“When I’m in Trouble”

I don’t have a nickname.  It’s just my full name, Amanda.  When I was a kid, I wasn’t allowed to be called Mandy because I had a brother named Randy.  Of course, his real name was Randolph, so I’m still thinking it’s not quite fair that he got the nickname, and I was stuck with a full name.  Who cares that he’s older than me. 

Regardless of if you have a nickname or just use your given name, I think we’ve all heard that Mom or Dad call, the one that involves your given name and when really in trouble, your middle name.  And heaven forbid your last name, then you know you’re in trouble! 

Around here, both the kid’s names end in a “y”.  Of course, Aly’s given name is Alison.  But we call her Aly.  Yes, I usually just shorten it to A for internet security purposes, but I just can’t tell this story with that.  You see, she always makes me laugh.  When we call her “Alison” in normal everyday conversation, she always responds, “Don’t call me that.  I only like being called Alison when I’m in trouble!”  Well, it’s good to know that she likes it when she’s in trouble!  LOL

Now, for this page, I also have a sketch.  I did happen to do this one digital (and I think I might do more digital because I really like how the title turned out).  I created this sketch for a challenge I’m hosting at Club CK.  (free membership – check it out if you haven’t joined already!)

If you’d like to join along, this is Challenge Five, Synchronized Swimming.  You can check out all 8 challenges for the Scrapbooking Olympics here.

Supplies:  Photoshop Elements 9, Echo Park This & That Graceful Digital collection (from www.jessicasprague.com)

Design Tip:  Focal point of photos  For this page, I was careful to place my photos so that they were all looking into the page.  A great page can go wrong had I put the photo on the left of my daughter looking right on the right side.  She would have looked right off the page, thus my eye would have wanted to follow that line of sight off the page.  Make sure your subjects look into the page, and if possible, at the focal point of the page, perhaps the title.

Price Per Page:  I’m not going to assess a price per page as digital is very hard to do so.  Your kits can be used unlimited times.  The more relevant cost associated is probably the cost of the prints (of which I’ve yet to have any of my 12x12s printed).  I purchased these kits on One Buck Wednesday from Jessicasprague.com so they were only a couple bucks.

A Little Mud?

What fun is summer without a little sprinkler and water action?  When the temperature goes over 95 degrees, there is definitely a need for water.  Last week, we pulled out the sprinkler and had some fun.

But then, after the sprinkler is turned off, the real fun begins.  The mud!  Enter Exhibit A

And now the after affects.  Enter Exhibit B

And Exhibit C

Yes, I think they had fun.  They didn’t believe being cleaned off with a hose before letting them come into the house was necessary, but I believe this evidence speaks for itself that it was indeed necessary.

Just For You Friend (Card) Craft Warehouse Design Team

 

Every day in our house, going to the mail box is a big treat.  The kids hope desperately each day that a new magazine or catalog.  When one does arrive, it’s an afternoon of delight! (For them and me).  They sit and read their new magazine or catalog for a few hours and I have time to do my work in peace!!

But really, I know the feeling.  Because the rare occasion I get a card in the mail from a friend, I feel the same way.  It’s a great way to lift someone’s spirits.  So I took that approach for my Craft Warehouse Design Team project.  I received the Echo Park Dearest paper set.  Now, I think it’s a little bit on the Mother’s Day theme.  And being as how Mother’s Day was now two months ago, I didn’t think it would be terribly appropriate to use it as such.  So I used it for a friend card.

Supplies:  Echo Park (papers, sticker), American Crafts (Thickers, mesh ribbon, flower ribbon & pearl brad), misc (cardstock).

Love–Altered Canvas

I’m wondering if you crafters ever have the same problem I have.  It seems that my favorite projects are often the ones I can’t keep!!  Really, why is that?  Is it the whole “grass is always greener” mentality?  The human nature to never be content?

Well, I don’t know why, but I do know that I love this project I did for the Craft Warehouse Design Team.  And to make it even more confusing, I used techniques I don’t enjoy at all – inking, distressing, stamping and fussy cutting.  Someone, please, get a thermometer, I think I’m sick! LOL

All projects © Craft Warehouse

Supplies:  12x12 Canvas, Tim Holtz (resist paper & number plaque), Canvas Corp (canvas & burlap, clothespin), Beacon 3 in 1 liquid adhesive, jute string, Creative Café’ stamps

Princess

 

I’m pretty sure that someone or something in my house has a strange electromagnetic pulse that fries all my electronics.  Computers don’t last more than a year in our house it seems.  We’re lucky to get two years out of a system.  When I hear people say they have had their computer for 5 years, I am in a state of complete jealousy!  LOL…..You see, I’m not one of those who has to have the newest, best, fastest technology.  Just good technology is what I want. 

Why am I telling you this?  Because of the obvious.  I’ve had computer trouble the last week.  In order to avoid the computer being taken out to the pasture and having a few rounds unloaded on it, I had to wipe the harddrive clean.  No problem, I had everything backed up.  I’ve learned from the past several crashes when there was always something I didn’t have backed up (like an address book).  Well, this time, there was one file.  One lonely file I didn’t think was important.  You see, it’s my blog file of images that I reduce in size to be ready to post on my blog.  Everything was already posted except my Craft Warehouse Design Team work.  And because I had to send it off, I didn’t have it anymore to rephoto.  Sigh…..I was able to pull the photos off their blog, but they are smaller.  So you get to just deal with it :P

This first page is with the EK Success Disney line.  I had the princess papers and embellishments to use.  I struggled with this page for a long time because, well, I’m just not “themey”.  After staring at it for hours and hours, I finally just set to work.   I freehanded the heart, punched the circles for the scallop with my 3/4” circle punch and made washi tape flowers. 

(All work © Craft Warehouse)

Supplies:  American Crafts (cardstock & Thickers alphabet), EK Success Disney (paper, stickers, dimensional stickers), Queen & Company (bling & washi tape), We R Memory Keepers (twine)

Design Tip:  Odd Numbers  I clustered my embellishments in odd numbers, especially 3.  The mind loves groups of three. 

Price Per Page:  $$$ ($3 to $4 per page)

I Love You More Today Than Yesterday–thinking*through*design

Somehow, the week escaped me.  It’s Saturday night as I post this and I’m wondering what happened to Wednesday, Thursday and Friday?! LOL…Oh, wait, I was fighting with my computer for three days.  But let me tell you – I feel a *little* bit smarter after figuring out how to reformat my computer.

The reason missing Thursday was a big deal is because my latest project for thinking*through*design went live and I didn’t post it here!  The *thought* this week was about using calendar elements of some sort on your pages.  Here is what my *thought* was.

Calendars are always around us in life; and really, I should learn to pay more attention to them since I’m always forgetting what day it is!  LOL!  Despite calendars being around us nearly everywhere we turn, I rarely think to incorporate them into my pages.  For this project, I did not interpret calendars to reflect a specific date.  I wanted the calendar to represent the passage of time.  I used all the elements of a 6x6 Simple Stories Year-ography page to represent a full year.  My title “I Love You More Today Than Yesterday” also represents the change of time, not so much a specific date.  So go ahead, use a calendar to represent the passage of time, how things are different now than before, or even just as a cool grid element!

For the page, I used the month pieces from a 6x6 stack of Simple Stories.  The size was perfect to cut apart and layer as a background.  I used four different border punches on one edge to add some interest and dimension to the page.  Adding the title was my next challenge.  I didn’t have any Thickers that matched right on.  I pulled out a set of white Thickers and used my ProMarkers to recolor them.  The color isn’t quite reading right on the screen, they do look much closer to the pink that you see on the paper.

Supplies:  Simple Stories Yearography (6x6 paper, stickers, alphas), American Crafts Thickers, The Twinery Twine, Misc (cardstock), Tim Holtz ink

Design Tip:  Repetition  When using a busy background, repeating the same picture can bring cohesion to the point of the stories.

Price Per Page:  $$ ($2 to $3 MSRP)

Be sure to check out the challenge at Thinking*Through*Design to see the awesome and inspiring work created by the other girls and join along!!

If Rails Could Talk

I have quite a surprise for you today.  Another two page spread.  Yes, I said that.  Another!  Whatever has possessed me, you might ask.  Well, it was called a pile of pictures from February that I needed to finish up so I could begin scrapping our recent vacation pictures (which by the way, the prints arrived today and I was so thrilled because the color came back more vivid than I expected! I can’t wait to share those pages with you). 

I think you all know that I love old rusty stuff.  Yup, you heard me.  And no, I’m not afraid of Tetanus (er, I wonder when the last time I had a booster was….maybe I should check that out, I know everyone else in my family is good on that front, but I don’t know about myself!).  Well tetanus or not, I love rust and character.  But what I love the most is the story it can tell.  In all aspects.  The person(s) who made it, the person(s) who used it, the person(s) who abandoned it.  What happened along the way?  Did these engines pull a train that was an important event in history?  Was this train robbed by a famous bandit?  The stories my imagination can run away with, the character of the piece is what enthralls me.  So, I find myself hopelessly snapping away when I venture across pieces with a story to tell, if only they could talk.  And because photography and scrapbooking can so easily go hand in hand, it seems almost wrong to not scrap one my favorite inanimate subjects to photograph.

Supplies:  Echo Park (For the Record, paper, stickers), Studio Calico (veneer chips), The Twinery, misc (black cardstock)

Technique Tip:  Sticker Resuscitation Today, instead of a design tip, I’m going to do a technique tip.  I have two tools I must have with me at all times when I scrap.  They are my reverse action tweezers (or any fine point tweezers) and my Zig fine tip 2-way adhesive.

For pretty much every LO I do, I use my reverse action tweezers to place the letter stickers.  It keeps my clumsy fingers out of the line of sight.  However, this time I didn’t like where I had placed the word “if”. I needed to pull it up, but in doing so with my reverse action tweezers, I accidentally tore the layers of the stickers apart.

But, with the right equipment, it’s an easy repair!

Use the tweezers to fully pull up the sticker (when I tear the top, I start again at the bottom to be sure I get the tweezers completely underneath it before removing it completely, and thus keeping it from coming off in two or more pieces.  Then replace the sticker in the correct place.  Using the Zig adhesive pen, apply a small amount of adhesive between the two layers.

Apply gentle pressure (if adhesive leaks out, use the tweezers to prevent your finger from being stuck).  Hold it about 5 seconds, and VIOLA!  A repaired sticker.

Price Per Page:  $$$$ ($4 or more MSRP)  This page was more expensive than my average, but considering it is a two page spread at just under $5, it is right on par for average when divided by two.

She’s Still Faithful

A few weeks ago we spent a day in Yellowstone National Park.  We’d been there once before, about 7 years ago.  We timed it horribly and were only able to get into the north entrance of the park.  While we did see many wildlife, we didn’t get to see any of the geothermal attractions, and that was what I most wanted to see.  So, we made our second attempt this year. 

One of the things on my bucket list was to photograph Yellowstone.  It is a truly beautiful and unique place.  But the one thing we all kept saying as we drove through the park is that (aside from the geothermal) it was very much like home.  It made us appreciate the beauty we have at home even more.  (And there aren’t thousands of people everywhere you turn at home!!). 

As we planned what to do at Yellowstone, because I was the only one who wanted to see Old Faithful, we decided that when we arrived, if it erupted in 10 minutes or less from arrival, we would stay and watch.  If not, we’d keep going on.  Well, fortunate for me, it was erupting 6 minutes from the time we arrived.  Yay!  I was able to snatch a sequence of pictures of it erupting.  We were back a fair distance (we were at the lodge, several hundred feet), but a good zoom lens and some cropping later, I have a great sequence. 

No, I wanted to mention two things about this page.  First, you don’t see me doing many doubles layouts.  Nope.  There are two reasons.  First (and initially the main reason) is that I rarely have that many photos to tell the story of my page.  Because I’m more of a personality/relationship scrapper rather than an event scrapper, I usually take the photos out of context and make multiple pages from an “event” or whatever it is.  So the opportunities I have to do more than one page are rare.  But the second reason (and primary reason now) is for blogging.  As you’ve noticed, I like to make the pictures as big as I can when I share them.  A two page spread just doesn’t show as well because I have to fit twice the width in the same space.  Details are lost due to size, and I just don’t like it.  So, I usually stick to one page for sharing purposes.

Also – all those 6x6 pads I’m so addicted to…well, I just wanted to show that you can do a page with only them.  This page (aside from the 12x12 background) is created from only 6x6 paper.  Yup, it can be done!

Supplies:  American Crafts (cardstock), Crate Paper (6x6 paper), My Minds Eye (6x6 paper), Cosmo Cricket (alphas), Studio Calico (veneer chips), Paper Trey Ink (dies, button & Alpha), misc (cherry veneer)

Design Tip:  Linear focus  I lined my sequence shots in a linear fashion, from left to right.  It makes it very easy for the eye to read that it is a sequence.  This creates harmony.

Price Per Page:  $$$ ($3 to $4 MSRP) By creating the title and elements from scrap veneer, I was able to keep the price down as opposed to purchased precut veneer elements.  YES – I used my Paper Trey Ink dies on the veneer again.  It’s my favorite thing to do at the moment!

Art of Yesteryear

I have a great appreciation for architecture of the past.  It is incredible to me to see the art and skill that was needed to create it.  These things done before modern power tools and CNC machines.  When things were done by hand.  I admit, when I come across an old building with character, the details suck me in.  It’s a hopeless cause to get me out of there before I have a chance to fully admire the details, and if I was fortunate enough to bring a camera, photograph them.  Call me silly, but my 50 mm f/1.8 lens is always on my camera for the prime reason that I never know when I will stumble across an old beauty, that needs to be fully appreciated in film.  Oh, wait, I mean in memory card…LOL….film is also of yesteryear!  Go figure..okay, cheesy attempt at humor.

To me, looking at the architecture, I can see the art in itself.  It didn’t needed to be decorated with elaborate paintings or tapestry.  It in itself is beautiful. 

These pictures were from the Snoqualmie Depot east of Seattle, WA.  There is a train museum there, and the Depot is the office and gift shop.  The building was incredible!  There was radius wood work everywhere.  Now, I’ve watched my husband make some radius work.  It requires skill as it is, with modern tools and engineered wood products that lend aid to the ease of construction.  But this room, was completely rounded, with full sticks of real lumber, not engineered wood.  It blew my mind.  And the most incredible thing is that it was built 100 years ago, AND in a matter of just months.  I’m still in awe of the craftsmanship. 

I thought it was definitely worthy of a page in my book, especially considering that to me, it’s art. 

Supplies:  Crate Paper (Farmhouse Collection, paper, stickers, chipboard, buttons), misc (floss), Tim Holtz ink

Design Tip:  Continuation of shape  The goal in this page was to showcase the curved woodwork in this building, as well as the incredible metal work (door knob, handmade hinges, etc).  I used the scalloped border and circles (clock, buttons) to further carry that point through.  While I have only one clock on the page, it doesn’t feel like it doesn’t belong because the shape is elsewhere on the page multiple times. 

Price Per Page:  $$$$ ($4 or more MSRP).  This layout is pushing $6 if not exceeding it.  For me, that’s pretty high. But when considering this is a 2 page LO, it’s not terrible.  And I feel like I was a little more product heavy on this one that I normally am (no solid cardstock which is more affordable and several chipboard elements.

The Posse

I’ve always wanted to be part of a wild west crime band.  I can just see it.  My name would be Amanda Lou.  I’d have the fastest ATG draw in the west.  But I’m definitely no wild west outlaw, and the worst of my crimes have been adhesive theft, giving a Styrofoam cake to some one on their birthday and duct taping a teachers car.  I'm pretty sure that doesn’t qualify me for outlaw rank.  But sometimes, it’s fun to have friends you can get into just a *little* bit of trouble with. 

One of my favorite things to do lately is use my Papertrey Ink dies to cut wood veneer.  I made several of the elements on this page, including cutting the title.  I love the neutral character of wood grain, and it’s self-adhesive!  What could be more fun.

Supplies:  My Mind’s Eye (paper, stickers), American Crafts (cardstock), Tim Holtz ink, Kaiser Craft (mini alphas), Paper Trey Ink (dies – alpha & button)::

Design Tip: Hiding Flaws  Ever get a picture you just don’t quite like of yourself?  I didn’t like the way my arm was showing in the bottom left photo – it looked awkward and unnatural.  So I put a sticker over it as part of my cluster (also putting it over the right photo as well).  It hid the distraction, made me like the picture and tied in with the page design.

Price Per Page:  $$ ($2 to $3 per page)

“Oh So Happy”

I’ve never  been particularly good at being told what to do.  At least not in situations where the person has no authority over me, like, oh I don’t know a hobby.  I think that’s why I really didn’t like school.  Because I love to learn, but I just didn’t do well in the classroom.  At work, I was always just fine when my boss told me what to do, but that was their job, and it was my job to listen.  Outside those parameters, it’s not always so easy.  I can only hope that it is because I myself have a little bit of leadership streak in me.   Last week we were travelling through a military base and my husband said he’d never make it in the service.  We are extremely thankful for those who do, but we’d never do well.  He said it was because he didn’t like being told what to do.  I said, “no, but you’d make a great General!”  Unfortunately, we agreed that it doesn’t work to go straight from enlistment to General.  Too bad!!  LOL

That being said, when being told what to do crosses to my hobby, I’m not always so keen.  This is one place where it’s my place to not be told what to do, and I kinda like that.  The challenges over at CSI are really a challenge for me because they tell you what to do for five things!!  No!!!  You can’t tell ME what color to use, what elements to use, how to journal and MORE!  Uh- huh…I won’t take it!  LOL  But the message that appeared in my e-mail inbox had criteria that I could actually do, and it didn’t even feel like I was being told what to do!!

Now, as I’ve said all this, I’m trying to be funny, I really hope it reads that way.  If it doesn’t, please forgive my failure at attempts for humor.

 

Supplies:  American Crafts (cardstock), My Minds Eye (journal/title), The Twinery, Karen Foster (metal charms), Petalo (flowers), Crate Paper

Design Tip:  Odd numbers  Keep your embellishment clusters to odd numbers (three is awesome) for visual harmony

Price Per Page:  $$ ($2-$3 MSRP)

When Good Bloggers Go Bad!?

We all know about that four letter word, the word called life…..Yup, sometimes it’s a four letter word.  And sometimes, despite our best intentions, we drop the ball on something.  For me, this month, the ball that was dropped would be my blog.  And ironically, blog is also a four letter word, however, I don’t usually think of it in a negative way. 

Do you want to know why I’ve been so inconsistent?

First of all, there was this, Butte (Berkeley  Pit Copper Mine)

Then there was this, Yellowstone:

Then Montana:

Then this, my husbands newest toy, a BIG generator

Which was promptly followed by a small electrical fire on the way down the mountain, as well as the frying of our surge protectors and tv!  We had our own fireworks on the 4th!  LOL

Don’t forget this:

And of course, there is always the regular this, this & this: (they all like to eat, I can’t imagine why?  And clean socks and underwear?  Really, must we be that picky?)

Not to mention this:  (because kitchens like this are what pays the next item)

Of course this:

And the rest of life!!!!  That all being said, I’m not making excuses, I just want to let you all know that I have not forgotten anything, and I have not disappeared!  I hope to get caught up on the pile of laundry that still taunts me from vacation, pay the bills and finish up other random things.  And I WILL be posting again, and I WILL send out the giveaways I’ve had the last month.  Promise. 

“The Girls” & Blog Hop Winner!

When we moved up on top of my mountain, I was very nervous about the isolation.  I had always lived in town and had people nearby always.  But being 9 miles out of town, on a dirt road, with no seen neighbors, I was a slight bit apprehensive.  And then we hooked up to high-speed internet (via satellite).  Funny how something so little can change your life.  I found that I was able to communicate with my friends over the computer when I couldn’t in person, and I found that the isolation wasn’t nearly as bad as I had anticipated.  I even found a whole new set of friends I had never expected!  I found the Creating Keepsakes message board and made friends from across the country and world, all who shared the same interest as I did:  scrapbooking.  Common ground!  Finally, someone who understood.

Now, while some people think it’s odd to have such good friends whom I had never met, I think it’s no different than days of old and penpals, it’s just a much faster pace.  Which also means friendships can be built more quickly as you don’t have to wait three months per letter via the Pony Express. 

Last August, nine of us from all over Washington, Oregon and Idaho met in Wenatchee and had a scrapbooking weekend.  This isn’t something I’d usually do, it’s hard for me to leave my family alone.  But I did, and had a wonderful girls’ weekend (and it was nice to know that if they were indeed starving, I was only 2 hours away).  But the best part of it all was that it was the first time most of us had met in person, but it felt like we were all friends who hadn’t been apart at all, like we’d always known each other in our real lives!  It was pretty awesome.

Now, I don’t think I’d scrapped any of these photos yet.  But you see, I was feeling the pressure because we are coming up on our weekend for this year!  Just less than 5 weeks away!  Oh, I’d better get busy LOL.  So I needed to get these photos down so I can move on to this year!  And in perfect timing, the October Afternoon 9 to 5 I ordered arrived.  I really liked the line, but it was a little harder to take the embellishments out of context that I thought it would be, and it’s really not appropriate for telling the story of my kids.   But I realized, it was perfect for this subject!  So I set off to work.

I really liked the end result of the layering of stickers under the title.  And I have to let you know one of my favorite secrets for letters.  Sometimes, the colors just aren’t right.  When that’s the case, I have found the perfect way to fix it!  I recolor them with the Letraset Promarkers.  They are an alcohol ink, same concept as Copics, but much less expensive.  These Thickers started out a green shade, but with a layer of blue ink, they toned down to be a perfect match. 

Supplies:  October Afternoon (paper, stickers, buttons, flag, circle alphas), Thickers, The Twinery (twine), Core’dinations (cardstock)

Design Tip:  Grounding Photos  This paper was very busy, and even the brown wood grain paper was busy for the photos to be on.  So I matted them on this piece of solid brown cardstock to give them structure and definition.  In applying the cluster and title on that as well, it grounded all the pieces together and feels thought out instead of haphazard.

Price Per Page:  $$ ($2 to $3 MSRP)

And shall we have a winner from the blog hop?

Thanks to everyone who joined in!  It was a great weekend!!  But the winner is Robyn!!!