New Stuff from Ali Edwards

Photo courtesy of Technique Tuesday

Have you seen the new stamps and products from Technique Tuesday designed by Ali Edwards??? They are so cool for Project Life and for everyday memory keeping.

The one I have pictured in today's post is my absolute favorite! They start shipping August 7 (per the TT website).

Looks like these are some items I'm going to have to add to my MUST BUY list, lol!

Story Starters

Photo courtesy of The Digi Chick

I just saw these cool journaling cards from Lifescapes Templates on the Real Life Scrapped blog today. They are so cool! I can see them being used on layouts, Project Life, and especially in the K & Company Smash books!

I also think they might be neat for kids to fill out and include in memory books.


Must get!

Weekend Celebration

It was a fun weekend of birthday celebrations. I didn't take my usual onslaught of photos, but I still had enough photos to capture the memories.

I used a great template from Tiffany Tillman Designs to showcase my birthday photos. I love how it turned out!

Birthday Weekend by cyranoscrap

Credits:
Papers: In Bloom (Celeste Knight); Hello Sunshine (Dani Mogstad)

Embellishments: In Bloom (Celeste Knight); Playdate (numbers) and Hello Sunshine (Dani Mogstad); Scenes from Real Life (One LittleBird)

Fonts: Trajan Pro (title); Impact (title); Myriad Pro (journaling)

Template: Modern Master Template No. 23 (Tiffany Tillman Designs)

Photo Hash Tags

Courtesy of Persnickety Prints

Have you seen these new hash tags from Persnickety Prints? I just caught up on the Persnickety blog and found this posting - had to share!!

These are so cool to add to your photos before you print them! Get them - NOW! (And they are free, btw!)

Oh, and if you haven't used their services, you should, especially if you print 12x12 layouts. I had a few done and absolutely love them! They also print photos in sizes that are hard to get - nice job on those too! (I like the matte finish.)

Incidentally, if you like Persnickety Prints on Facebook, you'll get another freebie there!

Here's my hash tag on a pic...

Love those lemonberry freeze slushies at Sonic!

Celebrating...

Yesterday, we celebrated my birthday in big style - the Summer Olympics kicked off! (It was so nice of them to start festivities on my birthday!) And to commemorate the Olympics, we had fish and chips for dinner. (And the plastic sippy cup is the little guy's - not mine! LOL)

Let the celebration continue - you gotta love Friday birthdays! :)

Totally Tubular Templates!

Courtesy of Design House Digital & Tiffany Tillman

Like the alliteration? Well, it's to highlight some awesome templates I found by Tiffany Tillman!

Design House Digitals is my latest obsession. I found this site during the week and love their designers! Even better - there is a sale on Tiffany Tillman and Shannon Hegarty (aka Scotty Girl Designs) products this weekend! Of course I had to stop in and see what was out.

What I love about Tiffany's templates is that she has lots of multi-photo templates. While it is nice to have just one or two photos, I would end up with TONS of scrapbooking pages to print out. Sometimes, I like to have multiple photos (especially if I'm including my layout in my Project Life album), and lots of her templates offer that feature, along with some very cool design capabilities. For example, the template I picked for this post allows you to showcase 3 photos, but there's also the ability to add a 4th photo - if you want to use the background and blend it in. Love that! And because it's a template, all the work is done for you, saving time! I'm all about time-savers since there just aren't enough hours in the day to take care of real life and scrapbook, lol!

Okay, back to shopping for more templates! ;)

Project Life - Week 29

Caught up on Project Life!!!

Placed all the photos and printed up the journaling for Project Life - Week 29 today. I do have to get one layout printed up to add to the album, but that's it. It was actually 3 pages, since I had to get back on track.

Now, on to Week 30 - must remember to journal, lol! :)

DigiDare #285 - Play

Another DigiDares challenge to share today. Here are the requirements:

Dare Flair:

• Have one photo larger than the rest – the focal point of your page
• I want to see some rounded corners, either on the photos, or on paper pieces or elements
• Give your whole page a jaunty angle!
• Add some journaling to identify the activity/event, or the progression over time that you are capturing

Add as many or as few elements, alphas, and papers as you like.

I might have put too much thought into this week's dare, but I still had fun scrapping these photos from last week. The positive thing: I have another layout for my Project Life book!

Credits...

Papers: A Boys Life, Dots & Stripes-Homefront, Dots &Stripes-Soda Fountain, Happy Days, Sidewalk Chalk (Echo Park);The Lilypad Summer Bucket List Collection (Lilypad Designer Collaboration); Slightly Shabby Essentials (Jill Dzines); Playdate (Design by Dani)

Embellishments: Distressing Kit (Nancie Rowe Janitz); Jack’s World (Cosmo Cricket); Playdate (Design by Dani); Toy Box (Echo Park); Everyday Hand Drawn Brushes (Ali Edwards); PhotoCuts Masks V.1 (Carina Gardner)

Template: Love Template (Linda Roos, In the Making Design)

Fonts: Playdate and Boy Crazy alphabets (title, Design by Dani); Traveling Typewriter (journaling); CK Ali’s Hand (date)

Blue Jean Baby

I was dying to do something with the new Blue Jeans Collection from Paula Kesselring that's featured on One Story Down. I even had the title in my head (I think it's a line from an Elton John song, but then again, I could be making up my own words to his tunes!). I just had to find the right photo. So, I went into the photo archives and found a pic from a Valentine's Day shoot with the little guy. It was perfect!

I love when a design in my head comes together just as I want on a layout!


Supplies Used:

Paper, title, embellishment: Blue Jeans (Paula Kesselring)
Washi tape: Wishy Waschi - Eclectic Set 1 (Splendid Fiins)
Paint splotches: Game Collab (Ju Kneipp)
Journal strip: Bright Smiles (Michelle Underwood)
Photo mask: Taped Photo Masks No. 2 (Katie Pertiet)
Font: Baby Boston

Art Journaling

Art Journaling by Tangie Baxter

Art journaling fascinates me. I pore through examples in books and magazines and think "I want to do that!"

But, I've tried a few times, and I always feel like my art journaling attempts are too stilted, too thought out. A month or so ago, I tried an art journaling challenge at JessicaSprague.com. Nathalie Kalbach and Nancie Rowe Janitz (who also sells some of her work at JessicaSprague.com) are two artists I've admired, and they are great at art journaling. I've tried copying their examples, and my attempts still look too "tried." 

Today, I found an Art Journaling e-Zine from Tangie Baxter on ScrapbookGraphics.com that looked interesting. I think I'll have to try again, and keep trying. I figure it's like learning to ride a bike or any sort of new skill - you just have to keep doing it over and over, and soon, it will feel like second nature. Eventually, I won't have to "try" so hard. It will come naturally. In the meantime, it's fun to try, right?

So I'll share a completed attempt at art journaling that I did at the end of May...

Supplies Used:
Background: Find Your Wings (Nancie Rowe Janitz)
Block stamps: Inch Blocks Sampler (Katie Pertiet)

I think I spent several hours on this, even though it was digital. I just couldn't seem to get it right, and I still feel like it's not quite right, but I'm leaving it alone - for now.

Incidentally, if you want to try an art journaling challenge, check out Nathalie Kalbach's blog post on The Whatevers - Creative Storytelling. It's a super-cool way to bring out the artist in you using a vintage photo they provide. There aren't really any rules. The latest Whatevers challenge is at this blog post. I'm going to have to try it soon!

Family Reunion

On a roll with old photos, I pulled this one from a family reunion which took place 10 years ago and scrapped it. I know there are a lot more photos I could use on a bigger layout, but I wanted to highlight this one. It is the only family photo we have before a lot of changes started happening in our family. 


Supplies Used: 

Papers: Neutral Krafts (Just Jaimee); Annino Solids (Michelle Martin); Scrapflower Solids (Mommyish Graphics); Urban Color (Michelle Coleman); Ooh La La Solids (Nancie Rowe Janitz); Art In the Box (Paula Kesselring); My Life (Lynne-Marie Favreau)
Template: Amy Martin
Embellishments: Readymade Journalers Everyday (Studio Double D); Paint Swatches Vol. 2  (Liv.E Designs); Stenciled Alpha (Tracy Martin); Assorted Messy White Stitches No. 6 (Katie Pertiet); You Bring the Sunshine (Eva Kipler)
Font: Traveling Typewriter

Project Life Update

I'm caught up on Project Life! I've spent free time over the last couple of days trying to catch up on the last month. Unfortunately, I didn't journal much in June, but I remembered to take photos!

So, I am now up to Week 28 and have already started putting in pictures for Week 29 - and this week isn't over yet. I know it's silly to be dancing around about this, but this is my first year doing Project Life, and I was determined to keep with it - one of my 2012 resolutions that's actually lasting, lol!

I also started a new album for the second half of 2012. I didn't realize that it would actually take me more than one album to do Project Life. I probably could have squeezed in more pages into the first volume, but the album was getting a little heavy, so I opted to start a new one. I tried a few new things with my pages, doing little photo montages so I could include more photos.

On today's errand list - pick up photos I printed over the last two days. 

Oh, lastly, I caught a pic of the little guy and Clifford this morning that was too cute...

The Filipino Dress

DigiShopTalk is sharing "Book of Me" pages this week. Inspired, I dug through some old photos of myself from the 1970s and found some for this layout. It's odd that I don't remember much about this day. The only thing I can remember is how it felt to wear that dress. And that wasn't necessarily a positive thing, lol!

Supplies Used:

Paper: Terra Firma (Mary Ann Buchanan)
Embellishments: A Thing of Beauty (Laurie Anderson, Heaven's Gate Designs), Studio Mini No. 7 (K Studio)
Template: Press Plate No. 13 (Paislee Press)
Fonts: Calibri (title), Century Gothic (journaling, date)

Another Challenge Done!

Amazing. Finished my second challenge of the day, this one at JessicaSprague.com. These challenges have inspired me to look up my old photos and digi scrap them.

I've always loved this photo, and it was perfect for the challenge of having a photo that was 12 inches.




Supplies Used:

Template: Go Big No. 1 (Splendid Fiins)
Papers: Boy Crazy (Design by Dani)
Embellishments: Boy Crazy and Hello Sunshine (Design by Dani)
Fonts: Wish I Were Taller (title); Traveling Typewriter (journaling, date)

DigiDare #284

Since I woke up very early, I attempted the DigiDare Challenge #284 this morning. I've seen a lot about the DigiDares, but never tried to enter. So today is the day!

Although my page is simple, there were quite a few requirements to incorporate:

Dare Flair:
*Use the quote “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” in your layout somewhere.
*Use a neutral background- solid or patterned, but a neutral color (black, brown, white or shade in between).
*Use at least five non-neutral colors in your accent papers, elements & alphas.
*Use metal somewhere on the layout.
*Journaling is a must.
*Use at least two fonts throughout your layout.

Whew! In any case, I finally got around to scrapping the photos from a Gymboree class, and the quote was perfect for these photos. Loved doing this challenge and can't wait to try another one!

Now, for the credits...there are quite a few...

Supplies Used:
Template: Jenn McCabe (from Template Tuesday, jessicasprague.com)
Papers: Scrapflower Solids (Mommyish Graphic Design, Scrapflower); Sock Monkey and Dude Tags (Lettering Delights); Paris & Co (Carina Gardner); Cuckoo 4 U Strawberry Love (Samantha Walker); Natural Breeze (Affair of the Heart Designs, Digi Design Resort)
Embellishments: A Boys Life (Echo Park);  Natural Breeze (Affair of the Heart Designs, Digi Design Resort); Glitz Stitch (Vicki Stegall, Oscraps); Scenes From Real Life (One Little Bird); Splash On, Kitchen Window and Papillon (Laurie Ann Anderson, After Five Designs)
Fonts: Stampete (title and date); Digs My Hart (journaling)

Athlete

Today, I completed another layout for a challenge at Designer Digitals. I think this is my first layout for myself that has to do with sports. Way back when, I did a baseball layout for my friend Sally when we traded pictures and completed layouts for each other - a very fun swap, especially since we were online friends and hadn't met yet.

To get back to the challenge, a few years back, I completed my first (and probably only) marathon. The layout I created today doesn't tell the whole story - I'll have to do another layout journaling all the hardships of training for the big event. Luckily, I did make a photo book just to capture the event.

I had lots of fun with this layout, using masks and reducing the opacity on the layered paper. I have to admit these challenges help me think outside the box a little, which is why I love doing them.

Supplies Used:
Papers: Game Day Paper, La Cremerie Myrtille (Katie Pertiet)

Embellishments: Flagged Sentiments No. 1, Journaling StripMasks, Word Strip Labels, Taped Photo Masks No. 2, La Cremerie Myrtille (Katie Pertiet)

Font: Miserably Lose

Because I was feeling a little nostalgic about that day, I took my old friends out for a walk this afternoon. I didn't even realize my Team In Training tag was still on my shoes, lol. Ahhh...my very first pair of running shoes, and the shoes I used to complete the marathon! They felt comfortable, although they did rub my left heel a little. Note: must wear higher socks next time!

Vintage Finds from Teresa Collins

A few days ago, I posted about some of my favorite sneak peeks from CHA. One of the items was the Vintage Finds Collection from Teresa Collins.

Yesterday, on the Teresa Collins blog, there was a full reveal of the Vintage Finds Collection. It's even better than I expected! If you've used her products before, you know how much fun it is to work with such quality. See the full reveal and take a look at some of the projects on the blog. It's worth it!

I just wish I could get the products digitally, too... Maybe someday...

Girls' Weekend at the Coast

It took a Designer Digitals Challenge to get me to scrap this photo, lol! That's the one thing I love about the challenges - it gives me an excuse to find the perfect photo to fit the challenge!

This was taken in April 2009, when all 3 of us gals decided to rent a house from a friend and stay on the coast. There were a lot of other photos taken, but this is one of the few that can be shown! (What happens at the Coast stays at the Coast!)  ;)

Supplies Used:

Papers: In Distress (Lynn Grieveson); Annino Solids (Michelle Martin)

Embellishments: Trailblazers Kit (Katie Pertiet); Banner Masks No. 1 (Katie Pertiet)

Brushes: Miranda Brushes (Michelle Martin); Everyday (Ali Edwards)

Fonts: Traveling Typewriter

Favorite Part of Summer

I thought I'd do at least one layout about summer this year. I started this layout last night, but didn't have a chance to finish it until today.

All the pictures are from last weekend's excursion to the Farmers Market, and I wanted to do something with them. Of course, it was hard to narrow down the photos since I always take way too many! (You just never know what will turn out, so when in doubt, click, click, click!)

I used a variety of supplies from the following websites: JessicaSprague.com, Sweet Shoppe Designs, Designer Digitals, and Oscraps.

Supplies Used:

Papers: Hello Summer (Echo Park)

Embellishments: Summer Cottage (Melissa Bennett); Blooming (Jady Day Studio); Grow (Erica Zane); Cardstock Tabs No. 2 (Katie Pertiet)

Fonts: Baby Boston (title & journaling); Berlin (date)

Templates: EverydayLife (Cinzia Loosemore); Border Templates (Katie Pertiet)

National French Fry Day

Shutterfly tweeted that today was National French Fry Day! Since I'm a total french fry lover, I needed no other reason to indulge in these tasty treats. And the little guy didn't hesitate to celebrate either!

I love days like these!  :D

Note: Don't worry - he didn't eat all of these fries, lol!

Heidi Swapp Memory Files

Courtesy of Heidi Swapp

I just happened to catch a posting about the upcoming Heidi Swapp Memory Files to be released at CHA. I LOVE them!

There are a bunch of photos of the memory files pieces and using them in different projects on Heidi's blog. It's a must see!

Wales Mini Album

Courtesy of Emily Pitts, Write Click Scrapbook

While surfing the Internet for something - I don't even recall what it was now, I came across this wonderful Wales mini album by Emily Pitts on Write Click Scrapbook.

Emily wrote about some of the challenges with creating a mini album in her blog posting. I think we all run into challenges with mini albums because it's a matter of focusing. The word "album" implies this "big" project, when it really doesn't have to be. I love how she made an album of these 4x6 tags. I haven't done any mini albums in a few months, but I may just have to tackle one again very soon!

Clifford, The Big Red Dog

Sharing a photo from Monday morning...

The little guy left Clifford on the windowsill after the cartoon was over on PBS. At least Clifford was facing outside so he could enjoy the sunshine!

At 18 Months

Even though this is digital, it still took me almost two months to finish (thanks to constant interruptions!). I don't know what possessed me to make this a 2-page layout, but with all the journaling and the photos, I couldn't really make it any smaller. In any way, I still like how it turned out. And the main thing - it's finally done!  :D

Supplies Used:
Paper: This & That Charming (Echo Park)
Embellishments: All from This & That Charming (Echo Park), except for flowers (from So Grateful by Sahlin Studio)
Template: Layered No. 15 (Cathy Zielske)
Banner Mask: Banner Masks No. 1 (Katie Pertiet)
Fonts: Capture It (title); Wish I Were Taller and Arial (journaling)

And if you're wondering how I'm going to get this printed, I found an article from Persnickety Prints that shows you how to split your layout into two for printing as two separate prints to fit in your 12x12 album.

One other thing I got to do today: peruse a little of the Summer 2012 issue of Scrapbook & Cards Today. There are some great layouts in there. I see scraplifting in my future, lol!

CHA Sneak Peeks

Courtesy of Pink Paislee

CHA (aka Craft & Hobby Association) is such a fun time for crafters. It's when all the new, cool products are unveiled. And there are some super cool things coming out for Summer 2012's CHA. These are just a few that caught my eye.

From Pink Paislee, the Portfolio collection. I love the muted colors! Along with the usual papers, journaling cards, letter stickers, stamps, and die cuts, they are introducing something called Photograms, which allows you to put a single picture in a "frame." They look like the perfect size for cell phone photos or Instagrams.

From Simple Stories, the Handmade Holiday collection. With the warmth that's hit my area this week, it's a little hard to be thinking about Christmas, but this collection gets me in the mood! I need to get this collection and prepare myself to Christmas 2012. (Or maybe I'll just scrapbook some of my other Christmas photos that are still waiting to be scrapped, lol!)

Courtesy of Simple Stories

From Teresa Collins, there is Vintage Finds. In general, I love practically anything Teresa Collins puts out. (The World Traveler and Notations collections are personal favorites!) I've met her at CHA and in classes, and she is the nicest person. Anyway, her Vintage Finds collection is definitely vintage!  There are some great embellishments that would make any project look vintage and charming. In the blog reveal is a great album project that I'll have to "scraplift" in some way.

Courtesy of Teresa Collins

Courtesy of Glitz

From Glitz, I love the Yours Truly collection. The "Whatnots" (aka the die-cuts and frames) and title stickers are especially cute. Interestingly enough, it is the most colorful collection out of all the sneak peeks I've posted today. Hmmm...must be mood-related...

OK, that's all I have time to cover today. Hope you are enjoying your week so far!

Super Cool Mini Albums

Courtesy of Prima

Happy Friday! I had to share some mini albums that I've spotted and would love to try - once I find more free time...lol!

These super cool mini albums are a must-have! The samples are from Donna Downey, Nathalie Kalbach, and Jamie Dougherty and have some details that are amazing, like the tissue paper flowers.

More cool mini albums were spotted on another scrapper's blog, Piradee Talvanna, whose designs I've always admired. She's got a great Everyday Moments album, a fold-up This Makes Me So Happy album, and a free-style mini album called If Only (pic below, but to find the album on Piradee's blog posting, scroll to the bottom of that particular post).

Courtesy of Piradee Talvanna

One of my favorite digital designers, Paula Kesselring, is guest designer at One Story Down. I hadn't visited One Story Down before, but I discovered a few have-to-have items! It's always fun to find a new site and see some new styles and ideas. I'll have to peruse the site more later.

Don't forget that today is also Free Font Friday at Creating Keepsakes. You can get the CK Josie font, a fun font for summer layouts.

Have a super cool weekend!

Celebrating July 4th

July 4th parade pics scrapbooked! Did I mention how much I love digital scrapping???  ;)

Supplies Used:
Paper & embellishments: Land of the Free (Gina Cabrera)
Template: Rachels Scraps
Fonts: Mr & Mrs Popsicle (title), Baby Boston (journaling)

One complaint about today's parade: it was a lot cooler than usual out there (hence the long sleeves and jackets), especially in the shade, where we found an empty spot. Despite the goosebumps, we had lots of fun and laughs!

Happy 4th of July!

All items from the Land of the Free Kit by Gina Cabrera 

Saturday Outings

One Saturday last month, all my friends seemed to be out doing things. I received texts and photos from their varied locations (two of them were traveling by plane - separately, but still leaving from the same airport, purely coincidence).

First, my friend Jen texted me about her Ghetto Gourmet Tour in Berkeley.

Supplies Used:
Paper: Recycling Bin (Peppermint Creative)
Template: Katie Pertiet
Font: Stampete

To wind up the day, my friend Brenda was at the Portland Fruit Beer Festival. The one photo she sent (after I told her to take a picture to record her moment, lol) is captured in my "Cheers!" layout.

Supplies Used:

Paper & embellishments: Peanut Butter & Jelly (Peppermint Creative); Digitally Smitten title box (Gina Cabrera)
Stitching: Assorted Messy Stitches Brown No. 2 (Katie Pertiet)

Template: Some Stuff Template No. 8 (Fei-Fei's Stuff)

Fonts: Lush (title), Shelter Me (journaling)


Although it didn't take long to do each layout, I think they both turned out well. Hope the gals like 'em!

Valentine Treats & Project Life

One more actual layout completed for my Project Life album! This one is about Valentine's Day goodies we got this past February.

I tucked the Valentine's Day card behind the photo in the bottom right
quadrant. There's a pocket behind the photo. As for supplies, I only know that the title letters (which are plastic) are from American Crafts. Also, the butterfly is a cut-out (from a whole sheet) from the Joann's $1 bin.

At least I feel I have made some progress with scrapbooking current stuff!

I also wanted to share a photo of the little guy that I took yesterday that I thought was kind of humorous. The first caption that came to mind was: "Do these cars come with cupholders?" I just thought it was so funny that he was balancing his bottle of milk on the steering wheel.

One thing I've been doing in my Project Life album is trying to condense a lot of pictures that I take in a week. I am trying to take at least one photo a day, and sometimes I want to include more than one for a particular day. So, with the help of 4x6 templates from Cathy Zielske, I created this for the week of June 24-30.