Making titles more interesting

At a recent scrapnight, my friend Kerrie (visit her over at Scrappy Happening) said that her layouts were looking like my style. That got me thinking about what defined my style. Interesting titles is one of the things that I came up with. Since I'm an English teacher I like my titles to be witty, clever and to the point. Also, I love to use multiple fonts on my titles. It is an easy way to emphasize the main word or words. It helps me to use more of my markers, letter stickers, and stamps. It also helps me to fit my title into the space I have - even if it is long.

I went  back through layouts from the last year and found lots of examples of titles that fit this description. 

One of my favorite techniques is to use stickers or stamps for the main word and use a handwritten script for the supporting words.

Sometimes handwriting doesn't work for the subject, but I still want the interest of varied fonts.Using two different stamped alphabets works well.

Or mixing stamps with stickers, chipboard or die cuts. 

Sometimes I want the effect of multiple fonts and colors, but I don't want to use stamps (or I don't have enough letters for the whole title) then I use stickers, die cuts, chipboard, you name it!

  

I like the way mixed titles look. They fit with my style of scrapbooking. And they help me to make a dent in my stash of stickers, die cuts stamps.

What about you? Do you have a signature title style? I'd love to hear your suggestions!

What I love right now

1. One dollar paper packs - if I can see the patterns before I buy. I can get a lot of bang for my buck! All the pattern paper in these layouts is from one pack!

2. Pop dots. I love the dimension that they add to a layout - any layout!

               
3. Star accents. Stamped, chipboard, brads, you name it, I love it!

 
4. Stamping. For pattern paper, accents, borders, you name it! I'm not just using my alphabets anymore!

 What do you love right now?

Confessions and Dreams

Confession time: I create pages about myself. Quite a few of them really. Most of them aren't event pages. They're pages where I try to explore for myself and share with others something about this person who is me. I even take pictures of myself periodically so that I have photos ready when I want to do a layout like this.

"Dreams" is a perfect example of such a layout. I'm starting many new endeavors related to scrapbooking recently: I started this blog, I was selected for the Paper Thrills design team and I became a Close to My Heart consultant. I have been pondering all these different but related developments and trying to figure out how they fit into my already busy life. What I really want, I am becoming aware, is to teach scrapbooking. This realization lead to this layout:

I used the May 15 sketch from Once Upon a...Sketch.

Let me just say again that I love this particular challenge blog because the journaling is part of the challenge every time. This time the challenge was to use typed journaling. I have easy access to a computer, but getting to a printer requires a bit more effort. Because of this, I tend to shy away from computer journaling, even though I always like it when I see it on layouts. I loved the way it worked here. I had lots to say about my dream of teaching scrapbooking. Since I typed my journaling strips, I didn't have to pare down my words or use hidden journaling; it all fit!


Notice the photos? Remember I said I plan ahead so that I have pictures of myself when I want to do a layout like this? These two photos are some I took on my birthday last year. I printed lots of the ones I didn't hate so that I can use them on multiple layouts. 

There it is my confession and a dream. Do you have any scrapbook confessions? Any scrapbook dreams right now?

What's going on Wednesday

What's going on? Check out a sneak peek:

Okay, it's up now! Head over to Paper Thrills to see the new challenge and my full layout! While you're at it, why not play along? I can't wait to see what you'll create!

How my scrapdesk saves me

Here's a quick card I put together for my hubby to celebrate our anniversary.

I'm pretty pleased with the way it turned out and it did come together quickly.

Wait, you're thinking. This is supposed to be about a desk, not a card. Here's the connection:
I know I said before that I don't really like to make cards. That is still true, but my scrapdesk is helping me see the beauty of a hand-made card. I sat down at my desk today and used only scraps of paper (and one little piece of ribbon) to put this card together quickly while my kids played because I had all my supplies right at my desk. (Some were even left on the desk from the project I worked on this weekend.)

I don't have a separate room for my scrapbooking. I have a nice sized desk in our family room, and it works well for me. I'll admit it is often messy - covered not only with scrapbooking supplies, but with dress up hats, Little People and game pieces. It also doubles as a home workspace so certain weeks of the year it is covered with essays and student projects instead of card stock and adhesive. But these are some of the reasons that it works for me. I can put together a card while my kids play ball. I can take a break from my work to journal on a layout. I can finish a project one step at a time over the course of multiple days. In all these ways my desk enables my creative side to interact with the other parts of my life. I know that I am saner because of it, my family is happier because of it.

Today my desk saved me. It saved me time. It saved me headaches. It saved me money. Not bad work for an afternoon!

Crop layouts...finally

It has taken me all week, but here are the layouts from last Saturday's crop, finally. (I had progress reports due at school this week and they took more time than I had thought they would.)

I started out with some layouts of my son's birthday last year:

All those patterned papers were from a one dollar kit that I found at Target two days before the crop (new products!)

One more from the boy's birthday:

A couple of my surprise birthday celebration 5 years ago (photos I've been avoiding).

 

No purchased patterned paper on this layout. One make and take at the crop was to make your own paper using Close To My Heart stamps. Here's a close up of my papers.

Another layout about my birthday. I completed most of this layout a year and a half ago at a workshop, but hadn't found perfect photos or finished it yet. (another project I've been avoiding.)

I've been waiting to do this layout of my son's first haircut because I always seemed to have either the hair or the photos. Finally, on Saturday I had them both together!

A quick one of my cute little nephew.

And one of my kiddos at the park last summer:

And number 14 - squeezed in at the end of the night. A layout using scraps and stickers left over from a Stampin' Up make and take.

So I managed to achieve all of my goals. I did 14 pages, used some new products (although not the kit) and completed some layouts I've been avoiding!

All in all a successful day!

Off to an all day crop!

What's on your Saturday agenda? Anything scrappy? I am blessed to be attending an all-day crop organized by my friends at Crop N Time. I'm have been looking forward all week to a day surrounded by paper, flowers, stamps, punches, good friends and of course some good food.

My goals for the day are:
    to complete at least 10 pages
                (I would love to do 14)
    to use some new products
               (including a new prize package from Scrapbooking from the Inside Out)
    to actually complete layouts that I have been avoiding
               (so that I can record the memories before I forget them!)

Hopefully, as you're reading this I'm working toward these goals. I know I will get more done simply because I typed them out!

What are your scrappy goals this weekend?