Pin-Made Creations: Card Share!

Pinterest is great, but if you are just "pinning" crafts and not "doing" them, you are really missing out!  This weekend I completed four cards where the inspiration came from pins.  Below are photos of my cards, with links to the pins.  Please check out the original cards too!  Their work is awesome (which, of course, is why I pinned it!)

Card #1:

Pin:  http://pinterest.com/pin/37576978113373326/ from
www.stamp-n-paradise.blogspot.com

This card has lots of purple, but the white embossed background on the original card just didn't look quite right on my card, so I went with this one, with a lighter bow.  The Bluebonnet stamp is from Texana Designs.

Card #2:

Pin:  http://pinterest.com/pin/37576978113446835/  from
www.workinprogress-am.blogspot.com

So simple and classic -- and I needed a baby card for next week!

Card #3:

Pin:  http://pinterest.com/pin/37576978113446990/ 

from www.splitcoaststampers.com

The original card had a lovely blue with the yellow, and this is the only paper I could find to simulate it.

Not sure if I like it or not.  Please look at the original and let me know what you think I should change!

Card #4:

Pin:  http://pinterest.com/pin/37576978112081023/

from www.pinkbuckaroodesigns.blogspot.com

This is probably my favorite of the four; loved how it turned out,
and the original was so darn cute, I had to give this one a try.  

Have you remade a card from Pinterest yet?  If so, link up in the comments below so we can see!

Scrapbook Process: Learning to Trust Your Scrapbook Style

Do you have a certain style, a "go-to" that you seem to repeat in your scrapbook pages?  I do. Even though I try various styles and use different sketches to help me change things up a bit and to expand my art and knowledge of this craft, I tend to lean toward the balanced, classic and clean style of scrapbooking. Maybe it's because of all those years on the yearbook team in high school!  Even when I will follow a sketch, my chosen result, especially if I want to do more journalling, will become a simple style for a two page layout.  Here is what I mean:

This was a sketch for a the current challenge over at The Memory Nest:



And here is the two page layout that came from this sketch:

No mixture of patterned paper or embellishments like on the sketch, but you can see a couple elements that inspired me.  This project was finished with a paper kit that had great paper choices, but no embellishments.  The paper was two-sided, with decorative designs on one side, solid on the other.  From this photo, you can see that I chose two different backgrounds, but mirrored the same dark blue strip on each page, in addition to the red across the bottom that continues to bring the two pages together.

Although these pages are not fancy, and there aren't any embellishments to speak of, I am happy with how this turned out.  These pages are telling a story, so in this case, I don't want extra items to take away from what I want to say.

To make meaningful scrapbook pages, remember: It is definitely okay to use a basic style for your pages. You don't have to be an artist, spend lots of money for embellishments or incorporate all kinds of techniques to get a wonderful result.  Go with what you know and do with what is most comfortable. When my youngest son looks at this layout someday, I want him to enjoy looking at the many photos and reading my memories of that day, and not necessarily  how I incorporated color and style together.

Here are close ups of each page:

So if you feel pressured to finish fancy pages that you see in the magazines or on the blogs, don't.  Take inspiration from it, but it is more important to get it nicely scrapped so that your family will have those memories.

If you want to know more about the sketch challenge I completed, be sure to visit the The Memory Nest's Sketch Challenge.

Scrapbook Process: Dots and Stripes with Basic Grey

Today's layout is the result of inspiration from two sources.  First, I found a great layout on Pinterest that originally came from pagemaps.com:

Secondly, I wanted to enter a project on today's Whimsical Wednesday post at The Memory Nest blog. I learned of Leslie and The Memory Nest through Twitter; she has a great blog and online store. If you are looking for some challenges, she has a color and a sketch challenge posted right now at her blog.

Yesterday, her blog post showcased layouts by her Design Team using the Basic Grey collection, "Paper Cottage." The layouts were great, and it inspired me to use these sheets of Basic Grey "Bow Ties" that I randomly purchased on my last visit to Archivers:

At the time, I didn't know if I would use this paper for a layout or card.  However, I love Basic Grey, so I got them, and now I'm glad I did, since I was able to do this layout with a couple miscellaneous photos from 2004:  

"Did we catch you in the act?"

I used all three patterned papers, with the reverse of the small dotted paper, which was this blue background.  I used orange Basic Grey letters from the Fact and Fiction collection and punched the hearts out of Fiction paper.  I used Doodlebug twine to make the stitches (albeit, messy stitches) along the side.  It only took me about 30 minutes to complete this layout; I like the simplicity of it, and it's another one for the book.  

If you want to find out more about The Memory Next, her blog is HERE and you can visit her store HERE if you want to check out all the goodies. (And yes, she sells Basic Grey too!) 

Hopefully you can take this sketch and use it to do your own layout today. Let's get some of those photos scrapped!  

Scrapbook Process: Crazy Hair Day!

There were some photos that I took of my youngest son last summer on a day he was attending Vacation Bible School.  That particular day was "Crazy Hair Day" and with lots of gel and hairspray (with his thick hair that needed a cut desperately!) this is what we came up with:

The bandanas were to given to the kids to wear during the week to signify what team they were on.  Since Josh got orange and it was such a bright color, I had a difficult time deciding how to select papers for this layout.  As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I was looking through my paper stash over the weekend for some inspiration and during that time, I discovered a couple sheets of Crate Paper with orange, green and brown.  With the techno-looking circles, I thought it would be a good choice for a boy layout and wouldn't look too much like autumn.  

In addition to the Crate Paper, I found some other miscellaneous chipboard and diecuts to make it look more boy "cool".  Again, the title is with American Crafts Thickers, and I used my Signo Uni-ball White pen (really the best to buy) for the journaling.  

What was the last Crate Paper item that you purchased?  What's your favorite Crate Paper collection?

Scrapbook Process: Boy Pages with a Lime "Twist"

Over this past weekend, I was going through my paper stash and got inspired again by papers I had left from My Mind's Eye "Lime Twist".  This collection is a great to use if you have boys -- it's very versatile.

With this new inspiration, here are three layouts I created.  I didn't follow any sketches -- I just went where the photos seemed to take me.  

This is the left page of a two page spread.
The title uses American Crafts Thickers. (Love them!)

This is the right page -- with a mixture of papers and matching diecuts.

This is another page that I layered two of the papers together and added the coordinating diecuts.  

Don't forget that you can cut a frame from one of the layers so that you aren't using an entire sheet. I have one sheet left of Lime Twist left along with a couple diecuts -- but I need just the right photo!  

Hope these layouts give you some inspiration to get out some of your paper stash and use it!  

Have you used some of the Lime Twist?  Share a link in the comments to your blog so that we can see!  

Product Review: The Bzz about Lysol Touch of Foam Soap

I'm taking a break from crafting to review this new product from Lysol and I wanted to share the results with you! 



Here's the "wash" on this new product:

The dual effect of the rich lather is soft on skin, yet hard on germs, leaving your hands feeling so luxurious, you’ll want to wash them more often.

• Rich non-drip lather works on contact to kill 99.9% of germs
• Offers 10x more germ protection than the leading national competitor
• Moisturizer-enriched micro-bubbles leave your hands feeling soft and comfortable after every wash
• Available in three great scents — Creamy Vanilla Orchid, Rose & Cherry in Bloom and Wild Berry Bliss
• Antimicrobial properties are built in to protect the pump and resist odor-causing bacteria

I am sampling the Creamy Vanilla Orchid, and I have to say, it's fabulous!  It smells wonderful, and it is not as drying as other soaps can be.  It really is creamier; not as bubbly and full of air as other foam soaps. Right now the sample is in my kitchen, where hands seem to get washed continually!  Even my boys (15 and 10) like the soap, probably because it has a nice overall scent -- nothing too feminine.

Another cool thing is that Lysol^® started their "Mission for Health."  They state: "With new mom programs, healthy habits initiatives in schools and disaster relief efforts, the company is dedicated to doing more for everyone’s health. The mission is fueled by passion and backed by their expertise in killing germs. So when you use Lysol^® at home, you’ll know you’re a part of something bigger. For healthy hands and more, visit lysol.com/mission-for-health."  Gotta love that, right?

This product could definitely become a staple in my house.   

This review is a result of a free sample that I received from BzzAgent.com as a BzzAgent.  I am not required to provide a positive review.