Life's Trivialities

Leaves Are Falling / The Project Bin

Fall is officially here! The weather is cooling down, the leaves are slowly but surely beginning to change! My absolute favorite time of year! AND Starbucks has leaf shaped gift cards. What better way to share your love of pumpkin spice latte's than with a leaf shaped gift card and a homemade card created using a sentiment stamp from The Project Bin. Better yet today is National Coffee Day so this would be THE perfect gift for that coffee loving friend!

I used a sentiment from the Autumn's Calling set from The Project Bin. I love that the stamp sets are accompanied by not only the sayings but also by "support" elements, such as the leaves. With such wonderful sentiments, it really doesn't take much to create a thoughtful and creative card.

I really should have picked up more of those leaf gift cards while they were there for the taking!

Are you celebrating National Coffee Day today? I don't know about you but if it weren't for my morning coffee, life would be rough! Here's to coffee!!

 

Chocolate Understands Me / The Project Bin

I cannot tell you how much you are missing out if you don't own any of The Project Bin stamps! This new stamp company has some of the greatest sayings ever found! I really struggled with card making in the past as stamps were so ho hum when it came to the sentiment expressed. These stamps from The Project Bin are truly unique in the messages that they impart! Denise has 4 new sets available for all your stamping and crafting enjoyment!

I paired a stamp a stamp from the "Fun is Good" stamp set with my January Cocoa Daisy kit that is loaded with My Mind's Eye "My Story" goodies. First I prepared by white cardstock with a little "smooshed" mist to create some color behind the stamped image. Then I used VersaMark Fine black ink to stamp the title of my layout. Having not fully let the background dry, there is a bit of smudging in me but I'm okay with that. Having constructed the whole layout, it wasn't bad enough that it required re-stamping.

 

It's very subtle the background behind the stamping but it adds another dimension of opaque color. This statement so suscintly tells the story of this picture. I am currently traveling a new path in life and making some lifestyle changes. I love my chocolate and having to give that up is just not high on priority list. With the changes I'm making, chocolate is an option! And for breakfast, none the less! Woot!

A little bit more of the mist "smoosh" is evident behind the journaling on this layout.

These stamps from The Project Bin are great for cards as I've shown you before but they make fantastic layout titles or subtitles as well! Today I have shared one of several layouts to come. Each layout uses one of Denise's fantastic sentiment stamps as the title. I can't wait to share the other layouts with you!

 

 

Scrappin' Our Stash Blog Hop Feb 2016 / Doodlebug

Hello and welcome to yet another edition of the monthly "Scrappin' Our Stash" blog hop! You should have made you way here on the hop via Monica's blog. If you didn't be sure to start at Katrina's blog and work you way here. As usual, there are some incredible projects to see along the way. You don't need to have the latest and greatest and you might find some fresh inspiration and life in those older collections that have gathered in your stash, overshadowed by the new arrivals.

Today I am sharing with you a primarily Doodlebug layout. I love St Paddy's day and while the size of my St Paddy's collection will never near that of my Christmas stash, it's still rather sizable. I was thrilled to have an opportunity to use some of my goodies amassed last year, possibly even the year before. Honestly, I don't even remember when this rainbow colored goodness joined my stash.

There is nothing like a solid, crisp black or white cardstock to make the colors of layouts pop. By using a digital cut file, you can spruce anything up and bring new life to it. This fantastic cut file is from Just Nick. The fun Pinwheel Background adds such movement to the page.

I didn't buy any embellishments, if there even were any, to go with this collection. Instead I was able to use basics from Doodlebug and cut apart bits of journal cards to create fun add ons.

That's it from me today. Do you have St Paddy's Day plans? Nothing big planned here. I miss being in Chicago for the parade and dying of the river green. I will never forget how yellow the stroller was from the dye flying up into the wind and dying us all a lovely electric yellow! 

From here you are heading on to the ever talented Christine's blog. I know she has some great inspiration for you! Thanks for stopping in, I hope you enjoyed your visit. 

 

Splash / Pebbles

Hey there! Just dropping in today to share a summer layout with you. I know the dog days of summer are behind us and Fall is upon us. I love Fall, it's my absolute, hands down, un-arguably my favorite season. But it has rained. And rained. And I feel like I need to build an Ark. So to lift my spirits, this fun summer layout was created!

This whole layout is based on the background sheet from Pebbles Inc "Fun in the Sun" collection. I fussy cut each and every wave and "ruffed" up the top edge. Each wave is glued to a coordinating aquamarine piece of cardstock underneath so as to "reconstruct" the patterned paper. I just love the dimension and movement that this fun technique gives to the page!

This upside down close up gives you a better sense of the ruffled edge and how the waves literally stick out/up from the page.

For a little pizzazz I added Distress Stickles to the die cut star fish shapes! Journaling was printed on vellum and adhered directly to the page. Some sequins make great water bubbles.

I just love the bright patterned papers from this collection as well! They made a fun celebratory banner across the top of the page to support the Back to School party theme. Another small touch are the eyes of the fishes; Hot rocks (gems) adhered with my Imaginisce iRock.

I just love the simplicity of the layout that makes you want to take another look at it and see how there really is more to it than first meets the eye! Have you done something like that lately? I'd love to see it!

Fish & Chips / Pebbles

Yes, shame on me. Yes, I've been incredibly neglectful of this lovely little space here. No, I can't promise I'll be better about posting. But I will do my best. Summer vacations closed out our summer and some personal/family stuff happened. We are trying to find our "back to school" and "back to swimming" groove and with no carpool for Nikolas who goes 5-6 times a week to the pool, that's a lot of groove to find!

Anyway, a layout! On to scrappy goodness!

I had to have this collection from Pebbles! It's not often that I scrap food outside of Halloween and Thanksgiving but this was a momentous occasion that required a layout. Michael and I have had a deep fryer FOR.EVER. We don't use it much. Evidenced by the 6 inch layer of dust we had to clean off before being able to use it! We finally pulled the fryer out and made real, proper, honest to goodness, homemade Engligh fish and chips. All prompted by the cod I bought at CostCo!

It was a joint effort this meal. I did all the shopping and prep work but Michael took over the deep frying. It just kind of happened that way. It was really nice to work together in the kitchen again. Once upon a time we cooked together a lot. Back when we didn't have kids and we had time to spare. Back when it was fun to try new recipes and food was about experimenting rather than fortifying hungry little people.

These cork letters from AC were just the perfect accompaniment to the colors of the kitchen themed papers from this collection. And, of course, my Simple Stories. Coordinates so well together!

LOVE this stamp from Chic Tags. I have never used it before but THIS was the layout that I was waiting for!

Thanks for stopping in today! I hope it was worth your effort. I have a bazillion layouts that I've finished and would love to share with you. It's the photo editing and blogging that I really just don't have time for... I will make the time, bit by bit. So please, stop back in again!

 

Cool Treat / Simple Stories

One of my favorite summer collections is Summer Vibes from Simple Stories. I love that the colors are bright yet subtly so. The embellishments are every day summer and they are more than just beach and pool. It's retro but not dated. I love it!

On our way home from Ikea we were in desperate need of a cool treat. It just so happened that we had gotten off of I-95 and were taking a smaller, less congested road home. It also just so happened that we were driving past Carl's, a local institution with lines that typically wrap around the block. And, it just happened to me national ice cream! Fitting!

I love using the SN@P cards from the Simple Stories collections to layer with. While I do create pocket pages and use them as they were designed to be used, I like having the smaller prints that are more photo sized for layout layering.

I was surprised that the line at Carl's wasn't all that long. Especially being that it was National Ice Cream day... It was hot. Stinking hot. Nothing that four shakes/malts couldn't fix on the drive home in the air conditioned van!

The photo overlay stickers that have accompanied many of the Simple Stories collections are such fun! They work not only on the photos but any where on your card or layout! I've heard complaints about there only being one sheet of colored stickers while the other two are white and brown or black. I like the contrast of the neutral colors against the pictures, doesn't bother me!

Have you used the Summer Vibes collection to document your summer memories? Do you love it as much as I do? What do you like best about it?

I hope you are enjoying the final days of summer!

Un Nom Nom Pie / Pink Paislee

One of all time absolute favorite places to eat is this little pie shop in Church Hill. The owners are a Kiwi and his American wife. He's the cook, she's the business side. Together, they have quite a successful gig going on. I first learned of the place on Pi Day several years ago when a co-worker of mine, David, suggested it. At the time I wasn't going to have enough time to get there and to carpool like but I'm sure glad he told me about it! It's not quite "convenient" for us but when the time is there, we certainly make the effort!

Strangely enough, my jumping off point for this layout were the doilies. My friend Kelly had just been here to scrap and we exchanged doilies, she leaving me that smaller black one and I sending her home with some of my larger, pink ones. From there the decision use Bella Rouge from Pink Paislee was a given!

I had converted the picture to black and white a while ago. It's one of the many (thousands) of picture that is sitting in my stash, awaiting it's moment in the lime light. By converting the picture, the emphasis was more on the occasion, the place, than the food. You are also much better able to see the "Proper Pie" pie label.

Lately I have created a lot of layouts with hidden journaling and this one is no different. I've come to realize that it's not because of privacy. I don't mind you reading about my pie problem/addiction. It's more that I have so much I want to write that it becomes clutter on the page. By tucking it away on a tag under the picture, it's not so distracting.

I love the title! It's silly. It's fun! It works!

What or where is your latest food obsession? Can you narrow it down to one?

Easter Treats Layout / Echo Park and Bella Blvd

Easter... two weeks away. Two weeks!! Crazy...

I have had this picture of these chick cake pops that we made quite some time ago sitting in my edited/printed to be scrapped pile FOR.EVER... There just never seemed to be quite the right combination of interest or papers for it. Until now! I just love when things line up and that "ah hah" moment sneaks upon you.

There is actually a pocket behind the picture for hidden journaling. But silly me didin't really need that pocket as I journaled on the journal card... Don't ask. I don't really have an answer for you. I wanted the color of the hearts to add some brightness and diversity to the layout and as I had already created the pocket, why not put the whole 4x6 card? Or something. It's a mystery to me too!

Fussy cutting! I cut the easter egss and tree from the Bella Blvd to create a little Easter scheme along the bottom of the page. My intent with the green grass fringe and matching sky strip at the top had been to create a visual cross on the page. The horizontal is created from the blue vertical. Do you see it? I don't know that you would pick up on it if I didn't point it out. I thought it fitting for an Easter page.

My journaling says it all about cake pops. Not our thing. Far from! Too sweet to eat and WAY more work than I care to put into an overly sweet treat. Messy! This Type A, highlighted, bolded and underlined personality just can't handle that much mess in the kitchen. Worse than sprinkles and icing at Christmas time!

King Cake / Core'dinations

I can't believe Shrove Tuesday, Mardi Gras and Ash Wednesday are a week away! Do you celebrate one, two or all of these events?

Last year we participated in and partook of our first ever Shrove Tuesday king cake. When we lived in Chicago, we always went down the street to Dinkel's bakery and bought Paczki's for Fat/Shrove Tuesday. Then when we moved out to the burbs, there was Country Donuts. Then we moved to Virginia, and we have been without a good substitute when it comes to paczki's.

Enter, the King Cake, purchased from Whole Foods! I can't say it's as good a paczki but it was fun. Definitely healthier. Drier... It's kind of like comparing an apple to an orange though...

This whole layout was created using Core'dinations goodies! Puffy dot paper, cardstock, Chalkboard cardstock, Core Couture and a Core tag! I love creating layouts from cardstock only and Core'dinations makes that SO easy to do!

Of course, having some great punches, cut files and embossing folders to sand and add more color depth makes it THAT much better! That fleurde-lis frame is sublime for this project! The finder of the baby had to be framed with that outstanding frame!

Have you seen the new puffy dot paper from Core'dinations? It's a nice way to add some shimmer and texture to your layouts. The puffy dots are raised, a bit like Spotted but they aren't dry embossed and dots are in a different color. The cardstock itself is actually shimmery too, there is a sheen to it. Unless, you get the kraft puffy dots.

Thanks for stopping in today!

S'mores Pocket Style / Imaginisce

I have had these pictures of a night around the fire cooking and enjoying S'mores since last summer waiting for the right paper and inspiration to scrap them. Given that I now have this years pictures as well, I figured it was high time I did something with them! While scrapping a design team project and working with an order collection, I was reminded of the S'more paper in the Outdoor Adventure collection and viola! The right paper was waiting all along!

The majority of what I have used here is from the Outdoor Adventures collection but there are bits and pieces from Welcome Spring and the "Sweet" is from My Baby. I was pleased with the way it all came together!

That was the first card I put together, "Happy Camper" and I think it's my favorite of the lot.

A little help from a Studio Calico stamp set for the date and it finishes the card of perfectly!

Not a Sweet baby but a Sweet treat here therefore the title die cut was trimmed down. Layered on top of the journaling card that came the collection made for quick work of this card.

Now to find a different way of scrapping last months' S'more pictures!