Shimelle's Challenge #08 - Enjoy The Ride

I have been wanting to scrap these photos like forever but the idea of scrapbooking scared me and I procrastinated. Thanks to my procrastination, I actually lost the photos which were the highlights of the day. Sometimes technology just gives you a knock so hard you can't recover them but I'm also thankful for social media. I had uploaded the photos to my Facebook before they got lost but the resolution was horrible so I could only make do with smaller photo prints.

Here is my layout:

Whenever possible, I always try to add in some stamping as I feel it just helps personalize the page and I love Ali Edwards stamps in particular. The sentiments are always close to my heart. Entering this layout to Shimelle's Challenge #08: Stamp Just Once.

This is one layout that I've used papers from just one manufacturer and mostly from the same collection. That's new for me.

Supplies Used:

Paper - Be Amazing Follow Your Heart Collection by My Mind's Eye, Darling Dear 6x6 by My Mind's Eye, AC Cardstock
Stamps - Bits & Pieces by Ali Edwards
Inks - PTI Canyon Clay, Hawaiian Shores

Others - Snapshot 1 by Kerri Bradford, Silhouette SD, Ormolu Flairs, Brads by Basic Grey, Sasparilla Label Stickers by October Afternoon

Shimelle's Challenge #11: Snapshots Of Leslie Gulch

I recently came across Sketch Support and I really wondered what took me so long to know about them. I just love the sketches they post on their blog and also the layouts from the design team are just awesome and inspirational. Their sketches are available for downloads so it definitely makes it convenient when I need referring. I was most interested in their 2-pages sketches as I tend to have a little problem with them.

Basing my layout from their 2-page Sketch #11, here is my take:

I basically followed the sketch closely with just variations to the photo sizes. Since following Shimelle's classes, free and paid, choosing papers is no longer deemed as a chore and I actually do enjoy that process now. For my embellishments, I used PTI Turning A New Leaf stamp set. I love how they look as embellishments. I wished I had bought the die although fussy cutting can be therapeutic. Definitely going to look into incorporating more stamped images in my layouts. I'm entering this layout to Shimelle's Challenge #11: Two Patterns.

Supplies Used:

Paper - Sidewalk by October Afternoon, Mr Campy by Cosmo Cricket, Studio Calico Kits from various months, Documented by Simple Stories, PTI Vintage Cream
Stamps - PTI Turning A New Leaf
Inks - PTI Fine Linen, Ranger Distress Ink Vintage Photo

Others - Snapshot 1 by Kerri Bradford, Silhouette SD, Cosmo Cricket Stickers

Shimelle's Challenge 02 - Brady's Moments

I've been on a couple of scrapbooking online classes lately; Shimelle's Hitchhiker's Guide To Scrapbooking and Kelly Purkey's Sketchbook 4.

I love both classes and I learnt so much. I started seriously 'stalking' Shimelle on her  class 4x6 Photo Love at 2peas. If you have not heard about it, you should seriously check it out. Being a newbie at scrapbooking, I just love Shimelle's clear explanation and she has answered so many of my queries through her videos via her personal blog and also through 4x6 Photo Love series and her current series at 2 Peas: The Adventures of Glitter Girl.

I'm a little behind working on my layouts as I'm really slow crafter. Basing my LO from a sketch from the Sketchbook 4 class, here is my take. Coincidentally, Shimelle is having some challenges going on her blog for the online scrapbooking weekend and I decided to play along with her Challenge 02: Mixing Papers. Thanks to Shimelle I no longer have that much of a headache and no longer spend that much time when mixing papers be it from the same or different companies. I can seriously spend several hours staring at the papers and they'll just stare right back at me.

Supplies Used:

Paper - Echo Park Country Drive, Studio Calico Kits from different months, Vellum, SU Crumb Cake
Stamps - Ali Edwards Moments & Memories Story Strips

Others - Twine Lemonade from The Twinery, Flairs From A Flair For Buttons Etsy Store, Silhouette, Tim Holtz Paper Clips, Tiny Attacher, Studio Calico Mist White, Dewey, Silhouette SD, Photo Collage By Kerri Bradford

LO - Snow Fun

I've been slowly but surely working on my scrapbooking. I do enjoy it especially the documenting part. I feel that's as important as the photos in my layouts. I only hope with time, I can speed up my process as it's still taking me some time to plan and complete.

I do tend to take more photos and I don't want to be restricted to just using a few photos or have too many photos in a collage that I can't tell the details of each photo. I decided to use photo pockets for the additional photos I like to include.

This layout was inspired by a sketch from Becky Fleck and layouts from Bella Blvd's blog. The style of all my layouts are inspired by Nichol Magouirk. She is one of my favorite scrapbooker.

Supplies Used:

Paper - Echo Park Winter Park Collection, Upscale Essential Collection, Scraps
Stamps - Ali Edwards It's Ok, This One, Get Outside, Real Life

Others - Washi Tape, Ormulu Flairs, MFT Journal Tab Die, Ranger Embossing Powder Black, Zing Embossing Powder White, SC Mr Huey White, Silhouette

LO - Snow Fall From Heaven

I've been wanting to scrapbook for the longest time. In fact, I had made up my mind to document my life in the States since I got here in 2010. Unfortunately, I have no prior scrapbooking experience and although there are so many wonderful inspirations on the blogs especially from Two Peas, I felt that it was daunting and I wasn't sure the style I wanted for my layouts and I just procrastinated.

Despite that, I was passionately storing up my 12x12 papers. I fell in love with Echo Park and bought a few of their collection kits. I also subscribed to Studio Calico's monthly kits and they all ended up collecting dust.

To cut the long story short, I decided to stop procrastinating and for 2 days, I started sorting out the papers from my Studio Calico kits and plan the papers and supplies I wanted to use for my layout.

Drawing inspiration from a sketch from my PageMaps Sketch 2 book which I bought for a year or so, I'm very happy to say that I've finally finally completed the first layout. I'm also very happy with how my first attempt turned out.

The most difficult part of the process I felt was finding the right papers to use. I felt that I was limited to the choices from my Studio Calico kits and I also realized that while the monthly kits are awesome, they aren't for me, at least not right now. I'm still a novice at scrapbooking and it's really difficult to use papers that don't speak to me. I spent half the time choosing papers that I wanted to incorporate in my layout and half of the papers I had were not the styles that I would have chosen if I were to buy them from the shelf. With that, I've also decided to terminate my subscription and just buy papers that I really like to use on my layouts.

I'm glad to have taken that first step and I'll definitely try to finish documenting my life here by the time I'm due to head back home.

Supplies Used:

Paper - Studio Calico Kits, American Crafts, My Mind's Eye Dwell & 12 Days Of Christmas
Stamps - HA Envelope

Others - MFT Let It Snowflake Die, PTI Buttons, OA Label Stickers, AC Twine

Card 35 - Merry Christmas (MFTWSC50)

This is my first try participating in this week's MFT sketch challenge.

I don't have a lot of their stuffs yet but will be collecting slowly but surely. Made do with the stuffs I had on hand to create this Christmas card.

The doily die I bought had not arrived yet so I cut this doily using my Silhouette. The girl's dress was paper pieced and so was the trimming on the dress. Glossy accents was added to the holly berries and hair clip.

Die cut the sentiment frame and holly for the inside of the card. Added red gems for the berries.

Supplies Used:

Paper - PTI Vintage Cream, Spring Moss, Pure Poppy, Aqua Mist

Pattern Paper - 12 Days of Christmas by My Mind's Eye

Inks - Distress Ink Antique Linen, Archival Jet Black

Stamps - MFT Holly Girl (PI)

Others - Silhouette, Fiskars Scallop Sentiment Punch, PTI Fillable Frames #10, Holly Die,  Banner Die, Hero Arts Mix Accents, 1/8" Pop Dots, Copics

HCBC Week 1 Card 3 - Home To Home

Day 2 was about photo cards. I'm not into photo cards as there's only my hubby & I. Nothing interesting going on with our lives that should be shared. However, there was also a feature on Boot Camp special guests and I was inspired by the folded Christmas tree done by Kelly Goree. Thankfully there was a quick tutorial on how to do that tree as I would have wasted goodness knows how many hours figuring it out on my own.

Here is my card.

I've had my embossing folders for some time but just didn't get to using them. I'm glad I put them to good use during this boot camp. I didn't have a big circle punch so I put my Silhouette to use. The folded tree was done using double-sided pattern papers and I added crystal stickles to the dots to mimic ornaments.

Supplies Used:

Paper - PTI Vintage Cream, Lavender Moon, Hibiscus Burst

Pattern Papers: Dwell by My Mind's Eye, Candy Shoppe Collection by Echo Park

Inks - JBS Seed Packet

Stamps - PTI Stylish Sentiments Holiday

Others - Silhouette, Sizzix Flower Lattice Embossing Folder, Mandarin Twine from The Twinery, 1/8" 3D Dots, Fiskars Scallop Punch, PTI Half & Half Die, Studio G Blue Gems, Ranger Crystal Stickles, Sew Easy

HCBC Week 1 Card 2 - Wishing You The Happiest Of Holidays

This is another card done for Day 1's class inspired by Kristina Werner. For some reason, I did spend quite a bit of time on this card. Just couldn't get the elements to work to my liking. Anyway here is my final take.

The ornament image, designed by Kristina Werner was cut using Silhouette. I adhere a shimmery white paper behind the ornament and it's not noticeable on picture. Sentiment was embossed with Chestnut embossing powder.

Supplies Used:

Paper - PTI Rustic Cream, Vintage Cream, DCWV Citrus Cardstock Stack

Pattern Papers: 12 Days of Christmas by My Mind's Eye, Holly Jolly Christmas by Echo Park

Inks - Versamark

Stamps - PTI Stylish Sentiments Holiday

Others - Silhouette, Zing Chestnut Embossing Powder, 1/8" 3D Dots, 1/2" 3D Dots, PTI Half & Half Die, Maraschino Twine from The Twinery, AC Cream Twine, WRMK 3/8' Corner Chomper, Zig Writer Chocolate

HCBC Week 1 Card 1 - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

After going through Summer Card Boot Camp, I just had to sign up for the Holiday Card Boot Camp. It was so much learning and inspiration for me previously and I know it's going to be more learning and inspiration on this one.

Day 1 is about places where we get inspirations from and here is my card inspired by Jennifer McGuire.

I cut the star and the bow using my Silhouette. The star was white embossed and inked with Shabby Shutters, Crushed Olive, Forest Moss and Evergreen Bough distress inks. It's not clear from the picture but there's a shine on the star as I brushed perfect pearls over.

Supplies Used:

Paper - PTI Rustic Cream, Vintage Cream, DCWV Citrus Cardstock Stack, AC Neutrals

Inks - Distress Ink Shabby Shutters,  Crushed Olive, Forest Moss, Evergreen Bough, SU Chocolate Chip

Stamps - Hero Arts Tiny Flakes,  PTI Christmas Poinsettias (Sentiment)

Others - Silhouette, Zing White Embossing Powder, Ranger Perfect Pearls, Sizzix Evergreen Embossing Folder, Studio G Red Gems, 1/8" 3D Dots,  WRMK 1/2" Corner Chomper, PTI Holly Die