Be You

The Huntress - she's got her own style.  It's quirky, it is definitely anime-inspired, (these days it is often a little pouty-faced), and it's all her own.  Some days she is a rock star, and other days she is the ultimate teenage drama queen.  There may be a lot she still has to figure out in life, but she knows who she is, and that is a huuuggge start!  

I took her out to do a fun little photo shoot recently, and I got a memory card full of photos that capture her in all her pouty rocker/anime glory perfectly.  I knew I needed papers that captured the love, optimism, and hope I have for her - so I went digging through my stash for my HEIDI SWAPP stuff, which turned out to fit the bill perfectly.  I primarily used the Mixed Company line, which had the clean, simple graphics I wanted.  

To help me get my mojo kick-started, I also used the SKETCHABILITIES SKETCH #115.  I know a lot of ladies on the Sketchablities design team take a more vintage, mixed media approach to the sketches.  However, I think they work well for any style!

I love the way my layout turned out!  I was a little worried, since I haven't scrapbooked in so long, that I had forgotten how to glue together two pieces of paper, much less create a complete layout.  But, I guess it is just like that old saying about riding a bicycle...(thank goodness).

Here are a couple of close-ups:

A lot of layering and some symbolism, too...

My girl is a superstar to me, so of course I had to include a star and then, for good measure, layer it with another star.  I guess that makes her a super superstar...

Here are a few other photos from our little shoot that I imagine I will be creating layouts around in the near future:

Fixing Mistakes - Sketchabilities

I actually had enough free time this weekend to work on an extra project.  And after going through my new loot from the Two Peas website, I decided to use some of my BASIC GREY papers from the Aspen Frost and Paper Cottage Collections.  I wanted a layout that could be a little Christmas-y without being all in your face about it.  I also REALLY liked this sketch from SKETCHABILITIES (because it had banners, of course!) and decided to use it to create my layout.

 

I picked out my papers, knew which picture I wanted to use, knew exactly what I wanted to say - had my layout 90% complete (or so I thought) and then...all I had to do was add a little journaling - that's right, the very same journaling I had already figured out - I juuuuust needed a place to write it down.  I tried writing it off to the side of the picture, where I have it now, but directly onto the paper.  Did I bother writing it in pencil so I could make sure I liked it?  Nooooooooo.  I wrote it out in permanent marker, not just a little bit, but all of it.  Aaaannnd - I decided I hated it.  Absolutely hated it and couldn't stand to have it there!  So, while I was trying to figure out exactly what I could do to cover up my boo-boo, I decided to write the journaling in a different spot - this time under my picture.

Now, you would think that I learned my lesson from not even five minutes earlier and would write in pencil the second time, right?  Right???  WRONG!  I wrote my journaling out, in permanent marker again, directly on the paper under my picture.  And I decided - once again - that I absolutely hated it!

 

So, flash forward an hour or so later and several ideas that I will not elaborate on except to say they didn't work, and I have two extra tags on my layout that would not have necessarily been added except that I needed to cover up my mistakes.  And, you know what, I have decided that I like them there quite a bit, thank you very much!  LOL!  There is certainly something to be said for desparation inspiring creativity!

Here are a few close-ups:

I used a "grunge-star" frame that I cut with my Silhouette Cameo.  The flags are by Basic Grey; I simply tied a piece of string around one and glued a small painted heart onto the second one to dress them up a little.

 

If one banner is good, then two is better, right?  I was a little too lazy to get up and take my layout over to the sewing machine, so I faux-sewed instead (otherwise known as doodling).

I like how the top banner looks with a chain of stars interspersed along it.

That's it for me tonight, but I would like to know:  Have you ever made a mistake or fixed a mistake on a project and decided you liked it better than what you started out with?  Tell me about it, I would love to hear your story!

More September Birds of a Feather Layouts

My September Birds of a Feather Kit was packed full of scrap-happy loveliness, including papers from Echo Park's Victoria Gardens collection which I love, love, love! All the brightly colored papers in the collection make my heart happy, especially after I am able to add a little distressing (my favorite thing to do).

This month's kit also contained a mini-mister. At first, I wasn't quite sure what to do with it. I mean, I already have my regular bottles of Glimmer Mist, and it isn't as if they are so large and bulky that I need to use a smaller bottle. However, when I decided I wanted something white to spray on my background paper and realized I had no white glimmer mist, the answer became readily apparent! I filled the mini-mister up about halfway with white acrylic paint and filled the other half with regular tap water. And voila! I had a little water gun which sprayed white paint all over my background paper - it was EXACTLY what I needed!

I used SKETCH 54 found over at Sketchabilities to create my layout. In looking at my recent work, I realized that I haven't used circles in quite awhile so this sketch, which is full of circles, was perfect for me!

And, of course, I love the contrast provided by pairing distressed papers with lovely little items such as feathered flowers, jeweled stick pins and a little bling.

My second layout for my BOAF reveal is called Not Gonna Smile. I think the title is pretty obvious once you see the pictures:

These photos of my niece were all outtakes that weren't initially going to be used. But when I looked at them, I couldn't help but laughing. She can be such a stubborn little thing (a trait that runs quite strongly in my family), and she didn't care how perfect the lighting was or how pretty the scenery was - she was NOT in the mood to pose for pictures!

I really liked the kraft envelopes with journaling tags that were part of this month's kit, especially after I decided to use them to mat each of the smaller photographs. And with three journaling tags, I had even more room to tell my story!

Speaking of telling my story, Birds of a Feather has the September Challenges posted. Challenges this month include a journaling challenge so you can tell your story, too. They also include a photography challenge, a use your stash challenge, a sketch challenge and a color challenge - pretty much something for everyone. So what are you waiting for??? Go sign up and start challenging YOURSELF!

Happy Birthday to Me!

So, today is my birthday. And what is the best way to celebrate??? Well, a good start for me has been by munching on some delicious boiled peanuts that my stepson, The-Chef-In-Training, made for me. (You thought I was going to say scrapbooking, didn't you? I will, but that comes later...)

For those of you who are wondering what the heck boiled peanuts are, they are a Deep South delicacy snack made by using the same peanuts you find at any ball game; however, instead of being roasted so that they are crunchy, the raw, green peanuts are boiled in very salty water for hours until they become soft. The trick is to take them out after they have softened but before they become mushy. Most people who try them for the first time as an adult hate them, mostly due to the texture of the peanut. But for Southerners like me who grew up eating them every summer, they are SCRUMPTIOUS!!! I have sorely missed them in Texas as I haven't been able to find green peanuts so I could make them myself. But my wonderful stepson managed to procure them in bulk and cooked them to perfection for me!!!

While filling my stomach full of boiled peanuts, I have been marveling over the fact that today I not only have a blog posted over at LCOM, but today is reveal day at SKETCHABILITIES! Double the scrapbooking fun today makes one of the best birthday presents ever!

So, let's start with LCOM - I have been having a great time all month playing with Pink Paislee Hometown Summer papers and embellies that I got from the LCOM STORE. Here is the latest layout I made using an incredibly fun line of papers and using wonderful photos taken by the extremely talented Houston photographer, Kristine Canterbury.

Next up is Karan's wonderful Sketch #48. I don't know how she continues to come up with so many varied, detailed sketches month after month, but she does! And I am so grateful because I LOVE working with sketches!!!

Here is the sketch:

And here is my take on it using a picture of my sweet niece giving her daddy a kiss:

Please stop by Sketchabilities to see the superb takes on Karan's sketch by the rest of the Design Team. They are all remarkably good, and no two are alike!

Until next time...