LCOM Sketch Site

Have you been keeping up with all the supercallafrajalisticexpialadocious new sketches that LCOM's SKETCH SITE is cranking out each week? The sketches are so much fun to use and are the perfect starting point to give you a little creative nudge or to follow exactly if you choose. There are two weeks of scrapbook sketches and then one week with a card sketch mixed in. And the different layouts that everyone comes up with are completely different and provide the BEST inspiration. I normally am not a big user of circle-shapes on my layouts - so SKETCH 132 was a challenge for me. Not gonna lie - I pouted just a little when I saw ALL the CIRCLES on it. But then I started looking through my papers and realized that my May BIRDS OF A FEATHER KIT had exactly what I needed. And the rest was a lot of crafty fun!

I totally stole borrowed the idea of the different colored alphas (using the exact same alphas in fact) from the marvelously talented HEATHER LEOPARD. And while I loved the hot pink flower that came with my BOAF kit, I didn't like the more formal pearl and blingy center it had. So...I ripped it off and added a simple button. Did I throw away the center? Heck no! It's waiting on my worktable for some future project where it will be the perfect embellishment.

Can you tell I had a lot of fun with my layering and bits of randomness? Remember how I told you I have been loving the LCOM sketches...apparently, I like them so much that I even play with them during my "off weeks" when it's Team A's turn. Here is my take on SKETCH 131. The pic was taken of my wonderful children (and my soon-to-be son-in-law) after a wonderful lunch that they treated me to. And the papers were Basic Grey's new line, which I am completely, madly, deeply, truly loving!

As soon as I saw the balloons on the pages, I knew there would be some fussy-cutting going on!

Just in case you are looking at the title and wondering if (a) I was drunk, (b) I was using some unknown foreign language, or (c) I suddenly forgot how to spell - the answer is (d) none of the above. Seriously. It's from a poem by Lewis Carroll called Jabberwocky - a poem that I have loved and had memorized since I first heard it when I was twelve. You can find it in his book Through the Looking Glass (which I highly recommend) or you can simply click on this LINK to read the poem and the history/meaning/details about it. For those who don't want to read or link to anything, frabjous means "fair, joyous, fabulous" which quite accurately described my Mother's Day. One last close-up before I head back to my crafting table...

Wishing you a frabjous weekend!

Saturday Challenges with BOAF

The BIRDS OF A FEATHER February Kit is full of goodies that include papers from Basic Grey's Kissing Booth Collection. So, when I found some free time yesterday to play along with the BOAF February Challenges, I first took a peek over at the Basic Grey site for a little inspiration. I found this great SKETCH (and you know how much I love sketches), and decided to use it for the February Color Challenge.

Lately, I have been gravitating more towards layouts with the placement of "random" bits of paper and odds and ends, and this sketch definitely fit the bill! I edged everything in orange ink that came with this month's kit, and I added pop dots to various parts to add dimension and layers.

I also created this layout using a picture of my older daughter and her fiance that I found by stalking Facebook.

Not exactly the most brilliant idea for a journaling challenge when I have no idea where the picture was taken or anything else about it, other than the date it was taken and who is in it!

I loved fussy cutting these hearts and putting pop dots under them to make them stand out. I also added a few little charms.

A few punched stars to the ends of my flourish, and I was done.

Today, my schedule will once again focus on housecleaning, laundry, and grocery shopping. But I really enjoyed taking a break from chores yesterday to challenge my creative side. I hope you have had time this weekend to challenge yourself, too!

Challenge Yourself!

Are you sitting around trying to get a little scrappy inspiration this Sunday afternoon? I was in the same boat until I found this GREAT challenge going on over at the LET'S CAPTURE OUR MEMORIES forum. It's the 8 Week Challenge, which is exactly what it sounds like. A new challenge is posted each week. You can complete the challenges in any order, at your own pace, as long as all are completed at the end of the 8th week. What's the prize? A $50 gift card to the LCOM store!!! I created this layout for Week 1, and I am getting ready to work on a Monochromatic Challenge for Week 2. Week 3's challenge has just been posted, so there is lots of time left to play!!!

Want some more challenges? Check out BIRDS OF A FEATHER , which has 4-5 new challenges posted each month. They run from the first of the month to the end of the month, so there is plenty of time left to play along with the wonderful Scrap Chicks!

Still need a little inspiration? Well, then, head on over to PRACTICAL SCRAPPERS , which has ideas for every type of layout imaginable over at Idea Central. And while you are over there, take the time to vote for the FANTASTIC layouts that have been submitted for the Layout Contest.

And now, a few words about my layout before I sign off and get started on my next project. The LCOM Week 1 Challenge was to use more than 3 pictures, use a square shape, and have "2011" in the title. I knew immediately that I wanted to do a grid layout, but I had just recently completed a LAYOUT with my favorite pictures taken during 2011 so I had to think of something different. I decided to go with completely random favorites (a book, a movie, a website, a drink, and a take-out food) and chose a (long) title to reflect my idea.

This bottom cluster of...randomness...started as just an envelope and journaling tag behind my picture. But I kept adding little bits and pieces until I ended up with this:

Signing off and heading back to my scrap table!

Video Tutorial - How to Make a File Folder Accordian Album

Good morning! I am getting ready to run out the door - got a crazy day ahead, but I wanted to show you my video tutorial on how to make a file folder accordian album, which I used to hold my Project Family tags. If the video seems a little disjointed, well...it is. I took a page out of my hubby's book and said, "I don't need no stinking instructions!" prior to making this accordian folder, and I just kind of made it up as I went along. The project turned out well, and the video seems to make sense. My husband even nodded along and said he understood it - but that may have simply meant that he didn't want to film and edit anymore!



For the fun Project Family journaling tags (and to read more about my Project Family), check out my previous entry!

Happy Crafting!

Looking Back and Planning Ahead

I loved this December 29th Challenge posted by Lisa over at BIRDS OF A FEATHER! She asked us to create a layout about something we may have missed that we didn't realize until the end of 2011, and that is exactly what I have done.

Laundry is actually code for all the things I think I HAVE to do to be my crazy idea of the person I should be. This layout is a reminder to myself of all the things I let myself miss this past year - the things I really should have concentrated on instead of trying to live up to the ideal of the perfect me in my head. I have missed taking my family on walks that I said we would go on, sitting down to watch a movie with my kids, playing board games, trips to local attractions - all because my floors needing vacuuming or laundry needed to be done or___________ (insert project or task here). I don't want to have memories of a clean house when I am old. I want memories of more family times.

You know I can't create a layout without a cluster of randomness:

And I love using different letters in my title!

My second layout is one looking forward to the future. I made a Bucket List for my December 30th Challenge using THIS SKETCH from Sue Sykes over at Let's Capture These Sketches!

For those of you who are curious, here is my list:

Hope you are enjoying your last day of the year! Happy New Year!!!

Remembering 2011 - A Countdown to 2012 Challenge

Have you been playing along with the Birds of a Feather Countdown to 2012 Challenge? I have, and it has certainly been a lot of fun! I created this layout for a challenge in which we were to look back on an event (or events) that occurred this past year. My papers are Prima and were purchased a few months ago from my favorite online scrapbooking Canadian Store, LET'S CAPTURE OUR MEMORIES.

I created a simple grid pattern using pictures from some of my favorite events this past year. And, of course, I had to make sure I layered my papers and embellies because a layout just isn't complete without a little layered loveliness! (Yes, using a little alliteration here, folks)

A couple metal accents from my favorite scrapbooking guy, Tim Holtz, and I was done!

There's still time to play along - the challenge runs through January 1st, and a prize is given away every single day! Sounds like the perfect way to ring in the new year to me!

Countdown to 2012 with Birds of a Feather!

As you may know, I live in the Houston area. It almost never snows here. And on the rare occasions we do get snow, it is NEVER more than a couple of inches that is usually melted by the next day. So...winter wonderland vistas and children all bundled up with nothing but red noses and rosy cheeks peeking out are out for my January layouts.

This month's Birds of a Feather KIT makes me hate my snow-less January (which is right around the corner)a little less. The mixture of papers is vibrant enough to warm me up when it's cold and rainy outside and diverse enough so that I can create layouts of just about any person and any occasion! And the collection of chipboard pieces, ribbon, three different alphas and Smooch paint means I don't have to get up from my worktable to dig through the massive chaos of supplies left over from the madness that was Christmas!!!

I love the dimension (and cuteness) these chipboard pieces give my layout!

Here's my second layout using the January kit.

The chipboard clouds, flowers and butterflies (as well as the papers) made me think of growing things, and that made me think of my niece who, I swear, was just a baby the other day! I loved cutting out the measuring tape paper and sewing randomly across it (because, let's face it, I will find just about any excuse to sew on my paper!).

And I am all kinds of crazy in love over the frame included in this month's kit! I painted mine white, added patterned paper, and used it for my title - but I need about 4 or 5 more frames so I can use them for all the OTHER ideas I have!!!

And speaking of ideas reminds me of this BRILLIANT idea that Amy had over at BOAF! We are having a COUNTDOWN TO 2012 over at the HenHouse! What is that, you ask? Well, now that the craziness Hustle and Bustle of Christmas has died down, we actually have a little breathing room to get back to scrapbooking. So, our Countdown to 2012 has a new challenge posted each day and FABULOUS PRIZES TO BE GIVEN AWAY!!! Play every day or just drop in when you have time - we would love to see you!

P.S. Are you on Facebook? So is Birds of a Feather! Check it out - HERE!

How to Make an Explosion Box - Video Tutorial

This is my first explosion box (using my BOAF December KIT), and it was such an incredibly fun project!!! There may have been a hiccup or two along the way, but everything was easily fixable and the result, I think, was fantastic!

First, here are a few pictures of the box. This is a gift for a friend so none of the tags have pictures or journaling on them.

And, without further ado, here is my video...or should I say videos. Yes, plural. There are two of them because I had to cut it up in two parts to upload to YouTube. Why? Well, YouTube has a ten minute limit per video and...apparently, I talked a lot (even after editing). And I said, "as you can see," waaaayyy to much. In fact, if you want to play a game, you can count how many times I said, "as you can see" and leave me a comment letting me know! But would you also let me know what you think about the project? And maybe whether you have any Christmas projects that you have had fun making?

Here is Part One:


And here is Part Two:

Lori Whitlock Christmas Party Winners and a Sneek Peek

First, I wanted to thank every single one of you who left such wonderful comments on my Christmas Party blog post. You are all the best, and I am extremely appreciative!

By randon selection, the winner of Lori Whitlock's $25 gift certificate is Chrissie, who commented: This is such a great stocking stuffer idea - I love it!!! Thank you so much for such great inspriration!

And, the winner of Kerri Bradford's $25 gift certificate is Trisha, who commented: Your designs for these CD cases are so great. Love all your cutting.

Chrissie and Trisha, please send me an email at krissy.clark@comcast.net, with YOUR email address so I can get those gift certificates to YOU!

In other news, I have been working on an explosion box and my second ever video tutorial. Be sure to check back on Tuesday when I post my video! Untill Tuesday, here is a sneak peek of my box, made using the Birds of a Feather December KIT.

To see my blog posting on Birds of a Feather's site, click HERE.

Birds of a Feather - Fall is Over, Winter is Here

I took very few pictures over Thanksgiving - probably because I was too busy cooking, eating or sleeping off a 1000+ calorie meal! Then I repeated the last two steps several more times over the course of the weekend. I did manage to snap this picture, though, of my oldest daughter and her guy, and I found a great Creative Scrappers SKETCH #184 which worked perfectly with the last bits of paper from my Birds of a Feather November Kit. After I finished this layout, I relegated my remaining scraps to their respective folders and officially declared my November Kit finished! I then immediately ripped open my December Kit and spent a significant amount of time oohing and aahing over everything!

I KNEW there was a reason I had not yet used my pictures from last year in layouts - it's because I was waiting for the right kit. Seriously. No, really. Really. Well, believe me, I found exactly the inspiration I needed with the December Kit! It's got banner pieces and parts (and you KNOW how much I love banners), journaling words, and bling and bling and more bling. And let's be honest here - I DO like my bling!

Here is my first layout:

A close-up of a little cluster of layered loveliness:

And my second layout:

Look at these fun journaling words!

And my filter flowers with blingy, sparkly accents all around...

I think I am next going to make some kind of mini with my December kit. I'm trying to find one I want to do using some repurposed item - such as a cd case or a paper bag album. Any ideas? What would YOU like to see???
I'll include a video tutorial if you help me come up with an idea.

I Made an Altered Book (yes, I did)

Ta Da!!!!! Here it is, my very first altered book! I have been wanting to make one of these for awhile and finally took the plunge and got started a couple of weeks ago. The hardest part of this was actully finding a book I didn't like enough so that I wouldn't have minor heart failure when I began mutilating it! But, I did locate one that I never finished reading (which almost never happens) because it was THAT boring! So I figured it and I would be a lot happier if it were altered in such a way that I would actually get some enjoyment out of it - and use it as something other than a dust catcher.

The second hardest part was figuring out just HOW to cut out all those pages. Every tutorial I could find only had small niches being cut out or had all the pages taken out and a foam block inserted with the book pages glued around the edges - both great ideas but not what I was looking for.

First, I ended up glueing all my pages together. I did this by getting really thick binder clips and clipping the pages together tightly. I then brushed liberal amounts of an acrylic gel medium along the edges of the papers, which pretty effectively sealed them all together.

Once the pages were dry and firmly stuck together, I drew an outline of opening I wanted cut. Here is where I did cheat: I took the book out to my husband who was already working on a project in the garage. He did the next step, but they were easy, and you can do this part, too! With the back and front cover of the book bent away from the glued pages and clipped together. He drilled a starter hole in two opposite corners of the glued pages. He then used a SABER SAW to cut along the outline that I had drawn. A saber saw is a power tool, but you could also use a COPING SAW or KEYHOLE SAW, which are both manual saws. Believe me, the pages are just too thick to use an exacto knife so a saw of some type is the way to go! Once the middle was cut out, I did use my exacto knife to trim out little rough edges left behind and glued the inside portion of the cut pages the same way, by brushing a gel medium along the pages.

After everything was dried, I decorated the inside of my box simply by cutting out papers to fit and inking everything to "antique" it.

Once the inside was decorated, I started working on the outside. I added a border strip along the spine to imitate a book title:

I wanted texture and dimension on the top, so I brougt out my charms and big handmde fabric flowers.

I used glossy accents to hold all my metal items down.

I crackle painted and inked my chipboard letters:

And, of course, all my papers were from my BIRDS OF A FEATHER November Kit, which is one of my favorite, to date!!!

Now that my altered book is finished, I plan to display it on (where else?) one of my bookshelves. I think I will make a very small mini-album to fit inside it.

Are there any altered projects you would like to try or, even better, have tried? If so, feel free to leave me a comment with the link as I would LOVE to check them out and get more ideas for my own future projects!

Remembering When with Birds of a Feather Kit Club

Sunday was my turn to BLOG over at Birds of a Feather. And let me tell you it wasn't hard! I love all different types of paper - I really, really do - and I have thoroughly enjoyed playing with every BOAF kit I have received. But I have a special warm fuzzy place in my heart for vintage-y papers and ephemera. Whenever I look at vintage-type items I am always reminded of sitting on one of my great-aunts' front porches as a child listening to them and my grandmama reminisce about family members and times gone by. SO - when I got the BOAF November Kit and saw all the wonderful goodies from Simple Stories Generations and Bo Bunny Timepieces collections I danced, I giggled, I touched every single item at least two or three times, I rubbed my hands in glee, I called my BESTIE up and bragged a little - I did just about everything but lick the paper - and I ALMOST did that! I was a little worried about getting a paper cut on my tongue, though, so reason ended up prevailing.

For my first layout, I used a pic of the Hubster and me taken just a few short weeks ago on our fourth anniversary. It was taken at a Chili's Restaurant. By my 11 year old daughter. After spending three hours chaperoning a bejillion sixth-graders during a fall choir concert. Not exactly the most romantic scenario for an anniversary, was it? But, you know, all night long I had such a wonderfully complete sense of contentment. We were together, and we were happy, and that's all that mattered! So...back to the scrapbook kit, when I saw the "Happily Ever After" image on one of the papers, it was pretty much a no-brainer what my layout was going to be about!

My second layout was this one:

It's a simple layout really. The picture, which was taken about four years ago, was edited and given to me by my oldest daughter (in the pic with my youngest daughter). I loved the gold tones in the sepia-tinted photo. Maybe it was because I was working on this layout late, late at night, but it reminded me of flashbacks that you see in the movies - where everything is replayed in a hazy, warm kind of glow. I decided to play on that warmth with my papers and a gold-toned paint that I sprayed onto a Pink Paislee template (included in the kit). Add some clock cogs (to represent the wheels of time) and flowers and ribbon (because they were just plain pretty) and voila! Layout complete!

I have so many ideas floating around in my head for this month's kit, and I cannot wait to share them with you! So stay tuned!

A Reveal and a Possible Theft

I love to take photos and scrapbook about the big events in life such as holidays, birthdays, weddings, etc. But, what I most enjoy doing is capturing everyday moments - because I believe those little moments are the ones that really define who we are and our relationships with each other. And when I am old and senile, it is much more important to me that I remember not what Christmas gift was given to whom but what event occurred that touched my heart. And those events are almost always associated with the smallest things - the things that really aren't so small after all!

I used my Birds of a Feather October Kit to create the layout of my youngest daughter, who was singing and be-bopping around the kitchen while helping me to put the groceries away. Of course, after I made a mad dash for the camera, she decided to become slightly self-conscious and STOPPED what she was doing. But when I look at this layout and these pictures, I am immediately transported back to that exact moment in time and the feeling that all was right with my world.

I love the rich fall colors included in this month's kit and the abundance of coordinated embellies Amy always includes. And the chipboard images (from the Crate Paper Farmhouse Collection) are PERFECT for layouts about those everyday moments that I prefer to record. See?

Speaking of everyday moments, I was compelled to do a layout about this little restaurant I had breakfast at every stinking day during my recent California trip.

I figured if the 800 - 2000 calorie breakfasts (yes, they had the nerve to print the calorie count in the menus...as if that would stop me from eating them)were good enough to make me go off my somewhat sensible diet and risk food coma before 10 a.m., then it was scrapworthy. So I did.

I used Sketch 173 from Creative Scrappers.

I dipped my empty bottle of Glossy Accents into a tiny puddle of Acrylic Paint to make the distressed circles on my layout. Yes, that Glossy Accents is even handy when it is completely empty! I have been seeing this technique used on layouts for quite awhile but just got up the nerve to try it. I like the way it turned out, so it is definitely a keeper for me.

Something that didn't turn so well, however, was my flower I tried to make with the wonderful zipper that was included in the kit. I watched a great tutorial a couple of times and it LOOKED easy enough. Sadly, though, what I ended up with was a sticky, warped piece of zipper that refused to stay together and that could not be called a flower by ANY stretch of the imagination. Even my cats didn't want to play with it, and they love ALL THINGS scrapbooky. Luckily, I had two halves of the zipper so I decided to take the safe route and use the other half as a border.

Now, ummmm....if you don't hear from me in the next few days you may need to come bail me out of jail. Please? Pretty Please??? But I figure if I do go to jail, at least I may make new law by establishing the Pinterest Defense. You see, one of the things I found on that holiest-of-holies SITE was a couple of links to make a pallet table, which I thought would look PERFECT on my back porch. See?

Totally cute, right? Well, the other day as I was driving through a neighorhood adjacent to mine that has lots of new houses under construction, what did I see but a HUGE stack of empty pallets just sitting in the front yard of one of the unfinished homes. It was like manna, or in this case pallets, from Heaven!!! So, being a good law-abiding citizen, I waited until dark and then completely innocently drove over there while coincidentally clothed completely in black and loaded three of them into the back of my SUV. And to make sure I wouldn't go to jail alone strain my back, I had the Hubster help me. No seriously, I am ALMOST certain the pallets were left stacked out front for trash pick-up...at least that is what I will tell myself every time I set a cold beverage down on my pallet table while relaxing in my back yard planning my next crime project.

Hope you have a crime-free Pinteresting day!