The Scrappy Jedi

layout | obsessed

Thursday, May 3, 2012

The obsession runs two ways with this layout.

The first is obvious- cherry blossoms. I adore them. I take thousands of photos of them while they're here. I scrap lots of layouts about them when they're not. These three particular photos show the main varieties that bloom here in Huntsville- sometimes in my yard, sometimes around the office, and sometimes on the university campus. I don't really care what type or where- I'm an equal opportunity photographer when it comes to these babies!

And the other obsession? Studio Calico kits. I mentioned a few weeks ago that I'd resubscribed in January (I was a subber long ago in the 2006-2007 range- I don't remember the exact year, but I started with their fourth- yes fourth- kit and loved it), and this page was made with the April kit, City of Lights. I love it. I love the exclusive Sassafras papers, the mix of products, and how well they suit my style.

And something cool happened when I re-started my Studio Calico subscription- I stopped shopping randomly. Oh, I still pick up new lines now and then from companies that I love, but random buying stuff on clearance or checking out the closeout items at Tuesday Morning and TJ Maxx? I have zero desire to do that now. I'm happy to scrap with my design team products, my stash, select supplies from my favorite manufacturers (and I'm buying less and less of even that these days), and of course these kits. It's made my scrapbooking much calmer. Less organizing, more creating- I'd say that's definitely worth the price of the subscription!

Supplies (click on images for product links):

InLinkz.com

the lily bee rainbow

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

One of my Lily Bee assignments this month was to make a layout using something from all four of the new collections that debuted at the last CHA show. I had a little geekiness in mind that I'd been wanting to try with some of my new Lily Bee goodies, anyway, so I used the assignment as an excuse to pull out one of each of the new collection packs and play a little bit.

One of my favorite things about Lily Bee paper is how well the lines play together. The patterns are all so complementary to each other, and the colors...well, the colors are the reason I embarked on this little experiment in the first place.

The first thing I did was to take the paper from each collection and flip every other sheet in the package to show the B-side- basically making sure that every pattern in the set had a side up in the stack.

The next thing I did may be a little shocking.

You may want to sit down for this.

Because I can't be held responsible for any injuries incurred due to reading this while standing.

In the next step, I mixed up all the new LilyBee papers into one big stack!

Yes, really!! I completely mixed the lines!

I didn't mix them randomly, though. Instead, I sorted them all in ROYGBIV order (except LilyBee doesn't really have a Indigo/Violet shade in this release, so it's more like ROYGBPinky-Purple).

Don't you just want to roll around in that lovely pile of paper for a while?

I'm keeping a whole set of Lily Bee papers together just like this from now on- love it!

And, yes, there were a few patterns that could only be categorized as multi-colored, so I made a special stack for them and put them at the end of the paper rainbow.

With all the paper fondling out of the way, it was time to get down to my actual assignment- use something from each of the lines on a page. I started by selecting papers that worked best with the photos I wanted to use and ended up with something from three of the four collections represented in my pile (and I made sure to visit the multi-colored stack, as well, to select a paper or two from it).

That fourth collection that I didn't choose paper from? I chose an alpha instead, so it all worked out. :)

And here's the finished page. I actually didn't use all the potential papers that I'd selected, but all the collections are represented here- Buttercup, Double Dutch, Handmade, and Victoria Park- in one form or another.

I had so much fun with the triangle background! I cut the mask (it's actually two border shapes butted up together horizontally) using my Silhouette Cameo and then placed it on the background cardstock before misting. The little filler triangles are actually the "negative" space cutouts left on the carrier sheet after cutting the borders- love those little pops of color!

Don't be afraid!! You, too, can mix Lily Bee lines- it's easy and fun!

Supplies (click on images for product links):

InLinkz.com

everyday storyteller blog hop + giveaway

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

The giveaway is now closed- thanks to all who entered! Yara, you were selected by Random.org as the winner, and I've passed your email address on to the publisher of Everday Storyteller. They should be getting in touch with you soon!

It's almost here! The new Everyday Storyteller eBook is being released this Friday, May 4 at 10pm CST, just in time to inspire you for National Scrapbooking Day!

My section of the book covers scrapbooking ruts + personal style, but I've also got another very practical tip about printing photos to share with you today. I talked about it in this post a few weeks ago, but in case you missed it, it's something that's become very useful to me in my scrapping and may help you, as well.

Set aside a certain period of time each week, month, or quarter (however it makes sense to you) solely for editing and printing photos. Doing this step ahead of your scrapbooking time separates the process of editing and printing your photos from the rest of your scrapbooking, helping you scrap all the photos you want to include in your albums without being completely driven by product and supply choices.

How does printing photos ahead of time help, exactly? Think of it this way- when you bring a bag or box of brand new scrapbooking supplies home, you're probably itching to play with them right away, right? So which sounds easier- going to a box of already printed photos (photos that you've selected because you really want them in your album) and choosing photos from that batch that match your new goodies, or scrolling through your massive library of digital photos in search of something that will work, regardless of meaning? For me, it's definitely better to have my photos printed ahead of time, so I try to set aside an hour or so each Sunday afternoon to edit the previous week's photos. I chose Sunday because it works naturally with my Project Life printing schedule, but you can certainly choose any length of time or frequency that works for you.

Now, how would you like to not only win a copy of the Everyday Storyteller eBook, but also have it in your hands (well, on your computer, but you know what I mean) prior to the release? Yes, you say? Well, one lucky commenter on this blog post is going to get just that! This giveaway is a quickie, so go ahead and enter- comments are only eligible if they're left before midnight CST tonight! I'll randomly select one comment (and please, one comment per person) as the winner tomorrow, and you'll receive your copy of the book prior to launch.

Don't forget to sign up for your invitation to the VIP launch party on Friday night- there will be a fun chat and even more prizes from Everyday Storyteller sponsors!

Just in case you're just now discovering the hop or have gotten lost along the way, here's a complete list of blogs that are participating today. Everyone on the list is giving away a copy of the book today, so hop along for more chances to win!

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