Dusting off the scraps

After a long summer off, there is only one way to jump back into a huge pile of scrap paper - go on a retreat! My first ever! A friend of mine has gone to several Scrap-a-way-Retreats and I decided spur of the moment to try it out. In one word...it was AWESOME! The women attending were all really friendly and funny. The owner, Rosanne, puts so much thought into the themes, the games, the prizes and treats. I went Saturday am to Sunday pm and next time I am going to start the trip on a Friday because I didn't want to leave.  Here is a pic of my favorite layout from the weekend.

 

The circle stamp is actually the top of my marker!

I highly recommend you check out a scrap retreat if you need to find some new creative energy. Meals were included so all you had to do was scrap! Amazing!

Birdie Birthday

Another one of my favorite Cricut cuts. I just love this birdie! And she loves to celebrate birthdays!

Princess Card

This card has a few different Cricut pieces, but still very simple to make. I love this sparkling circle paper and what princess doesn't want some bling!

First Birthday Owl Card

I've used this beautiful owl many times before. She is one of my favorites. A quick craft punch and a balloon and this little bird is ready to party!

Card Week: Gator Baby

It seems to be that time of year again where I need a lot of cards and don't have a lot of time. I tend to lean on my Cricut to create some simple, yet style cards. I also grab bright, fun papers to help spice things up. Here's the first card this week!

Bright chevron paper, a gator cut, a fun punch and some puffy foam letters = simple!

Summer Camp - Scrap!

I cannot tell you how happy I am to be participating in Camp Scrap over at Big Picture Classes. I always get these huge bursts of motivation and inspiration. 4 weeks is not enough time - I wish class could last all summer. I've already completed several layouts and cards.

Sticking with the Boston theme, here is a 38th Birthday Card I whipped up today for a friend who is a huge Bruins fan. The challenge was to use something new or that you haven't used in a while. I pulled out my dusty container of watercolor pencils. The yellow highlights and black top are all watercolor.

I also threw together a Celtics card using up some Jolee Celtics stickers I had in my stash.

Textuality: Mitered Frame Assignment

The new class I am taking at Big Pictures Classes just started. Textuality. It is a very different style class for me and already I find myself challenged in ways I could not imagine. The first assignment was to write 450 words about a photo. I know I have never written that much on a layout before. Journaling is the last step for me and I don't write a lot. This forced me to write first and focus on the story I wanted to tell. Usually I let the pictures do the talking.

Creating the mitered frame was a lot more time consuming than I thought it would be. It does take practice to get your printer paper positioning correctly. And then the cutting and trimming. Mine doesn't line up perfectly, but it was close enough for me to keep moving on.

Keeping with my Boston theme of late, here is my layout:

This is a picture of the Prudential Tower lit up to support the Red Sox in 2004 as they competed in the World Series. I used to work in the building and sit inside the "O" so I got to be part of something pretty cool. I added a pocked under the photo mat to include the full 2004 Red Sox schedule card. I wanted to a add a ticket from the season, but there just was not enough room.