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)

Picnic Layout

I took another break today from scrapping Hawaii pictures in order to complete another of Helen Onulak's CTMH How-To books challenges (#21). This time, she asked us to use the pattern "Column Composition" from Cherish. It only features 3 pictures, and I am totally not a 3 pictures on a two-page layout kind of gal, so I revised the sketch. Instead of 1 4"x6" picture on the left page, I placed 3 5"x3.5" photos, plus I added a Flip-Flap to page 2, so I actually have a total of 7 pictures on here. Much more my style! I used 2 papers from the Magic Moments kit, but the paisley one was really busy, so I turned it over and used the monochromatic side. This allowed me to stamp my journaling and some captions on the little 2"x2" squares, which was a good thing because I placed my title where the journaling was supposed to go. Speaking of the title, I posted two versions of the layout because I couldn't decide whether I liked it better with the title facing left or right. Please leave me a comment and let me know which you think looks better, version 1 or version 2. It's not fastened down yet, so I'll do that when I get some feedback on which way you like it. I'm sure all you experienced scrappers will have an opinion! Thanks.

Version 1

Version 2


Recipe:
Hodge Podge Alphabet, Tiny Typewriter Alphabet, Friendship Alphabet Small, Atomic Numbers, Alphabet Solos "E", "F" & "H" & Dream Big stamp sets
Magic Moments Level 2 paper pack
Autumn Terracotta & Indian Corn Blue cardstock
Chocolate, Indian Corn Blue & Sunflower ink
Dimension Elements Monograms "P", "I", "C" & "N"

Waimea Falls Layout

Another layout from the Waimea Valley Audubon Center. These pictures were taken at Waimea Falls. Not sure I love this layout, but I do like the Moon Doggie papers, and I had fun poking a border in the curved piece and the title piece using my paper piercer. I realized afterwards that I had a cute picture of my family that I forgot to use, which may be why I am not entirely happy with this layout. Oh well, maybe I'll make a "Hawaii in Review" page to put at the end of the album, and I can use it there. I'm off to do some more scrapping. Have a great weekend!



Recipe:
Chocolate Alphabet Large, Extreme Happiness & Star Struck stamp sets
Moon Doggie Level 2 papers
Indian Corn Blue, Desert Sand & Colonial White cardstock
Cranberry, Desert Sand & Sunflower ink
Indian Corn Blue Marker
Autumn Harvest Bigger Brads
Foam Squares
Paper piercer
Decorative Trimmer (CM)

Waimea Valley Layout

What a week this has been for our poor computer! My hubby finally got it working again, but he had to reconfigure it quite a bit. I was all ready to use it yesterday to scan some layouts when the power to our neighborhood went out. We were without electricity for 14 hours (on one of the hottest days of the summer), and we ended up sleeping outside because it was so hot in the house. But finally, I was able to sit down today and scan a layout, so here it is. This is from our visit to the Waimea Valley Audubon Center. Although it has changed a bit since the days when it was the Waimea Valley Adventure Park, the scenery is still as beautiful as ever. We really missed the tram, though, as we hiked the 3/4 mile up to the Falls. I used one of Becky Higgin's sketches for this layout, and was able to fit 10 pictures on it. I cut the title out using my Wishblade, and I love how I was able to get that delicate look to it. I think it goes really well with the lovely Bella paper pack (one of my favorites). By the way, my son really does not look like the photo on the far left makes him appear. When I was scanning the layout, something happened to compress the picture a bit, so I noticed his squashed down face makes him resemble a gnome or troll - not the case in real life at all!



Recipe:
With Love stamp set
Bella Level 2 paper pack
Garden Green, Amethyst & Topiary cardstock
White Daisy textured cardstock
Petal, Topiary, Creme Brulee & Desert Sand ink
White Daisy Dazzling Die Cuts
Topiary Marker
Wishblade (Xyron)

Malfunction!

I am typing this post on my DH's laptop because my computer is freaking out. My hubby and I had an emergency session last night in which we burned all our pictures from 2008 and 2009 onto discs, just in case the computer crashed. Fortunately we had the previous years already backed up, so it wasn't the huge job it could have been, but it did give me a bit of a scare. I no longer print my pictures until I am ready to scrap them, so I would have lost 2 years worth of photos. We'll see if the other computer can be fixed, but in the meantime I can't scan anything, so any layouts I post will just be photographed (and probably pretty poorly). I'll try to catch up tomorrow, but in the meantime, GO BACK UP YOUR PHOTOS!!! That's right, close this window and burn those photos on disc! Don't think a computer crash can't happen to you because it can. GO! DO IT NOW!!!