The Studio Challenges || Scraplift Yourself

Seriously!  That's the challenge at The Studio this week!  So, it's right up my alley considering I've been challenging myself to do this for the last few months with my Scraplift Saturdays.  I don't think it's ever easy to scraplift yourself.  This is especially true if you're lifting a layout that you truly love.  There's a lot of pressure to create a layout equally good.

 

For this challenge, I dug waaaaay back in my scrap archives to 2010 and picked a layout that may still be my favorite ever.

 

And here is my new updated take.  There's still a rainbow and black and white photos.  I think the subject matter of this layout is way cuter than the first one, though! 

With the first layout I was able to clear out some of my ribbon stash.  With this new layout, I dug deep into my scrap bin and was able to use up some of my long ignored scraps.

 

Thanks for stopping in.  Please hop on over to The Studio to see everyone else's take on this challenge and join in the fun for your chance at the monthly prize!

 

Supplies: Unfortunately, the first layout was created at a time when I did not keep track of the products I used, so I ma unable to provide a product list for this one.

 

Layout2: Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: American Crafts, Jillibean Soup, October Afternoon, Sassafras, Crate Paper, Cosmo Cricket, Echo Park, Bella Blvd, Me & My Big Ideas, Bo Bunny; Puffy Stickers: Studio Calico; Enamel Dots: Prima, Freckled Fawn, My Mind's Eye; Alphas: Pink Paislee

Birthday layouts...

This past week my parents were in town visiting me. While they were here, we celebrated 2 birthdays: my Dad's, which was July 20th, and mine, which was last Wednesday. I decided to make a layout for each us that showed us blowing out our candles, and put the pages side-by-side in an album.

For the first layout, I dug into my scraps bin to play along with Amy Heller's summer scraps challenge:

For the layout about my Dad, I used the "Boogie Board" add-on kit from the August Studio Calico kit:

(My Dad loves making silly faces, which is why he looks a little funny in both of his pictures...haha!)

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Sunday!

Layout 1: Cardstock: Recollections; Patterned Paper: Bella Blvd; Alphas: American Crafts; Sequins: Doodlebug Designs; Journaling Spot: Jillibean Soup

Layout 2: Patterned Paper: Cosmo Cricket, My Mind's Eye; Twine: My Mind's Eye; Alphas: Sassafras, October Afternoon; Stickers: My Mind's Eye; Paint: Apple Barrel

Using up more of my scrap stash...

Happy Monday morning! I hope everyone had a nice weekend.

I was able to get a bit of scrapping done last night. In keeping with Amy Heller's summer challenge to use up that scrap stash, I dug deep into my own scrap bin. Here are the results:
I'm not a huge journaler, but I decided to try my hand at it on this one. I just copied the list of Random Facts about me that was posted on the Punky Scraps blog a few weeks ago.

I was excited to make this next layout because my Chicago photos have been laying around forever. I found this awesome layout and decided to do a scraplift of it. My layout didn't turn out nearly as cool looking as the inspiration piece, but at least the photos are getting scrapped, right?

Have a nice work week!

Layout 1: Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: Making Memories; Journaling spots: Jillibean Soup; Punch: Martha Stewart; Bling: Prima; Fabric brads: Basic Grey; Sticker: Little Yellow Bicycle

Layout 2: Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper, Die Cut: Basic Grey; Alphabet Stickers: American Crafts; Tickets: Kaiser Craft; Brads: Making Memories, Creative Impressions; Flags: Making Memories; Paper Borders: Doodlebug Designs; Paint: Apple Barrel

July Sassafras Challenge

Hi, everyone! I hope your weekend went well. I got some "scrappy time" in and decided to play along with this month's Sassafras challenge. The challenge is to mix lines. Here is what I came up with: In this layout I used "Vintage Yummy" for the background, then "Sweetly Smitten," "Count Me In," and "Sassafras for Studio Calico" for the backing on the picture. I also used Sassafras brads all over the layout. I had a fun time making this layout and am pretty satisfied with the results. I was also inspired by this awesome layout by Felicitas Klink. Fun, fun, FUN!

I also dug through my scraps for this one. I have soooo many scraps laying around and Amy Heller has inspired me to use them up. She has a summer challenge going on right now, encouraging scrappers to use those items that have been laying around forever (like those Sassafras brads...I think they are at least a year and half old).

Layout: Patterned Paper: Sassafras; Alphabet Stickers: Sassafras, Basic Grey; Brads: Sassafras, Doodlebug Designs; punch: EK Success; Sewing tool: We R Memory Keepers

Punky Scraps Challenge #5

Hey, all!

Happy, happy weekend! Yayyyyy! :)

The last challenge of the month is up now at Punky Scraps. This challenge asks you to make a layout inspired by the quote that is posted on the site. Here is my take:
The tag pulls out and contains some hidden journaling...a message that I wrote to myself :)

Hop on over to Punky Scraps to see the quote and the rest of the wonderful ladies' interpretations of the challenge.

Punky Scraps - Challenge 1

Good morning, all!

The first challenge is posted at Punky Scraps and it's a fun one!! It's a "recipe" challenge, so we had to use at least 3/5 items prescribed. The items we could pick from were buttons, white cardstock, cardboard, ribbon and paint. And because I love a good challenge, I used them all:I love finding ways to use up my HUGE ribbon stash :)

Go check out the other girls' fabulous layouts here and don't forget to link up your entry to win a box full of fabulous goodies at the end of the month!

Christmas Gift Idea...

Hey, all!

I hope that you are enjoying your weekend so far. This is a Saturday that I actually have to work, but I'm not complaining too much. Next week is Thanksgiving...and I get 2 days off of work for that!

I do have a quick Christmas gift idea to share with you: make a notecard set. My Mom loves to write letters so I decided to make her an "all-occasion" set, if you will. That way I could use a bunch of scraps from my GIANT scrap bin. I also made all the envelopes, since the cards are square-shaped. With the notecards, I am including a roll of tape so she can seal the envelopes, and postage stamps. For some odd reason (and if someone can tell me why, I'd be truly interested to know) square envelopes cost more money to send through the United States Postal Service...so I figured I'd pay! Now, I just have to figure out a what to package them up all nice and pretty...my favorite Christmas preparation: wrapping gifts!

Have a wonderful weekend...and PLEASE...share your Creative Christmas ideas with me. I'm having a hard time with gift ideas this year.

Another way to use scraps...

I know what you're thinking...is she seriously posting again this week?? It's totally out of the norm for me, but this past Sunday, I was super scrappy, so I actually had some projects to share this week!

Here is my next layout...and I used more of the scraps from my scrap bin...all the green ones to be exact. I also used some of my old Pebbles chips (LOVE those!!). Here it is:

Thanks for stopping by! And...HOORAY...TOMORROW IS FRIDAY! :o)

Jump for Joy!

Hey, all!

I hope you're having a happy week...I don't know about you, but my week is going by super, super slooooooooow. Is it bad that it's only Wednesday and I am eagerly awaiting the weekend? Hmmm...

I wanted to share a layout that I created this weekend. I made it using an old PageMaps sketch. I thought this was the perfect way to use up some of my Crate Paper and ribbon scraps...And anything that helps me to use up scraps is a good thing in my book.
Aren't those pictures so much fun? Two of my best friends came to visit me at the end of June and we had so much fun catching up...and jumping around on the beach at night, being total dorks (no alcohol was involved...I promise).

Thanks for stopping by!! (And for more info about the current SOTB DT call contest, click here)

SOTB April Challenge

Hey, all! It's that time again over at Scrap Outside the Box (SOTB). This month you need to use comics in your layout - anyway, anyhow...Here is my take:

The best part? I conquered one of Dear Lizzy's challenges with this one. #10 Finish a layout in 30 minutes. This one was fairly easy to do...I used my trademark square design, slapped on a few scrap border strips, added a few brads, and then squirted some paint on randomly in the corners to finish it off. Easy peasy. To read more about Dear Lizzy's challenges click here.

Have a happy, krafty week!!

Fun with paint and ribbon scraps

Hey, all! So I decided to scraplift myself again! I created this layout a few months ago, but just never got around to posting it. It is based off of an old layout...I love the chance to use up as many ribbon scraps as possible...considering that I have TONS of ribbon lying around. You can see the post about my original layout here.

(new layout - a scraplift!)

(original layout)

The new layout was all about the elements of Valentine's Day...which is why it's a little strange that I'm posting it so far after the actual holiday. Oh well :)

Thanks for looking...have a happy work week!

Starry layout

Hey, all! So, I have yet another layout made from a Creative Scrappers sketch to share. When I woke up this morning, I was browsing my usual blogs and I saw their newest sketch posted. I loved it and I had to use it right away. I've scrapped this picture before, but I had another copy of it sitting on my desk, so I scrapped it again...this guy is cute enough that I can afford to have mulitple layouts of him ;-)

I also have a fun tip for you...see all those little stars that I punched out of pattern paper? I actually punched them out of the Basic Grey kit's main page (image from Scrapbook.com):

I think this is such a fun way to use this "scrap" of paper. Usually, it would get thrown away, but it's just the right size for making small embellishments.

I also painted on the circles with a very tiny paint brush and then used a Q-tip to do my usual paint technique.

Thanks for stopping by...hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!!

Use those ribbon scraps!!

Are you like me? Do you have about 20 pounds of ribbon that you get ovewhelmed just looking at it? I have so, so, so much ribbon...and that never stops me from buying even more. Well, Creating Keepsakes most recent issue came to my rescue, because they did a whole article on innovative ways to use ribbon. One layout by Jennifer McGuire really caught my eye and I just had to do it too so I could use up some of my ribbon scraps. I already found a way to use up my ribbon scraps once before, so I was really excited to see this article and get some more inspiration. To see Jennifer's layout, turn to page 103 of the March/April issue. Her layout is called "The Best."
And in case you couldn't tell, when it comes to using my ribbon stash, I always love the rainbow effect. :)

Scrappy card

Hey, all! I'm here with another fun way to use your scraps...you've basically already seen this in one of my previous cards, but I liked it so much, I thought I would do another.

I just attacked some of the paper in my scraps bin with a circle punch. These papers were all from the same line, K & Company Berry Sweet, so all the circles coordinated well together.

Another thing I like about this circle technique is the ability to add tiny little embellies onto the circle for some more fun detail. I really like little paper flowers, but I never quite know how to use them on layouts...but they are the perfect size for cards!

That's all I have for now...I'm in a bit of a creative slump recently, so I have not been highly productive. However, after making this card I feel a circle-filled layout coming on soon!

Be sure to check back later in the week for my next challenge!!

New Projects

Hey, all! I'm sad to say that even though I had a nice, long, 3-day weekend, I barely crafted anything. Oopsies. ☺ Oh well. It was nice to just relax a bit. Before I head back to work tomorrow I just wanted to share the projects I did create this weekend.

This is a card that I made. I loved using the circles in this way. And it's another great way to use up some scraps. And for those who asked about the cute bird paper from yesterday's post - it's Jillibean Soup! I used some scraps from that paper on my card today. I know the colors in this card are a little weird, but I still like the way it turned out nonetheless.

And this is a layout that I created using a sketch by Kristine Davidson. If you haven't checked out her blog, Creative Scrappers, before, I highly recommend it. It is full of awesome sketches and tons of inspiration from a supberb design team.

Paper Flower Tutorial

Hey, all! I have a fun paper flower tutorial that I would like to share. Bare with me: the pictures are not the best (my camera kinda sucks/the operator has no idea how to use it properly) and this is the first real tutorial I've ever done. This is the flower I will show you how to make:


One thing I love about making these is that is a perfect way to use some of the scraps you have lying around. I pulled some scrap paper right out of my scraps bin to create this. I recommend using a double-sided paper because you will see both sides once the flower is complete. First begin by cutting out/punching circles in your desired size. The ones I used are about an inch and half wide. I ended up using 9 circles to make the flower:

Fold every circle in half. You are going to want to be able to see the crease:

Next, fold in part of the circle as if you will be making a wedge shape. Make sure that this fold extends past the center crease that you just made:

Take the part of the fold that extended past the center crease and fold it back out toward the outside of the circle. The edge of this fold should line up with the center crease:

Repeat on the other side:

Your piece of paper should look like this once you are done:

Repeat on the remaining circle pieces:

Finally, glue the pieces down on to your project by lining up all the pointy ends together. Imagine putting a bunch of pizza slices back together to make a whole pizza. Once you've done that, just add a center. I used a button here, but you can use anything: a brad, a rhinestone, chipboard, etc.:

I hope my tutorial wasn't too confusing. Thank goodness I took pictures so you can at least see what I'm talking about, even if my words don't make any sense!

Until next time, happy kraftin'!

Return of the lovebirds...

Hey, all! Some of you may remember my lovebird Christmas ornaments from a few months ago. Well, I have resurrected the lovebirds just in time for Valentine's Day. I decided to make some cute cards using them. I ransacked my scrap bin to make these cards. Everything here was made from scraps. I consider it a small victory when I can use as many scraps as possible :-)

If you need the template again, here it is:

To see my original post about the lovebirds and where the idea first came from click here.

Got Scraps? Tear 'em up!

Hey all! You know all those scraps that you have lying around that I try to convince you to use every now and then? Well, besides making squares out of them, you can also tear them up to get a unique look. Sometimes, the messy teared look is just what a layout needs. Here are a few examples:

I just made this one last night:

And here are a few older layouts of mine that use the tearing technique...

I made this layout back in September 09 and it was inspired by Sarah de Guzman's layout "Bwech!" And apparently I have a "my guy" theme going on in this post...ha! I didn't notice that until today when I went to make this post...and the even more random thing is that he is wearing the same shirt in both layouts but the photos were taken at two entirely different times...

And this is just another old one:

Got Scraps? Make Squares!

Hey, all! Recently I've been on a square kick. I love making layouts with squares. It's super easy and quick to do, and I think it gives layouts a nice, clean look. Plus, it's a great way to use up some of those scraps that I know you have laying around. Here are a few ideas:

For this layout, I made squares out of patterned paper that were the same size as the photos and then randomly placed the photos and patterned paper. (P.S.- Don't you just love those Prima fabric words???)

For this one, I actually used the squares of patterned paper to create a background: For this layout, I once again cut the patterned paper to be the same size as the photos. However, I canted all the photos and patterned paper to give it a more unique look:

For this one, I used the squares to create the background and I used a corner rounder to give the squares a slightly different look:

And finally, for this layout I used the squares to create a background and interspersed some stickers throughout:

So, hopefully I've inspired you to get out there and use some of those scraps. And don't forget about the giveaway that I posted yesterday. You still have one more day to enter!