The Bubble Boy of Summer

This layout is another summer one. Can you tell that I am so, so, so ready for the warn weather. Shorts, Flip-Flops and Lazy days by the Pool can not came soon enough. But enough about my Summer Envy. This Picture was taken by me in July of 2002, I came out of the room and my brother was standing there blowing bubbles...Have you ever seen something and just know that it is a moment you need to capture on film?? Still to this day it is one of my favorite Jacob Pictures (That and the one from Splish Splash which I will be photographing in the coming week...hopefully)

I am not big on the big Anchor trend...while I do think it is a versatile shape I can not for the life of me put it on a page that is not about the beach or boating, even swimming would do but I thought it worked well here. (of course this is a beach photo).

The Good Ol' Cabana Inn. That place was like a second home to us in the summer...Oh, how I miss the beach!!

The Squirrel and Cheese story will have to wait for another day I'm sorry to say. Again I did my journaling on Vellum because I am just terrified to destroy my pages with a spelling error. I think I need to work on that.

As for the Materials: The background paper is an older October Afternoon Paper, the Yellow Wood-grain is an Amy Tangerine and the Orange Paper and White Tile Letters are both from Echo Park Paper Co. This and That. The Thickers were given to me so I don't know exactly who they are from, and of course the Today and Anchor are both from the Dear Lizzy Lucky Charm Line.

That is all from me tonight but Chloe wishes you all a Great Week!!!

That is her Have a Great Week Face!!!

Summer Time...And the Living is Easy!!

Summer Time and the living is easy....or so it was in August of 1997 when the photo for this layout was taken. I loved these two photos as they epitomized summer growing up for me. We had been in the "new" house for a little over a year and me and my brother had a brand new trampoline!!

When I saw these two photos, one a 4x6 and the other a 4x10 panoramic shot, I knew they had to go on a page together. I don't normally "do" multi-photo layouts but I gave it my best!!

 

I had to cut the panoramic photo down a bit to make it fit. I was 12 my brother was 7 and these days in the backyard on the trampoline with the sprinkler aimed at us are still some of the fondest memories I have of summer. 

I used Studio Calico Sundrifter. I have never paid much attention to Studio Calico papers but both Sundrifter and Snippets really caught my eye this time. 

This was my first time playing around with the wood veneers and Mistable Thickers. I colored the Thickers and wood veneers with the same mists I used on the background. The colors are the Heidi Swapp Colorshine in Peach and Studio Calicos Mister Hueys in Splash.

I also used the Snippets Flair-Be Happy and the arrows are from the Sundrifter line. I did learn on thing in the process of this layout and that was that you really have to let the mists sit on the wood veneers in order to achieve a bright color. 

Do you have any childhood photos that really speak to the memories of a given time or season? Have you taken any photos lately that epitomize what you feel about a Season? Are you a new fan of Studio Calico or any other manufacturer that you didn't pay any attention to before? Let me know in the comments below. I'd love to hear from you. 

In Dads Shoes

I have been going through my photos and have recently found some of my husband as a child. So I scrapped them. This photo is from 1990. Jack was 3.

I am really happy with the way this came out seeing as I had no plan when I started. I just sat down among a pile of paper and went for it.

I used My Minds Eye- The Sweetest Thing for the background paper. The feather stickers are from American Crafts Soho Garden Collection. 

I love this little elephant from the Amy Tangerine Ready Set Go line and I have been itching to find him a home. I originally thought that I was going to use bright colors for this page but it just kind of came together in this Grey/Blue color scheme. 

The feather stickers added just enough color so that the photo didn't look out of place. The real feather was added in because it had been sitting on my craft mat for a week I thought it would soften the sticker a bit. 

I just love his picture. He is so ready to go. He's got he big shoes on and his hat. The I brought the Black I love you more sticker in to balance the black letters on the left side. 

So there it is "In Dads Shoes". Have you had a layout recently that went in the complete opposite direction than you thought it would? Let me know in the comments below. I'd love to hear from you. 

Meet Me In The Sunshine

In case you haven't noticed I have been going through and scrapping a lot of my childhood photos. This one here is of me and my parents (see those two in the background laying on the bench) at Walt Disney World a whooping 15 yrs. ago. It really does not seem like it was that long ago. I used mostly Amy Tangerine's Ready Set Go line for this one with a few touches of Sketchbook. 

The letters down the side are from Echo Parks Sweet Day line and the Pink Alphas are October Afternoon Mini Market Alphas.

My albums are the furthest thing from cohesive. This layout goes right in front of the Tea for Two layout from my last post-Then and Now.  The vellum hearts from that line really didn't catch my eye when I first saw them but after seeing them in real life and not through a computer screen I find them quite appealing.

I really liked this sticker. It was the only thing that I knew I wanted to put on this layout from the beginning.

So that is it. Now if I could only get the 500 other pictures from my childhood done I would be in good shape.

In Other News:

This past weekend was my Mother-In-Laws 55th birthday. We went, We ate..I took to few pictures. (I always do) 

Happy B-Day Robbin!!

I did manage to get a picture of my husband, his brother and their Pepa together right before we left.

Left to Right-My Brother in Law Micheal, My Hubby and their Pepa Jack

And the most exciting news--I finally got a place to put my scrap stuff. It's not a room and it is still in my living room but it is soo much better than shoe boxes!!! More on that to come later this week.

Have a Crafty Friday-

~Ashley Crafty~

Then and Now #2

I'm back with another "THEN and NOW". (I say in my best game show host voice)

THEN

 This one is from my first trip to a scrapbook store. I didn't even know there was such a thing.  Ahh, to be so naive! I stumbled in there and found such a magical world. Big rolls of stickers and bins full of tiny things that you could put in tiny glassine bags. So I bought these stickers and brads and went home and did the one thing that I still regret today....I took my decorative stickers to my pictures and I made a Layout. I think this may have been the second or third layout I ever made. And now in all it's Decorative edges Glory: 2 Peas in a Pod.

The yellow corduroy fabric brads were the first thing I knew I had to have. I really wish I could find some more of them now. I cut these pictures down so that I could fit three to a page. I really wish I hadn't done that now because these are the originals.  These pictures of me and my hubs were taken just weeks after we started dating. Oh, so happy!!

NOW

This layout was done last week while I was squirreled away in a hotel for work. I worked 100 hrs. in 8 days and I still brought my supplies with me. Dedicated Huh? Anyway this is a layout that I really, really, really like. Me & You-Tea for Two

The picture is from Walt Disney World in 1998. That is me waving with my brother tailing me. I saw these papers and this photo and normally I  am not big on the whole "your photos colors have to match the papers" thing but with this I just couldn't resist. The background paper is from Echo Parks-Sweet Day and the other paper are My Minds Eye-The Sweetest Thing. (That makes this layout SWEET!!) :)

The triangles were "Fussy Cut" from the Dear Lizzy 5th and Frolic 6x6 paper pad, which took a lot longer than I thought it would. Then I put them on pop dots to make them stand out a little. Since the overall color scheme is very muted I thought they would just become part of the background if I left them flat.

The camera is from Amy Tangerine's Ready Set Go line and the banner is from Pink Paislee's Cottage Farms. (I won some from 2peas before its release date)

Dear Lizzy Foam Thickers in turquoise/green...I don't know what you would call that color. I love the pink teapot in the photo and how it really stands out with the pink in the papers. 

This is the top right corner. Most people (that I have noticed anyway) tend to put their clusters in the top left but it looks off if I try to do it that way. The grey washi tape is from Recollections (Micheal's Brand). I love this Washi tape. It goes with everything!!

The last thing I did was add the pink measuring tape down the side. I don't know why so don't ask it just felt right. :)

So that's it for another episode of Then & Now...Tune in next time for another layout from way back when vs. the one I just made (Again in my best Game Show Voice)

Do you know where I can find some corduroy fabric brads? Do you now the name of that color on the Thickers? Did you ever cut your photos up with Decorative Scissors, and if so Do you regret it now? Leave me a comment. I love hearing from you!!

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~