Look Back at 2011

I started this blog as a new year’s resolution and I’ve several days of more viewers then I’d ever imagine. I created more layouts then I had planned to and even more cards. I actually completed a project, A Week in the Life, and I’ve started several others.  I’ve started stamping, something I said I wouldn’t do for years, and I’ve made more cards then I ever have in the past.  In fact, I feel like I’m more of a card maker these days then I am a scrapbooker, and I’m okay with that.

Some of these cards and layouts have been on my blog this year, but they’re some of my favorites:

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Does a layout always need a title?

Sometimes the pictures and/or journaling can speak for themselves right? I mean a picture is worth a thousand words; so maybe adding more will take away from the story the photos tell. This layout is a good example I think. I started out by putting the photos into Lawn Fawn stamped image polaroids and adding a couple phrases from Say Cheese, too. Then I began to struggle. I started adding more frames with pp inside, one with a little journaling and started piling them on, but I didn’t like the look. Then I took some Echo Park Splash paper and ribbon and put my two polaroids down. I thought about adding a small title, but I love the way this looks sweet, simple, and it lets the photos speak for themselves. Alice and Mad Hatter looking on at the tea cups wanting to ride and then a photo of them riding and spinning. What more is there to say. I was at a distance so I don’t know much else other then the date (August 28, 2007) I can easily write that on the back.  Do you think every page or layout needs a title or is it better from time to time to let the photos speak for themselves?

Thanks for reading and happy crafting! ❤ Ann

Pirate Sighting

It’s been a couple of weeks since I completed a layout, but I’ve got a couple done. The one I’m sharing today is a Disney layout. This is one of my favorite Mickey pictures ever. He’s in his pirate costume at Disney’s Pirate and Princess Party which sadly no long happens. I do have a tendency to go for the stamping a word across the element but in different colors right now.

Products used:

My Mind’s Eye Mischievous (stipes); Basic Grey Archaic (title); Bazzill; The Twinery; Tim Holtz (Tiny Attacher);Becky Higgins (journaling card); Technique Tuesday (October Studio AE); Jenni Bowlin (Fountain Pen and Chicken Feed inks); Sharpie Pen

Thanks for reading and happy crafting! ❤ Ann

Disneyland Castle Shot

I started this layout with the sketch 4 2×6 strips up top the 4×6 photo on bottom and a 2×4 stripe with 3 of some sort of embellishment  along side the photo. I used pieces from Basic Grey’s Max & Whiskers 6×6 pad that I bought on clearance from my LSS. I skipped all the animal papers as well they just didn’t work for obvious reasons. I was working on pulling out the gold from the flags and castle and blue from the sky. I pulled three white buttons from stash and added some twine and then started on the title tag. I cut it out with a shape from the Silhouette store. I then stamped the date and “best vacation ever” and then added the title with stickers…more twine and I had a simple layout. You could even skip the tag and add the title in big letters across the “seam” area.

Products used: Basic Grey’s Max & Whiskers 6×6 Pad, Twine: The Twinery  (Peapod, Lemon Drop, Cappuccino), Stamps: Lawn Fawn Say Cheese, Too, Ink: Jenni Bowlin (Fountain Pen), Stickers: American Crafts, Buttons: Unknown, Silhouette shape:  4_luggage_tags_C01119_20509

Thanks for reading & happy crafting ❤ Ann

Mixing old and new: Meeting Mickey

Today I share a simple layout. I used an old Basic Grey 6×6 pad I had sitting around, the Boxer collection. I took 4 papers and punched the scalloped border on the 4

of them and layered them. I attached the 4×6 photo at the top and added the title and twine with a button and a bow. I used my old Autumn Leaves journaling stamps and some Jenni Bowlin ink to create the journaling block. I then wrote out my journaling that reads: Meeting Mickey at Disneyland was one of my must dos. We went to meet first thing in the morning and had an hour long wait. He was unenergectic that day & he looks weird without his hat, but I can say I met him. Dec 2010.   The All Smiles and smiling faces are Lawn Fawn stamps (Say Cheese too and Sophie’s Sentiments)

It’s a layout that mixes my old supplies (BG papers, AL stamps, and letter stickers) with some of my newer supplies (border punches, twine, and Lawn Fawn Stamps)

Thanks for reading & happy crafting ❤ Ann

Beginning my next minibook + layout

Over the past year or so I’ve had boxes and boxes and there are still a few more boxes to go to pull out any and all childhood photos I want to keep myself. I had been trying to figure out what to do with them. I didn’t want to just put them in a photo album or photo box. They lived there for the past 15-25 years, and since I turned 25 today I really wanted to begin thinking about what I wanted to do.  I think I’m going to put them in a minibook. I don’t remember a lot about the photos..most are from when I was an only child so up to the age of 3. My first Disney trip at the age of 5, or well other times. I think my school age photos are sitting in the boxes I have look at yet, but I think I’ll do school age in a different book.  So I started my thought process and I thought I’d share it in case anyone was every wondering where to start with a minibook.

First I start with theme..this one is Childhood photos. Then I scour the internets looking for the perfect paper collection to match my theme..this book I’m choosing October Afternoon’s Sidewalks which hasn’t been released yet; so I’m holding my breath I’ll be able to get it before Thanksgiving. (OA is known for not shipping on time) if it’s not ready I’m going to pick up Fancy Pants Summer’s End and start the base work for my Thanksgiving/Fall book.

Then I choose a size I’m thinking either a 4×6.5 (room for binding) or a 4×8. Since I don’t have a ton of memories of the photos there isn’t a lot of journaling or story telling to be told, but I can tell stories of what I do remember..the love of my little blue car, my favorite hiding places, and my hatred of shoes.

The 3rd step is to pick photos. This step I had already done I had a huge stack of photos that I saved. Some when to my brothers, some will go into a photo box, and the highlights will go in the book.

The 4th step and for me the most fun picking out all the add-ons, embellishments, and other stuff. I’m going to use some twine, stamps, and depending on what I find Sidewalk embellishments (label and word stickers, journaling cards, and flower sack (all the flat stuff) and maybe some buttons and chip and stick..depending on how big the book looks like it’s going to be. It’ll be flatter if I’m looking at 20+ page book, but if it’s less I’ll toss in tons of buttons and chipboard. (I think I’m looking at flat) Then I’ll also have some precut Silhouette designs with me, but I can always make notes and do all the cutting when I get home from my trip.

The 5th step sketch out a few page designs. Since I haven’t picked a size I haven’t started on that yet, but I plan to use a smooth cardstock base I’m thinking a mix of blue, green, and yellow.

And if you’ve stuck around this long I’ve got a treat for you. A layout I did a few weeks back. It took awhile to do, but I loved it. I first cut a honeycomb pattern from the Silhouette and then cut all the pieces to go inside in different pp. I used a My Minds Eye 6×6 pad that I had. Then I cut the title 4 times with the Silhouette and layered them, added a few labels and the photo and I had an arty layout I really liked. Thanks for reading & happy crafting ❤ Ann

Polaroids: My new favorite

After my post yesterday with Lawn Fawn’s polaroid I wanted to share a layout I did with a polaroid die cut from the Silhouette store. I printed these pictures 6 months ago planning to do some minibook with them, but never got around to it. So all those tombstone pictures sat in my box and I’d look at them from time to time thinking I should do something with them.  So I did today. I cut 9 frames and took some digital scrapbook paper I downloaded yesterday that I though would be perfect for the layout and created 3 more squares one with the title. Some cardstock for a base and black and brown ink to distress the frames and I had a layout.  Thanks for reading and happy crafting ❤ Ann

You’re a Vision: Lawn Fawn Stamps

I bought some Lawn Fawn stamps last week. I’m having a new love affair with them.  I bought Say Cheese and Say Cheese too along with a couple others. I also had You’re a vision that I won from their blog a couple weeks before.  I had the photo sitting on my desk and an idea. I started stamping which took a little while as I had to stamp all those cameras and glasses, but I love the way it turned out.

I used Jenni Bowlin inks (Brown Sugar, Chicken Feed, Soap Powder, and Lemon Drops) I colored in the polaroid with color pencils.

Thanks for reading & happy crafting ❤ Ann

More with July’s Studio AE stamp set

I started out with a kid style notebook sheet of paper from We R Memory Keepers, then I stamped the  words in different Jenni Bowlin inks (side note Chili Powder, Chicken Feed, and Soap Powder are being discontinued so get those reinkers) I cut the frame with my Silhouette, which is on sale for .50cents this week. The title is Echo Parks’s For the Record typewriter stickers.

When I first saw the stamp set for July I was worried I wouldn’t find much use for it, as I don’t spend much time outside and don’t have kids, but so far I’ve loved it and have a few more plans for it.   Come back Monday..or maybe Tuesday as I’m hoping to have the base work and plans for my Week in the Life album started.  Thanks for reading and happy crafting! ❤ Ann

July Studio AE by Technique Tuesday

My 2nd shipment of Studio AE arrived today. I was beyond excited I started this layout a couple days ago, and I knew that little bird would be the perfect embellishment. The paper is Echo Park Summer Days from the 6×6 pad. I used Jenni Bowlin Inks. The title is part of the “the simple beauty of time spent outside” and the hanging out word.  The parakeets are from Zoo Atlanta hanging out on a branch. Thanks for looking and happy crafting!