PageMaps My Little Shoebox Contest

I love PageMaps as you can tell. I use the sketches from this site over and over, so I was very excited to find their blog and Facebook page. On the blog this month is a sketch contest using this sketch:

I had these great pictures Archie took of his senior ring back in April just sitting on the computer and they just seemed to fit. So I'm entering the contest.

First the layout:

 The background is from Basic Grey's Basics collection. The transparency and oval are a set from my stash as are the journaling spot and deminsional stickers. All the rest are scraps and leftovers from my stash.

The journaling reads: It's offical! With the arrival of his Senior ring, Arch only has 1 more year of high school left. He designed this ring with his birthstone (emerald), National Honor Society emblem, cross, star and date on one side and Phillipians 4:8, trombone, music, star as the other. Yeah, he likes it. April 2011.

The rectangular tag reads: Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable...think about such things. The circle tag has the reference: Phil. 4.8.

Circle Journal: FEAR

Lori's CJ is about Fears. So, I thought about several fears I have and finally decided on the fear of being lost. The journaling reads: I am afraid of being lost. Oh, I can read maps, but I panic and miss turns. I'm fine if I'm with someone else, but alone--no way. Driving alone in a city, especially, terrifies me.

This layout features papers from DCWV mostly. I also used up old scraps on the chipboard arrows. Letter stickers, a piece of map patterned paper and a journaling block with torn edges are all inked in Tim Holtz inks.

Bucket List (Circle Journal Layout)

This month's circle journal was Mona's. Her theme was Bucket List. We were to choose 3 items we wanted to do before we died and then elaborate on one of them. She also had a "use your stash" challenge added in. So on this layout I had my 3 items (1. To see some of the natural national "treasures" such as the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, The Great Lakes, etc. 2. Be on a home makeover show. 3. Stay at a bed and breakfast on vacation.) Number 3 is the one I elaborated on, since Jeff and I stayed at this cute, rustic B&B in Fredricksburg for our 20th anniversary.

For the challenge, I used papers from Me & My Big Ideas specialty pack with diecuts. The two smaller tags are by Anna Griffin. The title letters are from Marcella by K for K&Company. The tissue tape and ink are Tim Holtz.

Thanks, Mona, I had never really put these things into a list, so this was a fun interesting challenge.

Next month: Lori's Fear CJ.

Hands Then, Hands Now Circle Journal Entry

This month's circle journal was Denise's. Her theme was Then and Now. I immediatly thought of my kids, but decided that focusing on just a part of them would be more interesting, so I chose their hands. When Arch was a baby and Kat was two, I used Kat's handprints and Arch's footprints to make a painting for my mom for Mother's Day. I took a picture of that last time I was at their house, then I drove my kids nuts getting pictures of their hands doing other things. (I must confess, the flute picture is just zoomed in from one Christa took for senior pics.) I love the collage feature in Picasa! It makes combining images so easy.

This layout is a lift from one in the March/April Creating Keepsakes. I loved the laced look with the flowers at the end, so I stretched it into a two pager. The two papers seemed to combine a heritage look with a modern look to me. The title is cut with the Cricut using Songbird, Stone Script, Ashlyn's Alphabet, and Jubilee.

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!