More August Creations

I've been on a creative surge of sorts. :)
I made this altered chipboard sign using the August Project Kit. I plan on changing the tag out in the fall, and posting something new on it, making it seasonal. It will go on my office door. I also plan to flip it over and use the other side for an "OPEN" sign...

This is one of my canvases from the August Project Kit. I'm completely in LOVE with the fabric tape and can't get enough of it. I've used tons, and there is still so much left!!! I underestimated how much I'd love that floral tape, for sure...

The other fun thing I did this month was make the canvases double-sided. It was a cinch to do--and using that corrugated chipboard, it was a no-brainer! Here is the other side of the above canvas:

And since there were two in the kit, here is the second canvas...

...and the flip side to it...

(I know, I have goofy kid photos and I love them.)

And last but not least, another layout to share...

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Hello there!

Well there certainly has been a lot of inspiration going around lately with the CHA show going on right now. I know I am completely inspired by what is coming out as well as excited to see what Trish will put together:)

I hope to inspire you a bit today. I figured since it is close enough to the first I could show you what I created with the gorgeous August kit that you can purchase here.

This first layout was my favorite. I bought my daughter some Jiffy Pop and we popped some popcorn! You should have seen the look on her face - LOL! She was amazed!

Used a lot of Echo Park here -- loving this company.

I decided to make tags that I could include on birthday bags. I sometimes buy just the plain brown bags and these would definitely add some color to the bag. All you need is some coordinating ribbon and you're set!

This card I used the stamp set that was in the kit. I tried to go the rainbow route and realized really quickly that I need to get some new inks - LOL! But I do like the way it came out and will definitely try it again!

That's all I have for you today! I can't believe the weekend is almost here - where is the summer going? I am pulling the reins and making it slow down!

And if you haven't bought your Kit yet --- click here - you wont be sorry!

Michelle

I scream, you scream...

These fake ice cream cones make me SMILE. Man, I'm so making these for the two fall b-day parties in this house. The top is candy coated rice krispie treat mix. You can check out the deets here. I found mini cones at Walmart this weekend...can't wait to make these!

And these cakepops prove that Bakerella has outdone herself once again. Seriously CUTE.

I'm away...at CHA!

I'm in Chicago attending the Craft and Hobby show! Thanks to the many wonders of Blogger, I scheduled this little post to go live before I left town.

Hopefully as you are reading this, I am:
Meeting Jing-Jing for the first time
Getting inspired by all the new trends
Not getting kicked out of the American Crafts booth hoarding the new Thickers

Here are some of my favorite new products coming out at the show. So far, the embellishments have stole my heart. Not too much new in paper that has me crazed. Well except for Crate Paper. And Jillibean. Oh and American Crafts City Park. I think they will be the hit of the season. I'll have more to share when I return!

Maya Road - new trims and doilies. love.






Graphic 45 Chipboard Buttons


Jenni Bowlin Buttons, chipboard and more!




(I am so gonna mist these little ladies!)


American Crafts New foam Thickers and resin flowers




and the only tool that has caught my attention...you know I'm gonna buy this. ;)
We R Memory Keepers Sew Easy Tool (scroll all the way down on the link).




Any that I missed? Link them up here ladies!

A Few August Layouts...

Wanted to share a few layouts I've finished with the August WIP Kits...

Journaling reads: No matter the mood, you manage to melt our hearts, Griffin. Even when you pout.

Once in a while, I create an 8 1/2 x 11 layout. This 4x8 photo did the trick! I like playing around with enlargements from time to time...
I love a collage. I also love fabric tape. I created the fabric flower with a 1" circle and 18" of the fabric tape, simply by gathering and going around the circle. I finished off the center with a brad--it took no time at all! With 5 yards of the stuff, I have a ton left!! Stay tuned for more with fabric tape...

I created this layout in gratitude...
Journaling reads: Just want to say...THANK YOU...to whoever came up with the idea of this place. To Jen for taking me here. To Chrissy for babysitting. To my mom for having me 43 years ago. To that bartender for the blueberry lemonade. Wowzers. To the cook. Yum. To Jen for insisting that we go (she just gets me). To Lakewood, for being cool. I am blessed beyond understanding. I am grateful for friends, laughter, sunshine and a good meal. Happy Birthday to me.

And a new favorite...

I don't remember where I saw this quote, but I know it slapped me in the face and had to go on a layout. I love it when that kind of inspirations strikes.

I'd love to see what you have done with the August kits, too!! Feel free to link us up if you'd like!

And if you'd like to see a few sneaks from our August Guest Designer, Cindy Liebel, check out her blog here. You can join her on facebook and also visit more of her work at her 2Peas Gallery as well. Love her!!

Happy Monday!!

click. click. click.

Sometimes the mojo just isn't there, and when that happens, I go clicking. It's something I recently started doing, and it's really fun. Just start at one place, browse around, and click a link. Eventually, I'll find my mojo, along with some cool ideas for my pages. A couple of months ago, I joined the team at Creative Prompts for You, and it's the sort of thing we do. We take an inspiration image and work off of that.

Today is my anniversary (29 years--gosh, that makes me feel so old just typing that), and I used this image...

...to inspire the page below. I can't tell you how excited I was to finally scrap a picture from my wedding. (Well, actually they were already scrapped from when I first started scrapping, but that's a sad horror story I won't scar you with right now--picture deco scissors and sticker sneezes). If you want to know how the wedding cake image inspired all the details on my layout, read on (if not, skip the next paragraph and scroll on down).

The topic of the inspiration photo spurred me to scrap one of my wedding photos. The flowers on my layout were obviously drawn from the decorations on the cake. The stacked layers of the cakes inspired the arrangement of my photo and journaling block, and the design in the upper left photo inspired my choice of background paper. The topper on the lower middle photo made me think of adding something to the top of my photo and journaling spot, so I that's when I added the punches. The pedestals holding some of the cakes inspired me to use the lamp post, as I thought it had a similar shape. The pewter-looking ribbon draping the cake on the lower right drew my eye, and I decided to add that color to accent my page--I found a metallic paper in my stash and used that for the outline of the shaped paper and the punched borders above my photo and journaling block. I added pewter embossing powder to the chipboard lamp post, the edges of my label and chipboard letters and around the border of my page. Finally, the dots on the lower middle cake made me think of adding pearls around my photo.

I'll leave you with a few images I discovered as I was clicking today. This one, from Live Creating Yourself blog. Love all those fluttering butterflies that I can envision floating across a scrapbook page, and did you notice the writing on some of them? And a cool idea for title work. Oh, and the awesome color scheme!

And this one, from  Anastasia Drawing and Dreaming. The tilted ampersand perched on top of that cupcake-filled flour caught my eye. And I see possibilities in the stacked teacups.

This cool image I found hopping through the Calico and Co. blog. Some nifty details on this. Love the raidrops cut from ledger paper.

And this happy image from decor8. Love that site. I could spend hours clicking around there (and, I must confess that I have!). Again, the color inspires me, but also the typography and so many other little details that I can see including on a scrapbook page.

It's so fun to study images and find ideas that I can translate to scrapbook pages.

I'd love to hear about your favorite non-scrapping places to click for inspiration!

Quickie Layout...

...with the August WIP Kit...
As soon as I saw the map paper, I knew I wanted to do a layout marking the places I've been. I used a simple pencil eraser and a cat's eye ink pad to make a "stamp" of sorts, marking all the places I've been to in the US. Here's how it turned out...

Journaling reads: My travels. So much to love. Still so much yet to see... Don't know where I'm going, but I sure know where I've been.

I decided to place a heart over our home using a sharpie. I may go back and write a few years in parentheses, randomly. Simple and finished in less than 30 minutes. A total record for me. Thanks for the inspiration, Jing-Jing!!

Take a Hike

When the DT projects for the July kit were unveiled, I quickly realized that I was the only person who did not use the tree!  So I set out on a mission to use the tree :)  Sometimes, I scrapbook because I want to get rid of product!  Doesn't it sound weird and frankly, a little bad?  lol.  I pulled out a sheet from Basic Grey Lime Rickey collection that worked well with the Echo Parks paper.  This whole thing was thrown together in 45 minutes.  I would have been faster if I start earlier than 10 p.m.!  Yeah baby!  Sure, I wish I had come up with some unique way to use that tree, but seriously, some stash reduced, a memory captured, one photo used, and only 38942893 more to go!   Adhering to my own personal philosophy and motto: Good enough and moving on!

What are your favorites?

(Michelle Lanning for Crate Paper Restoration)

Tis the season for new scrapbook products! Lots of manufacturers have been building displays and revealing their upcoming products for fall and winter...and it begs the question...

What are your must-haves so far??

I've taken the liberty to link you up to a few of our favorites. Feel free to add any we've left off!!
Crate Paper Restoration (shown above is School Spirit and below is Snow Day.)

Jenni Bowlin never ever disappoints. Her sweet vintage style is timeless, and Family Tree is no exception. Here is a layout that Stephanie Howell created using some of the new product:

Hocus Pocus from Pink Paislee is really cool...and this altered clipboard from Dani T. using their new "Old School" like blew my socks off...

American Crafts Dear Lizzy line is growing on me...

Fond of Cosmo Cricket's Togetherness line...

KI Memories Rainbow collection has me swooning...

The NEW 7Gypsies Catalog is something to behold...

And Catching Fall from Lily Bee is scrumptuous...

Union Station from My Mind's Eye...WOW...

And you know I'm a big fan of Jillibean Soup and those fun, bright colors...

Itching for more? You can find great links at the Scrap Review and a whole forum devoted to CHA over at Willow Traders. Our own Laina Lamb and Jing-Jing Nickel promise to share their favorite products in photos (they're attending the CHA show in Chicago next week), and I can't wait to see their picks!!