Choosing colors for your scrapbook page: inspiration from a product

Title: it's falling gratitude

***I'm reposting this layout on March 22, 2011; It has been published in the November 2010 issue of Scrapbook Trends magazine.

Using plastic packaging in your scrapbooking layouts

Title: Slippery when Wet

I got this brilliant idea to use the celophane packaging from scrapbooking patterned paper as part of the layout element depicting underwater pond life.

The technique is rather simple, but it does take some preplanning as to where the different embellishment will be placed.

stitching on a scrapbook page

Title: "Boo Mama!"

I love this quality that little kids possess--you can repeat the same activity a gazillion of times, and they still laugh as hard as when you've done it the 1st time :) Also, anything you repeat more than once is bound to become a tradition and an expectation.

This layout showcases such a nightly ritual; Adam can't sleep until I take him to the rocking chair, place a blanket over his head, and with a quick motion pull it off saying: "Boo Mama!" He laughs until tears stream down his face. I wanted to record this fleeting moment before it is replaced by another ritual.

Techniques used: I conveyed a look and feel of a warm, cozy quilt by machine, and hand-stitching around some of the edges. To further the tactile quality of this piece, I used a lot of felt details (house, heart, button) and thread. I also attached a nugget of amber--appropriate since I'm wearing an amber necklace in the photo, and also because the yellow color of this rock brings forth associations of warmth and honey.

Supply List: Cardstock: Die Cuts with a View (green and white), The Paper Company (kraft); Patterned paper: American Crafts (yellow); 7 gypsies (blue); Die cut stickers: Basic Grey (June Bug collection); Chipboard sticker: My & My BIG Ideas ("traditions"); Rub-ons: Hambly; Felt embellishments: Fancy Pants Designs (orange heart and white button), Inque Boutique (house and blue heart); Stamps: Inque Boutique (journaling box), PSX (alpha letters); Stamping Ink: Colorbox Clearsnap; Pen: Sakura; Floss: DMC; Thread: Coats and Clark; Border punch: Fiskars; Template: The Crafters Workshop; Other: amber stone.

***Thanks for visiting, and your comments are always appreciated ;)

Irma

Vintage Style scrap: Adopting Dusty

Title: Adopting Dusty

Special Techniques: I used a vintage children's book page (1944 edition). You can see how yellow it has become over the years; To stop acid migration to my photos, I've sprayed the page with Krylon's "Make it Acid-free" spray.

I'm in love with Jenni Bowlin's die-cut ledger papers and also the new Cosmo Cricket vintage-inspired line "earth Love". Nothing like spontaneous creative inspiration that arises from playing with new supplies.

Thanks for taking a look, and I'm grateful for your comments!

Irma

Supply List: Digital Frames: Katie Pertiet (Krafty Cuts); Patterned paper: Jenni Bowlin (die cut); Cosmo Cricket (cloud and bird); Rub-ons: Hambly; Chipboard letters: Li'l Davis Designs; Letter stickers: Jenni Bowlin; Trim: KI Memories; Twine: Studio Calico; Metal accents: Darice (charm and fence); Paint: Delta Ceramcoat; Pens: American Crafts; Thread: Coats & Clark; Photo corners: Canson; Other: Vintage book page, feathers, staples; Glue: Scotch ATG and Glue Dots.

Shabby Chic style page--Dusty Rose

Title: Dusty Rose 

Raising two active boys I rarely get to do feminine, girlie-girl pages. So what is a die-hard scrapbooker to do? I adopted a female kitty, so that I may use all the pink girl colors. 

Technique: The silhouette image of the cats was copied, and hand-cut with an X-acto knife/blade. This image (among other breath-taking paper cutting techniques), is from a book: Paper Cutouts (Leroux-Hugon & Vicart). The image of the paper roses was also hand-cut from gift-wrap paper by Dover Publications (Redoute Roses Giftwrap Paper). I have used these roses here to decoupage a vintage desk (an earlier furniture refinishing project, before I found scrapbooking).

Supply List: Patterned paper: Me & My Big Ideas (pink), Jenni Bowlin Studio (yellow), Dover Publications (Redoute Roses Giftwrap paper); Cardstock: The Paper Company; Stamps: Inque Boutique; Stamping Ink: Colorbox; Flower: Prima Marketing; Brad: Target; Trim: Making Memories (aqua), K & Company (lace), Wrights (rhinestone); Alphabet letters: Making Memories (felt), EK Success (wood); Other: Paper cutout pattern (Paper Cutouts by Leroux-Hugon & Vicart); Lace, velvet leaves (Shoppe at Somerset).

Thanks for taking a peek at my work! Your comments are appreciated!

Irma

Winter Glow

Title: Winter Glow

Size of Layout/ Number of Photos: 12x12" page utilizing (2) 5x7" cropped photos.

Supply list: Cardstock: Bazzill Basics Paper; Patterned Paper: Bo-Bunny (dot), We R Memory Keepers (stripe), Mrs. Grossman's (scrap metal); Die Cuts with a View (gray wood grain); Making Memories (ledger); Chipboard shape: Maya Road; Glitter alpha stickers: Making Memories; Rub-on alpha: American Crafts; Buttons: Close to My Heart; Brad: Basic Grey; Trim: Paper Bag Studios (crumpled), Maya Road (clear snowflake); Metallic Floss: DMC; Pen: ZIG Millenium; Other: Velvet leaves, tulle.

Special techniques used: As much as I love Prima Manufacturing for their gorgeous flowers, it's not in my budget to get them in every shape and color. It's much easier to customize the needed flowers by making your own.

I'd like to share with you a technique for cutting out flower shapes from sheer tulle; If you tried cutting tulle, you probably noticed that it is difficult to cut into a perfect shape since the sheer quality of the fabric does not lend itself well for marking on it or tracing.

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You will need:

• tulle or other sheer fabric

• adhesive tape or contact paper (would be better than tape since it would stick down the whole surface of the fabric, but I did not have any handy ;)

• die-cut or chipboard shapes (not intricate designs- larger shapes are easier to cut around)

• scissors.

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1. Cut out a piece of tulle larger than the die-cut shape and place the die cut shape on top of the tulle.

2. Tape the die cut shape onto tulle making sure the strips of tape (or contact paper) extend beyond the die cut shape and onto tulle.

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3. Holding the taped fabric and die cut shape close to the edges, cut around the die cut shape.

Now you have perfect sheer flower shapes that you can stack on top of each other or onto other flowers for a custom look. This technique is super quick to do, and does not require any special material.

***Note, cutting tulle might work with die cutting machines if you sandwich the fabric between two adhesive sheets of contact paper.

Enjoy!

Irma