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Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Nook U - Botany 101

The very flowery, bling loving, sweet Camilla's class, Botany 101,  featured the use of... you guessed it... flowers.  The assignment was to use a minimum of 5 flowers, with at least 2 different kinds (different sizes of the same flower did not count) and 2 different colours.

I had the perfect photo for this assignment that I have been waiting to scrap for some time.  This challenge proved perfectly suited to this photo.

Supplies: Flowers(Prima, Making Memories, PSX), CS green (Core'dinations), CS white (CTMH), fabric letters (American Crafts), jewels (SandyLion), pen (Creative Memories), Font (Angelina)

I kept the design graphic and simple to keep the focus on the photo.  My flower choices, as you can see, were based on the colour of flower petals in the photo.  I ended up using 18 flowers with 5 different kinds in 5 different colours.  I used Core'dinations embossed cardstock and lightly sanded the centre area of my cut piece to slightly bring out the embossed pattern.  I love, love, love how this turned out!

TTFN!

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Crate Paper Sketch Challenge

I am lovin' the Nook September Kit featuring Crate Paper's Restoration collection.  I took this really fun photo of my daughter and mother-in-law when I came home from work one day.  The photo and the colours in the photo really suit the Restoration collection well.  I used the Crate Paper's blog September Sketch which I turned side ways to the left.

Supplies: PP, chipboard stickers, die cut stickers (Crate Paper), glitter chipboard letters (K and Company), puffy letters (American Crafts), jewels and flourish (Prima), jewel bracket (CTMH), border punch (Stampin' Up), marker (Sharpie), blk pen, Creative Memories
The layout is a tribute to a fun childhood memory that I wanted to preserve.  For a period of time, my daughter was totally enamoured by Fancy Nancy storybooks.  My mother-in-law is such a great sport and will do whatever her grandchildren love to do.

Journaling reads: Every Tuesday after school is grandma day! Grandma plays whatever you want to play. This time you were holding FANCY Classes!

How to be FANCY like Nancy!
- glitter, sparkles and jewels are all the essential tools
- dressing up with lots of accessories,
- pick a posh puppy and pinkies up!

My daughter, who is also quite a clever writer, helped with the "How to be Fancy like Nancy" journaling. It was a really fun having my daughter contribute to this layout and working on the journaling with her.


TTFN!

Friday, September 24, 2010

Woo hoo! I'll take it!

I received a Prima BAP sketch challenge Honourable Mention for their August BAP today.  Check it out http://prima.typepad.com/prima/2010/09/augusts-bap-winner.html SO EXCITING!!!  One of my online gal pals over at My  Scrapbook Nook, Camilla, was the winner and another fellow Nooker Nicole P. also received an honourable mention!  Also exciting!

I had posted my BAP entry near the beginning of the month but it now warrants a repost.


Title: My Sweet Friend
Journaling reads: Hannah, who likes to swim, sing and design fashions with me.  For five years we have been summer sisters.  How the time has flown!

I layered the paintable overlay over patterend paper for a great effect and then incorporated the patterned paper text  into the titling.  After fussy cutting the bird and branch with leaves out of the patterned paper, I outlined all of the imaged areas with a marker. For a complete supply listing check here.

Doing a small happy dance!
TTFN!

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Nook U - Biology 101 and I took a chance!

The next class at My Scrapbook Nook's Nook U that I completed was Trish Harwick's Biology101 Class.  The assignment was to use paper piecing of a living thing on a layout.  I am so pleased with how this layout turned out.  I used a tree from an old ebay.ca advertisement from last year.  I printed it out, traced it onto a transparency, cut it, traced it onto the photos and patterned paper, then cut them out and reassembled on the layout.



Okay, so I took a chance and submitted to the Fancy Pants Creative Team call.  I wasn't going to. I hymed and I hawed.  I went back and reread their blog post numerous times.  I thought there is no way and put the idea out of my head. Then I did this layout and happened to use Fancy Pants from my stash because I wanted a Fall tree and it was the only papers that I had with the colours that went with my photos.  After the layout was finished I thought why not try?  So just before the deadline, I wrote out my application and added some unposted layouts that I love and think illustrate my ability to utilize the types of products Fancy Pants manufactures.  I have loved Fancy Pants for years and I would so love to be on their Creative Team.
 I have a snowball's chance as they have indicated that there are only 2 international positions and there is sooooo much amazing talent out there right now.  But that is not the point.  The point is in putting yourself out there... taking that chance... someone needs to be picked and it could be you.  You just never know unless you give it a go.(I know it rhymes, I can't help it!...it's the kindergarten teacher in me. LOL!)  Anyway, I am not getting my hopes up.  I am just happy that I took a chance.

TTFN!

Friday, September 10, 2010

Nook U - Typography 201

Up next over at The Nook U is Becky's class on Typography.  I love fonts and the look of text design. I have tons of computer fonts and stamps not to mention my growing stash of sticker alphabets.  I am thrilled that Becky used my Oh Daddy, Daddy, Daddy layout as an example. Check out Becky's blog as besides being super sweet and the message board cheerleader, she is quite hot and on a roll right now having recently made the American Crafts, BoBunny, and Jillibean Soup DTs.

So here is my take on the assignment:



The full list of supplies can be found here.  The journalling reads: With the tween years comes such sassiness. You decided to give some 'tude. At least this time it was comical. July 2010

TTFN!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Nook U - Economics and Budgeting

Next up at the Nook U is Hilde's Economics class with a focus on budgeting as in both time and money.  In typical fun Hilde style (seriously, I love her Nook name "Scoobie"), her assignment is Artist Trading Cards (ATCs).  These are fun playing card size miniture pieces of art and have many genres.  In the past, I actually used them for art technique lessons when I breifly taught grade 7 planning time art in French.  They lend themselves perfectly for trying techniques without the overwhelming size of a standard piece of paper.  Small and simple... love it.  Now as you will see, if you check out this class, there are some phenomenal ATCs that are anything but simple.  That is the beauty of the various styles and genres of art, they run the gamet!

Here are my three cards for the assignment:


ATC supplies list

Again I am really pleased with my results.  I love how I used up scraps and cast off pieces (from 5 different layouts and 1 card no less) to create these fun pieces.

In creating my ATCs, I used a bunch of different techniques including a variety of stamping techniques:

Free Spirit- Stamped butterfly onto transparency and fussy cut, stamped phrase, fussy cut scallop border, and glimmer misted cardstock and lace.

So Sweet- Stamped background with damask stamp and white StazOn, stamped So Sweet and liquid glassed it in the metal frame, glimmer misted punched bird and pieced together with foam circles, inked bird and card edges

Whatcha doin'? - Stamped and watercolour pencilcrayoned the children and doodling

 I am thinking that I can repurpose these as cards but we'll see because I do not know if I can part with them. LOL!


TTFN!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Nook U - Graphic Arts 101

So my favourite online scrappy place My Scrapbook Nook is hosting their annual Nook U.


The first class is by Stacey Michaud entitled Graphic Arts 101. Be sure to check it out.  Her lesson, in true teacher form, is exceptional with clearly illustrated and explained concepts.  I am a huge Stacey fan.  Her work always brings a smile to my face because her layouts elicit a sense of fun and are fabulously designed.  Besides the Nook, she is a DT member for Pink Paislee (so love their stuff).  To see more of her fabulous work and learn more about her, check out her blog.

Here is my take on the challenge:


Full list of supplies can be found here.

 I really like the way it turned out.  I kept the embellishments to the minimum to let the multiple pictures tell the story.  I used the Nook's May kit featuring October Afternoon to make it.

Assignment elements covered:
Have a clear focal point: focal point (4x6) photo using rule of thirds, embellished with use of 3 elements (text areas) and also 5s (photos), “y” letter parallel to my dd’s arm in photo
Have contrast on your page: mixed lettering in the title work and contrasting colour (coral and green)
Create flow on your layout: using the natural flow within the photos (my dd’s hand actions), I created movement with 2x3s on diagonals, first 2 left and then 2 to the right.
Use the visual triangle: 3 Visual Triangles created with the text area, the colour green (green text, green grass and green banner flag), and the coral (title stickers, girls skirt and banner flag) with the photos in the triangulated area
Achieve balance on your layout: while elements are different and not symmetrical, there is balance between the left and right side.
I really liked how I covered it. Some parts were conscious choices I was making while designing it, others just happened to evolve in the process. I believe that is what makes this LO work and why it felt right when I decided upon the end arrangement. I stopped because it felt right but in reflection it probably worked and felt right because I had subconsciously achieved a balance of further good design elements that I discovered were there upon reflection of the finished piece.

Can you guess which choices were on purpose?

Conscience choices were focal point, visual triangle, and contrast.  It is funny how these things happen during the creative process.

** updated - Here is my add-to version with touches of black:




TTFN!

Monday, September 6, 2010

Yippee!

Today I got a happy email!  I love when they are scrappy in nature and say "Congratulations!!"  A card that I had submitted to ScrapStreet.com magazine's November call got accepted for publication.  It is a fun card that I made for my sister-in-law's 40th birthday from My Scrapbook Nook's awesome March kit featuring Pink Paislee's Bayberry Cottage collection.  Now I have a dilemma, but a great one to have... I need an 'Out for Publication" badge. (**scroll down for updated with photo after publication)

So since I can't share that card until after it is published,  I will share some other scrappy goodness that I made over the Labour Day weekend.


I started this layout ages ago, left it, went back to it during the summer only to have a runaway sewing machine mishap, got the machine repaired and finally got it finished. Whew! All that for a playing around with sewing and distressing paper edges layout.  It is pretty simple because the pictures are really busy and I wanted them to be the focus.  I got to scrap some older photos and use up some of my stash.  Everything is CTMH except the title lettering which is BasicGrey chipboard letters and American Craft's Thickers fabric letters. A full list of supplies can be found here.

** updated post publication with card photo




TTFN!

Friday, September 3, 2010

Prima's August BAP Sketch Challenge

Just a few days ago, I completed this layout  for Prima's monthly blog challenge.  This is my take based on Prima's August Build-A-Page sketch...



I layered the paintable overlay over patterend paper for a great effect and then incorporated the patterned paper text  into the titling.  After fussy cutting the bird and branch with leaves out of the patterned paper, I outlined all of the imaged areas with a marker. For a complete supply listing check here.

Here is what the sketch looked like.


TTFN!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Yeah!

I am finally live with my scrappy blog! Welcome to my little scrappy world.  I have been flirting with the idea of a scrapbooking blog for a while now and I made it a goal to try to get it done this summer.  Along the way a few exciting things happened in August that helped push me to get it done.  Firstly I got a layout excepted by Canadian Scrapbooker magazine for their December issue, then I was contacted by Francine Clouden from CraftGossip.com through Two Peas site asking to feature my 1st Dip layout in her Inspiration du Jour column.  She asked if I had a blog link, which at that time I did not, but thought that was telling me something about it being the time to get it done.  On the same day that I was featured on the Craft Gossip.com blog, I got a layout accepted to ScrapStreet.com Magazine.  Lastly, a week later I received a totally unsolicited request from Scrapbooking.com to submit a Halloween layout from my gallery for consider.  Naturally, I was thrilled and did so.  Subsequently it was accepted and I had to write a how-to article to go along with it.  At the end of the article there is a bio section with a link to my blog.  So this is the result.   My blog is up and running so that it will be ready for the October release of my Scrapbooking.com article.


I will leave you with a little craftiness. 




This is a card that I made using Prima leftovers and scraps from this Alex & April layout that I did for Prima's July BAP sketch challenge.



Supplies for the card are here and for the layout here.

In the infamous words of Winnie the Pooh's Tigger (well before texting and acronyms became the norm)...


TTFN (Ta Ta for now)!