Victory!

Sometimes great layouts come about despite my having a completely different idea of how they should look.

For this Adventure layout, I followed the July 2013 sketch from Canadian Scrapbooker's It's a Sketchy Challenge. (If you've never tried the Sketchy Challenge, you should! It's a great inspiration!)

I have a ton of camping-outdoor-scouting themed papers, but when it came time to do this layout, could I find any of them? (I've just moved and my scrapping stuff is mostly still in boxes.) So I had to make due with what was at hand. i.e. Stuff I still had packed in my scrapping tote from my last scrap night out at the beginning of June.

Thankfully, I found part of a packet of Victory paper and stickers from Close To My Heart. This paper line was available in 2012 and has a very masculine feeling. It had exactly what I needed: 1 sheet of cardstock, 1 full sheet of patterned paper, a bunch of scraps and coordinating stickers. Just add some inks and a Milepost corrugated shape and voila! A layout I really like.

For me, this layout reminded me that often the fun in scrapbooking isn't in following a map and doing exactly what was planned; rather it's in finding creative ways to use what you have.

Circle Journal: Lori

Lori's idea was to have a scrapbook filled with places for the armchair traveller to go. Places the contributors have visited and loved. As soon as Lori revealed her theme, I knew exactly what I wanted to create. A page about the place my family came from: Terceira, Azores, Portugal.

For me the page is special, because it documents a place I dearly love.

It's just a simple layout, but the embellishments give it interest. The clip at the top pulls out an 8.5" x 11" sheet, hidden in a pocket behind the layout, containing extensive journaling. The colour scheme is also simple: Blue (Pacifica and Indian Corn Blue), white (Colonial White) and red (Cranberry). These colours are evocative of Portuguese culture and are perfect for a layout about an island.

Except for the patterned paper (which could easily be created with stamps!), all products are from Close To My Heart. Many of them are now on the While Supplies Last area of my website, so get them while you can!

The title was stamped with Old World Alphabet which is one of the E-size stamp sets being discontinued. You have until July 31st to order it!

Ink-sprayed flower

To create the three embellishment clusters, I used paper flowers, Milepost Shapes and Canvas Badge Buttons.

The large blue flower was originally white. I sprayed it using a CTMH spray pen, Indian Corn Blue ink and a little Pearl Paint for shimmer.

To add a little more colour to the layout, the Cranberry ink used in the title is repeated on the Milepost Shapes.

Cranberry ink on Milepost Shapes

Canvas Badge Buttons are perfect for stamping! The heart stamps are from the Whoo's Your Valentine stamp set. (Get it out of your stash! It's not just good for Valentine's!)

I had a bit of trouble with the hydrangea. I knew I wanted one on the layout--they are an iconic flower of the Azores--but I didn't  have a hydrangea stamp nor could I find one anywhere.

Finally, the night I was putting the layout together, I tried clustering the tiniest paper flowers on a cardstock circle. I spray-inked it with the same Indian Corn Blue ink as the large flower. When it was dry, I fluffed up the flower edges a bit and finished it off by stamping leaves in Pear.

Cluster small flowers to create a hydrangea

The result was much nicer than a flat hydrangea stamp!

I'm partial to simple layouts to being with, but I'm really happy with the way this one turned out! It has inspired me to create layouts for myself about this special place.

I hope Lori likes it and gets the chance to travel to the Azores some day.