Life's Trivialities

CREATE January 2015

Another AH-mazing edition of Scrapbook Generation's CREATE magazine is available for your perusal today! You will not be disappointed. It is sure wow you with creative inspiration. Not only is it chock full sketch fun but creative challenges and Jillibean Soup! Check it out HERE.

I have a few layouts that I would like to share previews of;

A little Superbowl fun for an upcoming weekend! This is based on another fantastic Scrapbook Generations two page sketch! FREE to download, by the way!

Some My Mind's Eye wintery wonderland for a winter themed layout.

Jillibean Soup has always released collections that appeal to me so seeing them as the featured manufacturer for this edition with awesome!

Last but so VERY not least, in fact, I think it's my favorite of all the layouts I created for CREATE this month, a Pink Paislee layout about love. Not your traditional valentine's, romantic love but a love of books.

Be sure to check out the full layouts and those of many other incredibly talented designers!

 

Tradition in the Kitchen / Jillibean Soup & Paper Issues

Paper Issues has introduced Sketchy Saturday's and has a sketch up for link and win!

Here's the sketch;

Here's my interpretation;

I worked the sketch to work for an 8.5x11 layout. Lots of interpretation went on here, clearly! I incorporated the title into my banner and instead of the three stars I used the two arrows and the brackety journal spot.

These colors from the Jillibean Soup Comfort Soup collection combined with bits and pieces from other collections are just perfect for Thanksgiving.

I can't wait for Michael to make Grandma rolls this Thanksgiving. It's not far around the corner!

Thanks PI for a great sketch and inspiration!

We Are Family Layout / Jillibean Soup

I have a "reject" to share with you today. A layout I created for my Jillibean Soup application. They may not have wanted me to design for them but I sure love the projects that I created, this being one of them. That shadow picture of the four of us is one of my favorites. I love the light. There's something about the colors of this collection that bring out the picture too. Do you agree?

Behind that scallop is a flap that you open with some hidden journaling about our visit to Chicago. Our annual summer visit since we left almost 8 years ago. It is a special place to us. It helps that my parents still live down the highway a few hours thus giving us another reason to be there.

My handwriting... Ugh... It's not sloppy. But when I write on my layouts, it always appears to be slanting backwards... I don't understand it. We are our own worst critics, aren't we? Do you like your handwriting? Do you write on your layouts?

 

Spring Soccer Double

Last Saturday was Mia's first game of the 2013 soccer season! And her last game for a few weeks... (more on that in a bit.) She has been playing with Coach Mike for a few years now... I am not quite sure how many, a few. Many of the girls have moved up through the ranks together too. Once again, they are the Asteroids, as they were last season. They are the green shirt wearing gals this year.

Later that same day, Mia fell in the backyard. Despite her Physical Therapist Mum's lessons on falling without putting your arm out (a hard lesson to teach or learn), the arm went out to brace her fall. I got a text from Michael, they went to the on call doctor and sure enough, broken! Third broken bone in just under a year. Fortunately, this one is not at the growth plate. Unfortunately, it's her right hand. Fortunately, it's a short arm cast and not above her elbow as last time. Fortunately, it's only three weeks. Fortunately, we paid for the waterproof cast again.

Back to the soccer. Michael took some fantastic pictures at my request. I couldn't narrow them down and really loved the action shots bigger. Thus resulting in the necessity for a two page layout. Something I don't do on a regular basis. Despite being a bit rusty, it came together lickity split by pretty much sticking to one collection from one manufacturer.

I love this new collection from Jillibean Soup called Chilled Cucumber!! It is right up my alley! Just the right colors to make the vibrant green of the soccer pitch pop! I love that it's a soccer layout without being a soccer layout. What I mean by that is, it's feminine and girly with fun embellishments. The topic is soccer but the page isn't dominated by the sport. Get my drift?

The support players in this layout are stamps. I used a stamp set from My Favorite things and Elle's Studio. I even used a tag from Elle's Studio. The placement of the stamps really took the boxiness of the layout down a notch, something that always irks me about 2 pagers.

I created a watermark for my layouts. I love the arrow as it stays true to the "theme" of my blog. I don't know how I feel about the whole watermark thing... Actually, I do know how I feel about it: I have mixed feelings. I don't want to use it as it adds yet another step to the blogging process. I feel like it's my signature on my craft. I am torn. What are your opinions? Would love to know.

I hope you are having a great weekend! Mia and I went to the neighborhood Spring Carnival yesterday. It was beautiful outside. Perfect. Just me and my girl and lots of our neighbors, known, famliar and unknown. The pictures will look perfect on the Ruby Rock-It Carnival Queen line that I won over at CK this past week! Can't wait!

Team Hermit Crab

Ahhh... Love me my Jillibean Soup!! I really struggle with these kraft paper lines. I like bright, vibrant colors and that just doesn't exist in the kraft. Now, don't get me wrong, I use kraft paper. A fair amount. As a background. The color printed on the kraft gets muted me thinks. Despite those feelings, I have managed to do a lot with the Game Day Chili collection.

 

Inspired by a sketch over at Paper Secrets. Instead of the two horizontal pictures, I made that bottom picture a combination of picture and goodies. A bit of collage. That green is really difficult to photograph. You might see some color inconsistency in the pictures to come. Depending upon the angle you view the paper at, it takes on different hues.

Creating the title was a challenge! I wanted a matching banner for "hermit crab" to place underneath the one I fussy cut from a journal spot. Of course, despite the store of goodies I own (shh, don't tell!), no such thing existed in my stash. Off to the computer I went and scanned in the original. Blew it up some and then cut and shaded the perfect match. This is one of the very few occasions I wish I had Copics. That really pale grey would have been perfect...

Originally, that star was going to have a different paper behind it. I liked the kraft star peeking out from behind.

A fun little collection of circles with lots of layering. I pulled in the blue and white polka dots from the birthday collection, whose name escapes me right now.

Apple Orchard

Every year, about a month into the school year, the kids get a random day in the middle of the week off for "teacher planning". And every year, we take off to Charlottesville and go to Carters Mountain to go apple picking. Where, incidentally, we meet about 3/4 of the school. Being practiced at this as we are on our 4th year now, we arrive early and are amongst the first to arrive at the mountain top and take advantage of the lack of populous amongst the trees.

This layout is inspired by another fantastic sketch at Creative Scrappers, sketch # 228 in fact. I had a row of apples lined up between the green journal spot and the tall column but it was awfully busy so I scrapped them. I really wanted to keep the red apple on the right, just under the picture of the kids legs so the title had to be shifted.

I had fun playing with my new Dylusion inks to create the background! I love how bright and vibrant these inks are. Another "plus" is that the "pointillism" look that one gets when mixing colors! A real scrappy Seurat I am! LOL! The background was created using an old KI Memories apple lace that I misted over then flipped onto the cardstock and ran my brayer over.

I love this line from Jillibean Soup, Apple Cheddar Soup. I have scrapped several of our trips to the orchard with this line. The colors are perfect for that skirt that Mia is wearing (handmade by my Mum) and Nikolas' shirt. There are bits and bobs from BoBunny and Best Creation in there too.

Lots of layering on this layout. It's very busy in many ways. I found the jute string from American Crafts at HomeGoods on Wednesday. Good little find!

Lots of detail shots today. Making up for the lack of them on my previous post... Some days my camera cooperates and some days it doesn't. That's my excuse anyway... It has nothing to do with operator error, nope. Nothing at all. Nothing to do with the fact that I'm auditing Karen Russell's photo class and trying, having not read a thing (!!) to stick to manual mode. Helps if you participate [she slaps herself on the wrist].

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you're inspired to play with your Dylusion inks, break out the Apple Cheddar Soup or try sketch #228 over at Creative Scrappers! Have a great weekend!

Harvest

Almost a year ago today this picture was taken! Our harvest of cherry tomatoes. This year we didn't get cherry toms but the bigger varieties; Big Boy and who knows what else Michael put in the planters. We aren't farmers. More over, we don't have a great spot with sufficient sustained light for tomatoes. It's kind of hit or miss. Though lately, we've been more on than off!

The construction of this layout was interesting. The above layout was nothing like what I set out for it to look like. The bits and bobs are all there but in completely different locations than where I first photographed them with my cell phone before removing the elements to mist.

Here's the evolution of my placement and processing;

Initially that woodgrain piece was meant to be up top. I took everything off to mist and went to town. In the process of putting the elements back on, the mist smeared somewhat so I needed to cover it up. Hence the wood grain down the side and picture number 2. Nope, doesn't look balanced, let's move these things around = picture 3. The bottome was good but the doilie needed moving for improved symmetry. And that, ladies and gentleman, is how my mind works!

I got a box of goodies from Jillibean yesterday - my prize for the May sketch! I love these Alphabeans! I ordered one in every color! I didn't like the glaring hole in the Jenni Bowlin star and had to do something about that. You know what makes a perfect center? The Alphabean 'O' with the center left in! Isn't I smart?! LOL!!

Also in that box were some epoxy buttons! Yummy goodies! Thanks Jillibean!! Love the long strands of twine dangling from the button.

And, that, is a glimpse into my scrappy process! Thanks for stopping by! Have a scrappy weekend!

Our MVP

Now, before you go saying "hmmm, that looks familiar, where have I seen that before", I will freely admit, I scraplifted it. I lifted myself!! With some variation, of course. Using the oh so awesome Game Day Chili collection from Jillibean Soup. (Enabler - If you like it and want some, everything is 40% off this weekend at the shop with the code 4birthday. Run, don't walk!)

I did a fair amount of die cutting and fussy cutting. There's some misting and stamping there too. Punches. A little bit of everything in amongst a whole lot of circles!

The picture is of Mia at her first soccer game last weekend, the picture might look familiar. The journaling reads; "A new season; 8 & U girls. A new team; Asteroid's. Old coach: Coach Mike. Some old and some new teammates. Same love for soccer."

I fussy cut a banner from the title strips and adhered it to a pin stick to create my own game day penant. Top it off with some twine and it looks very festive! It's the small details like that that make a page, don't you think?

I'm off to spend the day cropping with my gals! It's been a whole month since we were together last but it seems less. It's amazing to me that we have kept this crop going since the store closed back in December of 2010. 2010? I think... Have a great weekend!

Jillibean Sketch

I love sketches, that's no secret. I believe I got to where I am today in scrapbooking because of sketches. The design guide gave me (type A highlighted, bolded and underlined) the focus I needed with a place to start. There are so many papers, stickers, buttons, twine, embellishments, etc that I used to get amazing overwhelmed and distracted by the prettiness of it all. Sketches drew me in and centered me. But I was always try to match the sketch. Until I found my own style. Now the sketch is the hint, the suggestion that grounds, while "the me" comes out and has fun tweeking and personalizing the sketch.

Today's layout is based up the Jillibean Soup September sketch. I love Jillibean Soup product and there sketches always really inspire me! I used layers of the Christmas Eve Chowder collection and complimentary stickers. The cardstock base is an old, horded piece of Love, Elsie. My first memory of sandable cardstock. I scoured the internet for more and have brought out a treasured piece. It compliments the Jillibean patterned papers so well.

I added to the sketch. I used the stripes as a foundation and wanted some more to ground the layout. Hence the semi-circle snowflakes punched out at the bottom and the banner upon the doily circle up top.

I used the glassine envelope as a pocket for my journaling. A piece of old Jillibean chirstmas collection served for the actual writing. I love the little snowman peeking out from behind the picture, he is friends with the beloved snowman that Mia kept "activating" all holiday season long. Flip the homemade tag over, the journaling is on the back.

A few pop dotted elements add some more dimension to the layout, along with the emboss on the background paper. You can appreciate the subtlety of the emboss better in this picture. Stitching too! Never forget the stitching!

It's difficult to see it but there is a hint of sparkle at the bauble of the Jenni Bowlin punch. I added a touch of Stickles to it for some added festivity!

Do you use sketches? Do you like them? Do you feel confined by them or liberated? Have you played around with the Jillibean sketch this month? Give it a shot! I'd love to see what you do with it! Link me up or post it with your comment!

U-Pick (JBS Sketch)

Today's layout is based on the August Jillibean Soup sketch using, of course, Jillibean product. Most of the layout uses Coconut Lime Soup goodies but there are a few bits and pieces from other lines.

I moved a few things around and made the sketch mine with a few variations. To begin with, my title is on the banner to the left. I had it underneath the "Sunny day" card but it looked rather crowded while the banner looked lonely and empty. My journaling is underneath the "Sunny day" card. You lift the little gingham tag and my memories of the day are tucked snugly inside. I also chose to use the circle border punch across the top instead of straight lines. I wanted to continue the repetition of circles that occur through the layout.

This is not an original idea. I know I've seen it somewhere around the web-o-sphere but I can't remember who did it. I think Heidi Swapp, maybe?

The "a beautiful day" banner is fussy cut from an ATC card/journal spot thingy.

Just a bit of twine on this layout! LOL!! I liked how it reminded me of the strawberry plants tippling over their mounds, draping to the ground.

A fun little embellishment cluster. You can see a hint of the machine stitching I did around the inner square. Those little finishing touches that take the page to another level, or, as Emeril would say, "kick it up a notch!"

And, for those of you who always ask about the neighboring page in my albums; this will not match but be a perfect compliment to the page I did of Mia on the same day! Seen a few months ago based on a CSI Case File.

Same colors, same event, different child!