Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween!

Hurricane Sandy sure threw a wrench into some of my plans. My son got a little break from homeschool and I didn't get to the blog as much as I wanted to. I had meant to share more Halloween themed layouts, however, my son and family came first. Plus, without them, I would have no photos to scrapbook. Anyhow, I did want to stop by for a quick post.

Paranormal Activity by Christy Strickler Supplies| Cardstock: Colorbok;Alphas: My Little Shoebox; Tape: My Mind's Eye; Patterned Paper: Making Memories: Stamp: JBS Mercantile: Other: border, sequins, buttons,vellum

I initially made this for the Second Floor Challenge last month at Balzer Designs. I just never got a chance to submit it. It needs a little tweaking. I have a few suggestions from the guided study critique class.  just have not had the time to implement them. If I decide to, I will share the results with you at a later date.





Thank you all for reading the blog. I hope everyone in the path of Sandy made it out safely and got to enjoy a happy Halloween!

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Sunday, October 28, 2012

Supply Savvy- Using Color Palettes

Grey is not typically a color that I use. Neither are pastels. Grey mixed with pastels though makes a nice color combination that I might use more often. I never would considered trying it out if not for this week's color palette at the Scrapbook News and Review Blog.

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Play Hard,Nap Anywhere by Christy Strickler Supplies Cardstock: Colorbok; Patterned Paper: My Mind's Eye, Basic Grey;Alphas: Jillibean Soup; Buttons: Basic Grey; Ink: Ranger; Other: Wood Shapes 









Pre-made color palettes can be a great way to get your creativity flowing. They also are a great way to learn to combine colors in ways you had never before considered. Start with the color palette, then search through your patterned paper supplies to select matching colors. Before you know it, you will have a new kit to work with. Best of all, you will give a fresh look to older papers and embellishments when you mix them using new color combinations.
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Thursday, October 25, 2012

Grand Opening with a Contest!


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Scrapbook News and Review magazine proudly launched the Art Studio a short time ago. As with all good things, it's time to celebrate! Join in on the grand opening fun with the Pin It To Win It Contest. The contest will last for the next two weeks. All you need to do is head on over to the Art Studio Pinterest board and repin anything that catches you attention.

The more you pin, the more chance you will have to win!

Winners will be randomly chosen to win one of these fabulous prizes:

  • 3 winners each get a free class of your choice from Carolina Garrido's classes, expires 2013
  • 1 free class Copic Color Combo class
  • 1 Stampendous Cling Jumbo Water Lily Stamp set
  • 1 free resists class or art journaling class (or your choice)
  • 1 free Convertible Halloween Mini-Album to Banner class 



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Teaser Thursday- 10-25 edition

Sometimes it's hard to find the right papers and embellishments to match the theme of our story. When that happens, we need to think outside the box a little. Some embellishments can be altered to match the theme. Others can be used out of their original theme to work for your layout.

No Electricity by Christy Strickler  Supplies Patterned Paper, Transparency: Fancy Pants; Alphas,Chipboard: October Afternoon; Markers: Ranger; Other: Electrical Tape; Based on a sketch by SNR staffer Katherine Hansen, shared for Teaser Thursday at the SNR magazine blog.











In this case, I was creating a layout about our frequent summer power outages. I found some lightning bolts and a "zap" thought bubble in a package of October Afternoon chipboard. Though it had originally been designed for space themed layouts, it worked well here paired with these grungy papers and doodled transparencies.



When telling a nontraditional story, think about the colors that might work well to represent the mood and tone of the layout. If there is an emotion tied to the event, choose paper in color that represents the emotion or the tone you want to convey. Once you have selected your papers and color scheme, search for embellishments you can alter to match. Consider creating your own embellishments if you can't find something in your ready made supplies. 

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Wednesday, October 24, 2012

It's all Black and White! Sort of...

Let's face it. Though I am a better photographer than I was a year ago, I still have a lot of grainy images. Sometimes it's due to poor lighting. Sometimes the pets or my son just won't stay still. Then there is my love of instagram and other photo apps which take ok, but not really awesome pictures. I still want to scrapbook the memories these photos hold despite their poor quality. Most often, I compensate by using a retro photo action or by converting them to clack and white.

Black and white doesn't have to be blah though. Using black and white photos allows me to add in bright, vibrant colors. The contrast is often stunning.



She is a Little Sweetheart by Christy Strickler Supplies| Cardstock: Colorbok; Patterned Paper: Anna Griffin; Alphas: Basic Grey, My Little Shoebox; Buttons: Basic Grey; Ribbon: Maya Road; Other: Hearts, stickers






My color scheme and page design are based on a Pink Panther DVD cover. The pink and orange might have overwhelmed full color photos. The color combo makes the black and white pictures pop.




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Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Supply Savvy: Handmade Flowers

We all have a ton of it. I am referring to patterned paper. It accumulates in our supplies. Sometimes we hoard it, which is not what it was designed for. Patterned paper was meant to be used. If you are scrapbooking on a budget, it's a great way to stretch your dollar. While we can easily use strips or mattes of patterned paper, making you own embellishments is a wonderful way to stretch your supplies creatively.

TrickorTreat2.cs.jpgMaking your own flowers is an easy way to use up your patterned paper supplies. It's quick and easy to do. For this layout, I simply cut and folded small circles from a sheet of doublesided patterned paper. I then handstitched them to the page. I used a hole punch to create smaller flowers with orange centers.


Trick or Treat by Christy Strickler Supplies: Cardstock: Colorbok, Coredinations; Patterned Paper: Making Memories; Canvas Label: Pink Paislee; Embossing Folder: Sizzix Mist: Tattered Angels;Stamp: Basic Grey; Other: Zipper, hole punch; DMC Floss; beaded necklace, ink, office date stamp




I used a simple flourish to create a handstitched vine. The handmade flowers give my layout a unique custom look.So stop hoarding the patterned paper and start making your own flowers! You will feel better for having used some of your stash. Plus, you will have custom embellishments for your next paper craft project.




If you need more ideas for some spooky, handmade halloween flowers, you might want to check out  Bootiful Creations over at the art studio. 



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Monday, October 22, 2012

Cuz We Know Everything about Scary Movies

The busy Holiday Season is fast approaching. It's time to start thinking about ways to make time for memory keeping. One of the quickest ways to do that is by using pre-made page bases. We can look to our daily activities to find inspiration for our storytelling. Today's layout features the use of both.

Our whole family loves watching Regular Show. We especially love when Mordecai and Rigby break out into silly songs and chants. A family favorite is the scary movie chant. Why? Because my son and I both love scary movies. We especially like the ones that have zombies in them. So what better way to title a layout than to use the scary movie chant from Regular Show.

Cuz We Know Everything About Scary Movies by Christy Strickler Supplies| Cardstock: Colorbok: Patterned Paper: Basic Grey, Webster's Pages; Stencil: Studio Calico; Modeling Paste and Gesso: Liquitex; Markers and Ink: Ranger; Buttons: Basic Grey; Stickers: Making Memories; Brads: Basic Grey, Pink Paislee; Other: Letter stencil, acrylic paint, electrical tape

Submitted for Child'splay challenges October movie challenge

This layout was created on one of my spare page bases. I made it out of scraps and had been practicing with black gesso for the Gesso: It's Not Just a Primer class at the Art Studio. The gesso had caused the patterned paper to curl. I had not quite done the gesso technique properly either. Still,  I hated to discard supplies. Instead,I randomly sewed squares and rectangles all over the paper with my sewing machine. At that point, I still did not know what I would use this base for. It was a week or so later before I decided to use it to scrap this photo of my son watching a scary movie.

By using the chant from our favorite cartoon and pairing the photo with a ready made page base, I was able to quickly complete this layout. So long story short, look to favorite songs or TV shows for title inspiration. Keep ready made kits and page bases on hand and completing layouts is a snap. You just need to add the right embellishments.



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Friday, October 19, 2012

Our Newest Family Member

I had anticipated a full day of homeschool and housework with scrapbooking mixed in. Instead, we have had a VERY eventful day. Around lunchtime, my husband called. He found a kitten crying next to the dumpster. The kitten was wedged  between the wall and a cart. He wasn't sure if it was hurt.So I rushed out the door with a box and blanket, ready to take the kitten to the vet. The kitten wasn't hurt and managed to jump out of the box and run under the back seat of the car. After coaxing him close to the edge, I got him out and we transferred him to a cat carrier and were off to the vet's office for a checkup.

He is about 4-5 weeks old and so adorable. We've spent the afternoon getting to slowly know him. At times, he likes our company. Other times he is quite shy. Rest assured though, you'll be seeing photos of him coming to scrapbook layouts soon! Meanwhile, we just have to settle on a name.


Under Inspection: Flower Looms

Using time wisely can be the key to a good creative habit. Finding balance is also key. I like to spend time with my family but I also have to balance time spent for myself. On Sundays, my husband likes to watch football. He enjoys having me watch the game with him. However, I am not a football fan. I hate leaving him to go sit in my craft space, so I am in search of activities I can do that bring my crafting to the living room. I came across these flower knitting looms as I walked the aisles of my local craft store. They looked like something I could easily use to make flowers for my scrapbook layouts while I relaxed on the couch next to my husband.

The cost of the loom and the yarn was under $10. With the large ball of yarn, I could make quite a few flowers. I chose a white yarn with the intent that I could dye it with my spray ink to match my layouts. Overall, the kit was very easy to use. The packaging led me to the product website where I learned there are a variety of looms available for knitting and flower making. The size loom I purchased makes one size flower. I learned I could use a spool loom for two smaller size flowers. Looking at the product website, I decided I would do a web search to see how many different flowers I could make. After all, I don't knit, so  knew very little about this product or it's possibilities.

Flower looms have been around for quite some time. There are evidently quite a few available on the market. It's also easy to make one yourself. Knitting-and.com is a website which reviews looms and has tutorials to create your own. You can make an inexpensive loom with plastic canvas. There are tutorials for different ways to sew the flower centers as well as ideas for finishing the flower edges. You can also use ribbon or cloth strips to create flowers with the looms.

Overall, I am very happy with my loom purchase, though I do want to try making the plastic canvas looms rather than purchasing more of the ready made ones. Making a flower was easy and could be done quickly. So if I need a custom flower in a flash, this is the route I would take. I think though, that in the future, I will use less yarn than recommended. I wound the yarn through the loom 3 times. The resulting flower is a tad bit thicker than I prefer for fitting in my albums.






I probably won't spend every Sunday making these flowers. I plan to peruse Pinterest in search of more embellishment ideas. Stay tuned for more segments of Under Inspection as I find new and interesting ways to create scrapbook embellishments while I relax with my family in the living room.


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