Two Page Tuesday #3

Hi readers!  Welcome to another installment of Two-page Tuesday.  I'm calling this one version 3.0. 

I just spent the weekend with some of my favorite girlfriends - chatting, eating, laughing and scrapping!  While I wasn't nearly as productive as I've been in year's past, I still have a small pile of pages that I'm excited to share here on the blog in the coming weeks.

This is the first of those pages.  I bought that darling black and white Doodlebug graduation paper because I knew it would be just perfect for documenting my youngest son's preschool commencement.



Supplies used: Doodlebug patterned paper and sequins; Bazzill Cardstock - navy, We R Memory Keepers cardstock - gray; Jillibean Soup polaroid placemat; Love My Tapes black glitter adhesive sheet and black & white polka dot washi tape; Echo Park star die; Simple Stories label sticker; Memories black ink; Other: Silhouette, foam adhesive, computer journaling.

I had seven pictures to include on this two page spread.  In order to fit them all in and still have room for lots of other fun details and important info, I sized the pictures down considerably.  Using Picasa (which you can download for free right here), I put 2 pictures on each 4x6 canvas resulting in a series of 2x3 photos.  With the pictures scaled down, they fit just perfectly within the margins of the Jillibean Soup polaroid placemat paper.

Many of the placemats include cute words and icons that are already diecut into the page.  I simply backed each of those spaces with a coordinating grey cardstock to make them fit in with the rest of the design.

I also reached into my Love My Tapes stash for this page.  In fact, you can view this page on the Love my Tapes blog today. 

I used the black and white mini polka dot tape to give the illusion that several of the polaroids were taped to the page.  I also used LMT's 12x12 glitter adhesive-back sheets to cut a series of diecut stars to accent my page.

Sprinkling the stars by my title and even carrying them to the left page, creates a nice 'frame' on both ends of the layout.  It also draws the readers eye fully across the two pages.

 

Putting together a two page layout doesn't have to be difficult.  Here I've lined everything up very formally and linear.  The addition of cute details, diecut stars, sequins and even a bold title spices up the page and makes it interesting.

 

Thanks for visiting today! 

Pebbles Lakeside cards

Happy Friday, blog readers!  My kiddos and I are going to celebrate the start of the weekend with a trip to the local Y pool this morning.  Wish me luck, chasing three little ones in and out of the water a zillion times.  I won't need to exercise today, this little outing is sure to wear me (and hopefully them, too!) out enough!

Before we head off on our days adventure, I thought I'd share some recent cards I put together using the Lakeside collection from Pebbles.

You might sense a bit of a flower theme when viewing these cards.  In my humble opinion, you can't go wrong with florals, when making a greeting to send to a friend.  Lakeside was the obvious choice for me, when I set out to create these happy cards.  The balance of pretty, colorful wildflowers, against the neutral tones of wood grain and chalkboard just make the flowers pop, and keep them the focus on the design!

Supplies used for all cards: Lakeside 6x6 Paper Pad, Accent Stickers, Chalkboard Stickers, Gift Tags and Chips; Basics collection - Cardmaking Pad and Rhinestone flower; Other- My Mind's Eye enamel dots and wood button, American Crafts twine, Hero Arts gems, Stampin' Up border punch and label die, Fiskars flower petal punch, machine stitching.

Thanks for visiting me today!  I hope you're weekend is as bright and happy as these cards! 

Making a big splash: A Pebbles Layout

The calendar says that tomorrow is the first official day of summer - woohoo!  Lucky for us though, it has felt like summer for a few weeks now!  To make our summer a bit more memorable and meaningful this year, we sat together as a family and created a 'summer bucket list'.  It's a list of activities (some fun, some learning) that we wanted to do together as a family.  We have already marked a number of items off that list - one of which includes: swimming!

At our house, we can't officially call it summer until we've taken that first dip in the swimming pool.  Whether that be our in our backyard kiddie pool, community pool or local water park.  So much time spent splashing in the water provides us with a wealth of pool time photos, by summer's end. 

I mixed and matched items from five different Pebbles collections, to create a bright, happy, summertime feel to this page.  This page is up on the Pebbles blog today along with another fun and bright layout by Emily!

Supplies used: Pebbles - Lakeside Journaling Cards (732245) Lakeside Gift Tags (732235) Lakeside Chips (732241) Love You More Chipboard Robin's Egg Thickers (732190) Love You More Blake (751420) Love You More Jacob (751423) Basics Clothes Pins (747205) Basics Aqua Mini Dot (751365) Party with Amy Locurto Tropical (751450) Party with Amy Locurto Shimmer (751436)Seen & Noted 6x6 Paper Pad (751323); Other: My Mind's Eye enamel dots, American Crafts cardstock, machine stitching, Veteran Typewriter font.

I had this page perfectly planned out in my head, in hopes that it would actually translate just as well when I put paper to glue.  To my surprise, it did - don't you love it when that happens?!?!  Specifically, I had the idea for the splashes surrounding the larger focal point photo.  I didn't have a diecut image that would work, so I free hand cut the droplets out of an array of turquoise colored Pebbles papers.  A few strategically placed enamel dots add a nice detail and more of a 'watery' effect.

 

I can't make a page without out the journaling, as you know!  This little story was one I don't want to forget - so glad I have it documented for my son's book now!  I accented my journaling square with a sun cut from patterned paper and embellished with a button and a sweet little tag from the Lakeside collection.  A small orange paperclip holds all that cuteness into place.

 

 

I'll be back tomorrow with a bit of a peek and maybe even a little giveaway!  I hope you'll join me then!

 

Week of Layouts - Day Four: Summer Memories

All week long on the Pebbles blog, the Design Team has been sharing projects with the new Lakeside collection. 

I probably say this every time Pebbles comes out with something new, but I think the Lakeside collection might be one of my all time favorites! Notably, that very statement is a bit ironic, because I would definitely not consider my family the type to have loads of camping or lake pictures (if any?!???). That just goes to show how very versatile the collection is and that it has elements that just about any scrapper could use. 

I loved all of the summer themed pieces in the line and the fact that they coordinated just great with this photo of my son frolicking in our backyard pool.

Supplies used: Pebbles - Lakeside Summer Camp (751465) Lakeside 6x6 Paper Pad (751473) Lakeside Phrase Stickers (732248) Lakeside Accent Stickers (732249) Lakeside Journaling Cards (732245) Lakeside Gift Tags (732235) Lakeside Chips (732241) Other: Studio Calico wood veneer hearts & journal card, My Mind's Eye enamel dots, Tim Holtz mini paperclip, Fonts - Hootie & Veteran Typewriter.

The gift tags were an instant favorite for me!  I love the brown string that is attached to each one.  But be forewarned, if you try to trim it any shorter it will unravel - I learned the hard way!  DOH! 

The 'summer memories' chipboard arrow not only serves at an embellishment, but as my page title too.  I added one of the new Studio Calico wood veneer hearts on top of it with a glue dot.  Because the colors of the two embellishments are so very close, it creates some fun but subtle texture.

All of the papers I used on this page, other than the background piece, were from the 6x6 paper pad.  I simply pulled them out of the pad and layered them onto my background with hardly any trimming. I added my journaling with an older Studio Calico journaling card and stitched it onto the coral patterned paper to attach it.

I'm not kidding when I say that this page practically scrapped itself! All of the elements in the collection work so seamlessly together!  I can't wait to make many more projects with this line.

 

Thanks for joining me for day four of my 'week of layouts'!  I'll be back tomorrow with, you guessed...another layout!  See you then!

Week of Layouts - Day One: Superheroes

Happy Monday morning blog friends!  In attempts to catch up on some of the many pages I need to get posted on the ole' blog, I'm (hoping!) to bring you a week full of layouts!  Sound fun?!?  Despite the busy nature of this time of year, I've been scrapping away, for both assignments and just for fun, so I have lots to share with you. 

Let's start off the week with a page I did for the Pebbles blog awhile back.  I never got around to sharing this page, mostly because I wanted to wait until I had a chance to finish up a companion page to go along with it. 

Anyone who knows my youngest son knows, beyond a dobut, that he is completely obsessed with anything and everything Batman!  So, when I got my box full of the Pebbles Winter CHA release, and layed eyes the Super Heroes piece of the Party with Amy Locurto collection, it was a no brainer for me to make a page documenting his sweet little obsession!  The fun images and kitschy sayings really added a special detail to the memories and photos of this fun stage in my son's life.

This was the original page that appeared on the Pebbles blog:

Supplies used: Pebbles - Party with Amy Locurto Super Kid (751454), Party with Amy Locurto Pow (751455), Party with Amy Locurto Incredible (751456), Party with Amy Locurto Kaboom (751457), Party with Amy Locurto Round Stickers (732220), Party with Amy Locurto Paper Flowers (732224), Basics Library Cards (747202), Basics Ash Washi Tape (747207), Basics Honeycomb Mini Dot (751377), Basics Ash Triangle Banner Kit (751403); Other - Basic Grey star pin, Bazzill cardstock, Westrim sequins, Fiskars border punch, American Crafts foam adhesive, machine stitching, computer font - Century Gothic.

Since I had so many pictures and of this little guy sporting his Batman gear, I knew I would need to add a second page.  I printed all my pictures at 2"x2" and layed them out in a simple grid pattern.  From that point it was quite easy to fill in the blanks with coordinating patterned papers and other little bits and details - like sequins, washi tape and stamped sentiments.

Here is a look at that two pages, as they will sit together, in his scrapbook.

Thanks for joining me on Day One of my Week of Layouts!  I'll see you tomorrow with another share!

Sketchy Thursday: Pebbles Layout

 

It's Sketchy Thursday over on the Pebbles blog today! I have a layout up based on this fun sketch by Becky Fleck:

 

The large vertical section of floral patterned paper from the sketch, inspired me to pull out some recent spring time pictures I had just printed. These are family pictures we snapped, just this past Easter. 

Image removed for publication.  Be back soon!



Other than switching up the orientation of one of the photos and the placement of the journaling, I stuck pretty closely to the sketch.

 

I used one of the chipboard elements from the Family Ties collection as my title - easy, peasy!

 

Initially I left off the pennant banner, but since that was one of my favorite elements from the sketch, I went digging back into my supplies to try and create my own. I found that the Accent and Phrase stickers from Love You More had sweet little pennant flags that would work just perfectly on my page, when strung along some baker's twine.  A tiny colored clothespin makes everything cuter!

I layered lots of flowers on this page of all mediums - chipboard, diecut, sticker, etc.  I finished most of them off with some hand cut patterned paper leaves.

 

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Fabulous Faves: Pebbles Layout

It's been a loooooooooooooong time since I scrapbooked a page just about me!  Admittedly, I'm often hiding behind the camera and focusing my scrapbook stories on the cute little ramblings, photos and stories of my kids.  However, I had the pleasure of being assigned the Pebbles assignment 'My favorite things' this month.  So I chose to do just that - document MY favorite things on a page all about me.

Supplies used: Pebbles -  Basics Glitter Foam Honeycomb Thickers (732175) Basics Vanilla Rhinestone Flowers (747203) Basics Yellow Rhinestone Flowers (747218) Basics Journaling Cards (751402) Basics Honeycomb Washi Tape (747211) Basics Begonia Pennant Banner (751409) Basics Peoni Mini Dot (751365) Love You More Annie (751414) Party with Amy Locurto Printed Bags (732231) Walnut Grove Nancy (751298) Walnut Grove Eliza Jane (751304) Walnut Grove Mini Clothes Pins (747190) Seen and Noted Take Note(751321) Seen and Noted 6x6 Paper Pad (751323) Seen and Noted Journaling Cards (747194) Seen and Noted Tags and Pockets (747196); Other: Heidi Swapp color magic mist, Tim Holtz butterfly die, Westrim sequins, KI Memories camera stamp, Technique Tuesday Studio AE stamp, Tsukineko black ink, EK Success border punch, Stampin' Up border and heart punch, Veteran Typewriter font, Paper Studio woodgrain embossing folder, misc button.

I couldn't put together a page of my favorites without starting with a current favorite color palette and a pile of beautiful Pebbles supplies.  As you can see from my lengthy supply list, I pulled from many Pebbles collections, both new and old.

 

To ensure that I had plenty of room to journal all of my favorites, I trimmed down and included a pocket from the Seen and Noted collection to hold various journaling cards, tags and other decorative pieces. Before attaching it to the page, I embossed the pocket with a woodgrain embossing folder, and included my title on top - part thickers, part stamps.

 

One of the speech bubbles from the Seen & Noted Take Note paper, acts as my subtitle, and is highlighted by a few gold sequins.  I have been including those Pebbles rhinestone flowers on just about everything lately.  They are a sweet and pretty accent on the yellow block of paper.

 

The design team girls are sharing their favorites all week long on the Pebbles blog.  I hope you'll stop over and see what they've created!  You never know, you just might be inspired to get out of your comfort zone and scrap a page you wouldn't normally! 

 

Thanks for stopping by today!  See you soon!

 

Pebbles 'How To Tuesday'

Have you been as anxious as I have, for the warm, sunny days to arrive?  The date on the calendar now officially states that the start of spring is here, but where I live in the Midwest, we are still waiting on the weather to catch up! 

 

The long wait, has my kids and I longing for warmer days, lots of sunshine and trips to the park, but we have yet to receive any of that despite the fact that the first of spring has come and gone. Therefore, we have been forced to get an early start on our countdown to summer, where we are assured to have the nice weather and sunshine we are dreaming of. 

 

I put together this quick and easy summer countdown board, to help us track the remaining days to summer break, in a fun and festive way.

Supplies used: Pebbles - Party with Amy Locurto Splash (751452), Party with Amy Locurto Tropical (751450), Party with Amy Locurto 12" Printed Vellum Garland (732230), Basics Clothespins (747205), Basics Honeycomb Washi Tape (747211), Other - white cardstock, crochet thread, font - century gothic, IKEA frame.

For step by step pictures and directions, stop by the Pebbles blog to see how I put this fun and simple project together.   Thanks for stopping by!

Walk this way: A Pebbles Layout

Hi friends!  It's Mix and Match Monday over on the Pebbles blog today, which means I pulled out loads of Pebbles goodies both new and old and whipped up a happy little page to share with you!

Mixing and matching Pebbles products across collections is easy as can be! My starting point in creating this page were the sweet pink rhinestone flowers from the Basics collection. Right when I saw them, I was reminded of these pictures of my baby girl in her little track suit with a flower on it, that matched the Basics flowers almost exactly. From there, I matched up some additional patterned papers from Basics, then turned to my other Pebbles collections to tie in the remainder of the color palette from my photos. Seen and Noted has so many great aqua colored prints that I knew would work well on this page. The subtle kraft chevron background is from Walnut Grove, and creates a nice grounding place, with all of the additional bright colors and patterns I have mixed in.

Supplies used: Pebbles - Basics Begonia Chevron (751367), Basics Begonia Mini Dot (751368), Basics Glitter Foam Powder Thickers (732161), Basics Pink Rhinestone Flowers (747219), Walnut Grove Cassandra (751305), Seen and Noted Lots of Love (751315), Seen and Noted Everyday (751318); Other - October Afternoon sticker label, Fiskars arrow and circle punches, computer font, machine stitching.

This cute little label is from an old October Afternoon sticker sheet.  I loved that it gave me the opportunity to add a bit more journaling to the page. 

Another look at those sweet little rhinestone flowers.  I liked them so much, that I nearly used up a whole package of them just on this one page!

 

If the flowers weren't enough, these glitter thickers definitely reinforce the girly theme of the page! 

 

Thanks for stopping by today!  I'll be back soon with more to share!

 

Emme: Pebbles Layout & Giveaway winner!

First things first, the winner of the stack of pretty Bella Blvd Kiss Me collection goodies, from my last post is... STEPHANIE EAKEN!  Congrats, Stephanie and thanks for following my blog!  Email me at jaclynrench@yahoo.com with your shipping info, so I can get your prize in the mail to you!


Admittedly, I am a rather S-L-O-W scrapper.  It typically takes me 3-4 hours or an evenings sitting to complete a scrapbook page.  Last week I was assigned to  'Whip it up Wednesday' over on the Pebbles blog, which involves 'whipping' up a project in around 30 minutes or less.  As you can assume, this presented me with a bit of a challenge, but I was up for it!   

The first step in tackling this challenge was to take out my square punch and a variety of papers from the Walnut Grove collection. Once I had my stack of pretty squares, it took me only a minute or two to lay out a beautiful over-sized photo mat, that mimics the look of a cozy, worn quilt. Attaching the squares was quick and easy, once I had the first in place to use as a guide. I then chose to add some stitching to make that backdrop look even more quilt-like, but that step could certainly be skipped to save on time. 

 

Supplies used: Pebbles - Walnut Grove Harriet (751294), Walnut Grove Caroline (751295), Walnut Grove Nellie (751297), Walnut Grove Nancy (751298), Walnut Grove Grace (751303), Walnut Grove Laura (751300), Walnut Grove Carrie (751302), Walnut Grove Eliza Jane (751304), Walnut Grove Accent and Phrase Stickers (732119), Tricks and Treats Black Glitter Foam Thickers (732135), Sunny Side Dimensional Flowers (747184); Other: American Crafts kraft cardstock, Veteran Typewriter font, machine stitching.

The next step was to turn to my stash of Thickers and pretty Pebbles stickers to add my title and a few specifically placed embellishments. Four strips of journaling around the outer perimeter of the photo mat, complete the page, and believe or not (I could hardly believe it myself!) my page was done in just under 30 minutes!

 

Sometimes a challenge is just the right creativity booster - it certainly was for me!  In fact, I enjoyed this challenge so much I shared it with some of my favorite scrapbooking friends on a recent scrapbooking trip, and we all tried our hand at 30 minute layouts. I'll be back soon to share my results!

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Love is in the air: Pebbles Layout

In keeping with the love theme from my last post, I have another heart-filled page to share with you today.  This week the theme over on the Pebbles blog is "Love is in the air".

Supplies used: Pebbles - Family Ties Journaling Cards, Family Ties 6x6 paper pad, Family Ties Grandfather paper, Walnut Grove Eliza Jane paper, Walnut Grove James paper, Walnut Grove Dimensional Stickers, Walnut Grove 6x6 paper pad, Seen & Noted Journaling Cards, Seen & Noted 6x6 paper pad, Seen & Noted ABC stickers, Sunny Side Bouncy paper, Sunny Side Happiness paper, Sunny Side Tickled Pink paper; Other: Buttons, Twine and Cardstock - American Crafts, Gems - Doodlebug, Mist - October Afternoon, Vellum - The Paper Company, Epoxy dots - My Mind's Eye; machine stitching, computer font.

 

As you can see from my page, I interpreted this week's theme quite literally into my project. 'Love is in the air' immediately made me think of floating hearts and my sweet four year old boy who is always reminding me that he loves me! 

I ran with those ideas by grabbing a recent favorite photo of him and turning to my pile of Pebbles scraps, to start cutting and punching a variety of hearts. 

This page features paper and products from four different collections, but stays unified through the heart shape and color palette. 

 

I 'love' how this page turned out, and am especially glad to have documented this sweet little personality trait of my youngest son.

 

Thanks for stopping by today!  Don't forget about my *GIVEAWAY* from Tuesday's post - I'll be drawing a winner on Sunday evening.

 

A Perfect Day: Pebbles Layout

I'm back again today with another two page layout!  If your a fan of the 2 pager, be sure to check out all the posts on the Pebbles blog last week for LOADS of inspiration.  The theme was "Make Mine a Double", and the Design Team has shared so many fun two page spreads.  I had a layout go up on the blog on Thursday.

Sometimes a two page layout can be a daunting task, as you try to coordinate and balance each page individually and as a whole. If a two page layout is needed, and I'm struggling to make it work, I usually go for a grid style approach. This creates a more manageable formula for plugging in your pictures, papers, journaling and embellishments. For this page, my focal photo is sized at 6x4. I sized my supporting photos at 3x3 inches, and reached for my stack of Journaling and Phrase cards from the Seen & Noted and Family Ties collections. I then trimmed the selected the cards down to match my photo size and plugged them in to the spaces left behind by the picture collage. With the formal design process out of the way, I then had the freedom to play and embellish with all the final stickers, bits and details.




Supplies used: Pebbles - Family Ties Journaling Cards (751357) Family Ties Paper Pad (751360)  Family Ties Accent & Phrase Stickers (732148) Walnut Grove Dimensional Stickers (747188) Walnut Grove Accent & Phrase Stickers (732119) Seen & Noted Phrase Cards (747195) Seen & Noted Journaling Cards (747194) Seen & Noted Paper Pad (751323) Seen & Noted Accent and Phrase Stickers (732128)Seen & Noted Memories (751314); Other: October Afternoon Sprinkler in Doilies, Sequins - Darice, Kraft Cardstock - American Crafts, Tim Holtz Distress Ink, machine stitching, computer font, foam adhesive, crochet thread.

For this page, my focal photo is sized at 6x4". I sized my supporting photos at 3x3 inches, and reached for my stack of Journaling and Phrase cards from the Seen & Noted and Family Ties collections, to fill in the blank spots on the grid.  I then trimmed the selected the cards down to match my photo size and plugged them in to the spaces left behind by the picture collage. With the formal design process out of the way, I then had the freedom to play and embellish with all the final stickers, bits and details.

Here's a closer look at page one, of the spread.

 

and page two...

 

I love cutting out the little banner style words from the journaling cards, attaching them to a little stick and turning them into a flag.  A little string bow adds the perfect touch!

 

I mixed in flower chipboard and stickers from Walnut Grove, Seen and Noted and Family ties.  A little red sequin here and there, adds a fun bit of sparkle!

 

The chipboard tree from Family Ties was the perfect compliment to these park pictures - it begged to be included somewhere! ;)

I have been scrapbooking up a storm, but unfortunately can't share much of what I've done yet.  Soon!  Hoping to sneak in some more time in my craft space on this snowy, cold day.  Hope you get to do the same!  Thanks for stopping by!

Pebbles: Holiday Hostess Gift Set

This time of year bring about so many opportunities for giving and gifting.  With that in mind, I always attempt to have a few hostess gifts on hand, for last minute parties or gatherings.  I thought a set of handmade tags, garland and bows would make a nice little gift set, since gift wrapping is something most everyone does this time of year! 

 

For a festive approach to this project, I dug into my Pebbles stash and pulled out several of the red and green patterned papers I had, alongside some neutrals and a splash of light pink. I put my holiday punches and diecut machines to work to add 'a little Christmas' to this project, that otherwise uses not a stitch of holiday themed product. I love how all of these simple gift accessories look all packaged up in a cute reused embellishment box.  And of course, I HAD to decorate the cover too!  Gotta make it pretty!

 

Pebbles Supplies used: Walnut Grove 6x6 Paper Pad (751307) Walnut Grove Clothes Pins (747190) Walnut Grove Accent & Phrase Stickers (732119) Walnut Grove Carrie (751302) Walnut Grove Grace (751303) Walnut Grove Harriet (751294) Walnut Grove Corrugated Kraft Thickers (732122) Walnut Grove Corrugated Crimson Thickers (732123) Walnut Grove Corrugated Black Thickers (732134) Seen & Noted Checklist (751320) Seen & Noted 6x6 Paper Pad (751323) Sunnyside Sprout (751281) Sunnyside Clear Stamps (747183) Let Freedom Ring Samuel Adams (751259) Coordinating Cardstock Dark Kraft (71563) Coordinating Cardstock Leaf (71052) Coordinating Cardstock Crimson (71029), Other: Hero Arts dots, Doodlebug pink doodletwine, American Crafts buttons, Martha Stewart snowflake punch, Cricut, crochet thread, Stampin Up ink, foam adhesive, machine stitching, glitter

Here's a look at the contents of the package with the lid removed...

Paper bows seem to be showing up often in the paper crafting world.  There are several tutorials for creating your own.  I just drew up a simple pattern myself, in order to customize the size of the finished bows to fit within my box.  I added a couple simple embellishments to each one to finish them off.

 

What is a package without a tag?  There must be a place to write the 'to' and 'from'.  Again, I used some simple drawn patterns (the holly leaves), punches (snowflake) and cricut cuts (poinsettia) with pretty Pebbles paper to craft these beauties.  Add a little bit of baker's twine to the top and they are ready to add your sentiment and attach to a package or gift bag.

To make this simple but pretty paper garland, I got out my circle punch and went to town punching scraps of the different papers I had already used.  To attach them simply feed them through your sewing maching one by one.  I wrapped the whole string of them around a coordinating piece of cardstock and held it all together with one of the Walnut Grove wooden clothespins.  It makes a simple but sweet presentation, don't you think?

 

And lastly, a couple of 'for you' tags which tie all of the elements together.

 

I plan to pair this sweet little gift set with a roll of kraft wrapping paper to make the gift complete.

 

Thanks for stopping by today!  Hope your holiday season is and continues to be very merry!