My Scrapbook Evolution-Blog

Monday, July 7, 2014

Kit It Out, July 2014

Over the past month, I have written about my lack of inspiration and how creating hasn't come as easily for me as it usually does. Some of this, in part, is due to how stagnant I feel my supplies are. That's not to say new things aren't coming in. Currently, I am relying on my kit club subscriptions to keep my stash of supplies feeling fresh. In fact, most of my creating has heavily centered around my JBS Mercantile kits and my Freckled Fawn kits. If not for them, I might not be creating at all.I am otherwise limiting my spending and when this happens, sometimes my stash just feels old and uninspiring.The easiest way to reverse this feeling is to shop my stash to create my own kit.

Creating a kit has several advantages. I don't always use up all of the supplies within my JBS Mercantile kits. Combining kits or refreshing them with supplies in my stash helps me to use them more effectively. The same goes for paper collections. I tend to keep them together, but sometimes, it's nice to combine them with other supplies so that old items feel new again.

This month's kit inspiration photo from Use Your Stash.

So let's set about creating a kit to use during July. I was just introduced to a new website, called Use Your Stash, which provides inspiration for creating your own monthly kits. It's free to join and free to play along. This month's inspirational kit focused on bright colors. I also noted that some of the supplies used came from Amy Tangerine's Plus One Collection. It's a collection I picked up earlier this year, but as of yet, I have not killed the collection. Now is the perfect time to revisit it and see what I can come up with.

I chose one solid piece of blue cardstock to start off with. I don't have the same picture frame print. What I do have is a picture frame stamp which I can use with white ink to create my own patterned paper. I added in one black picture frame print and two polka dot prints in green. These will be my canvases. I decided to include the entire 6x6 Plus One pad. I might as well try to use up as much as I can. I also had a variety of the Amy Tangerine embellishments. Some of the packages were open and partially use. Let's see if I can use all of them up!

I had a great time shopping my stash to come up with a kit. Now my goal is to use up as much of it as I can. Stay tuned to see the results.

Supply Options

*American Crafts Amy Tangerine DIE CUT CARDSTOCK SHAPES Plus One	*RESERVE American Crafts Amy Tangerine 12 x 12 PLUS ONE Paper Pad	*American Crafts Amy Tangerine 6 x 6 PLUS ONE Paper Pad	*American Crafts Amy Tangerine WASHI TAPE Plus One
*RESERVE American Crafts Amy Tangerine ELEMENTS Fabric Brads Plus One	*American Crafts Amy Tangerine TEAMMATE Embroidery Stencil Kit Plus One	*American Crafts Amy Tangerine DIE CUT TAGS Plus One	*American Crafts Amy Tangerine COMRADE Embroidery Stencil Kit Plus One
*RESERVE American Crafts Amy Tangerine ATTENDANT Wood Stamps Plus One	*RESERVE American Crafts Amy Tangerine US Tiny Matte Puffy Accent Stickers Plus One	*American Crafts Amy Tangerine FLAIR Adhesive Badges Plus One	*RESERVE American Crafts Amy Tangerine COMPLEMENT Rub-Ons Plus One
*RESERVE American Crafts Amy Tangerine REMARKS Accent & Phrase Stickers Plus One	*American Crafts Amy Tangerine PEN PAL CORRESPONDANT Alphabet Sticker Book Plus One

InLinkz.com

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Tales of a Craft Class Junkie: Camp Scrap 2014

I have to admit it. I am a sucker for just about any class taught by May Flaum. I love watching her process videos. May's style of scrapbooking appeals to me. It confirms that a wonderful page need not be centered around product or technique to make it wonderful. So when I saw May was hosting Camp Scrap again, I signed up.

I have participated in Camp Scrap in previous years. As I watch the videos, I am inspired to get creating. It's not always necessarily the same project May is working on. I just feel the need to create and that's a good thing. I do have to confess that I don't always make it all the way through camp. I am hoping this time will be different for me. I'm off to a good start. I have watched the week one videos and I even made a layout.

Catching Raindrops by Christy Strickler |Supplies Cardstock: Bazzill; Patterned Paper; Pink Paislee; Echo Park; Letters: American Crafts; Sticker, Chipboard: Pink Paislee; Acrylic: Freckled Fawn; Other : Glossy Accents; supplies originally from the JBS Mercantile May Kits

This page is based on a sketch May shared in class. I altered the grid design a bit to accommodate the 4x6 picture of my son reaching for a tree branch. I didn't want to crop this particular photo down to a 4x4 size. Despite the changes I made, the layout came together easily. Especially after watching May create two unique layouts from the same sketch.

I didn't go out to buy new supplies for this class. It's my hope that I can work through some of the many kits I already have on hand. This particular layout came together using scraps from the May JBS Mercantile kits.

This summer, I have limited my class choices in order to focus more on each class. Hopefully this means I am not overcommitted and I can actually finish the classes I have chosen. In addition to Camp Scrap, I will be taking advantage of my Get It Scrapped Membership.How about you? Are you taking any classes this summer?

Supply Options

Oh Deer Me Kit

JBS Mercantile May Artisian Kit

JBS Mercantile May Main Kit

*Ranger Inkssentials GLOSSY ACCENTS Glue Dimensional Adhesive

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Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Welcome July

When I first started scrapbooking, I relied heavily upon sketches. Sketches gave me a working idea of design principles. I learned to adapt the sketch to fit my project while still keeping the fundamentals of the sketch intact. I still enjoy a good sketch today. They are a wonderful form of creative exercise. One of my main sources for sketches are Page Maps. I am extremely thrilled to be a guest designer for Page Maps this month.

For the month of July, JBS Mercantile has teamed up with Page Maps. The inspiration is phenomenal and not to be missed.

The July JBS Mercantile kits are a blend of summer whimsy and patriotic spirit.I loved the flamingo paper and knew the exact photos I wanted to use with it. To add a tropical feel to my layout, I procured a few of the flowers from the June kits.I also used up some of the ready made banners( also from the June Kits).

Last month, I had so much to share. It looks like this month will be no different. How about you? How is your month shaping up? Are you feeling creative?

Supply Options