old photos

I've been in the mood to scrap some older pictures lately - I think the scrappy papers that are out right now have such a nostalgic feel to them - so I've been sifting through my older pics. This layout is of me and the older kids from 20 years ago - Samantha was 3, Jonathan 2, and I was 25. We were all just babies and it seems like a lifetime ago when these pics were taken! We were stationed in England (Bentwaters, RAF - which is now closed) at the time, in base housing (a 2 story townhouse in Saxmundham) and we had been already been there for 3 years - we just had one more year to go! We have fond memories of England and would love to visit again one day! I used the December Studio Calico kit for this - I used the clock stamp on the kraft cardstock to represent time passing and the ghost of memories that are floating around in my brain! TFL!

Newest layouts using my Dec Studio Calico kit

I was just not really feeling the new December kit from Studio Calico when I got it. It just doesn't seem as full of cool embellishments as usual, so it's taken me a while to get into using this kit. But, I broke into it last night and I got inspired to do two layouts! The first layout I used a recent picture that someone took of us the kids and me while we were going on a day trip during Thanksgiving weekend. We stopped at a country market where they sell the best jelly and preserves and bulk items (candy and nuts and dried fruits....yum!) and the clerk volunteered to take our pictures since I was taking pics of the kids. She did a great job! I printed out a larger picture that I normally use because I wanted to cut it to fit on the diecut paper. I wanted to use the music paper because it looked patchwork, and I sewed in between the squares with t gray thread - it's subtle but I like it. It took forever for me to find a quote about family and music - and it was a long quote! - but the pack of Basic Grey chipboard alphas had plenty to use for the entire quote! The second layout I did was using pics of me when I was one and on an island off the coast of Mississippi with my mom. I love using vintage pics - I wish I had more and I am fast running out the ones that I do have to scrap with! I misted the pp first with my new blue Maya Mist (dark cornflower blue - love that color!). I used the chipboard alpha that I got in the kit - but the letters are red, so I sanded then inked them with teal Stazon ink. One of the Studio Calico exclusive pieces of paper had flags on them, so I cut them out to look like a banner and flags. Love that the pics are the center of attention here! TFL!

#11 Tim Holtz 12 days of Christmas tags

This is my take on the tag - I didn't have the reindeer stamp, but I did have a Basic Grey chipboard reindeer that I embossed then inked. I also didn't have an ITop to make the brads, so I printed some images on a piece of Bazzill cs that looks like fabric, punched it out, then attached it to some large brads. I've done ten of the twelve tags so far - I'm waiting for some film strip ribbon and grungepaper to come that I ordered (I loved both of these and I know I will use them so it was worth the investment for me to purchase them!) to finish the last two tags. My tag is on top and Tim's is on the bottom. TFL!!

Tag #8 Tim Holtz 12 days of Christmas tags

I've had this tag half finished since the first day Tim put up the instruction s - and I debated forever whether I really wanted to invest $15 (that's the cheapest I could find it) on the lamp post stamp - then I decided that I wouldn't. So I used the Christmas tree that I had already invested in that I used for the car tag. My tag looks nowhere cool as Tim's but - it's done and up on my mantelpiece! Tim's tag is the top and mine is the bottm! TFL!!

Tag #6 Tim Holtz 12 tags of Christmas

Here is the 6th tag - I skipped it at first - I had to wait til the stamp came in that I had ordered off of ebay (the car). This is my most favorite tag and looks most like Tim's tag - even though I don't have a pic of his tag because he's taken it off of his blog temporarily! TFL!

#10 of Tim Holtz Christmas tags

I skipped a couple of days of tags as I am waiting for the stuff I ordered to come in so I can do them!! Even though I promised myself I wouldn't buy anything else for these - I caved.......Anyway, this is for day 10 - mine is much messier than Tim's and I couldn't find any silver metal - all they had was brass - so I used it. I used some Thickers letters instead of the grunge letters Tim used, and I just used a paintbrush and painted the alcohol ink on instead of using some (expensive!!) alcohol ink refillable pens. The letters aren't as crisp because they are smaller than the ones Tim used and I couldn't get into every nook and cranny - but I like it anyway! I'm so excited because I won one of Tim's daily prize giveaways that he's doing for every day that he posts a tag - just two days left to post! Can't wait to see my prize - I just hope it isn't one of the myriad of supplies I've already bought for these tags!! BTW - Tim's tag is the top - mine is the bottom.....TFL!

#7 Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas

Yes, I skipped #6 for right now, until I can figure out what to do about the images (stamps) that I need for this. I will do that one - it will just have to wait!! I did #7 today - it was the easiest tag so far - thank goodness because these are more complicated than they look - and it only took about an hour to do this one!! I don't have the same Santa stamp, but mine is still vintage-y looking like Tim's. I didn't have the charm, so I made my own - I punched out a starburst with my Martha Stewart punch after typing out the word believe on some cardstock, heat embossed gold around the edge, and inked it to look vintage. Good enough for me! I did add some twine at the bottom of my tag because it just looked a little incomplete without something attached to the bottom! Tim's tag is on the top and mine is on the bottom. TFL!

#5 Tim Holtz 12 tags of Christmas

LOVE this tag - the little ornaments are dangly and hang off the tag. I used some Graphic 45 pp under the small tags instead a stamped image like Tim, but I stickled some areas of all of them - just like Tim did. I didn't have a pine tree stamp, so I improvised using some stamps that I cut up to resemble (somewhat) some pine needles. I also heat embossed the flourishes instead of using paint. Again - I wish I had all the inks that Tim has - I just hardly ever stamp so I don't have many inks to choose from and I don't want to have to go buy anymore - I did buy the green ink today, though. I didn't have any gold german trim (whatever that is!!!) - so I used some paper ribbon and inked it gold. It's hard to see in the picture, but it does look nice. Hope tomorrow's tag uses some the leftover items that I have from making the tags I've made so far!! TFL! Tim's tag is on top and mine is on the bottom!

#4 Tim Holtz 12 Days of Christmas Tags

This tag is really cool because you can take the pin off and wear it. I love the way he took a frame and made it into a house. And also a snow globe - in the picture of my tag, the glitter was stuck to the sides of the capsule - I needed to tap it down! I wish I had some richer colors of ink, but my tag is not as bright as it looks in the pic, it's more colorful, I am just taking pics of this at night so they are kind of sucky! I broke down and bought a few of the items he is using for these - my lss had some of the items - as well as Michael's , but I still try and use things from stash to supplement. TFL! BTW - I'm sure you can tell, but my tag is on top and Tim's is the bottom ;)!

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12 Days of Christmas Tags #3

I had a really hard time with the technique today. Tim used a certain kind of glossy paper by Ranger to make the plaid paper and he had the cutest stamps that I can find no where. All I had was some Prima paintables pp that I used - nothing else would work right! The colors are nothing like Tim's - I couldn't find the right alcohol ink colors at Michael's so I used the ones I already had. I really liked his vibrant green and red but, oh well. I remembered that I had a $15 credit at my local scrappy store (from spending so much there!!) so I used it to get the snowman stamp (which came with a group of other cute Christmasy stamps), some stickles and a pack of red pearls. Then I was obsessed with finding a Santa stamp at least similar to the one that Tim used and I found the Santa at M's and used a 40% off coupon for it. I already had the trinket pins and the other hardware so I only spent less than $10 for all the stuff I got today!! And I really do love that Santa stamp!! :) Not so much the tags I did though.....Hope I can do better tomorrow!! :/ BTW - Tim's are the very cute ones at the top - mine are the not so much ones at the bottom!

12 Tags of Christmas #2

Here's my day two tag. I had really nothing like Tim for this one, and it's really my goal to just use my stash instead of buying anything for these tags. So, instead of his very cool flowers that he made, I used a flower that I already had - it was pewter and green - I painted it gold. I didn't have any of the pearl powder, so I just used watered down gold paint for the flecks. Different stamps, different colors, different everything really - but it is similar and I do like it. Mine is the top tag, Tim's is the bottom. I got it done!! TFL! Can't wait to see tomorrow's!!

Tim Holtz 12 Tags of Christmas

I watched Tim do his tags last year and they were so cool but I never joined in the fun - so this year when I saw his first tag I thought I'd give it a go! His tag is so very cool (the one at the top), but I didn't have hardly any of the scrappy supplies he used, so I made my own interpretation of his tag. It's close anyway...LOL. I didn't have any of the crackle paint, stamps or the grunge stickles that he used. I did color the tag like he did, but them I heat embossed it. I didn't have a snowman stamp, so I drew my own on chipboard, cut him out, inked him, then heat embossed and stickled him. I used some snowflake stickers instead of stamping them. I stamped my tags. I did do the scarf like he did by making my own wired ribbon. I also stickled the top to look like icicles. It's similar to his - and I like the way it turned out! Can't wait to see what he does tomorrow!! I have my tag ready to go!

#7 and #8 ...don't think I'm going to make it!! :)

These are my latest layouts from my Nov Studio Calico kit - doubt I'll reach my goal of 15 before the next kit!! I've just been so busy!! Trying to get ready for Christmas - I have a new project that I am doing this year - sewing pretty aprons. I bought a really cool apron pattern while visiting Mountain View with the kids this past weekend at a quilt shop that's in the town, and some awesome fabric. I've started by cutting out everything that I have right now. I have enough for 4 1/2 aprons. I need to do at least 6 aprons so I'll be on the lookout for more fabric. I need lining for all of them, but I think I'll get some from Walmart in a couple of days - it just has to be solid colors.

I used some vintage pics for these layouts - one of me and one of the older two kids. I love the look of polaroids!! That's me in the band geek layout - the beginning of a family tradition (at least so far!!). It's the first time I sewed in a circle - it was hard and I didn't do it very well, but oh well. I love the colors in the layout of the kids - and I love using paint - I need to use it more often!! TFL!

#6 Layout - Nov Studio Calico kit challenge

I'm not sure I'm going to make my goal of 15 layouts this month with my Nov. Studio Calico kit - but I'm still trying! :) This layout is #6 - I misted the title using some sticker letters and orange Maya mist, then I traced around the letters. I was going for a messy look and I think I achieved my goal ...LOL! This is pic of Danielle and her best friend and they are so very much alike! They've known each other since they were in girl scouts together - at least 6 years. Her friend is moving at the end of the year as her father got a new job in San Antonio. Danielle is sad, but they talk non-stop on the phone right now and I know that won't stop because she's in another state! There just won't be any more weekend sleepovers! TFL!!

This is #5 for Studio Calico challenge

OK, I have done another layout with the Nov Studio Calico kit, but I can't show it cuz it's for another challenge - the Nov. telephone scraplift challenge on OSU! I took this picture on my unexpected daytrip a couple weeks ago with dd and her friend and mom. Danielle is just too cool for anything silly anymore, but she jumped right into this oversized chair sitting outside a wood store in Mountain View with a huge goofy grin!! SO glad she let me take pictures - she looks funny in that big chair, but it was so nice to see her having fun like a little kid!! This is also for another challenge where we were to use at least 8 different patterned papers on one layout. They are all on there in bits and pieces - 1. the green woodgrain; 2. red check; 3. yellow scallops; 4. little birds on lines; 5. clouds; 6. the blue ricrac; 7. the quote bubble; 8. illustrated book. TFL!

#3 Nov Studio Calico layout

Trekking a long with my new kit - I started this layout last night (I had a huge cup of iced tea and the caffeine had kicked in) and finished it up this morning. I've been wanting to use my paints but I keep forgetting about them. Just some boring white - as usual - but I like it! It's of Danielle's new haircut. We were getting her brother's hair cut and she asked to get her's trimmed, then she saw a book filled with different haircuts and fell in love with one of them. I told her she'd have to spend time fixing her hair if she wanted it to look that way, and she insisted she would (even though I knew better!!), so I told her it was her hair she could get what she wanted (within reason of course ;) )! Anyway, it looks nothing like the book because she does nothing but wash it - no drying, straightening, bumping - everything that the hairdo entails to achieve the book hairstyle - but I think it looks sweet and sassy!! Just her personality!!

TFL!!

2nd layout with Nov Studio Calico kit

I just wasn't sure about the November Studio Calico kit when I got it. It sat for a few days while a pondered it - I think I just had so much stuff that it was a bit overwhelming, but now that I've started using it the layouts are just coming together so easily! I love both of the layouts I've done so far and I have some ideas for some more! This is of Samantha on her wedding day! I used the Hambly rubon doily first, then I Maya misted cream then orange over it. That Basic Grey doily diecut pp is gorgeous - it has a different color (blue) on the other half of it! TFL!

Nov Studio Calico layout

Finally tore into my new November Studio Calico kit! I ordered all the kits this month - since I got one for free and had a gift card for part of another I just couldn't resist getting all of them! I took these pics last week while taking an impromptu shopping day with dd and some friends in Mountain View - a cute little town about two hours from home that revolves around it's music festival that they have every fall. They have the coolest little music shops and antique stores around the town. The piece of wood I used on the layout is an actual piece of cherry wood veneer - very cool to work with! I also challenged myself to make 15 layouts with this kit (even though I could easily get 30 from it!) at Studio Calico again. I just need to find the time to make them all! TFL!!

New layouts for today!!

I made these layouts today. Not sure if I like the one of Danielle - love that pic but not sure I like all the embellies on the layout - it's not my usual style!! I had a bunch of October Afternoon stuff that I think is so cute for school layouts (it is the Report Card line!!), but I don't think I did that great a job on it! I totally messed up a cute journal sticker I had and when I tried to take it off it totally stuck to the pp under it, so I had to use a huge journal (Jenni Bowlin) page instead to cover up my mistakes!! This was a very frustrating layout to make!! The one of Jonathan as the Joker is for a sketch challenge on OSU - I just threw it together, but I like it! TFL!

Studio Calico sketch challenge

Loved the sketch on the Studio Calico blog that was for the challenge this week!! I used a combo of the Sept and Oct Studio Calico kits (#16 from this kit!!) - with some misting and sewing thrown in! I like the way this turned out! TFL!

Studio Calico Home Front Line

Studio Calico has started manufacturing it's own line of Scrapping yumminess for retail sale - as in stores not just the kits!! I can't wait til it's available!! Hope my lss will stock this!! Here's a sneak of the sticker letters. I am such a sucker for woodgrain stuff - so vintagey!! And the stickers are vintage looking too!!

I reached my SC kit challenge goal!!

This is my 15th layout I made with my Oct Studio Calico kit! I did a lot of misting with cream, blue raspberry, and pink Maya mist. I used the Maya Road envelope flaps as a mask, then used one of the flaps at the side of the pic. I used a MR envelope (sans flap) as a mat for my pic and as a pocket for journaling. I used the acrylic butterfly as a template to cut out and make a mask, then I misted pink, and used the mask and the acrylic butterfly together. I used the bottom border piece of a Sass Lass pp to mist (the back of it) with cream and blue raspberry, then I turned it over and used the border piece as a layer. I ran out of the Cosmo Cricket Boyfriend chipboard letters, so I cut the negatives out and backed them with Bazzill swiss dot cs for the word FUN. The rest of the letters were from an earlier SC kit and they are Heidi Swapp. TFL!

Oct LOAD #20 & 21

and layouts #13 & 14 for SC challenge! Two layouts I did - one today and one yesterday, both using the Oct Studio Calico kit - I have one more to do to reach my goal before I get my new kit!

The top layout is a picture of Michael and I that I've used before - but it's one of my favs! I actually used my cuttlebug to cut out the hearts - I haven't used it in ages! The bottom layout I used some old - 1992 - pics of Samantha and Jonathan (the blondies) and Kasey (my niece) when she was visiting one Christmas. I love the pic of Jonathan feeding that baby - he looked so serious and caring! I misted the circles at the top and took the little circles off of the envies to string the baker's twine through. The alpha is an older set of Basic Grey - love that I'm using some of my older stuff up!! TFL!

Oct LOAD #19 and my telephone scraplift

It's also #12 from Oct Studio Calico. It's just a sneak s0 can't show it yet until the telephone scraplift reveal! TFL!

Oct LOAD #17 & 18

and #10 and #11 with my Oct Studio Calico kit. I think I'm starting to get in the mood to scrap again! I finished one layout last night and one this morning......and feel like doing another in a little bit!! The first layout is of Danielle and I a couple of years ago around Christmas time. Everyone says we look alike :)! The bottom layout is also of Danielle on her trip to Space Camp - her first time away from me. It was very scary for me - but not to her! She had a great time and I just love the Studio Calico map pp! It's really cool - and not colors I would usually use! TFL!

LOAD #16 and #9 with my Oct Studio Calico Kit!

I don't think I'll make the LOAD challenge but we were issued a challenge on Studio Calico to predict how many layouts we would make with our October kit before we got the new Nov kits and I STUPIDLY predicted that I would make 15. I had made that many with the previous month's kit so I wanted to push myself to use up as much as I could of this kit. The thing is - even though I made 15 layouts with last month's kit - I still have lots of it left!! They are definitely a good deal and are jam-packed full of stuff! I am up to 9 layouts so far with about 2 weeks until I get the new kit in my hot little hands so I think I can do it!

I'm excited because I get a $25 gift card to SC for using one of their kits exclusively on a layout that got published in Scrapbook Trends!! That means I may get all 3 of the add-on kits as we also get a $10 friends and family discount on anything (except for the sub kits) they sell on the site!! If anyone is interested in using the $10 discount I can give you the code. It's good for the month of November (starting on Oct 28).

This layout is of my friends, Michael and me at a school dance. It was Michael's and my first official date together. We are the ones at the bottom right! The journaling is on the envie pocket under the pic! BTW...this pic is from 1981!!!! AY yi yi.....I am old!!! TFL!!

Martha!!

The title letters on my "the Boys" layout is Jillibean soup corrugated letters! They come plain, just like cardboard, and when I've use them I've painted them and/or inked them! They are really cool and chunky.

LOAD #15

I'll use the title of LOAD, but since I haven't been doing a load it's kind of silly....but I finally got something scrapped! I have several pics of Jonathan from his senior prom and have been wanting to scrap some, but I have a harder time scrapping males than females. I really like the masculine feel to the pp and thought it would look good with this pic. I think that's the problem - I have girlie looking scrap stuff! These guys really weren't his good friends in school, they were the dates of his girlfriend's friends and they all went in together and got a limo for prom! Jonathan is the curly haired boy! This pic was taken in our front yard. I used my Studio Calico October kit for this. TFL!

Scrapper's block

I just don't know what to do about this scrapper's block!! I think this happened to me the last time I did the LOAD challenge in January! I'm just burnt out! Don't think I'll be able to catch up for the challenge this month......everyone else is just doing a great job with theirs though!! Keep up the great work!!! :)

Here's the newest offering from Prima. I Love these colors - They are great for fall!

Oct LOAD #14

This is a layout of Samantha. I took this picture last time she was here visiting and she was being silly! Used my Oct Studio Calico kit - I have challenged myself on their blog to make 15 layouts with this kit (I made 16 with last month's) and this is #7. I don't know why, but I have been typing my journaling on my layouts lately - I really like the way it looks - nice and clean! TFL!

Oct LOAD #11, 12 & 13

Yay!! I got ahead a little bit for my LOAD challenge. I used my Oct Studio Calico kit for all of these layouts. On my Prefer to Be layout I misted the title and colored the edges of the MR envie with an American Crafts metallic marker that I got in a Scrapgoods kit. The middle layout is just a simple layout with some older pics of my sis Becky, my mom and dad, and me on our cross country move to New Mexico. I loved it while we lived there - but it was only very briefly! The last layout is some random pics at the football games with Danielle. We just love football, but the best part for us is the band! We all are just a bunch of band geeks! Michael and I met each other in band (him - trombone; me - sax), Samantha played sax, Jonathan played trombone, and now Danielle plays the sax. I just want to say that we did not make the kids play the instruments that we played in band - they chose them themselves. But I was glad they followed the tradition :)!

Oct LOAD #10

This is of me in the 8th grade. I just love that shirt - it's kind of low cut and sexy looking...what was my mom thinking?? I used my Oct Studio Calico kit. For some reason this kit has inspired me to scrap some vintage pictures. I think it's the colors. I painted the alpha and I guess I don't really like the envelopes, I only seem to like using the flaps of them...LOL. Used some baker's twine in between. TFL!

Oct LOAD #9

This is layout of my dad and me right before my first Brownie meeting. My Dad looks like the cheerleader's father from Heroes in this picture!! I used my October Studio Calico kit for this - love the vintage looking October Afternoon pp that's in the middle - and Cosmo Cricket for the stripes. TFL!

Oct LOAD #8

This is a layout I did with some pics I had of my 8th birthday. My mom always made every birthday special. This was a flower power birthday, but there were lots of different fun themes - a beach barbeque, scavenger hunts through the neighborhood (different times back then!), a fireworks shoot off and display. We weren't rich by any means - my mom usually made the decorations herself, but there were always fun games and it was always special! I used my new Oct Studio Calico kit (after 16 layouts I was getting sick of last month's kit ;) ). This is a fun kit to use with lots of different embellishments. The butterflies are thick acrylic and I used alcohol inks for a tie dye effect. Those corrugated letters are the coolest thing - they come raw so I painted them with different colors of Claudine Hellmuth paints. TFL!!