More Scrappy Fun

Hello all my lovely readers!  Today I am going to share with you another layout from my recent trip to Scrapbook Expo.  I went for both crops on Friday and Saturday in an attempt to make friends (which I am happy to say I did).  But admittedly have to say that I did not get nearly as much done as I wanted to.  Although I went for cropping on both days, Friday I came VERY underprepared.  I had made an effort to pack as a minimalist and take only what I needed.  The problem with that is I left home most of what I ended up needing... let's just say I am a terrible planner.  So, when Saturday rolled around, I came over prepared and did not get nearly as much done as I had planned - partly because I spent the morning with hubby eating breakfast and shopping at the Expo.  Long story short, I am sharing one of the layouts that I created while attending the Expo crop.

I used a sketch from Nuts About Sketches (Click Here for the Sketch).  I did do some minor changes to the layout to fit the photos that I had, and the feeling I wanted.  The journaling (which I haven't added yet) will go on the right side of the layout in that open space.  One of the coolest things about this page was that I got a chance to try out the New American Crafts customizable thickers.  I did not have what I needed in my stash, so I figured it was a good time to try out the Thickers I had gotten for free in an order.   I LOVE THEM!  It was super easy to add the white glitter, and it all stuck very well with no flaking of the glitter once I was done. 

I hope you enjoyed today's share and have a creatively inspired day!

Supplies:  Basic Grey Origins, American Crafts Campy Trails (Pattern Paper); Bazzill Raven (Cardstock); Stampin' Up! Soft Suede, Stampin' Up! Lucky Limeade, Stampin' Up! Calypso Coral, Stampin' Up! Pool Party (Ink); Lindy's Stamp Gang Bit o Bubbly (Shimmer Spray); American Crafts Thickers (Title); Martha Stewart White Glitter (Glitter); Prima (Flowers); Stampin' Up Pennants Punch, Imaginesce iTop Brad Maker (Tools); My Mind's Eye (Paper Embellishments)

Pink Paislee Warehouse Sale Haul

Hey Ladies!  I am just popping in to share what I got recently from the Pink Paislee Warehouse Sale..... I know.... No. Buy. Challenge.  Well let's just say I'll be starting over..... maybe......  Either way, I did want to share with you all the terrible photos I took of the all the wonderful goodies that I got.  I ordered two boxes, even through they were the exact same in terms of product.  Once they got here I was so glad that I did order two as I got quite a few alphabets and full sets of paper lines.  With that said, here are my photos of the haul!

I had so much stuff, it didn't all fit on my table at once.  My dear hubby was home when the boxes arrived and when I was unpacking them.  He was just as excited as I was, but as I was unpacking the boxes, his excitement quickly turned to concern over the amount that I had potentially spent.  When everything was laid out, I told him how much I had spent, to which he said.  "That's it?!  You should have gotten another box at that price."  When I inquired further to why he would say such a thing he said "I go to the stores with you, I know how much that stuff costs, and you got a steal."  The man knows how to speak to my heart, and make it sing. That's it for today!  Thanks for stopping by!

Playdate

One of the things that I love about my relationship with my hubby is the way that we play together.  I am a very playful person and enjoy having someone to play with.  With that said, there are very rare times in which he is willing to snap the photo or be the subject of a photo when we are playing.  A few months ago, one of those rare days where he felt up to being both the subject and the photographer, we got some photos of us goofing together.  This weekend, I finally got around to scrapbooking them.

I was super excited about this layout for a few reasons.  First, a while ago, I went through a Basic Grey phase, I still love Basic Grey, but I had a phase where I HAD to have EVERY SINGLE LINE.  The most unfortunate purchase as a result of this phase was the Obscure paper line.  I'll be honest, I have NO IDEA why I bought it.  It's not my style, I have no idea what to do with it, and my husband when I asked him for ideas told me it was really ugly and he had nothing to help me out with.  Either way, when I went to the Scrapbook Expo Crop, I packed it as the paper I was going to use.  This paper will be used since I bought it!  I have to say, I LOVE the way that it turned out.  Never in a million years would I have thought I would like the final product.  AND to top it all off, when I got home and showed my dear hubby, he didn't even notice what paper it was and liked the way it turned out.  Second, I got to use my new Tim Holtz Vintage Camera die.  I am in love. 

And just some notes on the layout:
1.  I used a sketch from the sketch eBook published by Creative Scrappers. You can find it on their website.  http://www.creativescrappers.blogspot.com/
2.  To get the shinniness on the camera, I used the Sakura glitter pen.  I love that thing.

Supplies:  Basic Grey Obscure (Pattern Paper); Bazzill Raven, Bazzill White (Cardstock); Felt Stars (Maya Road); Foam Letters (Pink Paislee); Tim Holtz Alterations Camera Die; Stampin' Up! Basic Black Classic Ink.

Monster Jam Infamy, Gravedigger

If you have been following my posts lately, you will have noticed a theme involving travel vacations and Monster Truck Rally photos.  Today is no exception to that rule, I will be sharing a Monster Truck Rally layout {GASP}.  This one is also special, just like the Truckasaurus one, but not for the same reason.  The layout I am about to share is special because it deals with my love's favorite part of the Monster Truck Rally, Gravedigger.  Gravedigger is always by far the coolest truck of them all, he breaks the rules, and his truck quite often.  Both of which equal a good night.  So, here is the layout:

I used a 2 photo sketch from Creative Scrappers, and the specific sketch is Sketch 219 (clicking on the two previous words will take you right to it).  When I saw this sketch I almost passed it by, until i remembered my Tim Holtz gears die, which has only been used once (eek!) when I tried it out on scraps just for fun....... I bought it for a purpose I promise, the purpose was a manly one, and TADA Gears Die to the rescue!  I thought that gears would be the perfect addition to this sketch and the monster struck photos, right along with my version of Gravedigger.  If you are curious where I got that cute little guy from, you can find it at Designs on Cloud 9, the name of the file is Monster Trucks.  The other awesome thing about this die - the graveyard die cut.  I bought that graveyard die almost 3 years ago, shortly after me and my hubby got married.  I am again ashamed to say, first time I have ever used it, but the wait was well worth it.  When I showed this finished bad boy to my hubby all he could say was "That's Awesome Babe!"  (He really was excited, promise.)  He then proceeded to tell me his favorite part of the whole thing was "that awesome graveyard" (score for me).

I hope you enjoyed today's share and feel inspired.  Have a fun crafty inspired day!

Supplies:  Stampin' Up! Well Worn (Retired) (Pattern Paper); Bazzill (Cardstock); Stampin' Up! Cajun Craze, Stampin' Up! Lucky Limeade, Tim Holtz Distress Black Soot, Stampin' Up! Marker Basic Black (Ink); Paper Accents (Tag); Designs on Cloud 9 Monster Trucks File (Paper Peicing); Spellbinders Grand Labels, Spellbinders Graveyard, Tim Holtz Alterations Gears (Diecuts); SEI, Doodlebug (Letter Stickers)

Spellbinders + Storage = Crafty Love Fun

I have been posting a lot of layouts and cards lately, which I know is the reason that you stop by.... and today I wanted to share with you how I store my Spellbinders and other similar dies.  An important thing for me these days is compact and highly accessible storage - living in the Bay Area doesn't really compute anything else.  I originally stored all my dies on Cling Mount Foam Sheets with magnet sheets all held inside one of my binder boxes.  For whatever reason, I hated it.  Just loathed it with a passion all it's own.  So, while I was surfing the internet trying to find a better way to store my dies other than hanging them using various peg type dealies on the wall, I found Becca's website in which she details her storage of die, here is the link to her place: http://www.amazingpapergrace.com/spellbinders-storage/.  I loved it!  Even the awesome labels, eventhough I am not that motivated or organized.  Either way, based off of her sharing, this is how I store mine.

1.  Grand Nestabilities
As you may already know, Grands are very large, and definitely will not fit into something like Becca's system.  Neither will they fit into CD/DVD cases.  So for those, I kept the packaging that the Grands came with, and simply added 8x10 magnet sheets to the back of the image sheet with the different dies.  This way I know which dies are which (meaning their names) and on the back side they are stored.  Here are some photos:

 2.  Nestabilities, Sizzix Framelits, PaperTrey Ink Dies
For the rest of my dies, which are not nearly are HUGE as the grands, they are stored in either empty CD or DVD Jewel cases.  I got my DVD cases from the same place that Becca got hers at a very reasonable price.  The CD cases I already had from the several PTI stamp sets I have before they started switching over.  All of these cases are stored in a Really Useful Box storage box, and as you can tell, it holds quite a few.

Each CD jewel case can hold two sets of spellbinders - as long as they are not too long (like the Long Rectangles or some of the labels sets).  If it is a large set, one jewel case will hold one set.  This is what is looks like.

 Each DVD case will hold two large sets as well.  I also store my scalloped and inverted edge nestabilities in these - mainly because of the way they are designed, stacking them inside one another isn't possible.

Thanksgiving in August

A while back, I was the recipient of a very kind and gracious RAK package.  I am embarrassed to admit that too much time has passed from the time of that gift and me getting around to returning the kindness.  With that said, today I thought I would share some of the things I have been working on to include in the returned act of kindness.  The particular person that I am sending this package to, HATES and when I say hates, I mean LOATHES, card making.  But I have also noticed that she is often in need of cards for various reasons.  I thought that it would be nice to include some cards for her for the upcoming holidays.  This is what I have come up with:

 

I just have to say that the Day of Gratitude Stamp Set is one of my favorites, the images are just beautiful and the sentiment is wonderful and encompassing of the spirit of the Thanksgiving Holiday.  And this is the first time getting to use this stamp set as it was a Christmas gift from last year!  (Thanks hubby).

 

 Isn't that pumpkin awesome?  I love it, and have my dear friend Shannon to thank for showing me how to make them.  It is definitely my favorite fall thing to do.

 

Eventhough it is August, the holidays are right around the corner.  So I made a set of both designs for my dear friend.  I have some Christmas cards in the making, but those are still waiting for some finishing touches, so today, it is just the Thanksgiving Cards.  I had a lot of fun making these cards, and may even make some for me in the future!

Hope you enjoyed today's share, and have a crafty fun filled day!

Supplies: Bazzill, Stampin' Up! Garden Green, Stampin' Up! Very Vanilla, Recollections Kraft (Cardstock); We R Memory Keepers (Pattern Paper); Tim Holtz Distress Ripe Persimmon, Stampin' Up Classic Old Olive (ink); Stampin' Up Day of Gratitude (Stamps); Spellbinders Ovals, Stampin' Up! Owl Punch; Spellbinders Lacy Labels, Spellbinders Circles (Die Cuts); Stampin' Up! Square Lattice (Embossing Folder)

Catching Up on My {Real} Scrapbooking

Although I am just as busy as when I am in school full force, I have been finding a little more time to play with my paper than I would normally.  This has meant time to sit down and do things that take more time that usually need to actually scrapbook.  As that has been the case, I have been working on some of my personal scrapbook layouts.  Today I thought I would share some of those with you, so get your cup of desired drink and sit back, relax and read.

1.  Truckasaurus!
I love monster truck rallies, they are so much fun.   My dear hubby took me to one almost 2 years ago, and I took a TON of photos.  When I say a TON I mean well over 300 for about 3 hours of fun.  At this particular rally, rather than having the demolition derby, they had truckasaurus.  I'll be honest with you, until this point, I totally thought that Truckasaurus was only something you see in an episode of the Simpsons.   Either way, I came home with a ton of photos that have been sitting and waiting for the perfect day with the perfect photos.  So, here is the first of several to come:

 

For this layout, I used some of the retired Well Worn Designer Series Paper from Stampin' Up! (totally should have gotten more) it went so well with the rough and tumbleness of a Monster Truck Rally.  The Layout is based off a sketch from NutsAboutSketches, and can be found here.  For the time being, I have left this one rather unembellished, but that may change.  I have been having a hard time with these photos, so I am letting them sit for as long as they need to.

Supplies: Stampin' Up! Well Worn (Pattern Paper); Bazzill, Recollections, Stampin' Up! (Cardstock); Making Memories, Chatterbox (Chipboard Letters); Silver Acrylic Paint (Ranger Tim Holtz)  

2. Kitty Litter
My hubby and I are still young and in a young marriage, which means no babies, as of yet.  But we do have a little fur baby.  She was a gift to me for my birthday 3 years ago.  She is often the source of many of my layouts, and is our fur baby - part of the family.  She is our mischief maker, and on this particular occasion, she was making her home in my Scrap basket.  It is one of her favorite places to play (and on occasion sleep).  Here are the photos that go along with this one:

 I got the sketch from Creative Scrappers, and it can be found here.  One of the other things that I have been working on is mixing up my tittles.  I have always been terrible, and I mean terrible at mixing type fonts and letters from different packaging.  I love the look of it, but for whatever reason I struggle, so as I begin to run low on different letters from different packages, I have been working more at doing mix and match.  On this layout although it was difficult and took some time, I am very happy with the end result.
Supplies:  SEI, Basic Grey, Unknown (Pattern Paper);  Bazzill, Stampin' Up! (Cardstock); Making Memories, American Crafts, Pink Paislee (Letters); Ticket, Journaling Spot (My Mind's Eye); Jolee's (Embellishments)


 
3. Visit L.A.
I am ashamed to say that these photos have been sitting around WAY too long.  Primarily because well, as hard as this may be to believe, I don't have any travel themed scrapbook paper and supplies!  I have started to collected travel themed things, but as any collection takes time, so does collecting travel themed craft supplies. These photos were taken on our first ever visit to Los Angeles, and let me tell you it was an eye opening first experience.  Here are the photos and the layout along with the photos.

 The sketch for this layout came from Nuts About Sketches and can be found here.
Supplies:  Karen Foster, SEI, Simple Stories (Pattern Paper); Bazzill, Stampin' Up! (Cardstock); Making Memories (Chipboard); Maya Road (Felt arrows); iTop Brads (Tools/Embellishments)


Thats all for today!  Thanks for hanging out with me, I hope you enjoyed looking and reading as much as I enjoyed creating.  Have a crafty fun filled day!

Crafty Favor for My Mother

A few days ago, my mom sent me a text message wanting to know how quick I could send her some thankyou cards, or if she should purchase them.  (As if anyone in my family should be purchasing cards for anything ever again......) In response to that, I made and sent some cards to my mom to send to participants of a recent job interview for her.  I struggled for a little bit thinking of how to make some cards that would be fun, but tasteful in the corporate world.  This is what I came up with:

 I made a box to go with the cards, but I wasn't able to ship it with the cards at a reasonable price to get them there when she needed them, so I still have the box.  My mom's favorite color is red, which is why so much red, and I wanted them to be elegant yet simple given the context for which they were being given out.  The inspiration for this card came from this blog.  She created a very beautiful and simple card.  I stepped it up a notch and added the background medallion stamp (it's one of my favorites from Stampin' Up!).  And here are some close ups of the cards and details:

 Little secret about that ribbon, it is white.  I colored it black using my black Copic Marker as I was in a pinch and the stores were closed.

I hope you enjoyed today's share and feel inspired to have fun and create!

Supplies:  Memory Makers, Stampin' Up! (Cardstock); Stampin Up! Real Red, Tim Holtz Distress Black Soot (Ink); Stampin' Up!  Medallion (Retired), Stampin' Up! Kindness Matters, Stampin' Up!  Because I Care (Retired) (Stamps)

An Interactive, Memorbilia Intense Layout

A few years ago, okay almost 2 to be exact, my love and I traveled to California to visit friends and to attend Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights.  My love (and not I) is a HUGE fan of all things horror.  As part of this trip, we came home with TONS of memorabilia that I was informed will be in "our scrapbook."  Not saying that we don't have an "our scrapbook" but I mean really?  At that time I was at a total loss of how to get the brochure map, two pairs of 3D glasses, and a couple VIP passes in addition to journaling AND a photo (yep just one).   I was at such a loss that this above mentioned memorabilia went through 3 moves (that's right 3) without ever being touched or scrapbooked.  To be honest, I am surprised that nothing got lost (like his baby photos did and still are.....).  Either way, in the last few weeks I had become determined that the memoriabilia and that single photo would not go another move without being in their rightful place in "our scrapbook."  The biggest challenge wasn't really the photo, glasses, journaling, and VIP passes, but rather the brochure/map.  I wanted the map to be seen, but also the outside of the brochure - after all it was part of the experience.  Originally, I had had two of these little brochures, I am certain that it got lost somewhere along the way, thus my original plan was follied.  While I was pondering how to keep the map interactive and not cut another flap into another page protector, I had a brilliant idea - glue the brochure to the OUTSIDE of the protector, but in its rightful place.  This is what it looks like:

Before adhering everything, I planned it out perfectly so that when I added the brochure to the outside of the protector, it looked like it belonged, as it does.  And at the same time, you can still open it as part of the layout, see:

Because of the map and other memorabilia, I kept the layout very simple and clean.  I did not want the embellishments to overpower the memorabilia or vice versa.  Hopefully you have found this little tidbit and share a little useful.  It was definitely exciting for me!  Have a fun and crafty filled day.

Supplies:  Echo Park, Pink Paislee, My Minds Eye (Pattern Paper); Pink Paislee, American Crafts (Alphabets); Tim Holtz/Ranger (Ink)