I began this adventure documenting via picture and words the daily going ons of Suzanna, Michael, Nikolas and Mia so we could share our lives with family and friends afar. However, as time has passed and my obsession with all things scrappy has changed my world, so too has the purpose of this blog. Our journey continues and as my scrapbooking takes flight I have been sharing our stories via my layouts. A BIG part of my life.
Smile Crabby! When you are devouring, albeit slowly thanks to the process inherently involved, a crab feast, it's easy to smile! Today's layout share is of my family and I, earlier this month, enjoying a large pan full of crab! It was created using the September Cocoa Daisy kits, "Early Sunset" which were released to subscribers yesterday and will be released to the general public on September 1st.
There is A LOT of fussy cutting on this layout; each of the wood slices and that little fox from a Cocoa Daisy exclusive patterned paper. The pictures were orginally square as well but looked much better circular, as the cascade of circles moved across the page.
By using a light grey pen with a very fine tip, I was able to add journaling to the page that wasn't over bearing or an interruption to the overall design. Sometimes I feel as thought journaling becomes an eye sore to the design. I struggle with the balance of storytelling and design. This was a good solution for me.
These Thickers from 1Canoe2 that accompany the collection have got to be one of my new favorites! The hint of blue from the foam that the gold is mounted on adds just a touch of color that is unexpected! And the exclusive sequins from SpiegelMom Scraps?! Swoon!! I love when Jody creates mixes for Cocoa Daisy!
There are exclusive stickers that come with both the memory keeping and DITL kits this month and they are sublime. That they are diverse and usable on almost anything is a great benefit!
Some of you like to see how layouts come together and enjoy process videos. While I was the biggest critique of process videos, I do have to admit, there are things about a creative process you would never know or bits of a design element that go undetected without the videos. They are definitely growing on me and winning me over. If you watch my videos, let me know what you would like to see more of, less of. I had music for a while but I haven't found tunage that isn't over bearing or sleepy... I'm still searching for "my" tune!
Thanks for stopping in today and every day! I hope to see you back here again soon!
I know, I know... I have failed miserably and putting my projects here as well... The intent is there, the time is sorely lacking. BUT I have had requests for downloads for a cut file from this layout I am sharing today so I will fulfill that promise.
My scrappy friend Christine Meyer invited me to participate in her Back To School collaborative series concluding tomorrow and the above layout is what I created. I have a million back to school pictures that I have yet to do something with... Sound familiar? If so, be sure to hop over to her YT channel HERE and find inspiration not only from Christine but some other creatives!
My kids aren't back to school yet so these are pictures from the just completed school year; my daughter on her way to 5th grade. Her final year of elementary school. I did write in on that Pebbles Inc clipboard; I wrote the grade, school and teacher. Short and sweet. That's all it needed!
I used the Amy Tan collection Hustle and Heart for this layout (with the exception of that aforementioned Pebbles sticker). I love that the collection is so diverse yet I was able to find lots of bits perfectly suited to the Back to School theme. The "Back to School" title on my layout is a combination of a font I stretched in Silhouette Design Studio and a purchased cut file. I have to apologize as I don't know who the "school" file deserves credit for.
I did machine stitch on the very edge of that upper piece. It just added a touch of dimension to the layout that is otherwise rather clean. I did rip paper! Something I have noticed I'm doing increasingly.
I created this paper clip background in Design Studio for Silhouette and have converted to both a PNG and SVG file for you to download for FREE! Click on the above image title for the link. This digital file is available in SVG, PNG and Studio formats and you may download this digital cut file for FREE for your own personal use.
I hope you enjoy the video and I would love for you to subscribe to my YouTube Channel and of course feel free to leave any comments you have about the video. I'd love to hear your feedback!
Thanks for stopping in today! If you use my cut file and have a means of linking me up, I'd love to see what you do with it!
Take care scrappy peeps! And, as always, thanks for popping in!
I told you I was going to blog so here I am again!
Today is reveal day over at Stuck?! Sketches. Every month Laura releases two sketches; one on the 1st and another on the 15th. I have been busting to share this layout with you! I created it almost a month again now, shared a sneak on IG, and have been sitting on it. Waiting! Waiting patiently until today! This has got to be one of my FAVORITE layouts I have created!
Above is the sketch that was the inspiration of this layout;
I knew as soon as I saw the sketch that I was going to fussy cut those flowers from 1Canoe2!! While I loved the tan cross patterned paper that coordinated with the flowers and is part of the collection, I really wanted something else, something more striking that really popped the flowers and the pictures. Both the diagonal stripes and the navy polka dot papers are from older Fancy Pants collections, Trendsetter and Happy Go Lucky.
The story being told is behind the pictures on the white tag there. I could have journaled on the navy patterned paper with a white pen but I really didn't want to detract from the design of the page.
There is a lot of dimension to this page with the loose leaves, wood veneers and the gold thread. I even bolstered the left hand picture by folding golden vellum behind the picture to lift it up a bit.
Not a very adventurous title but I really wanted to incorporate the "adventure" ephemera from the pack. Life with this child IS an adventure! I had intended to put "Life parenting you is an adventure" but the length of that was outside the realm of the space I wanted the title to occupy. So I settled for shorter and talked more to the point in my journaling. If you care to watch how this layout came together, process video #56 from my YouTube channel is my creative process as I created this layout;
Thanks for stopping in today and we would love to have you join us at Stuck?!. There is a design team call out too if you are interested!
Hey there scrappy peeps! So I have had some interesting conversations about blogs and I have decided that, struggle as I may, I need to blog. If anything to provide a collective home for all my projects, a resume of sorts. If you find yourself here and enjoying my work, then it's an added bonus for the both of us! And, honestly, it is nice to see the close ups and enjoy them rather than have them flash by in 7 second increments, don't you think?
Today I am hosting the August Cocoa Daisy designers challenge. It is a Tic Tac Toe board, you can find the details over on the Cocoa Daisy blog HERE. Pick 3 in a row; horizontal, vertical or diagonal. Use those items on your project (card, layout, off the page, doesn't matter, just a paper craft project). Remember when you upload your project to note with row you picked please.
I used the top, horizontal row; a circular element, mixed media and stitching.
The circular element is obvious; that large digital cut file from Ashli Oliver, an ex design team member. The stitching is in random circles around and amongst the the cut file while the mixed media is just splashes of mist in navy blue for a hint of darker color and weight to the project, away from that heavily loaded bottom corner.
The picture is of Mia in her latest pair of glasses. I did journal about this tucked in behind the picture. I knew with the tone on tone white/cream background that I didn't want to disturb the balance of dark and white I had created and journal directly on the page.
Behind each of the birds is a "thread wad" or "thread bundle"; a bundle of wadded up sewing thread. There is something about that light blue swallow that makes me think of the dove with the olive branch in the Noah ark story... Some hidden symbolism perhaps?
As is the case lately, there is a process video that accompanies this, if you are interested;
Thanks for stopping in today and letting me share! Take care!
Today I have a Disney layout to share with you that is a part of a series that Christine is hosting over on YouTube called Magical Memories. Each day Christine and a couple of scrappy peeps are sharing their Disney paper projects and process videos. Today, I'm sharing my pocket page from a visit to Epcot and the zany characters we posed for photos with!
I used the Say Cheese II collection from Simple Stories and six black and white photos. I wanted to include a lot of photos and the best way to do that was to use the 4x3 pocket page from Echo Park. I began with the original color photos but it was just too busy, too much going on and nowhere for the eye to settle. The black and white pics are a definite game changer.
When creating pocket pages I like to put elements on the outside of the page protector as well as work within the pocket. If you know my style and preferences, you will know that I'm not a fan of the bulk on my pages as it warps the pages around it. One of the benefits of pocket pages for me is that not only can I use many more photos in an organized fashion (which suits my type A personality) but I can put the bulky things outside the pocket and thus not warp the page protector.
When you work with a themed collection, it's so easy to quickly whip out pages like this. It truly makes easy work of things as everything is already coordinated and you have a lot of product to choose from. I don't think it took me more than 20 minutes to put this together. It took more time to edit the photos and decide black and white was better than to construct the whole thing!
If you are a process video kinda person, here is my video and the complete process of how this page can together;
I would for you to join us over on YouTube and subscribe if you don't already. This is my first pocket page process video but I have a few more that I'm working on and would love to share with you if that's something you enjoy. If not, there are plenty of 12x12 and 8.5x11 size layouts as well! Christine has a give away that she's sponsoring this week as well so be sure to check out her channel and how you can enter to win! Thanks for stopping in today!
Wow! It's turning out to be a busy fun filled week here on the ol' blog! A sketch yesterday and another today! Believe it or not, there is yet another sketch to come on Saturday as well! Today's sketch inspired project is brought to you courtesy of Creative Scrappers, sketch 306!
Here's the sketch Kristine created;
And here's what I did with it;
I stuck to the overall design of the sketch with the 6 rectangles in a grid that is skewed to the right of the page. I did use two pictures instead of one. I also shifted the title to the left of the grid and used a subtitle in place of the title.
This layout came together rather quickly, so quickly it wasn't worth a process video. The patterned papers are all scraps from my scrap stash. I pulled red, black and golds/yellows, wanting to stick with the Harry Potter/Hogwart Express colors.
It was fun to just create and not worry about the design placement of things so much as just putting things on the page and letting the pictures tell the story. It's not often that my scrapping as a designer affords me such ability and ease of craft. I toyed with stitching around the squares, of roughing up the edges... In the end, I went with simple. Clean and simple.
That's it from my today my scrappy friends! Be sure to play along and use the appropriate hashtags (#creatingwithsketches#cssketch306) to tag your project so we can find it and you are eligible to win a prize from our sponsor this month; Cuts 2 Luv. They have such cute badges and they are available in English and French.You can follow them on Facebook, Instagram andshop.
Welcome!! My FIRST post for Spiegelmom Scraps! And, a blog hop too boot! Woot! Today all of the members of the 2017-2018 Spiegelmom Scraps design team are sharing a layout and little bit about themselves. If you didn't arrive here from Sarah's blog, be sure to head to the SpiegelMom Scraps Blog and work your way back here. This year Jody has split the team into three Squads; Blog, Instagram and YouTube, with each Squad focusing on a Social Media area.
Without further ado, my project and a little bit about me!
I am Suzanna Lee; mother, wife, Physical Therapist, cat nap partner and a whole host of other titles! I have long had a hand in the crafting world but my love for patterned paper and fussy cutting began when we moved here to Glen Allen, Virginia and my paper collecting hobby became a paper cutting and album creating hobby! My first gig as a Design Team member for our (now out of business) local scrapbook store led to another team and another and I have been going ever since.
My style is rather eclectic. I tend to be more graphic and linear with a preference for straight lines and a clean look. I have been known however to meddle with watercolor and messy things that add a very different look to a page. I scrapbook in all shapes and sizes; 12x12, letter, pocket, double page, you name it, I do it.
Over the years, I have had the honor and pleasure of working with several sketch/challenge, manufacturer and kit design teams, and have had my layouts published in magazines and books. When not in my scrappy nook, I can be found chauffeuring or cheering for my swimmers, at work as a Physical Therapist or chilling at home with a book and/or the cat. You can find me on social media in the following places;
I have also created a process video that details the creating of this layout from giant shaker pocket to using Shimmerz for highlighting and added shimmer. If you don't subscribe to my YouTube channel already, I would love for you join me on this wonderful, creative journey!
In addition to sequins, Jody sells some of the Shimmerz products. Having never used Shimmerz before but always coveted some, I can tell you, they are WORTH the investment!! If you the code SUZANNA15 at the Spiegelmom Scraps store (let me enable you, you shop HERE), you can save 15% off your total purchase. You DO need Shimmerz! And sparkly sequins! There are new mixes of sequins being released too!! In the close up below, I used Shimmerz to paint over a few select words for added emphasis and color and to splatter an additional color for more Sparkle! One can never have enough sparkle!
I used one of the new sequins mixes, Free Spirit, that coordinates with this Cocoa Vanilla Studios collection, Wild At Heart, and created a giant shaker pocket. My original intent had been for the layout to be a tad more dimensional by having the flap of the heart not fold over but drape over. That is, until I realized that it's just going to get smooshed flat once placed in an album so why not go ahead and just make it that way?! LOL!
Fortunately it's not so noticeable but I did learn why one would use a Fuse instead of a sewing machine to create sequins pockets. Especially were one to forget to drop the feed dogs of ones sewing machine... The page protector that I stitched to create this giant shaker pocket was "scratched" by the foot as I whizzed around the pocket. A Fuse would have been less messy. I was just being impatient and didn't want to wait for my Fuse to heat up. As you can see, while you're learning about me, patience is not my strong suit... :)
The whole team is hopping and sharing layouts today so be sure to swing by each blog and get to know each of the Sparklers on the 2017-2018 Design Team this year. By now you will have visited most of the gals already with just Christy to follow after me. In case you just joined the hop or want to work your way through the hop, here is the whole list and links to each blog;
Don’t forget one lucky commenter will be winning a $20 shop credit. All you have to do is leave comments on all of our blogs!
So from here, you are off to Christy's blog to wrap up the blog hop and see what stunning creations she has to share with you! Thanks for popping in today! I hope you have learned a thing or two about me! Be sure to check back for more projects (mostly standard layouts, probably the occasional pocket layout) created using Spiegelmom Scrap goodies!
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.
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!
Sorry friends for the radio silence here on the ol' blog... We were in Florida for a bit for a swim meet and Spring Break and then there was Easter. And a who lot of catching up ensued. It's crazy how you really need a vacation to recover from your vacation. BUT, I'm back! I have been posting videos and sharing my work on Instagram. It's become increasingly difficult to hit all the social media sources. I'm trying to find a groove.
But I digress! Scrapbooking and sketch inspired layout, that is what this blog post is all about! Our sponsor over at Creative Scrappers this month is The Cut Shoppe. Ashley was very generous and supplied the team with some of her fantastic digital cut files to create with. So without further ado, my sketch 305 inspired layout created using Simple Stories So Fancy collection and digital cut files from The Cut Shoppe!
I have a process video on my YouTube channel sharing with you the construction of this layout from beginning to end. This is far from my favorite voice over, I apologize now. Unfortunately, I recorded not one, not two, not three but FOUR voice overs for this video... Needless to say, by the third round of talking to myself and saying the same thing OVER and over and over again, I was a tad fed up. So I apologize in advance for the shortness of verbage that accompanies the video.
I hand stitched around each of the three squares. In place of the two circles called for in the sketch I used two of The Cut Shoppe digital cut files; Wreathed in Love and Funky Florals. I used Splendid Spring for half of my title, the other half is chipboard from Simple Stories.
Rather than use three pictures, I used one with chipboard frames substituting for the other two picture spots. I didn't have but one picture from this moment and really just wanted to focus on this one particular picture. By not putting the other two, I left myself room to journal.
There is a TON of color in this collection, it is bright. It is fun! But when you have that much color, it's best to convert your picture to black and white. It allows the picture, the focus of the page, to stand out. It better ensures that you see the picture, the focal point of the story one is trying to tell.
And that, my friends, is my layout/video of the day. I hope you are inspired to create something with sketch #305 from Creative Scrappers! Be sure to visit the Creative Scrappers blog and link us your projects if you play along!
Today on the Cocoa Daisy blog my fellow Daisies and I are sharing projects that we created using the stamps found in either the main or DITL April 2017 Cocoa Daisy kits. I used the circle stamp that is a part of the main kit stamps. I have visions for many more layouts or cards with this particular stamp as well as the triangles. I'm quite the fan! Triangular, circle fan! ;)
Rather than talk you through the process of how this layout came together, it's much easier for you to view the process. In short, however, I embossed the stamped image with a heat gun, watercolored in and around the circle then used a circle punch to punch out each of the circles. From there, it's all about the Cocoa Daisy kit; mostly the print and cut files and two DITL cards along with some sequins.
Here's the process video;
The original color palate for the watercolor circles was drawn from a piece of patterned paper from Simple Stories that is in the April kit. I thought I would use the paper but it ended up being cast aside for a simpler geometric.
These pictures crack me up! Nikolas had, of his own accord, seen me cleaning up my scrappy nook and decided to go and clean up his room! Shock, horror! While cleaning he found that beret that I had made him about 5 grade ago for an explorer's costume. He wore it all weekend! With his St Paddy's day shirt. Silly boy!
Day in The Life cards, aka pocket scrapping cards, make some of the best scrapbooking embellishments and support elements! I don't know what I would do without my date stamps from October Afternoon!
I have a few more pictures at the end of the process video. You can really see the vibrant colors of the watercolor and how the gold emboss shimmers so much better in these close ups.
Thanks for stop in today! I hope you have had a great week!
I began this adventure documenting via picture and words the daily going ons of Suzanna, Michael, Nikolas and Mia so we could share our lives with family and friends afar. However, as time has passed and my obsession with all things scrappy has changed my world, so too has the purpose of this blog. Our journey continues and as my scrapbooking takes flight I have been sharing our stories via my layouts. A BIG part of my life.
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