Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Tiny Bird with a Big Song - My Mind's Eye

When I laid my eyes on MME's paper, Songbird, I fell in love with the saying. "I feel like a tiny bird with a big song." It really struck a cord with me because when I got engaged I wanted to shout it from the rooftop. Even now, I can't help but weave wedding plans into any conversation. (I promise that I truly don't mean to. I just happens.) I just feel like I'm bursting with happiness and there's not aren't enough voices to sing it all. In my engagement photos, there was a succession of three photos. The one I loved the most was of me laughing. I know that it wasn't the most flattering of them all, but it really showed how I was feeling: happy, excited, and bursting with energy.



My Mind's Eye - Follow your Heart - Be Happy - Favorite Things, My Mind's Eye - Follow your Heart - Be Happy -  Happy Doily, My Mind's Eye - Follow your Heart - Be Happy - Striped Pink, My Mind's Eye - Follow your Heart - Be Happy - Songbird, The Paper Studio - Spare Parts - Doily Ribbon 3 pk, Spellbinders - Nestablities - Lacey Circles
The journaling reads: I had thought about cancelling our engagement photos because everyone said they were a waste of money. I'm so glad that we went ahead with them. They are so precious to me.

When in doubt, I can always fall back on simple design basics. You can't go wrong with a simple three photo layout with one photo enlarged. Your eyes automatically go to the enlarged image and then can wander equally between the outer two. This also works with color. If you want to draw attention to a specific photo, you can turn all the other photos Black and White and leave only one photo in color. To bring more attention to my center photo, I made sure to only mat that photo with white cardstock.


When I had finished my layout, I realized that I had an uneven page. The cluster at the bottom right seemed to weigh down that side of the paper. So, I knew I had to focus on the top left to even things back out. I cut out the doilies from Happy Doily using just regular scissors and not trying to be too accurate. I just went around the general shape. Then I used the Spellbinders die to cut them out. This gave me a very intricate cut and lots of detail. I placed them in between the papers to show the different layers.

I hope you enjoyed this layout and hopefully it gave you a little inspiration for your own projects. If you haven't already, make sure to follow my blog so you can get updates instantly!

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Lovely. Beautiful. Darling. - My Mind's Eye

I know it might sound strange, but I looked forward to my engagement photos much more than I look forward to my wedding photos. When I look at wedding photos, I can't help but always see them as fairly basic: white dress, tuxes, and only the bridesmaid's dresses to add color. On the other hand, when I look at engagement photos, I see two people who are in love and can't wait to show the world. So, as soon as I got my photos in, I went to work making the light and romantic layouts that I've had planned in my head for months.

My Mind's Eye - Be Happy - Honey Pink, My Mind's Eye - Be Happy - Be You, My Mind's Eye - Be Happy - Favorite Things, My Mind's Eye - Be Happy - Striped Pink, My Mind's Eye - Be Happy - Follow Your Heart layered stickers, Tim Holtz - Tissue Tape - Symphony, Tonic Studios - Tim Holtz - Paper Distresser

I absolutely loved the cluster in the top right corner of 'Be You'. I didn't want to cover it up. So I decided to keep the majority of my page in the bottom left. I began layering with pieces of 'Honey Pink' that I had cut out with an exacto knife. The overwhelming color in the top cluster was pink, so I needed the pink piece to draw your eye down to the bottom of the page. (Believe it or not, your eyes automatically want to play connect the dots when it sees multiple objects of the same color. Cool huh?)


I added a layer of Tim Holtz's Tissue Tape to give a little weight to the background. With all the solids and stripes on a layout, it's nice to mix things up with an intricate pattern (use sparingly). Then, I started layering papers to give a nice background to my photo. I went around 'Favorite Things' with some machine sewing to add to the romantic feeling of the page. On the blue cardstock paper, I went around the edges with Tim Holtz's paper distresser. I like the shabby feeling it gave and when you're using a bunch of papers in a similar tone, it's always a good idea to infuse as much texture as possible. 


I've been looking for a reason to use those wonderful layered stickers on my layouts and this was just the ticket. I added one of the stickers to the bottom of my photo to help ground it down. Lastly, when I looked around my layout I noticed a lot of white space to the right of my photo that was oh-so-conveniently lined for my journaling. The scrapbook queens must have known I'd need it. 


The journaling reads: 
I absolutely love
 this man. 
He sees all my faults 
and simply smiles 
at them.
He is my constant.
He is my comfort.
When I look
at him, the
weight of the world is
off my shoulders
and I am home. 

I hope everyone enjoyed this. I've been going crazy with anticipation for my photos and I hope this layout does the picture justice. Make sure to stop by again soon!

Friday, June 15, 2012

My Hometown - October Afternoon

A long time ago, I entered this little canvas tag mini album to be published. I wasn't able to post it because they specifically asked that it be something that has not been viewed before. After 1 year, I never heard anything back. So, I guess it's safe to show now. I have to say, this will probably be my favorite mini album for a while.




I made this mini album all about my hometown. Every year it changes and looks so different. I thought it would be a great idea to document it so I can show my children one day. The canvas tag mini album was just the thing because it's so fun and homey. I absolutely love October Afternoon because of their wonderful colors and retro feel. You can use it to scrap a two year old child or a 90 year old woman. It's perfect for just about anything.


This was my childhood home. It was sold two years ago, so I definitely wanted to scrap a picture of it before the new homeowners changed anything. The fabric of the mini album canvas tags didn't want to stick with any glue I used, so I used my sewing machine to attach a background piece of paper. Then I was able to layer on just like a regular layout page.


This is my high school. I'm a little upset that I didn't get a picture sooner. The high school recently had an upgrade and additions on the front so it already looks so different from what I remember. The apple on the right was an image that I cut out of one of the papers. I glued it inside a vintage red button and filled it up with glossy accents. I actually have to pat myself on the back for the little pennant on the right. This mini album was made before pennant flags were a big thing. I had to use a kitchen toothpick!


This is my family's business. This is the most important to me because this is my heritage. My grandfather started this business all by his self and it has been passed down to my father. I loved the little dog image and I found a button that looked like a little ball for him to play with.


I hope you enjoyed this mini album. I wish that I was able to share it with you when the 5 and dime collection was new, but hopefully you'll enjoy it just the same. : )


Thursday, June 14, 2012

October Afternoon - Father's Day Card



Life has definitely been a whirlwind experience lately: wedding plans, new puppy stuff, moving and then not moving (long story). I've been so tired that I've lost my scrapbooking mojo. But now I'm back and ready to go!

What better way than to kick off with a Father's Day card? Father's Day is this Sunday and I know how difficult it can be to make a 'male approved' card. It's normally my hardest subject. But I've found that if you just follow a couple of simple rules you'll be fine.

1. Guys are just fine without flowers and ribbons. I know that you can put that stuff on a guy's card, but why? Guys don't notice that kind of stuff so why waste your cute stash?

2. Base your card around a masculine color. Guys like things that are obviously meant for guys. Ever notice what the guy's side of the shampoo isle looks like? Black, white, grey or brown with a splash of color just for a punch...and that's it!

3. Just keep it simple. All these rules boil down to a basic principle..simplicity. Trust me, he'll zone in on the fact that you took the time to make him a card but that's it. He won't know that it took you an hour to hand make those delicate roses or that you had to coat the card with three different colors of mists to get the perfect shade. Give yourself some credit and relax!

October Afternoon - Farmhouse Collection - Button Box, October Afternoon - Farmhouse Collection - Church Social, October Afternoon - Farmhouse Collection - Guest Room, October Afternoon - Farmhouse Collection - Farmhouse Word Stickers

Now, on to my card. I dug out some of my October Afternoon scraps (which is taking over my scrap space) and instantly set my eyes on their Button Box paper with the male image above. I cut it out with a pair of scissors and backed it with some corrugated cardboard. For my background papers, I used Church Social and Guest Room with the complimentary colors yellow and blue. Add a couple of cute sticker embellies from their word stickers and viola! Simple and non-frilly, perfect for any guy of any age.

When it came down to an envelope for my card, I started to make one out of plain cardstock until I spotted the brown paper bags that I keep stashed for mini albums. It just happened to be a perfect fit. So I cut off the bottom and ran it through my sewing machine. I think it looks so cute and it reminds me of the old movies where the mothers always 'brown bagged' their children's lunches. I think the envelope is my favorite part!

Hope you all enjoyed this and I hope it helps to get your mojo going. If you haven't already, make sure to click the 'follow this site' button on the right or follow me by email. I promise you won't receive any spam junk from me.