Scrapbook Sunday - Family Photo

Recently I have fallen so in love with 8.5x11 layouts that I've decided to go back and scrapbook everything! lol Not really, but all the photos that I have that I love I will. Luckily for me my photos really start in 2008 as that was the year that I got my own camera and became interested in collecting photos from family members. To make it easier on myself, and to save money on wasted prints I have decided to plan out my layouts ahead of time and use sketches. So you might see more structured layouts.

So, this first layout is documenting some family photos that were taken as a Mother's Day present for my grandma. The only ones present are her daughters (my mom and her sisters) and her grandkids (me and my cousins).

The colors in this photo were god-awful. My aunt made all the grandkids wear pink (even the solo guy) and I have no idea what the photographer was thinking when he picked the background. I had to turn then black and white to scrapbook them for the mercy of all who look at these pages. 

I really love making double page spreads now, especially if a page comes pre-printed with a design. I loved the flowers on the second page. I actually fussy cut out the same flowers from another page and added them with pop dots on to the design. So Lovely! 

Thanks for stopping by for Scrapbook Sunday, I will see you next week!

Scrapbook Sunday - Music

So.... I have not been keeping up with this blog as much as I had planned. I have plenty of layouts and projects to share. I just need to prioritize sitting down for a few minutes and writing these posts out. I could not let a Sunday pass without a new post however.

This layout was made with all scraps. The papers are the remaining few from an older Maggie Holmes paper pad. I have been wanting to make a layout using circles as the main element and a circular photo. It was completely out of my comfort zone, but I love the way it turned out.

I have been obsessed with matting my layouts and then distressing and stapling the edges. I really like how the black frames the layout and I feel the ripped edges make it more playful. Another obsession is using my embossing folders whenever I can. I do need to invest in more designs. I did pop up some of the circles using recycled cardboard. I wanted them to have a solid base, and I figured that would work better than trying to cover them all in foam dots (cheaper too!).

Hopefully there will be more layouts soon! I will have a Smash Folio share coming up sometime this week. Happy Scrapbook Sunday!

Scrapbook Sunday - Hello Beautiful

Now I promise not all my layouts are of myself! I plan on starting to scrapbook more event layouts soon. Today's layout is more focused on a technique I want to share. I discovered this on my own and it's one of my favorites that I can't wait to try again.

For the background I used an older cut-file from Studio Calico that unfortunately I can't find in their shop anymore to share with you. I did cut the background out of white card stock. The outline of the flower I painted black with acrylic paint. You could just cut the file twice in two different colors, but this way seemed faster to me and the paint added to the artistic look.

For the petals of the flowers; first, I embossed them with a flower themed embossing folder. Next, I added color using oil pastels. I really love working with my pastels after having to purchase and use them for one of my college courses. Now the pastels never set, so I used Modge Podge to seal them. I went with a glossy finish out of preference. I love the shine it gives, but wasn't able to capture it in pictures. 

I hope you give this technique a try. Next, I want to purchase a butterfly embossing folder and use one of Paige Evan's many butterfly background cut files.

Happy Sunday!

Scrapbook Share - But First Coffee

Hello hello. I hope everywhere and whenever this blog post finds you that you are doing well. Hopefully it will be on a peaceful day with a cup of coffee in hand (or tea if that's your fancy).

Today, I wanted to share with you another layout. This was the first layout that I made after stepping away from this hobby for about a year.

When I first got into scrapbooking all my supplies were very inexpensive, think Colorbok and Michaels. Well soon after I fell in love, and became obsessed with following the trends and the designers. It's funny too because every layout I made during that time I didn't love. In fact I don't even have them any more. I got tired of spending so much money on my hobby and never feeling happy with what I was making. I never felt like I had enough supplies or the right ones. So I chucked it all and washed my hands of it.

I stayed away for about a year. For some reason I always get a strong urge to scrapbook on my birthday. Maybe it's because the passage of time is so unavoidable. So this year on my birthday (February 20th) I went to Walmart. I bought one paper pad, a bag of wooden shapes, some bling, and a stamp set. I think I spent around 20 - 25 dollars. I came home and this is what I made.

Isn't it simple yet beautiful! I adore it. I am really proud of the wooden embellishment at the bottom. I had watched a couple of tutorials on how to make crate paper rosettes and had a go at my own. Again, the wooden circle and the coffee stamp came from Walmart. 

Most if not all of the layouts you will see on my blog from now on will be inexpensive layouts. I have plenty of paper left in that paper stack. No need or desires anymore to stay trendy.  

Oh before I go I wanted to share the t-shirt I was wearing in this photo too. It's what I wear on Scrapbook Sundays (or Sunday Fundays). 

To Perfect right?!

Thank you for sharing a small part of your day with me.

Scrapbook Sunday - Hometown

Today I have a two page layout to share with you, and it's one of my favorites that I've created. It came about in a serendipitous kind of way. Whenever I get an idea for a scrapbook layout I jot it down in a little notebook. It's in a list format. I had the idea that I wanted to die-cut the shape of Ohio, back it with pattern paper, and then add some stitching. That's been in my notebook for awhile. Lately I have been obsessively listening to Kacey Musgraves' and the lyrics to one of her songs caught my attention:

"Had to get away so I could grow

But it don't matter where I'm goin'

I'll still call my hometown home"

Dime Store Cowgirl - Kacey  Musgraves

I went to jot that down in my notebook, and when I was flipping through the pages I noticed my previous Ohio idea. Bam! Inspiration struck and I had to create this layout. 

I die-cut the Ohio shape with my Silhouette Portrait. The papers I used are from a ColorBok stack I picked up at Walmart. It's called: Modern Millinery. Oh all the wood pieces also came from Walmart. They have this big bag of random shapes in the craft section. It's totally worth picking up.

Here are the pages individually:

The Logan, Ohio at the bottom I used a Studio G dollar alpha stamp set as well as some cheap alpha's I found at Meijer. Those dollar bins have always served me well. 

Here is the right side:

Thank you for taking a look. I really recommend having a place to store all those random ideas that spring to mind. You never know what two ideas will connect!

Scrapbook Share - Adore

Today I have a layout to share. This layout was inspired by a Wilna Furstenberg layout created way back in 2012. I even used the same cut file as she made it available through one of her classes. I could not find it for purchase in her store by it self but this one is very similar and could be used to achieve the same look.

The Inspiration

My Layout

I modified the design to work better with an 8.5x11 layout and of course to make it my own. The photos are of my niece and I. She has a very special place in my heart so you will be seeing that smile again. 

The papers I used were from an old October Afternoon collection that is no longer around. It's hard to say what I used because the scrapbooking market moves way to fast for it to be of any use. I am a big supporter of using what you have in your stash. 

I want to share one more close ups before I leave you. The top section of this layout is my favorite. I will have to use the stacked circle sticker idea again soon.

Scrapbook Sunday - New Beginnings

I have started a recent routine where I devote Sundays to only doing the things that I love or want to do. I am not a religious person, but I do value the idea of having a day of rest. Lately I have been spending my Sundays either scrapbooking or surfing Pinterest for scrapbooking ideas.

To add to that I want to have a weekly Sunday post sharing a scrapbooking layout that I've made. This first one I have for today is the title page for one of my albums.

About the Layout

This is one of my favorites! I am normally a stickler for things being straight on my layouts. For this one I let the entire middle design be at a slight angle. I also watercolored the flowers on the paper to the right to match the paper embellishments. Oh I cheated on the background too; I used two pieces of identical 6x6 paper, the seam is hidden underneath the photo.

About the Photo

The pose I am holding in the photo is that of the Hindu god Shiva. I learned about this stance in my Mythology course. The hand that is up, is a warning in regards to life; life is full of pain and suffering. The other hand that is down and exposed is a welcome however. I fell in love with the notion of being given a warning and a welcome at the same time. I like to experiment with my self-portraits so this pose was something I wanted in my scrapbook album. 

Let me know what you think in the comments. 

If you have any questions as well, feel free to ask.

Thanks for stopping in!