Happy Halloweeen!!!

October has long been my favorite month of the year.  I just love the crisp blue skies we get, a bit of Indian Summer weather and soft breezes.  This year has been a little different as I was gone to New England/Canada for half the month where I actually SAW fall colors..you know, leaves that change beautiful colors before falling off..unlike most of ours which turn brown and die and the first Santa Ana wind we get blows them all off..usually in December, lol!  So since was gone so much of the month...and then had jet lag that just would not go away I didnt get a chance to get out my usual Halloween decorations :(  But I did add a few new witch dolls to my collections, including a homemade one named Agatha that I got from Salem Massachutes!  A visit to the pumpkin patch always gives me beautiful photos with bright vivid colors...cannot miss this trip every year.  Last year we all went, my mom and the gkids and it was of course a blast.  So this is the layout I share with you today:

This layout is a great pairing of Best Creation Inc Papers, Epiphany Crafts, and Helmar Adhesives and features my grandson Jeromy who I miss dearly, he moved to live with his mom in Nevada and then his dad in Arizona.

 I used Epiphany Crafts Round 25 Bubblecaps for the pumpkins and the Round 14 Bubblecaps and Charm Settiings for the hanging embellishment.

 Helmar Liquid Scapdots was perfect for holding the tulle!!!

Hope you all have a great Halloween!!!

Epiphany Crafts/Clearsnap Week!

The Epiphany Crafts Design Team paired up with Clearsnap this last week and used each others products to create fun projects!  I love working with Clearsnap product, inks are unbeatable, and I love love love the spritzes and foils!!  My first project is an 8x8 canvas:

 

I used the foil on the large heart in the center, the Epiphany Crafts Heart bubblecap (14) silver foil, and then on the Round 14 bubblecaps in the charm settings (on the banner) and a vintage setting on the flower. 

 Smooch spray was used on the canvas itself and I used the ink to stamp the flower and the edges of the canvas.

 I used the Sparkle Fibers from Clearsnap on the backs of a couple of Heart 25 Bubblecaps. 

My next project was a wood frame:

Here I used Epiphany Crafts Round 25 Bubblecaps, the Round 14 Bubblecaps and vintage settings, and the felt flowers

 I used the Smooch spray for the edges of the frame:

These were fun projects to work on and I loved the pairing of Epiphany Crafts and Clearsnap!!
  

My NovelTree by Webster's Pages

I had a bucket list item checked off this year.  Brandin from Webster's Pages contacted me and asked me if I would like to be a part of a new venture for Webster's Pages, designing photobooks like no other using Webster's Pages Digital collections.  She had the vision, we worked through it all learning along the way.  Trial and error.  I have to say that with her direction I was able to tweek my scrapping style just enough to be what I had always envisioned it could be.  Brandin has forever been imprinted in my brain as a huge inspiration in my life.

So what is NovelTree?  NovelTree is a new journey for Webster's Pages.  NovelTree introduces to the world a whole new concept in photobooks, memory books, scrapbooks.  A NovelTree photobook is like none you have ever seen.  Imagine a scrapbook, available in digital format, that you can just drop your photos into online, you can personalize with your own journaling, and you can have it delivered to your doorstep, complete.  For 39.95 you get the hardcover, lie flat pages, and for 19.95 you can get it in a softcover format.  I couldn't believe the price point when I saw it!  Each book holds on average around 50 photos.  There are books for every occasion you can imagine, or no occasion at all.  Very versatile for sure!  If you don't see something you would love to have...make a suggestion, we are still creating!

I share this adventure with fellow designer Mitsue Iwata.  Let me share with you some of my favorites that I designed:
My favorite is Peace

 

Another is Homegrown

 

Or how about All Occasion II

How about a photobook for a BOY....hard to come by but I created one , Boy

 

One more...how about a book to document your child's school year?  Check out

School Days

Do you want to save 20% for life on these books?  Yep, you heard me right, 20% off for life!!  Just pre-order a book of your choice, and that discount is yours for life. Once everything is ready to go you will be able to create your book, have it printed and shipped directly to your doorstep.  Think Christmas people...what a great gift!  I don't know about you but I am the picture taker of the family so I have all the pictures, this is a GREAT way to share them!

So which one is your favorite?  Be sure to check out the Webster's Pages Blog for giveaways....there is one today for a free photobook and your favorite Webster's Pages product :)

Be sure to click on the books names above as I have linked them to the NovelTree site where you can see the book in "action"...so cool!

Helmar October Sketch Challenge!

Lydell Quin is at it again with the perfect sketch for the Helmar October Sketch Challenge!

One of my all time favorite Helmar Adhesives, Liquid ScrapDots was the perfect product for my Hello Fall Layout where I made some 3D leaves by cutting out a leaf shape and pinch pleating right down the center....I added some inked edges to give them even more dimension. My layout features papers from Helmar preferred partner, Pink Paislee!

A little close up of the leaf cluster shows how dimensional these leaves actually are, which would normally create a glue emergency, but not with Helmar Liquid ScrapDots on my table!!  I added a few custom buttons made with my Epiphany Crafts Button Studio to my cluster and it was the perfect touch.

Hope to see your creations with the October Sketch and Helmar Adhesives!!
Julie Walton, Helmar Design Team Member
http://seejuliescrap.blogspot.com/

Sharing a little Webster's Pages Digital love!!

I so love working with Websters Pages!!!  I am so glad that Webster's Pages offers their product in digital format!  I have done so much work lately with the collections its crazy, alot of it for the new Photobooks and Pocket Photobooks that Webster's Pages will be offering through their NovelTree program, some work for publications, future blog posts and just for fun.

Today I can share two of my latest layouts.  The first is one that I created with Life's Portrait digital collection and is a scraplift of Webster's Pages October GDT Stacey Young.  Stacey creates with an incredible amount of layers, just beautiful.  So that is what I concentrated on, layers:

and that is my little Trevor, just having the time of his life at the beach :)

My second layout that I can share is for my daughter's best friend who is expecting her first baby in December and had a little maternity photo shoot last week.  I mixed up the collections here and used a little Let's Celebrate, some Trendsetter and a bit of Garden Gala:

 They are anxiously awaiting the birth of their lil' pumpkin :)

I encourage you to pick up some of Webster's Pages in the digital format, which is so versatile, you can cut it up, resize it, change colors or print it out!

3 Scrappy Boys October Main Kit

The 3 Scrappy Boys October Main kit features Studio Calico this month!!

October 2011 Main kit

$28.25
Sale: $25.43
Save: 10% off

October 2011 Main kit includes:

6 sheets double sided Studio Calico memoir paper

1 sheet Studio Calico diecut paper

8 sheets assorted Studio Calico memoir 6 x6 paper

4 sheets cardstock

1 Studio Calico chipboard alphabet

1/2 pack Jenni Bowlin brads

assorted Studio Calico memoir diecuts

1/2 pack Studio Calico scrap

1 roll Hambly washi tape

1/2 pack Basic Grey flowers

1 Maya Road kraft note and envelope

And these are my creations this month:

 I added 5 custom button made with my Epiphany Crafts Button Studio, Round 20, and 2 custom epoxies made with my Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio Round 14.

 Did a little fussy cutting here and then some hand stitching.

 Added a custom epoxy on the 'hi' card made with my Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio Round 25 , and some tulle from my stash.

 I used a template for the diecut shape and added some bakers twine from my stash here.

I have also created a challenge in the forum for the October Main Kit, which is to create a project with some sort of stitching, it can be hand stitched, machine stitched or even faux stitched with a pen.  My example is my "hi" card where I faux stitched with a white pen and hand stitched:

Thanks for sharing some of your precious time with me and I hope that I have inspired you!!

A big project I am working on with Webster's Pages!

Over the last few months I have been working closely with Webster's Pages, Brandin in particular...I have to tell you that woman has ideas.....good ideas, and they just keep comin', lol!!  NovelTree is her brainchild and I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to be a part of it.  NovelTree is Photobooks, Photobooks with pockets and scrapbook pages all using the digital format of Webster's Pages papers and embellishments.  You get to pop in your pictures, add some journaling and you have a beautiful book, but you also get the chance to do some personalization to the pages as well if you want.  Founders club will be introduced on Friday.  Want more info?  Check out the Webster's Pages Blog :)  Any questions?  Check out the information on the Webster's Pages site. (the two samples being shown are two that I designed....so excited!!!)

 This is a sample of one of the pages:

 And these are samples of the pages from the photobooks that I turned into Scrapbook Pages:

I hope you will check out the books that fellow designer Mitsue and I designed for Webster's Pages!!!  I cant wait to have one of them in my hot little hands :)

Scrapbook & Cards Today Publication!!

So I got a great unexpected package today in the mail......from Scrapbook  & Cards Today magazine!!!  While at CHA Summer this year they saw a sample I did for Epiphany Crafts in the booth and asked for it to use in their publication!  It was my sweet little mixed media canvas I did using Pink Paislee, Epiphany Crafts and Helmar Adhesives.....my very first mixed media canvas that I love so much and wasnt sure I would ever see it again.  Its back home again and ready to be cherished.  So check out my whole page publication:

Its on the very last page of the issue.....Woo Hoo!!!

BasicGrey Digital projects

Been working alot more with digital scrapping, and came across BasicGrey and their extensive digital collections.  Decided to play a little and create some layouts and other projects....all 100% digital :)

How about some 12x12 layouts?  

This one is featuring the Phoebe Digital Collection and my crazy carefree granddaughter Jenna in a candid shot taken on the beach when we were camping there this summer:

 And this one, the uses BasicGrey Black Tie digital collection.  It features my daughter Rachel, who graduated from Pepperdine University this summer with honors and cum laude...the black and grey tones with the splashes of blue/red were perfect for her schools colors!

 

And this layout featuring all of my daughters from a Christmas a few years ago, also using Black Tie....love the bold colors here and how the photo just pops~

 Next up...my granddaughter Jenna again, this time at the Santa Barbara Zoo and sledding California style, cardboard and a hill covered with astroturf.  I used the Euphoria digital collection here to coordinate with the color of her capri's and to represent fun summer colors:

Something else I really like to do is when I am going to frame a photo I have taken I like to add a little somethin' somethin' to it and the Black Tie digital collection was perfect for this photo I took of my daughter Katy and grandson Jeromy this summer:

I love to make my own digital Christmas cards every year, sometimes I make them for others if they ask...I love working with the smaller size!  This one is done with the Dasher digital collection and features my daughter Rachel and her significant other, Chuy:

Lately I have done quite a few double page layouts, I have quite the time with them usually...such a big surface to cover, but doing it digitally is more fun.  Again I used the Dasher digital collection and I am featuring my grandchildren and our fascination with Christmas hats:

and I tried to think out of the box for my last project and came up with making some tags, they can be used to embellish a layout, digitally, or printing it out and adding to a project, I used various digital collections for these:

And that's what I have been up to......lots more creations with the kiddo's back in school :)

BasicGrey Digital

Yep....BasicGrey Digital!!!  I took the sketch from the blog challenge on the Basic Grey Blog and used it for a 2 page digital layout:

I used the Euphoria Digital Collection and made a layout featuring my grandkids new puppy Zoe:

thanks BasicGrey for the challenge...and sketch!

Webster's Pages September Digital Challenge

It's all about the layers......a Webster's Pages Digital Challenge for September!

Ahhhhh....September, I love Fall!!!  I am so happy to see September, I love the colors of the season, the slight breeze, warm weather, and back to school!  So this month we are going to focus on a technique of sorts, using layers.  There are many ways to create layers in various sizes and shapes in digital layouts so I will cover the methods that I use on a regular basis, and by all means if you have a different way of doing it please share :)

I am using Adobe Photoshop CS4 but I know that some of these methods work with other programs so it will be a trial and error kind of thing...best way to learn sometimes.
 
The first method I use is to 'cut' the digital paper by simply cropping the paper with the cropping tool.

Another method I use is to use the Marquee tool, in the rectangular/square shape or the oval/round shape.  I simply choose the tool, create the shape on the paper and then 'copy' (control c).  Then I go over to my layout and 'paste' it (control v).

You can also use a mask shape and 'clip' the paper to the mask creating all kinds of fun shapes.

And the last method I use regularly is to simply resize the paper smaller than the background paper.

I created 3 layouts this month as samples.......because.....its Back to School and I have 3 grandkids that went to Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd Grade this year and I managed to get pictures of them all on their first days, yay!!!  I have used lots of layers in these layouts using all of the methods I listed above:

2nd Grader features my granddaughter Jenna and in this layout I used a mask for the bracket shaped paper, and I used the copy/paste method with the marquee tool for the striped square behind the photo.  I used the fantastic Trendsetter collection for this layout.
 
First Day of School features my grandson Jeromy who moved away during the summer and has started at a new school...I sure miss him!  The blue and green papers were 'cut' using the cropping tool, and the strip of ruler paper was cut using the 'cut' and 'paste' method.  I used the new collection, All About Me for this layout.
 
Watch Out Kindergarten features my youngest grandson Trevor who started Kindergarten this year.  It was very difficult to watch him go...he has been my sidekick for the last 5 years!  The paper with the scalloped design on the very bottom of the stack was 'cut' using the resizing method, I just wanted to scallop detail to peek out from the layers.  The two blue papers and the strip were created using the copy/paste method (my normal go to method).  I used the very appropriate Wonderfall collection for this layout.

So my challenge to you this month is to use layers, lots of layers, in whatever method works best for you!   And as an added bonus, if you create a layered layout with the theme of back to school you will get two names into the drawing for the prize package.....a digital collection of your choice!!  Sound good?  I can't wait to see what you all do, and I hope to see lots of back to schoolers!!

Please upload your entry into the gallery at InspireMe and then link it up to the post over at the forum at InspireMe.  Contest ends September 30th.

Sew Cute Techniques with Best Creation Inc - Blog Hop!!!!

Today we have a fun blog hop with projects using thread! Visit each Best Creation Inc Design Team member blog listed below to find the secret FALL words! Once you have found the FALL words, email them to mel@bestcreation.us for a chance to win Best Creation Inc's new 12x12 Hello Fall collection kit:

Winners will be announced Tuesday, September 6th!

I got this great little tool from WRMK, the Sew Easy, and they recently came out with a banner, so I played around with that.  I ended up piercing the banner pattern on the back of the Best Creation Inc Glitter Cardstock and instead of going in a straight line I gave it a bit of a curve.  I stitched with floss, then taped the back with clear tape and then cut around the shaped.  It might have been better to cut out the shape and then stitch though....live and learn :)  I used the Rock Star line for my layout:

I popped up the banner with my Helmar ZapDots and added some cute buttons I made with my Epiphany Crafts Button Studio and a heart shape bubblecap from my Epiphany Crafts Shape Studio.

So...now its time to continue on your Hop to the other Design Team members, and dont forget you are looking for Fall words that will appear in just a few of the blogs.

Good luck everyone! And your next stop is Monique's Blog where she will share another great thread technique :)

If you get lost along the way be sure to go back to the Best Creation Blog where you will find all of the blog links.

Have a great hop!!!