Life's Trivialities

Feeling Classy / 6 Degrees of Scraplifting

Welcome to episode 2 of a collaborative series that I'm participating in; 6 Degrees of Scraplifting. One layout starts us off, then six crafters each make their own Scraplift version, plus we are sharing it all with you. I am the second crafter so today I am scraplifting the layout that Lea sent to me.

Here is what I received from Lea;

You can find her process video on her channel HERE.

And here is my interpretation, or scraplift, of her layout;

This is all happening on YouTube so each of us created a process video, detailing how our layouts came together. At the end of the week, Lea will have a wrap up video showing you each of the layouts in one spot. As I write this blog post, I haven't seen the whole collaboration from beginning to end. I can't wait to see how the whole thing turns out.

My process video can be found HERE.

This layout was created based on Lea's layout. I used the Maggie Holmes Gather collection. Lea had some very busy geometric patterned papers and lots of shapes in her layout. I am not such a busy scrapper so I had to pull elements from her layout that worked with my style of scrapbooking/crafting. Just as she used 3 pictures, so did I. I used a similar arrangement as she had but with the top two being a slightly different size.

The biggest difference between Lea's layout and mine is the large triangle that she used on the bottom, left corner/half of her page. It wasn't until I was editing my video to draw your attention to the similarities that a light bulb went off and I realized a MAJOR difference! While I may not have used the triangle in patterned paper form, the idea of a triangle is created from the shape of all the elements on the page.

Tomorrow, you will want to visit Hannah's YouTube channel to see how she scraplifted my layout. You can find her channel HERE. I'm excited to see what she does with my layout and then each of the talented crafters that follows!

Love These Friends / Cocoa Daisy / Process Video

Here were are with scrapbook process video #13! It's funny how things evolve; the learning curves, the change in views and the lessons learned. I was NOT a fan of process videos. I hate the sound of my voice, I said um an awful lot and I rambled a million miles an minutes. I'm beginning to enjoy the videos more. It's almost weird to create a layout and not be filming these days. There is excitement in each thumbs up and new subscriber, I appreciate each and every person who watches my creative process and appreciates the time and effort put into each video, thank you!

Today's layout and YouTube process video share was created using the March Cocoa Daisy kits and the March Cocoa Daisy Designers Challenge. You can find more about the challenge HERE.

Creating the border of this layout was a much more time consuming process than I thought it would be. It could be much simpler if you didn't care about balance of color and weight and just stuck down pieces of paper, mind you! I found that using double sided sticky tape was really helpful too. Be sure to watch the video to see how I was able to stick all the layers down before sewing on the top layer with my sewing machine that isn't right next door to my craft desk.

There was an awful lot of fussy cutting involved in this layout. A process that one does not need to watch on video. It's long and tedious. Yet very rewarding. Back in the early days of my scrapbooking creations, I was a big fussy cutter. I liked making things from things and was always one to cut the pattern out of patterned paper rather than just use it as is. I have always been a fussy cutting fool. What are your thoughts on fussy cutting? Do you love or loathe it? It really is something that is black or white for most people.

It was only fitting to use the pennant sticker from Maggie Holmes/Crate Paper in place of the "O" for these riding friends! These 3 gals were the same 3 that Mia did her first higher class Hunter show with too. This particular day, they were celebrating Olivia's birthday, which happens to be on boxing day. While they are all different ages and attend different schools, the bond that they have formed through riding has been special.

Spiegel Mom Scraps sequins!! Love me my sequins and love the mixes that Jody creates! Every once in a while our Cocoa Daisy kits have a lovely baggie of sequins that Jody has created and it just makes a great kit even greater!

I used a fair number of pieces from the March print and cut sheet that is available to Cocoa Daisy kit subscribers. I don't know what I do without these perks! The best part is that you can print them over and over again and use them on multiple projects. The labels that are in this month's set are fantastic and will definitely be well used on many more pages to come!

We would love for you to join us this month and participate in the Designers Challenge! It's an easy one; making your title the feature of your page! Multiple fonts, fussy cutting fonts, using a die cut machine, either hand cranked or machine, for letters, there are so many great ways to approach this challenge!

 

This Right Here / Feed Your Craft

This Right Here indeed! This girl and her love for riding and all things equestrian! A few weekends ago, Mia competed in a horse show and it was the first time she did the "real deal". Yes, she had shown in shows before but it was sort of the prep of showing, showing for littles. This was her first "big" show, showing in more than one division. As per other shows, we had to go the day before to get the pony ready. It's just as much about the pony's appearance and performance as it is the riders. This pocket page, featuring the latest (and greatest) kit, The View From Here,  from Feed Your Craft, is all about the Mia's riding lesson before show - the mock show to prepare them for what was to come. Incidently, the kit is sold out but there are still many awesome things in the store. And if you follow Feed Your Craft on Instagram, you will be sure to see the release and be able to snag up the next kit!

One of the many things I love about this kit, it's a first for me, is that the pocket cards are also emailed to you as well as having them printed and sent to you! I love that the printed versions are single sided and you don't have to worry about covering up the beauty on the back side as well. AND! with the digital files, you can manipulate the colors, size, shape and personalize them! As I have done here. Purple is the color of Haverhill Farm, the barn that Mia rides with/for. I wanted to incorporate purple into the spread and was able to do so with the digital files.

The stamps in this kit are so fun!! I watercolored an coordinating "blob" on a blank 4x3 piece of smooth Bazzill cardstock and stamps that lovely Instax camera then used a combination of stamps and die cuts to add the date. For the altered "this right here" card, I used coordinating enamel dots to dot the 'i's, I love the added color that such a simple thing brings to the card.

The kit also comes with flair! I love the originality of the Feed Your Craft flair! Brandi Kincaid's writing and her style are so unique and fun! It interesting to take this 4x6 card and use it with journaling across two 4x3 pockets. I really didn't want to lose the flow of my story by typing it on the whole card then cutting the card in half, it chopped some of the letters making it difficult to read. This was my solution to that problem!

In addition to the digital files of the cards, you get a printable with the kit that includes other fun embellishments for your papercrafting pleasure! I used a few of the labels and circles scattered through out the spread; the snail (you can't see it in this close up) is adorable!

This spread came together in no time flat thanks to this awesome kit from Feed Your Craft! My first Feed Your Craft mini kit and I had such fun with it! I can't wait to play some more!

Ride On / Cocoa Daisy / Digital Cut File Included

Hey there! And you thought you were going to see more of my December Daily! LOL! Sorry to disappoint. Since receiving my December Cocoa Daisy kit and seeing this paper from Pink Paislee, I have been obsessed with creating a cut file that would reveal and highlight both sides of the paper.

Having the weekend to play, I was finally able to realize that vision and create a layout around the paper and cut file! Not the way I usually create but fun nonetheless! And with the support goodies from the rest of the Cocoa Daisy kits, it was easy to put together as everything is so well coordinated.

My plan was to be able to show each of the squares of patterned paper on the reverse side of the paper by being able to fold out the half of a heart. That way your would see both sides of the paper. The above cut file is what ensued. There are 5 rows of hearts; each row has two hearts cut out, one of which is removed and overlaps the two. The whole paper was then backed with a Cocoa Daisy exclusive from Mommyish.

You can see the effect created from the cut files better in the above picture. A few of the hearts I anchored down with a cross stitch "x". Bits and pieces of the coordinating embellishments played support to the picture and added pops of additional color. You can download this file for your personal use, it is only available in Studio format.

Free Digital Cut File Download / Folded Hearts / Suzanna Lee

The rows of hearts gave me the option of using either a larger photo on the right hand side or several, smaller photos. I went with several smaller photos that told a story and showed my daughters love for this horse, Lucky. A trimmed down 3x4 pocket card from the Day In The Life kit provided the perfect housing for my journaling.

If you use my cut file, I would love to see what you created with it. Be sure to attach a link in the comments of tag me in Facebook or Instagram! Happy crafting!

 

 

Enjoying Journey / Scrapbook Generations

No, you didn't read that wrong, I fully intended the title of this layout to read as it does. Well... LOL! I did when I created the layout. I thought the horse Mia was riding in these pictures was Journey. So the title, a play on words, worked. However... Mum made a mistake. That shorter dapple grey pony, Lucky, is not the taller white horse, Journey, I was informed. She knew right away. Sigh... 

This layout is inspired by a Friday Freebie sketch over at Scrapbook Generations. You can find that FREE sketch HERE and download the schematic. One of the many wonderful things about Scrapbook Generation sketches is that if you aren't into winging it, the dimensions of the pieces that make up the layout are clearly stated. I also love that Allison and Debbie provide alternative suggestions.

The awesome wood veneer is from The Color Cast Designs!! I haven't had a chance to visit the shop yet but I've seen some AWESOME Christmas goodies on Instagram that I might just need to have for my (never finished) December Daily.

That fantastic sequins in the top, left corner of the layout is from Spiegel Mom Scraps that was included in my November Cocoa Daisy kit. I leave my kit out on my scrap space all month and while searching for color complementary embellishments this popped into mind. Hey, might as well! Lots of fun goodies from Freckled Fawn scattered through the layout as well; that faux leather "this" arrow, the label sticker and the chipboard heart. All from a few of the Blooper Bundles I've collected.

Have you had a journaling or title blooper lately? What did you do about it? I think I'm just going to leave it. Perhaps journal the error on the back of the layout. I haven't quite decided what I'm going to do yet. Covering over that journaling which is directly on the layout will change the whole look of the layout - not the look I was aiming for. Hmmm....

9 / The Project Bin

This girl and her horses... I think when Michael first signed her up for lessons that he was hoping it was a passing fancy. Given our second trip to Dover Saddlery and that she is registered for her second shoe, I'm thinking not so much. I have weekly pictures still of her at the barn. She works hard in that short half hour lesson and she always walks away with a giant smile stretching from ear to ear.

The Cowgirl Up! stamp set from The Project Bin inspired this layout. I love that I have a whole set of stamps that are just perfect for the now hundreds of pictures of this young lady and her time at the barn. As far as I'm concerned, Mia is a legend. Having been reared from a horse after being kicked by another, after the number of times she has stayed on a spooked or fussy horse, she is pretty darn brave and a legend in her own right. At age 9.

I had toyed with the idea of going a bit more grunge with this piece and crinkling the paper then rubbing some Distress Ink on the creases. I decided against it as I really liked it just the way it was. It really didn't need more "roughin up".

Both chipboard pieces were naked and they did need some dressing - a nice embossed layer of Distressed embossing powder! Made for the perfect lucky horse shoe, don't you think? There are lots of random bits and pieces on this layout; October Afternoon, Studio Calico, Bella Blvd, Basic Grey... I just pulled things that were in the color hues I wanted to work with for that rustic, country cowgirl effect.

Thanks for stopping in today!

Happy Place / Cocoa Daisy

Sometimes sketches are literal; you take the basic shapes, pictures and you literally place all those same elements on the page. Sometimes, you look at the sketch and you put your head down and get to work and you find that the end product looks nothing like the sketch. And yet that was your inspiration. You began on the path then took a slight detour and before you know it, you are way off the beaten path. Just that happened with this layout that I created with the May Cocoa Daisy scrapbook kit and some Build Your Own Add Ons.

I used left overs from the intricate arch that I created for another layout on the side of the picture. This created the perfect place to nestle some fussy cut flowers and digital die cut leaves.

I have been incorporating a lot more mixed media into my layouts with more texture paste and mist spatters. I have grown much more comfortable with it which means, it's much more likely to happen. When you aren't sure of the results, you don't want to have wasted all the time and effort into the previously constructed layers only to have it foiled my horrid looking splatters or paste. Once you grown comfortable and the outcomes are little more predictable, you tend to use those techniques a tad more.

Mia and her horses... Not hers,technically, More, her love for horses. We only spend 2 hours at the barn, once a week. Yet with the number of layouts of Mia and a horse lately, you would think it were much more than that. She is truly smitten! She could spend hours at the barn...

Spring / Crate Paper

I have been lucky to have the time to just play lately. Most of my DT work seems to fall towards the end of the month and as such, I have taken the liberty to use left over kit bits, the odd bit of paper here and there that I just couldn't say no too or even, use up some of the stash. Today I mixed bits from a Clique Kit with new bits that I picked up.

The two "main" pieces of patterned paper from Crate Paper are pieces I bought to compliment those that are "date" involved from the Clique Kits kit. When I saw the large numbers, I knew I wanted to fussy cut them and intentionally saved that intact piece for that very purpose. For this particular layout, I chose the numbers that had pink and yellow in them to compliment the colors used in the layout.

Mia rode twice this past week; once was a make up lesson for the week were gone for Spring Break and the other, Wednesday, was her usual lesson. Fortunately, we had a recovery week with regards to swimming and had the time to fit the make up lesson into the schedule!

I had seen a picture like the one above while surfing Pinterest one day. It's not easy to replicate as getting a horse to look at you at the same time as the rider is next to impossible. We have had many attempts at this picture over many days! SO happy that we had some success! Lucky with Lucky!

In some ways, this layout is somewhat similar in structure to that which I posted on Saturday, created using the ScrapMuch sketch. The angled header could be a modification of the diagonal piece. And, instead of the banner, I have the word "remember" reaching across the page. Three 4x3 elements in place of the 3 pictures. Funnily enough, this layout was created before the sketch layout was however! Just my style!

Back in The Saddle / Just Nick

A few weeks ago the inevitable happened; Mia was kicked by another horse and then thrown from the horse she was riding. If you follow me on FaceBook, you might have seen a picture of her sitting on the treatment table at Kid Med. A week later, she was right back on that same horse getting back in the saddle and conquering that mountain! She wasn't really "thrown" from Dundie, just to be clear. He reared in order to kick the other horse who kicked him (and Mia) back and in the process, Mia lost the struggle and came down his back.

I used the Basic Flowers digital cut file from Just Nick as well as my favorite font file (Handcut Letters) as support to the pictures and story for my layout documenting this big moment. A big flower and a big moment together, seemed fitting. I saved the negative from this piece of paper and have a plan for it. Stay tuned for that layout, a little further down the pike.

That camera pocket card is something I had left over from my February Cocoa Daisy kit. I didn't get many of the embellishments from the Pink Paislee Memorandum collection that I used here so this was the perfect complement to the page.

The digital die cut letters from a few of the patterned papers were perfect for the title on this page only they got a little lost without the doodled black outline as you see here. A label cut from one of the patterned papers served at the perfect "shelf" for the words "in the", leaving "back" and "saddle" as the main focus of the title.

So I am told that a "real rider" isn't a real rider until s/he has been thrown from a horse 10 times... That is just horrifying to me. I don't really think a horse has that intent when somebody is on their back - to throw. I would like to think, perhaps naively, that there is always something else going on. Like in this situation where the horse was defending itself. Dundie didn't rear to thrown Mia off. Based on that scenario, I'm going to say she survived this inevitable equestrian mishap, learned a valuable lesson and we're moving a stronger, better rider.

 

 

Love This / Pink Paislee

Fall! It really is feeling more like fall with that particular crispness in the air. The smell that accompanies it. A clean yet earthy smell. So unique yet so tough to describe.

This girl and her horses! (Disclaimer: we DO NOT own horses!) She is smitten! Absolutely loves riding. But we hit a bit of a rough patch. I think it is the horse, not the riding. She loves the horse, Lucky is whom we speak of, but she doesn't really love being the boss of him... Her instructor knows that and keeps putting Mia on Lucky so that she learns to BE the boss. This child who can boss anybody around just won't show that same assertiveness with this animal. It's funny.

I love this Cedar Lane collection from Pink Paislee!! As does the rest of the scrappy world based on how difficult it is to get it! LOL! I still need the ephemera pack... But it works just find without! Create your own ephemera fussy cutting and die cutting!

Another of my large photo layouts! I just love printing these larger pictures on my Red River Polar Matte paper. If you are in search for a good paper for home printing, look no further! Red River Paper has some fantastic choices!!