Tuesday, May 13, 2008

* excited * ...

I got some great news when I checked my e-mail this morning!!! *does happy dance* I'm just waiting for the "official" okay to post here and then I will share my exciting news... :)

Things have changed since I first started scrapping. I *always* scrapped 12x12 layouts and I *always* did double layouts. About ...oh I don't know...a year and a half ago or so, I changed it completely. European A4 format and single layouts. And I have never looked back. I feel so much happier with what I create this way. :)

So here's an exception to my current scrapping style. I had lots of photos from my sister's apartment and didn't want them over too many layouts, so I decided to print them quite small and make a double layout:

Supplies: Bazzill cardstock, Scenic Route papers, Heidi Swapp chipboard letters, Autumn Leaves stamps plus some buttons, ric rac etc.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Digital Scrapping...

Today was the next major task in the digital scrapping course that I'm taking by Jessica Sprague. I was really looking forward to the class layout since there's only one major project each week (on Mondays). This is what I ended up with:

I have no idea about the supplies as I just used what you were supposed to use for the class (and done what I was supposed to do). The only thing that I did differently was to change the colour of the brush over the left photo to white (as the suggested orange didn't stand out at all on my photo) and added a few flowers beneath the journaling.

And while I was playing around with learning digi scrapping anyway, I got out a template by Amy Martin (available at the Lilypad) and the same dog kit by Mindy Terasawa (Designer Digitals) that I used yesterday and had a play:

This layout is a lot more "my style" as opposed to the class layout where you just have to follow the class and learn, making a layout whether it's what you'd "normally scrap" or not :)

Sunday, May 11, 2008

The Cutest Dogs...

Talking about NSD sales from last weekend, I got this super cute dog kit called "Dog Gone Cute" by Mindy Terasawa (available at Designer Digitals) which I have been playing with over the weekend.

Ross loves dogs and when we got some new books just before the weekend, he asked me if I could make him a bookmark. Bookmark request+cute dog kit=the perfect idea! :) So I started playing around with the dog kit and came up with this hybrid bookmark:

And once I got playing I just couldn't stop there so I made a hybrid card using the kit too :)

Saturday, May 10, 2008

It's Done...

I finished my Maya Road bird album. Yay :)

I bought quite a few digital kits at some of the NSD sales last weekend. One of them was this cool bird kit by Emily Merritt (called "Lovebirds") which fit the Maya Road bird album perfectly. So that was the best solution to what to do with an otherwise quite awkward (but super cute!!) shaped album.

Front and back pages:

Since the album has 8 pieces of chipboard...making 16 pages, I decided to split it into two. I have made this album using 4 of the pieces so it has 8 pages in total. The rest of the chipboard pieces will be saved for some future project.

Hrm...what else did I use for the book? My black Slick Writer was perfect of course, some Queen & Co felt shapes, Cloud Nine raindots eyelets, Maya Road Stamps, Making Memories epoxy shapes etc etc.

Inside pages:

Friday, May 09, 2008

Album In Progress...

It's Friday. And weekend soon. Yay! :)

Didn't get any scrapping done yesterday but today I have been working on my Maya Road bird album...

That's the "work in progress" so far. LOL! I hope to finish it off later this afternoon or tomorrow morning so I can post the finished pages here sometime tomorrow (Saturday). :)

Oh and I need to say a quick: "Hej och tack för kommentaren som du lämnade. Så kul att läsa svenska!" to Boel who left me a comment in Swedish yesterday - made me smile :)

I'm sure there was something else I intended to post about too...but I really can't remember LOL. So I better get back to my bird album or there will be no finished photos to show you tomorrow :)

Have a great weekend everyone :)

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Birds And...Eh...Christmas...

This Maya Road bird shaped chipboard album has been lying in my bookshelf since...well, Christmas I think. I think I got it in a Christmas swap as I'm pretty sure I have not bought it myself. I love it, but I have been stuck for how to use it (thinking: lots of awkward cutting, how do you deal with photos etc). But I think I might be onto something finally and today I hope to work a little on this :)

If you're following my on-line digital course that I'm taking, we got a midweek assignment today. Yay - fun and play! Following the assignment to the dot, this was my result (again a page that is not really my usual style - but hey, I'm learning so I'm going to do as I'm told):

Or at least *kinda* do as I'm told...LOL! Since I had used a photo that was taken on Christmas Eve, I really couldn't resist adding something more to it. I bought this cute Christmas kit by Mindy Terasawa at the NSD sales over the weekend so I had a little play:

Okay off to see what I can do with these little birds...

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Having Fun With The Course...

Yesterday was the first day of the PSE/digital scrapping on-line course which I'm taking with Jessica Sprague. I can't tell you how good the tutorials are - really, just super! I know that I do a lot of hybrid things, but I have never really ventured into digital scrapping before so I thought I'd better start with the "beginner's class". Having done the first lesson, I realise that maybe I have made a mistake. Maybe I have under estimated what I have learnt through hybrid and I really should have gone for the "intermediate" class instead. 95% of the lesson yesterday I knew and only 5% was something new I learnt. But oh well, you live and you learn. And I really can not say enough just *how* great the tutorials are :)

So what did I learn? Well I made my first layout featuring a photo of my little niece. This is a layout following the class, using the supplies we got to download etc (so not my normal style LOL!):

But I couldn't just leave it there. I had bought some digital kits at some of the great NSD (National Scrapbooking Day) sales over the weekend and I just couldn't resist adding some super cute monkeys by Mindy Terasawa:


We have smaller tasks for the next few days and then another big layout class next Monday - can't wait :)

Monday, May 05, 2008

Excited...

So excited today as the Photoshop Elements/Digital course that I signed up for by Jessica Sprague starts today! Can't wait to have some fun :)

Layout supplies: old KI Memories Christmas papers, Heidi Swapp chipboard heart, Creative Cafe journaling stickers, American Crafts Thickers alphabets plus some doodling.

Sunday, May 04, 2008

"My Sis" Layout Class

Please feel free to use these instructions to make your own layout. You are free to link to this page from any forum etc if you wish. Please do NOT copy this information and/or photos to use for your own classes/forums/webpages without permission.

Supplies needed:
KI Memories – Pop Culture – Bombshell
KI Memories – Pop Culture – Bedazzle
KI Memories – Pop Culture – Fruit Stripe
KI Memories – Pop Culture – Lava Lamp
KI Memories – Pop Culture – Jacks
KI Memories – Pop Culture – Multi Chip Shapes
KI Memories – Pop Culture – Round Buttons
Collage Press – “Official Record” stamp set
White cardstock
American Crafts – Thickers – Latte, Foam, Black
American Crafts – Thickers – Prancer, Chipboard, Red

Also needed:
Glue (I use Herma removable)
Black journaling pen
Black embroidery thread
Three small clear jewels (optional)
Charcoal Chalk Inkpad (optional)
Scrap piece of lime/green cardstock

Start by cutting your white cardstock to size. I scrap in true A4 size, so I cut mine to 29,7x21 centimetres (cm). Please feel free to adapt to another layout size if you prefer.

Pick your photo. I’m using a standard 15x10 cm (6x4) photo in a portrait format. If you’re working on a bigger sized layout (say 12x12) then a larger photo would work great.

We will start off by making the paper flowers in the lower right corner. Use the backside (green) of the “Jacks” paper and cut yourself two strips to form the flower stems. Mine are 1x18 cm and 1x13 cm. Then cut yourself lots of little strips of the different patterned papers – again, mine are about a centimetre wide. You can make these as long or short as you like. Mine are 4,5 cm for the larger flower and 3,5 cm for the smaller flower. If you want to ink the edges, do that now.

Let’s put the flowers together. I have drawn some little black lines along the sides of the stems. Then I start by gluing each “petal” in place. Keep building up until you’re happy with the result. Thread some black embroidery thread though the holes on your two soft charm buttons and place them in the centre of the flowers. Cut off any “petals” that overlap the edge of your layout.

Cut a 14x9 cm piece from the “Bombshell” paper and ink the edges. Cut a stip of the “Fruit Stripe” paper (1x13 cm) and ink the edges of this too. Place the red paper piece level with the left edge of the layout and approx 2 cm from the bottom. Attach your photo and then attach the striped piece of paper from the bottom of your layout and overlapping the edge of your photo.

Add the photo corner to the top right corner of the photo. Use the “photo identification” stamp on your lime cardstock. Cut out, ripping the bottom side, and edge with ink. Attach onto layout (see photo below for placement).

Finish off by adding your title using the two Thickers alphabets (use the three jewels on top of one of the letters if you wish). Add the little black and white soft flower charm on top of the striped paper piece and use your pen to make “faux stitching” (small black lines) along the edges of the layout.

I hope you enjoyed my class! Wishing you lots of fun creating your own version!

Saturday, May 03, 2008

Happy NSD...

Happy National Scrapping Day!!! :)

Are you having anything fun planned today? Funnily enough I don't think I'll be doing any scrapping today but I will be checking out a few on-line digital stores that are having huge NSD sales ;)

About a month ago I was sent a NSD kit by Jackie at Make The Moment Last. She asked if I could quickly create some simple layouts for NSD. She even asked if maybe I could do one that was 12x12. Aaaah! I haven't scrapped 12x12 in like....eh...uhm 2 years or something. Challenge :) So out came the cardstock (wow did it feel big LOL!) and here is what I came up with using the kit and not much more: