Making a Page With Kit Leftovers

How about a page that came together because of an embellishment? 

The little acetate pieces were the impetus for the entire page!  Their shape mimicked the windmill blades in my mind.  The colors of those little acetate pieces dictated the colors to be used for the page.  Pastel, soft and quiet. 

The little pink tabs came in the kit, each printed with a word or two...but none really fit with my travel photos, however I did like the pale pink color. So they just got tucked in such that the words didn't show. 

In this case I used one of the papers in the kit for the background since it was mostly white, with a bit of printing at the left edge.  The branding strips were trimmed into long skinny banners and the one or two larger chunks of printed paper that were left got layered under the photo.  There is nothing hugely striking about the page---it is calming and still, allowing the photo to be center stage. 

The only add from outside the kit was a scrap of green (cut into two short banners) and the chipboard heart. 

Next up is a page using strips of paper at the edge of the page. 

Another page showing the use of watercolor on the white background to help unify the page and tie the colors and photo together rather than the use of printed papers. 

Looking through these page samples, the one common denominator leaving a good amount of white space.  (White space = open space, it could have been a colored background---I just happened to use white.)

This open space could be less, if you were working with more than one photo--but it would be more difficult to have enough papers left for layering.  In that case your leftovers could be used in small strips under your photos or along one edge of your page, depending upon the size and shape of your leftover pieces. 

The point is, a technique for getting the most from my kit(s), before relegating things to my stash, is to gather those little pieces and parts together and see if there is enough to either surround a photo, layer underneath a photo, or line up along the edge of a page.  Now I am not always successful at this.  In fact I have a layout that I am going to take apart, cuz it's    just.  not.  happening.  When I get that one put together again in a happier arrangement, well that can/will be a whole other conversation.   And I'll have that conversation, it's ok to me to shows one of my "yuck" pages ... and compare it to one that I find more pleasing to look at. 

But for today, try and use all those little "schnibblets" left lying about your workspace to make just one more page before you call a kit done.  It can't hurt, you can always take it apart, but if you are successful, you'll have one more page done AND finish off a kit feeling that you have spent your money on that kit wisely! 

best to all,
Cheryl

My Kit Club Search---And Getting Back My Mojo!

As I said in a prior post, I am "researching" various kit clubs (i.e., enjoying playing with a different selection of papers and goodies).  Currently I subscribe to Scraptastic, but I am looking into other clubs.  A while back I won a Scraptastic kit and had a blast seeing how far I could stretch it.

Wipe Out kit was the first kit I received (their June offering I believe) and this was the first page created from the kit.  (And the first one since getting back to scrapping after too many months away --- insert sad face...)  The only thing I added from my stash, was the baker's twine and a couple few enamel dots. 

Now that I can get to my scrapping supplies (kind of) again and have a small work-space set up, I went ahead and subscribed.  I found on my initial two kits, that they were mostly company exclusive products.  And while a bit of this is fine, it is not what I was expecting, nor what I am ultimately looking for.  Now I do see in the upcoming kit they seem to be back on track with their more usual selection of products from popular companies (which makes me v-e-r-y happy!).  But in the meantime, I didn't think it would hurt to look around at other kit clubs to see what else might be available that would be a good fit for me.

So far, even with company exclusive products, I've been happier with the Scraptastic kit(s).  I was able to produce more pages and the products went together easier.  The materials provided coordinated better, even the "B" sides mixed well.

This kind of easy-peasey page was just what I needed to get my scrapping confidence back and coax my mojo out of hiding! 

More to come on my scrapbook kit "research"!!!!

Choosing a Kit Club

Ha, Ha!  I've been scrapping again!!! 

Lately I've been trying out scrapbook kit clubs.  Like everything else there is no one perfect club to join.  It all depends on you.  What do you want from a club?

For me, I am looking for a taste of the new products and supplies on the market.  There are no scrapbooking stores in my area.  Zip, nada, niet, not one.  Not even in the bigger city of Lexington (an hour away).  There is a Hobby Lobby (thank heaven) about 20 minutes away and a Michael's a bit further than that. 

So besides a bit of new product, for me I want a good mix of feminine and masculine papers.  Not every month's selection are going to appeal to me, but some clubs are decidedly more feminine than others. 

And I want a mix of embellishments.  I'm not typically a big sticker person, but I do like enamel dots and wood veneer and such.

I also do not really need a big selection of cardstock in my kits.  I have plenty in my stash. 

Of course, price is always a consideration too! 

So there you have it.... 

I am currently giving Scraptastic and Studio Calico a whirl and there are a couple more clubs out there that I would at least like to try. 

The above page is form a Studio Calico kit, the Scout kit (which I think was the June kit), while the page below is from a Scraptastic kit, Wipeout (also their June offering). 

I did have to add some things from my stash (title alpha on the Everything is Bigger in Texas page), plus the enamel dots, the chipboard heart (old, old Making Memories) and the black and white print layer under the photo, as well as the vellum layer.  I did some outlining, roughed up the edges of the paper and that was about it! 

I have a couple more pages to post from this kit, but I made 4-5 pages and struggled a bit as I just didn't feel that things coordinated very well.  Now remember this is only through my eyes... everyone views these things differently.  Studio Calico has been putting kits out there for a long time and folks seem to like them pretty well.  I'm just saying I'm not sure they're a good fit for me. 

More on kits to come!!!!

Sweater Weather #8 - Winter Wishes

This is it, the last Sweater Weather layout!   Layout #8!   Eight pages from one kit is pretty darn good.  I had the main kit only, no add-ons and I did pull some things from my stash, although I tried to keep this to a minimum.  (I'm not counting things like cardstock or the tissue paper I like to layer with sometimes.)  I truly wanted to see how far I could stretch a kit. 

I squeaked this last page out of the kit by pulling together the scraps and using them to create the layered circle embellishments.  Circles were punched and die cut; then layered with various snowflake shapes, buttons, wood veneer pieces and the last little piece of that cord that I used on a previous layout (hey, it was just lying there on my desk--it was going on the page or into the trash!).  I cut a couple or three fish-tailed banners and placed one under a layered circle, the other two got layered up with a snowflake to add a spot of red to the opposite side of the page.  The cardstock I used as a background paper is the same color as the piece that was included in the kit (found that in my cardstock stash!). 

From my stash on this one were all the buttons, the wood veneer snowflakes, the doily (under the lower edge of the photo), the little piece of off-white cord, and a rosette on one of the circles.  I pulled this from an older Basic Grey embellishment pack--Plumeria was the collection--but I didn't like the little circle and pearl that topped the rosette, so I scraped it off and replaced it with a punched snowflake and an enamel dot.  After arranging all the layered circles, I used one of the Echo Park stickers as the page title and placed it on top of the circles, did some outlining using a white gel pen

It would be safe to say, I have basically used this entire kit.  What I have left: a lot of the Bo Bunny alpha stickers, some stickers on the Echo Park sheet, the whole piece of navy blue cardstock, a couple of the wood veneer pieces, the white die cuts. a couple of the exclusive tabs, and a little pile of patterned paper scraps. 

I absolutely love the wood veneers---but up until a day or two ago, there wasn't much in the way of snow outside and I am not going out to build a snowman (or have a snowball fight--sorry I am an indoor girl in the winter--but I might find photos of someone else's snowman--who knows.  Or, I could use them on a card, but I will use them, they are so cute.)  And the white die cut phrases?  Same thing, love them, I just don't have the right subject matter (yet). 

So that's it.  Eight pages from one kit!  I think this means that joining a scrapbook kit club can indeed be a very good scrapping investment.  And this challenge has been so much fun for me.  Thank you again Scraptastic and Mercy Tiara! 

best,
Cheryl

Sweater Weather Layout #7 - NASA?

Wow, seven layouts from one kit!  I was not expecting this!  I am way happy with how far this kit has stretched. 

This page is a bit of a departure from cozy winter or holiday layouts, which is what you really think of first with a kit called Sweater Weather.  I really loved the Scraptastic exclusive red, white and blue diagonal stripe that was in the kit, so after some digging around, I found these old, old, old photos of our Jacob man on a rocket-ship ride at a shopping mall play-park.  Ah-ha!  Seems like a good fit for some  red, white and blue! 

From my stash on this one, just the starry vellum, and some cardstock.   I cut (Cricut) the title letters from red cardstock and the stars were cut from white cardstock with a Sizzix die (Primitive Stars). 

After I tore the corner of the vellum for some interest, I placed a large strip of the striped paper down on the right side of the page.  Then I tucked smaller strips of blue and red patterned papers under the photos and cut a few banners, as well as fussy cut a few little stars from the navy and wood grain star paper.  The last thing added to the layout were the larger white die cut stars.  Still not too sure about those stars; sometimes I look at the page and it seems far too busy and then again it will look ok.  Do you have those pages too? 

Journaling on the layout asks the question; will there even be NASA in the future?  I think it is just a shame that one of the U.S.' biggest achievements (our space program) has been decimated by our (stupid) politicians (both Democrat and Republican--I hold both parties these days in equal disgust-- some of the stuff they choose to spend our money on just boggles the mind).  This journaling is on the back of the layout.  I don't think it hurts to let folks in the future know your views on current events or politics.  It let's people know you better---but I also do not necessarily want this info taking over the page or the photos.

have a scrappy-dappie-dooo day! 
(can you tell the little grandies have been here---watching Scooby-Doo!) 
best,
Cheryl

Sweater Weather Layout #5 - Favorite Holiday Memories

So here's the fifth layout I've created using just the main Sweater Weather kit from Scraptastic.  I've had such a good time trying to work from just the kit (pretty much).  It's good to have a challenge, a scrapbooking challenge that is! 

This time the items from my stash are sequins, white cardstock (for the circle punches),  the light gray cardstock (used as a base for the page), a doily, the journaling card and the baker's twine. 

The page background was inspired by a Simple Stories Christmas paper I saw Mercy Tiara use in one of her you tube videos.  It had printed circles, sequin shapes, and snowflakes scattered across the middle portion of the paper and I just loved that paper.  So I thought I might be able to use real sequins, some circle punches and snowflake stamps to mimic that paper design.  Now mine does not look at all the same, but I think I like it!  I did decide to add some white paint drops here and there after I was done stamping and gluing down the circles and just a few red punched snowflakes.  Really wanted to include the journaling card because that wood grain border so goes with the wood grain paper.  Then I decided to just use the title on the journaling card as the page title because every alpha set I laid on the page just took away from the overall light feeling of the page. 

The look on my little Bella's face only speaks a bit about how goofy she got over this musical and light up elf hat.  She was just beside herself with glee over this thing (course it probably didn't help that we had been baking cookies all day and sugar may have been involved...). 

So, there you have it.  Layout #5. 

to be continued,
Cheryl

Sweater Weather Layout #4 - Found!

Oh my goodness, I so love the woodblock print from Kaisercraft that was included in this kit!  And I knew as soon as I saw it what photo I was going to use with it. 

You see, we have done a whole lotta cleaning out around here what with readying the house for showings and getting ready for our move.  After 25 years in one house, you tend to lose sight of just how much stuff you have acquired (ahem...stashed, hoarded, forgotten about....)  And then sometimes, you are greeted with a surprise. 

One day husband of mine called me to the garage door and wanted to know if I was going to get rid of this sewing machine... to which I replied, I already got rid of my old sewing machine.  He then inquired, well then what's this?  I took one look at the case and told him, I've never seen this before! 
Apparently the machine has been up in the rafters in our garage ever since we bought the house 25 years ago.  I think it's a keeper---heavy as all get out though.  Man is this sucker heavy!  But it's so neat looking and there is this really cool brass plate on the front that says Made in West Germany.  Now I don't really know anything about old sewing machines...but I know what I like and I really do like the looks of this old machine.   

I started with a piece of black cardstock and placed about a 4-inch wide slice of the wood block print paper, added a teeny little strip of the My Mind's Eye woodgrain and then trimmed one of the border stickers into a skinnier strip to define the left side of the page.  I also used a piece of the vellum that came in the kit (from Webster's Pages, their Hall Pass collection) to layer the photo on top of.  Popped the photo up, but also added some old fashioned black photo corners and a couple of photo turns (from my stash--7 Gypsies) in keeping with the vintage vibe thing I was aiming for.  I originally thought I would use the darker woodgrain alpha from the kit for the title and was going to place it in the open block of vellum (where I now have my journaling), but the alpha was just too small and not quite bold enough.  I opted for a black foam Thickers alpha for the title and placed it on the right side, journaling then went on the left side.  Also from my stash are the several torn strips of black diagonal striped washi tape and the tab at the top of the photo.   A little outlining on the black cardstock with a white pen and I figured I better quit while I was ahead. 

(I just noticed that that one of the photo corners is coming undone....love the look of the old fashioned photo corners, but they can be real buggers to work with!   A new one with a little dab of glue has this situation remedied!) 

Layout # 4 and still counting!
Cheryl 

Sweater Weather Layout #3 - Grafton Christmas Parade

Feeling pretty good about what I am getting out of this kit (and I only have the main kit, no add-ons!).  I am trying to stick fairly close to what has been included in the kit, although I'm not counting cardstock (or tissue paper).  I have reached into my stash for things like sequins, sprays, the occasional tab or banner. 

This page is just what it says it's about, attending our little hometown Christmas Parade.  I have some more photos of the event; they will either go onto another facing page or another separate page for the kids' albums.  Journaling is on the back, cuz it just did not fit nicely where I thought it was going to go. 

And, this is why I like to blog.  I just noticed that I did not outline the little banners I made for the cluster at the left side of the layout (I will go back and do that).  I love taking pictures of my layouts and seeing them on the screen.  Things show up that I just otherwise might not notice. 

So speaking of clusters, I did punch a few snowflakes (from the papers provided, other than the plain white one).  The photos are layered onto the Scraptastic exclusive papers; the red alphabet soup and the grey snowflake prints.  I placed the photos in a four square grid onto several layers of irregularly cut tissue paper.  The clusters were made using papers cut into banners, the stickers from the Carta Bella Warm and Cozy sticker sheet, a punched snowflake and the enamel dots included in the kit.  One of the clusters (on the left side of the page) also included one of the wood veneer tags included in the kit. 

The cardstock used as the base for the page was also in the kit.  The color kind of surprised me.  I would not have looked at this color if it had not been in the kit.  But in my mission to use as much as possible from the kit, I was plopping the matted photos down on one piece after another of the various pieces I had left and this one worked! 

From my stash on this one:  the baker's twine, doily, tissue paper, a scrap of white cardstock for one of the snowflakes (the other two are punched from the red cardstock included and the My Mind's Eye woodgrain paper). 

It would appear that my title is kind of crooked.  But I did measure up from the bottom of the page...I think it is the irregular (crooked--slightly curved--tissue paper edges).  I think I'm ok with it looking slightly wonky.  After all, we are a slightly wonky family! 

And that is layout #3, with more to come~
Cheryl

Sweater Weather Layout #2 - Most Wonderful Time of Year

And here is my second take with the Scraptastic's Sweater Weather kit. 

With Bella's bright blue and purple winter coat...I decided on a white background and to focus on the green of the tree.   Then centered the white on an olive-y green piece of cardstock.   I used a deconstructed style layout, placing my photo down and arranging embellishments (stickers) around the photo.  I really wanted to use that old truck sticker and that was the other reason for choosing a white background (one of my bug-a-boos---I really dislike white borders around the edges of stickers--don't know why--it just bugs me).  By placing the truck sticker on the white background, that white border kind of blends into the background paper; same for the arrow stickers.  I placed both the "wonderful time of year" and "tree farm" stickers on cardstock to repeat the green and charcoal colors, added some outlining, some green and black paint splatters (of which a few splatters ended up where I didn't want them---so I covered those up with those cute little snowflake circle stickers). 

Everything except the cardstock, the baker's twine and the little red circle tab came from the kit! 

best,
Cheryl

Some of My Favorite Ornaments

I thought it might be fun to see how many layouts I can get out of the Sweater Weather kit I won from Scraptastic and Mercy Tiara.  I've been lusting after a membership to one of the several really good scrapping kit clubs there are. And Scraptastic is definitely on the list (I kind of like that there is a choice between two  main kits each month).   But I simply have to wait until the house is sold and we are moved and settled.  Anyway this will be kind of a test for myself to see how far I can go with a kit. 

Here we go... Sweater Weather layout #1...

I used a piece of my own white cardstock, some layers of white tissue paper.  The stitched banners are from my stash (Basic Grey's 25th and Pine collection), as is the twine.   I absolutely love the Studio Tekturek white on white bokah kind of  print (Peachy Christmas #08) and the My Mind's Eye woodgrain that came in this kit.  So, to make it last a little longer, I just used strips of them,  Tore the edges of the white bokah and punched one of the strips of the woodgrain, but left the other a really thin little sliver for the top of the page. The alpha stickers from Bo Bunny are perfect with these papers, but I did also use the red Tiny Type from my stash.  The Merry Everything sticker and the red heart are from the sticker sheet that was included (Warm & Cozy from Carta Bella).  Although I did punch two of the stars from the woodgrain deer sticker that is on the sheet, since I just don't see myself using that one.   The red enamel dots came in the kit, as did the snowman flair badge. A minimal but of journaling and some penned in stitch lines and I called it done. 

This was fun!  And even though the stickers all kind of scream winter, snow and Christmas...  I see lots of other uses for the papers themselves.  There's a bit of a red, white and blue thing going on that has me wondering if I have any 4th of July photos filed away.... h-m-m-m

have a scrappy good day all,
Cheryl  

Winner, Winner...Chicken Dinner!

OK, so this has nothing whatsoever to do with chicken for dinner...  Chicken I would have to make and clean up after... this is soooo much better!  I won the current Sweater Weather Scraptastic kit via a contest at Mercy Tiara's you tube channel.  (If you've never checked her videos out, I strongly encourage you to visit her --- I have her listed in my sidebar, under places to visit.)

Anyway.....Wow is all I can say.  I like n.e.v.e.r win anything, so I was totally blown away to see my name listed as the winner of this scrumptious kit.  And to top that off, the kit arrived only a couple of days later!   Now I could take a few photos of the kit--- but better that you hop over to the Scraptastic site to check them out and besides there are several folks on you tube that do a share of their kit contents. I am so excited to go up to my little room tonight to play with my winnings!  A public, big ole thank you to Mercy Tiara for my winnings! 

In the meantime, I am putting up a travel themed page from my grandson's trip last June to Australia (and New Zealand and Hawaii). 

The background paper is from a Studio Calico travel pack from Michael's, as are most of the layering papers.  The brown and black checked pieces are from Basic Grey (a pet line from several years ago). Stitched banners are from Crate Paper and the "today" and "truly awesome" stickers I think are from Amy Tangerine.  I softened the area under the photo layers using some gesso, did a little stamping (that weird branchy looking circle,  the chevrons and the "wow" on the sunburst wood veneer) then tucked in some miscellaneous tags and a couple more wood veneer pieces. 

So the story goes (that will also be included on one of these travel pages) is that my wonderful grandson was so very pleased with himself that he took 27 photos while on his trip.  Um, 27 photos of a trip to Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii?  Hello, have you met your grandmother?  Now to be fair this was a whirlwind trip, like three days in each place and it was a wrestling junket...but...   27 photos? 

Stay tuned to see what I can create from the Sweater Weather kit and I did take photos of the gift card holders that I mentioned a while ago. 

Now off to my room to play! 

best!
Cheryl