I'm back!!

I'm finally home from vacation and have had some time to get back into our normal routine over here. I've made it a point to get some scrapbooking in a little at a time (why is it that after only 2 weeks I feel like I'm a little rusty?) and got a page done, along with some things you'll be seeing on the Pebbles blog shortly!

I pulled a few of my favorite pictures from the trip and slapped them down in this page. Sometimes I think a quick and easy page is just what you need to "get feeling it" again- and I'm definitely feeling it! I could use about 10 more hours in a day to craft though...
Anyway, I can't stick around long today, I have a LOT of homework to do, but I'll be back in a few days with some of the other things I've been up to!
PS- I'll be messing around with the layout of my blog in the coming days so please bear with me as things look a little funky.

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!