. alpha stickers, buttons, ribbon, washi tape, acrylic embellies, etc.), but very minimally. I really wanted to use only what I got, but there were time when I needed to use something else.

Layout #1 - My Sister and Her Husband

Layout #2 - One of my beautiful nieces showing off the cowl I knit her.

Layout #3 - My honey's niece and nephew on New Year's Day.

Layout #4 - My honey and I when we were first dating.

Layout #5 - First baby I ever held - my nephew.

Layout #6 - My sister's wedding day.

Layout #7 - Sis and I attending a knit night.

Layout #8 - Uh me!

Layout #9 - Surprise for my sister.

Layout #10 - Celebrating my honey's niece's birthday.

Layout #11 - Two of my sisters and I.

Layout #12 - Honey and I on the train heading to Monaco France!

Layout #13 - My niece being silly with her two brothers.

Layout #14 - Third baby I ever held - another niece.

When I first received this kit, I fell in love with it, but at the same time, I was like "How am I going to get my money's worth out of it?".

For me to feel like I got my money's worth out of the kit, I wanted to get as many layouts as possible completed from it. I think with the finally tally of 14 completed layouts, I succeeded in this. But how did I get this many?

Well adding my own solid cardstock definitely helped with this. I also stepped outside of my scrapbooking comfort zone and tried "new ways to me" to complete a layout. I fussy cut paper to use as embellishments. See the mason jars and big flowers I used? Yup those were 12x12 papers that I took my scissors to. Also, when I used a patterned paper as a border to my cardstock center, I cut out the center of the patterned paper to use elsewhere since it was going to be covered anyway. I learned to cut up embellishments and tuck them in several places on the layout so it looks like I had more than one of them.

By using this kit, I learned it's all about getting extra creative with your product!

So with only a few scraps of paper left from the kit, I am calling it killed. The remaining embellishments and alpha stickers will be put in my stash.

I am currently working through my February Hip Kit. I have 10 completed layouts so far. Working on number 11 now. I have been incredibly sick since last Friday and I cannot wait for the creeping crud to go away so I can get back to my craftiness.

Long Crafty Weekend

When I was home visiting my family in Georgia a few weeks ago, my sister and I took to doing a little shopping. We hit up a few of my favorites - Michael's, Hobby Lobby, JoAnn's - in search of fabric and scrapbooking supplies.

I knew that within a couple of weeks my beloved built-in cabinet would be installed, so I wanted to pick up a few items that would assist me in my craftiness. I flashed some of my scrapbooking haul on Instagram:

It had been a few years since I did any kind of scrapbooking supplies purchases as when I moved in with my honey three years ago, my scrapbooking was put on hold due to space constraints.  So I knew I wanted to stock up on items that I could use in my Travel and Christmas scrapbooking pages.

While I wanted to purchase everything I could get in my hot little hands, I was rather controlled with what I bought. I knew that I had supplies at home, I just needed to see what was salvageable before buying too much.

After spending last weekend getting my crafting space all set up, I was ready to start scrapbooking again this weekend. During the week, I printed pictures and tried to pull papers from my stash to use. The funny thing is that when I sat to scrap on Saturday and Sunday, I ended up using totally different papers on my spreads. But that's just the way things work out sometimes. It's the nature of the creativity beast.

On Sunday morning I finished my first spread in three years. I could tell just how rusty my scrapping brain was, as this one page spread took me forever to complete.

"Feeling Beautiful" - I took this picture of myself during my visit to Georgia in January one morning when my sister and I were heading out for the day. I really wanted to see how the new red lip stain I was wearing looked in natural light. I ended up loving this picture of myself and decided it was worth scrapbooking as I truly felt beautiful.

One of my goals is to try and use up as much of my scrapbooking stash this year, so all the paper I used was indeed from my stash. The only newly purchased items I used on this spread were the two Project Life Cards from the Vintage Travel Edition and the K&Company Layered Accents camera.

I had greater success with the amount of time it took me to complete my second spread of the weekend. I sat down at my desk Sunday evening and a couple hours later it was complete. Yes, I know that a couple of hours isn't fast, but it sure does beat one and a half days to finish a spread. I know in time I will get faster.

"Travel" - Back in 2013 when my honey and I were preparing for our first backpacking trip to Europe, we went to our favorite store, REI, to purchase what we would be wearing on our backs for three whole weeks - Backpacks.

It's amazing at what you have to think about when purchasing a backpack - size, weight, what you are planning on packing in it, etc. - and I couldn't resist snapping this series of pictures of my honey trying to decide if this pack was the one.  Looking at these pictures takes me immediately back to that day and I remember the giddiness and excitement of our upcoming trip as if it were yesterday.

I again used the majority of stash for this spread. The only new items are from the Teresa Collins World Traveler 6x6 paper pad (used 2 sheets for layering), Project Life Cards from the Cinnamon Edition (purchased last spring, but since I have never used it, I don't consider it stash), The Paper Studios Stick-a-bilites Geo Cardstock Tags (arrows) and the Simple Stories Snap Travel card at the top of my spread.

I have to say I am quite pleased with how these two spreads turned out to be. For some reason I am a tiny bit more enamored with my second spread. I don't know if it's the colors, or the layering of my pieces or that it just takes me back to Europe, but I love it.

I am really excited to be back scrapbooking again. To help supplement my really old stash, and the fact it's really hard for me to get to a supply store, I signed up for a couple of scrapbooking kit clubs. I have already received one and I can not wait to play. My plan is to do a "Kill A Kit" post when I've used up all that I can of the kit. Not sure if I am going to step into the "Process Video" arena at this time, but maybe something I will consider it down the road.

My plan is to dedicate at least one post a week to my scrapbooking. I will continue to post about my knitting, sewing and healthy lifestyle adventures. So if you come here for that, they will still be around for you.

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend, and a long one too if you celebrate President's Day. What crafty things are you up to?

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("Feeling Beautiful" Supply List: Bazzill solid cardstock, Paper Refelections black cardstock, misc white cardstock, misc patterned paper, EK Success Stick Stickers - Black Small, Stickopotamus Mini Brush Alpha stickers, K&Company Layered Accents, Provo Craft Art Accentz - Flower Brads, misc. clear colored flowers, misc fabric flower, Project Life Cards - Vintage Travel Edition, misc camera ephemera)

("Travel" Supply List: Bazzill solid cardstock, Paper Refelections black cardstock, misc patterned paper, Teresa Collins World Traveler 6x6 paper pad, Project Life Cards from the Cinnamon Edition, Simple Stories Snap Travel card, The Paper Studios Stick-a-bilites Geo Cardstock Tags (arrows), Sandylion Essentials - Mini Travel Tags with brads, Making Memories Journey Rub-Ons, American Crafts Elements Large Brads, Close to My Heart My Acrylix Stamps - Sans Small Caps & Small Numbers)