Boys Are Cool

It seems so easy to make layouts about my daughter...so many paper lines are geared to girls and I have far more pictures of Ella than of Nathan.   She loves to pose, where I have to beg him.

So this Christmas, I grabbed the boys in the family and made them pose.  It worked because they were in a group.  Then I found a great collection to use, We R Family by Lily Bee.  It has a great navy, green and red combination.

 

I mixed lots of rectangles and then tried to change it up with other shapes.  I like the wood veneer shapes so much!

 

 

I mixed two different alphabets to make my titles, adding in little details like the enamel dots.  I also built the arrow to the right, using strips made up of triangles.

 

It was a fun page to make and it is fun group of cool guys! 

 

Thursday Trending: Anything Woodgrain

Happy Thursday!  Today, I am sharing a recent layout that was featured at the Lily Bee Design blog.  It showcases many of my favorite things about Lily Bee.  It showcases one of my favorite things, anything woodgrain.

One of the trends I am loving is the addition of wood veneer embellishments.  This page not only uses wooden embellishments, but shows off one of Amy Heller's woodgrain sheets of paper.

 

I tried to position the center of the sunray between the photo and the cluster.  I think it ties the two together.  I also mixed two Lily Bee collections, Urban Autumn and We R Family.  I love the purple with the green. 

 

 

Another one of my favorite things, the metal badges!  I like to tie mine off with twine.  I also created this cluster below using some hand cut elements as well as some dimensional embellishments such as the Sweet Spot Enamel Stickers.

 

Just a reminder that Lily Bee is having a design team call!  It is a great gig with some seriously creative friends!  Be sure to get your application in before the deadline!

Think of all the great woodgrain!

Tuesday Trending: White Backgrounds

Happy Tuesday!  I have been scrapping a ton in preparation for CHA and I find myself so attracted to white backgrounds.  I can't help it...I need a quiet place to start.

I used an all white background for my most recent Lily Bee layout. 

Since I used a black and white photo along with a white background, I wanted to add some color.  I loved the boy/girl card and put it right right to my picture.  That didn't help much with color so I went to the top of the page.  I added that beautiful navy paper.  I then started to add hanging strips of paper.  I cut this from one of the We R Family sheets of paper.  I just made them all different sizes.

I always lay out a design like this one before I glue.  I really like the effect and all the color it adds.

I went back to my stash to put in some details....see the rub-ons and chipboard!  

Have you seen the reveal of the new Everyday collection from Lily Bee?  Kristen shared it this week and it looks just awesome!

I think white backgrounds are a mainstay for me!  Now I just have to remember to go bold sometimes too!

At Home: Simple Gift Giving

Last week, the Lily Bee Design Team focused on making gifts using scrappy goodies!  I put a few papers and elements from the We R Family line to good use, creating a gift that any baker or cookie-eater would enjoy.

 

I made a gift-bag-recipe-holder with a cooking utensil set. The cookie bag was super easy to make.  I started with a bag wrapped with some burlap ribbon.  I like to use lots of texture when making simple items.  It really jazzes it up.  I topped the burlap with a doilie.  I grabbed a metal circle tag from my stash and decorated it with the punched circle heart.  I finished it with twine.

 

 

I decided to attach the recipe to the back of the bag.  It serves an extra purpose as I stapled it on, closing the bag.  I placed a sample cookie or two into the bag first!  I used a Daily Deck card for the recipe. These little lovelies are really great!

 

 

I moved on to the utensils.  I pick this set up at Ikea for mere pennies!  They are simple wooden spoons and a fork.  I made them prettier using washi tape.  There is no technique for it.  I just wrapped around the handle.  The one with the circle washi took a bit more effort.  I did one piece at a time to keep each circle really lined up.

 

 

I tied them together with big blue ribbon from my stash.  I think this came from a present I bought at the Gap years ago.  I save stuff like that to use again.  I cut the Daily Dish from a Daily Deck card.  I thought it fit the theme perfectly!  I gave the tag a special touch by adding the wood veneer heart.

 

 

It is really darling!  I always enjoy spending time making things other than pages.  There are so many ways to use your supplies!

 

Monday's Musings: Remembering the Basics

When I first started scrapping, I was all double pager.  I was all Creative Memories and fancy scissors around my photos!  I moved away from two page layouts for a while.  It can be challenging to create dynamic pages when  you are using two of them. 

I started creating a double pager, knowing I wanted to use a sequence of photos.  I wanted to show a story with pictures.  My design got a bit static until I decided to add some leaves and hexagons.

This little cluster saved my life on this page.  I simply started cutting and came up with this.

 

I layered a Daily Deck card with some wood veneer shapes!  The Urban Autumn collection from Amy Heller and Lily Bee is so awesome!

 

 

I went back to basics.  I seem to be doing that more and more often, especially as my kiddos grow older.  I want them to have a good foundation.  It works.

 

 

Who Loves Navy?

I do, I do!  I love navy!  It is a classic punch of color that makes me happy!

The new We R Family line from Lily Bee has just the right amount of navy!  Sometimes it is an accent and other times, it takes center stage.  Here is a new page I just created.

 

I used the Daily Deck cards to build most of this page.  The cards are so versatile, I used one for the typography, one as a journaling spot and cut the other to make the Family heart.  I love how the touches of navy allow me to scrap boy layouts!

 

 

I used the new metal badges and enamel dot stickers on this page too!

 

It is always great to have a line that can capture memories about the male side of the family!  I really wanted to share this photo because it shows how much Nathan looks like Steve.  It is crazy!

 

Happy Saturday!

 

Monday's Musings: Distance Stinks

I wish there was more time in each day.  Time to reach out to those who live near and those who live far.

I spent time with my family last April, quality time that was amazing and priceless.  We had the chance to meet each other's children and the time to just hang out.

Distance makes that impossible on a regular basis.  Life makes is difficult to connect outside of Facebook.  I think about all of my family members, mother's side and father's side, on a daily basis.  But that contact is hard to find.

So when I have a chance to scrap these photos, it makes me heart smile.  I love that we had this time.  I adore the photos that I never thought I would have.

 

Seven gals, all different ages.  Sisters, daughters.  It is a great picture!  Now everyone is six months older.  The girls are changing each day.  The women are marching through life, moving forwards as moms and wives. 

 

Life really is sweet.

 

It would be even sweeter with a little more time and a little less distance.

 

 

Giving It Some Direction

Happy Thursday...one more day and the weekend is here!  That means time to run errands and maybe squeeze in a quick Marshall's run.  My kids have to accompany me sometimes.  It is just the way it is.  Whenever we are out and about, they want to ride in the cart.

 

Still.  Nine years old...wanting the cart.  Most times I refuse.  Sometimes I want them to remain happy so I can browse the clearance rack at Target.  So, I let them climb into the back of the cart.

 

On this day, I was shopping for renovation items.   I was on a deadline so Nathan needed to come with me and like it! 

 

 

I decided to give this layout I bit more direction than the simple center-block design.  I wanted to take those triangles right off the block in the form of arrows.  With some quick cutwork, I was able to create three arrows.  I pointed them to my title, which is composed of different fonts.

 

I decided to journal right on the tag so I can keep the textured side of the cardstock.  It was a fun layout to make.  A little adventurous thinking brings my page in a new direction.

 

I used Lily Bee to create this page.  I have my hands on some of the new releases and it is stunning!  I can't wait to make something!

 

 

To the Right, to the Right

There is something about a design that is heavy on the right that just makes sense to me.  Bring the elements across the page and then load it up along the right hand side.  Picture is balanced by the heavy side.  There are only so many ways to configure a 12 X 12 page.  So the design might stay the same while the elements change.

 

 

I created this page using a favorite photo.  This is my dad's side of the family, all of us together.  It brings back great memories.  I am so glad we caught this family photo.

 

I documented how we have to travel to get together!  I love these chipboard pieces of the globe and the plane.

 

Here is another view.  Sometimes when I need to balance a page out or add that missing element, I use my pen to draw lines.

 

A familiar design, but a unique page because it tells a story.

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Flash from the Past

I pulled out this photo recently in order to complete a scrappy assignment.  It is a 5X7, a size I don't usually scrap with.  It shows my children, nieces and nephews.  I can't believe how fast time goes by.

 

I find it hard to scrap with pictures this big, but I made it work by using big elements and bold patterns that take up the right side of the layout.  I am still digging these speech bubbles!

 

 

I wanted to add some pizzazz to the page so I cut the chicken wire paper along the lines to make this cool scalloped effect.

 

Everyone is growing so fast.  I hope they have great adventures along the way!

 

Tuesday Technique: Iris Folding

Happy Tuesday!  I was challenged this past weekend to use a unique paper technique on my latest Lily Bee Design layout.  I googled to find some ideas and came up with Iris Folding.  It is a simple technique that yields big results.

Today, I will show you how I did it.

First step involves creating a cut-out window.  It can be any shape, but I went with a square..  Use your craft knife.  When determining the size, be sure to consider what you are putting in the center of the cut-out and folds.

I wanted my window to contain lots of color so I used three different patterned papers.  I cut out a series of paper strips, 1 inch in width by 12 inches in length.  While watching TV, I proceeded to fold each rectangle in half. I used my Scor-it to get even, crisp folds.

Once you have your rectangles, determine a pattern.  There are a ton online that act as guides for how you might place your paper.  I went with a pattern that was structured, diagonal across the corners as a layer and then straight sides as a layer.  Then repeat.

As you work, it is important to adhere your rectangles.  I also laid them out so that the folded side was in the cut-out.  See how I first went diagonal in the corners in  yellow.  I then went straight edges in the red polka dot.  They I repeated in the corners using the navy.  You just keep repeating, overlapping the rectangles until you almost fill the cut-out.  Can you tell that I couldn't find my scotch tape?

When you have achieved the size you want, adhere another piece of background paper to fully cover the hole.  I used red cardstock to back my layout.  You can see how the red peeks through!  Here is my completed layout!  I put a sentiment in the middle of the cutout and folds, but you can do chipboard or a flower.

The folding really looks cool and adds so much texture!

Some other details of my page.  I used the Lily Bee Pinwheel collection for the majority of this page.  

The Lily Bee design team is showing you projects all week that use unique paper techniques.  Be sure to stop by the blog and see what my talented creative team members have made!

Cards on Tuesday

Happy Tuesday all!  I am enjoying the last couple of weeks of summer, sleeping in and lounging with a cup of coffee when I wake up.

It is back to school soon!  I have shopping to do and classroom set-up to finish.  To help me get in the school spirit, I created this card using yummy Lily Bee products!  It can be given to a teacher, mentor or colleague. 

 

I used the August sketch from the Lily Bee blog to make this card!  Check it out at the blog.  Diana Fischer also has two great cards to share!

 

Here is a shot of the details.  This would be a good card to celebrate the first day!

 

 

Be sure to head to the blog and join in on the sketch challenge!