Picture Perfect Layout

I was going through a file cabinet trying to purge old files when I found an Olan Mills envelope that had proofs from some photos my husband and I had done when we had only been married a few years. There was no date on the envelope, so I looked through my scrapbooks and couldn't find that I had ever scrapped these photos, possibly because I didn't love how they looked at the time. With the passage of years, I look much more kindly on how my hubby and I looked in the photos, so I made a guess based on my hairstyle and my hubby's lack of a beard in order to figure out where these photos fit and decided to go with fall of 1996.

Recipe:
Best Friends Forever stamp set
Botanical Textures & Unknown floral paper from 2005 (SU)
Linen cardstock
Vineyard Berry & Black ink
Mars Black fineliner pen (iBayam)
Birdsong Ephemera Bits (49 and Market)
Dream Maker stickers
Fancy Cuts Botanicals paper flowers
Paper piercer (We R Memory Keepers)
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge #96 

Challenges: Love Those Pretty Papers Anything goes as long as you use lots of patterned paper; NBUS Challenge #89  my never before used stuff is the black and white floral paper; One More Page Any scrapbook layout; The Outlawz Anything But a Card Anything goes except a card; Paper Rocks Scissors #19 Anything goes using paper and scissors - I used scissors to cut the extra nubs off the die-cuts.

Transport Museum Layout

I really wanted to finish scrapping all my London photos from April 29, 2017 before the end of the month, and I am almost done. Just one more after this. I think I can, I think I can! These photos were taken at the London Transport Museum, probably not a place your average tourist plans to go, but we enjoyed it.

And I had fun creating the little window scene, so here's a close-up:

Recipe:
Harmonious Patterns & Universal Backgrounds stamp sets
Yesterday & Today and Typeset papers
Kraft, Espresso, Toffee, Chocolate, Topiary, Heavenly Blue, Vineyard Berry, Juniper, Black & Colonial White cardstock
Espresso, Toffee, Topiary, Vineyard Berry & Juniper ink
Burnt Sienna fineliner pen (iBayam)
Nostalgiques Automobiles stickers (Stickopotamus)
Natural twill ribbon
Heart punch (EK Success)
Swiss Dot embossing folder (Cuttlebug)
Cricut Design Space; window, tree, title
Challenges: Can You Handle the Pressure?  Used a dotted embossing folder to create some texture on my die-cut tree; Heart’s Quest Challenge Blog #87 Used hearts in three colors, including red; Little Red Wagon # 869 One Thing - mine is one window scene; Paper Rocks Scissors #18 Used scissors to trim the ribbon ends and to cut off part of the tree and car so they would fit in the window scene.

Globe Theater Layout

Still working on my London album, and I am hoping by the end of the month I will have finished scrapping the photos we took on April 29, 2017. Almost there! Anyway, these photos are from the reconstructed Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, which was built based on any available evidence of what the original building looked like, although they did have to make a few changes because of modern safety requirements. They were performing Romeo and Juliet that evening, but since it looked like it was going to be a modern production and we really would have loved to see Shakespearean costumes in this theatre, we decided not to go. But the tour was fun, at least.

The layout actually has lots of shimmer and shine from the gold leaf paper on top to the shimmer trim and the brown sparkles, but it's hard to see in the scan, so hopefully this photo will give you a better idea of that:

And here is a close-up of the embossing, since I am not sure you can even see it in the scan!

Recipe:
Love Life stamp set
Bonnie Belle Wedding paper (MAMBI)
Drama School paper (Scrapbook Customs)
Cashmere, Black & Espresso cardstock
Black ink
Mars Black fineliner pen (iBayam)
Yesterday & Today PML card
Reasons to Smile washi tape (American Crafts)
Gold shimmer trim
Brown sparkles
CTMH Sunbeam embossing folder
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: title, scalloped border, banner
Pattern: scraplift from Scrapbook.com
Challenges: Cut It Up #361 Emboss It - I included multiple die-cuts and embossed the black paper on the right; Can You Handle the Pressure? Use an embossing folder; Retro Rubber Challenges #277 - I used a flourish stamp from 2013 and went with the top line of the board.

Millennium Bridge Layout

Another layout for my London album, this time showing views of the Millennium Bridge over the River Thames. I was looking for some water or waves paper and found a Simple Stories beach themed paper pack that had just what I was looking for, plus it had some cool geotag/road map type paper that worked well for this layout. My pictures featured pretty drab colors with just a few pops of red, so I used the pink and red cardstock to cheer up the layout.

Recipe:
My Life stamp set
Just Beachy papers (Simple Stories)
Cotton Candy, Chocolate, Ruby, Blush, Black, Pewter & White cardstock
Bamboo, Flaxen, Juniper & Tulip ink
Very Merry Christmas wood stars (Pinkfresh)
Chocolate baker's twine
Slate polka dot washi tape
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: banners
Cricut You Are Here cartridge; bridge
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: arrow, notebook paper edge
Cricut Design Space: title using Amertha font
Challenges: A Cut Above Anything Goes including a die-cut; Love Those Pretty Papers Anything goes with patterned paper; NBUS Challenge #88 My never before used stuff is the patterned paper and the wooden stars; One More Page Scrapbook pages only; Paper Rocks Scissors #18 Used scissors to cut the baker's twine.

Fun & Sun Layout for LM #809

Today is a perfect day for the layout I just completed, since it's supposed to be sizzling here in Southern California! I plan to cool off in a movie theater this afternoon, but first let me share the latest Lasting Memories challenge with you. Design Team member Lisa has been sharing some mood boards with us, and I found inspiration from the lovely color palette of this week's board. Feel free to play along with this or any of the Lasting Memories challenges this month before the linky closes on Saturday. Here's my layout:

And here's the mood board:

Recipe:
Dotty for You papers
Honey Butter, Smoothie & Nectarine cardstock
Creme Brulee, Smoothie ink
Bug-a-Boo stickers (Frances Meyer)
Summer Afternoon enamel dots (Altenew)
Flower embossing folder (Cuttlebug)
Cricut Artbooking cartridge: title, sun
Pattern: Sketches in Thyme #717 (from Facebook) rotated left

Challenges: Can You Handle the Pressure? Use an embossing folder; Cut It Up #361 Use a die-cut + embossing; Let’s Craft and Create #233 Fun in the Sun.

Art {National Gallery} Layout

On our 2017 London trip, my hubby and I went to the National Gallery multiple times and tried to see as much art as possible, but I definitely didn't want to scrapbook all the photos we took, so here is a sampling of the 17th and 18th century paintings we photographed. The others are going in a pocket page. I also included the map of the National Gallery in a vellum pocket behind the photos, so it can slide out for future viewing. Funny story: I was trying to make sure the photos were all from the right centuries for this layout, and discovered that the map, while faithful to the time we visited, is now totally out of date. I guess the museum has so many pieces of art that they move them around depending on what they want to feature, so if we ever visit again, there is no guarantee we would see the same paintings!

Here are a couple of close-ups, one of the title and one of the map:

Recipe:

Belle Fleur paper (photoplay)

Watercolor paper

Vellum

Cranberry, Canary & Sage ink

Garden Green marker

DE Monograms chipboard

Belle Fleur Elements stickers (Photoplay)

Ink Splat stencil (Amazon)

3-D foam tape (Scrapbook.com)

Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge #13

Challenges: The Outlawz Anything But a Card; Paper Rocks Scissors #18- used scissors to cut the little bumps off the chipboard letters; Stencil Fun –  included the optional twist of  patterns (stenciled ink blots on the chipboard letters).

Everyday London Layout

On the trip my hubby and I took to London in 2017, we saw many beautiful buildings that we did not have time to explore further, but I thought I would put a few of them together on a layout. The buildings paper from American Crafts was perfect for this layout! I also used a London newsprint paper that I had purchased, not realizing that it was all about Hyde Park, a place we never visited despite it being pretty close to our hotel. This seemed like a good opportunity for me to use a large piece of it, since there are photos and embellishments covering a lot of it.

Click on the photo to see a close-up of the details!

Recipe:
Vintage Type Alphabet stamp set
Vicki Boutin Mixed Media patterned paper (American Crafts)
The Flower Emporium papers (49 and Market)
Practically Perfect - London Examiner paper (carta Bella)
Peach, Black & White cardstock
White Daisy textured cardstock
Peach, Sky, Desert Sand & Whisper ink
Mars Black fineliner pen (iBayam)
Simple Vintage Junk Drawer foam stickers (Simple Stories)
Krafty Garden Essentials rub-on transfers (49 and Market)
Curiosities in Willow Grove rub-on transfers (49 and Market)
Black striped border sticker (MAMBI)
Mocha Opaques
Pink baker's twine (American Crafts)
Charmalong key charm (Bead Landing)
Brayer
Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: postage frame, scalloped border
Cricut Design Space: viewfinder reel
Pattern: Dusty Attic Week 25 Sketch

Challenges: NBUS Challenges #88 My never before used stuff is the foam stickers and rub-ons; Love Those Pretty Papers Anything Goes with lots of patterned paper; Let’s Craft and Create #233 Anything Goes.

Covent Garden Layout

This month, my goal is to scrapbook at least 5 layouts from our 2017 trip to London, so here is one from April 29th, when we visit Covent Garden (among other places). I was really expecting something quite different, as you can tell from my journaling below, so we only spend enough time there to grab some lunch before heading off to another venue. However, I decided to scrapbook the photos as if it still was a flower market, which gave me a chance to use the flower shop and flower cart stickers that I had previously wondered if I would ever use. I also created the title using the Harrington font on my Cricut as a nod to Eliza's line, "In Hartford, Hereford, and Hampshire, hurricanes hardly happen," from The Rain in Spain. Harrington wasn't mentioned, but it sounds like it should have been!

Recipe:
Watercolor paper (Recollections)
Life Is Beautiful papers (Echo Park)
Sage, Canary & Cinnamon cardstock
Blush & Sage ink
Juniper marker
Everyday Moments pocket card (Scrapbook.com)
Life is Beautiful stickers (Echo Park)
Heavenly blue organdy ribbon
Cricut Design Space: vine, circles, title
Pattern: Sketches in Thyme #716 (on Facebook)

Challenges: A Cut Above Anything goes with a die-cut; One More Page Any scrapbook layout; Paper Rocks Scissors #18 Used scissors to cut the ribbon ends; Inkspirational Challenges #371 - I was inspired by the flowers on the vine, the colors, and the lemons (used circles to stand in for the lemons)

Greystone Mansion Layout

The Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills, CA, is a lovely place to visit, although you can only tour the gardens and peek in through the windows, but it has a pretty tragic past include an unsolved murder that was pretty high profile at the time. We took a bunch of photos of the garden and a couple of the interior (as much as we could glimpse of it), so I decided to scrapbook these 7 photos and put the rest in a photo storage page. I wanted to do a cloudy sky background but none of my cloud papers looked right, so I ended up creating my own sky using white cardstock, a brayer, blue ink, and a couple of die-cut clouds that I temporarily adhered using washi tape, then removed once I was done playing - so fun!

Recipe:
Life Is Beautiful papers (Echo Park)
Desert Rose, Sage & White cardstock
Desert Rose, Sage, Carolina & Grey Wool ink
Juniper marker
Emporium stickers
Field Notes ephemera (Idea-ology)
Brayer
Cricut Artiste cartridge: clouds
Cricut Design Space: title using Thick font
Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge #79

Challenges: Cut It Up #360 Create your own background and include a die-cut (the title was die-cut on Cricut Design Space, plus I used 2die-cut clouds as negative space when I created my sky background; The Outlawz Anything But a Card Anything Goes except a card; Triple B Anything Goes with a bird, a bloom, and/or a butterfly.

Dog Walk Layout for LM #807

This month at Lasting Memories, Lisa is challenging us to be inspired by the mood boards she created. This week's was difficult for me since I don't have any beachy photos to scrap right now, but I decided to go with the color palette after finding some pictures of my kids walking the dogs. My kids are wearing blue, and the dogs have lots of the tan shades, so I figured I could make it work. Hopefully you agree! The design team would love to have you join us this month over at Lasting Memories. Please check out the challenges and show off your layouts inspired by Lisa's mood boards!

Here's my layout: 

The layout doesn't have a brown border IRL but I added one digitally so it wouldn't blend into my blog background.

And here's the mood board:

Recipe:

Pet Shop papers (KI Memories)

Ice Blue Ribbon Plaid paper (Making Memories)

Toffee, Mocha & Almond cardstock

Almond, Mocha & Carolina ink

Burnt Sienna fineliner pen (iBayam)

DE Monograms - chipboard alphas

Teal stars

My Crush Best Day Ever sticker

Geometric washi tape (Recollections)

Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge: circles, scalloped border

Pattern: EMS Sketch Challenge #80

Challenges: As You Like It Favorite non-Card project (mine is scrapbook layouts) and why (because I love preserving family memories); A Cut Above Anything Goes including a die-cut; Let’s Craft and Create #233 Anything goes with optional twist: Fun in the Sun.