Feb 25, 2011

Pina Coladas


You are never going to guess where the inspiration for this layout came from. I was helping my husband do some research for his master's essay, which as basically browsing a bunch of websites, when I came across this website that inspired me. I wish I could remember which one it was but unfortunately I can't. So I am going to have to explain it for you. Basically, I took the website design and converted it to a sketch that I used for this layout. The green brads on the top right were where the website's navigation buttons were, the Pina Coladas title is where the website's title was, the Oh So Yummy title is where the product's title was, the photo on the left was the main product's photo, the photo on the right was a detailed photo of the product, and the journalling was the website's description of the product. Of course there was a bunch of other things on the website that I ignored but I think you'll get the picture! So next time you are stumped for an idea take a look at how some of your websites are laid out or even a magazine article you really like. You never know where you'll find inspiration!

Feb 23, 2011

Close Encounter

While on our Catamaran tour in Cuba, we got to stop at the Dolphin enclosure. Anyone who knows me, knows I love Dolphins, so needless to say I was excited to get to see them. How could you not love a creature who smiles at you!


Now because I am a Dolphin fanatic, there were tons of photos to say the least.  And all of them were perfect so I had to find a way to get them all on my layout!  How did I do it?  I used Flip Flaps by Close to My Heart.  By layering two Flip Flaps on top of one another (thanks Haley for the idea!), I was able to display 5 photos where I would normally show just one.  I simply cut a slit in the page protector and slide this babies through and voila, I have a mini book on my page!

Feb 22, 2011

Splashing Around


I love this layout!  So fun!  I created this layout for another challenge going on over at Club CK.  The challenge was to use trim on your layout and I had the most perfect blue trim that I bought in the states at a fabric store that I was dying to use.  This layout was super easy, in fact the hardest part was determining where to put all my bubbles!

Feb 21, 2011

On the Farm


Isn't this layout so much fun!?!  I did it as part of a scraplift challenge going on over at Club CK.  The point to the challenge was to find a layout you like and then copy it.  I copied Laura Vegas's Christmas 2007 layout, which can be found here.  To put my own twist on it I created the green border you see on the left page; it's a box pleat made of paper!

Feb 16, 2011

Folded Circle Flower

As promised I am back today to show you how I made the flower on yesterday's layout.  I'm not sure if this type of flower has a name or not but I am calling it the Folded Circled Flower.  Original, I know!  So let's get started.  You will need 1 piece of double-sided patterned paper, a circle punch, some adhesive and a button.

Using the circle punch, punch 10 circles out of the patterned paper.


Take and set aside 2 of the circles for later.  The rest of the circles you will fold.  You start with your first fold.  Start with the side you wish to be the inner part of the flower facing down.  Take one side of the circle and fold it to about two thirds of the way across the circle.


No w take the other side of the circle and fold it back over the first fold.  You want to keep the inside point as small as possible so you can easily assemble your flower with out too many gaps along the outer side.


Now take one of the unfolded circles you set aside and cover it completely in adhesive.  Do not use liquid adhesive for this as it will cause rippling.


Now you are ready to start assembling your flowers.  Take a folded circle and place it on the adhesived circle.  You won't go all the way to the very center with the "petal" ... only about three quarters of the way in.  I recommend that you just lightly set the folded circle on the adhesive and not push it down until you have all the "petals" in place.  This is just in case you have you do some slight maneuvering at the end.


Continue adding more folded circles. 


And more folded circles until you get the last one down.  You will end up with a gap, don't worry, it's intentional.  Make sure all the "petals" are aligned the way you like and when you are happy go ahead and press them down firmly into the adhesive.


Now because every flower is different and unique it is best to fold the last "petal" in place.  I have tried this using all prefolded circles but I end up with some gaps that were difficult to get rid of.  I came up with the idea to do the last fold in place which solved my gap problem.  Take your last circle and make the first fold like you did with all the other circles.  Now place this circle in the empty spot and make your last fold using the already stuck down folded circle as your guide.


Now that all the "petals" are on you need to cover up the center.  I use buttons but really you can use anything.  Now because I didn't glue any of my folds on each circle down (I wanted to keep the dimension), I need you use quite a bit of liquid adhesive to hold my button.  I place the button on the adhesive and then place something heavy on top to hold it down while it dries.


And tada!  It's done!  Isn't it so pretty and easy!



Now in this example I kept my folds all going the same way.  You'll get a slightly different look if you alternate you fold directions.  Also, as I said earlier, I did not glue down any of my folds because I wanted some dimension.  If you are looking for a little more of a flat look you can definitely glue down the folds.  You can also do what I did on the layout shown yesterday and add a Dollie behind it to dress it up a bit. There are so many possibilities for different looks with this flower. Well, I sure hope you enjoyed my little tutorial and that it was worth wait!  Have fun making these little cuties, I sure did!

Feb 15, 2011

Las Alamedas

And we are back with a new layout today. When I saw this collection by Cosmo Cricket, I thought it was perfect for my pictures of Cuba, in particular this layout about the restaurant we always ate at.


I decided to make this very pretty flower using some scraps from the collection. Isn't it pretty? Want to know how to make it? It's really easy.  Come back tomorrow and I will have a tutorial on how to make it!

Feb 14, 2011

XOXO


A Valentine's Day card I made for my hubby.  Isn't it cute!  The smaller heart looks like yummy candy in realy life! To create the same look, cover a heart with Glossy Accents and then while it is still wet, cover it in seed beads. Real simple but looks amazing!


This card is based on a sketch challenge put on by My Mind's Eye here.  The challenge is open until the 17th so feel free to join in!

Feb 13, 2011

Love

I love to decorate!  And I will use any excuse to decorate my fireplace.  To me, it always looks great all decorated.  So, in honor of Valentine's Day, I decided to give my fireplace a little love and make a little love banner to hang on it.  It was very easy to make and I had fun decorating each one.

Feb 10, 2011

Hi

Another submission I created for the Sassafras Design Team Call. The flowers are all made using the border strips found on the bottom of all of Sassafras papers.

Feb 9, 2011

You're Special


Looking for a quick and easy card for someone special?  This one is it.  Simply take a background and wrap it several times with embroidery thread and tie a bow.  Then take a journalling card and stamp it with a sentiment and tada, done in less than 5 minutes

3D Happy Birthday Cards


Lately I have been trying to use up some of my scraps by making some cards.  I saw on Allison Davis blog these really cute 3D presents and wanted to do them.  So this is my attempt at them.  Aren't they the cutest!  Very simple to do really.  Cut 3 different sized squares and then layer them with pop dots between each layer.


Then I made another card with the same concept except doing a cake instead of a gift.  So cute!

Feb 7, 2011

Friends

The manufacturer of this paper line, Sassafras, posted a call for scrapbookers to submit their portfolios for consideration for their Design Team.  I was instantly up for the challenge as I have been a fan of Sassafras for awhile now.  I did this layout here, as well as the others you can find by clicking the Sassafrass link on the left side of my blog, as part of my submission.  Wish me luck!



Feb 6, 2011

Good Times


When I saw this collection by October Afternoon, I instantly wanted to get it.  The colours and theme were perfect for my Cuba pictures. 


The title just kind of came together when I was pulling things together for the layout that had a different purpose in mind.  I wanted to use the Good Times title I had for sure but I had another sticker set that I was planning to use a palm tree of but when I looked closer at it, I found it had an On The Coast tag that was so perfect.  Then as I was cleaning up, I came across a set of Jillibean sticker set that had the discover on it.  It was all pieced together haphazardly but in the end I think it turned out liked I had planned it that way!

Feb 5, 2011

More Images of Havana


I have been on this making flowers kick lately.  The plain stick a brad through it paper flowers just aren't cutting it for me.  I have started looking into making my own flowers and so far I love the results.  This is a ribbon flower I created using a thick dark blue velvet ribbon from my stash.  I am planning on doing a tutorial on how I did this soon so stay tuned!


This layout was based on this Allison Davis sketch

Feb 3, 2011

Featured Layout

I am so excited to say that one of my layouts has been choosen to be featured on one of the blogs I visit quite frequently. Please head over to Ideas for Scrapbookers to check it out.

If you have never visited Ideas for Scrapbookers you should.  It's a great blog with free templates, tutorials, digital items, ideas, challenges, contests, and so much more.  Pam does a great job of searching out things that are always inspirational.  Thanks Pam for the honor!

Hope you are having as good a day as I am!

Feb 2, 2011

Revolution Square


I was at my local hardware store one day when I passed by a clearance table that all kinds of items for sale.  I found this sheet of small glass tiles that were all meshed together, I think it was to make installation easier for a bathroom or something like that.  Anyways, there was this sheet that was missing a couple of tile, I guess they fell off, and it was discounted to $2.  I bought it thinking I could certainly find a use for it.  When I got home I pulled all the tiles off the sheet and put them in a jar in my scrapbook room.  For some reason the windows on these building made me think of those tiles again so I pulled them out and used them on the layout.  Goes to show, you never know where you will find your next scrapbooking embellishment!

Feb 1, 2011

Fortress of Shopping


I struggled with this layout.  I didn't know what to do with the title.  I had a large space allotted for it but no matter how I placed my letters, the title just seemed to get lost.  I then came up with the brilliant idea to put the title on a manilla tag.  Ok, maybe I got the inspiration from Tim Holtz but needless to say it helped my title to seem more grounded and look like it belongs on the layout.