52 Sketches 52 Weeks

We're sponsoring the sketch over at 52 Sketches 52 Weeks this week.

Stop by and check out the cool sketch!



The prize is one of our sold out June kits!

Greetings!

Are you all excited for the JUNE kit? It is SO full of bright colors -- all summery and warm. I went through my photos and found one of my family on vacation in Uruguay in 1989 at a famous beach -- perfect for this month's kit.

However, when I went to put on the title, I noticed -- OF COURSE -- that I was out of the letter "T" and the letter "S". So, I had to get creative. This was from a sticker alphabet from a kit last year. I took the sticker outline of the letters "T" and "S" and placed them (very carefully, and lightly) where I wanted the letters in my title. I then traced the letters in pencil and pulled up the sticky outline -- does that make sense?

I then used my black markers and colored in the shape of the letter. I took this photo up close and you can kind of tell that the "T" and "S" are a little different, but in the picture of the whole LO, you really can't tell -- and behind the plastic page protector -- you really can't tell!

Just another quick idea on how to make those sticker alphabets go further when you are missing letters! Although, I wish alphabet manufacturers would get it already and make TONS of extra "T"s, "S"s, and "E"s!!!! :) Here is the whole LO to enjoy! Happy JUNE to you all!

Need something "scrappy" to read?

I came across this book in my local library quite by fate...I wasn't looking for it at all. And would you believe that it has a scrapbooking theme???

& come to find out it is a series!!! Looks like there are 4 books, so I have 3 more to go!!! The 1st book in the series is the one I read: Sisters, Ink by Rebeca Seitz.

Here are a few reviews:

"Excellent! A fabulous story of romance and family ties!" - Stacy Julian, founding editor, Simple Scrapbooks magazine

"I don't know much about scrapbooking-edgers, brads and all those doodads-but I do know a good story when I see one. And that's what Rebeca Seitz delivers with this tale of faith, romance, and four sisters' shared love of scrapbooking. A delightful combination!" - Tamara Leigh, Author of Splitting Harriet and Perfecting Kate

You can find info about this book here on Amazon.

I encourage you to find this book! It was so easy to read! Have a great Friday! Take care!

The Same Picture Over and Over

Well, I hope everyone is having a wonderful week. I have been exhausted all week long. When it gets this close to school getting out, and I know that in only a few more days I will not have to get up and rush to get 5 children dressed, and then drive to 4 schools to drop them off....I think it just makes me tired :) We are ready for summer around here.

I discovered a technique recently that I am in LOVE with. I really enjoy using multiple photos on a layout. Sometimes I have a hard time incorporating the different photos into a layout. I always try to stick with the same occasion, or event, but every once in a while I do not take enough pictures. I will end up with 2 or 3 that I love and want to scrap. A while back, I saw a layout which included one picture used a few times. So, it gave me an idea, I decided to do a layout with one picture that I really liked, and printed it out as wallet sizes. Here is what I came up with.

I loved the way that it turned out, and the 4 pictures together ended up being just a tad larger than a 4 x 6 photo, but wow what a difference it makes. Now, do you want to see the little felt bird again from Sassafras? I do...it's so adorable :)

What about this little guy???? They are in the May kit!! How cute are they??


I hope that you will give this a try. I think you will really like the results. I will see y'all back here next week! Have a wonderful weekend.

It's all in the details!

I find that adding little details on a layout can really make a difference and add interest. For example, on the layout below, I could have left the tree branch on which the owl sits as is, but I decided to add interest to the branch, so I cut out leaves and tucked them underneath the branches. This gives a little extra touch that makes that branch even more fun and cute.



I hope that this has inspired you to add little details to your layouts. Happy Scrapping!

Mélanie

A Little JULY Sneaky Peek

Tip: Use the white space on your photos

One of my favourite things to do is use white space on my pictures for my title or an embellishment. Don't be afraid to overlap. You can also use it for your journaling, either using your computer (like I did on the second layout you see here) or your handwriting (you'll need to use a pen for slick surfaces like American Crafts' Slick Writer, Sakura Identi-Pen or Uni-Ball Signo).

This layout was made using the June kit. I added the chipboard letters from my stash.


This is an older layout, a few years old.

tip of the day....e

Happy Memorial day!  I hope that you are spending it with friends and loved ones!  For my tip today it's sort of simple, but fun all the same.   I loved this pattern paper but it was in pieces, what to do?  I put them as close as I could on top of my card, then covered up the edges with my jewels, my card, and flower.

  So, the next time you have paper you love don't throw it out piece it together!

Oh, so you know this is a sneak of the June kit! :)  Enjoy!

Take a Look...

The full June kit, Amusement Park, reveal is up!
Here's a look at a couple more layouts I created with this kit.
Hope you are looking forward to this kit!

Still creating with the May kit!

I am so happy with the number of layouts & projects that I have been able to create using the May Kit! & with a little bit of "planning ahead" I have another layout to share today!

In one of my very first posts on this blog, I shared a layout where I used a small piece of Fancy Pants Delight Spice...but I cut it out of the center of the pp, rather than cutting a piece out of the edge. My thought was that hopefully I could use what was left as the base of another layout....



& yes, I chose a photo of my son that really inspired me to create this layout. He was actually taking a break from mowing and I caught him in this "thinking" pose, and it got me to thinking about him...lately I have been doing a lot of wondering about my sons; where will they end up? what will they do? that sort of thing...maybe it is because they are getting older and it seems like you blink & they are gone... :0(

So here is "WHO WILL YOU BE"



This layout came together so easily...like I didn't even have to try! The patterned papers in this kit coordinate so well; so you can get busy creating rather than deciding...so here is what I used from the May Kit:

Fancy Pants Delight Spice, Cards & Strips
Pebbles Inc. Patchwork (just the bottom strip that is pp, which is so cool-no waste!)
Fancy Pants Delight Rubons
Sassafrass Perchers Felties (these are so stinkin' cute!)
Sassafrass packaging (I used the packaging to create the scallop circle with my Cuttlebug)

& from my stash: Label Buddy, date stamp, Stampin' Up ink, journaling pen, sand paper & machine stitching

Thanks for stopping by today! & have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

A Tag For You!

It must be Thursday, because I'm back :) I love making tags. You can use tags for gifts, as cards, or even putting them on your layouts. They are so versatile, and really...they are so much fun to make *giggle*
This tag was something I created, thinking I could use this for a summer birthday. Unfortunately, I didn't photograph the back. The tag was made on top of a Bazzill Chipboard Tag, so on the back you have plenty of room to write out your special sentiments.
Everything on the tag (other than the Chipboard) came from the May Kit.
I also want for you to notice the Jenni Bowlin tag. I love to cut these in half. I can't leave anything just the way it is :) But I usually use them for decoration more so than journaling, and I am able to stretch my money out by doing so.
So go and try to make some tags. You can use the same things that you use on layouts. I think you will be happily surprised by the results.


I hope you have a fantastic day, and I will see you back here next Thursday :)

Handmade Embelishments

I really enjoy making my own embelishments. So far I've made flowers out of ribbon, cork and layered paper. I recently tried working with tissue paper and created the pink flower on the layout below. It was pretty easy to do, I layered different sizes of circles, crumpled them up a bit and pressed in the center for the button. I really enjoy the end product. Tissue paper is really fun to work with and versatile too, it comes in so many colors that the possibilities are endless. I think I will shortly try making pleated ribbon with tissue paper. Do you enjoy making your own page decorations? What is your favorite thing to do?

Happy Scrapping!

Mélanie

When in doubt... Use Stickles and pop-dots!

Hello everyone! Here is a layout I made using the sold out May kit. First off, let me tell you how happy this yellow-with-white-dots American Crafts paper makes me! My friends will attest to this: I have said that more than once! :)

This kit is so bright and fun! Yet, I managed to make what I feel is a soft and peaceful layout with it. Don't be afraid of colour!


I also added Stickles to the Jillibean Alphabeans. Cinnamon Stickles are an exact match to these brown letters. As you can see from this close-up, you don't have to be too perfect when covering your letters. Once you see the layout as a whole, the imperfections dont show.


I also really like to use pop-dots on my layouts, to give it some dimension. Here, I used some behind a Fancy Pants card. It's subtle, but I like the end result.


Have a great week everyone! I just might have a peek from June's kit next Tuesday! ;)

Quick Party Invite Idea

Having a pool/swimming party this summer? Here's a quick (and fun!) invite idea.
These are invites to my daughter's birthday party. She helped by tracing and cutting the paper to fit onto the flip flops. The paper was attached to the flip flops with glue dots. We printed the info onto yellow cardstock and added some Bazzill edge cardstock and it was finished.

I was going to pop the straps out of the flip flop and then punch holes in the paper and fit the straps back through the paper, but that was going to take too much time. So I decided to just cut a straight line in the paper from the tip of the toe down a couple of inches so that the paper could wrap around the toe strap.

We picked the flip flops up at the dollar store, so it was an inexpensive way to make a themed invitation.

All of her friends love their invites.

Thanks to the upcoming June Kit for everything we added to the flip flops.

tip of the day.....

do you enjoy looking at quilts, I sure do!  

I saw this over the weekend and had to share it all with you:

Quilting

I would love to see any creations that you make with this! Enjoy!

That "Homespun" look

On one of my layouts for May, I wanted to give it a 'homespun' feel. So, I got out my sewing machine, and, instead of sewing around the whole layout like I normally do, I just started sewing lines here and there -- wherever I felt like it!

The background paper was not too dark, so the lines don't stand out that much, but the overall effect was what I was going for. I sewed lines up and down and horizontally -- sometimes two or three in a row, sometimes just single lines.


The key is -- don't back stitch -- just leave the threads hanging there -- I trimmed them down to about 1/2 a centimeter. Another hint -- I left the threads attached on the back of the layout -- so that they don't pull out easily and come unthreaded. Enjoy!

Creating a multiple photo layout

Although I really like to create layouts that highlight a single photo, some of my favorite layouts end up with lots of photos. I especially like to do this for special events or days, like birthdays. This would also work great for weddings and holidays.

I was inspired to create this layout when I saw the May sketch challenge at Scrapjazz:



My youngest son's 14th birthday just happened to land on Easter this year (this has happened 2x so far in his life!) So I decided to create a layout featuring various photos from this special day. I included both Easter and birthday photos.

And here's my take on the sketch challenge:



Here's what I used from the Scrapbook Circle May kit:

Bazzill cardstock-Bitter Chocolate
Patterned Paper-American Crafts Craft Fair (both sides) & Fancy Pants Delight cards (journaling strips)
Jillibean Soup Alphabeans-Bean Brown
Fancy Pants Delight Rubons
and from my stash: K & Co. alpha stickers, Buttons by Favorite Findings, date stamp, Stampin' Up ink, embroidery thread, Fiskars Threading Water border punch, zig zag machine stitching and Creative Memories journaling pen

I was running out of a few letters from the Jillibean Soup letters, so I decided to mixup the alphas a little bit and pulled the K & Company alpha stickers from my stash. I think it works and I am getting more mileage out of my supplies! Gotta love that!

Thanks for stopping by! Take care!

What A Tweet Home You Have!

I absolutely love making cards and altering everything that stands in my path. The May kit has such bright, summery papers with flowers and birds, and the first thought I had was 'Oh, a birdhouse'. So, I went to Hobby Lobby , where I was able to purchase a wooden bird house (which was 30% off) for less than $1. I felt like a criminal walking out of there, because what a steal I got *giggle*

The paper was perfect, and I had a lot of fun with this birdhouse. I debated about using the Fancy Pants Rub-ons from the May kit, or making 3-D embellishments. In the end, I decided to go with the rub-ons because I didn't want people to be so drawn to the embellishments, and miss the rest of the bird house. This are the cutest things to make, and are very seasonal, and perfect for gifts. The next time I go to Hobby Lobby, I am going to pick up some of the little birds that are soft and feathery feeling so I can use those on the perch. I was thinking how cute it would be to do these for the fall, halloween, Christmas, Valentines, Teacher's Appreciation, Spring, Summer, and even Mother's Day. You can really make these are for anything else you can think of.

So, here is my tweet birdhouse made from the Fancy Pants Paper from the May kit, and the Jenni Bowlin white embellishment flower.



I hope that you enjoyed seeing this. It really was fun and very simple to make. I also pray that y'all have a wonderful weekend, and I will see you back here next week :)

Storage Idea

I love using stickles and liquid pearls on my layouts. I had quite the little collection of these 2 items and I was storing them in a wicker basket. I needed to find a better solution, that's when I came across my friend's blog, who had used magnets to put her bottles of stickles on the wall. Since I couldn't use wall space I decided to put my containers upside down on the lower shelf of my scrap supplies storage. I use double sided sticky velcro to hold these in place. It is the perfect solution, my bottles are no longer clogged and they are right in front of me when I'm working. I hope that you'll enjoy this idea and make it your own too.

Happy organizing!

Mélanie

Can't Wait to Ship the June Kits!

We have everything here and ready for the June kits. Can't wait to get them off to everyone. (Only a couple more weeks until June!)

Here's a look at a layout I put together with the June Kit.Everything on the layout is from the upcoming June Kit. Goodies shown here from Fancy Pants, Cosmo Cricket, Bazzill, Basic Grey,and Sassafras. Of course we have more goodness in the kit, but I couldn't fit everything on one layout!

We only have 5 spots left for the June kit. You can sign up here.

Mix and Matching Alphas

We all have them: sheets of letter stickers or chipboard letters that are missing way too many letters to be of any use anymore. But it's hard to throw them out when we have spent so much of our hard-earned money on them.

What I like to do is to mix and match them. It gives your layout a playful feel. The key to make everything mesh together is to paint them all the same colour. I usually use Delta acrylic paint for my chipboard letters and Sakura Identi-Pen for stickers.

Go on, mix and match!

One Photo, Two Looks

I wanted to do something with a photo for grandma gifts from my kids for Mother's Day. While I was shopping at Homegoods, I found two great shadow box frames at a great price and knew I wanted to use them as part of the gift.
Here are the finished frames. Everything I used was from the April Kit.

tip of the day.....

I LOVE the bright fun yellow American craft paper in this May kit!  It reminds me of bright sunshine.  I made this card last week and wanted to share the tip of how to make the "rays" of the sun.  It is easy!

 1. I snipped my strips.

2. next I rolled them up, please note** because I wanted the yellow to show I faced it down and rolled up.**

3. I put the unrolled part underneath my sun and glued it down.

That simple!  You could use this for many different things, be creative!  Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day!

Wishing each of you lovely women who are mothers, grandmas, sisters, aunts and friends a wonderful Mother's Day.Card was made with the May Kit.

Where I come from...

Can you believe it is ALREADY Friday again??? Wow, time is flying by for me lately! I guess maybe it's just that time of year with all of the school activities that go on during the month of May!

I'd like to share another layout that I created using the "delightful" May Scrapbook Circle kit! This kit has been so much fun to work with...I have just loved it!

Here's {main street}:

The photos on this layout are snapshots that I captured on Main Street in my hometown of Fowler, KS. My favorite photo is the shot of the watertower, so I chose to keep it in color and I enlarged it to a 5 x 7. I converted all of my other photos to black and white and created a collage at http://www.walmart.com/. It is super easy! I decided to cut the collage into 3 strips as I felt this added some interest.

The base of the layout is Fancy Pants Delight - Thoughtful (what fun paper!) I also used a card from the Fancy Pants Delight cards and a strip from the Fancy Pants Delight strips. Jillibean Soup Alphabeans were used to create the title and I thought the brackets were a fun touch. To finish things off I used a Jenni Bowlin Black Strip sticker, Jenni Bowlin Rhinestone buttons & some of the Fancy Pants Delight rubons. Of course, a layout is not complete for me until I do some stitching....so I did some zig zagging along the bottom edge of the Fancy Pants Delight strip & along the ends of the b/w photo strips.

Be sure to check out the idea gallery and the community photos for some fun and inspiring ways the May kit is being used to create fabulous layouts, cards and other projects!

Have a great weekend! Take care!

Two Happy Cards & Two Techniques

Hi everyone! This is Danielle, and this is my first post :) I am very excited about showing you two cards that I created. There are two different techniques that I am going to talk about. First, here is a picture of the cards using the May Kit!!
I could not help but to make a 'happy' card. This kit just screams happy, sunny, and fun!
If you notice, both of these cards use the same colors. The reason why. Because I only used 2 pieces of Pebbles patterned paper. Let me tell you about the happy card first. Here are pictures of the 2 techniques I used for this card,


In the first picture, I used a piece of cardstock for the card. I then took and used my Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossing Folder. To create the 'picture window' I used a Die, but I didn't use the piece traditionally used, until the second card. I adhered the patterned paper onto the cardstock. Then I took and punched some different sized circles, and a scallop circle. I distressed each circle, and then I would add a glue dot in between each layer to give the flower a more dimensional look. I also added a Jenni Bowlin rhinestone embellishment in the middle for a little bling :)Then for the stem, I cut out the stem from the other piece of patterned paper. Add some alphas, and that's all there is to it. Very quick and simple. I really liked the way it came out.
Here is a picture of the second card,

I used cardstock again to make the card, and also my Cuttlebug Swiss Dots Embossing Folder. Now, here is the piece that was cut out from the piece used in the first card. First, I added ribbon and secured in place. I then added glue dots behind the entire back piece of the die cut, and adhered. I cut the flower out from the same sheet of patterned paper that I had cut the stem from. I added the flower, and the alphas. Notice, how I replaced the O with a heart. The last thing I did was add on a Tim Holtz Mini Clip. There you go :)
I hope that you enjoy these techniques. What I love is that for both of the cards I used 2 4 x 6 pieces of patterned paper to create both of these cards. So, it doesn't take much. Thank you so much for letting me share, and I can't wait to see what you come up with. Have a Fantastic Thursday, and I will see you back here next week.

Making the most of your kit!

Hello everyone!!! I'm Mélanie and this is my first blog post for Scrapbook Circle, I am very excited to be able to share with you some of my tips and tricks for scrapbooking.

We all love our Scrapbook Circle kits. They are full of wonderful papers and embelishements. I do like to get the most of out of my kit so whenever I create a layout I try to stretch out my paper. By that I mean to cut out any portion of paper that will not be seen on my layout. For example, this is the underneath part of my layout titled "Hard Work", as you can see I've cut out the pattern paper that is not being "seen" on the layout because it is layered or covered by another sheet of paper. This is just a little tip to get the most out of your kit.

Underside part of layout

Finished layout

Happy Scrapping everyone!!!

~Melanie~