2014: The Year of Selfies

You know me, I am cuh-ray-zee about sketches - absolutely love them, even if what I create sometimes doesn't look anything even remotely like the sketch I used!  So, it was icing on the cake to find out that The Paper Bakery has not one, but two, sketch challenges this month.  The current challenge is HERE.  And this is what I created using that sketch:

Now, there is a story behind this layout - oh, yes, there is.  My 13 year old, that once sweet baby of mine who has turned into a teenager (and all that that implies), told me that I was too old to take selfies.  In fact, she said I was too old to even use the word "selfie."  Really.  Too old?  Hmmmm...I am in my mid to upper 40's and everyone knows that 40 is the new 30 so, in my book, that makes me practically a teen myself.  Okay okay, I may be a teen with some parts that are definitely more wrinkled than they were 30 years ago and other, more unmentionable things....  BUT - I now have the means to buy a cell phone with a camera feature AND I was able to purchase my own laptop AND I am the person who pays the bills every month that keep us connected to every form of social media that would know what the word "selfie" means.  Soooo - as I calmly and rationally explained to my daughter, that means I can take and post all the selfies I want.  And then, I did the most immature thing ever - I promptly took a few selfies and turned them into a scrapbook layout.  I also made a proclamation that this shall be the Year of Selfies for me.  That's right, 2014 will be all selfies, all the time!  THAT WILL SHOW HER - HA!

So there you have it - a layout created because of a major snit.  And, I love it - obviously.  

I used my Paper Bakery Love Potion #9 KIT to create this layout.  The feather and "news flash" stamp were included with previous kits; however, they were so cute, I had to include them.  Here are a few close-ups:

Want to play along with the sketch or maybe create a layout using your own selfies?  We would love to see them!  Simply link to the BLOG or the Paper Bakery FACEBOOK PAGE.

And, of course, feel free to leave a comment here.  I l-o-v-e feedback!

One Kit - Two Looks (Paper Bakery Kit Club)

I love scrapbooking - that is no secret.  And I love kits because everything is put together for me ahead of time so I can spend less time gathering supplies and more time crafting.  But - the sign of a really good kit is one that will let me achieve different looks with my projects, depending on how I use my supplies.  The Paper Bakery's January Kit, Love Potion #9, is exactly that kind of kit.  

Here is my first layout, which I had a blast making!  I adore bright colors so all the pops of yellow and teal made me a very happy girl.

Have a little too much blank space on your layout that's driving you crazy because you are NOT a minimalist clean and simple girl?  Well, if you are me, then you simply fill it up with a few ink splatters and a bunch o' sequins.

A-n-d if you are like me and have a sweet little glassine bag that is empty because you used all your sequins (or at least used all the ones that didn't end up scattered all across your floor), then why not add it to the layout, too?  I stitched around the edges of mine and tucked a journaling tag into it.  See?

Those little October Afternoon chipboard frames? Well, they just make me happy - plain and simple...

So, there you have one look.  Here is the second:

This layout has a softer, more vintage-y look.  And - rather than layering my papers like I often do, I instead layered my ephemera on this layout.  How did I do it?  Basically, I took every single bit and piece out of a bag full of bits and pieces from My Mind's Eye's Lost and Found Collection and moved each piece around on my layout.  If I liked it, it stayed.  If I didn't, it went back in the bag.  If I wasn't sure, it sat by the side of my layout until the end.  

Would you have guessed that these two layouts were made with the same kit?  I don't think I would have.

That's it for me today.  Do you like what you see?  If so, please stop by the Paper Bakery BLOG and let them know what you think!  And, of course, it would mean the world to me if you would let ME know what you think, too!!!

Playing with Paper Bakery and Dreaming Big

I am up on the Paper Bakery BLOG today with my first layout and tutorial for them using January's Love Potion #9 SCRAPBOOK KIT.  Can you guess what my layout is about?  If you guessed it is about my recent CHA trip (where I got to meet Sarah, the wonderful owner of Paper Bakery) - you would be correct!  But, my layout is about a little more than that, too.  

I was at a crop with two of my friends this past weekend, and we were involved in part of a discussion about the insecurity that seems to go along with scrapbooking, cardmaking, and mixed media - especially when we strive to be on design teams for the manufacturers whose products inspire us.  We allow ourselves to take a hobby or past time that is supposed to make us feel good about ourselves and, instead, we let it become a source of self-doubt.  We wonder what it is that makes someone else's style better than ours and we wrestle with the temptation to copy another style, another idea - in short, somebody else's dream.  And if we take a step back we see - that is crazy.  That is sheer stressful craziness.  And I don't want that.  

So - this layout symbolizes that.  It's a pledge to myself - a pledge that I am going to keep trying to make the dreams I have come true.  But while I am doing that, I am going to keep three things in mind always:

1. I will stay true to myself and I will keep my own style.  I may not know what my style is called (and anyone who does know, PLEASE tell me - I am pretty sure paper-hoarder is not a style!) but I know it is my own and I know it is consistent.  Even if I am the only person who likes what I do, the only thing that matters is that I like what I do!
2. I will only apply to teams or challenges that inspire me.  That means I will not apply to a manufacturer's team if I don't normally buy their products - no matter the temptation, the thought that I might be passing up my one big chance.  That's not making my dream come true; that's becoming a slave to an idea.
3. Most of all, I will enjoy what I do.  I fell in love with scrapbooking because it made me feel happy and creative.  I absolutely refuse to let it be a source of stress!!!

Okay, stepping down off my soapbox!  Back to Paper Bakery - I knew it was the right kit club for me because its collections were filled with items that I had already purchased on my own.  I tend to stick with one or two manufacturers' products when I am working on a project, so it is a refreshing change to have papers and supplies to work with from several different manufacturers at the same time.  And best of all, it's already all coordinated and put together for me!  Look how nicely everything comes together on this layout:

I never would have thought to include vintage-y My Mind's Eye Lost and Found bits and pieces with these papers, but it works!  That's what I like about kit clubs, and especially Paper Bakery - they combine things so that I use them in different ways than I may have on my own.

Oh, one last thing before I go - see that title?  That was created from my own handwriting and then cut out on the Silhouette!  Yep, that title is created from my messy lefty cursive writing.  Want to see how I did it?  Then check out my TUTORIAL on the Paper Bakery Blog!  (It's simple)  Oh, and leave a comment if you like it!

Happy Crafting!!!