Quick Card

I find myself needing to craft in order to find some serenity. It seems like when I need scrapbooking therapy the most, I don’t have the time to create a layout. It’s at those time that I reach for a smaller canvas in the form of a card.

Today’s card was really a chance to play with a die set that I hadn’t used yet. I ordered a flower set a while back. It was long enough ago, that apparently I’ve ordered two different flower sets since without realizing I had this set from Altenew. Evidently, I’ve been in the mood for flowers.

I pulled out some old cardstock from DCWV to see how the dies would work with a thick textured cardstock. I honestly wasn’t sure it would work. Surprise! It cut beautifully. The color was a little one dimensioned, so I also reached for my distress inks. I began with the magenta flower, and quickly realized that the dark color doesn’t allow the ink to show well at all. The pinkish coral flower took the ink beautifully. I love how it enhances the layers to make the flower more realistic. I will definitely be working with lighter colored papers in the future in order to get the best effect.

Once the flowers were made, I had to figure out what to do with them. I purchased some patterned card bases not too long ago, and found a black and white polka dot that I liked. The black and white really shows off the bright cheeriness of the flowers. I did create a resting place using some green, yellow, and black scraps from my stash. I also had a few leaves that were already stamped, colored, and cut out from an earlier project. 

That just left me with trying to figure out a sentiment. Lately, I’ve been reaching for some preprinted sentiment banners. They are so quick and easy… and I got them on sale. My only problem was that this one said, “are so loved.” That sentence needed a “You” to go with it. Luckily, I had a bright pink “you” in my stash that was just the right size.

There were a lot of premades and shortcuts in this card, and I still got the satisfaction of creating something I love. A project doesn’t have to be big and complicated in order to feed my creative soul. I think it’s time to try another unused die set and see what I can make out of it.

Christmas Layout Retro Style

Sometimes I need to just break out the old supplies and get them on a page. When I say old, well, most of these supplies are hovering around a decade old. I don’t purge a lot of supplies, but I also don’t want to hoard them. So, every once in a while I dig into the ancient pieces and show them a little love.

My photo of our sweet Dakota was the jumping off point for this layout. I knew that I was going to stay with the brown, green, and red color scheme. I didn’t want a stark white background, so I found this old graph paper print. Then it was time to hit the scraps. The brown plaid block is a large scrap that originated from a paper stack I bought about 15 years ago. I added the smooth cranberry cardstock. Then I found some smaller scraps for the vertical banners that featured my chosen colors. This was a little more targeted. I had that lovely larger poinsettia print. From there, I chose a smaller floral print as well as the plain green cardstock to help balance it out.

I also chose mostly older embellishments, though there are a few less retro elements. The gold puffy stickers, as well as the cute little wood veneer birds were purchased in the last couple of years. I will admit that I am a bit all over the place with this one. I incorporated stars, poinsettias, birds, holly, a flower, and a snowflake. As long as it coordinated with the color scheme, I just went with it. The one thing I wish I could undo is a rub-on that I used along the side of the photo. I like it towards the top, but beneath the birds, it looks like I spilled something on the page.

It feels good to get a layout completed and get some older items out of my stash. Most importantly, I documented this photo of my sweet Dakota. Though she’s been gone for years, we still miss her. She was my husband’s beautiful girl. She had a guarded approach to the world. Every new situation was examined with careful intelligence. Our girl deserves to be remembered. I think this page accomplished that.

Another Simple Page

I am at a point where my creativity is just gone. My life has never been as stressful as it is right now. Scrapbooking is still an escape for me, it’s just a rare escape. With time so limited, I can’t do anything elaborate. As a result, I’m only putting together formulaic pages or cards. You know what? That’s okay. I get to enjoy a little scrapbooking therapy while getting something done.

This page is just a series of horizontal strips of paper. I included one large box to contain the photos, and then some paper scraps to add interest and fill up the space. Does it even get easier than this?

I have to admit that I’m really starting to have trouble finishing my Disney World scrapbook. I started with the photos I loved. Now that I am near the end, I am left with the photos that I want to scrap, but are either less exciting to me, or more difficult to use. In this case I have two photos from the Festival of the Arts that I love, but the colors and styles are all over the place. I decided on orange and blue to match my husband’s shirts. A good dark navy was a nice starting spot for a background. Then I used an orange paper that had been in my stash forever. At that point, it was time to sort through my scraps. All of the smaller paper strips came from the scrap bin. 

This really went together quickly because there isn’t much thought behind it. I did put the photos over towards the left side by just a smidge. I wanted to leave room for an embellishment cluster on the right. I really love how the balloons feature both a navy and orange balloon to go with my color scheme. I added an orange border at the bottom, but it needed a little bit more. I added the twine at the bottom to give one more layer of blue as well as some texture. I wanted my title to go diagonally across the page and the perfect navy chipboard pieces for it. After that, I just added a few hearts, a couple of dots, and the happy little flags puffy sticker.

Disney Tip: The Festival of the Arts at Epcot was absolutely worth the trip for us. We loved the artwork, living statues, and music.

Fast Fun

This layout was so much fun and came together really quickly. I love pretty much everything about it. How often do I say that?

As I often do, I began with a sketch. This one from Splitcoaststampers was my starting point. I don’t have any affiliation with them, but they have some great sketches. I really just love how easy of a sketch this is to use. You know I love a sketch that allows me to use up scraps.

When I first saw these photos, I wasn’t sure how I was going to make a layout work with all of the colors. There is seriously a lot going on there. Instead of trying to offset it with a neutral or monochromatic approach, I leaned into the traditional Disney color palette. I chose a light blue cardstock as my background in order to soften some of the busy papers and phots. I purposely chose only polka dot scraps for the papers to the right of the photos. I also used the striped paper as a quarter inch border. I love a diagonal stripe border.

With so much going on in the photos and paper, I wanted to make the embellishments fairly simple. I first decided upon the white stars, inspired from the Slinky Dog Dash photo. That led me to the happy little star border that I used at the bottom. I also found a car sticker that worked so well with the theme of the page. I didn’t like the clean angle between the top photo and the yellow polka dot paper next to it. That balloon cluster brad was just perfect. Do you see the balloons in the Slinky Dog photo? It was meant to be.

This page is so whimsical and fun. Better yet, it was incredibly simple to make. I’m tempted to show my age and quote The A-Team. ”I love it when a plan comes together.”

Unremarkable Photos

I am a terrible photographer. There are both creative and skill issues with my pictures. I just don’t have an eye for what makes great photos. When you add shaky hands into the mix, well, you end up with a subpar product. And… I haven’t learned how to edit photos. I know I could definitely improve my layouts if I just took the time to beef up my software knowledge. Alas… maybe someday.

That’s how I wound up with these washed up photos with very little color. To be fair, you are looking at alligators (or maybe crocodiles) in a mostly concrete enclosure. So, there isn’t a lot of splashy color to be had in this particular scene. I honestly almost didn’t scrapbook these photos. I had a couple of very cute alligator embellishments which were just demanding to be put on a page. So, here we are.

I knew green would be my main color thanks to the embellishments. I immediately gravitated towards the leaf paper. I adore that leaf paper. Things went downhill a bit from there. I just didn’t have the right green to match that paper. Still, I decided to push through and use the green polka dot, even though it wasn’t a perfect match. It’s pretty subdued, and I decided it was maybe neutral enough to be used. I then pulled in an aqua scrap to balance the aqua in the “Welcome Explorers” cut apart.

The layout is pretty basic. I trimmed up one of my photos so that it was a 4×4. With the cut apart, that left me two 4×6 blocks and two 4×4 blocks. The aqua pieces needed to be diagonal from each other in order to create balance. I do like the leaves paper to the side with the rounded corners. It has the bones for a decent layout.

So where did this layout go sideways? Well, as I mentioned, the colors don’t quite work together. My greens are all over the place because I just didn’t have greens that matched. (How can that happen? I have a room full of paper and embellishments. How are there no matching greens?) Now that it’s photographed, I can see one other issue. The photos and the paper blocks should have had brown mats. It would have helped tie the whole thing together.

Though I won’t tear this layout apart, it isn’t my favorite. I think I am mostly disappointed because it had so much potential. I mean, the alligator elements are adorable. The leaf paper is gorgeous. The rest is just… meh.

Simple… Maybe Too Simple

I may be giving my age away when I say that the riverboat in Disney World (and Land) is one of my favorite rides. This is where I go when I need a break from all of the chaos and crowds. It’s so relaxing to float down the river, see the sights, and do a little people watching. The cherry on top? There’s never a wait, except for the time it takes for the boat to return. Yes, it is truly my happy place.

Of course I needed to make a layout chronicling one of my absolutely favorite experiences. The starting point for this layout was actually that little “Adventures Await” card. I knew I wanted to use it with my riverboat photos. So, using the colors from the boat on the card, I chose my papers. This layout only called for two patterned papers, a cardstock background, and colored cardstock to mat the cut-aparts and create my Mickey embellishments. That blue polka-dot paper is from a paper pad that I think I bought back in 2006 o 2007.

I used a sketch because two-pagers are my kryptonite. In this case, I chose a sketch designed for 5 photos even though I only had 4. I used the journal card in place of the fifth photo. (That’s a great way to get journaling cards or cut-aparts out of you stash and onto a page!) I liked the simplicity of the layout. I also liked that I didn’t need multiple sheets of the same patterned paper. I usually only buy one of each, so I sometimes have trouble with two-page layouts. This layout did make me fudge a little bit since I had very little paper left for the right hand side of the page. I wish I had just a tad bit more patterned paper to fill out that side a little more.

Once the papers and photos were placed, I had quite a bit of room for embellishment. Sadly, I didn’t have a great plan. The first thing I did was place the cute little riverboat card. I knew I wanted it at a slight angle. I also knew I wanted to sprinkle a few small items around it. My enamel dots seemed too small. Then I realized it was the perfect opportunity to use my Mickey head dies. So I found a good sized blue scrap and started cutting Mickeys. Though the scrap was a little small for what I wanted, I cheated a bit. You see those partial heads? I didn’t have enough paper to cut entire heads. In this case, it didn’t matter because I only needed a bit to peek out. Then I sorted through my Disney die-cuts. I found a few to help fill in the left hand side, including one that could be used as a title. I decided to also use the gold stars that I had left.

I do have some mixed feelings. The page on the right has a bit too much white space for my liking, but it also gives a nice visual break. The page on the left is pretty busy due to the patterned papers. Maybe they balance each other out. I honestly do love the Mickey heads and the riverboat card. So, overall this is a win for me.

Disney tip: If you are going to do Disney, make sure you take breaks either inside or outside of the park. For me, the riverboat is a little slice of calm. Some people prefer the air conditioning of indoor attractions such as Living with the Land in Epcot, or having a sit down meal. I also recommend taking a midday break if you want to be in the park at rope drop and closing. We took the opportunity to enjoy our resort during the busy afternoon hours. It allowed us to hit the parks refreshed in the evening.

Pandora Love

I apologize for the long gap between posts. My life first got busy, and then it got impossible. Without getting into too many details… hug the ones you love. A life can be upended in a moment, and you won’t ever see it coming.

Now onto a more uplifting topic… scrapbooking the places I love. This layout was done quite some time ago. Though I can see some issues as I look at the layout now, I still love this basic format. What I really love about this layout is that not only did I get to use up scraps, but I got to use some old embellishments as well. This is really proof that old products can make for pretty nice layouts.

Let’s talk about the papers first. Other than the white cardstock, the other full sheet of paper used was the Webster’s Pages scalloped paper that peeks out at the top and bottom. I’ve had that piece in my stash for well over a decade. Even though you only see a bit of it, I was happy to get it onto a layout. All of the other papers were pulled from my scrap bin. I just rummaged through looking for browns, greens, and yellows. I didn’t have quite enough scraps in the right colors, so I added in a bit of ribbon as well.

The embellishments for this page are mostly ancient. I’ve had those butterflies for 10-15 years. I still love them so much. The Prima flowers are quite old as well. I did sneak in a couple of flowers that I made with punches because I didn’t have all of the colors I wanted. I dressed them all up with clear gems so that they would mesh well together. The only new items are the flower and word stickers. (Oh, and when I say new, those released 2 years ago.) I think those are from Vicki Boutin’s Fernwood collection. I did cut out the “Love” from a die I bought on Etsy. (I love that die.)

The basic layout of this makes my frugal self swoon. I can grab all of the odds and ends of paper strips that I’m often left with after using most of a paper. I refuse to throw them out. The best part is that this isn’t symmetrical. The strips on the left don’t line up with the strips on the right. That means I can mix and match to my heart’s content. I also have a decent stash of ribbon that has been sitting for years that can be incorporated into the design. It’s just the perfect design for busting scraps.

Disney tip: If you get the chance, visit Pandora both during the day and at night. In the daylight, you can appreciate all of the amazing details. This land is immersive. As a plant enthusiast, I loved seeing how realistic they made the environment. At night, the place literally glows. It’s a whole different incredible experience.

The Scariest Ride of All

What is the scariest ride in all of Disney World? Is it Tower of Terror? Could it be the speed and thrills of Expedition Everest? Maybe Haunted Mansion provides endless chills? No, none of those are correct. The real answer is Small World. Not only is a person subjected to that song for 14 minutes, but then you have to contend with all of those creepy dolls. That’s right, graves and ghouls are far less frightening than being surrounded by hundreds of dancing dolls. *shiver*

You may be asking why in the world (pun intended) would I ride It’s a Small World if it gives me the willies. I went for two reasons. First, my husband had never been to a Disney park, and this is a rite of passage. For the record, he will never go on this ride again, and I’m not sad about it. This also happens to be one of my mom’s favorite rides. She wasn’t there, and she isn’t a fan of Disney, but it just felt like the right thing to do. I remember her taking photos inside Small World when I was 5 years old. This page is for her.

This page was incredibly fun to make, despite my feelings towards this particular attraction. It all started with the multi-color pastel paper that was inspired by this ride. I pulled a bunch of scraps in green, aqua, and pink that matched. You know how I love scrap busting layouts. The design of this page definitely fits the bill.

As always with a two page layout, I started with a sketch. I picked this particular sketch because I only had one piece of that fantastic Small World paper. This sketch allowed me to stretch it across both pages. I was able to fill the rest of the area with strips of papers from my scrap bin. I also like how the single photo on the right side doesn’t look out of place. Despite being offset, it’s a fairly balanced layout. I loved how the sketch called for rounded corners of the paper strips. It softens the page a bit.

With papers chosen, cut, and glued, it was time for embellishing. Here’s the thing. The papers on this layout make it REALLY busy looking. There are various polka dots, stripes, geometric designs, and even a leaf pattern. I couldn’t add much without making it completely overwhelming. I started by making those three flowers from pastel cardstock and a couple of dies. An enamel dot finishes up each simple flower. Why did I choose flowers? If you have been through this attraction, you will notice that many of the decorations inside look like paper flowers cut out by children. With that, I added a couple of brads. That finished up the “empty” space on the right side of the layout. There wasn’t much room on the left side. I did place a couple of stickers that include the Small World facade and the little boat with flags.

Once the page was complete, I was ecstatic. And then a scrapbooker’s nightmare happened. I had this layout sitting on the table to photograph once it was sunny again. My dear husband brought in his dirty trail camera and sat it on my layout. When I saw it, I moved the camera to find dirt had scattered all over my layout. To say I was upset, was an understatement. The damage seemed to be mostly on the white cardstock. I ordered a sand eraser and attempted to “erase” the dirt spots. That resulted in damaged paper with slightly lighter brown spots. Finally, I took a deep breath and looked at it critically. The spots were spread out and could be covered. And that is how this layout wound up with sequins as well.

Lessons learned from this trip and experience: It’s a Small World was still as torturous as I remembered it being 20 years ago. Karma is real. Making my husband ride this ride resulted in a dirt spotted layout. If you are going to go on this ride, do so in California. The original is definitely the best version,

Pandora

I don’t often do two page layouts. I make even fewer pocket pages. So why did I decide on this design? Well, I had six photos that belonged together to properly celebrate our first peek at Pandora. I obviously couldn’t fit six 4×6 photos on a single layout and include any pretty papers or embellishments. I also wanted to save a bit of time, so the pocket page came into play.

My first choice to make was on how to split up the photographs. I finally settled on the two pictures of me at the very entrance to Pandora on one page, and the view deeper inside where the drum show takes place. That helped determine which photos would be featured on the pocket page as well. I honestly love the way this 2 photo/4 photo split worked.

Next, it was time to pick papers. In this case, I started by delving into the few 4×6 cut-aparts in my stash. When I saw the tree branch, I knew that was it. Is there a better way to celebrate a land that is so plant-centric? I think not. That one card determined the color scheme for the whole layout. I love the greens and teals. That led me to that green floral that I used at the top of the layout. The bottom card in the pocket page was made using the backside of that paper and part of another 4×6 card that I needed to trim down. (It was designed to be vertical, so I had to remove some wording.) One paper from my scraps to make a banner, and I was ready to create.

As much as I normally hate embellishing, I REALLY hate embellishing pockets. That being said… this page was SO MUCH FUN! I had some 49 and Market laser cut pieces that I wasn’t sure how I would use. They just happen to be in the perfect colors for this layout. On the main page I layered up various flowers and leaves. The addition of a couple of butterflies and some sequins made the page almost perfect. I just didn’t like the straight line of the green paper at the top of the page. Luckily, I found some ricrac that matched perfectly. For the cards, I just placed a butterfly and sequins on the top card. The bottom features a flower, sequins, and the ricrac along with the title. That was it! Super simple!

This is seriously one of my favorite 2 page layouts. I don’t normally credit products for encouraging the creative process, but I will this time. Because I’ve never used laser cut pieces, and they weren’t my style, it gave me a new found freedom. I didn’t feel the need to be frugal. I didn’t have any preconceived notions. I just went for it. Sometimes it’s good to step outside of your comfort zone. It was a beautiful experiment.

Animal Kingdom tip: People rush to Pandora in the morning to get on Flight of Passage. Though we arrived before park opening, we stopped and got some coffee. We people watched as the line stretched out waiting for rope drop. Once the crowd was gone, and we were done with our coffee, we meandered towards Pandora. See those empty walkways? We were able to enjoy all of the little details because we didn’t rush. The parks are more than just the rides. Take time to enjoy the details.

Almost There

It was time to return to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I don’t have many photos left to scrapbook from our trip. Unfortunately, I have quite a bit of paper left from the Witches and Wizards paper collection left. So, despite my photos not having any of the colors of the collection, I’m using it anyway. (I think that may be why I am struggling with this collection. The colors match Hogwart’s house colors, but not necessarily the colors at Universal Studios.)

Still, I am stubborn and determined to use up as much of this collection as I can. So, I pulled out the burgundy and gold papers to use as the strips along the bottom. I also chose the matching cardstock background. Another pattern would have just been way too busy. (I did cheat and used some cardstock to mat the photos that wasn’t from the collection.)

Next, I went through the die-cut pack. Again, I have to point out that there are very few icons in die-cut packs these days. Can we please return to shapes rather than a zillion word and phrase pieces? Sometimes you can’t just fight the inevitable, so I picked three phrase die-cuts in my color scheme. I placed one in each of my embellishment clusters.

The clusters form a rough triangle around the photos. I made a large cluster with a number of journaling cards. (So happy to get those out of my stash.) The medium cluster was simply a paper scrap cut into a banner. The smallest cluster was just a small tab sticker. Each cluster included the phrase die-cut and wood veneer or chipboard stars. (I really should have made sure there were a few of each kind of star in every cluster. Clearly, that was not well thought out.)

The final touch (as usual) was the title. This time, I decided against creating a title from an alphabet set. Instead, I found some word Thickers that matched my photos. You can see my niece and I taking our first look at the Wizarding World in Universal Studios Orlando. We truly enjoyed wandering around and taking in the sights. If you decide to go, get there early! As you can imagine, this is the most popular spot in the park.