New Zealand Album #1 - Video Flip Through

Happy Scrappy Sunday everyone!  Just stopping in to say that I have a new video up on my YouTube channel showcasing my completed first half of my New Zealand album.  Most of the pages were created using Club Scrap materials and Assembly Line Scrapbooking, but I have some Studio Calico kits and other collections thrown in there for good measure.

I've blogged about some of these layouts before, so if you would like to see still images, check out these posts here:

Casito Miro and Day 1 Title Page

Autumn in Arrowtown, Exploring Queenstown, Day One in Queenstown, and Flying over Queenstown

Gibbston Valley Winery, Down on the Farm, Valley View, Land of the Long White Cloud, Jason's Adventure

A Room with a View

The Boiler Room and Ice Ice Baby

Welcome to Fergburger

Bridge Photoshoot, Glenorchy Daytrip, and Day 3 Title Page

It's All in the Details

Waiheke Beach, Good Morning, Abel Tasman Hike, It's Easy Being Green, Above Abel Tasman, Akstern Bay, A Flippin' Good Time, Back to the Beginning, At the End of the Day

Hope you might get some inspiration to use up your ALSB layouts you have waiting for the perfect pictures!

April Goals

So at work, I am totally all about making lists and crossing things off those lists in order to keep myself organized. (You should see my grocery list - it's grouped by sections in the order I hit them in the store.  And my packing lists for trips?  Organized by outfits, toiletries, electronics - yeah, I know I'm crazy.)  I'm really trying to get a handle on what I need to do creatively as well, so I figure a list would help here too!

Luckily, the lovely ladies at the Club Scrap message board help to keep you on track by talking about their monthly goals on the forum.  I figure if I post my goals for April here and over there, maybe I will finish some of them up!

So for April, I'm hoping to:

1. Meet the goal for the layout challenge at Club Scrap (8 1-page layouts, or 4 2-page layouts, or a combination of both)
2. Get my project ready for the Hydrangeas blog hop at the end of the month.
3. Get my cards completed and in the mail for the birthday card swap.
4. Edit my backlog of photos and figure out which ones need printing.
5. Brainstorm for May's blog hop (I have an idea brewing already...)
6. Organize my craft room - I'm starting out with one hour of organization a week, 'cause really?  Not much more than that is actually going to take place.  Keepin' it real, here.
7. Catch up on the kits I have to ALSB.
8. Organize all of my fonts, printables, cut files, etc. on my computer.

So I have a start on the first goal, at least.  This past weekend I got a few layouts done - one 2-page layout and one 1-page layout with some Club Scrap kits, and one layout with a Studio Calico kit.  I'm still catching up on my New Zealand photos, but I'm getting towards the end!  Mostly.  Kind of.  We'll see.

Bridge Photoshoot - both pages together

Bridge Photoshoot (Left) - Papers: Club Scrap Hopes, Aspen; Stencil: Club Scrap Solstice; Stamp: Amy Tangerine roller date stamp; Ink: Club Scrap Lagoon; Embellishments: Club Scrap Hopes kit stickers

Bridge Photoshoot (Right) - Club Scrap Hopes, Aspen; Stencil: Club Scrap Solstice; Ink: Club Scrap Lagoon; Embellishments: Club Scrap Hopes kit stickers, Amy Tangerine Remarks Yes Please stickers

Glenorchy Daytrip - Papers: Club Scrap Full Circle Jr; Embellishments: Club Scrap  Full Circle Jr stickers

Day 3 - All materials (other than kraft background) from Studio Calico Blue Note kit.  Oh, except this roller date stamp and the wood veneer stars.

So hopefully I will be back later this month to say I accomplished all of my goals!  Fingers crossed...

Club Scrap Blog Hop - Trees

Hello!  Welcome to the Trees blog hop! This month we're using Club Scrap's Trees collection.  I'm going to show you how I used the beautiful paper in the kit to create some handmade details for my scrapbook layout.

If you traveled here from Lisa's blog, then you are following the hop!  If you've lost your way or just want to see all the links in one place, head over to the Club Scrap Creates blog to see a list of all the talented bloggers participating today.

As usual, on the first of the month I got all excited and created a mood board based on the theme of the kit and the warm and springy colors in the palette:

Follow Marya Kaszubinski's board Trees Mood Board - Club Scrap March 2014 on Pinterest.

Check out my other mood boards here and here.

This month I was particularly drawn to the beautiful greens in the kit and in my mood board, and I also found a lot of inspiration from quilts and geometric shapes on Pinterest.

I was lucky enough to take some time off of work last week and go scrapping at my friend Marie's house for four days, so I tackled a lot of scrapping projects that were in the works.  I was able to complete the bulk of my New Zealand album...which has since turned into albums.  I knew the lush greens and browns of this kit would go perfectly with my hiking pictures.  (Even the bright red mushroom goes with these papers - do you see that thing?  Pretty sure that is straight out of Super Mario Bros.)

I used this month's layout card as the basis of the layout, and took advantage of the open white space to "quilt" with some paper.  (Quilting and this kit seem to go hand in hand - check out Kay's card and layout here!)  I cut some of the paper into 1.5 inch squares and then in half again to make triangles.  Then I paired them up to make my own quilted embellishment.

I also did some paper cutting on this page by cutting two sides of a triangle and folding the flap back to create an open space that I later backed with the white paper from the kit.  I adhered the flaps with foam tape so they would retain their dimension - I was really pleased with the combination of the flaps and the flat paper triangles!

Finally, to continue with the quilted theme, I added some hand-stitched details with my trusty paper piercer, needle and thread.  I finished this part up while watching Breaking Bad - I find it so relaxing!  (Not the show.  The show is awesome and addictive and thrilling, but relaxing it is not.)

I hope to get some more paper piecing and "quilting" into my projects since I loved how this page turned out.  Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope you might try some quilting and hand stitching in your projects!  Head on over to Annette Dragon's to see what she has to share.  Come back next month when we're working with the floral Hydrangeas collection!

Supplies // Paper: Club Scrap Trees: Gold Foil Handmade, White, Beige, Brown, Light Green, Beige Print, Dark Green Print / Inks: Club Scrap Earth ink/ Embellishments: Kraft Leaf tags, Studio Calico Abroad Thickers

Assembly Line Boot Camp - Week 1: Metallics

Hi there friends! I'm joining in with Club Scrap for the Assembly Line Boot Camp challenge for the next several weeks.  Go check out the information page if you are interested, but basically this is a weekly challenge, based on a prompt, that encourages you to get going on your layouts, cards, and projects.  Plus, not only are you eligible for prizes, but each submission earns Operation Write Home a donation, so it's for a good cause, too.

This week's theme is Metallics, so I'm really looking forward to using my papers with metallic accents, gold and silver and bronze mists, brads, etc.  This post will house all of my submissions this week, so be sure to click the "Come and see more!" link to see the full post and peruse for some metallic ideas!

Day 8 title page - Papers: Bazzil Kraft, Club Scrap Tribal Red, Handmade Screen Print, Gray / Embellishments: Club Scrap Tribal Sticker, Tonic Distresser, Hematite Embossing Powder, Hardcover Foil Thickers / Stamps: Club Scrap Tribal Art Nouveau / Challenge requirements: metallic accents in the handmade paper, metallic Thickers, hematite embossing powder; embellished by distressing red and gray papers

Maori Carvings - both pages together

Club Scrap Blog Hop - Aspen

Hello!  Welcome to the December edition of the Club Scrap blog hop!  This month we're crafting with the wintry Aspen collection.  I'm going to show you how I used elements of this kit on a traditional layout and a pocket-style scrapbook page.

If you traveled here from Lisa's blog, then you are following the hop!  If you've lost your way or just want to see all the links in one place, head over to the Club Scrap Creates blog to see a list of all the talented bloggers participating today.

I have a lot of ideas of what I want to get accomplished in 2014, crafting-wise, and one of them is to get all of my old pictures into albums.  I'm a little overwhelmed with what I have to tackle on these, so I think I'm going to slip most of these pictures into pocket page protectors like these.  I was able to use many elements from this month's kit to create 4x6 and 3x4 cards that I then used on these both on a traditional 12x12 layout and in the pocket page protector.

My original inspiration came from this layout here - instead of using pre-made 3x4 cards, I created my own with the papers in the Aspen kit and all of the goodies that came along with it!

Some of my favorite supplies in this kit include the mica handmade paper and the wood veneer sheets.  And the chevron ribbon.  Oh, and the buttons.  Really, pretty much everything.  This is a pretty simple page for me, but it helps to not complicate things to much when you are going to pair this with a very linear page next to it using the pocket page protector.

I was able to get a lot of photos into these pockets pretty easily - I only had to cut a few down to size to fit into the smaller pockets in the middle.  I had a lot of fun trying to see how I could fit elements like the stickers and the die cut frames on this side of the page.

I think my favorite part about this side is the 3x4 wood veneer card I punched out.  I also ended up using the stars that I punched out on the traditional 12x12 layout, so I got a lot out of this piece of wood veneer and the punch!  Depending on what I put on the reverse side of this page, I might line the back of the card with washi tape so it peeks through the cutouts, or just leave it transparent.  I'll make a decision when I get there!

Thank you again for coming back and checking out what you can accomplish with Aspen and a little time on your hands!  Head on over to Annette Dragon's to see what she has been working on.  Join us again in 2014 when we kick off January with Club Scrap's Graffiti collection!

Supplies // Paper: Club Scrap Aspen: Almond Plain, Blue Pattern, Green, Almond, and Aqua Patterned Paper , Handmade Mica / Stamps: Club Scrap Aspen Collection UM, Art Nouveau / Inks: Club Scrap Sandstone, India Ink / Tools: Martha Stewart Starry Sky Punch, Pocket Page protectors / Embellishments: Club Scrap: Wood Veneer Sheets, Tags & Cutouts, Stickers, Chevron Twill, Buttons

Pinspiration

I'm actually impressed that I don't get sucked into Pinterest more than I do.  But I do get on pinning streaks, and they usually are to my Scrapbooking Inspiration board.  This layout was a combination of a sketch used for PSL and this one that I pinned from Kelly Purkey:

I got full use out of my Corner Chomper here!  I love cutting pictures up into sections - I thik the results always look cool.

This is me and my BFF Sal on one of our many wine tours together - my buddy Alex takes the greatest pictures, doesn't he?

Paper:: Club Scap: Scholarship, Solstice/Stamp:: Smash Date Stamp/Embellies:: Tape: Club Scap Navajo, 7 Gypsies, Smash Tabs, bling and stickers from stash/Tools:: Tiny Attacher, Corner Chomper

Blast from the past

I'm almost done with the album for my mom's Mother's Day present.  I usually plan out albums from start to finish, but this one I just did pages based on what pictures I liked.  So I don't think it is as cohesive or chronological as my other albums are, but it's kind of nice to get out of my comfort zone.  I get to do some creative things there.

This was another layout based on a Club Scrap PSL sketch.  I think the white photo mats are meant for vertical pictures, but I didn't have any and they worked perfectly for horizontal photos cut into square photos - hello faux polaroids!

I stamped "I like to smile.  Smiling's my favorite." on the top photo with white StazOn.  It was my first time using the white StazOn and I don't think I put enough ink on the pad...but I like the idea.  Unfortunately my photo skills suck and the window's reflection is on the photo and you can really see this, but I'm too lazy to get another picture.

Paper:: Club Scrap: Aurora Borealis, Comics, Expressions/Stamp:: Club Scrap: Full Circle, Smash Date Stamp/Thickers:: Dear Lizzy/Embellies:: Club Scrap: Comfort Zone, Tim Holtz Memo Pins, Smash Clips, BoBunny bling

So, I have a blog, apparently...

Yeah, that gung-ho New Year resolution to blog?  Didn't quite pan out as expected.  Or maybe it did, since I haven't posted in several months...

So let's try this again.

I've been scrapbooking - really!  I participated in Club Scrap's Pro Scrapbookers League a few weeks ago - nothing like some healthy competition (and prizes) to get your creative juices flowing.

I went on a scrapbooking retreat with some friends of mine a few weeks ago and I love doing that!  We get to scrap and drink and inspire each other and enable (that new tool?  Of course you need that!  Buy it!).  I think this layout I did during that weekend was my favorite one I accomplished over the 7 weeks of PSL.

The challenge during the last week of PSL was to use 6 of their sketches for the basis of our layouts.  This was one of them - and I used it a couple of times!  I love the white space in the upper left corner - perfect for adding fun backgrounds.

I have a lot of my old baby pictures, so I'm making an album for my mom for Mother's Day.  Wasn't I cute?

All the papers are Club Scrap (Aurora Borealis and Comics), the paint is Ranger Distress Crackle Paint in Picket Fence, the chicken wire stamp is Club Scrap (Easter Chicks), and the flowers, brads, and bling are from my stash.

Weekly Chronicles - Week 2: Reflections

My good friend and personal scrapbooking enabler (everyone needs one of those) Marie encouraged me to participate in Club Scrap's Weekly Chronicles.  I didn't complete the first week (yet), but the second week's theme was "Reflections".  I really loved seeing everyone's interpretation of the theme and I am always so impressed and inspired that so many people are willing to share so much of their lives via scrapbooking.  It makes me try to really think about what I'm scrapping and how I journal.  I'm trying to move away from just describing what is in the pictures (Here is me in Summer of 2011 stuffing my face) to what I was actually thinking and feeling at that moment (Here is me in Summer of 2011 stuffing my face and LOVING IT.)

But seriously.  I decided to reflect on one of my New Year's resolutions/goals of making more of an effort in keeping in touch with friends.  Not just those who live far away, but we have some friends that live literally across the street that we do not see as often as I would like.

The layout is based on the one on the blog hop on Scrapbook Challenges.  I am filling up my Google Reader with a ton of blogs, and I love discovering new blogs via hops.  More blogs to read = less time I have to clean.  So sad.

I added the vellum "pockets" next to the photos and created a little tag with notes about my friends that I can slide out and read.

Overall, I like this LO.  If I had to change anything, I would make sure the horizontal line of pictures spanning the two pages was matched up and I would rethink the oval/heart embellishment on the first page.  Other than that, I love the paper, the color scheme, and the punched border.  And the pictures and memories of all my wonderful friends, of course.

Calendar - January

You know what one of the best things about having friends that scrapbook? They think of you first when they are getting rid of old supplies. :)

My friend Marie (aka, my personal scrapbooking enabler) is such a friend. She generously let me "steal" a bunch of stuff from her stash when she was reorganizing her scrap room.  I snagged a Heidi Swapp calendar set that I think is pretty old as I can't find it anywhere online.  I knew I would need a new calendar for work, so I figured I could make it myself.  My goal was to have the entire year finished in time for 2012, but guess how well that turned out...

So anyways, nine days into the New Year...I finally have January's layout completed:

I had planned on printing out some pictures of past New Year Eves with friends, but again, that never happened.  I dug out an old picture I took in high school of the snowy woods behind my mother's house instead, and I actually like how it turned out.

I based the layout on one I had seen online somewhere that, instead of printing it out, or saving it on my computer, I hand-sketched it out on some random piece of paper.  This was in the dark days before Pinterest.  Now I unfortunately do not remember where I saw the original layout.

I really like the ever-so-popular pennant banner in the upper left-hand corner - it makes everything so festive.  I also embellished the stickers in the corners with some Glossy Accents, just to make them a bit dimensional.

I will hopefully start working on February's layout in time for next month!

Blog Hop Challenge - Snapshots

I have a lot of guilty pleasures online: celebrity gossip sites (the snarkier the better), Pinterest, and my Google Reader.  I get a lot of my inspiration and ideas from blogs I read, whether it be a recipe or a scrapbooking layout I need to try.

So when I came across the blog hop challenge at My Scraps & More, I thought this was a great first challenge to participate in - it would force me to put something on this blog, it would challenge me to use up items in my stash, and I would be able to discover some new blogs along the way.  Win/win situation here.

The challenge was to collect and use "ingredients" in your layout.  I used some Thickers for my chipboard embellishments, I delved into my twine stash to help fancy-up some buttons, I finally used a journaling block that I had lying around for longer than I would like to admit, and I used two fonts for the title.  Here's my crack at the challenge:

This layout is based on one I saw in the May/June 2010 issue of Creating Keepsakes by Lynn Ghahary.  I love recreating layouts!

One of my unofficial goals for the year is to make a baby album of me for my mom - hopefully by Mother's Day.  I have my old one that has unfortunately fallen apart, so I hope I can make a sturdier one for her with all my sweet scrapbooking skillz.  So this is the first page I've completed for that project.  It's funny making layouts of yourself as a baby.  But I love the Polaroids!  Because everything from 1984 is apparently cool again.