Vacation!

I've been in England for a week visiting my sister and nephew. We've been really busy wandering around while she plays Tour Guide Barbie for us! I've been to London for a concert, seen some beautiful cathedrals, and am visiting Stonehenge tomorrow. It's been a lot of fun but hectic too- I'm trying to get homework done in between the little trips here and there. Luke has been a trooper though- he's definitely a good travel companion!

Big Ben is RIGHT in your face once you get off the tubes- it was very cool to be so close! There was a lot of foot traffic around though, so getting pictures was tricky.

The Eye was right across the street. We didn't ride it, but it was a gorgeous day and would have been perfect for it!

This was taken right outside the Hard Rock Cafe- it seemed fitting to eat there before heading to our concert!

This was our tube stop- it was a long ride into town but definitely worth it! We have another week here and will be taking another trip into London for some more sight-seeing. I'm worn out but am so glad to be able to see all of this!
I'm definitely missing crafting though. I can't wait to break into my box of Pebbles goodies waiting for me at home!

Be You

I've got a page to share today that I made last night. I basically just started cutting out random rectangles and squares and positioning them around- there are a lot of different patterns going on here but in a strange way, it works.

Sorry for the poor photo quality- I'm in a huge hurry. We just found out today that I may be able to make a flight to England tomorrow so I'm trying to finish homework and pack so we can be out the door at 4AM. So far I can check homework off the list, packing though... that's a different story. I still have 6 hours! =)

Anyway, I'll be pretty quiet this next week or so but I'll try to get on and post some travel photos!

Wanderlust

I finished a page with Studio Calico's Boardwalk (same kit as the cards from yesterday) and thought I'd go through my 'scrap process'.
I tend to spend a lot more time staring at paper than actually making anything, truth be told. So for this page, I thought it best that I sketch out what I wanted to do first, so I wouldn't have to worry about where to start. I came up with this:

Granted, I'm no Becky Fleck, but using a sketch saves a ton of that "pre-scrapping" phase and allows me to get directly to cutting up paper! I also usually have a problem knowing what size photos I want to use- seeing it all laid out in a sketch gives me a better idea. You can definitely try this with a hand-drawn sketch too, don't be afraid to test something out on paper before you get to it.
While coming up with the sketch I thought it would be fun to try small pieces of patterned paper (the 2.5X3.5" pieces) that are embellished separately. This is another technique I try to use when I'm not sure of the final outcome- getting started on a small section usually helps spark some more creativity and gets my steam going!
From there it was smooth sailing. I'm a very literal sketch user so I didn't deviate at all. I printed my photo, started embellishing my rectangular pieces and the rest just came together!

Click to view larger

I paper pieced the globe in the center too- that was a lot of fun. I just punched the circle from patterned paper, drew out the continents while looking at a reference photo and then cut them out. Easy!
I'm really happy with this one, even though I messed up my journaling and had to re-do it. Twice.
Anyway, feel free to use the sketch however you want. If you make something, link me up so I can see it!

Quick Cards

I just got Studio Calico's August kit in the mail so I was anxious to start cutting into it! I love the color combination in it- lots of teal, green, and gray with little splashes of color from the add-on I got. Often times when I first get a new paper collection or a kit I start with cards- that way I can just start cutting and don't have to worry about which photos I want to use, what size I need them, etc.
I recently bought this hexagon die after seeing Jennifer Maguire use it (man that girl could sell ice cubes to an Eskimo). I had the Jenni Bowlin butterfly stuck to my corkboard as a reject from a recent project (it's misted with SC bluegrass) and the round element is a Studio Calico stamp from this month. I probably should have matted it with a solid instead of another stripe, but I love it anyway.

This next little guy is probably my favorite. I say that a lot, I know. He's so cute though! I started with the die cut shape and was initially going to use this off-center on a regular sized card but it wasn't going too well. I kept cutting it down until I got this and I love it!

Truth be told though, I photoshopped the mat on this one. The lighting in my scrap room is horrendous (think single light bulb in a closet type lighting). I grabbed this PTI chartreuse cardstock thinking it would go really well and then today with the windows open I noticed it definitely didn't. I changed up the color until I can fix it. =) And you might notice I used some glitter- remember the Stickles craze, anyone? Yeah, I jumped on that bandwagon and then hardly used any of them so I thought I'd give them some attention.

I have a few more cards in the making so I should be back tomorrow with some more things to share!

Pebbles Design Team!

If you came here from Pebbles, welcome! I'm so excited to be a part of their design team this year- it's my first ever and I can't wait to dive in. When I got the email from Lynn I just about died... then I asked my husband to join hands with me and skip around in circles in the kitchen screaming like little girls, but he wasn't really keen on that idea.
Anyway, I can't wait to share some Pebbles goodness with you- keep an eye out on the blog!

Mind the Gap SC Page

I'm not going to lie- the Mind the Gap kit has been the least inspiring kit I've gotten to date. Every time I pull out the papers I'm at a loss. However, after a lot of paper pushing last night, I managed to put this one together and am happy with the results.

I even machine stitched on it, which I haven't done in ages. I used an old Prima texture stamp on the Sass paper- reminds me how much I love this little guy so you might be seeing it again in the near future!

Pinterest Inspiration

Studio Calico does a Pinterest inspiration challenge every few weeks and I finally got a chance to take part. I'm a giant lover of typography and digital art, especially those made for local concerts and four color prints for screen printing. When I saw this image, it went immediately onto my "scrapbook inspiration board", even without prior knowledge of the challenge.

Pin is located here: http://pinterest.com/pin/52543252/, along with source info.

A few things really jumped out at me on this piece. For one, the color scheme is great- teal is really calling to me lately. Next, the typography. There are a ton of different fonts here but they work together very well, adding interest in all the right places. Next, the distressing around the edges- I love the worn look! And last, the shape is something I really wanted to incorporate in a page- it's different, visually interesting, and I'm not sure I've ever seen it on a page before!
So here's my take:

You can see I went very literal with my interpretation- sticking with the colors, the shape, the varied typography, I even added paint and ink around the page to wear it a bit. All I had to do for the basic shape was enlarge a bracket - ( } ) in photoshop, flip it, print it and trace it! It's very simple but I really love this one. And here's a little insider note- this is my first time using that Martha butterfly punch. I know, WHAAAAT??? Yeah, I live in a house of boys, what can I say.
Anyway, I have a lot of other pins waiting to be scraplifted- if I can ever pull myself away from Pinterest long enough to play.
Have a great day!

Short attention span

I sewed a few rows of the quilt in my previous post and then realized I had no idea what I was going to back or bind it with. Made me not as anxious to work on it- I hate not being able to completely finish something. So, it will sit until I can make some decisions- any input would be greatly appreciated!!
I did have a chance to participate in a Studio Calico challenge. Designer Laura Kurz asked us to try using photo enlargements on our pages. I knew immediately what photo I was going to use but figuring out placement took me a while.

It looks like this would qualify for a 30 minute or less page, but in reality, I put a few things here and there, stepped away for a few hours, came back and changed my mind- for three days. I wanted to make sure I did the photo justice as it means so much to me.
Actually, I'm not really much of a sentimental person. Yeah, some movies make me cry, and I'm a sucker for a really good Extreme Home Makeover, but other than that- I'm pretty down to earth. This photo though, makes me teary eyed EVERY time I look at it. There are so many things that this photo represents- my son, getting older every day, moving away from being my little baby to being almost 2, him looking back, almost for reassurance, my strong husband who keeps our family together and is an amazing father... it just goes on and on. This is definitely my most treasured photo.
In other news, two more weeks of boring classes and then my ART SCHOOL classes start! Yessss! My love for paper started early- new notebooks for school, freshly sharpened pencils, pink erasers, and other office supplies waiting to be used- but that is nothing compared to new art supplies. I got a drawing board, a t-square, a new exacto knife, some sketching pencils- it's amazing. My husband thinks I'm crazy but I can't wait to start putting it to good use!
Well loves, thanks for stopping by!