Everyday Cards

I lost my scrapping mojo this week, so the layout I started on Tuesday is still sitting on my desk. Boohoo! But when my friend Robin came over to my house on Thursday to complete the Crazy for Cards workshop, I pulled out my Celebrate the Everyday card kit and worked on it while she did her cards. I only made half the cards (you can complete 16 using the instruction booklet, but I didn't need that many right now), and I made some exactly as instructed in the booklet, while others I changed up a bit. I loved working with this kit. Cute papers and embellishments guaranteed that my cards would turn out great. Now hopefully this week I'll get inspired to do some scrapping. I'll keep you posted!

Punchbowl Layouts

I didn't quite meet my goal of scrapping the remaining two layouts for my Hawaii album this weekend. I did finish one layout on Saturday night, and I had laid out the papers for a second one, but then on Sunday I got lazy and just read a good book after church. Ever feel like that? Today I woke up with my creative juices flowing, so I buckled down and finished the last layout. I totally changed the papers I had set out on Friday night, but I like the result much better this way. For the first layout, I created masks for certain portions of my layout, attached them temporarily to my background cardstock, and brayered over the cardstock using Dutch Blue ink. I was able to achieve a much lighter background shade than if I had used plain Dutch Blue cardstock, plus I got the look of patterned papers. I removed the masks and used the Simple Stitches stamp set to create the journaling lines, the borders around two of the pictures, and the large stars. For the second layout, I had made up my own sketch, but I kept moving things around until I got the look I wanted. In case you're wondering why I listed all those Word Puzzle stamps, I used portions of them to spell out the word "price" so it would match the font for "remember." I love how the twill ribbon I used to attach my tag is formed into a V for victory, an unintentional result that really fits the theme of the layout: the cost of freedom. I've always found the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Punchbowl) to be pretty impressive. Seeing all the graves and realizing that the people buried under them gave their lives to preserve our liberty is a sobering thought. I only showed a small portion of them, but the memorial contains mosaics depicting battles (mostly naval) of WWII and the Korean War. Definitely worth seeing if you are visiting Oahu.


Recipe:
Simple Stitches, July Word Puzzle, Charm Upper Alphabet, Charm Lowercase Alphabet & Classmate Alphabet stamp sets
Colonial White cardstock
Dutch Blue, Desert Sand & Outdoor Denim ink
Desert Sand marker
Foam squares
Brayer



Recipe:
Friendship Alphabet Small, Tiny Typewriter Alphabet, January Word Puzzle, July Word Puzzle, August Word Puzzle & September Word Puzzle stamp sets
Free Spirit Level 2 papers
Cocoa, Indian Corn Blue & Colonial White cardstock
Cocoa & Indian Corn Blue ink
Twill & Cocoa grosgrain ribbon
Photo hanger
Pewter brads

Waikiki Layout

I recently got a package of Perfect Day Level 2 papers as part of a CTMH promotional, and I knew the slightly ornate design on the Sorbet paper would go perfectly with the picture of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. I debated on using the Juniper that comes with the paper pack, since it is picked up in the details of the hotel awnings, but it made the ocean pictures look funny, so I settled for Crystal Blue with Creme Brulee and Chocolate accent pieces. I stamped the Crystal Blue with descriptive words using Crystal Blue ink, producing a tone-on-tone look that doesn't overwhelm the photos. The rest went together pretty easily, and now I only have 2 layouts left to scrap from our Hawaii vacation. Woohoo! If I can crank out one tonight while I'm watching t.v. with the hubby, and try to fit one in tomorrow after the kids' soccer games, I will have achieved my goal of completing my Hawaii album this week. Now bad, considering I originally though I could polish the whole thing off in July! Wish me luck.



Recipe:
Friendship Word Puzzle, August Word Puzzle, Chocolate Alphabet Large & Daydream stamp sets
Perfect Day Level 2 papers
Crystal Blue, Chocolate, Creme Brulee & White Daisy cardstock
Crystal Blue, Chocolate, Creme Brulee, Sorbet & Bamboo ink
Sorbet & Creme Brulee markers
Blender pen
Chocolate brads
Copper eyelets (Making Memories)

Bishop Museum Layout

In my last post, I was reflecting on how I tend to reach for some of the same tried-and-true products over and over, so this time I decided to use (almost all) totally new stuff. I knew as soon as I saw it that I needed to have the Tinkering paper pack and the coordinating stamp set Gear Up, but I kept putting off purchasing it because it didn't go with any of my current layouts. But when I printed out these pictures, I thought Tinkering would be a perfect fit for them, and I was right. Although I don't know what possessed me to dress my son in a yellow shirt and red socks, it was a happy accident since his outfit picks up the main colors in the Tinkering papers. Yay! Anyway, this is the first time I've used this paper pack and stamp set, and I love the results. Hopefully you all will, too! The pattern is Elegant Showcase from Cherish, slightly revised in order to fit all my pictures. I used a lot of distressing on the journaling block and embellishments so that they would match the grungy look of the papers. To make the journaling block, I printed the journaling on White Daisy cardstock, and then I second generation stamped it with gears to mimic the look of the patterned paper without having to cut up a big sheet to fit into my printer. I also lightly sponged Sunny Yellow ink onto it, and distressed it a little with Bamboo ink.



Recipe:
Gear Up & Alphabet Solos "D" stamp sets
Tinkering Level 2 papers
Twilight, Sunny Yellow & White Daisy cardstock
Twilight, Sunny Yellow, Clover Meadow, Holiday Red & Bamboo ink
Color Ready Alphabet Hodge Podge
My Accents Cranberry concho
Foam Squares
Brayer
Sponges

Father's Day Layout

I didn't get much scrapping done this weekend since I attended the Women of Faith Conference in Anaheim (Woohoo!), but I eked out this layout on Sunday after church. It's another of Helen Onulak's challenges, this time using the Imagine pattern, Sweet Symphony. I featured these sweet pictures of my sons with their daddy this past Father's Day, and the Stardust paper was an excellent accompaniment, as well as giving me the idea for a title. While creating this layout, I discovered that, even thought I have tons of stamps and supplies, I tend to reach for a few of my favorites most of the time. I love the versatility of the Hodge Podge Alphabet stamp set, and Star Struck has such cute arrows, stars, and circles that it goes with many layouts. Another favorite item is the Basic Craft buttons. These just debuted this month in the Fall/Winter CTMH catalog, but I have already used them on several layouts. The neutral colors make them so easy to work with. If you don't already have these three items, they are "must buys." Put them on your list - you won't regret it. I only have 4 more Hawaii layouts to scrapbook, so I'm going to go sit at my desk right now and see how many I can crank out. I really want to finish these by the end of the week so that I can move on to others subjects, like catching up on Adrian's school album and our current family photos. Wish me luck!



Recipe:
Hodge Podge Alphabet, Headline Alphabet, July Word Puzzle & Star Struck stamp sets
Stardust Level 2 papers
Lilac Mist, Chocolate & Bamboo cardstock
Bamboo, Desert Sand, Moonstruck & Versamark ink
Basic Craft Buttons
Embroidery floss
Chocolate & Moonstruck markers
Embossing powder
Liquid Glass
Connections Club Clear Shapes
Star punch (unknown source)

Mission Houses Museum Layout

I don't often use stickers on my scrapbook pages, but the That's Amore My Stickease worked out great for this layout. Combined with the Love Always Journaling spots, it made the whole layout come together in no time at all, and I love the old fashioned look of the papers, perfect for this historical page. The quote in my journaling is an excerp from the Triple A guide to Hawaii.



Recipe:
Key to My Heart stamp set
That's Amore Level 2 papers
That's Amore My Stickease
Garden Green & Cocoa cardstock
Love Always Journaling Spots
Cocoa ink
Cocoa marker

Iolani Palace Layout

For some reason, this is my favorite layout I've scrapped from our Hawaii vacation. I just like how all the elements came together to create a pleasing picture. I don't even have any journaling, but that's okay; I have a ton on the layouts I've done of Iolani Palace from other Hawaii trips. The scan doesn't do it justice. It washed out the bottom of the layout so you can't tell that the cardstock is the same color as the strip above (Sweet Leaf), so you'll have to imagine that, please. Okay, enough said. Just enjoy the view.



Recipe:
Friendship Large Alphabet, Hodgepodge Alphabet, Boutique Borders & Starstruck stamp sets
Emporium Level 2 papers
Sweet Leaf, Crystal Blue & Colonial White cardstock
Vineyard Berry, Desert Sand, Sweet Leaf, Cocoa, Crystal Blue & Bamboo ink
Cocoa grosgrain ribbon
Basic & Winter craft buttons
Embroidery floss
Foam Squares

More PCC Layouts!

I had too much data for one e-mail, so here’s the rest. Just in case you can't see it, here is a snippet of journaling from my "Fiji" layout. I had written this down but totally forgotten about it until I pulled out my vacation journal, and here was this cute story: "At the Fiji show, Adrian made friends with a 2 ½ year old girl who also collects rocks. They sat on a bench together and she put rocks in his pocket while he studiously avoided looking at her. It was hilarious!" It really pays to write those memories down when they are fresh, because it gets harder to recall them the older we get! For the "Fun" layout, I traced the card that came in the "Everyday Celebration" card kit that is the CTMH special for National Scrapbooking Month, and I used it for a journaling space. I've been dying to do that ever since I got my kit, and I finally got the chance. Isn’t it funny what makes a scrapbooker happy?!

Fiji:

Recipe:
Connections & Boutique Borders stamp sets
Free Spirit Level 2 papers
Cocoa, Indian Corn Blue, Goldrush & White Daisy cardstock
Cocoa, Indian Corn Blue & Autumn Terracotta ink
Dimensional Elements Monograms "F", "I", "J"
Pewter brads
Foam Squares

Family Fun:

Recipe:
Chocolate Alphabet Large, Extreme Happiness & Celebrate the Everyday stamp sets
Moon Doggie Level 2 papers
Cranberry, Desert Sand & Colonial White cardstock
Cranberry, Desert Sand, Carden Green, Bamboo, Hydrangea & Petal ink
Desert Sand marker
Ribbon slide

Polynesian Cultural Center Layouts

I'm back with a few more Hawaii layouts, this time featuring pictures we took at the Polynesian Cultural Center. I used several pocket pages, which I usually don't show on my blog because they are just pictures, but I decided to post them this time since I actually did some decorative titles and journaling. In case you didn't already figure it out, the Canoe Pageant pocket page continues onto the Marquesas pocket page, with the two top photos belonging to the canoe pageant. Too many photos, not enough space! I especially like my Marquesas layout because I made my own background paper (the diamonds) using cardstock, an embossing stylus, and sandpaper. I have done staight lines before using this technique, but never a diamond pattern. It took a bit of work, but I really like how it came out.

PCC Overview:

Recipe:
Postcard Travel Series, Playful Caps & Playful Lowercase Alphabet stamp sets
Moon Doggie Level 2 paper pack
Cranberry, Desert Sand, Indian Corn Blue & White Daisy cardstock
Cranberry, Chocolate & Indian Corn Blue ink

Canoe Pageant:

Recipe:
Picture Perfect, Boutique Borders stamp sets
Majestic Blue Level 2 papers
Bamboo & White Daisy cardstock
Cranberry & Outdoor Denim ink

Marquesas:



Recipe:
B&T Combo paper pack (discontinued)
Charm Uppercase Alphabet, Charm Lowercase Alphabet, With Love, Picture Perfect & Boutique Borders stamp sets
Bamboo & Cocoa cardstock
Ocean, Cocoa & Versamark ink
White embossing powder
Metal-rimmed flower tag
Chocolate brads
Natural Hemp
Heat gun
Sandpaper
Embossing stylus
Scallop scissors (CM)