Honeymoon Suite

I'll start off my saying that this page was fun to make but also a bit stressful. Do you ever have a page in your head of what you think should happen with a certain group of pictures but then getting it actually completed kinda scares you? This was that page for me. I knew I wanted to convey the slight bit of humor in the fact that we spent three nights of our honeymoon in a "honeymoon suite" (aka tent) in the Peruvian Andes. It's a fun part of our trip that I wanted to make sure got in our Peru trip book. Our fellow hikers even dubbed our tent that when they learned it was our honeymoon trip. So, see, kinda important.

Anyway, the stressful part of this page was just getting all of the elements to come together right. I used so many techniques and tools on this page! And on top of that, this page is for PageMaps' Basic Grey contest and Scraproom Blog's Weekly #4 Challenge (vertical titles). No pressures! haha!

In the end, I'm happy with this layout. I think it gets across the slight jab to our honeymoon being unconventional but yet us. It also gets a little of the fun in a honeymoon trip. I'm very glad that we took these photos in our "suite."

I hope you like the result too. Thanks for stopping by!

DETAILS:

Paper - Patterned (brown, Basic Grey Bitteroot; red glitter, My Mind's Eye Organic), Solids (brown and light brown matte, Paper Imaginations; brown glitter, Paper Pizzaz; red, DCWV)

Embellishments - Border Punch (Martha Stewart Lace Heart), Ribbon (Joann's), Alpha Rub-Ons (American Crafts Mini Marks - Purkey), Die Cut Title (LaurenScript Regular from DaFont.com, Cut with Silhouette SD), Journaling Lines (Stamp by Autumn Leaves, Ink by Colorbox in Cocoa, Embossing Powder by A La Mode), Corner Punch (EK Success)

Sketch - PageMaps Basic Grey Contest Sketch

Our First Christmas

Okay, so I've jumped the gun on my scrapbooking to get this page completed even before I do most of 2009. I'm one of those scrappers that likes to do the book in order so I can enjoy seeing the book fill up with completed pages, but when I saw a page call over at Crate Papers for a layout using their designer paper I couldn't resist. Then, with a sketch in hand from a new blog I recently found called Sketchy Thursdays, I was set to create!

I don't make many one picture pages, but this one made sense. This is our family picture in our little place in Mountain View before we headed off to Montana for the actual holiday season. As you can see in the picture, Hannah is SO happy to be Mrs. Claus, right? And that's our little tree we got down the street at the local garden shop. What you don't see is the huge industrial sized tree holder that little tree is in! LOL! It cost more than the tree! But that's to be scrapped on another page. This one is all about our little family and our first Christmas as the Marmons.

Thanks for stopping by!

DETAILS:

Paper - Crate Paper Crush Collection (Lagoon, Island, Kelp, Coral, Longboard)

Title - Alphabet stickers by Piggy Tales

Sketch - Sketchy Thursdays 1.21

First Look: Peru!

So my card making has been on the slow side lately, but that doesn't mean I haven't been creating! I have lately been returning to my scrapbook roots and working on my honeymoon scrapbook of our trip to Peru. I've had the pictures printed since about October (all 200+ of them). While we have shown some of our family and friends some of the pictures through iPhoto, I feel showing them through this book will be 10x better, for we'll have our little memorabilia and the stories to go along with it.

Not many trips get big 12x12 books to call their own, but 2 weeks in Peru warrants it. This book will join our big 2 week book about Europe.

With this book I'm also trying out a lot of new layout techniques. I have always been one that likes to cram lots of photos on a page, so finding sketches for layouts that do the same has been great. But, I'm also trying a few layouts that don't cover the entire page. I'm enjoying it! It is very cool to see something different on each page. (I love my old style too, but I'm glad to see my scrapbooking styles evolve.)

So with that, enough chit chat and here are a few of my favorites from the first few days worth of the book:

Here's the cover layout. I got the Peru die cut from a scrapbooking expo. My DH was the one that inspired the Peru map to be there. He loves to include maps and I agree that they make sense to show people that view the book where we are.

Second page with our flight plan to get to Peru. Again, the maps compliments of my DH. Oh, and he influenced the TACA plane on the page too. I love that he likes to help with my layouts!

My first clustered layout. I love how the American Crafts elements helped make this page what it is. I love Thickers! This page is about Lima and the Kitty Tree we found on the main square in Miraflores.

Another page about Lima, specifically our lunch. We took a lot of photos of our food and it has been fun to remember what we ate there. Sometimes the food was pretty normal, but sometimes it was an adventure. Another clustering layout where I let the paper be my embellishment.

I love two page spreads, although not many have made it in the book yet. I'm also finding my stamp collection is quite helpful in creating titles in any color that I want, although if you know me, I am the queen of alphabets and have an entire collection! I like this layout because it's a mixture of postcards and our photos. (TIP: The postcards help document where we couldn't take photos of directly, but yet I could still scrap them!)

This layout goes a little more to my usual layout style (haphazard? is that what it's called?). A lot of elements on this page but it is the introduction to our next city, Cusco. I love doing filmstrips on layouts and this one is filled from a postcard with many pictures of Cusco, for it fit the openings very easily. DH came up with the polaroid-style picture of us in our hats. I think it's a great way to get in a photo that probably wouldn't have directly fit in a layout otherwise. (Notice again the plane, this time with LAN.)

This is my latest layout. It captures about day 5 on our honeymoon. We were with our guide heading to the start of our trek, but stopped for a visit our first site of Inca ruins. A simple layout but one that I think came together perfectly! I really like the Basic Grey wavy paper I got the middle element from. I then proceeded to mat the photos in corresponding colors. I even found a title from matching stickers by K& Company!

Well, if you've made it through all that, thank you! I hope you like this diversion to some of my scrapbook layouts. I'll try to put another batch up when I get some more done. :)

Thanks for looking!

Caardvarks Valentine

I couldn't pass up the latest Caardvarks challenge (and their first for 2010) so I'm sneaking this one in on the due date. I was stalking many of the entries (and there are some fantastic ones out there, I might add) as I looked for my true inspiration for my version of the sketch. Finally, I took note that JustRite stamps is sponsoring and brought out my own set of JustRite. I also used the Martha Stewart Lace Heart border punch that I just had to get!

The little border punch makes these great little hearts when you're done and I decided to use some of them on my JustRite image. I think it gives it a little more fun, don't you think?

DETAILS:

Paper - Solids from DCWV

Image - Stamp from JustRite (Harmony Classic Circle Stamper II Stamp Ensemble), Embossing Powder from A La Mode

Embellishments - Lace Heart Border Punch by Martha Stewart, White Gelly Roll Pen by Sakura

My Mind's Eye Challenge 7: Three Photos

Here's my take on the MME Challenge 7 sketch. I used MME Organic Glitter papers and the "Love" transfer title. I was inspired to make this page using photos of my little cousin playing in the snow. Isn't she cute?

DETAILS:

Paper - My Mind's Eye Organic Glitter

Journaling Area - Cut out with Label 1 Nestability, Stamp by Stampendous, Ink by Color Box

Embellishments - Snowflake brads by Creative Impressions, My Mind's Eye Transfer Title "Love" (outlined in white pen, freehanded the rest of the title), Snowflake from Target (ornament)

Thanks for stopping by!

An organized desk

Once DH and I got back from our holiday break in Montana we went on a cleaning spree around the house. We didn't have our bags (they got short-checked to DEN so didn't make it all the way to SJC) so instead of unpacking, we cleaned. Of course I was the one in charge of the craft desk in the living room.

Most of the organization has been completed for about a week. I was late on taking the actual photo of the finished product due to getting a few cards done for our Swapping Sistahs posts. But, look how well a little bit of tidying can do to make it back to its much improved look!

The main organizational element that I think will help me the most is the little paper file I've decided to put my scraps into. Much easier to just put the solid scraps right in the file than have them all over the desk or starting to get in a big pile on top of the paper shelf. I also will give kudos to DH for the 7Gypsies stamp organizer I got for Christmas. I took one day just to get all of my clear stamps put away in it and already see the benefits of being able to browse my stamps easily. Plus save space and my stamps (being in a pile isn't exactly good for my clear stamps)!

I'm much happier in this new sense of order for my desk. One thing I have remaining is to figure out what/how to do with all my ribbons. DH and I went to Michaels a while back and got the organizer with a ribbon bar but that only holds so many. Thankfully Target didn't come out with ribbons for Valentine's Day in their $1 bin so I haven't gotten anymore since the holidays. :) But I do love my ribbon!

So here's the before (before as in the last time I cleaned up my desk):

This organization scheme got my patterned paper sorted out in main color groups for easy access, but the solids were still having troubles. See that middle stack of papers in boxes and just paper packaging? That became a leaning tower as the days went on full of scraps, solids, and everything else.

Here's the now...

Now both patterned and solids are in color groups. This helps me know how much of a color I have instead of keep buying paper packs when I think I'm running low. (Found out I use a lot of red.) My little file for scraps is right by my chair for easy access in putting them away! YAY! I also have utilized my little stamp carousel and my craft light (from Steph...thanks btw!). Yes, a slight pile is still evident, but that is patterned paper packs I haven't dug into yet and it is my goal not to just stack stuff there!

And now you know what my crafty area looks like. Hopefully it will stay nice like this for some time. :) *crossing fingers*

Swapping Sistahs! Part 3

We're at it again with our monthly card swap! I'm slightly behind on this occasion but at least the post is going up on the right day. Stephanie, our fearless leader for this month's swap, already has her two cards done and posted. The rest of us are getting there....

Not to say the goodies this month weren't great, I just had holiday projects, desk organization and a DH that wants scrapbook layouts rather than cards. :) He likes my cards too though. Once I did dig into the goodies I didn't know what I wanted to do with all of them. Steph spoiled us this month with two coordinating sets from SEI. See below for all the card-making funness...

This first card was using the SEI Moravia paper and embellishments. I used two of the patterned papers provided and the brads. I decided to also make this card using the Tuesday Morning Sketches sketch for this week. I added in one of the Inkadinkado stamps I got in the Joann's $1 bin and my new Martha Stewart Lace Doily border punch (yay Christmas!) as well. I found that I really liked the brown and gold flower paper, but eventually decided it would help bring out my brad embellishments instead of being my base. I saved off the rest for another project though. :)

DETAILS:

Paper - SEI Moravia (patterned paper), Solids from Stash

Image - Inkadinkado stamp, A La Mode embossing powder

Embellishments - SEI Moravia (brads), MS border punch

And now on to card 2. (Still on time by California time (10:22pm) haha!)

I just finished this one and I'm very pleased how it turned out. I just did bits and pieces and it came together pretty well. First, I knew that the little flower patterned paper was just screaming to be paper pieced! YAY! Out came the little xacto knife. I thought MFT's Who's That Girl would be perfect for a little flowery coat, and her little dog too. I got MFT's Rain or Shine set from DH for Christmas so it was time to get it inky. :)

Second, I thought that since I was going with MFT stamps I would try out the MFT sketch challenge going on at Splitcoaststampers. So with these two things in mind my card formed. I was even able to use many of the components of the SEI Winter Song set Stephanie provided us with. I used 3 papers, ribbon, and red brads (snipped to just be jewels). As I had kinda cut into many of the 6x6 sheets, I had to supplement with a new solid red and light blue for my main shape and base.

And finally, I have to bring up this one element...See the sentiment? It looks like the ribbon is threaded through it? That's fake and not an intentional part of my design, but I went with it. :) I learned from Claire over at Waltzingmouse Stamps the other day in her blog post that the little EKSuccess corner punch doesn't always have to be a corner punch! It's simple to take off the little corner guide and then it's a nice little curved punch. I was going for rounding the sentiment and did the two sides and it was to cool to try as a ribbon slider and that's how I it ended up on the card. I'm probably the last to know that little guide comes off, but eh, you learn something new everyday, right?

DETAILS:

Paper - SEI Winter Song (patterned paper), Solids from Stash

Image - My Favorite Things Rain or Shine stamp, Paper pieced coats and rain boots (clear embossing on boots), Colored with colored pencils

Embellishments - SEI Winter Song (ribbon, brads), MFT Sketch

Finally, be sure to check out the other ladies in our little Swapping Sistahs blog hop!

Belinda

Stephanie

Ren-Yi (coming soon!)