Creative Practice

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I have been working on several big projects lately and needed a little break. Those projects might be crafty in nature, but sometimes, the very idea that it's a big project just puts the brakes on my creative workflow. I decided to take a quick break and create something that had nothing what-so-ever to do with those bigger goals.

For me, personally, working with a sketch is just super easy. I can create a layout in under a a few hours (sometimes less than 30 minutes) if I find a sketch that really sparks my attention. Late last night, that particular sketch came from Let's Get Sketchy.

Winter Breezes by Christy Strickler Supplies| Patterned Paper: Crate Paper, Studio Calico; Letters: Jenni Bowlin Studios; Wood Veneer: Freckled Fawn; Badges: Bluebird Chic; Brads: Basic Grey; Jewels: Hero Arts; Stamps: American Crafts, Pebbles; Sequins: Studio Calico; Other: Vellum, doily; Sketch 105 from Let's Get Sketchy










I also decided to set myself a challenge. I needed to use up some older papers and items in my supplies as well as two new items from my embellishments. I had really been wanting to use the flair from my scrappy friend, Leah's shop. I also wanted to use up the last of these wood frames. I was happy to fit some scrap cardstock in behind them.

Initially, this was going to be a layout about two of my cats hanging out together. The photo was taken last January and  I realized this was a great opportunity to document our winter weather here. We do get cold spells,but often, living in the tropics means getting to have your windows open when the weather cools down. My cats adore sitting in the open windows, listening to the birds and watching the lizards. Since I never know where my husband's job might take us, I try to make it a point to document the weather. Who knows!?!? I might very well be living someplace freezing a year from now. I have been thinking about that a lot lately, especially after listening to the last Paperclipping Roundtable podcast.

I know that some might say I should try to stay focused on the bigger projects. Just push through right? If creativity is forced, it's not always your best work. Now that I have had time to work on something just for the fun of it, my creative block has lifted and I can refocus on the bigger projects. After all, creativity breeds more creativity.

Supplies Used:

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The Scientific Method: Spelling with Word Stamps

When it comes to stamps with words and phrases, I am the first to confess that I don't use them very often. I take the words given to me at face value. What the stamps says is what it says. It might be a phrase like Happy Mail or Love. Therefore, I must find a way to use those exact phrases on a layout. Right? This means the stamp waits in my supplies for just the right moment to be used. I am pretty sure I am not the only one.

When we see stamps, we take the whole word. When we use letter stickers, we take a different approach. We spell the word we want. What if we did the same with our stamps? Now you are probably saying, hold on a minute. The stamps is the way it is. How am I going to spell anything with a word or phrase stamp? It's a lot easier than you think.

Supplies
a scrap sheet of cardstock
a marker such as Tim Holtz Distress markers which allow you to color on a stamp
word or phrase stamps
a craft knife
small strips of scrap paper

Step One Color only the letter or letters that you want to use. In this case, I want the H and the A so that I can stamp ha ha ha over and over again. You may need to use several stamps to be able to spell out the new word or phrase that you desire.

Step Two Stamp the letters onto the scrap sheet of cardstock. Then use a craft knife to carefully cut your new word or phrase out.

Step Three This step is optional. You can adhere the phrase directly to the layout. However, I like to glue mine to a very thin strip of paper. I like the extra dimension this gives to the stamped phrase.

I stamped " Ha, Ha, Ha" from the letters in the Happy Mail Stamp. To create the stamped " lol", I first stamped the "L and O" from love, then stamped another "L" making sure it matched up with the O.







It really is that easy to create custom stamped words and phrases. It's just a matter of seeing the stamps in a new light.

What is that Noise by Christy Strickler Supplies| Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper, Stamps, Tape: Studio Calico; Marker: Ranger; Letters: Basic Grey, American Crafts; Die Cut: Basic Grey; Other: DMC floss; based on the September Sketch from Scraphappy.org

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A Creative Spiral

Creativity has the power to grow exponentially. Yes, we are all busy. School just started back into full swing and many of us have other things on our plates. While I am very lucky that many of the things on my plate are very creative in nature, I do admit that I need a quick start every so often. There are times when you are working on a bigger project in which that very project begins to lose it's luster. In those moments, it helps to just do something for the fun of it.

Yesterday, I had one of those moments. I decided to grab a photo and some supplies. Then I set out to search the internet for a challenge. Something not too hard and that could be done fairly quick. I settled on the latest sketch from Document Life Workshop and ended up with a layout completed in short order.

Kid + Cat =Love by Christy Strickler Supplies| Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper: Amy Tangerine; Letters, Vellum Pocket: American Crafts;Ink: Tsukineko; Confetti, Tape,Stamp: Studio Calico; Other: Sequins, Glass Beads

I was struggling with a title, so I went back through some of the Ali Edwards Hello Story prompts. The class itself may have moved onward, but I still enjoy going back and using something I have learned more than once. If it's something I like, it becomes part of my regular techniques. You could say that creating titles is a technique of it's own.





I was able to create this layout quickly because I chose supplies and stuck with those choices. The sketch became a jumping off point. Once the layout was finished, I was able to return back to my larger project with renewed interest. Creative play inspires more creative work to be completed. The more you create, the more you want to create. When you feel like a project feels stale, put it down for a bit and try a new,quick project. It doesn't have to be a layout. It can be a tag or a hand made embellishment. After all, creating things should be fun and should never feel like a chore.

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The Weekend Update: Time to be Challenged

It's been awhile since I posted a weekend update. Not that weekends change a whole lot around here. Island living is pretty quiet. I anticipated an early start to this weekend and took the opportunity to challenge myself a bit. Despite the hubbub of back to school, things are quieting down around here. This means time for creative play. I know many of you will be scrapbooking this weekend. If you are looking for something that's fun, easy, and gets you to the heart of your story then you will want to check out the challenge archive over at DocumentLife.com.

The first challenge I undertook involved making more use out of my kits. I get monthly scrapbook kits from JBS Mercantile and Studio Calico. Over the summer, I used little bits of those kits, but mostly, they just occupied space near my feet. Both of the layouts I will be sharing today use supplies from those kits. I have also set myself the goal of re-kitting some older supplies and reorganizing my desk space to make some unused embellishments more visible.

Why Did the Ducks Cross the Road by Christy Strickler Supplies| Patterned Paper: Echo Park, LilyBee Designs; Button, Jewel, Stencil, foil ducks: JBS Mercantile; Pen: Sakura; Ink: Ranger

This was the perfect opportunity to capture a recent conversation with my son. We were out walking in the rain when some ducks crossed the road to walk along the sidewalk ahead of my son. It prompted my son to crack a series of " why did the ducks cross the road" jokes.

I Love Our Morning Routine by Christy Strickler Supplies| Patterned Paper, Die Cut Card: Studio Calico, My Mind's Eye; Stencil: Heidi Swapp; Modeling Paste: Liquitex; Letters: Basic Grey, American Crafts; Other: Paint

I decided to take on the most current challenge at Document Life- " What I Like About You." The challenge is fairly pen to interpretation. I initially wanted to document what I like about each of our cats. Instead, I chose to document how our cats spend part of the morning with us. I know these are not the best photos. They are the first shots I ever took with my new Fuji Instax 8.  I am learning a bit about the camera's capabilities. Never the less, they capture something I love.


The weekend is officially here for most of us. It's time to grab some unused supplies and some inspiration. I hope you enjoy some awesome time with friends and loved ones while still finding some time in your creative space.

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March's Counterfeit kit- Into the Woods

  I will be the first to admit that I went WAY overboard with this kit. I am finding that while shopping my stash, the same "must have" impulsiveness that sometimes hits me while shopping in real life scenarios is very evident here. It's a good thing it IS my stash...or hubby would be broke! Looking at what I chose this month, I know there is NO way I will use it all...but it's going to be fun trying to!
  This month's Counterfeit kit challenge  was inspired by Studio Calico's Into the Woods Kit. For my main kit, I chose to mimic the colour and nature theme as closely as possible. I have a lot of Sassafrass, so this was a wonderful opportunity to use some of that paper up.many of the papers I chose were double sided so I can get more bang for my buck, so to speak.

Papers: Cosmo Cricket- earth Love/Recycle,Artsylicious fine illustrated paper in chocolate
sassafrass-apple jack/translate, life is Beautiful/intertwined, Serendipty/chirp, chirp, brown paper
and cherry delicious
alphas: K and co. actopus to zed( loved the wood grain) and pink paislee in chocolate
tags from scrapbook ID in tangerine
Frames from k and co.
K and co. transparency
K and co. journal spots
My Mind's eye chipboard journal stickers
K and co. green stack chipboard ( for the owls, mushrooms, birds and wood grain pieces)

Since money is no object, I chose to have ALL of the add on kits. Why not?!?! Right? For the Babbling Brook add on, I thought some of my Basic Grey papers would closely match the pattern and colour. I chose Crate Paper's showers since this matched the water theme of the kit. Since I had a lot of the matching embellies, those popped into the kit as well.

Basic Grey papers: offbeat's nonchalant and casual
Crate paper: Season collection winter and showers, die cut paper- cloudy
Making Memories Passport alphas ( as a substitute for the handwritten paper)
Kaiser craft mini alphas in chocolate and white
American crafts mini marks rub on alphas in purkey
ribbon-unkown
K and co. brads
Artsylicious fabulous brads in chocolate
7 Gypsies foldover sticker book in Bureau ( as a substitute for the office pockets)
Marcella K adhesive chipboard in Sabrina
Crate Paper Season title stickers and borders

  I don't have anything quite like the circle stamp in the kit.I think I might be able to use my cricut to cut a mask or perhaps some recycled bottle lids to make my own stamp. I shall have to experiment with it.

   Now, for the Mossy Knoll kit... sounds a bit ominous. Or maybe mysterious. If I were buying this kit in real life, this would have been the point at which my budget would have been lost amongst the proverbial tall grasses. I actually made this add on kit before I made the others. I was searching to find a page with the blue stripes similar to the actual Studio calico kit. This is when  had my Eureka moment. The crate paper season kit was a perfect set to incorporate with  the sassafrass papers and nature theme.It had the right colours and a fun whimsical tone which went well with the Sassafrass papers.

Crate paper:  restoration ruffles( as a substitute for the calendar die cut)
Crate Paper die cut- restoration-Cents
Crate paper: seasons- Fall and Love papers
Sassafrass; Life is Beautiful-golden love and apple Jack
Crate Paper Season chipboard accents, plus restoration bicycle
Crate Paper Seasons art brads
Making Memories Chloe's Closet green leather frame
Making Memories Chloe's Closet clips-2
Prima lace
Webster's pages lace
ribbon unknown
Crate Paper Prudence Glitter borders
Crate paper prudence Alpha twist
K and co. Borders
Making Memories Paperie Greenhouse felt clips

I added some of the crate paper restoration papers to add the vintage feel of the original kit. I don't have any circus theme pages planned. If I change my mind, I might go out on the world wide web to find some vintage images to print off. One of my favourite sites for free vintage printables is found here.

  The sunny Clearing... The name connotes warmth. So I set out to duplicate the warm feeling of the original kit as best as I could. I noticed that Studio Calico used some Cosmo cricket paper. I don't have the fish tales paper, but I  do have Snorkel. I chose a sun and a bicycle from that collection. There is less paper here, b/c the gingham papers I have do not coordinate well with the other papers I have chosen. So I compensated with extra embellies.

Crate Paper: Season- friendly paper
Crate paper; restoration- fringe( has a wonderful orange pattern on the back)
Sassafrass: Life is Beautiful- rose thicket( a wonderful warm rose pattern on the back)
Pink Paislee Old school glitter alpha
Crate Paper restoration border stickers
Cosmo Cricket: snorkel collection- bicycle/lazy days and sunshine
Crate Paper chipboard flower border
Artsylicious deluxe brads
red crochet flower- from Ikea, it's a curtain decoration
Fancy Pants write now rub on's
Making Memories Chloe's closet square gem stickers
Fancy pants ric racs-red, yellow and cream
homemade red flower
crochet lace- unkown
Sassafrass in stitch blossoms-orange
Jillibean Soup clear stamps- top ten
Making Memories Chloe's Closet tags- 3
Making Memories Chloe's closet paper clips and clips

And now for the final kit.... wild flower. Since I have a boy, the original was too floral for me. I toned it down a bit with the more masculine colours and whimsical flowers of the crate paper Season collection.

Sassafrass paper- yellow hearts
Crate paper : Seasons- Spring and Summer
Crate paper; prudence-discretion paper
Crate paper Season journal stickers
Crate Paper Seasons rub ons
Maya Road Fresh chipboard-motifs
Artsylicious Splendid treasures in chocolate
Making Memories ribbons and trims
Cosmo Cricket lil. man ribbon

I had more trim than I originally intended. I just could not decide which one to pick...so I picked them all!
Now it's time to see what I can create with this kit. I already have a few pages in mind and with my husband having a three day weekend, I have plenty of time.

Crazy About Stars

I recently read a tutorial about making folded paper stars...and now I am hooked. I just have to figure out what else I can fold or crease. I will admit, that on my last 3 layouts, I have found an excuse to add a paper star.
To learn how to make a folded star, go here:
http://scrapbookandcardstodaymag.typepad.com/scrapbook_cards_today_blo/2010/06/paper-stars-with-kimber-.html

For the current Studio calico blog challenge :
 http://studiocalico.blogspot.com/2010/06/be-bold-challenge.html  and for the challenge over on Frosted designs: http://frosteddesigns.blogspot.com/2010/06/tgif-and-you-know-what-that-means.html , I created this layout about my son and his obsession with me taking his photo while he's underwater. All of the photos were taken using a disposable underwater camera. While I wish I had a nice digital underwater camera or the adaptor for my digital one, I find these cameras work pretty well. I love the bold turquoise color of the photographs...and when I matched the red cardstock to my son's red shirt, I loved the boldness of the color combo. So I chose to stick with these two colors for the whole layout. I cut the star using my cricut, but you could use any die cut or star punch. You could also trace a star cookie cutter. Use your bone folder to crease and fold the star. I folded and refolded a few times to make the creases more pronounced. I chose to add diamond stickles to the star so they would match the chipboard alphas(manufacturer unknown).it doesn't show well in the photo, but the alphas have glitter on them. To help the star keep it's dimension and to help adhere it to the page, I glued part of a cotton ball inside. The ribbon is from Cosmo Cricket's Honey Pie. Since the colors and title were so bold, I chose to keep the layout more simple.

I hope you'll be seeing some stars on one of your next layouts.
Update: and thanks to a comment from craftygirl...I just submited this Lo to Pratical scrappers. Thank you for the tip!

Ribbon Scraps and a sick kid

Recently, My son was feeling under the weather. I took the opportunity to snap some photos of him, even though he wasn't at his best. I saw a sketch challenge on the Studio Calico blog and thought of these photos...and my stash of ribbon scraps. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to use both.
http://studiocalico.blogspot.com/2010/06/sunday-sketch.html


I felt that I should use brown, green and yellow to convey the "sick" feeling that the layout needed. I also got to use up some old chipboard letters from  my stash ( alphadots). The title was made using Sassafrass Earthy chipboard letters and some diamond stickles.