Rockstar Card

It was card night at my house last night. It all started when I saw the challenge at 365 Cards: A New Card Challenge Every Day : this card challenge (#272) was Super Sketchy Sunday. I often use sketches for my layouts, but I decided to keep challenging myself by combining the sketch with two other challenges. At Pink Gem Challenge Blog: this card challenge (#99) was to use black, and at Drunken Stampers: the card challenge was using die cuts (#143). 

Here's what I came up with.
Was I successful?

Once I decided to take on these challenges, I went straight for the Cricut Cartridge Rock Princess. I knew I had an Inkadinkado Stamp Set called Rock Star, so these would go nicely together. Since I was going for a punk rock princess, I chose to use Black and Pink colors. The bow on the skull is cut with pink glitter paper for sparkle, and the stars are cut from the same paper using Cricut Celebrations Cartridge. 

Romance Languages

I love languages. Some simple words and phrases sound so beautiful in Spanish, Italian, or French. 

My father used to speak some Spanish to me when I was a little girl. I remember each night he said, Dame un beso (translated: Give me a kiss.). Te amo, meaning, I love you, in Spanish is beautiful written, spoken, and, obviously, translated. 

Te amo became the inspiration for this layout. 

te amo

Digital die cuts like Cricut and Silhouette give you a wide range of opportunities to use different languages for titles and phrases, but don't rule out stamp sets or letters (stickers, die cuts, and stamps) and more. I used my Cricut to cut "te amo" as my title. Because of the strength of the sentiment, I wanted the photo to be the focal point of the layout. (Cricut, Ashlyn's Alphabet)

The background patterned paper is DCWV, The Mademaiselle Stack. 

I added the small journaling block to place a "W" monogram to represent my last name. (Cricut, Tie the Knot)

A small sticker separates the title from the monogram. 

The biggest issue I found with using such a detailed patterned paper is to have the perfect coordinating cardstock. I happened to have just enough of a matching purple to cut my title and monogram. 

Next time you create a card or layout using, "Thank You," try using the French, merci, or the Spanish, gracias. Want something really different? Check out this link for other options.

Giving Thanks For Mat Stacks

Matting photos: patterned paper or solid cardstock; what about a decorative frame? I like to make sure the mat coordinates with the page in shapes and styles, colors and patterns, but I'm always looking for a shortcut. That's why I love Mat Stacks. 

Mat Stacks are just that: A stack of paper cut in the perfect mat for a 4 x 6 photo (4.5 x 6.5). They come in some great designs, colors, styles, and themes. Using a Mat Stack is a snap for creating photo frames, if you are using any size of frame that doesn't exceed 4 x 6. I love to make squares, so this is perfect for squares as large as 3.75 x 3.75.

I had a blast using mat stacks to create this fall themed, Giving Thanks, layout. I used DCWV Linen Closet Mat Stack.

Background Paper: DCWV, The Old World Stack (I think.)
Giving Thanks title: Cricut, Create a Critter 2
Scarecrow: Cricut, Celebrate with a Flourish
Flowers: Cricut, Kate's ABCs
Wheat stacks: Cricut, Thanksgiving
Mat Stacks: DCWV Linen Closet (2 styles)
Journaling Label: Recollections Fall Labels
Word Stickers: K & Company, Life's Journey
Other stickers: Unknown 

I added glitter to the center of the flowers just for an extra touch!

Do you have Mat Stacks? Get a pack today!

Wet Nose Warm Heart

I have entire libraries of photos of my sweet puppy, Inara. She is just about ten-months old now, but I saw her every week from the time she was born until I took her home at seven-weeks old. Inara then became the subject of many, many photo sessions.  

There is something so precious about puppies. They snuggle up close and lick you with that tiny tongue and that strangely inviting puppy breath. They nibble on your fingers, ears, or hair, if you aren't quick and careful. Puppies are loving and trusting and want to be adored.  Click to read more. 

All of the photos in this layout express those sentiments, and that is why I chose "Wet nose Warm heart" for this challenge. It completely captures the photos of Inara from two-weeks old to five-weeks old. The title was digitally cut using my Silhouette. 

Wet nose Warm heart

This was a great challenge for me because I had myriad scraps of dog-related materials including the paw print patterned paper and matching stickers. I never liked the paw print patterned paper until now. It's paper I have had a long time, but could never find a way to use it, until this challenge. Since the photos and sentiment and style was looking classic, I wanted a bit of whimsy! The paw print patterned paper did just that - add whimsy. I used the matching stickers to indicate the week. So the first photo on the left of page one has the sticker, 2, next to it. Inara was two-weeks old. 

Page 1

Since Inara is an all-black German Shepherd Dog, I changed the colors of the paw print from a traditional tan and brown to black and gray. That small touch made the layout more personable. 

Have you noticed the yellow collar on both pages?

Before she was named, Inara was referred to as yellow collar girl. 

Is the pattern paper too much? Has anyone else used this paper? Who manufactured it? 

Challenge: Going Places

The Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog posted their weekly challenge earlier this week. 

Fantabulous Cricut Challnege #179 Going Places.

I was immediately excited for this challenge since I haven't started my vacation photos from my cruise through the Mediterranean. I had four photos of my husband and I waving goodbye from the ship. One of those photos would make it to my page.

Bon Voyage!

I thought the photo would be my inspiration, but it turned out that a lone piece of patterned paper bought, maybe, in 2003 would be my true inspiration. Yes, the highly colorful piece of patterned paper with images of travel on it drove everything from color to design. I don't even know how I remembered I had this paper or knew where to look for it - but I easily located it. 

I had one sheet of 8.5 x 11 paper with this design. Yikes. 

This is the type of pattern that you need to see - the designs are tightly woven together and use bright colors. I couldn't let this paper be regulated to just a mat. So I chose to create a photo frame with the patterned paper (and mat in black) in a 5 x 7 size. In other words, I treated the patterned paper as if it WAS another photo. Next, I chose my photo and printed it in 5 x 7 and used bright blue cardstock as a mat. I made sure that the patterned paper frame and the photo were in opposite directions and overlapped them by just a couple of inches. This is a new technique for me, and I'm anxious to use it again with the right patterned paper.

Now, I had to choose background paper. I wanted a subtle pattern that didn't distract from the main pattern frame. Once again, I was inspired by the patterned paper. I loved the bright pink in the paper! It was such a different choice for me on a page like this. Normally, I'd go with yellow or blue. Something that resonated with the theme, but I fell in love with the pink. The pink patterned paper and the mat are both from The Paper Studio, The Basics paper pack. 

The rest of the layout came together quickly. Bon Voyage! was digitally cut from the Cricut Cartridge, Phrases. There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted some sparkle, so I found a coordinating pink glitter paper from DCWV, Glitzy Glitter Cardstock Stack. The anchor was digitally cut from the Cricut Cartridge, Going Places. The compass was also cut from Going Places, and journaling stamp (Stampendous, Travel Words) in black ink from Color Box  gave me a place to write the date. 

Do you think the non-traditional colors for a cruise work? 
How would you showcase the patterned paper differently? 

Now, it's your turn. Find some inspiration for a layout with the theme Going Places. 

Birthday Challenge.

I can't pass up a good challenge. There are some great scrapbooking groups that offer weekly challenges - some with prizes like gift cards or supplies. Scrapbook magazines also post challenges for submitting projects based on a theme. Challenges are great for motivation, and can move you out of your comfort zone. 

My latest submission:

Birthday Challenge

Birthday pages come naturally to many, but not to me. I don't have children to make birthday pages for every year. Ironically, I have tons of supplies for creating birthday pages or cards. Most of my Cricut Cartridges have birthday elements to them. I have several stamping packets with birthday themes (for cards). Paper packs will sometimes include birthday materials. I want to use them all!

Therefore, I asked a friend with a young daughter to send me some photos of her first birthday, and the ideas started flowing.

First Birthday

As soon as I knew that the party had a giraffe theme, I wanted to digitally cut a fabulous giraffe. I used Cricut, Create a Critter and set the size to 9 inches! It seemed like the back of the giraffe would perfectly hold a stack of presents, so I cut out the presents in a bright glittery cardstock (The Paper Studio, Eat Cake) from the cartridge, Celebrations (Cricut). The giraffe theme meant that there was a lot of orange, yellow, and brown everywhere, so the pop of blue worked well. I trimmed an 8 x 8 piece of patterned paper (red with balloons floating in various colors) from DCWV Scrapbook Kit in a Stack, Birthday Anniversaire. Those colors dramatically changed the color palatte. With so much color on the layout, I decided to go for a white, crisp background. Two stamps finished off the layout. Blowing Birthday Wishes (Stampendous, Birthday Brackets) was stamped in espresso ink from Color Box and embossed with a clear embossing powder. At the very bottom on the right side, I stamped Hooray for You (Clearly Wordsworth, Everyday Whimsy) in the same espresso ink and clear embossing powder. 

I had an entire folder of photos to choose from, so how did I decide on which photos to use. When I looked at the photos, I noticed many that showcased the giraffe theme. Since I wanted to use a giraffe, I wanted the photos to explain why. The main photo was perfect: mom, dad, baby in a giraffe party hat. 

How do you handle color palatte issues when you have many stand-out colors? 

Did I hit the mark with choosing the white background? 

Now, it's your turn. Find inspiration for a unique birthday layout. 

Opening Day at ScrapbookerPhD

Technology seemed to be leaving me behind. Was I the only one without a blog? Not anymore. Welcome to my blog: ScrapbookerPhD. It's my foray into the world of publishing, selling, and creating unique scrapbooks, cards, and other handmade crafts. Any project that I work on starts with an inspiration. This can be anything from a piece of patterned paper, a sticker, a photo, or, even, glitter. 

Recent Project.

Magazine Submission: Winter

A recent magazine call for submissions included the theme of winter. I knew that I had the perfect photo for inspiration, a photo of my German Shepherd Dog, J'Fa, in the snow during a storm in January of 2011. The photo was crisp and clear, showing J'Fa focusing on his snow-covered toy. 

Since I live in the south, this type of snowstorm is rare, and I wanted my layout to showcase the feeling of freezing. I used three different snow-related patterned papers (DCVW, The Stack 8 and The Paper Studio, All Seasons II), and digitally cut the penguin (Silhouette). Mr. Penguin is sitting on top of a glittery snowball with the phrase, Below Zero (Cricut, Graphically Speaking). The January Silhouette title rounded out this layout. 

J'Fa Winter

I had many supplies left over from this layout design. For example, I only used small amounts of the patterned paper. This is where I let my imagination take over. How would I change this layout if I had more photos? What do I love about this layout that I could enhance? How can I meaningfully use the rest of my supplies? 

My inspiration for a follow-up project was the penguin. I fell in love with the penguin, and I wanted to use another style of penguin (Cricut, Create a Critter 2), and a snowman (Cricut, Create a Critter 2). I loved the pop of glitter in the original layout, and I wanted to use it again. I knew I wanted the snowman to be cut from that glitter paper. A small left-over journaling card was a great find in my "random" stash. 

Winter

What do you think of the transformation? Does it work? What would you do differently? 
Want this layout? Send me an email!