Life's Trivialities

Ooh La La / The Scraproom / My Minds Eye / SpiegelMom Scraps

Just a quick share today so you can see close ups of a project I'm sharing as part of an Instagram hop for SpiegelMom Scraps and Clique Kits.

The floral digital die cut from Clique Kits provides the perfect counter balance to the all the business of the words in the patterned paper that I use for the background of the layout. The weight of that cut file really grounds the page and gives your eye a focal point to rest upon. To incorporate some of the pink into the rest of the layout and tone down the intensity of the black, I used one of the pink floral die cuts that is from the same Gal Meets Glam collection from My Mind's Eye. Which, came in one of my The Scraproom kits.

The mint with gold embossed hearts shown above is perfectly complimented with the occasional hold heart scattered through out the words in the background and the shimmer from the sequins that are found at both the top and the bottom of the layout. For an extra hint of black, I ran a straight line across the 

In addition to the My Mind's Eye goodies, I incorporated some labels from Vicki Boutin. There is a lovely mix of stark black, pink and a touch of the tealy, mint behind the photo as layers that tie all the color together and create a focal point on the layout.

A sequins chain using the Freezin for a Reason sequins mix punctuates the title of the layout and adds some shimmer. Glue Dots anchor the sequins so they don't float off the strands of thread.

Enjoy the process video!

 

Thanks for stopping in today!

 

Hello Friend / Cocoa Vanilla Studio

 

Hiya there friends! Today's layout is inspired by a free download sketch that you can find over at the Scrapbook Generations online store. If you have followed me for a long time, you will know that I designed for the SG magazine, Create, and contributed to one of the sketch books that Debbie and Allison put out. I have LONG been a fan of SG sketches and when this one popped up on my FB feed, well! Of course I had to play along!

The sketch calls for rounded corners, I just couldn't bring myself to do that. That's not my thing. I'm the one who cuts up PL cards so that I have right angles., I'm the one who struggles with photos that aren't lined up. Yup, that's me. So, you might understand why the rounded corners were a no go!

When I saw the squares in the sketch, I just knew that one of those squares was going to have to a sequins shaker. I wanted to do something a bit different and I wanted a way to "soften" the glare that acetate often results in in sequins shakers. I found the tulle was perfect! It actually allows the sequins to move much more thus really shaking instead of being pinned down to the paper. Win - win in my book! Check out that sequins mix too! It's called Tropical Breeze, from SpiegelMom Scraps! It's the perfect compliment to this collection, More Than Words, from Cocoa Vanilla Studio. If you shop at SpiegelMom Scraps and use the code SUZANNA15 you can get 15% off.

I did pull in a few other bits and pieces from my stash; those letters for "friend" and the really old arrow from Studio Calico. I wanted a bit more of the aqua color and didn't have them available in all the goodies that were sent to me from Scrapbook Your Joy. If you are on the look out for Cocoa Vanilla Studio goodies, then be sure to check out Scrapbook Your Joy.  Sandra carries other goodies too, like the new Indigo Hills 2 from PinkFresh Studio!!

If you are of the process video persuasion, be sure to check out my video. If you want to fast forward to the shaker bit, it's at 4:10.

 

Thanks for stopping in today! If you have anything you want to see me create with, a particular collection, a particular technique, anything, be sure to leave me a comment and let me know so I can see what I can do!

 

Summer Scrapping / Wade Beach

Today I am joining Audrey for her final day of her Summer Scrapping series where she is joined by some amazingly talented scrappers a day a week for 3 weeks during the summer to share a summer inspired scrapbook page with you over on YouTube. I'm sharing a day at the beach, one of this summers favorite summer memories.

Really there isn't much to this layout other than some mixed media, a digital die cut repeated three times, some chipboard and a few ripped bits and pieces of patterned paper. Yet the scene created is so summery, don't you think? It screams summer at the beach!

Lake Ontario was experienced for the first time! We have had many experiences with Lake Michigan, a few of Lake Erie but our first time dipping our toes in Lake Ontario. The kids wanted a city holiday this summer. We have had a number of beach visits and they wanted something different. Different they got. But when the opportunity to hop on a ferry and visit the beach arose, they didn't complain!

Isn't this new sequins mix from SpiegelMom Scraps the perfect color compliment to this nearly monochromatic teal layout? I love the touch of sparkle it adds to the layout!

The die cut is from the Silhouette store from one of my favorite designers, Nic Squirrell. It's a trifold that I cut in three shades of teal and then cut apart so that each wave unit has one of each color and size.

Be sure to head over to YouTube and check out the process video of how this came together. You see my video HERE. In the description box is the link to Audrey's video as well! Thanks for having my Audrey and I hope y'all are enjoying the final few days of summer.

Snow Blessed / PinkFresh Studio / Christmas in July

I have been DYING to get some Christmas in July projects completed and finally, I have had time to create. This layout is pretty cool in my opinion.

See that photo shaker pocket?! It has sequins in it! And when you shake the page, it literally looks like falling snow! It's the closest I can get to having true movement on a page and I'm thrilled to pieces with the way it turned out! What do you think?

The sequins mix is from SpiegelMom Scraps and is called Wedding Bells if you think you need to create something like it. AND if you use the code SUZANNA15, you can save yourself 15% off over at the store on anything in the store. I just up a Project Life page protector (so three sides were already sealed), added the photo and sequins mix then sealed the fourth side with my Fuse tool. Viola! Simple yet so effective!

The digital cut file is actually a #10 card with layers that I adjusted to fit on a square piece of paper. I doodled on the triangular trees and used some PinkFresh Studio to further embellish the layout. This photo was actually taken so I can work on my house in the four different seasons series that I had started. The initial hold us was lack of winter photo and now it's pondering a fitting collection that has "home sweet home" for a winter layout... Someday. Add it to the list!

 

Thanks for stopping in today! I hope you are inspired to create your own snow fall!

 

Come Fly With Me / Swimming Layout / Large Photo Layout

Recently, Jody, owner of SpiegelMom Scraps, released a whole slew of new FREE digital cut files. I saw this "Come Fly with Me" cut file and immediately thought of my daughter, doing her butterfly race the night before. I know this isn't what most people think of but if you are a swim Mom, you will understand. I had to create a layout using this cut file and show you, once again, how things can be used for a purpose other than that intended. A little bit of creativity is all it takes!

My favorite way of scrapbooking utilizing the 8.5x11 or letter size format is with large photos. I can print them at home which makes it even more convenient! As you can see, I used the cut file directly onto the photo. I changed my usual 12x12 mat size to letter size on in Design Studio, centered the file and sent it to print, it was dead easy. I love this effect. Its' similar to what I did with a 12x12 layout about Sequoia NP lately.

I used rub ons on this layout too! Do you remember those things that used to be really big, way back when? I have a drawer full of them. I really need to bust into the drawer and use some of them up. These are Tim Holtz rub ons that I got on a recent trip to Tuesday Morning. They are a perfect way to add some color or visual interest to a large photo layout!

Sequins! If you know me, you know I design for SpiegelMom Scraps. And you know that I have two swimmers. Sequins and swimming go together perfectly when it comes to memory keeping. The sequins adds the perfect sparkle to water, especially if you are outdoors. I often have people ask how I adhere those pesky little disks of shimmery goodness to the page. The accompany process video shows you at the end of the video.

 

You can see that here as well as how the layout comes together. Thanks for stopping in today!

Yay, Dance Day! / SpiegelMom Scraps / Pretty Little Studio

Two blog posts in one week! I know, right?! I'm trying to compensate for the absolute lack of posts in March. I have decided that brief posts sharing the layouts are an improvement from nothing. I'm really trying. Those of you who create YouTube videos know how time consuming that whole process is and how little additional time you feel like sitting at the computer. No offense intended!

This month over at SpiegelMom scraps, the theme is flowers are recycled material (ie re-purposing packaging). There are plenty of flowers on the above layout and I used the packaging from this Pretty Little Studio collection to enhance the layers behind the photo. I created my own flower cut file to supplement the flower die cuts and, as I wanted a touch more yellow and blue in the layout, I also made my own flowers using some Shimmerz Paste-eez which I got over at the SpiegelMom Scraps shop. If you happen to shop and use the code SUZANNA15 you can get 15% off your total purchase.

The top, blue flower is the flower that I created using "Baby Boy Blue" Paste-eez and some of the white sequins from the Southern Blue Bells sequins mix. I felt that the white sequins mimicked the white center of the die cut flowers. I also used some Jane Davenport watercolors to paint directly onto the cardstock to add color behind the electronic die cut flowers.

There is a sprinkling of sequins through out the diagonal of the layout that compliments the colors in the layout. I used 3 sequins collections; Southern Blue Bell, Summer Paradis and Just Because. Each complimented the blue, pink and yellow hues utilized through out. The Pretty Little Studio collection, Tales & Dreams, includes more colors, I just chose to hone in on these three in particular as they complement the colors found in the girls' dresses.

As I am wanton to do, I did pull in bits and pieces from other collections; the navy flower from Amy Tangerine and word stickers from Maggie Holmes.

If you are so inclined and want to see just how those textured flowers were created and how the layout came together, you might be interested in the process video;

 

Thanks for stopping in today!

Toast House / Elf Antics Travelers Notebook

Yup, yup... I did well for a while and then things dropped off. But, I'm back again! AND, I have a free download for you for your December Daily and/or Christmas Travelers Notebook. It would be great just for winter memory keeping too. Read on to find it!

I have a confession to make; I never used a Travelers Notebook before. NEVER! Not a once. But I have remedied that with this particular little album. Spurred on by and Instagram hop for SpiegelMom Scraps, I decided that another Elf Antics mini album was in order and that a TN would be perfect place for that under taking. Each double page spread will be the story of the day, or, more appropriately, the antic of the evening. I am HOPING this is the last year that Henry will be visiting us and what better way to remember?

I used Shimmerz goodies from the SpiegelMom Scraps store to created a mixed media background that spreads across both pages. Many of the goodies are from Pretty Little Studios but the lovely thing about a TN is that there really isn't much. Lots of washi from my stash. AND, my free download; those black and green trees. I was inspired by some wrapping paper that I bought. Knowing that this is the center of the album, I wanted to comment a bit about Henry's time with us this holiday season. This 3x8 insert is a perfect way to add additional journal. There is so much you could do with this! I think it will look fantastic in a December Daily album! You could cut out the black outlined tree and make an acetate window, or just a window of the picture behind it!

Download available here.

Those houses from PLS are just the perfect house accompaniment to the toast house, don't you think? Naughty, naughty elf... 6 pieces of toast! And a lot of patience! The first thing Mia does every morning is look for Henry! And we hear all about his latest antic. I can't figure out what's going on in that brain of hers. Am I being foiled and she knows what's going on or does she truly still hold the magic? I should enjoy it and her joy in this while I can, I try to remind myself of that at 10pm at night when I'm crawling into bed and suddenly remember a task must be finished!

 

I hope you enjoy my TN process video as much as you do my memory keeping or scrapbooking process videos! I hope to have more of this mini album to share with you in days to come! Thanks for stopping in and I hope you are enjoying a joyous December to date! Take care!

 

December Daily 2017 Process / Title Page, Shaker Word

I have decided to give it a go, again... I'm not sold this is a wise idea but, I am not one to give up. I got a good way into last year, perhaps this will be my year. I decided simple has got to be the way the go so I started out as I mean to move forward: with a simple yet colorful title page.

A digital template was involved in the creation of this giant shaker shape as my title page. It truly is simple. Yet effective. Or, I think so anyway. It doesn't need much more and let's the star shine!

I used "Oh What Fun" sequins from SpiegelMom Scraps and my Fuse for this along with patterned paper from the Crate Paper "Falala" collection. The "yellow" is actually a matte gold that I had. I like the yellow'ish look and will try to incorporate more of that into the book to add more than the tradition green and red.

 

The process video is a bit of a tutorial offering you tips and tricks on using your Fuse. I invested in the Fuse mat and it has made a world of difference for me! A glass mat works nicely but the Fuse mat works even better. The glide of the tool is much more even thus providing a cleaner, more consistent seal.

This will be one of the pockets in the book. As I haven't made much head way in setting up foundation pages, I don't know what day this will appear. I only today found the album I want to use. I'm bummed that Simple Stories SNAP albums aren't readily available at Michaels like they used to be. Instead I found this recipe album at TJ Maxx that has 3 rings. I will continue to use the Simple Stories divided page protectors, I am just going to have to re-punch them to the format of my binder. A good excuse to buy the WRMK planner punch board thingy, don't you think?!

The sequins I used for the "O" wreath in Noel is also from SpiegelMom Scraps and called "Shabby Chic Christmas". I love the aqua wood grain in this! Just sublime! The digital cut file is something I made myself specifically for this purpose. Come back later this week and see how I used that same file on a scrapbook layout!

If you have any December Daily tutorials or other things you would like to see, do comment either here or on my YouTube channel and I will see what I can do! I have had such fun with my Fuse and sequins lately!

Are you doing December Daily? Are you all set up, ready to go? I can't believe tomorrow is December 1st!

Thanks for stopping in! Take care!

 

Grace - SpiegelMom Scraps

Anybody else miss Basic Grey? I was a HUGE Basic Grey fan. I think I have just about every collection they released while I was scrapping. I would buy the collection pack and supplement with a lot of extras of the patterned papers. Persimmon was/is just about my favorite collection EVER; it has the perfect colors of my favorite season, it has Asian looking influence in the flowers... There is so much to love about this collection. So you know it's a special layout when I pull out my favorite collection of all time.

Yet another sketch inspired layout! The themes this month over at SpiegelMom Scraps is sketches and circles so it's only fitting that I have yet another sketch layout and that layout also happens to be laden with circles. Sequins are circles too so they compliment perfectly!

I used that journal card with the oval in place of one of the circles on the sketch and added an extra circle for balance on the page. I also used two 4x3 photos instead of the single square picture. These pictures are of Mia at Cotillion. It's tough being taller than the boys and really does take grace to gracefully accept the situation and make the most of it.

I used three different color sequins', each from a different sequins mix to get the colors that compliment this Basic Grey collection; I used the orange from Puppy Dog Tails, the aqua/blue form Road Trips & Sunshine and the wood grain is the Mahogany. The sequins really pop against the stark white background! I am still blown away that wood grain sequins are an option! If you haven't seen them, be sure to check out the store - https://spiegelmom-scraps.myshopify.com Use code SUZANNA15 for 15% while you are there!

It's difficult to tell but I machine stitched gold crosses through the center of each circle other than the orange one. The orange circle was an after thought for balance and I really ought to drag my lazy behind up the stairs to finish off the layout...

 

Do you watch the process videos I create? What do you think? If you have an opinion, I'd love to hear them! Change the music? Don't talk so fast? Have something you would like to see? I'd love constructive feedback.

Thanks for stopping in today! See you next time!

Favorite Peeps / Cocoa Daisy & SpiegelMom Scraps

I have to admit that this kit, the November 2017 Memory Keeping kits from Cocoa Daisy, were not my favorite when I opened the box. I can never do unboxing videos because I'm not one to mask my feelings and I often reserve the right to change my judgement. I am not a huge fan of exclusive kits. Nope, can't do it. I like that when people look at my work they recognize something on the layout and are intrigued by something I did with that recognizable item. That said, it has grown on me. I LOVE this layout that I'm sharing with you today! Created mostly from the very kit I wasn't a huge fan of. With some AWESOME SpiegelMom Scraps sequins mixes for balance and good measure! I still believe that every Cocoa Daisy kit should include SpiegelMom Scrap sequins!

I started out creating with a sketch from Laura Rumble and will be the inspiration for the creations later this month over at SpiegelMom Scraps. I changed things up a bit, using a 4x3 photo instead of a square photo and my title placement is different. I love how the pinecones and circular elements make this Christmas layout feel like a wreath. It's just a happy layout to me!

Digital cut files added some fun texture and additional movement to the page. By not sticking everything down on the page, it added to that "wreath" feeling. This picture is our Christmas card pic from last year. The card photo is color but I converted it to black and white here in order to have the photo stand out and express a different emotion than that of a colored photo. Have you noticed how different the emotion is from the same photo in black and white to that in color?

The holly and pine cone seen here were a necessary embellishment cluster to balance the weight of everything down in the bottom, right corner. The sequins sprinkled through out the machine stitched circle also added to that balance and aforementioned movement.

The pop of red from that Cocoa Daisy exclusive print and cut file is like putting a ribbon on the wreath and calling the deal done! It's silly how such a simple thing can just tie it all together. I love when you find that "YES!" thing for each page you create!

It was super fun creating this layout and I hope you enjoy watching the process as much as I enjoyed creating it! Thanks for stopping in today! Be sure to check in tomorrow for a new sketch challenge with SpiegelMom Scraps!