Pink Prom Layout

The way that you group a collection of photos can really make a page! 
On this layout, I simply used an offset technique to create a photo grouping. I used a 12x12 paper and glued the photos in the arrangement I desired and then just cut around them to mat the photos. I really like that these photos look connected because they all share the same border. Using my Classic Font cartridge with my Cricut, I cut out "prom" and then used my Playtime cartridge to make the cute die cut. Add a couple embellishments I bought on clearance and wah-lah!... or something like that. 


Tchau!

Prom 2010 & Chaos

This page was both fun and challenging to work out. I've had so much trouble finding the perfect layout for these photos. We did a shoot for prom last year and I haven't had the chance to get around to scrapbooking it. You have no idea how hard it is to match these photos with a good background. The colors proved difficult to work with. But I did it! And now I celebrate. :)
I saved the babies breath, a rose and the ribbon from my corsage. These turned out to be the perfect accessories for my page. I bought the flower embellishments at Cargo Largo in a multi-pack. (Seen in the first photo of this page on the right) They're actually colorful, but turning them over, they had a nice brown color on the back and I was able to use them for my prom page. Score! The white splotches are just circles cut out with a unique craft scissor out of an off-white cardstock, the same I used for the strip down the right side of the page. Border the photos with  pretty paper, glue everything together and there you have it! I'm so glad to have this one off my check list.


I also wanted to include a photo of what my scrapbooking area generally looks like.  Chaos! I'm sure many fellow crafters can relate though. I feel I work better in this chaos, but unfortunately I don't have a permanent residence for my scrapbooking materials. So any time I, or anyone else for that matter, want to use the dining room table, I have to clean it all up and store it away. I can't wait to have my own space! Hope you all are staying warm.

Tchau!

Meet the OttLite (And Other Glorious Essentials)

OttLite
"Not all lighting is created equal." 
That's really what it says on the box. But really, this handy little light is AWESOME. Here're the selling points:

• Reduces glare and eyestrain
• Superior image and color rendering
• Flexible gooseneck and multi-position shade direct powerful illumination where you need it

Mine was gifted to me by my boyfriend's mom, who is a fellow crafter, and I absolutely love it! I use it every time I scrapbook now. It's natural light that you can turn off and on! No trying to match two colors under the fading light of the sun coming through your windows. Nope. Just flip on your OttLite and you have natural light at night! You can find one here. I bet if you did a little searching you could find them on Ebay and Amazon too. :) So check them out, because I'm not sure how I crafted before my OttLite. 

Scrapbook Case (and Zipper Bags)

I use my scrapbook case to hold my paper, mainly the 12x12. Scrapbooking paper is no good when it's all crinkly and folded and smudged. With my scrapbook case, I can keep my paper safely stored with no worries. I'm considering purchasing another one. They sell a huge assortment of different kinds of storage bins and totes and plastic containers, but this one works just fine for me... until I'll need to expand. But for now, it works perfectly. I highly recommend investing in some kind of storage container for your paper. It would be tragic if a cup of coffee or glass of water happened to tip over onto your paper stack, wouldn't it? So keep it covered with a scrapbook case! I bought this scrapbook case at Hobby Lobby. It says it was $8.99. But it was probably on sale for less, knowing me. I'm pretty sure mine was originally meant to store an ACTUAL SCRAPBOOK. But I was thinking, what's the point of having a scrapbook stored away? No one can look at your fabulous work if it's not out for people to see. Right? 

Also, I always keep my 12x12 zipper bags that some of my paper sets come in. These are excellent paper keepers too. Anything that seals is a plus. When I'm shopping for paper sets, I consider a usable storage container that the materials may come in an extra incentive to purchase the set. 

Cloth Storage Bins

Everyone's different in how they store their stuff. But this is how I keep my scrapbooking supplies together: cloth storage bins that just happen to match the colors in my bedroom. They're getting quite full, now that my scrapbooking supply collection is growing. But like the scrapbook case, they work. Keeping your scrapbooking supplies together will save you time when you get in the mood to scrapbook. No having to search for that certain tool. If you're organized and have everything together, you'll know exactly where it is. 

Tchau!

Rub-Ons Are Awesome

Happy Halloween! Except not. As I scrapbook, I'm able to look back on events throughout the years. It's nice to be reminded of times I've shared with others. This Halloween layout is from last year's Halloween. 

I used rub-ons with this layout and now know that I LOVE them. How easy! They usually come with a craft stick and all you have to do is remove the plastic, lay the rub-on upside down on the desired surface and rub. I thought they'd be much more complex and difficult, but it turns out they're very easy to use. I highly recommend them. They look great, better than printing out the text or images onto paper. They're also pretty inexpensive and you can often find some useful designs on clearance. 

So here's my rub-on adventure with a little matting mixed in:

Tchau!

My Favorite Adhesives

A good adhesive is a necessity when scrapbooking a layout. If you want it to stick, you can't skimp out on how much adhesive you use. My two favorite adhesives are a simple glue stick and mounting squares.
Glue sticks are great for gluing together mats to make double mats and gluing mounted photos onto a page. They're easy to use and the glue dries quickly.
Mounting squares are ideal for adhering photos to mats or strait on a page. I don't really use them for anything else. Mounting squares are square, obviously, so you can stick them to the very edge of a photo to ensure that the corners don't fold when sliding a page into page protectors. Very nice.
In addition to these, I also occasionally use glue dots when scrapbooking. I use them for non-paper embellishments such as the layered flower in my previous post.
My supply collection doesn't include any other types of adhesives. These three are your basics and really all that you'll need for scrapbooking. Have a great night!


Tchau!

I Heart Camp! Layout

This colorful layout was SO easy to do and I think it turned out to be very cute! 

The layout was centered around this adorable paper I found at JoAnn's on sale for 10 cents. Definitely worth it. 

I was having trouble finding supplies to match it though, but when I looked in my Mango Frost paper stack (a beautiful stack that I highly recommend purchasing, but was luckily gifted to me for Christmas, thanks Karla!) I found the perfect match to mat my photos on and cut out the circles. 

I also just happened to have on hand a flower assortment that included perfect matching colors, a red-violet, orange, and off-white, that I crafted together to make the fancy little flower embellishment. The center is a metal brad from a flower embellishment kit I picked up on clearance. 
Also, I cut out the letters using the Classic Font cartridge in my Cricut Expression. 

My final product! The double mat on the photos really turned out great. I love what a good border can do for a photo.

Be inspired. :)

Tchau!

Christmas Page Layout

I know full well that it isn't Christmas time, but I'm getting around to scrapbooking Christmas 2010 so I wanted to share my work. Here's an unusual sight for me: two different backgrounds on the same topic. I'm typically pretty consistent with this but I ventured away from the same background this time. 

When I scrapbook, first I pick out the photos that I plan to use on the subject. I don't always use all of the photos I pick out initially, but it does give me a rough idea of how I should plan the page. 

I found these really cute snowflake embellishments at Cargo Largo. Discount stores like Cargo Largo are great places to shop for scrapbooking essentials. They're typically things that are just out of season and you can always save your embellishments for the right time of year. I bought these snowflakes last summer. 

For the left side of my layout I planned to use three photos and leave room for the title in the upper left corner.  Since I didn't have any embellishments on hand that would match the background paper, I created my own. For this one, I simply drew, with a pencil, the outline of the evergreen tree on green card stock and cut that out then I cut the trunk out of leftover brown card stock that I'd saved. Also, using my Cricut, I created a Christmas ornament with scrap paper I had. I always keep my scraps because you never know when you'll need them. 

Here's how I made my ornament:

Using the Cricut Classic Font cartridge, I cut out two circles. You can also use a household item to make circles. I've used the end of a glue stick and a candle holder before, prior to my Cricut. You can also use bowls, cups and plates to make various sized circles. After cutting the circles, I hooked them together with a metal connector (the name escapes me). After this, using another circle design with my Cricut, I cut out an additional circle. This I used to make the ornament more interesting. See photos. 

After I made the ornament, I cut out "Merry Christmas" in red card stock using the Chunky Classic font. Before gluing ANYTHING on the background I always arrange my photos and embellishments so that I have a rough idea of what the end result will look like. The final left page is shown at left. 

The right page was very simple. I bordered each photo with white card stock, glued a white, sparkled strip of card stock down the left side and attached the snowflakes. Like I said, very simple. So with that, I hope that you received some kind of inspiration from my post. This is how I do it. If you have any tips or tricks you'd like to share, please comment and don't forget to follow me. :)


Tchau!