A Big Cub Scout Giggle

I love this page.....I Love Love this photo. This picture is my brother when he was about 7 years old, I think.I hate that a lot of these older pictures dont have dates on them...Even the year would be a big help!! 

I chose this photo and the yellow tissue paper behind it to go together and the rest just kind of fell into place. I started layering papers from the Amy Tangerine Daybook and journaling cards from Echo Parks Memos Collection and once I started I figured I would just pull everything I have in these colors and throw it on there. 

This layout just set itself up for some hidden journaling...I used a Dear Lizzy tag and rolled some of the tissue paper up and used it like raffia.

I actually had to start over on this page because the yellow mist went on a little heavy on the first page and turned the background into a solid yellow. I didn't really want to use the Swiss Dot background for this one but hey, gotta roll with the punches right?!?

Since I am so big on black lettering and this layout has no black anywhere else I decided that in order to pull the color into other parts of the layout i would use the asterisks that come with the letters as an embellishment of sorts. I think it helps to draw the eye around the page. I did the same thing with the Splish Splash layout.

He was so very happy!! He was always very jovial as a child. So there it is the Most Layered Layout I have ever done! I think it turned out well especially since I moved those papers around for 2 hrs. before I had it looking right!!

So thats it from me tonight-Until Next Time-"Stay Crafty, My Friends"

~Ashley Crafty~

And The Waffler Waffles No More

I have a really bad habit of putting things down and not being able to leave them alone. I call it waffling, I waffle on a lot of things. I guess you could call me indecisive. I will move and embellishment back and forth on my page 30 times before finally deciding to stick it down. 

When I can't figure out where I want to start with a layout I sort my scraps and 9 times out of 10 a color scheme will present itself to me. So I decided I was going to use those scraps and create a layout and no matter what I was not allowed to pick anything up and move it to another spot once I thought it looked okay!! 

I pulled out my mat and my camera and told myself that I had to finish the layout before I was done cooking dinner. (Luckily I scrap in my Living Room which is right off of my kitchen) I am amazed at how quickly I was able to finish this page when I didn't "waffle"!

(Please excuse the photos, I over-processed them so you couldn't see how badly out of focus they were)

I put together this collage as a reminder to myself to just stick it down!! There will always be more paper, more stickers, more embellishments and more photos to scrap!! (If I ever get my camera back)

Close up of Step 6

So this layout was completed in 45 minutes and that is a miracle for me as it can take me up to 6 hrs. to do one layout!!

If you have trouble like me with over thinking every little thing leave me a comment and let me know what it is that you do to speed yourself along.

Until Next Time "Stay Crafty, My Friends"

~Ashley Crafty~

Splish Splash-Taking a Bath

I am back with another layout....My favorite layout. For the time being anyway. I have always loved this photo...It captures my brothers 7 yr. old attitude so well! Wasn't he just the cutest!!

I love this green grid pattern by October Afternoon and I knew I wanted to use kraft accents. That's where the Simple Stories came in! Soft greens, mellow yellows, kraft and black I love this color scheme.

Does anyone else remember "Splish-Splash, I was taking a bath" . There was an episode of Americas Funniest Home Videos when I was about 7 that had a little boy playing in the tub and singing that song. For some reason it has always stuck with me. Plus I like using song lyrics for titles!! :) 

I really love this layout and the colors are more vibrant in person. So that's it from me today...So until next time "Stay Crafty, My Friends" 

~Ashley Crafty~

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. 

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~

Once upon an Embellishment...

An embellishment is defined as an ornament or decoration. That doesn't say much, however in 

crafts an Embellishment is anything used to add design interest to a piece. I like that definition - 

I find that some basic design principles apply when embellishing your "piece".

Here are a couple of those principles:

The first I want to talk about is "Grounding". This term is used primarily in sketching or drawing. In scrapbooking it refers to using embellishments (be it a strip of paper or paper flowers) along the bottom of your project. This will effectively draw your eye down allowing you to sweep the entire page.

The second is know as the "Visual Triangle". When applied to scrapbooking you want to draw a triangle across your page. (invisible triangle, don't go doodling triangle on all your pages) Where the points come together place small groupings. Place your photos or journaling inside these points. Surrounding your photos with groupings of embellishments will help draw the eye to the most important part of your page....The Memories. 


Some of my favorite paper companies have come out with some really awesome embellishments that are great for layering. Check them out.

These Tin Pins from the Woodland Park Collection by October Afternoon are great when used over stitching or in a cluster with buttons or flowers.

Next is of course Washi Tape. This beautiful washi tape from My Minds Eye. Tear it to different lengths place it along the edge of your page and add paper flowers to the end . Done across the bottom of a layout is a great way to ground your pages.

And last but not least Jillibean Soup's Wooden Flags. Great to use sticking out of a grouping or photo. Or string some twine through the eyelet for a Title.

So, What do you think? Have you used these principles or are you going to try them? What do you think about these new products? We would love to hear from you.
Ashley