Be My Guest: Laina Lamb, Part Two

Hi there!  Back again with the second layout I created with Laina's newest stamp and die set from My Favorite Things!  I love the camera references in these sets and was super excited to see the Instagrammed stamp!  I use my phone camera a lot so I have many unscrapped, ready-to-go photos!

I grabbed one of my favorites and went to work!  I knew the Instagrammed stamp had to go front and center!

I also knew I wanted to incorporate the cute camera die as a part of my title...2 kids and a camera.  The Smile and Taken By tag are also in the set.

I used the Photo Op circle stamp along the top as well to match the other circles!  I seriously had a blast using these great stamps and dies...I plan to use these again and again!

Be My Guest: Laina Lamb & MFT

Who loves new product?  Scrappy goodies that really inspire?

I do!  I had the chance to play with Laina Lamb's newest stamp and die set from My Favorite Things. Laina is a super cool gal who is very talented.  She gets what is fun and trendy...as you can see from her products:

Cameras, Instragram references, cute little sayings...I fell in love!  I am so thrilled to have been able to work with these products!  Here is one project I created with her goodies!  

I used the grid stamp from the Graph Paper Notes set to create the right side background...The Say Cheese is also a stamp in the set from the Captured Memories package!  See that cute little camera...it is a die-cut from the Cute Cameras set.  I just put Laina's die through my Cuttlebug and there it was as cute as can be!

I also stamped several of the word tags from the set...I like how they help tell a story!

You can find Laina's designs here at My Favorite Things.  I will be back tomorrow to share another layout using her goodies!

Tuesday Technique: Stamp Your Heart Out

There is a new challenge up over at the Lily Bee blog...it involves using stamps to create your own cardstock background.

I am really enjoying stamping these days.  When Melissa Mann issued this challenge, I had an idea.  I decided to use all the word blocks to create my own grid.  I inked, stamped and tried out my idea...I did not like my design.

Back to the drawing board.  Sometimes this happens.  When it does, I walk away.  It is like a fight with your spouse.  Leave the situation, give it space.  You love it so you will return with fresh eyes, ready to fix things.

Often times, a new idea presents itself in the time I have walked away.  Such an idea popped in...I was determined to make my own spider web using the Lily Bee stamps.  I looked up how to draw a spider web and discovered that you should start with an X.

Off I went, back to repair things with my layout.  I feel like we made up.

To create this web, I drew my X with a pencil and then added other straight, diagonal lines.  I grabbed the dotted line stamp from the Christmas Cheer line...that stamp went right over the pencil marks to form my straight lines.

I decided to make the curved lines using a line of hearts stamp from the Persnickety collection.  I placed the heart stamp on a curve on my stamping block.  Then I just planned out how many hearts I would need to ink.  The top curve required 8-10 where the inside curves only needed 3-5 hearts inked.  It really was a piece of cake.

Out for Publication!!

With such a big element, I kept the rest of the layout simple.  A journaling index card and some banner triangles...just a few patterns and colors.

Lily Bee stamps offer so much...how will you use them on your next project?  Head to the blog to see how to participate in the challenge!

Tuesday Tip: Lily Bee Design Love

What a cool turn of events occured the few days before CHA.  I knew I was working in the Lily Bee booth doing make and takes, but I was super excited when I received an email asking if I would be willing to do a few projects as samples...

Ummm...willing?  I was honored and nervous and pumped!  I love Lily Bee.  But as I said...I was nervous.  So I looked back at my Lily Bee work and realized some of my favorite projects ever uses their products.  And the nerves went away.

So much so that I made cards and tags along with layouts.  First, I enjoyed it and...I think I like what I made!

Kristen sent me the new stamps to use and I incorporated them on every project.

First, this card made using the new Christmas Cheer collection.  LOVE this Christmas line...it is fun and bright.  See that 25?  There is a whole sheet of numerals just like that one!

I used the snowflake stamps (there are two) with my blue distress ink.  Then I topped some off with these silver circles.  I hand cut the 25 from the paper, but this is easily punched with a 1 1/2" circle punch.

I made another card using the Persnickety line...I think this line is my favorite of the three...the navy is great!  I layered 3 index journaling cards on top of a 4X6 base to make this one...easy peasy!

Banners...yum.  Woodgrain...yum!  I incorporate the stamps.  I added the two rows of hearts to the index journaling card.  I also created the "Celebrate" sentiment using a stamp.

I loved working in the booth and meeting Kristen and her family.  Seriously nice and genuine people!  It made me an even bigger Lily Bee fan!  Thanks for the opportunity, Kristen!

I have many more Lily Bee projects to share over the next few days.  I have such a creative spark lately and it feels great!

Happy Tuesday!

Behind the Page: Stamping

I am not normally a user of stamps...I always get nervous about it.

If you stamp right on a page, you can't take it back.

What if the stamp is slightly crooked?

What if it doesn't show up enough or shows up too much?

And the brain replays and goes crazy.

But....Webster's Pages and Teresa Collins offers stamps....really cute stamps.

Webster's has teamed up with Unity Stamp again to create some fabulous designs!!   I am so in love with this one:

I thought the circles could make a great accent to add some texture.  Truth be told, I stamped this on to one of the white/cream Clean and Simple papers from the Girl Land collection...it looked pretty, but it didn't pop.  So after playing and pushing and juggling for an hour to find that "Ah, now that's it" moment, I switched to white cardstock.

I wanted the stamp to be an element on my page. 

Daughters in fairy wings wearing Twinkle Toes Sketchers=great photo.  And why not pair it with the adorable new Webster's stickers with the phrase about daughters!  That sticker plus the circle stamp lead to the rest of the layout.  Repeated circles, butterflies, fairies.  To compliment the stamp, I hand cut some circles from the Bubbly paper in the collection.

I used a second stamp on this layout too...see the corner to the top right.  That was made using one of the patterned tag stamps.  I simply cut the tag into more of a square and then cut that in half to make two photo corners...one there and one under the photo.

Maybe stamping should become more of a part of my normal?

Stampin It Up

Yeah...bad title...LOL!  Because I won't be talking about that company, but will be sharing some projects that incorporate stamping!  I am not a natural stamper.  I don't automatically reach for them, but when I am pushed a bit in that direction...I find that I do enjoy it!  Stamps can fill in that empty space on a layout or add a more transparent effect!

I used Unity Stamps as a part of an assignment for Scrapstreet!  Here is what I came up with!

A layout using Cosmo Cricket!

A card using Pink Paislee!  I flocked the stamped sentiment to make it fuzzy!

I created the title card with a stamp and the border along the top!

Can't wait to get my hands on the new Teresa Collins and Webster's Pages stamps...I have a feeling my usage rate will increase dramatically!

I Could Give You a Lame Title

or I can just admit that I don't have one...LOL!  I am feeling down a bit...putting pressure on myself in this crazy industry.  Thought I sent some GREAT pages, but I was off in my assessment...Why must we all be overachievers?

The rational part of me knows that it doesn't really matter because I scrap to celebrate my family.  In the end, they are most important in all of this.  I will keep repeating it.

My husband says that I put myself in positions where I am being judged by others.  Even when I was coaching cheerleading, our competitions were about being judged by a panel.  At the end of the day, people look at things with different eyes from a different background.  Personal likes have to factor in.  Maybe I am constantly looking for others to like me...he keeps telling me to explore it.  He might be right.

So I share a page with you.  One that I love.  It tells a story and records my family history. 

I used a wonderful stamp from My Favorite Things to create the background.  It gives the circle a place to rest and makes me title feel balanced.  This was in the October issue of Scrapstreet.com Magazine!  Be sure to check out the November issue...good stuff!

Off to lick my wounds and then to realize what really matters...

Thanks for listening.