Underfoot

How often do you use a blog, facebook, or twitter post as a jumping off point for a layout?

I do this all the time. It's a big time saver for me because it helps me to focus my thoughts on the little memories that I want to save.

I recently blogged about my kids being "underfoot" while I make dinner, and I used some of those same pictures for this layout.

I made this with the beautiful "The Bees Knees" kit (now sold out!).

I tried something I haven't done in a long time- an 8 1/2 x 11" layout! I snagged one of Noel's "Daily Deals" a while back and got an American Crafts album in this size. I think it'll be a fun challenge for me to work in this size from time to time!

The journaling reads,

"Sweet little hands and feet, wheels and car noises, the little murmurs of adventures on the kitchen floor. It's the 5 o'clock show I get most nights as I make dinner."

Lily's 1st Year

For their first year of life, I took a photo of my girls together and separately for each month. I used the beautiful "Bee's Knees" kit to create a page of just Lily's first year. Nora's page is already done and I have yet to do a layout of the two of them together but I think that one will have to be a two-pager. I printed my photos in black and white as the colors of their outfits changed from month-to-month and made them wallet size (2 x 3). I arranged them in a grid and then kept the embellishments to a minimum to keep the focus on the photos. 

I punched a circle from Sassafras patterned paper and layered it with a Basic Grey butterfly and Maya Road stick pin. 

I layered an Elle's Studio tag with a Glitz Design sticker and Basic Grey alphabet (from my stash). 

I didn't have all the Jenni Bowlin flags I needed for each month so i used some Jenni Bowlin banner pieces I had in my stash. The monthly flags are adhered with foam adhesive. 

See you next week! Remember, I'll be starting a series of posts the month of July on two-page layouts!

Jill

Beat the Heat

Here in Oklahoma the temperature has been in the triple digits for a few weeks now. There is only so much heat the girls and I can take! We decided to relax indoors for a change and watch a movie. What indoor activities do you do to beat the heat in the summer months? Make sure to take some time to documents these special moments as well as the outdoor ones.

This layout was created with the Bee's Knees kit.

Happy creating!
-Diana

Hello my name is Gretchen

...and I am addicted to Foldies.

But the first step in recovery is admitting I have a problem, right?!!
:)
How nice Noel was to include a sheet of Foldies in the Bees Knees kit and in the Mary Ellen kit so at least I can get my fix!
Here is a layout I made using the Foldies...

{everything here is from the Bees Knees kit!}
*****
OK moving past my Foldies addiction!
I discovered another fun little product in the Bees Knees kit.
How sweet are these vintage paper posies from Maya Road!!??

They were perfect for a simple sympathy card I made for a friend...

{everything here is from the Bees Knees kit}
*****
I know we have been talking about it on the message board a little bit, but anybody else willing to admit to some sort of scrapbooking-product addiction??!
{i might also have a slight addiction to brads}

:)
Happy Monday!
gretchen

enjoying summer treats

Rhubarb is a treat that we had such an abundance of when I was a kid, that I completely took it for granted. In fact, though I did like it, it wasn't high on my list of "it's summer - I must make sure that I get some of this!" Now that I've moved from the area that I grew up in, it's just so rare that I actually crave it! Odd how things work, huh?

Hope you all enjoy a lovely weekend!

Can't Get Enough

I can't get enough of several things, among those, the following:

1. The Bees Knees kit.

2. My little dude.


(I threw in some tape & some Sassafrass stickers from a previous kit for this layout- but the rest is all from The Bees Knees!)

I also can't get enough of the fun summertime I'm having with my kiddos. I can't believe June is almost over with!

Starting in July, I'll host a weekly project for you to do with your kiddos... so that we can all make the most of the summer. :) If anyone has any requests, leave 'em in the comments!

Have a lovely evening!

Making the Most of It!

I have a little preview for you today of a blog series I'm going to start in July. My focus of this blog series is going to be two-page layouts. I tend to scrapbook a lot of events and take a lot of photos of said events. But, a lot of these photos don't make it on my scrapbook pages and I'm trying to change that by creating two-page layouts. Today, I have a layout to share using "The Bees Knees" kit of my girls playing at the park. A couple of the photos were grainy so I changed them to black and white and kept a few of the photos in color. I love the contrast of the two types of photos and combined with the products in "The Bees Knees", it gives the layout a twist of retro vintage.

I am quickly becoming a fan of Sassafras Lass foldies. They aren't a product I would normally pick up on my own but I love the ones Noel has been including in recent kits. The colors and textures provide beautiful feminine details.

And wowza, I am also a fan of the woodgrain Hambly transparency in the kit. It just pops off of kraft cardstock!

Stay tuned for more two-page layouts from me in the month of July! I hope to make this a fun series!

See you next week!

Jill

A Different Take

Banners are still very popular in the scrapbooking world. I love banners myself but I decided to go with a slightly different point of view for my layout. I only used a single panel, turned it sideways, and used it as a placeholder for my pictures. Another neat way to use banners is to hold your journaling.

I used several older Noel Mignon kits as well as some items from my stash to put this layout together. What fun ways have you used banners? Share it with us and put a link to your layout in the comments section.

**Insert smile**

So I lucked into a guest spot with Pencil Lines this week!

{for whatever reason they needed somebody right at the last minute & i was in the right spot at the right time! thank you Leah!}

Lucky me!

Because check out this sketch:

It is right up my alley!

Using my new Bees Knees kit (only 2 left!!), I made this...

It is such a great sketch that I think you should make something with it too!
:)
And if you do, link it up over at Pencil Lines and link it up here too because I want to see it!

Happy Monday!!
gretchen

Last minute ideas for Father's Day cards

I admit it. As much as I really try - there are still a quite a few things that end up last minute. I'm a great planner, but when you fill your days with more than is humanly possible to accomplish, it happens! lol

So today I wanted to share some fun ideas I've come across for Father's Day giftwrap + cards.

{bow tie giftwrap}

genius. And totally cute. But not too girly {that's essential}They suggest using a new or thrifted bow tie - but you can also get directions to make your own here. They also have fun tips for tying a bow tie if you're like me and don't have a clue...

If your man's just not the bow tie wearing type, here's a fun set of direction to make neckties! I've actually made these before, and it's really fun. I love the look of a high quality cotton fabric - just like they suggest in this post. Anyway. Fun twist on the classic - give-dad-a-necktie-it's-father's-day thing.

{pattern and directions}

Sweet and simple bag idea. This person used these for party favors, but I think it'd be fun however you choose to use it. She actually has a bunch of fun stuff that you could adapt to father's day in this post - like the necktie bunting banner and and chocolate mustache lollies! Mmmm...

{little man party ideas}

Love this lapel card. Classy a sweet. I was thinking there might be a fun way to slide a giftcard in there somehow...

{pocket lapel card}

I thought this off the cuff card was a nice little twist as well. Simple and classic

{shirt cuff card}

And here's mine! I made this using the Mary Ellen kit:

Let's get messy!!!

I am in love. It's true. With paint and sprays and glue and ink. That's right. And I think there are a few of you out there that share this love, no?

Well, I thought I would do a little tutorial today that shows how to use a few of my favorite techniques on your layouts.



Here's my inspiration page I found in an old issue of Scrapbooks Etc. I love it's simplicity, and I thought it would be a perfect sketch to go off of for a layout with so much technique on it.



To start, gather some scraps and a piece of cardstock about 4"x4" in size.



Coat the cardstock with Mod Podge or any other medium, and then layer them over each other to make a base from which to cut your heart. Use a Heat Tool to speed up this process.



Once the base is dry, spritz it with your favorite spray. Now, not to be picky, but Tattered Angels spray doesn't work so well with this technique. You need a spray that is not so watery, like Smooch Spritz by Clearsnap or Color Wash by Ranger. These are a lot more saturated with color, and once dry, don't smear like Tattered Angels.

After you've spritzed your base, then use a white paint or ink to make some droplets. I used Liquitex Ink! but you can definitely use some watered down white acrylic paint.



Again, you can speed up the drying process with a heat tool, otherwise you'll have to let it dry all night.



Once that's dry, cut out a heart from the base and use some Liquitex Raw Umber Ink! to distress the edges.



Once that is finished, choose a couple of rubons to apply to the heart. I love these from Hambly that I got in one of Noel's past kits.



And these rubons from Basic Grey, in the Office Party kit. Oh YUM.



Then rub the edges with some silver Inka Gold from Viva Decor to get a nice, vintage look.



Run the heart through a sewing machine a couple times around the heart.



Then add some dots using a Black Pearl Pen, also from Viva Decor.



Once the pearl dots are dry, coat the whole thing with Mod Podge - I used this sparkle kind, and it's super cool!



Once that's dry, wrap some jute around the heart, securing it on the back with some masking tape.



You can tie whatever you want to the front of the heart, like a tag or key. Or both!



Now it's time to do the base of the layout. I didn't have the perfect color, so I mixed my Studio Classic Teal and Studio Blank Canvas together to get the right color. I mixed the paint right on my craft sheet - it's perfectly slick and works great!



Then I rolled my Inky Roller through the paint, and onto the page.



While the paint is drying, dap a teeny bit of Studio Black paint onto the craft sheet, spray with some Pearl Perfect Pearls Mists (water works too, but you don't get a pearl finish to the paint) and then get a good amount on a small paint brush.



Flick the paint brush over the page to get lots of splotches.

Then pick the rest of the elements for your page - photos, stickers, embellies, etc.



Here's my final product, and I looooove it! It's messy and loose and totally different than anything I've made before.



I just love that little felt house from the Delightfully Domestic kit. I HAD to have that on the page!
I also added some sloppy stitching around the inside of the page just to kind of anchor everything.



On my hear I added some Cosmo Cricket Alphas and some Maya Road heart pins, a metal key from who knows where, a spritzed up "art" chipboard from Maya Road, a snippet from a Cosmo paper, and a cute little clear birdie sticker from Hambly.

So that's it! Now go out and try something like this for yourself. Experiment. Make mistakes. Spill some paint. And for the love of God, get your fingers dirty!!

Any questions? Feel free to comment or email me at brittnykvilhaug@yahoo.com

Happy Friday!!
xoxo
Britt