Hello Summer--Scrap You Story Challenge #3

I am so excited that I was chosen as a guest designer for the Scrap Your Story Challenge Blog for week #3. If you haven't checked them out yet you really should. Each week you will receive a new challenge to jump start you creativity. Another truly awesome thing about Scrap Your Story is that with each challenge you complete and upload to their blog you have the chance of being picked to receive a prize pack!! I know...Right! I have always found that a challenge really gets my "mojo a flowin' ". So this is week 3 and the challenge is to create a layout using this sketch created by Christy Skinner the founder of Scrap Your Story.

I draw doodle sketches when I have an idea that I can't seem to translate to the page. But, When it comes to  working from another persons sketch I always have trouble getting started. When Christy sent me this sketch I knew immediately what pictures I wanted to put with it. I have been going through and scrapping my childhood pictures and this just looked "Summer" to me. I have had these two photos pulled and put together intent on using them on a page together for months. I wanted to use this paper from Crate Papers Acorn Avenue collection. It seemed to fit the photos well

The top picture is of my mom, brother and me riding the trolley @ Myrtle Beach, SC. 

The first thing that really spoke to me on the layout was the banners so I decided to start with that. I placed the photos in the same position as the sketch and layered the first banner. Once I had that in there I decided to run with the banners theme.  

Awesome!!

I carried the banner theme down to the bottom of the page. I had just received some of the Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm Tags and the Awesome was just to Awesome to not use it.

 The only big change I really made to the sketch was moving the title. I kept the band running through the center and found that it was a good place to let the title rest. I tore a long strip of silver washi tape in half and layered it on top of the border strip.

I have started journaling on vellum and then putting it on my layout. I really don't journal as much as I should because I am so scared I will make a mistake on the pattern paper and ruin all the hard work I have done.

This is a close up of the banners at the top. The banners felt like they needed to be softened up a bit so I layered some vellum on top of them. I have been using a lot of plain vellum on my layouts lately. 

For the top left corner I stamped a Dear Lizzy Stamp that has the definition of summer on a piece of....you guessed it...Vellum and layered that with some silver Washi tape that given to me a while back. The kraft banner at the top says "Life is what you make it". So True. 

The final thing I did was add a couple of loose rhinestones bling to the page at a few spots to draw a little more attention to those areas. S

So there you have it. Hello Summer for the Scrap Your Story Challenge Blog. Take the sketch and play along. Me and the girls over there would love to see what you come up with. 

~Ashley Crafty~

Bright Sunshiney Day

It's gonna be a bright, bright, bright sunshiny day. I need some little music note emoticons. This page was created for the Scrap Your Stash Challenge over at Two Peas in a Bucket. If you haven't checked them out yet you should. (The link is above) Every year one of their free classes gets me and this year it's Scrap Your Stash. (Not that i have much of a "Stash" to scrap) 

Last Thursdays Video was all about using your stamps on a layout. I am not a big stamper, mainly because stamps intimidate me. I can never get a good impression OR once I put it on it doesn't look right. Unfortunately ink is permanent and once it is there...It's There! So, I took a step outside of my comfort zone and gave it a try. Lilith Eeckels...You really got me going and I have to say I am happy with the results.

Sorry for the dim photos but it had started getting cloudy.

That "Summer" banner you see there under the flower is a Pink Paislee Stamp, Stamped onto Vellum and then stapled to some card stock that I Printed a chevron pattern onto. It is actually a bit brighter in person but the wind was blowing and it would not stay down.

 So the hearts all around the page were stamped using a reverse mask. I simply cut my shape out of a piece of scrap paper and then taped it to the page with washi tape so that it wouldn't slide around and then stamped through it. All of the hearts were done with the same stamp I just moved it around a bit so that the pattern wouldn't be the same.

For the rest there is: Dear Lizzy 5th and Frolic, Amy Tangerine Sketchbook, October Afternoon Mini Market Alphas, Basic Grey Fact or Fiction Snippets and a Smash Journal Tag.

In Other News:

It was 60 degrees and sunny last Friday and it snowed Saturday. Granted it wasn't a lot of snow and it was gone in like 3 hrs but man did it leave us soggy!! Chloe did not like the snow...nope...not one bit!!! As evidenced by these next pictures. 

Mad because it was wet and she wanted in the front door.

 And nervous on the car ride because she didn't know what was going on when I let her stick her head out the window.

Let me know what you think. Do you like to stamp on your layouts? Have you ever tried stamping on vellum? Have you been inspired by a video on 2 peas lately? Let me know in the comments below. I love comments. 

~Ashley Crafty~

He Loves His Kindle

It seems every time I take out my camera in the house he has his Kindle in his hands. I have about 10 pictures from the last 3 months where he has that "book" in his hands. So this is my last layout from last week. I did manage one layout this week and I will have that up for you this weekend. But, I digress. Here you go--"He Loves His Kindle". 

                                                              

I love my new washi tape--I've never been a big fan of the Recollections brand from Micheal's but I couldn't pass up this tape in a geometric chevron pattern. 

I don't know why but I take a lot of  my pictures with a funny angle

I took out the scraps from my Christmas Mini Album and put them to use on this page. The graph paper in the background is from the Basic Grey Aspen Frost Line and the little map in the corner of the picture is Sleigh Ride by Crate Paper.

Since everything is very straight on this page I thought that to offset the washi in the corners that I would drip my mists diagonally across the page opposite the washi. 

So that is my super quick post of my last layout from last week.

In Other News

Jack is reading on his kindle 

AND

Chloe had a long hard day...as evidenced by the toys and chewy's surrounding her. 

Stay tuned this weekend for that tutorial that I promised on making your own Vellum Feathers as I will actually have time to sit and take the photos since.....I AM ON VACATION!!! Yes, I am yelling that out at anyone who will listen. Hehehe. (It's only a mini one but 4 days in a row doesn't happen very often in my life!

Hope Everyone has a great Thursday!

~Ashley Crafty~

A Long, Hard Day

I have been working through pictures that I have of me and my brother as children. I was lucky to have a mother who happened to be a shutterbug. I remember that we went to CVS to pick up a set of prints at least  once every other week. Granted not all of these are scrappable (not a word) but I am going to try and scrap as many of them as I can...So as promised here is my second layout that I completed this week. 

This picture of my brother was taken at the USS Yorktown in Charleston, SC. We had so much fun climbing around that ship. In fact my dad took my brother, husband and me out to dinner Sunday night for my husbands birthday and we were talking about this trip. Jacob (my brother) said that the memory that stands out the most his mind is climbing the ladders through the hatches and that he remembers being exhausted by the time we got to the Captains Deck. Hence the picture of a sun-burnt 11 yr old resting in a Captains Chair. 

On to the layout. I used some of the new My Minds Eye Collectible Collection. The "Love" sticker you see in that corner is actually a tab to pull out for hidden journaling. The envelope that it is in as well as the washi tape on the side are both Recollections Brand from Micheal's.

The Relax chipboard scrabble tiles are from Basic Grey Fact or Fiction Line. We do not have a Jo'Anns anywhere close to me so when I was sent to Columbia for work I asked my husband to stop and let me run in so that I could grab anything from that line. I got the Chipboard Alphas and the Snippets. 

Wasn't he just the cutest kid!!

I love the pattern in that green base paper. I am going to have to order at least two more sheets.

And for the last picture. I really should mist before I put my base layers down as I seem to get it everywhere. This layout will be going to my mom for her birthday pages. I give her 4-5 pages every year for her birthday and Christmas.  

The journaling next to the picture says "I am so very happy to have you in my life. Never forget how special you are to me. You are Kind, Sweet and Silly." Perfect for my mom to my brother. 

Leave me a comment...I love reading them!!!

~Ashley Crafty~

Then and Now

THEN

Yesterday I sat down with one of my oldest scrapbooks and flipped through a couple of pages. I guess everyone has to start somewhere. I started with one of those "1,000 pcs!!" kits that they sell at Wal-Mart shortly after I found my first LSS (Local Scrapbook Store).I bought a few items and a pair of decorative scissors and I sat down to record history, My history. 

Those first few pages are not what I would call my "best work". Far from it actually and even though I am one of those people who will take the photos off of a layout and re-do it I just can't seem to do that to those first pages. Today I took one of them outside with me while I was photographing my latest layouts and took a picture. 

My husband in in his chubbiest of times. SHH!! Don't tell him, he hates that picture.

So, what do we have here. A very lopsided decorative circle in the corner with some vellum stickers and silver flourishes. A glassine type envelope with a quote on it. Very crooked plastic letter stickers and My handwriting because I ran out of letters. Oh yeah, Those squares on the side over there, Mirrored Mosaic Tiles...I don't even know where those came from. So despite my tendency to tear my pages apart and start from scratch this page will remain safely hidden safe.

NOW

Now, onto things of a more current nature. I have gotten Three layouts done in four days. I know, Right!?! That's Crazy for Me. This one here is one of me and Jack last summer while we were walking Chloe. (You can find her (Chloe) about two posts back, if you want to know her story.) So I started with a little inspiration in the form of this Layout by Marcy Penner.

And then I jumped in with both feet. I am still getting the hang of mists. Can't seem to make them look right but still use them all the time. Before I go through all the details, I guess I can show you the layout. ;)

Yes, Those are Jesus Jones Lyrics for the title!!                                 

So, I used some Amy Tangerine Sketchbook Thickers, Some paper from a Basic Grey that I have had for at least two years, October Afternoon Mini Market Alpha and a Mistable Camera sent to me in a swap from Ising.

The little green strip on the side is from a SMASH Pad.
It says Coolness Rating 1-10.

I tried to keep the same photo grid concept that Marcy used in her layout. I also added the heart tag in the corner so that the page wouldn't seem so blank. I wish I could have found some washi in one of the greens or close so that I could have added a border around the page *(top and bottom).

Stamping under the tag at the top made me realize that I need some new ink. Something that will leave a sharp image. I think someone said Versa Mark was good for leaving a crisp image. I am going to be sad when I run out of those Thickers. I think they are my favorite alpha EVER!!! 

Have you kept any of your first pages? Do you still have any of those old supplies in you "Scrap Pantry"? Do you know of an Ink that leaves a crisp clear image?
Leave me a comment below. 

Thats all for today Folks, and I hope you will tune in next week for the newest edition of Paper for People. ::Smile:: 

~Ashley Crafty~

What I Did Today + A Preview of Next Weeks Layout

Happy Saturday to all the peoples out there. I have been a week without posting. I am apparently already slacking on my New Years Resolutions. So, here I am without a whole lot to say but I did manage to get a few productive things done today.

First--I finally decided to take my camera and check out the macro setting. I figure I should figure this out since I have been taking a lot more photos up close for the blog here. I took about 10 photos and ended up with only one that I really like.

Moss

This one here. It is a picture of a lone clump of moss in a sea of good ole southern red mud. I have never really played with the macro setting and I don't have a DSLR or anything, just a CoolPix S3100 but I really love this photo. So much so that I think I am going to scrap it. I never knew that macro would fade out the background. I love that effect. 

I also took a picture of the sun setting over our neighbors building, but that one didn't turn out so well. (No, I didn't use macro) Still didn't turn out. 

Second--I took photos of three layouts that I completed this week. I will be posting these here over the next week, the first being tomorrow. Here are a couple of previews. 

Third--I have finally started my Creative Prompts Journal. I used some old paper and embellishments, some notebook paper and Stamps. Just random things. I will go into more detail about this next weekend. 

AND Finally--I ate some soft pretzels....I love me some soft pretzels (with extra sea salt)

So that was my Saturday. What did you do today? Leave me a comment and let me live vicariously through you. 

~Ashley Crafty~

The Mess, Oh Me, Oh My The Mess I Make

I am what you would call a very messy scrapper. Organizational Challenged if you will. I truly admire these people who can sit down with a picture in their mind and say "Okay, I am going to use these pieces to make this page" and them they do just that. I can not. I have to have everything around me spread out and go through and try each item next to every piece of paper. It makes a very messy picture. To top it all off I don't have a  place in my house where I can scrap. My "Scrap Room" is my living room floor.

Here I'll show you:

Like This 

And This...

All of This for one Layout. Crazy Right? I Know. Sometimes I think that if I had a craft room I wouldn't be so messy, but I know that is not true.

This doesn't show the half of it, you can only imagine the mess that is behind me. 

I have heard it called a "Chaotic Scrapper". And that is exactly what it is--CHAOS. Now-That being said, The Layout that came from this giant mess is one of my favorites. I used products from 6 different companies (I think), since I have been trying to work through my stash. That shouldn't be too hard as I don't have very much compared to some. 

So, Do you want to see the final product that came from this GIANT MESS? I Do....

I think I am getting more confident with my spraying/misting. 

Pooh-Butt is my childhood nickname, I loved Whinnie the Pooh and so they
Called me Pooh Butt Marie

That Green Flower. I made it from Vellum and then Sprayed it with Mr. Huey's
It came out better than I expected. 

So, I used Amy Tangerine's Sketchbook Die Cuts and Dimensional Stickers, Basic Greys Fact or Fiction Snippets and the Orange and Blue Papers are from the Sweet Threads -OR- Kyoshi{?} Page Kit, October Afternoon Mini Market Alphas, Hobby Lobby Brand Flowers, Dear Lizzy 5th and Frolic Chipboard, Studio Calico's Mister Huey's in Bookworm Green and A Vellum Flower that I made.

So, I think I am finally getting this using multiple lines per page thing down. Tell me what you think? Are you a "Chaotic Scrapper" too? Leave me a comment below.

~Ashley Crafty~

P.S.- Stay tuned I will be doing a tutorial on the vellum flower next week. 

Merry Christmas To All--Basic Greys Aspen Frost Collection

I recently completed a Christmas swap on Two Peas in A Bucket and my Secret Sister ScrapPrincess2002 (Jeannie) really spoiled me. She sent me the Basic Grey Aspen Frost Collection. And I am in LOVE. 

This collection is beautiful. Teals and blues, Reds and Greens, Whites and Creams and Kraft tones. I was drawn to the colors in this line mainly because it reminds me of the kind of Christmas we rarely get around here-Snowy.

So whenever I get new scrap goodies I am always overwhelmed..I never know where to start. But with this it was easy.

My favorite paper in this line is the B-Side of Open Sleigh with the White Birch Bark Print. I really have an affinity for all things woodgrain. Coming in a close second is the B-Side of Woolen Mittens with the Stripes (seen on each side and the photo mats). I knew I wanted to use these two together the second I pulled them out of the box.

I took the Aspen Frost Garland and cut it apart so that I could use the pieces I liked best to run a banner down the center of the page tucked under the left photo mat. I chose to leave the edges unglued and lift them slightly off the page because it needed more dimension in the center. 

And of course my new slogan for Christmas "Naughty is the new Nice". So much better than "You better good, You better be Nice". . . .So much more wiggle room. *wink* *wink*

I will add more pictures with this page with photos in it in when I get them printed (I am really slacking on the printing photos thing) but for now I am happy to look at it Just the way it is.  

The Products I used-

 


So, Is anybody else totally late on their Christmas Pages or is that just me?? Did you find a line this year
that took no effort, that seemed to put itself together?

~Ashley Crafty~