Playing With Paper!!

Pinterest inspired!

I love Pinterest - I know I have a small addiction.  Pinterest has become my favorite place to turn for inspiration.  As I have been searching Pinterest for ideas for redecorating my office, I've found several different ways folks have used the word "create" to decorate a craft space.  I couldn't wait to come up with my own "creative" way to decorate my space.  Let me know what you think:

I found the letters at Joann's, covered them with patterned paper or Washi tape & added a bit of embellishment.  The curtain rod I salvaged from out family room make-over.  In order to hang the letters, I used brads and ribbon.  I LOVE how this turned out!  And I think it looks great against my red walls!  What do you think?

Oh my poor, sad, neglected blog...

I've worked on lots of layouts and cards to post here.  I've even taken pictures and downloaded them ready to post.  But no post since October!!!  I don't know where the time has gone but here it is January and I my blog.  So I am determined to get back in to blogging!

First an update on my office - I am almost done (pictures to follow).  I love the way it's all coming together.  It's like a whole new space!  The painting is done and I got some new furniture but I'm still working on the walls.  I love the decorating part - it's the best.

Below is one of my favorite new layouts:

 

I took the photos last spring while we were on the Cape opening my in-laws summer home.  Sunsets on the Cape are always a great photo opportunity!  The patterned paper is by Graphic 45 - love their paper lines!!  My favorite embellishment is the key.  I bought it at Michaels a while ago for less the $1.00.  I love how the flowers, doily and the key all work together to create a beautiful embellishment.  I never get tired of flowers on my layouts and adding a doily just makes them pop!!!

Rainy day scrapbooking!!

It is a rainy day here in NJ - perfect weather for working in my scrap room!  I think I'm going to work on a layout & maybe start sewing my valances for my windows.  For whatever reason, rain always makes me super productive!!

Below is a layout I created for my son & his new glasses.  The embellishments are from Jolee.  I bought these a while back and knew I'd find a use for them.  And when my son got glasses I couldn't wait to create a layout!!  Nothing like finding an embellishment knowing the right layout is waiting to be created!

The patterned paper is from Doodlebug.  The title for my layout comes from Scrapper's Soup by Cheryl Bradbury.   A super fun layout for my super sweet boy!!

Have a wonderful day!!

Well this layout took forever!

I started working on this layout last Monday.  But life kept getting in my way.  Finally last night I was able to put the finishing touches on - wanna see?

The pictures are from last Christmas.  Our home has 2 decks - a big one & a little one.  I have always wanted to put a Christmas tree up on the little deck and this year my husband suprised me by putting one up.  And then on Christmas Eve (when we got home from church) our neighbors had left us presents under the tree!!  It was so great!

I used patterned paper and title stickers  from October Afternoon.  The gold tags are from SU! (they are super old).  Super simple layout - very merry and cheery though - don't you think?

Sunset

One of our favorite things to do on Cape Cod is watch the sun set.  We walk down to the beach, wine in hand and wait for the magic to happen.  Although I have hundreds of pictures from sunsets in years past, I always take more!  The layout below is from last 4th of July:

I followed a sketch I found on the Pagemaps blog (January 2013) as inspiration.  The patterned paper is from Echo Park and I think it works perfect with the photos.  The embellishments are from Me & My Big Ideas.  And I used my Cricut to create the banner for the title.  Here's a close up:

 

 I just can't seem to get enough of banners lately - they are addicting!!

In the Band!

I had a wonderful time on Saturday at my crop!!  I got a few pages done and (more importantly) relaxed with friends.  One of those days I didn't want to end.  The first layout I completed is for my daughter's school album - the photos are from her first Middle School concert:

 I LOVE this patterned paper from Crate Paper and thought it worked well with the pictures.  For inspiration I used a sketch from PageMaps (January 2013).  Since I have about a million doilies I decided to add one to the page with some flowers (Prima) and buttons.  Here's a closer look:

They are hard to see in the picture but there are also little heart stick pins in the center of the flowers. For the title I used Thickers and chipboard by Tim Holtz.  

I can't believe it's the start of another week - time flies when your having scrappin fun!!

Ahhhh...Friday!

For what ever reason, this week has dragged!  I am so glad it is Friday.  I recently discovered a new (to me) sketch blog: 4x6photosketchblog.blogspot.com.  I love the fact that the blog focuses on 4x6 photos and places several photos per layout.  And they have 2 page layouts!!  It is a perfect match for me. 

I was looking for some inspiration the other day and came across a sketch from February 8, 2013 and thought it would work perfect for my photos.  Here's the original layout:

 And here's what I did with the sketch:

The photos are from my daughter's graduation last spring.  The patterned paper is from SU!.  I pretty much followed the sketch exactly and am really pleased with how it turned out.  I sewed the flowers by using a template from Bazzill and embroidery thread.  I used my Cricut to create the title.  

I am so excited for this weekend.  My sister and I are going to a crop tomorrow!!!  What are your scrappy, weekend plans??

Just when I think I am caught up...

I need to figure out a way to organize my photos.  I keep coming across pictures and events I need to scrapbook.  I recently realized I hadn't scrapped either of my daughters graduation from last spring - both pretty big events I don't want to forget to include in the family album!!  Here is the layout I created for my daughter Grace's Moving Up Ceremony:

The patterned paper is from Pine Cone Press - I found it at Paper Anthology (thank you Michelle!). The paper is themed for Valentine's Day but I like the way it looked with my pictures.  The paper has some black accents that I thought was a nice compliment to the black in Grace's dress.  To add a little extra to the layout, I added the circles (some lay flat against the page while others are "popped" with foam dots).  I am super pleased with this layout - super sweet just like my Gracie!!!

 

 

More to share...

Do you mind if I share more pictures of the mini album I created?  Here's the next 2 pages:

 The top page flips up for more pictures:

This photo is of Grace when she was about 4-the beginning of her love of fashion.  The sailor dress was her favorite and she wore it all the time.

The next pages in the book are super simple:

I created the little dress embellishment using a chipboard dress from Maya Road - super sweet.

Another page looks like this:

A 1/2 pocket for pictures and another place for a full photo.  To finish the book, this is what I did:

Another tag and another hidden pocket for photos.  I ordered more pictures to include in the book and can't wait to get them.  I hope to take another trip to Paper Anthology this weekend to buy another mini album like this one - I can't wait to put another book together!!

For the Record

I am a huge fan of Echo Park (as evident of my paper stash!).  I bought For the Record I & II right after Christmas and have been playing with both paper kits but I was inspired to create a mini album for one of my daughters and knew For the Record was a perfect match!  

This is the cover of my book:

I love how it turned out.  I love the knob (it is from Tim Holtz).  I purchased it at Paper Anthology.  I have wanted to do something with a knob for a while and I love how it looks on the front of my album. The little black file folder is really old - I don't even remember where I got it from.  I used the dress form sticker because this album will be all about my daughter and her love of fashion.

Here's the first page:

I am going to journal on the top portion - explain the thinking behind the book.  The bottom page contains a pocket and the card stock pulls out for a photo.  I really love the little butterfly on the pocket - it is by Pebbles.

And the next page looks like this:

 These 2 pages are super simple but work nicely with the book.  The next page is a bit more detailed:

I love tags so I had to incorporate one into my book.  I'm not sure if I will put a photo on it or journaling but I like the way it looks.  The bottom page is a side pocket that can be pulled out for another photo.

I have more picture to share which I will do tomorrow.  Thanks for checking out my book.  Now, I have a question for you - if you have a bind it all let me know what you think of it.  I am getting addicted to making mini albums and I am wondering if the investiment in a bind it all is worth it??

Have a great day!!