Tuesday, June 28, 2016

My setup for Little Summer JOY 2016

We're just a couple days away from the official start of Little Summer JOY 2016 & I've been preparing my supplies in anticipation of all the wonderful lessons full of inspiration that Little Paper Projects is sure to bring!


I posted about my notebook cover the other day, as well as a link to the class. You can find that right here. It explains about the free class, as well as the optional paid portion of the class with additional features. You can also sign up by clicking the Join Me link to the left.

Today, I'm sharing my part II cover & some on-the-go traveler's notebook tips.

Traveler's Notebook Insert


So I bought the traveler's notebook inserts at Michael's from their new Boho collection meant for their "string journals." I typically keep my traveler's notebook inserts in somewhat of a vintage travel theme, but I decided to go all out bright and colorful for Little Summer JOY, so the crisp white inserts were great. However, upon review of the notebook organization suggestions, I realized that these little books did not have nearly enough pages to complete the project!

Never fear - this just means I got to make a part II notebook. I really enjoyed creating my first cover, so I pulled out the Pink Paislee citrus bliss stack & found another summery paper to brighten the book.


I really love the brightness of the cover as much as Part I!

To show you a little of what I did (it really is super simple), I just laid the insert flat upon the paper and lined up the straight edges. I left a couple inch strip to wrap around to the inside of the cover. I taped down the paper on the front cover, and used some washi tape to adhere the edge of the paper to the inside cover. Then I trimmed off the excess paper from the top. Here is a photo of the inside of the insert to demonstrate:


While you do not have to have a Traveler's Notebook cover to enjoy using a Traveler's Notebook insert, if you plan to travel or take your notebook anywhere outside the home, I suggest one for protection of your Little Summer JOY creation. They have them really inexpensively at Michael's, you can find plenty on Etsy, or you can DIY! There are loads of suggestions for this on the LPP blog.


What's in the bag?

The entire idea of the traveler's notebook, which began with Midori Traveler's Company in Japan, is to have a handheld notebook (hence, the perfect size) to carry with you at all times when you travel. It can hold multiple inserts, and the traditional, leather cover is designed to absorb some travel abuse and display it as character enhancing, worn in distress. I LOVE it.

I love the idea of carrying my TN with me outdoors & relaxing in nature & releasing my memories and thoughts into the journal. However, to create the types of layouts I desire in my TN inserts, I require some on-the-go supplies. Enter two little zipper bags.


I like to use two separate bags because of lessons learned from tops coming off stamp ink ...

I use a plastic pouch (this is my favorite one from Freckled Fawn) to hold pens, inks and stamps. It's also a good idea to carry a small pouch of some type of wet wipe (unless you have small children, because then we know you have them, how did you survive without them before?!) to clean your stamps.

The cloth pouch (from Joann's, I believe) holds paper ephemera, adhesive, washi tape, alphas, journaling cards, and anything else you may want to put in your TN. I would also put my instax photos in there until I was ready to stick them down.

They also sell zipper pouches made to fit inside a Traveler's Notebook cover, but I just do not believe they would hold enough supplies for my liking.

So when I travel or just go on a day trip where I plan to have time to journal, I will throw these pouches into my bag with my TN and go!

This summer I'm documenting my Little Summer JOY with my TN and my instax camera. Also, don't forget the film! :)


I really hope you'll consider participating in this fun summer project. It will be so inspirational & your final product is guaranteed to be phenomenal! Sign up here! You won't regret it!

Thanks for looking!

Monday, June 27, 2016

All Smiles with Grandaddy - A SBC sketch

Happy Monday! Hope you had a crafty weekend!

Today we have a layout from Scrapbook Challenges that I just LOVED working with!


I just LOVED these papers I got from Studio Calico, and they seemed to fit perfectly with my photo! I"m really happy with how the colors turned out.

The page was fairly simple and quick to create. Go play along!


Supplies:

Blue and Gray Cardstock - Bazzil
Patterned Paper - Studio Calico
Paper/transparent ephemera - Heidi Swapp
Alphas - American Crafts

Thanks for looking & go join the fun at Scrapbook Challenges!

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Little Summer JOY 2016

Y'all I'm so excited I've become involved with a new project for the next couple of months & I would love for you all to join!

My friends over at Little Paper Projects are working hard on their second year of Little Summer JOY - a free class and inspiration portal to encourage making your summer magical & documenting your adventure in a realistic, manageable and beautiful way. I'm so thrilled I have found this inspirational outlet & I cannot wait for the classes to start!

I discovered the traveler's notebook earlier this year, and I have really enjoyed incorporating it into my creative regime for documenting life. I LOVE that Little Paper Products is really focusing on the TN in the #LSJ2016 project. The traveler's notebook is so manageable for any level of crafter. Even if one does not consider oneself "crafty" you can make a TN beautiful. Its simplistic nature is what makes it so wonderful.

And there will be plenty of participants using other forms than a traveler's notebook. Any small notebook or album will work & be gorgeous. It's all about finding the documentation style that is best for you - the style you enjoy creating - and committing to finishing your summer album!

I created my first notebook's cover the other day & I really love how it turned out. It captures the bright fun of summer I wanted to represent.


I'm planning to use my Instax camera to document my summer, but there are so many options to create your summer joy!

Please consider joining FOR FREE over at Little Paper Projects & document your Little Summer Joy. If you are incredibly interested in this project, and wish to take it further, you can sign up for a paid version of the course here! With the paid version, you will receive additional technique lessons, videos and freebies. Use the code save5 before June 30th to save $5!!!


This project is going to be so much fun & I look forward to the MOUNTAINS of inspiration awaiting us over the few weeks. Join the Little Summer JOY movement, and you won't regret it! Remember to use the hashtag #littlesummerjoy so that we can all share in our beautiful creations.

Friday, June 24, 2016

Bright Mini Album for the Counterfeit Kit Blog Hop!

Hello everyone! Thank you so much for hopping over to my blog. You should have arrived here from Elaine's blog.

Today I have a fun project I created with my Counterfeit Kit, Colorful Love. I made a bright, colorful mini album with instax I took at my cousin's wedding. We had a super great time, and the ground of the location were beautiful (although it was HOT!) and I snapped a few great shots with my instax. I thought a mini album is a perfect way to show off these tiny prints.


For this album I did not want to adhere any paper to the tag base of my album. I wanted to use all washi tape, stamps and ephemera.


This first spread is my son, who was the ring bear. He's holding a stick & said he's Harry Potter. Haha!


I have to say, the instax has never disappointed me on the selfie-taking!


I made these super fun washi feathers from a video I saw on pinterest. They were super easy to make. Won't be surprised if they crop up again in other work!


The wedding venue had a lovely garden & those Maggie Holmes flower ephemera were just perfect!


The dark tent and far away seat did not for a great instax shot make, but you can see the most important thing, the bride! Here they are having their first dance.


I did use a cricut cut from paper for the final page, just because I had the perfect ending, "Happily Ever After!"


Thanks for looking at my work, and make sure to join along at the counterfeit kit club challenge next month!

You should hop on over to Tina's blog next.

In case you get lost, here's the entire blog hop map:


Lisa
Elaine
Natalie <---YOU ARE HERE

Tina <---GO HERE NEXT

Roxanne
Jemma
Princy

Have a great day!

Monday, June 20, 2016

Halloween Loot! - A SBC sketch layout

Today I bring you a fun layout I did for the Scrapbook Challenges sketch for today. I really love how this black & white page turned out!


I got an amazing deal on these Halloween stamps at the Studio Calico warehouse sale a while back & I just love them.


I used the evidence stamp to put the bit of journaling I wanted on the page. I tried to switch up the bat stamp a bit for some background stamping. I also used some Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist.


I used some baker's twine to wrap around the white alphas, just to add some dimension and a little more interest to the tiny title.


Supplies:

White Cardstock and Halloween Stamps - Studio Calico
Black & White Pattern Paper - Me and My Big Ideas
Glimmer Mist - tattered angels
White Alphas & Baker's Twine - Target $1-$3 spot.

Go play along over at scrapbook challenges - there's a good chance of winning a prize this month!

Sunday, June 19, 2016

What I love about Myself - June GDT at Lasting Memories

Today's prompt at Lasting Memories is "What I love about Myself".

My husband and son were looking through our 2014 scrapbook and noticed some unfinished pages - for shame! So I grabbed these photos of my husband and myself and got one step close to completion of that album (honestly thought it was done!).


What I love about myself (and my husband) is our sense of adventure. We are very compatible travel companions, as we typically enjoy the same level of adventure, relaxation & activity. Here we are at the top of Pike's Peak in Colorado for his 30th birthday.


Supplies
Cardstock and flower paper, washi, wood veneer, enamel dots and large white alphas - Studio Calico
Arrow Paper - Seven paper company
small white alphas - basic grey]
Staples - we r memory keepers

Thanks for looking & go play along at Lasting Memories!

Thursday, June 16, 2016

Fartberries?!

Bahaha! Today's layout is one using my June Counterfeit Kit & a prompt from their blog to use a humorous quote as your title. I just knew when I saw the prompt that I had the perfect quote!

I also used a lovely sketch from Let's Get Sketchy.


My son was asked to be the ring bear (nope, not bearer, (himym)) for my cousin's wedding, and he was less than thrilled about it. The day of the rehearsal, it was naptime and later than his normal lunch time & he wasn't feeling it. I was trying anything to keep him in good spirits. We were in a beautiful garden, so I pointed to a plant and told him those were "fartberries" and to make sure he didn't eat them because they would make him... well... you know. He thought this was hilarious, of course. He did awful at the rehearsal (he came through at the wedding tho! Praise Jesus!), but made sure to tell everyone at the luncheon following all about the fartberries!

There's the little stinker. I couldn't get enough of that gorgeous patinaed brick wall....


Here's the sketch I used. I adapted it a bit since I didn't want to cut my photo. I just used the other half of the photo as the intended journaling card...


Some details and the hidden journaling tag - you know, because fartberries has some explanation necessary:


Supplies:
Papers - Crate Paper
Berry die and fartberries title - Cricut
Flowers - Crate Paper
Tag - Michael's sprayed with Tattered Angels glimmer mist and distressed with all my memories ink
alphas - Studio Calico

Thanks for looking!

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Explore the Great Outdoors

Today I scrapped a #selfie from our first trip on the lake in our recently acquired kayaks.

The weekly challenge over at The Paper Girls Challenge is to create something about the Great Outdoors. The Echo Park Happy Camper collection is so perfect for this task!

I also created this layout for the Challenge YOUrself monthly challenge of using geometric shapes in your layout. I'd had the idea of a badge for a while, and I went with a simple circle as my shape. I also used a couple of papers with an arrow shape.


Here are a couple of detail shots:


I tinted the woodgrain title with some ink pads to make it show up a bit better. The badge isn't exactly as I had in mind, but I will keep practicing!

Supplies:

Background Paper, orange paper and multi-colored photo backing paper - Echo Park Happy Camper
Brown arrow paper - Basic Grey
Badge cut and alphas drawn by Cricut
Staples - WeRMemory Keepers
Wood title - Studio Calico

Thanks for looking!

Monday, June 13, 2016

Fall Fun - a Let's Get Sketchy Challenge

Today I've created another layout for a new to me challenge. I used a super cool sketch from Let's Get Sketchy, who I found through my love, Freckled Fawn because they are collaborating together this month. Their sketches seem to be super awesome, and a chance to win a Freckled Fawn prize? Come on, it's just too good.

I'm working with photos all over the place currently. Still building my 2015 album chronologically, but also already working 2016... Here we have fall 2015. Please excuse the extremely fat, prego face - this was only a couple weeks out from having a giant baby!


I rotated the original sketch a bit. Here it is:

I like how it was simple & fun. Still able to add in a bunch of patterns and colors.

Here are a couple detail shots:


Supplies:
Background Paper and binder clip - American Crafts
All other Paper from a garage sale stash - no names found
Glitter Leaves - JoAnn's
Alphas and cork arrow - Studio Calico

Thanks for looking!

Sunday, June 12, 2016

First, lemme take a #selfie - GDT Lasting Memories

Today, I bring you another fun "All About Me" layout from my Guest Design Team experience over at Lasting Memories.

Today's prompt is "First, Let me Take a Selfie."

I'm not huge ont he selfie-taking, but on our recent trip to Universal Studios, it was my birthday and I was in Harry Potter world and I just did it! I used a selfie I took in Hogsmeade.


I once again used my Reminisce Wizarding 101 papers I found on Amazon. I created my title with the Cricut, and use some Halloween stamps for the Magic die. Obvs had to add an owl feather too.


The May or April Studio Calico kit had a bit of a HP theme, and so that sweet lightning bolt paper and sticker came from that.

Supplies:
White Cardstock - Craftsmith by Michael's
Red glasses paper and brown hat paper, perfecting sticker - Reminisce Wizarding 101
Lightning bolt paper and sticker, mirrored stars and magic stamp - Studio Calico

Thanks for looking, and go play along at Lasting Memories!

Friday, June 10, 2016

Mr. Wonderful

Today's layout was created for a couple of June Challenges.

First, over at Another Freaking Scrappy Challenge, the June prompt is to use the word Wonder or Wonderful on your page.

Also, at Paper Issues, they have a "Let's get Knot-ical" Challenge. The Fancy Pants Making Waves collection was perfect for this challenge!

So I created this page for these two challenges:


This photo is my husband at the North Shore in Oahu, Hawaii, where he was born. His family used to live in the North Shore and his mom took this pale baby to the beach every day. Sounds like quite the life to me!


The stamp and Cricut drawing collection in the top corner didn't quite turn out how I wanted, but that happens sometimes, huh?

Supplies:
Cardstock - DCWV Coral Couture
Stamps - 7 Gypsies
Letters and patterned paper - Fancy Pants Making Waves
Rub on - Studio Calico

Thanks for looking!

Thursday, June 09, 2016

Imagine - a More than Words challenge

Today I've created a layout for a challenge that is new to me. Over at More than Words, they have a fun June prompt of using the word Imagine & combining with a get messy scrapbooking technique.

I had the perfect photo for the word - my little boy and his version of "Prince Charming". One week they studied fairytales in preschool, so Friday was "Fairytale Friday" and they dressed as a fairytale character. He chose all on his own to be Prince Charming. He LOVES princesses, so he was determined that his princess would be in his class when he got to school that morning. Elsa was there waiting on him :)


The messy part of the challenge comes fairly easy for me, seeing as my craft room is messy and I'm messy with any creation I make! However, I used some gold crackle paint and a stencil for the background of my page here. I also used a few stamps, and I always make a mess with ink!



Supplies:

Background paper - Studio Calico
Paint - Tim Holtz
Stencil - Hampton Art
Tag, deer, and moon card - Crate Paper Little Wonders
Houses - fussy cut from Studio Calico Paper
Carousel and title - fussy cut from Studio Calico Paper and cricut
Rose gold labels - Studio Calico
Stamps - Studio Calico

Thanks for looking!

Wednesday, June 08, 2016

Obviously Pretty Amazing - a Jot Mood Board Challenge

Today we have a scrapbook layout that I'm definitely loving. My sweet big boy being a Ring Bear Extraordinaire in my cousin's wedding a few weeks ago. I used the lovely June mood board from Jot Magazine. It's gorgeous, go check it out and get inspired!


Here's the mood board:


So crisp and clean. Very inspiring. And the design team inspiration is beautiful!

Here are a couple of close ups:


Supplies:
White Cardstock - Bazill
Brown Cardstock - Craftsmith by Michaels
Gray Paper - Be.Loved by Fancy Pants
Hello Paper and Striped Paper by Studio Calico
Pretty by Heidi Swapp
Obviously and black alphas by Studio Calico

I cut the brown background from Cricut. The photo was taken at Carnton Plantation in Franklin, TN.

Thanks for looking!