Showing posts with label hybrid. Show all posts

Friday, June 26, 2015

Who is Ready for a Vacation? This Girl!

It's been a long tiring week full of blogging, planning and blogging some more. The work doesn't bother me but I know my mind needs a rest. When I saw the latest kit from Traci Reed Designs, traveling and rest were all I could think of. Sure, I have travel photos to document( and I will get to those) but really, I just needed to daydream a little. I don't have any travel plans on the horizon but that didn't stop me from making some new luggage tags!

DIY Hybrid Luggage Tags by Christy Strickler |Supplies Digital Kit: All year Round Destinations by Traci Reed Designs and Jady Day Studio; Tag: Deflecto Craft Solutions; Twine: True Hemp

The tags were super easy to make. All you need is an empty pouch, patterned paper and some travel themed die cuts. Digital kits are perfect for the tags because you can print anything from them, including buttons. It's best keep your tag relatively flat. Hence the use of the die cuts. You don't want anything lumpy that might get snagged on one of luggage carousels at the airport. Speaking of which, I did add twine to make the tags look good in the photo. You don't want twine tassels when you tie these tags onto your suitcase. Trim all the ends. Loose twine can easily get snagged in a machine. In fact, you might just want to replace the twine with a carabiner hook, a key chain cable ring or a combo of both. These tags would also be perfect for your kid's school bags. In which case, break out all the lumpy embellishments and twine tassels that you want.

Really, it's probably a good thing to make the luggage tags ahead of time. You and I both know that if a vacation were in the works, spending time crafting would be put on the back burner in order to pack. So even if you don't have travel plans any time soon, I say you should break out those travel supplies and create something with them!

This posts contains affiliate links when possible. Please shop your stash first, but should you find you need something, consider supporting MSE.

All Year Round Destinations from Traci Reed Designs and Jady Day Studio

Visit Deflecto to find a retailer near you or purchase supplies through Amazon.

The Deflecto Reversible Pouch can also be used to make a mini album.

Follow My Scrapbook Evolution's board Motif-Have Suitcase, Will Travel! on Pinterest.

Saturday, April 25, 2015

Scrapbooking with a Rain Motif

I am a pluviofile. That's a fancy way of saying that I love the rain. I find rainy days to be calming and quite beautiful. Some of my fondest memories include puddle jumping with my grandparents. Perhaps it's because of them that I always let my son play in the rain every chance he gets. A little rain is never anything to be afraid of and it's a wonderful opportunity to take some awesome candid photos.

Now of course, being both a memory keeper and a pluviofile means I love to hoard supplies with the rainy day motif.You can imagine my delight when I saw the latest kit from Traci Reed Designs and Jady Day Studio. Being part of Traci's design team meant that there was no way I was going to hoard these supplies. Nope. My first choice was to go out and splash in the rain with my teenage son. Sadly, the weather didn't cooperate. It's times like these that I am grateful I never got around to scrapbooking all of his early childhood photos.

Rain Rain Don't Go Away by Christy Strickler |Supplies Cardstock: Bazzill, Jewel: Pinkfresh Studio; Digital Kit- All Year Round Precipitations by Traci Reed Designs and Jady Day Studio; based on inspiration from the Simple Scrapper Premium membership

With my schedule packed full this week, I chose to lean on some inspiration from Simple Scrapper. This particular layout is based on an 8.5 x 11 template. I am not used to working on a canvas smaller than 12x12 which makes this a great opportunity to stretch my design style. I did end up allowing myself to work a little outside the 8.5 x 11 boundaries and loved the results. I seem to be on a trend of scattering small items such as sequins around my layouts. Here, I chose to use some small heart die cuts. I popped then up over the tops of hearts in the patterned paper.

Weather layouts like these are always a favorite of mine. They start off with pictures I love and product that I adore which combine to make a wonderful page.

Are you a pluviofile too? Do you collect and use the rain motif? What are you favorite rain themed products?

Supply Options
This posts contains affiliate links when possible. Please shop your stash first, but should you find you need something, consider supporting MSE.

All Year Round Precipitations by Traci Reed Designs and Jady Day Studio

Additional Resources

Follow My Scrapbook Evolution's board Motif- Rain Rain Don't Go Away on Pinterest.

Ideas for Recording the Weather on your Scrapbook Pages. an article from the Get It Scrapped Blog

Friday, February 27, 2015

My Personal Sketch Challenge

I like to get the most of my supplies The same can be said of magazines and sketch books.I recently shared my thoughts on using your inspiration as soon as you can. As easy as it is to talk about what you should do, it's not always something we implement. I tried keeping a list of things I wanted to use last year. The list became so long that it was difficult to work with. I ended up throwing it out. This year, I wanted things to be different. I am trying to focus on just one or two aspects of my supplies and inspiration at a time.

One of my goals this month was to use up the sketches in my 2014 planner. Scrapbook and Cards today has a monthly calendar planner which features one Page Maps sketch per month. The appendix also has a few bonus sketches. When I bought the planner, I did so with the intention of using it for my blog planning, figuring I could do the one sketch per month as a bonus. In 2014, I used a sketch from the planner only two times. 2015 rolled around and I got this year's planner. It was now time to throw out 2014, except, I felt like this was a waste. This month, I have been diligently looking through the planner and marking off the sketches.

Might as Well be Cousins by Christy Strickler| Supplies Cardstock: American Crafts; Digital kit: Twitterpations by Traci Reed and Jady Day Studio; Jewel: Studio Calico, based on a Page Maps Sketch

When I make a layout for a design team, I usually strive to make the design one of my own. I rarely use a sketch unless the assignment specifically calls for it. This month, I made an exception. I was determined to use up the sketches whether the layout was for LOAD215 or a DT project. This layout is for Traci Reed Designs. It's a hybrid layout using her latest kit, Twitterpations. As of this layout, I have used up all but six of the monthly and bonus sketches from the planner. I hope to finish the rest of the sketches off within the first few weeks of March. There is also a section for greeting cards. I am considering how I might use the card sketches to design a few of my own Project Life cards. Why not make the most of the planner, right?

There are always going to be a few supplies or bits of inspiration that we overlook. However, if we choose to focus on just one or two things at a time, we can be more successful in using these tools. Take a look at what it is you want to accomplish and choose one or two things to focus on per month. It's more productive and it feels so good to know you made a dent in your supplies or stash of ideas.

Supply Options

Twitterpations by Traci Reed and Jady Day Studio

Friday, February 20, 2015

Tales of a Craft Class Junkie: Design with Single and Pretty

One of the classes I never fail to finish each month is the Masterful Scrapbook Design series from Get It Scrapped. The most recent class is called Single and Pretty. It's focus is the design of scrapbook layouts centered around one photo. To be honest, the word "class" kind of falls short of describing the material. Design is not just discussed. There is also a accompanying Scrapbook Coach. This is essentially a video that walks you through the steps to making a layout centered around a particular design concept. It's like scrapbooking alongside a mentor. I put the Single and Pretty Scrapbook Coach and templates from the membership section to work this month while creating layouts with some of Traci Reed's latest kits.

Rise and Shine-Not By Christy Strickler |Supplies Cardstock: American Crafts; Digital Kit: Rise and Shine by Traci Reed and Amber Shaw; Other: Glossy Accents; Based on a template from the Get It Scrapped Membership

What I have always loved about Get It Scrapped is that it guides me along while still allowing me to do my own creative thing. This page started with a 8 1/2 x 11 template.I don't typically scrap smaller layouts as I prefer 12x12 albums. I liked stepping out of my comfort zone and practicing design on a different scale from what I am used to working with. On the occasions that I scrap on a smaller canvas, I live to mount the page to a 12x12 piece of paper so that I can easily fit it in my album.This time, I wanted to do more with it then just to stick it down on paper. I chose to add a stitched grid to the canvas.

There Is a Story in Her Eyes by Christy Strickler |Supplies Cardstock: American Crafts; Digital Kit: She Is by Traci Reed; Other: Buttons; Based on a sketch from the Get It Scrapped Membership

The block design is my typical go to style of page. However, the more I work with Scrapbook Coach, the more I find myself extending the types of designs I typically work with. I am really starting to love having 2-3 clusters on my layouts. Though this page is based on a sketch, working with it helps me to subconsciously incorporate it into my repertoire. The more I practice, the easier it get to create with a wider variety of designs.

I am no stranger to documenting a story with just one photo. However, after completing the Single and Pretty class along with the accompanying Scrapbook Coach I find myself stepping outside my typical layout style. Once again, I am growing and developing.

Supply Options

Rise and Shine by Traci Reed and Amber Shaw

She Is by Traci Reed

Additional Resources

An article from the Get It Scrapped Blog

The Get It Scrapped Membership

Thursday, February 6, 2014

The Benefits of Hybrid Scrapbooking

It's late at night. Finally, you have a little time to yourself to scrapbook. After picking a photo, you being sorting through your supplies, looking for just the right items to compliment the photo. Sure, you have a ton of supplies, but for whatever reason, the right paper or embellishments just don't seem to be found. Maybe you'd consider running out to the store. However, it's late and the store is closed. Or perhaps, you are in a situation like me which would require you to order the items you want on-line. Now you have a choice. You can be patient and wait to get the right supplies. You could also opt to go hybrid.

Digital scrapbooking kits are available for immediate download. Some are free while others are offered at a budget friendly price. Depending upon your printer, you can choose to work with cardstock or transparencies. The kits also give you the option of creating your own patterned paper or resizing some of the elements to fit your needs.

I keep a supply of acid free 8 1/2 x 11 white cardstock on hand for printing. My printer also has a slot for 4x6 photos. When I have scrap white cardstock,I cut it down to 4x6 for quick prints of digital patterned paper.

The key to anything, whether you use digital supplies or paper products, is to use them. One of my personal goals this year is to choose a hybrid kit each month and use it on a layout. I have started off the year pretty well with a recent layout I created for Get It Scrapped. I have been sharing some of my hybrid scrapbooking adventures in a series called The Hybrid Experiment.

Current articles include:

Title Treatment
Block Alphabets
Transparency Flowers

Look for me to continue adding hybrid layouts and tutorials throughout 2014.

Additional Resources

So that's Hybrid? 8 Ideas for using Digital Scrapbooking Products on Paper Pages- an article from Get It Scrapped

Friday, April 5, 2013

Stuff it in Your Pocket!

Or Not! Today is my first time sharing a layout for the latest JBS Mercantile Digital Release. Over the past several months, I have been going hybrid a little more often. I like how it offers me the ability to size, cut or alter an item to fit the project I am working on at the time. Plus, when you don't have an LSS nearby to shop at the drop of a dime, it's easy to find that just right item in a digital store.

Today's release are the Pocket Stuffers Journaling Basics cards. You can find them at Jessica Sprague's on-line store on sale for 25% off though this weekend.

At first glance, the cards might seem a little plain Jane, but in my book, that's what makes them perfect. I consider them a small investment piece for my hybrid wardrobe. They can mix and match easily with Project Life. I can dress them up with embellishments and they will go with quite a few color palettes.

While they are available as a PDF file to print, I chose to print just two 4x6 cards. I wanted the cards just a bit larger for my layout. I used one card as it was, sewing it directly to the canvas. The other, I cut apart into smaller sections. My husband is reading the Very Hungry Caterpillar to my son and I thought the butterfly would be just perfect. I don't like to waste paper, so I also cut the star border from the same card the butterfly was printed on.

Read to Me Daddy by Christy Strickler
Supplies from March JBS Mercantile Kit.

I love how the butterfly is just peaking out of the side. My other favorite embellishments are the small wood shapes. One reads " more and more" and the other says " Yeah, yeah, yeah." My son always loved it when he was read to. He could never get enough.

You can expect to see a lot more hybrid projects from me in the future. I am really finding that digital elements are a great supplement to my paper based stash.

I will advise you to collect your digital elements wisely. Just like paper supplies, they can get out of hand. Buy what you love and what you know you will use. Try to choose items you can use several times, in many different ways. This will ensure you get the most for your money. Print only what you think you will need for the current project. One of the advantages of digital supplies is not having to physically store them in your craft space. Printing everything in the kit sort of defeats that purpose.

P.S. Don't forget to stop by the JBS Mercantile community. We're playing Centipede, scrapbook style.

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Happy Easter

This post is coming on the tail end of a very relaxing day spent with my family. We colored eggs, ate and snacked, watched movies and hung out together. Just the three of us. Our holidays are a little more simple than some and quieter than other families. I admit I kind of like it that way.

I am just now making it to my scrap cave and I thought I would share the layout I made yesterday. As much as Easter is still the same for us, some things have surely changed. Most notable of late, is how much my son has grown. My little boy no longer dives into the consumption of his chocolate bunny with wild abandon. Today, he ate his bunny slowly, savoring each bit and commenting on the good chocolate that it was made from. He did crack me up with one quick comment. " It my bunny! Mine. My bunny!"

I have been told that I have a knack for working with hard to use color combos. I am still wrapping my head around that. Maybe I am just used to my color combos so they don't seem hard to work with in my eyes. I do however, think today's layout was comprised of an unusually bright color palette that some might find hard to work with.

Chocolate Hands by Christy Strickler Supplies| Cardstock: Coredinations;Letters: Fancy Pants; Digital papers and elements from Speckled Eggs-Brights by PeppermintCreative.com ; Flowers: Sizzix; Other: Cardboard, button, napkin; Sketch from Shimelle.com

This was my first time using a napkin on a layout. In retrospect, I should have adhered it with gel medium. As I stitched it down, it wrinkled a bit and I later realized that it was off kilter. Of course, you could argue that these errors add to the charm of the layout. One of the ways I have learned to scrapbook faster is to just embrace what happens. I altered the design a bit to compensate and I love the way the whole layout feels.

I went hybrid which meant I printed only small portions of the patterned paper and design elements. To add dimension, I emulated the smaller hybrid flowers by creating a few larger cardboard flowers. Layering a finishing touches such as machine stitching can keep a hybrid layout from feeling too flat.

I am still not sure about my using unusual color combos. I will be taking mental notes about my current and recent layouts. Observing yourself is a good way to get in touch with your process and how you use products. This leads to faster scrapbooking and always helps you direct your budget when you shop.

Regardless of whether you enjoyed a quiet day or a house filled with relatives, I hope you had a wonderful Easter. I would also like to wish my Jewish friends a Happy Belated Passover.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Sketch It Out! LOAD213 Day One

Sketch by Candace Lawlor for Scrapbook News and Review Magazine

It's the first day of LOAD aka layout a day. I decided to kick it off by using a sketch. It sure makes things a whole lot easier sometimes.

Our prompt today centered around communicating without words. At first, I was quite stumped. I journal on every layout and almost always have a title. To get myself thinking, I started sorting through my photos. I came across a simple portrait of my son around the age of 4 and it hit me. I would scrap the number 4 and use stars with boy themed papers to tell my story.

I decided to make a hybrid layout. I printed off a few papers in a 4x6 size. I don't need a large amount of the patterned paper, so this allowed me to reduce waste and save ink. I also chose a digital Project Life card from the Cobalt collection and some tickets from a JBS Mercantile collection.

One of the issues with printing digital supplies can be that they look flat or unrealistic. To make my tickets look a bit more like the real thing, I used my hole punch to cut out the spaces between the tickets.

Now that my page elements are cut out, I can place them on the canvas. I want an idea of how they will fit so that I can build my background around them. Since ink and modeling paste get a bit messy, I traced the photos and papers with a pencil. Now I know where they will sit on the layout.

After removing the photos and patterned papers, I begin using stencils to ink the number 4 onto the canvas. You can see my pencil line, very faintly here. I want some of the numbers to run off the edge of the canvas and under the patterned paper and photos. However, knowing where I will be placing the photo and papers means that I don't have to make a background on the entire canvas. This is a big time saver for me and also saves me on supplies.

After adding in a custom stamp and allowing everything to dry, I can begin layering my patterned paper and photos onto my canvas. As you can see here, I don't use full shapes underneath the layers. I like to get the most of my supplies and no one will know about the partial circle once everything else has been layered on top.

Now it's simply a matter of building the layers upwards. I add the photo and the other layout elements. Before you know it, the layout will be done.

Four by Christy Strickler Supplies Cardstock: Colorbok; Digital Papers: ACDigitals.com, Julie Billingsley for Sweet Shoppe Designs, JBS Mercantile; Brad: We R Memory Keepers;Ink: Ranger; Modeling Paste: Liquitex; Other: Stencils, acrylic paint, hand made stamp, Glossy Accents; submitted to Simon Say Stamp weekly challenge and to Layout Link Love at the Purple Mailbox.

There are a few things I wish I had added for a more polished look. My latest trend has been to matte everything with black cardstock and that would have looked nice here. Overall though, I think it's a cute layout of my son around age four.

If you are participating in LOAD213, then you might want to try using sketches. Feel free to pop over to my sketch pinboard for a few of my favorites.

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Friday, June 26, 2015

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Saturday, April 25, 2015

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Friday, February 27, 2015

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Friday, February 20, 2015

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Thursday, February 6, 2014

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