Gettin' By

Keepin' On The Grid

If you're at all familiar with my scrap style, you know I create LOTS of grid-based layouts. And yes, nine-square grids seem to be especially popular with the voices inside my head. But despite the fact that about every other layout I create is a grid, they don't all end up looking the same. (And if you flip through my albums and tell me they do, indeed, all look like repeats, then we just can't be friends.)

What I love about the grid format is the smaller canvases it contains - so many little places to put a photo, journaling, title or just a cute embellishment! I love filling each square with part of the story, tying them all together with colors and patterns. This recent layout is a great example of just that!

S U P P L I E S :
Bazzill White  |  Bazzill Rain  |  Bazzill Java  |  Magical Forest and Marigold Papers  |  Chipboard  |  Rainbow
 Bow  |  Stickers  |  Metallic Pen  |  Enamel Dots |  Scallop Border  |  Silhouette Cameo  |  Foam Adhesive

 

I began with nine patterned paper cut to 3 x 3 to create the base of my page.  I opted to top four the squares with photos from our annual family photo shoot, which I printed at 2.5" square with a white border that helps them pop off the background.  This left five squares for the rest of my page elements (and the fun part of selecting small pieces to adorn them!

Rather than a wordy title, I chose to use a simple monogram -  D for Dickinson -  as the page ultimately didn't need a super descriptive phrase. The monogram is cut from brown cardstock using the font Battle Road (a free download!)

After using a tag to hold brief journaling on one square, I filled the remaining squares with matching textural embellishments. I love to layer different pieces from the same collection - chipboard, stickers, die cuts - to create little interesting vignettes. The rainbow is a favorite - I'd love to have a huge one to hang on my wall! 

 

As a final touch, I trimmed down my white cardstock background to 11 x 11, allowing me to add a 1/2" scalloped cardstock border around the entire page and still fit it in a page protector. I used a scallop die cut to create mine, and it didn't quite create a perfectly square border (the corners are a bit wonky).  I think I need to design a set of cut file borders to perfectly frame a 12 x 12 page. Adding to my to-do list now . . .

 

I think I love grid layouts because they are relatively fool-proof, and sometimes you need a creative technique that doesn't require too much thought. Gotta save the brain for more important duties like which pair of slippers to don today or which wine to open for happy hour, amiright?!

Simple Saturday | The Spot

After completing our first partial week of online school, I'm definitely ready for the weekend (and dang thrilled not to be googling Algebra II equations and hearing complaints about our crappy wifi). I'm planning to carve out a little time at my scrap desk, and if you are too, here's a little inspiration for your weekend!

 S U P P L I E S :
Bazzill Aruba Cardstock |  Bazzill White Cardstock  |  Bazzill Carrot Cake Cardstock  |  BSD Circle Cut File
Puffy Alpha  |  Dear Lizzy Brads  |  Echo Park Brads  |  PinkFresh Stars  |  Wood Buttons  |  Paper Clips
Sequins  |  Foam Adhesive  |  Silhouette Cameo

 

Embellishments are one of my favorite products and I love adding all these little accents to complete a page. But on this layout, I decided to make them the star of the design! I began with a simple circle cut file (available in my etsy shop) that created the perfect focal point for my photos. (And yes, I might have been subconsciously inspired by my beloved Target logo!) 

 

For a touch of texture, I stitched the cardstock rings to my background, which (not gonna lie) was a true test of my marginal seamstress skills. Stitching in a circle is HARD. My advice is to go super slow (and be okay with a few imperfections!) Once the circles were complete,I then added a variety of brads, chipboard, buttons, ephemera, sequins and jewels to look like they were floating amongst the rings of the circles.

 

I wanted a variety of shapes, sizes and colors amongst the rings, so I pulled any accent I thought might work and laid them out on the page prior to adhering, just to get an idea of how they all worked together. This is a great way to use up random odds and ends in your stash!

 

 

As a final filler, I used a tiny star stamp (part of the SCT Delivered "Fun In The Sun" kit!) in some of the empty spaces. The mix of wood, metal, epoxy, cardstock, jewels and stamping is pretty cool, right?!

 

 

I love the fun energy all these pretty embellishments add to the page - it just makes me happy. It also makes me realize that sometimes too much of a good thing....is a good thing! So are you ready to pull out your stash and create a page? I'd love to see what you make!

Simple Saturday | Patchwork Quilt

I have a huge stack of layouts that have never seen the light of day (on this blog, anyway). Truthfully, they get plenty of light on my dining room table where they've been happily living for many years, moving only for the occasional Thanksgiving dinner or Mother's Day brunch when we have to clear them out to use the table for its intended purpose. If there's one thing i can do well, it's make piles of items I plan to deal with...later.

But since COVID rolled into town and my hubby's been working from home, he needed the dining room table as a desk and these stacks of layouts have moved to my office floor, where they wait for me to get motivated enough to put them all away in their various albums. It's a project that I easily (and happily) procrastinate doing, because there's just so many other things that require my time. Instagram ain't gonna scroll itself, you know.

But just because I can't manage to get them into albums doesn't mean I can't share them here - and buy myself some more time from the dreaded album-inserting. So here's the first in what's sure to be a long line of layouts to come. (Seriously, the stacks are taller than my shortest Great Dane.) 

S U P P L I E S:
Dear Heart by Basic Grey  |  Bazzill White Cardstock  |  Buttons  |  Enamel Dots  |  Square Punch  |  Sewing Machine   

 

This page is an oldie-but-goodie from my beloved time on the BasicGrey design team. While the exact supplies are obviously no longer available, I did find the digital collection, Dear Heart, available at SnapClickSupply. I'd seriously buy the digital files and print it at home just to use this pretty collection again! But if you're looking for papers currently available, Springtime Pals collection by The Paper Tree and Gingham Garden by My Mind's Eye are similar color and pattern palettes.

 

 

On the bottom half of my page, I punched 1.5" squares from all the lovely patterned papers. When there's too many pretties to choose just one, creating a patchwork quilt from ALL of them is your best option! I adhered them in a grid to the background and then added diagonal stitching to give the whole thing a handmade feel.

 

 

Because the quilt technique incorporates a lot of straight lines and right angles, I wanted to balance that with circular photos and accents across the top of the page. They add a sense of motion and movement to the page, while the blocks of squares give the design stability. 

 

 

So now I have one layout to add to a new pile: those that have been posted on the blog and still need to be placed in an album. Didn't I say I'm talented at creating piles?!

 

Happy weekend, my friends!

Happy iNSD 2020!

Hope you all are enjoying the celebration of International Scrapbook Day and doing something scrappy today...or at least sniffing your scrapbook papers, because there's no other day you can do this without being harshly judged by your family and any other bystanders who happen to notice! I'm actually planning a rare scrapping session for myself this afternoon that's not a blog or magazine assignment, but rather just a few hours of no-limits creative time. (That is if I can pull myself away from all the online fun that's happening today. Be sure and check out the SCT blog for lots of inspiration, challenges and giveaways!)

I also wanted to share a quick page with one of my favorite cut files - a patchwork heart. It's the perfect way to add lots of color and pattern to a page. I'll never be a quilter - my sewing machine and I are usually not on speaking terms - so this is the closest I'll ever get to creating something similar. 

 

S U P P L I E S :

Bazzill Ocean Breeze Cardstock  |  Bazzill White Cardstock  | BSD Heart Grid Cut File  |  Sunshine & Good Times Papers  |  PinkFresh Studio Alphabet  |  Creative Memories Punch (on ebay)   | Fun Clip  |  Ephemera  | Enamel Dots
Date Stamp  | Silhouette Cameo

 

I cut  the large heart from white cardstock at 11" wide. Then I used my square punch (which was conveniently just slightly larger than the openings!) on a variety of patterned papers to fill each space in the die cut.

 

 

I adhered each square to the back side of the heart, arranging them randomly and using lots of different colors and patterns. I used smaller, more monochromatic patterns because the spaces were fairly small. This is perfect time to pull out your 6x6 paper pads as they work wonderfully in projects like these!

 

 

After adhering the finished heart to my cardstock base (I used foam adhesive), I positioned the photo with the title below it. Epoxy letters, a stamped tag and a fun metal word clip bring lots of texture and dimension to my page.

 

 

 

 

Hope your iNSD is a wonderful, pattern paper-filled day, my friends! Scrap on!

 

Simple Saturday | New Purpose

Last spring our family made the decision to start fostering dogs for a local rescue (from whom both of our Great Danes were adopted) and since then, we've hosted eight dogs while they waited to find their forever homes. And while our house is almost always full of dog hair (and the more prevalent dog farts!) our hearts are just as full of love for these resilient and deserving creatures.

While we have fostered many different sizes and breeds in the past, our current fosters are both Great Danes and we're housing a record FOUR giant dogs. One of which I may have surprised my husband with on Father's Day - I'm SUCH a thoughtful wife! That's a combined 365 pounds of canine sharing our adobe (and approximately that same weight in dog food is being stored in the garage).  They're all asleep on my office floor right now, giving me time to share a layout - appropriately enough - about fostering dogs!

 

S U P P L I E S :

 

I relied on my favorite grid design to include seven photos on this layout, along with lots of cute patterns and accents in the remaining squares. Each block in the grid is approximately 2x2, leaving room for a nice border of white space around the grid.

 

 

Two of the squares in the framework aren't actually squares at all - the blue pennant in the second row and the tag in the bottom right under the title. I like to have a few elements that "break free" from the straight lines & right angles of a grid and add a bit of whimsy to the page.

 

Since the title wouldn't fit into one square, I let it span over two, combining a die cut word with gold foam Thickers. It helps give the title more weight and provides a "base" for the grid to rest upon.

 

Looking over the cute faces on this page makes me so happy that we took the leap and started fostering! It's not always easy, but I've witnessed firsthand the difference it can make in a dog's life. And their grateful kisses are awfully hard to beat! If you've got questions about fostering, feel free to ask as I'm happy to share our experience. And be sure to check out Big Bones Canine Rescue for other ways you can help.

Have a doggone great weekend!

Simple Saturday | Sweet Choir Memories

I'm just now checking to see if there's a snowstorm in hell, because I BLOGGED TWO DAYS IN A ROW YOU GUYS! Just goes to show what you can accomplish when you apply yourself. And refrain from watching "just one more episode" of Parks and Recreation while finishing that second pot of coffee. Yes, POT. Never underestimate the power of caffeine to get shit done, people!

Today I wanted to share a layout using the SCT Delivered kit, Summertime Dreams. And if I can manage to type with my crazy shaky hands and racing mind, I will do just that. Right after I tell you I LOVE COFFEE! And oh yeah, HERE'S THE LAYOUT!

 

S U P P L I E S :

This is a super simple 4-square grid design that I fancied up with a decorative border. After adhering a 2" wide strip of striped paper along the left edge, I layered lots of ephemera, tags and die cuts atop it, trying to keep all the elements in the pink/aqua color palette. Foam adhesive helps elevate each layer and makes the border look more dimensional and SO FUN!

 

 

The cute bicycles were fussy-cut from the Pink Paislee Horizon Paper 13. This is such an adorable, whimsical collections from Paige Evans. Love everything she creates!

 

 

A few enamel dots and a bit of baker's twine finish off the border, easy peasy. This is also a great way to use up little bits and pieces from various ephemera packs. Just sort them into color coordinating groups and the next time you need a quick page accent, arrange them into a creative border. I'd LOVE to see what you create!

 

And before I wear out my CAPS LOCK key on this caffeinated high, I wanted to remind you that you can grab the Summertime Dreams kit (which has everything you need to re-create this layout and more!) for 10% off by using the code LISA10 at checkout. It's the perfect way to spoil yourself with some summer scrapping (while drinking coffee, of course!)

SIMPLE SATURDAY | Happy Hearts

Since we just celebrated Valentine's Day, I thought I'd share a page full of love (and not coincidentally, HEARTS!) One of my favorite ways to reinforce the theme of a page is to use repetition. In this case, I've used the heart shape to convey lots of love, and they are also a perfect way to bring color and pattern to the design!

 

S U P P L I E S :

This page features two 4" square photos that I positioned on the right side of the page. After selecting my patterned papers, I cut a variety of sized hearts on my Silhouette Cameo and used them to fill the remaining space. I overlapped the shaped and used foam adhesive to pop some of them off the page for more dimension.

The shape of the hearts makes it hard to fill the whole space evenly without leaving little spots of trapped white space. But buttons area great way to fill these blank spaces! I used an assortment of sizes in colors that coordinated with my patterned papers.

 

For the title, I fussy cut two conversation bubbles from one of the papers. To help them stand out from the sea of hearts, I added a baker's twine border around each oval. Then I adhered them overlapping with foam adhesive. I also used this border technique on the edge of my page. Baker's twine is an easy way to add a fun textural element to your design!

Hope your weekend is full of LOVE!

Hello Summer!

Today is the official last day of school for my kiddos, and with all the events, activities and general craziness that end of the school year brings, I have to say I'm just as happy as Riely an Hayden that it's all over! We're looking forward to at least a few days of downtime before summer schedules begin, so bring on that three-day weekend!

To kick off the summer season here on the blog, I wanted to share one of my favorite warm-weather layouts. It packs a punch with lots of bright colors and I even got (slightly) crafty with watercolor paints!

 

S U P P L I E S :

 

This page features older Elle's Studio supplies, but you could easily swap current collections for these (I've linked many options above!) I selected a 6x4 card as my title, using yellow watercolor paint to fill in the word "SUMMER". It's anchored on a large block of blue patterned paper. Underneath the title, I arranged lots of tags and banners to create a "clothesline" that holds my photos & summer-themed accents.

 

 

By selecting white cardstock for the bottom half of the page, it was easy to add lots of color and texture and not worry about competing with the backdrop. At the top edge of the tags, I wrapped the page with yellow baker's twine (further reinforcing the clothesline theme!) and added a few more tags and die-cuts on top.

 

 

This page is one of the reasons I love summer scrapping - it's the perfect time to incorporate tons of color! Speaking of which, I'm currently working with the SCT Delivered summer scrapbook kit, and it packs a punch with seasonal patterns & colors. They'll be going on sale June 1, but you can catch sneaks on my Instagram over the next few days, so keep an eye out!

Happy summer vacation everyone!

Designer's Challenge | Scrapbook & Cards Spring 2018

Spring has officially sprung and the newest issue of Scrapbook & Cards is available (for download or on newstands) now! I was thrilled to be one of the three artists to create for the popular Designer's Challenge column that's been brought back by popular demand. Each of us received these four products and were asked to create a page using only these items, cardstock, and basic tools. 

 

Echo Park Happy Birthday Girl papers + Dear Lizzy Stay Colorful Layered Stickers + CZ Design All Caps Dies + YNS Sparkle Gumdrops

 

I knew this cute and colorful collection would be perfect for documenting Riely's 11th birthday party, so I printed out six smaller square photos (2.5") and a large focal photo (5x7) to create this page:

 

S U P P L I E S :

I alternated the smaller photos with blocks of patterned paper cut to the same size and layered with fun accents. I also fussy-cut portions from some of the patterned papers to use as embellishments (like the flowers and the candles) on the blocks. This is a great technique when you're working with limited supplies!

 

 

 

I adored the clean, crisp lettering of the CZ Design All Caps alphabet dies and used them for my title and an additional monogram I included on one of the blocks. 

 

 

To create a border along the top and bottom of my photos, I used the dies to cut lots of round letters (O, G, C and Q) from pink cardstock. I trimmed off the rounded portions of those letters and lined them up to create a unique scallop across the page. I love the bit of whimsy it adds and it helps to balance all the straight lines in this design.

 

 

To see how Stacy Cohen and Kelly Goree used the same supplies to create their layouts, be sure and grab your copy of the magazine.

Happy Spring!

 

Inspiration Everywhere | Scrapbook Packaging

If you've got a flash card full of Christmas photos waiting to be scrapped, here's a quick page idea for you! I was totally inspired by the packaging on this Simple Stories collection pack, because it displays the patterns perfectly. The vertical arrangement of patterned papers (with small stripes that give a sample of each paper) easily transfers to a scrapbook layout - and is a great way to cram in lots of pattern in one page!

 

I began by cutting eight 1.5" wide strips of paper and arranged them across the bottom of my layout, much like they were set up on the packaging. I tried to alternate the black, red, green and gray patterns for maximum contrast.

S U P P L I E S :

To cap off the top edge of the paper strips, I added paper ribbon and gold twine with a big bow to the left of my 4x6 photo. Then I layered a few tags and ephemera below the bow to serve as both a title and unique embellishment.

 

It was a page that came together quickly without a lot of fuss, thanks largely to the inspiration provided by the packaging! So the next time you're stumped by how to begin a page, look no further than your scrap table. You just might find inspiration in your favorite scrapbooking products!