Scraps + Tool Card Challenge

So when I first read about this challenge, I thought to myself, "Oh dear." Cards are definitely not my forte, and tools? Considering that I debated on purchasing a Crop-A-Dile for a good year, you could say I'm not so much of a tool buyin' gal.

What do I do when I get out of my element? I go to my old crutches: horizontal strips, and my Silhouette machine. :)

This first card is made with a mixture of the Sonoma County and Dear Diary kits. I used a small artisan label shape from another design in my Silhouette downloads to make the nested spot for the sentiment to layer on top of.

And for this card (made with the Very Virginia kit), I did horizontal strips again, but got a little wild and crazy with making one strip shorter and cutting a notch out of the side. On top of that I adhered a cute little birdie on a branch I cut out with my Silhouette machine, and then inked & roughly traced around.

That's my trick when I get out of my box- go to some old stand-bys that help me not feel too overwhelmed, and incorporate it into the challenge so that it still looks like "me." :)

Cards with my Cricut

Good morning, friends! For the next challenge, we were to make two cards using a tool in our arsenal and I chose to use my Cricut. I also pulled out two old friends "Sonoma County" and "Sun-Kissed" to make my cards. Here's a peek at both of my cards...

For this sweet "baby" card, I used Sonoma County and the "New Arrival" cartridge. I also used a piece of vintage dictionary paper for my background. I love the colors in the Brook collection by Crate Paper for little boy cards...so cute! 

And for this card, I used the Sun-Kissed kit and "Accent Essentials" cartridge. The sun was actually cut out of a piece of wood veneer by Creative Imaginations and misted with Maya Mist in Sunflower Yellow. I also used the Summer Squash collection by Jillibean Soup on this card. 

Have a great day! See you next week!

Jill

hey everyone!!

I am so excited to be part of the Noel Mignon team! I've been getting Noel's kits for a while now and I've always been blown away by how all of the fun goodies come in each one. So to say that I was excited when she asked me to be part of her team was an understatement!

So here's a little bit about me...I'm a wife & stay home mom to my 2 school aged kids and our furry, 4-legged shepherd/retriever pup.  My husband and I are originally from Michigan and are now living in hot southern Georgia. I started scrapbooking when my daughter was just 3 weeks old. In fact, it was my step-mom that called me to see if I wanted to go take a class at the local scrapbook store. Well, 8 1/2 yrs later I am the one with the full-blown crafting addiction. And it's all her fault!!

Actually, I don't know what I would do without this hobby. I love to be able to get feelings and memories recorded for my family. When we look back on pages I made years ago you will inevitably hear one of us say 'I totally forgot about that' and 'Wow, remember that??'. I love that :) I also dabble in other crafts including sewing and it is no secret that I love to go thrifting and turn something outdated into something pretty!

(Playdate Kit)

Aside from my kids who give me endless inspiration for scrapping, we're a family that loves Disney so it is not uncommon to see me scrapping photos of our trips to see the Mouse. I made this latest page using the Sonoma County kit (sold out). The browns, yellows & blues worked perfectly for my pics of the resort we stayed at.

You can visit me over at my blog here. Be sure to come by and say hi!! Thanks again Noel for asking me to be a part of your team!!

Use Your Stash

Do you have lots of bits and pieces left over from different paper collections and kits? I know I do!

One of my favorite ways to use up my extra supplies is by participating in a color challenge. I recently joined the team at Color Combos Galore and have really enjoyed taking a color scheme and inspiration photo, collecting supplies from all around and my scrap room, and combining them in a new way that I wouldn't have thought of on my own.

Here is the latest page I created for Inspiration Board #149.



The background paper is My Mind's Eye Wild Asparagus. The Pink Polka dot is from the baby themed "Ducks in a Row" collection by October Afternoon. The green paper is from the Monster-Themed "Night Light" collection by October Afternoon. And the wood-grained paper is an older piece by Pink Paislee.




Who knew I could combine all these papers together to create a soft, girly page?! I certainly wouldn't have thought to do this on my own.

So next time you look at your stash of supplies, and you're not quite sure what to do with what you've got . . . try a color challenge that will help you to combine your existing supplies in a new way.

******************************************

Also, this week, I wanted to share with you the page I created for the Independence Challenge on the Noel Mignon Challenge Blog. The first time I started to feel "independent" in my life was when I learned to drive and purchased my own car. :)

I loved feeling a bit of financial freedom from my parents and proud of myself that I was being responsible paying for my own car. I loved that I got to choose this big ticket item myself, and I felt like I could now go anywhere in the world, anytime I wanted. It was a very liberating experience for me.






(Page created with the Noel Mignon Sonoma County Kit.)

When was a time in your life that you felt independent? Come on over to the CHALLENGE BLOGand play along with us!

Happy Thursday!
Jana

Jana Eubank - Design Team Coordinator

Hi, Everyone!

All week long we will be introducing you to the NEW Noel Mignon Design Team. You'll get a chance to get to know the new members of the team as well as the returning designers. So let's get started, shall we?! :) Here are a few things about me. :)



A few years ago I was googling on the internet trying to find a set of Melissa Frances Acrylic Stamps. I will forever be grateful for my stamp obsession at that time, because that google search led me to NoelMignon.com. I put the stampset in my cart and then started to browse the shop for other items I might want to throw in with it. I noticed Noel had a Debut Scrapbook Kit up for sale . . . and it was SCRUMPTIOUS! I immediately ordered it . . . and every kit she has made since. :)

I feel honored to have been a part of Noel's design team for the past two and a half years, and even more honored to continue on with such a talented group of designers as the Design Team Coordinator. Noel definitely puts together the BEST kits out there and I am constantly telling her that I am her Forever #1 Fan!



Page created with the Noel Mignon Sonoma County Kit

Who or what inspired you to start scrapbooking?

My mom. She lovingly created memory books for me and my brothers and sister. Not only did she maintain family picture albums, but she also created albums for each of us kids. I remember her MAKING us sit down and write our own journaling each year. We hated doing it at the time, but I am so glad to have those memories in my own words.

There wasn't much in the way of stickers and patterned paper back then, so she would save the wrapping paper from our gifts and cut out the images to decorate our scrapbook pages. When I was in high school, she attended a Creative Memories home party. When she came home and showed me her page, I knew immediately I wanted to begin making my own books.

What are some of your favorite supplies?

LOTS of patterned paper, dimensional alphabets, and buttons. I never seem to get enough of them! I especially love mixing patterned papers from several manufacturers. That is one of the reasons I ADORE Noel's kits. There is so much paper in there! I used to get bored creating with other kits because every page seemed to feel the same. With Noel's kits, I can create page after page with a different feeling every time.

What part of creating a page do you enjoy the most?

I have to say that my very favorite part of working on a page is adding the dimensional details and finishing accents. To me it's like finding those last few pieces to a puzzle that you have been working on for several hours. I love playing with bits and pieces at the end of a project and watching them fit perfectly in place. What a satisfying sensation!

Easter Morning and Twine Flowers

I have a LO and technique to share with you today. First up is this LO I did of my dad with my boys on Easter morning. I used the Sonoma County kit. I really love the fresh, masculine feel of this kit and it works well with all my boy photos. This is inspired by a Jana Eubank sketch.

I used the backside of my cork buttons and dotted the edges to 'finish" them a bit, and then centered some small buttons on top.

Here is the twine loopy flower I came up with, I really like how this is a flower, but it is not to girlie, with all these guys in the photo.

I was brainstorming ideas for some sort of new embellishment and I kept getting drawn to the twine that was included in the kit. Then I started thinking about those bows you get from Nordstom at Christmas. They are secured in the middle, and you just fan them out to get super cute bows...so I thought I would give that a try and I love the result...a "boyish" twine flower! (if this is an "old" technique...I apologize...but I "think" I am being original here...wink)You can see my finished one with the brown twine up top...but here is my example piece.
Start off by doing double loops, pinched in the middle, or think of them as figure 8's. I would do about 6 full loops, so you have 6 small loops on each side, that will give you 12 petals.

Use a strong, thin thread and tie a knot in the middle of your figure 8's.

Then pull your "petals" out and around to shape your flower. Trim off your excess thread and twine pieces and then center with a brad or button to cover your thread.


Hope you have a fun Sunday!

One Happy Fish!

Good morning and happy Wednesday to you all!!! I have a LO to share with you today using the Sonoma County kit. I scrapped some pics of my nephew having some fun on his little waterslide last year! He isn't a kid who smiles easily....so when I captured these pics I was thrilled! I used felt for the title and some precut felt fish I found in the children's craft section at Michaels. The "Splashes" were from an old Sizzix die I held onto. I added a few Dew Drops to give it a watery effect!

Just a quick journaling tip for you today: : )

Make sure to include other people's perspectives and feelings in your journaling. Sometimes we tend to get stuck on the date of the event and insignificant details rather than including the feelings of the people involved. (Seriously, how many years worth of birthday photos do you have? What makes this particular birthday or Christmas more special than last years? ) When we look back at our scrapbooks, we want to remember how Grandma, Grandpa, Aunts, Uncles, etc. felt about a particular event. One way to accomplish this task is become not only the photographer at the event, but investigate, ask questions, interview people, jot down things that are said. And lastly, remember to journal your feelings too! This will set apart each of those events as their own separate entity, totally unlike the year before!

Photo Prompt

I don't often scrap 'heritage' like pictures (wait... I don't mean heritage, this is me as a baby... and I'm not in the 'heritage' catergory yet darn it)... anywho...

I don't scrap many *ahem* older pictures often but when I do I often find that the colors are hard to scrap with or the pictures just don't print like I want them to after scanning them.
I found this old baby picture of me and wanted to scrap it for the "Me, Myself, and I" challenge and so I chose to turn the picture into a "mocha" color... I now LOVE the way it printed and the colors are perfect to use with the beautiful "Sonoma Country" (sold out) kit!





Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek! :)
Don't forget the new kit "Lemonade Stand" goes up for sale on the 15th!! Check out the forum here for sneek peaks... here's a quick one to start the drooling! lol

Scraplifting Jill Cornell

I knew as soon as I saw this page by message board member Jill Cornell (using the Seaside Cottage kit) that I MUST MUST MUST scraplift it!

It is so beautiful- the design and the meaning behind the page.

I wanted to be able to use some sweet pictures that would do the design justice, and when I caught our sweet baby girl playing with her chubby legs next to her daddy on Sunday afternoon, I knew I had to use those pics!

(I used mostly products from the Sonoma County kit, along with a touch or two from the Seaside Cottage kit.)

I also have a layout to share for our latest challenge- about the origins of our names! I used the Playdate kit to make this one, with a picture that I had from when I was a little girl as the background.

Maximizing chipboard

Have you ever mentally decided how many letters of each chipboard you needed for a title and then realize once you started sticking that you would not have enough?
Yea..me too.. grrrr!!!! It just happened to me.

Here is a quick tip I saw a while back to solve that problem

Peel apart some layers of the chipboard to make them thinner and VOILA!

You could paint, mist, or ink them..even run them through your cuttlebug for texture...whatever floats your boat.

So next time you are in a bind remember this quick fix or heck even if you aren't in a bind that is a sure way to make your chipboard letters or shapes last longer.

Here is a page I did using the Sold Out Sonoma County Kit.

and one I did using the Playdate Kit (Sold Out)

This was Mason's 1st day of Kindergarten...now he is goin in the 3rd grade...eeekkk... I'm trying to catch up :)

Last but not least if ya'll are still hanging with me... I saw a tutorial a long time ago on a purse made from a book and for whatever reason i remembered it. I cut out the pages of a Sue Grafton Book that I had double copies of and made this little purse for Melana...she thinks she is hot stuff now :)



After I took these pics I realized a few things needed fixing so I did that and also I know what not to do next time i make one. Which i am in the process of now because her little bff in the neighborhood wants one. We'll see if that one turns out a wee bit better in the inside...

Happy Sunday!! I wish i had some football to watch :(

Sketch and a layout!

Here is a sketch that I worked up using the layout below... I used the "Sonoma Country" kit from Noel Mignon... I just love this kit!



Here is my take on the sketch!



I'd love to see what you can do with the sketch!
Thanks for stopping by!

Doily Flowers

Doilies are all the rage right now. I love them. They are so girly and so vintage - both things I adore!

I made this card to share with you today using the Sonoma County kit (sold out) and some doilies from the craft store.



The flower was really easy to make. First, I cut the center out of the doily. Then I fan folded it.




I secured it with a glue dot.



Then, I added one of the Crate stickers for the center. I cut the flower of the BG crystal and added that, too. I used the stem part as a border. I adhered the whole thing to the card using some double sided tape.



Quick, easy and pretty!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day. :)