A hoarder's creative use of scraps - Xmas pjs

I'm a papercrafter, and I'm also a hoarder. I know some of you may be with me on this. I have a very hard time throwing scraps away. My problem has only gotten worse since I began cutting for workshops. Now I often have scraps already cut into useful sizes and off cuts from my Cricut sitting right on my desk. Sometimes I get inspired and turn them into a layout. This is one such layout.

The full page of cut out circles was the original inspiration for this layout. I completed the background before I had any idea what the design would be like (unusual for me.) In addition to the circle background, I used scraps of Frosted B&T and Crystal Blue cardstock to "fill in" some of the circles. The only piece that started out as a whole 12X12 was base page.

I feel very frugal when I use scraps like this. It is not as if I don't have other paper, but it feels good not to waste the bits and pieces as well as the time I spent cutting them. I stamped the title on a clear frame using pigment ink. (I then let it dry for about two days.)

Because the background was quite involved and eye-catching, I kept my embellishments to a minimum. I used some buttons, flax and ribbon in three different places on the layout to create a visual triangle.

If you have been following me very long, you know that the story telling aspect of scrapbooking is very important to me. I had many snipits to include on this layout rather than one long story. It turned out, I had just enough snipits to fill all but one of the Crystal Blue circles. To continue the pattern, I included the year in the final circle above the photo.




On this layout, I think my hoarding paid off, but there are still more scraps on my desk. It is a good thing there are still more stories to tell!

What do you do with your scraps? Are you a hoarder? Do you organize? Or do you throw them away?

Designing a Four-Page Layout

Earlier this week I shared a four-page layout I created using a the Sarita paper pack and a True Fit Folio. Today, I want to share some of my thoughts about designing in this four-page format. When I design a layout with a folio, I turn the pages lots. I consider how the page will look with the folio open and with it closed. I think about my canvas as a two page layout (closed) and a three page layout (open).

As I turn the pages, I make similar design choices to those I would with any multiple page layout. I try to use similar organization - in this case photos grouped mostly in the center of the page with cardstock and pattern paper covering much of the base page. I try to include the same papers on each page of the layout - although in different proportions to keep it interesting. On each page in this layout I used two different pattern papers - the Outdoor Denim and Lagoon pattern and the multicolored textured pattern. I also used two colors of cardstock - Outdoor Denim and Gypsy.  I try to include the same types of embellishments on each page of the layout - although I vary the size and placement. On this layout I used mostly stamped embellishments and Lagoon washi tape. In short, I try to use similar elements to create unity over all four pages.

The left page - always visible.
I included the title here so that it would be a part of the layout open or closed. I used a photo that encapsulated the theme of the layout and one photo of each of my kids. This page gives the main idea of the layout.

Elements that will repeat:
Title and many accents stamped in Gypsy ink
Small starbursts in Goldrush ink
Washi tape stamped on Gypsy cardstock.

Notice all four papers on top of the base page.

Right page - visible when closed.

I used a couple of my favorite photos here since this page will be visible on first viewing the layout.

Repeating elements:
Word accents stamped in Gypsy ink
Stamped image in Goldrush ink near the bottom
Washi tape stamped on Gypsy cardstock.

Inside page top - visible above and to the right when Folio open.

The photos here focus on one event - the first gift of the season. The journaling on this page tells that story as well.

Repeating elements:
Word accents stamped in Gypsy ink
Washi tape stamped on Gypsy cardstock
Notice, there is no Goldrush stamping here except for the washi. This page just got too full. Although I set out to include these elements on each page of this layout, this exclusion doesn't bother me because there are so many other repeating elements.

Inside page bottom - visible next to left page when Folio open.

The photos here cover a range of events from the season. This collection of photos may seem random on its own, but combined with the other three pages, it works to tell the story.

Repeating elements:
Word accents stamped in Gypsy ink
Washi tape stamped on Gypsy cardstock

Notice, I broke my stamping pattern again using Outdoor Denim for the ornament accents. This was purely a practical choice. It was the only color that would show up on the dark pattern paper!

The Folio and coordinating products allowed me to create one unified layout that tells the story of our entire Advent season using 12 photos.

How do you record seasonal memories? What about events with many photos? 

Paper Trail Blog Hop with Sarita

Happy New Year and welcome to the Paper Trail Blog Hop! This month we are hopping along with Sarita. You may have arrived here from Betsy's blog, but if not, don't worry our hop is circular. Toady, I have one layout made up of four pages to share. One layout made up of four pages? How? I used a True Fit Folio - a 12X12 folder - to create an interactive page. 

Here is the main part of my layout - what you would see when you turned the page in the album.

And here are the other two pages hidden behind the right hand page above. 

I love the number of photos I can include in one layout with a True Fit Folio. The colors of Sarita reminded me of Advent - we use purple, blue and pink in our church. With the True Fit Folio and Sarita papers, I was able to capture many moments from our Advent season.

And here are some details. The title using the retired Cocktail alphabet.

I stamped in colors that coordinated with the paper pack - Gypsy, Goldrush, Outdoor Denim, Lagoon and Cotton Candy. In addition to the Lagoon washi tape, I used the hostess rewards stamp set Washi Wonder to embellish this layout.


The only embellishments I used on this layout were stamps. I feld that there was enough going on with the patterns of the paper, number of photos and variety of washi tapes.








Since my layout focused on the Advent season, I used some holiday stamps as accents.










Thank you so much for stopping by! If you would like to read more about creating with True Fit Folios, stop back on Friday. I'll be sharing some of my thought process when creating this four page layout. Until then, I hope you'll continue on to Lynn's blog; I'm sure you'll love what she has created.

We Write in Cookbooks

Another day, another challenge. I love having time to create pages and share them! This is the current color challenge over at Color Me Scrappy. The twist was to highlight food in some way.

 

There is a story I've been meaning to tell for almost two years now about my daughter and cookbooks and it seemed to fit the bill.

*Note: The winter daylight here has distorted the colors of my layout a bit. In person they look much more like the challenge colors, really!

In addition to recording a story and participating in a challenge, I got the chance to use my new Cricut Expression 2 and the CMTH Artbooking cartridge. In fact, I used only cardstock on this layout!

I am so glad I finally recorded this story. Thanks for the challenge and the inspiration!

A little Sparkle and Shine

Sparkle and Shine - I love this paper pack! I'm sad it's only available through the end of this month (12/31 that is!) I am not ready to say goodbye to Christmas yet, and I have more Christmas photos to scrapbook. I may have to order another pack in the next two days.
This is the layout my club created in December.

Did you notice the fun ornaments on the page? I used the Trim the Tree stamp set and also the Sparkle Holiday Shapes  also from the holiday gift guide. I love the way the Cricut cut ornaments get added pop from the sparkle.


Remember, all of the products from the holiday gift guide are only available through December 31. Shop my site or contact me to get your own before then!

I am a teacher

A couple of weeks off from school with plans that mostly involve hanging out around the house has led to some fun layouts! Even better, I'm home in the daylight right now to photograph them! I'm thrilled to be playing along with Stuck?! sketches this month! Check out this fun sketch:

This sketch worked perfectly with my current school photo to tell a story that occurred to me while doing holiday baking with my kids.

The journaling reads: I am a teacher in the classroom - but also in the kitchen, craftroom, grocery story. Teaching is part of who I am; it is how I approach others and the world.

For me scrapbooking is, at its heart, about recording stories. Although this journaling is brief, it captures an integral part of my personality, something I need to be reminded of and that I hope my kids will remember as well.

This layout seemed to come together on its own. I had some pieces that I had cut while playing with CTMH's Artbooking Cricut cartridge in the fall. They seemed to fit well with the story I discovered while baking. A school picture was just the right evidence for the story. Thanks, Stuck?!, for the sketch that provided a perfect canvas for this layout!

There is a Proplayer on the Paper Trail!

Welcome to the Paper Trail blog hop! This month we're hopping along with Proplayer. If you've arrived here from Linda's blog, you're on the right track. If this is your first stop, don't worry - our hop is circular!

I love the colors of this paper! Ruby and Pacifica are such vibrant colors and they are fun to work with! I have to confess, however, my kids are young and therefore aren't really into video games. I wasn't sure how these papers would work for me, but when I started creating, I loved what I came up with!

I apologize in advance for the quality of my photos. Hopefully the sun will be out tomorrow and I'll be able to share new ones.

The colors of this paper were perfect for some photos of kids at play -both with the clothes and the playground. When I used the patterns in small bits, I found that they seemed more geometric and less game specific. I used embellishments from the Proplayer assortment, Slate Polka Dot Washi Tape, a frame from Dimensional Elements Snapshots and arrow stamps. I liked the way the circular embellishments mimicked the patterns in the paper and the arrows focused attention on the important parts of the page as well as showing movement - as the photos of the kids do!

I decided to emphasize the geometric nature of the patterns again in this layout. (It is nice that the people I photograph wear so much blue!) Notice, I used round embellishments - here it was Durables Round Studs - and arrows - here made from the Ruby paper - just as I did in the previous layout. The materials and theme were largely the same. This is one of my biggest tips in scrapbooking - when you find something that works, use it and use it again!












Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you'll be back in the next few weeks to see some more fun projects. Now head over to Amy's blog to see what she has created - she is a pro, you know!