Curtain Call

Nope, I'm not calling my Curtain Call for my Blog...just sharing a new layout today for Get It Scrapped!, using Floral print patterns.  Fortunately, I have two girls, so using Florals is usually a staple for me!!  :)  And what better way, to use Florals than on a very girly Ballet page??!!

 
I won the complete Sweet Tooth paper collection from GCD Studios, when they released their Winter CHA products and I thought it had some great Floral papers to use for this assignment.  Fussy cutting is one of my favorite ways to create embellishments for my pages and combine that with flowers, and I am in scrappy heaven!!  :)  I loved the pink floral pattern paper in this collection and decided to fussy cut several of the flower shapes and add them over the piece by my photo.  I just added a pop dot to three of them to add a little dimension and then finished off the center with a Pink pearl.  I also fussy cut several of the other flowers from the pattern papers and created 3 clusters on my layout, which makes it easy to guide the eye around the page.

So whether you use Florals on a regular basis or only dabble in Florals, make sure you come check out the article at Get It Scrapped! and find some great ideas for your next layout!

Supplies:  Patterned Paper:  GCD Studios; Pearls:  Recollections; Wood Veneers:  Studio Calico; Wooden Alphas:  Pink Paislee; Thickers; American Crafts; Doily:  Hobby Lobby; Trim:  Webster's Pages; Baker's Twine:  The Twinery; Punch:  Marvy

September FITkit Sneak Peek

Here's a peek of the September FITkit!!  There is some great stuff in this one, so watch out for the full reveal and make sure you pick one up!!

 

EEEK!!  Look at that cork camera, washi tape, wood tile people and this is only the SNEAK!  

Don't forget if you still want to get your own August FITkit and LowCal Kit there are just a few left, so visit Paper Issues Etsy shop to get yours!

Chip Off the Old Block

Yes, even Stay at Home Moms look forward to Friday...so I am happy to say "Welcome Friday" today!!  This has been one of those weeks, where you know you've done a lot of stuff, but your brain just can't process it!  So I am hoping to have a little bit of down time this weekend and let my tired little brain recuperate!  :)  But, before I get to the relaxing, I wanted to pop in and share our new Fabulous Friday challenge at Frosted Designs!!  We are challenging you this week, to use CHIPBOARD on your layouts or projects!!  I am sure almost all of us have some Chipboard pieces hidden away in our stash and they are really easy to use.  You can use Chipboard as is or alter it with ink or layer it with other pieces for a totally different look.

 
I received some really cute Crate Paper Chipboard pieces in a goodie box from Creating Keepsakes and they mixed in perfectly with Studio Calico's new Hey Day collection.  One of my favorite pieces, was that cute little shaped frame, that I used to "hold" the year 2012.  I also added a Chipboard heart for a little bit of extra dimension.

Come play along with us this week and you could win from our awesome Sponsor, Prairie Bird Boutique!

Products Used:  Patterned Paper & Mister Huey's Spray Mist:  Studio Calico; Chipboard:  Crate Paper; Buttons:  Basic Grey; Baker's Twine:  The Twinery; Thickers:  American Crafts

And It Was All Yellow

Today is my 300th post and I am here to share a layout for Get It Scrapped!.  If you are wondering about the title of my post, it is part of the lyrics from the song Yellow by Coldplay.  The article at get it scrapped, is Using the Color Yellow, so what better title for this post??!!  :)

There are several ways to use the color Yellow on your pages to convey emotion or a "feel" to go along with the theme and photos on your layout.   I chose to use an analogous color scheme, which is choosing 3-5 colors that are side by side on the color wheel..  I chose yellow as my dominant color, by using it for the background.  Then I incorporated smaller amounts of Orange, Green, and Blue.  I wanted to convey a happy feel on this page, because our daughter was enjoying the beach so much.  This color scheme worked great for a fun and happy page.

And just in case you are wondering how I did the sunburst, here is what I did:  I took a piece of white cardstock and folded it in half.  Then I cut a long, skinny heart shape along the crease, so the shape would by symmetrical.  I did this in several different size hearts.  Then, I placed the longest heart in the center of the two photos on the left and traced it with a brown Zig pen.  I repeated this with the smaller shapes outward from the largest heart shape.

Make sure you visit Get It Scrapped!, to see other ways to use Yellow on your layouts!!

Supplies:  Patterned Paper & Stickers:  Crate Paper; Font:  Berlin Sans FB; Wood Veneers:  Studio Calico & Kaisercraft; Smooch Spritz:  Clear Snap; Pen:  Zig Memory System; Other:  Button & Staples
 

2 Winners & 2 Layouts

First off, I want to announce the winner of the September/October Creating Keepsakes Top 10 Issue:

PATRICIA!!

Thanks for stopping by and commenting Patricia!  Please contact me with your mailing information at ashleyhorton010675@gmail.com within two weeks to receive your prize!

I am also waiting to hear from ELIZABETH CAMPAU, who won the prize from my 300 Followers by 300 Posts giveaway.  

 
Elizabeth, you have one more week to contact me at ashleyhorton010675@gmail.com to receive the prize.  If I don't hear from Elizabeth, I will be announcing a new winner next Monday.

And now, I have a couple of layouts I did this past Friday night at our monthly Crop!!

The first is for the July/August Issue Challenge at Club CK.  The challenge this week, was to use a clock.  I thought that would be a perfect embellishment for a Back to School page and I used a clock Tin Pin from October Afternoon's 9 to 5 collection.

 
Now, this isn't a typical Back to School page, because we Home School.  But I still like to have a photo on that first day, so that our kids can look back on them over the years.  I think it is still important to document that first day and it's also fun to see how much they grow from year to year!!

Products Used:  Patterned Paper:  Crate Paper; Tin Pin:  October Afternoon; Thickers:  American Crafts; Button:  Stampin' Up; Brads:  The Paper Studio; Punch:  EK Succes; SMASH Tape:  K&Company; Mister Huey's Spray Mist: Studio Calico; Wood Veneer:  Studio Calico; Pearl: Kaisercraft; Fonts:  CK Handwriting & Stencil; Other:  Washi Tape & Clip

This second page was so fun, because I loved this cute photo of my hubby helping our youngest at the shooting arcade at Bass Pro Shop.  He got to play one round, but the rest of the time we were in the store, he kept saying, "you got money Mama?", because he wanted to go back and play again!!  :)

  
I used mostly Sasparilla from October Afternoon on this layout, but I did have a little fun with some of Heidi Swapp's Color Magic papers.  They actually had the packs of the Color Magic papers in our Hobby Lobby, along with the Crate Paper Story Teller line that I used on the Back to School page.  I used the Chevron paper for the big chevron arrow below my photo.  I just cut one of the sections and shaped the ends into the arrow shapes.  Then I sprayed it with some Mister Huey's Spray Mist and wiped across it with a paper towel.  I love the way it created a wood grain look on the paper and I will definitely be playing with these more often!!

This page is based on a great Sketch from Creative Scrappers and I loved the use of the single square photo.  It worked perfectly for what I wanted to do on this layout.

 
Products Used:  Patterned Paper & Stickers:  October Afternoon; Thickers:  American Crafts; Font:  Impact; Wood Veneers & Mister Huey's Spray Mist: Studio Calico; Color Magic Papers:  Heidi Swapp; SMASH Tape:  K&Company

A Haunting We Will Go & an Announcement

***If you are looking for the CK September/October Issue Giveaway, please go HERE.***

I realize it's only mid-August, but today I have a fun Halloween layout to share!  I'm usually not big on getting holiday layouts done, but for some reason I always love to do Halloween pages.  I think it's because they can end up being so much fun and whimsical...kind of the same principal as dressing up in costumes.  You can make your Halloween pages anything you want them to be.  This page went up yesterday at Get It Scrapped! on the Easy Scrapbook Pages site.

Here are the steps for how I created this page, using scraps from last year's Halloween collections:

1.  Print a 4″x6″ photo for your page. Because this is a grid design, you could also omit one of the paper squares and add a second photo. Place your photo 2.5″ from the right hand side of your page.

2.  Cut one piece of patterned paper at 2.75″ x 3.75″ and a second at 3.75″ x 3.75″ and place them to the left of your photo.

3.  Once you have your patterned squares in place beside your photo, cut several other strips to “fill in” the space around your grid design.

4.  Use the 2.75″ x 3.75″ blocks to add your title. Mixing several alphas in your title adds great visual interest.

5.  Fussy cut embellishments from patterned paper–or use chipboard, die cuts, and stickers to embellish according to  theme.

6.  Add texture with wood accents and buttons in clusters. Using odd numbers creates a good balance.

7.  Finish by adding journaling strips.

Products Used:  Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: My Mind’s Eye, Echo Park & Canvas Corp; Thickers: American Crafts; Mini Market Stickers & Buttons: October Afternoon; Mini Round Gems: Recollections; Wood Veneers: Studio Calico; Punch: EK Success; Font: CK Fraternity

____________________________________________

I also wanted to share an announcement with you, that is going up on the ScrapFIT Blog today!!

We are having a change in roles here at ScrapFIT.  Sheila is leaving her current role as our Step Class Coach to take on a fun new activity we are going to be hosting regularly on our Facebook page. 

Sheila Burns

NEW Gab Girl

Sheila will become our resident Gab Girl and host some fun gabfests on our Facebook page.  We will also be having some fun Facebook Fan giveaways in the near future (Hint hint!)


So we don't want to give up on on our Step Classes, as we can see you all enjoy the informative tutorials and we love showcasing you as our Featured FITgirls! This means we had to fill the Step Class Coach position and I am pleased and very excited to have Ashley Horton taking over this role!

Ashley Horton

New Step Class Coach

Stay tuned in September for Ashley's first Step Class and Sheila's first Gabfest!

 

I am looking forward to this fun new role at ScrapFIT and I already have some fun classes planned for the upcoming months.  I hope all of you will come over and join in the Workouts, Warm-Ups, and Step Classes we have each month!

CK Sept./Oct. Top Ten Issue - GIVEAWAY!!

Creating Keepsakes September/October issue hits newsstands this week and it is packed full of Harvest and Halloween goodiness...and lots of other great ideas too!  This is always my favorite issue every year!

I have two layouts appearing in this issue.  "Happy Haunting" is featured in the CK Sketches article and "Art-chitecture" appears in the Easy Tricks for Page Translation article.  Here are some peeks:

There is also some great Online Content that you can access for this issue.  You can find free downloads, articles, techniques, etc.!

Would you like to win a FREE copy of this issue?  If so, leave a comment here and I will draw a random winner.  Comments will be open until Sunday, August 19.  Come back here on Monday the 20th and I will announce the winner!!

My 1st Manufacturer DT & Workout #74

I am gonna start off my post today, with my BIG announcement!!  I am joining my first Manufacturer's Design Team...Love My Tapes!!!  And I am sure that you can tell from the name, that they provide one of my favorite products...WASHI TAPE!!  Oh yes!  Washi Tape and Frabic Tape!  A little dream come true.  I will be on the Team with two of my friends from the scrappy world, Tina Walker and Mary Ann Jenkins and I am looking forward to getting to know and working with the other Team members, Kathy Martin and Rita Barakat.  If you are a Washi Tape lover like me or you are looking to start your collection, I highly recommend checking out the Love My Tapes Blog for a listing of where you can purchase Love My Tapes products.  I can't wait to start sharing my projects with you in September!!

Now, onto Workout #74 at ScrapFIT!  Its time for another Workout with Diana, our Creative Trainer! She has carefully laid out this Workout for you to get the best results possible!

This is a great sketch and I am so excited to be working with it, since I still go through Sketchy Thursday's withdrawals from time to time!!

 

I stayed fairly close to the design of the sketch and I had so much fun creating my own Sparkler embellishment for this page!  I just fussy cut the shape from one of the Pink Paislee papers and added some paper clips around the shape, for a little extra pizazz!  I added a button center, to cover the ends of the paper clips and finished it off with a dowel rod and some baker's twine.
 
Be sure to come and play along with us for the chance to win this awesome PRIZE: LowCal FITkit - Last Summer Romance from Paper Issues!
 

Products Used:  Patterned Paper:  Pink Paislee & Pebbles; Wood Veneers:  Studio Calico; Smooch Spritz:  Clear Snap; Baker's Twine:  The Twinery; Liquid Medium:  Diamond Glaze; Button:  Michael's; Other:  Dowel

Reaching the Giveaway Goal, Winner, & a Layout!

WOW!!  I am so excited to say that I have some amazing Blog readers!!  You all helped me to reach 300 Followers and I am only at 296 posts...so we reached the 300 Followers before the 300th post!!  Thanks so much!!  And since you guys were so amazing in becoming new Followers and spreading the word, I decided to add a second prize!  I am still offering the original prize posted with the giveaway and a little something else to a second random winner.  So, lets get to it!

The winner of the original giveaway prize is:  #48 - ELIZABETH CAMPAU

The second winner is:  #22 - TRACEY SABELLA

Congrats Ladies!!  Please contact me at ashleyhorton010675@gmail.com, no later than 2 weeks from now, with your mailing info. and I will send out your prizes!

And while I'm here today, I would like to share a layout that went up at Get It Scrapped! yesterday.  There is a great article, What's Your Motif?  Ideas for Using Machines in Flight on Your Scrapbook Pages, that you should check out!!  If you are looking for ideas on how to use planes, hot air balloons, or rockets on your pages, then you'll definitely want to stop by and check out the great inspiration from the Creative Team.  Here is my layout:

 

Here is what I had to say about using the Flight Motif:  When you think of travel, the image of a plane usually comes to mind.  I used one of the layered Remarks stickers along with a patterned paper that includes planes, to work with the travel theme of this photo.  The kids fell asleep in the car, in between drivng to the different Disney parks.  And even though we were not in a plane at the time, I love how the addition of the planes on this page, immediately conjure up the image of traveling.

Make sure you stop back by tomorrow for Workout #74 from ScrapFIT and I'll also be able to share some BIG exciting news, that I've been keeping under wraps for a little while!!

Supplies:  Patterned Paper:  Studio Calico & American Crafts; Thickers:  American Crafts; Teeny Alphas:  Glitz Design; Font: Eurostyle; Wood Veneers:  Studio Calico; Remarks Stickers:  Amy Tangerine (American Crafts); Embroidery Floss:  Janlynn; Other:  Staples

   

Two New Loves

 ****If you are here for my 300 Followers by 300 Posts Giveaway, please visit HERE.****  (Update - 294 posts and 298 followers!)

Today I am sharing two of my new favorite things...the first being American Crafts Shoreline collection (used on both layouts) and Gesso/Modeling Paste.  The first layout up, is for the new Fabulous Friday challenge at Frosted Designs.  We are challenging you to use FABRIC this week on your layouts or projects!

  

Aren't those the most fabulous papers??!!  I don't know how AC does it, but everything they put out is awesome!!  I couldn't wait to use these papers and they did not disappoint.  I was a little sneaky with my Fabric on this one.  It is the Yellow matting behind my photo, the little flowers with the pearl centers, and the Yellow flag.  I used some squares of fabric and painted over it with Mod Podge, to make it a little more stiff.  Once it dried, I just cut the Yellow square to fit as the mat behind my photo.  I fussy cut the little flowers from a different square of fabric and added the pearl centers for texture.  And I used a little left over piece of the Yellow fabric to make the cute little toothpick flag.  The sketch is from Creative Scrappers and I didn't get a chance to use this one when it was first posted.  I really loved it though so I saved it and thought it worked well with these photos.

Products Used:  Patterned Paper, Pinwheel, Thickers:  American Crafts; Stickers:  October Afternoon; Buttons:  Basic Grey; Pearls:  Kaisercraft; Punch:  Marvy; Other:  Fabric & Toothpicks

This second layout is my newest favorite!!  :)  I played with Modeling Paste on this one, which is something I've never done before.  It was SO MUCH FUN!!  Kim Watson shares a tutorial with this technique HERE on the Creating Keepsakes page (and just a heads up:  I was not able to get the video to play using Internet Explorer.  I had to use Firefox.  So if you only have IE, you may need to download Chrome or Firefox to view the video).

I love the awesome texture that this technique adds to your page!  I used a SC Hexagon mask and then applied the paste over the mask, making some high and low spots along the way.  Once the paste dried, which didn't take long, I sprayed over it with a little bit of Smooch Spritz.  Then I used a baby wipe, like Kim did in the video, to blend the mist.  I am raring to do another page with this technique, because the results are so great!  And of course, I used the Shoreline papers for this layout also.  The colors are so pretty and I love the way they all coordinate together.   Plus there are some great fussy cutting elements on these papers!!

Products Used:  Patterned Paper, Thickers, & Flower:  American Crafts; Smooch Spritz:  Clear Snap; Buttons:  Stampin' Up; Baker's Twine:  The Twinery; Spray Mist & Hexagon Mask:  Studio Calico; Other:  Modeling Paste & Staples