Things Are Always Better Than They Seem

I'm back with another layout - I really am trying to live up to (at least) one of my New Year's resolutions and take some more "me" time and get some more scrapbooking done! This week I've done a layout to play along with Case File #3 at CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration and I've also used the January 15th sketch at Once Upon a Sketch. I'm also going to submit it for the Scrap it with a Song New Year's challenge! I love using challenges as a way to jump-start the creative process; when you have so little time to scrap - it is great to have a little outside inspiration!

The CSI Case File "evidence" I used for this layout includes: sheer ribbon, tags, a doily, and circular elements; for the "testimony", I used tags and repetition. The journalling prompt at OUAS was to focus on "Goodbye 2011" or "Hello 2012". Another resolution I made for this year was to try and focus more on the positive - 2011 was a year of ups and downs and it is far too easy to let the bad stuff keep you down. So, I need to remember that Things are always better than they seem -- and one look at my sweet little boy is a reminder that I can face anything in 2012! I journalled using lyrics from the song When I See you Smile by Bad English (wow - I'm dating myself) because they were so appropriate for this picture and this layout's message: "When I see you smile, I can face the world; You know I can do anything, when I see you smile."

I've used patterned papers by Webster's pages and Glitz Designs for this layout and edge-distessed and inked all the papers with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. The base page is from Webster's Pages Nature's Storybook collection and it has been in my stash for quite a while. I layered strips of paper from Glitz Design's Beautiful Dreamer and Laced with Grace collections and added some lace trim to edges of the top strip. I then layered a circle of Glitz Designs (Beautiful Dreamer) paper with a Doily for the central circular element of the page. The three layers under the photo include a Glitz Designs paper layer, and patterned papers by Webster's Pages (Country Estate) and Glitz Designs (Laced with Grace). I also added a couple of embossed photo corners to the photo. To complete the layering, I used two floral pieces of Glitz Design's Whatnot from the Beautiful Dreamer collection and fussy-cut another floral element from the Webster's pages Country Estate paper.

I used a Melissa Frances Vintage Tag as the title element for my layout. I didn't like the embellishments that were on it - so I removed them and added some eyelets (circular) from my stash and criss-cross threaded some sheer ribbon through them. There was a picture of a creepy little girl on the tag - so I took the frame off the tag and cut a piece of the Glitz Design Beautiful Dreamer - Floral paper to fit in the frame on the tag (flowers = not creepy). I added clusters of flowers around the tag and at the edge of the picture and finished off the embellishing with a Dusty Attic Leafy Stem chipboard piece.

I did a really simple treatment on the Dusty Attic chipboard piece - I inked the entire piece with Vintage Photo Distress Ink and then coated it with a fairly generous coat of Ranger Crackle Accents. 

Thanks so much for visiting my blog today. I love your visits and truly appreciate your comments!

Materials Used:
Patterned Papers - Webster's Pages: Country Estate - Breezeway, Nature's Storybook - Violette Wings; Glitz Designs: Beautiful Dreamer - Whatnot, Houndstooth, and Floral; Laced with Grace - Paper Layers, Stripe; We R Memory Keepers Paper Doily; Melissa Frances Vintage Tag; Martha Stewart Embossed Photo Corners; Dusty Attic Leafy Stem #3 (Small); Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink; Ranger Crackle Accents; Prima Mini Roses; Recollections Boutique Fleurs - Lace Borders and Mulberry Paper Flowers; Offray Ribbon; Tags and Eyelets from Stash; Memory Taper Runner XL; Scrapbook Adhesives 3D Foam; Glue Dots (Craft and Mini).

12/22/2011 -- William v. Santa Claus

There is a new challenge site called "CSI: Color, Stories, Inspiration" that has wonderful, creative and fun challenges. I've decided to play along with Case File No. 1 at CSI and came up with this layout based on the case file requirements. I also used the Stuck?! Sketches January 1st sketch as the inspiration for this layout.



CSI: Case File No. 1



Stuck?! Sketch - January 1, 2012

I was inspired by the format of the CSI challenges and created a "Case File" of my own for this layout. My son was not too happy when we put him on Santa's lap this year - so I've called this layout 12/22/2012 - William v. Santa Claus.

I've used all the colours (or as close as I could get from my stash) from the CSI Case File. All the papers are by Bo Bunny and are from the Noel and Welcome Home collections. The base page has some blue-ish-grey writing to bring in that tone and then I layered the red and green pages. I used a manilla folder as the yellow tone and handwrote my title on the file tab.  I added a cardstock cut-out by K&Co. under the file tab because the sentiment was so appropriate -- this was my son's second Christmas and it truly was a December to Remember.

I have used distressing and a bow as my "evidence" elements. I distressed all the paper and embellishments (no inking though - I was SO tempted but thought it would make the layout too dark).

For my journalling, I have used a tag and a numbered list for the "testimony" elements. I had a little fun with this tag - and used some quotes from The Family Guy and the movie Elf as inspiration for some of my list items. I cut the tag on my Silhouette and printed it on my printer using a font called Grinched. I added some twine, which I wrapped around all the layering elements and tied the tag with a simple bow. I also tucked in a couple of cardstock cut-outs by K&Co. with the tag.

That's all for today. Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

Materials Used:
Patterned Papers: Bo Bunny - Noel Collection: Joy, Traditions, Noel; Welcome Home Collection - Key; Manilla Envelope; K and Company - Yuletide Collection - Cardstock Elements; Hungarian Hemp Twine; Memory Marker (Black); Memory Tape Runner XL; Glue Dots - Craft.

Wonder & Promise - Updated

Well, this is my first layout of the New Year! It is a fairly simple layout - but I love the colour combination of blue and gold and the pops of white. I'm playing along with a few different challenges with this one -- I used the January 1st sketch at Once Upon a Sketch as the inspiration for the layout and the Glitz Design January 2012 Blog Challenge photo for colour inspiration. I'm also playing along with the Bird is the Word challenge for the word "Wonder". Phew...this layout is very "challenging"!

There is a lot of white space on the layout sketch so I wanted to use something a striking background page - I love this paper from the My Mind's Eye Lost and Found Two collection. It coordinates so beautifully with the blue patterned papers are from Glitz Design's Vintage Blue collection, which I used for the photo mat, envelope and punched horizontal paper strip.

*Update: I really wasn't in love the layout the way it originally turned out - so I trimmed the glittery background page and edge punched it with the same punch I had used on the horizontal paper strip. I then added Glitz Designs Vintage Blue Motif paper as the base page. I am much happier with the layout now - and apparently have "shown my crazy" (as my sister would say) to all my blog visitors.

I matted the photo as a "stamp" by trimming the Vintage Blue Stripe paper and white cardstock with the We R Memory Keepers Magnetic Twist Trimmer "stamp" blade. I inked the edges of the blue papers with gold-toned liquid chalk (which does not photograph well). I added a die-cut post mark to the photo itself. The lettering, which doesn't show up wonderfully in the photo, says "1 yr". 

I cut the library-card envelope from the Vintage Blue Stripe paper and lined the inside with Vintage Blue Rose paper. The horizontal strip of punched paper is also Vintage Blue Rose. The journalling challenge at OUAS was to journal about your feelings this time of year (i.e. New Year) - the ticket in the envelope has a short note from me to my son; it states:

Dearest William, I can't believe how much you have grown and changed in the past year. You amaze me daily - you're learning so many new things so quickly. I look at you and my heart is filled with love - and with the Wonder and Promise that you bring to my life. Love, Mommy (January 2012)

I cut the envelope, journalling ticket, title letters and all the snowflakes on this layout using my Silhouette.

The large snowflake has a bottom layer of dark blue cardstock (which coordinates with the title lettering) and a top layer of white cardstock. To get the glittery "snow" effect, I painted the snowflakes with mod podge and then sprinkled them with Twinklets Diamond Dust.

That's all for today! Thanks so much for visiting my blog!

Materials Used:
Patterened Paper: My Mind's Eye - Lost and Found Two Collection - Sunshine "Two of Us" Lovely Paper; Glitz Design - Vintage Blue Collection - Vintage Blue Stripe, Vintage Blue Motif and Vintage Blue Rose; Bazzill Basics Cardstock in White and Dark Blue; Twinklets Diamond Dust; Martha Stewart Edge Punch and Liquid Chalk in Gold; Mod Podge (Matte); Aleene's Tacky Glue; Memory Tape Runner XL; Xyron Sticker Maker; Silhouette Die Cut Machine; We R Memory Keepers Magnetic Twist Trimmer.

Top Five Projects of 2011

Happy New Year!

Well, it was a busy year for me in 2011. I didn't get nearly as much crafting done as I would have liked - but I guess that's what happens when you have a new little one! One of my resolutions this year is to take a little more time for myself and get some more scrapping and crafty projects done! I have thousands of photos (literally) to go through and so many ideas for layouts and projects! And I love challenge blogs so I'm hoping to play along with some of my favourites a lot more often.

But before we get to posts of new projects for 2012, I thought I would do a quick recap of my Top Five Projects of 2011.

1. Time in a Bottle
I think this is my favourite layout of all time (no pun intended) - mostly because I have an emotional response every time I look at it. . . it reminds me to treasure the little moments with my son. . . he is growing up so fast.

2. Advent Calendar with Reversible Boxes
I am so happy with how this calendar turned out - and my son just loved having the little treats from it every day in December. It is going to be so much fun to get this out every year and have our Christmas countdown!

3. Altered Witch's Hat
I fell in love with Graphic 45's Wizard of Oz Collection as soon as I saw it. I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to do with it, but when I saw a plain, kraft, papier mache Witch's Hat -- I knew I had found the perfect project to use the Oz papers. I LOVE this hat!

4. First Visit with Santa Claus
I just adore this picture of my son with Santa Claus - he looks so tiny on Santa's lap! This was my first published layout - and I think it was my handmade "distressed poinsettias" that got me the spot in Canadian Scrapbooker magazine. I was so thrilled to be published!

5. His eyes - how they twinkled; His dimples how merry!
It was so hard to pick my final favourite but I finally settled on another Christmas layout (other contenders for the 5th spot were my layouts entitled Hope, One Kiss or Baby Boy). The reason I picked this layout is that I think this is the cutest baby picture I have ever seen (how lucky for me it's my son). I also really love how all the layering and distressing on this layout turned out.

That's all for today! Thanks so much for visiting my blog!