July 2013 Studio Calico kit - Valley High

I'm a bit behind in my posting again - it is time to catch up!  My excuse is kind of funny.  I spilled wine on my computer a few weeks ago and now several keys on my computer don't work.  I took it in to get fixed, but the $800 estimate  was a bit to much for me to spend on a five year old computer.  So to type, I have to copy and paste the letters that don't work from other places and it is a major PITA!!!  So typing out a blog post is not as easy as it seems!

For today's post, I'm sharing the projects that I created with my July Studio  Calico kit, Valley High.  Most of the projects that I created this month have lots of other stuff thrown in from older kits or my stash.  I also just noticed that EVERY SINGLE layout has Crate frames from the Pier collection.  I love them!

Iconic

LHR

4th of July

Lots of Crate Paper from the Pier collection on this one.  

N.E. Aquarium

I  realized that I was kind of on a grid rut when I look at these layouts, but I love grids!  

Have a great week everyone! 

June 2013 Studio Calico kit - Roundabout

I'm a bit behind in posting my projects with last month's Studio Calico kit - but better late than never!

I have only created two projects with June's kit - not because I didn't like the kit, but it has been a pretty crazy month with not much time for scrapping.

My first layout that I created was "Boston Strong."

I wanted to do something with the photos that I have been taking of the make-shift memorial for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. It has been in Copley Square, across the street from my office, since the square reopened after the bombings, so I walk by it all the time. The city took all of the items away a few weeks ago to be archived.

My second layout uses a great piece of patterned paper from the Crate collection "The Pier."  The paper really reminded me of a vintage wallpaper pattern, so I tried to think of some photos that would work.  I remembered these photos taken with my IPhone from an afternoon tea while my hubby and I were in London this May.

I added some pops of gold which has become one of my favorite things to do lately.  

Hopefully, I'll have a little more time to play with July's kit and have more to share next month.

How many many projects did you create with June's kit  - or did summer fun get in the way?

Have a good week everyone!

  

  

Pop Off the Page II

I was really excited when a second Pop Off the Page class was announced at Studio Calico.  I really enjoyed the first class and I knew that the second would be just as good.  I really enjoy participating in the weekly challenges.
The first challenge from Jen was this:

 For this week, we're going to start small. I want you to lift one of the layouts in the first PDF. You can choose to lift the entire page, or just a small technique or detail - it's entirely up to you!

I lifted a part of Lilleth's layout by using the heart die cut (that I really didn't like until I saw her page) and backed it with a different paper.  I still have to add the journaling to this page.  

You can see here that I cut out a few hexagons from the paper and adhered them with pop dots for some dimension.

The week #2 challenge was this:

Hi girls!! This week is all about mixed media. I can't wait to see your mixed media projects! 

I don't really 'do' mixed media, but I do have one little trick.  I actually learned this from a problem I was having  - I had used multi medium on a project and I wanted to use spray mist on top of it, but it just pooled.  I posed the question on Studio Calico and someone suggested that I mix the multi medium and the spray mist together first.  That solved my problem!

For this layout, I took multi medium, mixed it with Mr. Huey and then pressed some bubble wrap into that mixture and put it on my page.  I love the texture and messiness it adds!

Here's a close up of my technique:

Are you in class with me?  Are you enjoying it so far?

Have a good week everyone!

Shine

I love Crate Paper products and buy most of their entire collections and use them a lot.  I had decided to pass on getting the Maggie Holmes collection that was released at CHA this January though.  Then I went to my LSS and saw it in person - LOVE!!!  The product that sold me was the stitched fabric frames.  So adorable.  Since I had to have those, I had to buy matching papers and some stickers.  After I got home, I decided I really needed duplicates of some of the papers and added them to my cart at Two Peas.  I have used bits of the collection on my last three layouts!

I'm also excited about a second Pop Off the Page class being taught by Jen Jockish at Studio Calico.  I loved the first class and signed up for the second right away!  I created this layout in the spirit of that class.  

I started with a Maggie Holmes patterned patterned paper and stitched fabric frame.  The rub-ons and "E" are from the March Studio Calico kit.  Everything else was bits and pieces from a previous kit or from my stash.  I'm in love with gold POW glitter paper right now and used it for my title and some punched butterflies.

The photo is of my niece from France who I saw last month when I went to my husband's cousins wedding in Nice.  I love how happy and beautiful she looks in the photo and thought "Shine" was an appropriate title.

Have a great week everyone!

  

Lather, Rinse, Repeat

My sister and I were discussing project life one day - she does it, I do not - and it gave me an idea for a scrapbook layout.  I told her that I couldn't do project life because my weeks and days are basically the same for a good part of the year.  I'm a tax accountant, so I work long hours January through May.  (I specialize in non-profits, so my big deadline is May 15th - not April 15th.)  I wake up, commute to Boston, work 10, 11, or 12 hours, commute home, go to bed and do the same thing the next day.  At some point this year, I started waking up when the alarm rings at 5:20 and the thought "lather, rinse, repeat" went through my head.  Now it is my first thought every morning, so I thought it was a fitting title for this page.

I used the February Studio Calico kit, Front Row, with a few other items from my stash.  I thought the Days of the week washi tape from October Afternoon was very fitting.  The repeated the stamp from the kit across the bottom of the page represents Boston.

Have a great week, everyone!  Mine will be pretty much the same - lather, rinse, repeat!!

Cat Nap

Once in a while, a question will pop up on a scrapbooking message board asking if people create projects specifically to fit a particular call or if they just submit what they have already created.  It usually seems like it is looked upon negatively if you create pages specifically for calls - like somehow it is not as meaningful or something.

I do both - if I happen to have a layout that I have already created that fits the call, I'll submit it.  But lots of times, I'll read the call and it will spark an idea and I'll create a page specifically for that call - and I'm not afraid to admit it!  Some of my most favorite layouts have been created specifically for calls!

The latest call for Scrapbook Trends totally inspired this page.  The call reads:  

Real Life: I Love My Pet - Our pets become members of the family so create a layout to detail your pet's place in your home. Does he/she have a special place to sleep or eat? Any funny quirks? Get them down on paper!

The call made me think of my silly cat Sumner and how he loves sleeping in a sunny spot on the chaise lounge in our dining room.  He will keep moving closer to the edge to follow the sun as it moves and more than once has fallen off of the edge!

I used mostly the January Studio Calico kit on this page, but just a couple of bits from older kits such as the wood veneer "S."  Studio Calico recently stopped giving store credits for getting published in Scrapbook Trends using their kits, and I'll admit that it is kind of freeing!  Even though my main purpose  for getting published was never the SC credit, it was nice.  But now that it isn't an option, I have been finding myself digging through other supplies for something to add a perfect touch.

I put the journaling on a hidden journaling card - I loved the little Pebbles envelope that was included in the kit! 

I love this page to bits even though I created it specially for a call! (Wish me luck!)  So what do you think - is there anything wrong with creating a layout specifically for a call?  What do you usually do?  I'd love to know!

Have a great week everyone!

December 2012 Studio Calico - 34th Street

This is my last post of the year with my monthly feature "what I created with this month's Studio Calico kit from the time it arrived until the day next kit arrived." Ok - I never actually called it that, but that is the easiest way to describe what the post is about.  I've enjoyed this feature and plan to continue it in 2013!

This month, I only created two layouts with the kit.  I'll use Christmas as an excuse, as I really did like this kit!  I will definitely be using it more.

The first layout I created using a photo I took using instagram.  We have a hibiscus that we bring indoors every fall and it had a gorgeous bloom on it a few weeks ago.  I added a few bits from the Studio Calico "Pop Off the Page" class kit.  I am still loving sequins! I also can't get enough of the American Crafts POW glitter paper that I used for the word "hibiscus."

The next page that I created I used a photo of my kitty Sumner laying in front of the fireplace at our cabin in Vermont.  He just LOVES laying there and being all warm and cozy!

I used more of the glitter paper on this page and my Silhouette to cut the title.  

I'm excited to pull out my January kit and see what I can do with it.  I've had it for a few days already, but I've been working on a couple of other projects, so I haven't had the chance to play with it.

Have a great week everyone!

Doors

I seem to take a lot of photos of my husband in front of cool looking doors when we are traveling.  I don't know  when I started, but when I look back through vacation photos, there are always photos of him in front of doors.

 Craig in front of an old barn door at his grandparent's farm when we were on vacation in Wisconsin.

Craig in front of a door in Florence, Italy.  He doesn't always cooperate when I'm taking photos.

In front of a door in Barcelona, Spain (yes, that's a cigar in his mouth - yuck!)

I decided to create a layout with this door vacation photo after looking through my November Studio Calico kit and seeing the woodgrain paper.  There were enough dark colors in the kit to make a masculine layout.  I added the sticker letters from a different kit because they were the perfect color.

The stars were cut out with my Silhouette Cameo with a design from the "Cut it Out" class from Studio Calico.  I used a few wood veneer stars now that I safely have a package on its way to me from Two Peas.  I didn't know how much I would love them!

Have a good week everyone!

September 2012 Studio Calico - Central High

Today I'm sharing all of the layouts that I created with the September Studio Calico kit from the time the kit arrived at my door until the time the October kit arrived.  I only got the main kit this month, Central High.

The first layout I created, "the green muenster" was created for the "Pop off the Page" class Challenge #2.  "The Green Muenster" is the name of a grilled cheese sandwich from a food truck near my work.   It is made with muenster cheese, avocado, and bacon.  I don't know what they do to it, but it is the most fantastic sandwich ever!  I'm obsessed!  (Clearly, since I am scrapbooking it!)

The second layout that I created with the kit was based on a sketch for the Create Magazine for their Sketches Idea Book call.  Here is the sketch:

Here is my layout.  I haven't created a 8.5" X 11" layout in ages - it was kind of fun!  

I also created a card with this kit for the Cards Magazine call for St. Patrick's Day cards.  Not something I would normally do, but the green papers in the kits and the gold sequins gave me an idea.  I kind of hate those sequins, so I'm happy I used them up!

That's all I have for this month!  I wasn't feeling this kit as much as I normally do, and I'm ok with that. October's kit is very promising though!  I've already created a layout I love with it and have ideas for more floating around!

Have a great week everyone!

August 2012 Studio Calico - Summer of 69

It is time again for my monthly re-cap of what I created with my Studio Calico kit in the month before my new kit arrived on my front porch.  

My first layout is a layout celebrating my first scrappy paycheck!  I got my first paycheck from Creating Keepsakes a bit ago and I thought it would be fun to create a layout with it!  (Account information blurred out.)

My next three layouts are all layouts that I created for the Pop Off the Page class over at Studio Calico. The first, "Olivia" was created for weekly challenge #1 - to layer in a confined space.  It was fun to limit the area I was working in!

The next layout is the layout that I created with strips of paper as the background.  I distressed the edges of the papers a bit and stitched them down.   I thought the colors were perfect for the topic of the page!

My last layout from the kit for August was created for the September Crate Color Challenge.  (Actually most of the product on the page wasn't from the SC kit, but three of the items were, so in my mind it counts.)  The color combination for the month is:

Here is the layout I created:

I just got an Iphone two weeks ago and downloaded Instagram as fast as I could.  This is the first photo I took with Instagram.  It is a photo of my layout from above!  

How much did you get done with the August kit?

Have a good week everyone!

  

Laurie's Pond

Laurie's Pond was a pond on my great uncle Laurie's property.  I don't remember much about it except that we swam there occasionally and there was a little cabin there.  I don't have any pictures of my family there except these two pictures of my mom and dad that were probably taken in the late 1960s.  They aren't great photos, but sometimes we don't have perfect photos for a topic that we want to create a layout about.

The denim colored paper in the July Studio Calico kit made me think of pulling these photos out.  The wood veneer birds were perfect, too.  I used the Silhouette for the cattails behind the photo matt.  I used passport Mr. Huey for the misting.

I asked my mom for help with the journaling.  I love seeing what story or memory she comes up with.  Thanks mom!

Have a great week everyone!  

June 2012 Studio Calico - So Cal

I only got two layouts done with June's Studio Calico kit, So Cal.  (I've been averaging about 4-6 this year.)  It is partly that I was away on vacation for a week and partly because I just wasn't feeling the kit - even though I really love the looks of it!  Oh, well, it happens!

The first layout I created was pictures of me, my husband, and my nephew being silly while spending a few days on the Cape.  I though the MME "White Wash" paper was perfect for the background and then just went with the colors from the photos from there.  

I used Mr. Huey to color the American Crafts Thickers and the color was way too bright at first (I think I used sunshine  - possibly orchard?)  I put a layer of Mr. Huey in white over that and the color came out perfectly.

The next layout is of me and my cat, Elliott.  He likes to lay on my chest, peering into my face when I am trying to nap.  I thought this would be a good photo to use as a 12" X12" that is so popular right now.  I printed the photo on American Crafts vanilla cardstock as I didn't have photo paper that large.  

I kept the embellishments pretty simple for this one, using my Silhouette to cut out a few hearts, and coloring the American Crafts Thickers for the title with Mr.  Huey again.

This layout was featured in the Studio Calico So Cal Member Picks video.  It was so fun to see my layout there!  You can see it here along with other great layouts created from So Cal.

That's it for June's Studio Calico kit.  I have July sitting on my desk and already have a few ideas for this one so I hope I have more to share next month.

Have a great week everyone!

Random Fact #1 - I don't ski

I decided quite a while ago that I wanted to start a "Random Fact" series of layouts about myself.  Layouts with little tidbits of information that make me, me. "I don't ski" is my first.  (Yay for finally starting!)

I used the May 2012 Studio Calico kit for this layout and some American Crafts POW glitter paper.  I used charcoal glitter paper for the background and silver for the snowflakes punched with a Martha Stewart punch.

I used the rest of my Heidi Swapp memory file that came in the kit, so my layout has three layers of photos and journaling.  I used the rest of the memory file in my layout here.  When I saw the memory file in the kit, I initially thought that I would have no idea how to make it work on a page.  Now I am in love with the different possibilities of layering on a page!

I also ended up loving the Heidi Swapp mistable letters that were in the Studio Calico kit.  I loved being able to mist them whatever color matched best with my Mr. Huey mists.

So, this layout is about something that despite my best efforts to learn (and owning a ski condo in Vermont!), I just don't do.  I already have a topic chosen for Random Fact #2!

Have a great week everyone!

Do you choose photos or paper first?

This question was asked on a Studio Calico message board over the weekend and I immediately thought of this layout that I recently created.  I had the photo printed in 2008 and I never made a layout with it until I saw this MME paper that came in the May 2012 Studio Calico kit, 35mm.

The photo is of a Christmas tree that we saw in the Cayman  Islands while we were on a cruise there.  The tree was made of driftwood and had a ocean creature theme.  The paper was perfect for the photo and the layout came together really easily after that.  The kit had just the right embellishments and pops of orange and turquoise.

I used a lot new Heidi Swapp on this layout - the banner, the mistable letters and I used part of a memory file.  I wasn't convinced about the memory file at first, but I loved using three of the pages from it to add some dimension and extra room for photos and journaling.  Here's one of the interior pages.

I printed some journaling on patterned paper for the next interior page.  

I also was really surprised that I loved the black and white dotted Bazzill paper that was in the kit.  It is a really thin paper, not like other patterned papers thickness at all.  I discovered that is is perfect to pleat and crumble and I decided that I liked it so much, I bought a few more sheets of it at my LSS.

I find that most of the time, I try to find photos that fit the kit since I am most often times working with the most current kit.  If I have a photo that I want to scrap, I'll look through the photos of kits first and find a kit that fits the photo.  

How do you choose?  Photos or paper first?

Have a great week everyone!