Some thoughts for Summer, Nature, and Inspiration!

I've stumbled upon the passages below a few times each now.  Each resonates inside of me for a different reason and has such inspirational qualities.  I had to share them with you all.  I hope that you enjoy them and can find something magical!

~Amy

"Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair." - Kahlil Gibran

"The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful." - e. e. cummings

"How strange that nature does not knock, and yet does not intrude!" - Emily Dickinson

"The sun, with all those planets revolving around it and dependent on it, can still ripen a bunch of grapes as if it had nothing else in the universe to do." - Galileo Galilei

"Use what talent you possess - the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best." - Henry Van Dyke

"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." - Albert Einstein

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

July Kit Sneak Peek

We are 2 days away from the reveal of the July kit! Can you stand the suspense?? Once again, Beth has put together a "Scraptacular" kit! I can honestly tell you that you will not be disappointed. Of course, I can't tell you what is in it yet, but I can certainly give you a sneak peak of my creations, & tell you that I used the kit right down to scraps. I made 6 layouts & 3 cards!!!

Here is a sneak peak:



Thanks for stopping by today! Stay tuned for the new kit details in just a few short day!
Have a wonderful day!

Camp time!!

Summer is here, it's camp time!!

My daughter, Macy, decided that she wanted to go to Girl Scout camp this year and for a full week!

I put off putting a care package together for her and decided at last minute that I wanted to make her a camp journal to take along.

I always have a drawer full of alterable items. I remember buying albums from Target's dollar spot years ago. I'm notorious for saying I'm going to make multiples of something to give to the grandparents and great grandparents each year. But, each year, I never get around to doing it!! So, I had a ton of albums to choose from to make the camp journal.

Over the last year, scrapbook manufacturers have been coming out with a lot of camping themed lines. Being a family of campers, I love that!! I went through my stash and gathered up goodies from Bella Blvd, Bo Bunny, October Afternoon and Jenni Bowlin and went to town on altering the album for her.



I just LOVE the Bo Bunny camp chipboard!! It adds great dimension! I added some Stickles to the pieces for my little diva!!

On the inside, I wrote a little note from the 3 of us wishing her a great time, making lots of new friends and telling her we love her and can't wait to hear about it! She loved it when I gave it to her this morning!

Before we left this afternoon, I had her write her feelings on the first page. We sent her along with some disposable cameras so we'll add pictures when she gets those back!

Adding Dimension

Adding dimension to your layout can be done in many different techniques.
One of the easiest and most common ways is to use 3D foam adhesive. This layout shows two elements with foam adhesive. A select few clouds are raised up with some foam adhesive squares. The butterfly comes with a foam adhesive already attached.
Adding dimension with handmade flowers is another popular technique. This flower is created with a 1" strip of paper folded in half and rolled. This photo gives an idea of the dimension on the flower and the foam adhesive under the clouds and butterfly.

This adorable flower is simple to create! Use a flower punch on your pattern paper and roll each petal towards the back. I use the end of a paintbrush to roll my petal back and use my fingernail to "loosen" up the roll. Buttons and twine are easy ways to finish off the flower.

Some more subtle ways to add dimension are chipboard pieces, brads, and twine.

A more challenging flower technique is to roll paper strips and glue in a spiral pattern. This is a great way to add dimension and have it match perfectly to your layout.

June's Special Edition Kit!

I wanted to share with you the other LO and card I made with this gorgeous kit. If you haven't gotten it yet, you're definitely missing out! BG went all out with this line, and the colors are so vibrant and rich and warm. I think the pp goes perfectly with pretty much any topic you could think of. There's reds and grays and black and white and orange and teal blue. This pp would be great for summer LO's as well, if you want to capture the heat! And of course, if you have pets, then this is the line for you - whether it be a dog, or cat, or hamsters or bunnies, this pp has them all!






And here is a super quick card, using just two little scraps of pp, a sticker from the sticker sheet that's in the kit, and letters that are in the kit. I also added a brad of my own just for a little extra dimension. Super easy!!

Scraptacular Page Design Classes

Did you know that Scraptacular has page design classes? In fact there is one scheduled for tomorrow night, at the store, from 6-8pm. You really don't need to bring anything, if you don't want, Beth supplies everything that you would need, but if you like to work with your own tools, just bring your trimmer, scissors, tape runner, & anything else that you may personally use while you scrap.

What do you get in the class, you may ask, well, Beth always has fabulous layouts in store for you. 2 - 1 page layouts, & 2 - 2 page layouts! All for the wonderfully low price of $15.00! If you are not able to attend the class, just ask, & you can purchase the class kit.

My good friend Deb was kind enough to share her layouts with me from last months class:



Thanks for looking! & don't forgot to drop by the forum & say hello.

June 6-12 Challenge

Last week, Lisa posted a challenge in the forum, & boy was it a challenge for me! She wanted us to break out the Glimmer Mist, & use a die cut sheet as a template, & spray around it so the illussion of the die cut was left on the paper. As you may or may not know, I am SCARED of glimmer mist! It is just so far out of my comfort zone. But, she issued a challenge, & I chose to accept.

Instead of a die cut sheet, I cut a circle & used it as my template. I put it down & sprayed away (biting my nails all the while). Well, I did it! I faced my fears, & used the Glimmer Mist & here is what I came up with:

Thanks for looking & have a fabulous day!

More with the Limited Ed July Kit!

I wanted to share a couple LO's I made with the limited kit. I really REALLY loved this new line from Basic Grey! BG has always been one of my favorites, and they've really outdone themselves with this one. I especially loved the warm, rich colors, and I think this is evident in both of the LO's below. Also, I wanted to point out that even though Max and Wiskers is a pet-themed line, there's absolutely no reason why you can't use it as just a regular line for LO's that have nothing to do with pets. Especially since the pp is double-sided, it makes it really easy to do that.






And here, I took the self-adhesive paper ribbon and cut it in half to create the black lacy border at the top and bottoms of the page. So easy and quick!

Meet the new Design Team Members!

Here are a few things about the NEW Design Team Members here at Scraptacular!!

Here's Heather!!
I'm Heather Garl from Berks County, PA! I'm wife to Joe, stepmother to Samantha (12) & Casey (10), and mother to Mikayla (6) & Alexis (3) ~ yes you read that right.....FOUR GIRLS! I work side by side with my husband at our machine shop and hope one day to retire young and just scrapbook and craft! (insert laugh here) Some of my layouts and crafts are posted on my blog at www.scrapbookingsmiles.blogspot.com, but more often I use it for a family events journal.

~ What makes your heart sing in scrapbooking and creating?
I love the ME time I have with scrapbooking. My favorite thing is to look through an album, look at a layout, and just grin ear to ear or laugh out loud as I recall a memory. I hope my children have the same enjoyment in the years to come when they look back at the memories.

~ Where do you draw inspiration from?
I enjoy visited blogs for scrapbooking ideas and photography ideas. I like to take an idea from a layout, whether it is a technique, a combination of colors, or a layout sketch and make it my own. Change something to put my own touch on it. I, also, subscribe to a few magazines and my goal is to be published in each one!

~ Favorites in the industry (products, people, things like that)
Anything on SALE...LOL! I love to find a good deal! I'm familiar with lots of names in the industry and like different styles that are out there, but I like a little of each. I try not to limit my style, I'll try anything once.

~ Favorite color(s)
My favorite color is ORANGE. Favorite combinations....orange, blue, & green...brown & pink....pink & green

~ Likes/dislikes (can be scrappy/artsy, can be anything!)
I like to spend fun time with my girls, not just rushing from one event to the next. I like to read a good book or solve a tough brain teaser/math puzzle. I love to laugh! I dislike lazy, rude, nonintelligent (stupid) people.



And then we have....

Anneliese!!!
My name is Anneliese, but most know me by, or call me Liese, or amgrassi on the forum.  I live in Reading, PA with my 2 beautiful lil girls, & my husband of almost 10 years & love of my life.  You can find me blogging at:  queen-of-the-crop.blogspot.com

~ What makes your heart sing in scrapbooking and creating?  I love when I  can carry my craftiness over into other aspects of my life.  For example, I made a "pin the kiss on the frog" game for my daughters b-day party, & I also made her cakes myself.  A Tiana cake & a frog cake.  But what really makes my "heart sing" is when my daughters come into my scrappy area & say, "Mommy, can I craft with you?"  That fills my heart with joy!

~ Where do you draw inspiration from?  I get my inspiration mostly from sketches, but I also love my magazines, online galleries, & online crops/challenges.  Challenges allow me to do things that I haven't tried yet, or would not have thought of myself.

~ Favorites in the industry (products, people, things like that):  My fave scrappy things are Basic Grey papers, Thickers, Stickles, flowers, & Cats Eye inks. I'm sure there are a few others in there, but those are the things that I just could not live without!!

~ Favorite color(s):  My favorite color is green, however, my favorite colors to scrap are browns & pinks.  But it truly depends on my mood & the pics I am scrapping. I do all colors.

~ Likes/dislikes (can be scrappy/artsy, can be anything!):  Besides scrapping, I love to read, watch movies, spend time with my girls & husband, be outside, & enjoy the wildlife in my yard. Chocolate & coffee are 2 things that I don't think I could live with out. My favorite food is German, which I don't get nearly enough. Since getting a Wii for Christmas for the family, we love playing it together. ....I totally HATE it when 2 socks are in the laundry & I don't have a matched set when I am done! Where exactly does that other sock go??

~ What else can you tell us about you?  (Here's your spot to shine!):  I worked as a travel agent for 16+ years prior to having my daughter, prematurely, at which point we decided I should stay home to care for her.  I am now a SAHM, but do independent contractor work for large call centers, mainly Travelocity (so I am back in the travel industry), at home on my own schedule.  This is an awesome opportunity, given the fact that my husband travels quite often, & I can schedule my hours around his travel schedule. In the fall, I will also be watching a little boy (18 months) on a full time basis.  ....A little secret....I turn 40 this year.  The funny thing is, that doesn't bother me as much as my daughter just turning 5 & starting kindergarten in the fall!  I cannot stop crying over this!!  It is a fact of life, something that happens to all Americans with children, but boy am I having a hard time with this! 


And also Ilene!!
Hi everyone, my name is Ilene Tell and my blog is What a Bunch of Scrap! (http://whatabunchofscrap.blogspot.com). I live in DE, but I was born and raised in snowy Russia. I am married to my best friend and we have two gorgeous kids - a girl and a boy (yep, I'm lucky that I get to do boy and girl LO's!).

~ What makes your heart sing in scrapbooking and creating?
I love to create. I have always drawn and painted and I have tried out many other creative pastimes/hobbies. I also love to write. It's hard to describe what I love about the creative process, other than this need I have to do it. I fell in love with scrapbooking especially because it allows me to create art, while at the same time preserving beautiful memories. I also allows me to combine several mediums and incorportate writing as well. And it has so many pretty papers and embellies - how can one not fall in love!

~ Where do you draw inspiration from?
When I set out to do a page, I get inspired by the photos themselves. I also let the paper inspire me, so that I create something new and different each time. And of course browsing galleries and seeing all the amazing talent out there pushes me to do the best I can do each time.

~ Favorites in the industry (products, people, things like that)
I love it all. Seriously. I really do! That's why my scrap room looks more like a store than a room :) I really love Webster's Pages, Graphic45, 3Birds, ZVA Creative and Prima, Basic Greay, Maya Road, Sasafras Lass, Cosmo Cricket, Tattered Angels, 7Gypsies, and everything else. I hoard!!

~ Favorite color(s)
My favorite color is purple - I just wish I was able to scrap more with it! It seems like there are very few papers that are purple out there.

~ Likes/dislikes (can be scrappy/artsy, can be anything!)
At the risk of sounding slightly insane, I do have a button phobia. You will NOT be seeing buttons on my LO's! With the exception of Nikki Sivils Burlap Buttons...but then again, those are more like stickers :)

~ What else can you tell us about you?  (Here's your spot to shine!)
 I have had the fortune to be guest designer and designer for some wonderful scrapbooking companies. My work has also been accepted for publication in online and print mediums. I am so lucky to be designing for one of my favorite manufacturers, 3Birds, who sell a lot through QVC. I also get to indulge my writing passion by being a feature writer and designer for Scrapstreet, an awesome EZine.

June Kit

I also had the opportunity to play with June's kit! As usual it is fantastic! I loved all the colors & embellis! I really like the sheet w/ the tags & sayings. It is like it was created to make cards. How perfect! Here is a card that I made w/ the tags & some left over paper from April's kit.

And each month we have a sketch designer who designs a sketch exclusively for Scraptacular. This month we got to work with this fantastic sketch by Liz Chidester.


This is the lo that I came up with from the sketch using June's kit.




Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous day!

simple recycled Garden album~

i had so much fun creating with this beautiful kit this month~
"My Garden" June Monthly Kit

i had a lot of cute bits and pieces after i made my pages this month (which can be found here with the other designers work in the gallery)

i also noticed lots of these popping up in our backyard garden and knew it would be fun to use the scraps to create a little journal for tracking what happens over the next couple of months......


i added a bunch of recycled prima packaging as the base and little kraft envies that can be found in the store.... and here is the cute album i made for my middle daughter, Gracie :)


and here is a peek at the inside :) ready for my girl to add some journaling and photos and lots of pockets for anything else she wants to add in~




hope this inspires you to use your stash and maybe some packaging, too :)