An Ending and a Beginning

I have just finished 2 layouts for circle journals. The first is the last album in the Truth or Dare circle journal I was involved in last year. My friend Cheri "dared" me to do a layout with a monochromatic theme. The "truth" that she had for me was "if you could have one do-over in life what would it be?" So I decided to do one based on my lack of musical skills.

The papers are K&Company, Paper Studios and some wonderful Metallic paper my awesome friend Nancyroo sent me. I used Tim Holtz Distress Ink, paper flowers, and brads. Oh and the photo is of my daughter's hands playing a piano piece she wrote several years ago. Her left hand is a blur because she was really moving! So I changed it to sepia tone and set it as a soft focus and it works.

The second layout is my own personal layout from my new Ode to Joy circle journal. I chose to focus on my kids (of course).

I did several of the technique challenges, including using textured words. These are some wooden words I was given as gift several years ago. I ran them through my Cuttlebug and was able to texturize them. I then used Tim Holtz Distress Ink to bring out the texture. The papers are various scraps I've had a while, along with some ribbon, flowers, buttons.

Circle Journal 2011

Several friends and I have started a new circle journal. My theme is Ode to Joy. In this post I'll share my starting pages, and then my actual layout will be a different post.

I used K&Company paper for the background, Tim Holtz tissue tape, and several Cricut fonts for the title.

For my instruction page I used some more K&Company paper and lots of old buttons. The buttons kept the instructions from being clear, so I'm adding them here to make them easier to read.

Webster’s Dictionary defines “Joy” as: The emotion of great happiness. Great happiness! That is so wonderful. Joy is deeper than happiness, it is an emotion of wonder and hope and love.

Webster’s defines an “Ode” as: A lyric poem with complex stanza forms. Or in other words, a song or verse.


In this journal, I ask you to do several things.


1. Complete a two-page layout telling about a moment that gave you joy or something that continually gives you joy.


2. In your journaling or somewhere on the layout use a verse, poem, song lyric or quotation that helps express the emotion of joy. Please also tell a little about the picture or pictures you use.


3. Use one or more of the technique challenges on the next page. Each technique can be used by multiple people, so try something you might not have done before. Find joy in stretching yourself.


Most of all, enjoy yourself and the layout you create.

And the technique challenges:

Technique Challenges

1. Use a Monochromatic color scheme.


2. Use tons of bling.


3. Use a sketch from this month’s page maps. Tell us which one.


4. Use paint on your layout.


5. Distress your layout.


6. Use stamping on your layout.


7. Use a black and white photo or black and white page or both.


8. Use a photo collage or a create a collage background.


9. Use hidden journaling.


10. Make a mini-book on your page.


11. Use flourishes—lots of flourishes.


12. Use envelopes or pockets on your page.


13. Use textured words in your title like: http://scrapbooking.about.com/library/weekly/blprintingwords.htm


14. Use ribbon.


15. Use flowers.

And this is my sign-in page. The tags are cut using the Songbird cartridge from double-sided papers. I'm asking everyone to decorate one side to express the theme and the other to list their name, location and month they had the journal as well as what techniques they used on their layouts.

I'll add my own layouts later.

Mailbox: Boy Style

So when you have a 16 year old boy, you just can't give him the same kind of mailbox that you give your teenage daughter and her friends. It's not "manly" and "cool" to have flowers and fro-fro ribbons. So for Arch. I kept the patterned paper to mostly textures and somewhat monochromatic. I wrapped the ribbon on the flag instead of tying bows and added western accents. I did give in to glitter letters for a little---uh--not bling--punch, yeah, that's it!

Valentine's Day Mail Boxes

I haven't blogged (or scrapped!) in quite some time, so today it was sure fun to pull out these Target Dollar Spot mailboxes and dive into my stash. I made one for Kat and then one for her roommate and other girls on her end of the hall. I think they turned out really cute. I followed the directions in the tutorial on http://www.kerryspapercrafts.com/?p=395. I did make a couple of changes. My mailboxes were red and white and didn't look all that great with the edge of the lids showing, so I cut a 1/4 strip of paper matching the end paper and glued that on the edge, then sanded it and inked the edges. I also noticed that both ends of mine came off which made covering the back end much easier. I used Jolee's cupcakes on the flags for all of them. All the paper and supplies came from my stash, so this was a really inexpensive gift for Kat to give her friends. Now I need to make Arch's and fill all of them.

Next Up

Working with those beautiful pictures Christa took of Kat is so fun! All the layouts in this post feature some of those pictures.

This first layout is a lift from a layout frame I saw in Creating Keepsakes magazine. It had a shadowbox effect and this incredible flourish border around it. I loved that and just had to recreate it. The wooden word and fleur d' lis are colored with a copper marker to get a little sheen.

This layout is a combination of two of August 2010 Page Maps sketches. I've had these charms for several years. They were leftover from some VBS project, so I knew someday I'd want to use them. The doors in these pictures and the beautiful lighting just seemed perfect for that. The papers are all K&Company. The fiber is Basic Grey.

Christa did such an amazing job catching Kat's eyes in her photos. I just loved they way that the top photo here focused on the eyes. It's truly one of my favorites. For this layout, I used Bazzil cardstock, K&Company and DCWV patterned paper. The ribbon is paper ribbon from Walmart.

Speaking of eyes, Kat rolled hers when I read her this quotation sticker, but I've had it for years and always wanted to use it. In the end she approved this layout. Patterned paper is K&Company and cardstock is Bazzil. The buttons are from that antique jar I bought. The photo turns are from DCWV. Oh and the quotation? "All the things I prayed you'd be all the things you are. You were once my little girl and now my shining star." Yeah, okay, it's a little sappy, but sweet and I just like it. I did ink the edges to keep it from being too little girly.

So while I was gone...

I took my scrap stuff with me and sat on the porch and scrapped some while at Paisano. I got 5 pages done, well, one 2 pager and 3 singles. I also made a couple of cards and a mini-album for my sister's birthday, but I didn't scan those. All of these LOs are from the senior album--gotta finish before school starts!


So the 2 pager: Senior Recital

This uses DCWV Music Stack pp and the font is from Cricut Songbird cartridge.

The next page is a lift from one Gizzy did in my circle journal last year. I just loved the way she did the folded corner with the double sided paper and wanted to do that too. The upper corner looked so blank, I had to add some pretty stuff there, too.  The picture is another Christa Holland picture from our senior photo shoot. The paper is from Deja Views Global Views. The button I got in an jar of vintage buttons at a flea market. Love those flea markets!

Next up, the pictures from this year's prom. This beautiful dress was created by my sister-by-choice, Cheryl. She combined 5 different patterns to create the look Kat wanted. It was just gorgeous. The layout uses Basic Grey and Bazzil papers along with some Thickers, silk flowers, eyelets and a Making Memories journaling spot.

The last one is again using senior photo shoot pictures from Christa. The horse was Christa's dad's horse, Indy. That made getting these shots a little more special. I love the one of Kat and Jeff getting the horse ready. Oh and in the black and white photo, Kat says she was thanking Indy for not bucking her off for getting up on him in a tight skirt! The patterned paper is from DCWV Old World stack and DCWV luxury stack. I used a felt ribbon and paisley brads for finishing touches.

Now I need to get busy and finish this album!!!

More Paisano Fun

So on our last morning, I sent Jeff and the kids off to rock climb while I did some packing up. Kat took my camera along and took the pics in the previous post from the top of Fatman's while they were there (and the one of Jeff peeking up Fatman's Misery. Here are a few more from their climb.

Kat standing by the top of a live oak tree.

Archie under a live oak tree near the top.

Jeff proves that he no longer has to worry about Fatman's Misery being miserable for him.

A view from inside Fatman's.

Archie's turn.

Views from the inside of the crevice.

Kat conquers the tallest part of Fatman's rockpile.