Silly Boy: Process Video

Oh, this boy. And a new camera.

And some lovely, lovely mixed media experimenting. That’s how this layout came about, and it was my first layout using my kit for July from How to Kill A Kit With Style! I shared my kit in fill HERE in this video, but in today’s video I’m showcasing the mixed media technique that I tried for the first time. And it turned out really well!

The stencils are from Ranger/Tim Holtz, the mists are from Studio Calico, Tattered Angels, and Heidi Swapp. And those super fun stickers are from BasicGrey (sigh, sob!).

The video is below, you you can go straight to my YouTube channel HERE. See you there!

Sisters

We live in Texas, where Blue Bonnet season is a thing. This is new to me since we have only been in Indiana for a year, so of COURSE I needed Blue Bonnet kid pictures! My brother took them, and they turned out amazing.

This is the first one of those photos to make it into an album, and this background paper from the Horizon collection by Paige Evans and Pink Paislee was the absolute PERFECT color. I used lots of the Floral Ephemera from the same collection and a Silhouette Cut File (also by Paige Evans) called Dipped Leaves.

I did lots of mixed media on the background and then covered it up… LOL! But, oh well. I love how it turned out in the end. Thanks for taking a peek, and be sure to check out Horizon!

24 Yards

(This post may contain affiliate links.  I only link things I use, and the links cost you nothing extra.  I just get a small commission.  TIA!)

You know how sometimes you start something, convinced it’s a really good thing… then 3245 hours later, you’re wondering why on earth you ever decided to do that thing? 

Me either.  Ahem. 

Except, there was this once when I ordered 24 yards of amazing fabric to make drapes for 3 very large windows.  Thankfully, I finished them, and when we moved a year later, they worked in the new house too.

I scraplifted myself for this layout.  The original, From 4 to 5, is from all the way back to 2010, and featured Cosmo Cricket.  Sadly, Cosmo is no more, but the style of this layout is still perfect.

The new version tells the story of those 24 yards of fabric.  Ironically, I used supplies from BasicGrey, another company that is no more.  I mourn. 

The collection is called Clippings, and I used the chipboard, the 4x6 journaling stack, and the 12x12 sticker sheet to create this layout.  Oh, and that red polka dot?  Totally a My Mind’s Eye Christmas paper!  You never know what might come in handy!

Mist spatters are Heidi Swap Color Shine, the numbers are BasicGrey’s Milk & Honey Collection, and the Thickers are Rockabye Foam in blue (my fave font ever!).

We Live In a City

(This post may contain affiliate links.  I only link things I use, and the links cost you nothing extra.  I just get a small commission.  TIA!)

We recently moved across country and we’re adjusting to living in the city again.  So, when we were visiting the Alamo and a squirrel willingly came within a few feet of my daughter’s stroller, it reminded me again that we’re city folk again. 

She loved it, and I got this cool photo!  I used the Maggie Holmes Open Book Collection for several of the papers, and then turned to my currently most-used stash of Elle’s Studio Labels and amazingly versatile alphapbets (I need them ALL!) for the finishing touches.

I started with a few layered banner pieces matted my photo, and then of course fussy cut pieces.  I jazzed up the background a bit with a bit of mist in my current favorite mist, Heidi Swapp Color Shine in Tea.


Thanks for coming by!

Heeyy!! I’m Back.

(This post may contain affiliate links.  I only link things I use, and the links cost you nothing extra.  I just get a small commission.  TIA!)

I have missed this blog!!  There’s a reason I’ve been gone, but it’s boring (moved across country, no space, things packed, new business, etc.).  Instead of boring you with the why, let’s just get to the fun stuff.  I’m creating again!

This is a layout I made recently to try to document the special bond between my girls.  They are 11 years apart, and they love each other to pieces.  In fact, I think the little would be quite fine without me as long as her sister was there for her.

The papers in this layout are from Jen Hadfield’s collection called Everyday. (for sale now at Scrapbook.com).  I adore the bright colors and fresh patterns in this collection!  I fussy cut a bunch of lemons and layered them along the horizon line.  I don’t think I’ve use lemons before so this was kinda fun!



On the white cardstock, I covered it with gesso, then some Distress Oxides in Fossilized Amber and Bundled Sage.  I smudged the inks on with my distress tool… but it didn’t quite turn out the way I was hoping… so yeah.  I need to work on that some more. 



The other bits on the page came from here and there… mostly really old stuff!  I love getting some of the oldies out and used up.

Thanks for taking a peek!  See you soon.

DC Walking Tour

Last fall we mad a treck across the USA to attend a very special wedding.  While we were in Richmond, it seemed just too close to leave without going to visit Washington DC, since many of us had never been.  So we hopped on a train and off we went. 

We only had one afternoon, so we walked through as much as possible and caught the highlights- Washington monument, Lincoln Memorial, the White House.  The kids were old enough to appreciate the experience, I think (I hope), and it’s likely we won’t be back for quite a long time, so I took lots of photos.

I used a background paper from Basic Grey (Carte Postale) as well as a few BG embellishments.  I also used some giant chipboard letters from Seven Paper with my Distress Stains- a favorite technique of mine because it’s so very easy.  Some stamping, some tickets (Maya Road) and some thread add texture to the layers. 

Go have a crafty weekend. 

Can’t Stop the Laughter

Every now and then, there are magic moments where the camera catches just the right look.  The right expression, the right position, the things that make a photo really stand out.  These things are often elusive, but every now and then…  you get a photo like this. 

The entire family was in the car when this happened.  We were waiting in the parking lot for baseball practice to start, and the littlest one was sitting on dad’s lap checking out all things not-in-carseat.  I called his name and he gave me this look.

When we saw the photo later, we were all cracking up.  And indeed, this photo got lots of comments on Facebook as well.  It’s just one of those photos.

I was in a mixed-media mood when i did this layout, and so I only used a minimum of embellishments.  There are a few chipboard pieces and rub-ons from the Basic Grey Wander collection, and die cut title from Pretty Little Studio, and some assorted letter stickers.

Ok. no go scrapbook one of “those” photos! 

Brother-In-Training

Surprise!  After 7 years, we found out we were expecting a new little one in 2014.  This was unplanned and unexpected, but quickly became an exciting event we all looked forward to.  Perhaps no one was more excited then my 7 year old, who was happy to be the youngest no longer.

As the youngest, he had very little previous experience with babies, and so one day it came up in conversation that a baby’s head must be supported at all times.  We practiced with a baby doll, and so this photo came about. 

I used some ancient Webster’s pages paper on this layout.  I think I was saving those gorgeous flowers for a special layout.  Some subtle misting in the background,lots of layering, a few Thickers, and three black journaling spots fussy cut from some Echo Park Paper complete the page.  Thanks for taking a peek!

Mommy and Me

I don’t take enough photos of myself.  What mom does, right?  I’m usually the one behind the camera, and let’s face it- the kids are cuter then I am!  When I do remember to take the shot though, I always try to get it in their albums.  Because making and preserving memories is what we scrapbookers do!

This layout was taken at a church event, but it’s not really about that.  To me, this photo shows me, as a baby-wearing mama who was hanging with her baby because that’s what I do.  It’s kind of my favorite.

One the topic of favorites, this layout uses a collection from Kaisercraft that I adore.  I did a little misting on the background, but the focus of the page is on those fussy-cut filmstrips, directing the eye to the photo.  I added some flowers and embellishment, but kept it simple.  After all, it’s all about that photo.

Can’t beat that fantastic color palette.  I think it does a good job not making the page overly feminine, even with flowers.  Someday, this baby that is my son will appreciate that. 

Go, take a photo of yourself today!

Read!

I am fairly sure, after talking to many other moms, that I am not the only one who has kids that struggle to enjoy reading.  My second child picked up reading skills fairly easily, but the love of reading has been elusive.  So, when he picked up a Lego book voluntarily to “read” with his little brother (then just 8 months old) I was all for it.  It was so cute, watching the older school the younger in every Lego figurine in the Ninjago series.  I was amazed how long the little guy sat with his big brother for the narration.

Even though this isn’t the greatest photo, I absolutely had to scrapbook it because of the story behind it.  I was also motivated to pull out a line I have been saving for a special photo- in this case, October Afternoon’s Public Library.  It was perfect!  Not too feminine, and book-related accents.

A little white paint on the background is my favorite way to tone down a bold background to make sure that perfect photo stays the focus.  After I added in some fun circles and a reading cat (who doesn’t love a cat that reads?), I added some orange Thickers.  These Thickers were faded by the sun, because I left them on my desk way too long… however, it just added to the feel of this layout!  Sometimes serendipity happens.

Thanks for coming by and taking a peek!  Have you used a favorite line or product recently?  Link me up in the comments!

Lego Festival

There are a few things in life that are very easy choices.  Having coffee every morning, for example.  Also, when the local mall puts on a free Lego Festival, you go!  Especially if you have Lego lovers in your home.  And I do!  As a mom of 4, I’ve been a member of the Lego injury-in-the-dark club for at least 8 years.  Ha!

Seriously, though, this festival was pretty cool.  Amazing life-sized Lego creations that took thousands of legos to build (and must have weighed a ton)!  We took a couple of trips there during the month-long event, and I use a few of my favorite photos on this layout.

I started with the idea of bold colors to accommodate the colors of my photos, and chose the background paper from Echo Park and the flowers from some ancient Jenni Bowlin that has been in my scrap drawer forever.  Some leftover arrows from a recent Silhouette cut brought everything together.  I like that it’s an unexpected combo.

I used some white acrylic paint on the background to highlight and soften, and a few droplets of mist just for fun. 

Thanks for taking a peek!

Smiles, and Lots of Them!

Ok, so… I’m apparently a negligent blogger.  I’ve been creating, but we added a new baby to the family, renovated a house top to bottom, and moved twice all in the last 18 months.  Somehow, the blogging never fit into this crazy year!  Imagine that!

So now I have 4 kids, a house that is 95% finished but needs constant cleaning (refer back to the 4 kids), and a tiny scrapbook nook that is fully functioning.  No more excuses!  I am stretching my blogging legs as we speak. 

This layout is one that I created for my albums a few months ago.  I mostly scrap in chronological order, and I’m about 18 months behind, so I’m reliving 2015 with each layout. I started this one with some white cardstock and mist, then dug into my scrap drawer for some bits to form the two columns along the edges. 

This photo is of my kiddos and husband on a 3 wheel bike we rented for a Saturday outing in Sofia, Bulgaria (where we lived at the time).  We had done this before, and when it was time to move back to the USA, we let the kids each choose one final activity.  My oldest chose these bikes (and not to worry, the baby didn’t actually ride.  He only sat there while the bike was still.  I needed my photo op!)

The die cut doily is hard to see in photos, but I tried to highlight it with some Enamel Accents from Inkessentials.  These might be my favorite new things to add as a finishing touch to a page.  The flowers are from Echo Park and Crate Paper, and the bicycle is BasicGrey. 

Thanks for stopping by!  Enjoy the lovely weather and pop back in again soon! 

Alyssa