Love is in the Details

Lately, I've been moving away from simple, sleek pages towards pages with a lot more detail. I won't lie: they take A LOT longer to make, but for those extra-special pages--the ones where you want to commemorate something of deep significance--it's well worth the effort.

The layout above celebrates my son's First Communion, a spiritual milestone and something I hope he remembers all his life.

When I looked at my stash for just the right papers, I was a little vexed. Lately, CTMH has been offering a beautiful array of shabby chic and quirky papers--not quite right for these photos. The solution? Cardstock! It's easy to alter the tone of patterned papers with cardstock.

I decided on a monochromatic blue colour scheme (because of the dark blue vest and lighter blue shirt, of course) and used CTMH cardstock and ink colours Outdoor Denim, Indian Corn Blue and Lagoon. The pops of colour come from Ruby ink and Skylark Yellow (from the Skylark Paper Packet). There are only two patterned papers on this layout: Skylark (the one with the bird) and Wanderful (blue dots). This is a great example of how well CTMH papers from different paper packets co-ordinate.

Once the page was assembled, I opened the flood gates on my embellishment stash. Even though this is a "boy page", I turned to shiny gems to bring sparkle to the page. (Yes, "This Little Light of Mine" was stuck in my head as I made this page.) From the current Annual Inspirations Idea Book, I used Bling Gems Gold Assortment, Sparkles Clear Assortment and Bitty Sparkles. All the other gems are no longer available, but if you've got them in your stash, use them!!

To add a bit of a masculine touch, I stamped some of the banners in  the Houndstooth pattern from the Distress Backgrounds stamp set. I also used pewter badge buttons and embellishments--metals go a long way to relieving the softness of the patterned papers.

I added in a die cut title and some bling flourishes to finish off the page. I'm really happy how this page turned out. The little details, like the letter for his name, the die cuts and twine give the page a lot of texture and interest. This is one of my all-time favourite pages!

A New Challenge!

To get my scrapping mojo in gear, I decided to try this month's scrapping challenge from Purple Pumpkin.

This page is an example of how you can scrap a special moment even if the photos aren't that great...or if they're really terrible, like these ones.

Remember to focus on the story: The title and journaling are important to tell the story when the photos don't.

Look for the other story: When I was taking these pictures, I just wanted a "cheek-to-cheek" photo with my son, but what I ended up capturing was the trouble it actually is to get a good photo of a 4-year-old. That funny story is actually more interesting than what I was originally after.

Photoshop: Be creative with your photo editing software to turn "bad" photos into precious ones. The large focal photo was actually very dark and blurry in the original, but putting it through a few filters and sharpening led to a photo could be used on a page and has really become one of my favourites.

If you're looking for a sketch challenge, be sure to check out Purple Pumpkin. This challenge runs until the end of the month and there's a prize of fun products--like the flower button on the doily.

CTMH supplies used: Dream Pop patterned paper, Colonial White and Slate cardstock, Slate and Goldrush inks, Illuminate (November 2013 Stamp of the Month), Just Blooms paper flowers, Bitty Sparkles, Sparkles Black Flourishes.
Other supplies: Purple Pumpkin wooden flower, Silhouette die cut heart, Scotch adhesive, unknown doily.

Celebrate the New Year!

A new year means looking ahead and setting goals for future accomplishments. But it's also a good thing to be like Janus--the god who lends his name to January--and take a look back at the past year and take a moment to recognise and celebrate what you have accomplished.

Did you set goals and meet them? Did you make  2013 the best it could be?

Take some time today to look through your scrapbooks and remember what you've been up to the past few years. Celebrate those moments with family and friends you've so lovingly documented.

Birthdays are a celebration that always make their way into my scrapbooks. And I'm celebrating the creation of this page, because in it, I see the influence of my scrapping goal last year: to think outside the box and stretch my skills and supplies.

How did I do it on this page? Here are four ways:

1. Use more stamps: Though I did use four different stamp sets on this page, what I mean by "use more stamps" is to get the most out of each stamp set. To look at what can be done with the stamps beyond just the obvious. In this layout, I took the small "Let's Celebrate" stamp from the May 2013 Stamp of the Month set and stamped it several times to create a large title.

Dimensional Elements Heart stamped
with Washi Wonder

2. Mix and match: It's really easy for me to fall into the habit of using the coordinated papers and embellishments by themselves--Close To My Heart takes all the fuss out! But by adding a little more fuss in, such as by using the Gold Polka Dot Washi Tape from the upcoming Idea Book and dressing up Dimensional Elements Hearts with stamping, the visual interest skyrockets!

3. Use non-themed or off-themed papers: For this layout, I wanted to use the vibrant colours of the Sarita papers even though this is essentially a masculine page. The bright colours are temped by the Dark Denim which acts as a neutral on the page. By broadening beyond traditionally themed papers, my scrapbooks take on a unique, eclectic edge.

Dress up embellishments with
a little bling!

4. Bling it up: More and more in the past year I have embraced my inner sparkle and have been using shiny things on my pages. This is a big leap for me, but after much trial and error, I think I'm striking a balance between beautifying my pages and bedazzling them. And certainly for celebration pages, a little sparkle is just the thing!

My scrapping goal this year is to complete my 2011 yearly album. (I know...I'm so far behind!). Whatever your goals are, I wish you the best in achieving them! And remember, CTMH has lots of amazing scrapping products to help you reach your scrapping goals. Let me show you how!

Merry & Bright!

You may remember, when I first signed on as a CTMH Independent Consultant, I became enamoured of Studio J--CTMH's online scrapbooking tool. I still love it. At the time, I was years behind in my scrapbooking and challenged myself to complete two albums: one in Studio J and one in traditional paper. Well, it's been 22 months and I've finally completed the traditional paper album!

Last page for my 2010 album.

Of course, the Studio J album (2011) was completed much more quickly. That one took about nine months. It was fast, easy and fun and I will keep going back to Studio J, but I'll never give up traditional scrapbooking.

So, what's next? I've been working on my 2012 and 2013 albums in Studio J on and off for a while, but now I think I'll turn my attention back to my heritage album. It has sat on the back burner for a long while--in fact, I don't think I've done one page for it in the past year. But then I've got to get cracking on my yearly albums again--I don't want to fall so far behind again.

There are a few things worth mentioning about the Merry & Bright layout above:

• I didn't follow a sketch! You know how much I love my sketches, but after spending some time looking for a double-page layout that could handle several 4" x 6" photos, I gave up and decided to "wing it"--so many double-page layouts today rely on small photos. It was fun, and easier than I thought it would be, to get my creative juices flowing once, I'd figured out the layout for the photos.
• This layout is made of scraps! I used the leftovers from my Sparkle & Shine kit, but I never had to cut into a new sheet of paper. The scraps I'd saved from previous layouts made with this kit (four and counting) were enough to add colour and interest to this page.
• Bling! Bling! I got out my new Shimmer Trim, in red and silver, to add sparkle and shine. I love this trim! It's as sturdy as glitter cardstock, has a strong adhesive backing (which isn't difficult to remove) and the glitter stays on the trim--it doesn't rub off on your fingers! I also added some rhinestone gems and Bitty Sparkles. (I find myself using Bitty Sparkles on everything these days--pages, cards, tags, everything!)
• I dusted off my Silhouette. I haven't used it in a very long time, but my love for die-cuts is ramping up again. Die-cuts are a great way to add fun titles and shapes to a project. Once I start merging die-cuts and stamping, watch out!

Looking ahead, I already have a few pages completed for 2013 (as well as 2012). It's going to be a great scrapbooking year!

Opening and closing pages of my 2013 album done using Studio J.

Sweet and Simple

If you're like me, in the autumn you like decorating with pumpkins, cornstalks, chrysanthemums and sunflowers. Take your usual seasonal displays up a notch with simple embellishments from your stash.

Dress up pumpkins with some Burlap Ribbon. Add a stamped tag with Baker's Twine. This pumpkin looks adorable sitting on a mantle or as part of a table centrepiece.

Create a spooky pumpkin with Moonlight Felt Shapes and Bitty Sparkles. A little bit of Black Tulle Ribbon and pins from the Bling Assortment finish off this pumpkin. For a little more ambiance, display with a chipboard sentiment.

Most of these items are no longer available, but if they're not in your stash, stock up on some current items to create the same look. Try Opaque Licorice Gems, Black Shimmer Trim, Black Striped Grossgrain Ribbon, Mini-Medley Accents Black Collection, or Base & Bling elements like Base & Bling Floral Accents and Base & Bling Black Jewels.

These mini pumpkin projects only take minutes to make and add a lot of impact to your display!

If you have a little more time, get out your My Creations Mini-Banner (you know, the one you received for free a few months ago and haven't gotten around to using yet), the new Huntington Workshops on the Go kit and some more of your favourite stamps and embellishments to create a Give Thanks banner.

To create this banner, I began by inking the entire surface of the mini-banners with Cashmere ink then stamping with the chicken wire stamp from the Distressed Backgrounds Stamp set in Cocoa ink. Next, I added a scalloped circle punched from Huntington papers to each banner. I dressed up each circle with assorted stamps, rub ons and corrugated shapes from my stash. The sentiment, Give Thanks, was stamped in Goldrush, Autumn Terracotta and Cocoa inks with the Token Alphabet stamp set. To make the letters look like epoxy buttons, I covered each with a thick layer of Liquid Glass. I tied the banners together with White Hemp Twine and Burlap Ribbon.

This easy project only took a couple of hours to make and I'll have this beautiful banner on display for Thanksgiving for many years to come.

Visit my website for more ideas on Home Decor and project items you can create easily and quickly. The Project Inspiration area has videos to inspire you to create special, personal projects for yourself.

Circle Journal: Mandy and Heather

Here are the next two pages for the Circle Journal project.

Based on a sketch from Make It From Your Heart Volume 2

Mandy's scrapbook centres on her children's school days. I had the honour of making her daughter's Grade 1 page. This was a real treat for me as I don't often have the opportunity to do girl pages!

This page is an example of how you can use off-theme products on a page. I did use a stamp set from the Scholastic Workshops on the Go kit and Varsity Alphabet stamps, which are both school themed. But the paper line is La Belle Vie and I also  used additional off theme stamps: the chicken wire stamp from the Distressed Backgrounds set and a sentiment from Sweet Moments.

The lined paper from La Belle Vie gives the page a notebook feel and provides a spot for journaling.

Instead of using primary colours, which are a mainstay on pages I make about school days, I made La Belle Vie Pink, Outdoor Denim the stars against the neutral backdrop of Saddle cardstock.

With the help of a little bling, because it is a girly page after all, and Tiny Type Epoxy alphabet, the page was finished off with those small details that bring memories to life.

Sketch from Even More Scrapping!

The theme for Heather's book is places to visit in Durham. She asked for a page about an interesting place with spots for photos to be added later. Her intention is to visit all the places and add her own photos. What a great idea for this project!

The place I selected was the Bowmanville Valley. It's one of my favourite places in the autumn when the salmon are running.

The first think you'll likely notice about this page is that it doesn't feature CTMH papers. The papers are from Crate Paper and the cardstock for the photo mats is Bazzil. But the background cardstock is Desert Sand and the yellow cardstock is Crème Brulee. This is a perfect example of how CTMH colours coordinate with paper lines from other companies.

I've been waiting for a special page to use my Arbour Wooden Shapes and was so happy to finally open the package. I found the wooden shapes took the inks very easily--I just swiped them with my ink pads (Barn Red and Autumn Terracotta)--and dried fairly quickly. To create a two-tone effect on the maple leaf, I first swiped the entire leaf with Autumn Terracotta and while it was still wet, swiped the edges with Barn Red. The red bled into the orange a bit and gave a nice look to the leaf. I finished it off by colouring the stem with a New England Ivy marker.

Here's a tip: When adhering wooden shapes to each other or to your layout, use a strong adhesive like Liquid Glass.

Keyboard Uppercase is one of my favourite letter stamps and is excellent for creating subtitles, like the one on the edge of the small journaling spot. The main title was created with Old World Alphabet.

Again a little bling and a Canvas Badge Button (stamped with an image from the Honeycomb stamp set) finish off the page.

My scrapbook club is about halfway done the Circle Journal project and we're having so much fun with it, we're already looking ahead to the next one!

Watch for the next Circle Journal blog post--it will be on Scrapbooking Tips and Techniques!

Circle Journal: Jen

Glitter, Bling and Pretty Things is the theme of Jen's Circle Journal. That presented quite a challenge for me. I'm not a glittery kind of gal. I have been trying to make my pages and cards more sparkly since I started with CTMH--there are just so many great shiny products--but with a house full of boys, glitter, bling and pretty things don't make it onto too many of my pages.

Thankfully, I found lots of inspiration online! I based Jen's layout on one I'd seen on Pinterest, by Nickie Hoffer.

I love the neutral black and white colour scheme with a pop of Cranberry. Black, cream and red has long been my favourite colour scheme.

Instead of the For Always patterned paper (which I don't have yet), I used black and white papers from My Mind's Eye I already had in my stash. The CTMH stamps used were BohemianAlphabet, Sweet Moments, the March 2012 Stamp of the Month, Florentine Workshops on the Go stamp set, and the Whoo's Your Valentine stamp set.

Did you notice the two-tone ink on the title? To achieve this look, simply ink stamp with the lighter colour first, top or bottom, and ink the darker colour second. Keep a straight line by inking on the edge of the stamp pad. The technique is simple and the effect is stunning!

To fit in with Jen's theme, I used CTMH silver Glitter paper to mat the large photo and add a stripe under the lace stamping. An alternative product that would work just as well for the stripe is Shimmer Trim. Available in black and silver, Shimmer Trim is 3/8" wide and backed with adhesive.

Additional sparkle was added around the page and to the large medallion with various adhesive bling: Sparkles Clear Assortment, Sparkles Pink, Red and Purple Assortment, and Pink Glitter Gems.

Glitter paper, bling gems and pretty stamps bring Jen's theme to life! If you'd like any of these glittery, sparkly, beautiful products for yourself, just check out my online store or pop me an email.

Happy Scrapping!