Simple Magic : Simple Scrapper

Even bad (let's call them questionable, maybe?) photos that evoke sweet memories can make a good scrapbook page in my opinion.  The photos are certainly good enough to help spark the memory, despite being dark -- and who doesn't love a little lens flare?  I love the feeling of fall in this page.  Makes me want to trade in my hot cocoa for a little apple cider.

Again, this is a page done with a Simple Scrapper Sketch and Story Starter.  I think it turned out super cute, and it totally captured a memory that I want to save.  Aren't the most precious moments of motherhood those quiet afternoons of pretend and sweet hugs?  Well, the most precious moments are *really* a glass of wine after the little one is in bed, but this is a close second.  :)

I've got lots more to share this month, so stay tuned for more!

The Premium Membership at Simple Scrapper provides skills and shortcuts to help you simplify and find more meaning in your memory keeping.

Rock The Chalk : Simple Scrapper

Hello Happy Campers!  Can you believe it is December already?  OMG, me either!  I'm about to enter into a world full of Hanukkah Magic -- and, speaking of Magic, that happens to be this month's Story Starter theme at Simple Scrapper.  I was inspired to create this sweet and funky little layout featuring me and my best girl getting a little Adam Ant with a tub of sidewalk chalk last month.  This was my first month with Simple Scrapper, and I can honestly say that I am loving it.  You know that rut you sometimes feel when you know you want to scrap something but you aren't sure what?  That was totally solved!  I feel more creative than ever.  So A+ to that fabulous group of ladies -- so much inspiration!

I'll be back with another layout later this week.  Right now I think I need to hang up some dreidle decorations.  Whoo-hoo!

The Premium Membership at Simple Scrapper provides skills and shortcuts to help you simplify and find more meaning in your memory keeping.  You should totally check it out, for real.

Pulling Together my December Daily

This is a quick and dirty nap-time snapshot.  Excuse my lighting.

Okay, I'll admit it.  I have a love/hate affair with December Daily albums.  Love because I mean, it's a fun project and a neat way to document a very unique time of year and it feels so SPECIAL.  And hate because I'm Jewish and, well, December Daily is very Christmas-y.  And I LOVE looking at everyone else's red and green albums with their belighted pine trees and elves on shelves -- but that's not my life.  I've got candles and dreidels.  I've got potato pancakes and jelly doughnuts.  And it's awesome and I love it, but sometimes it just doesn't mesh with all the DD stuff out there.

 So this year, I'm totally going non-traditional and owning it.  I used Crate Paper's Bundled Up last year, and it was cute.  But this year I'm going black, white, kraft and gold.  Maybe a hint of red.  I found an awesomely cute little 6x6 paper pad at Tuesday Morning called Hot Cocoa by American Crafts (which is a mystery -- I can't find info on it ANYWHERE!) but I loved its graphic patterns.  I may pull out all the red and use it for different projects, or I may add it in sparingly.  I haven't decided yet.


This isn't the completed collection of what I'll be using, but it is the start and probably the bulk.  I'm going to go simple, clean, and graphic this year.  I need a few transparent overlays, maybe a bit more vellum, some sequins and enamel dots -- and the Printshop star wood veeners that Joann's is carrying in stores now (yes 50% off coupons!).  I'll be using a Studio Calico Handbook album (kraft) that I got on Uber clearance off amazon.  I pulled some mambi pocket pages cards from my DT days with them that will compliment nicely.  Overall, I'm liking it a lot.  I think it'll look cool, and different, and most importantly it'll be true to my not-so-much-about-Christmas December.  And that's awesome, if you ask me.

Kite Festival

I've been plugging away at the 6x6 paper class when I get a chance, and here is what I did with the sixth sketch in the class.  I found working with a strip of horizontal photos really challenging -- it is very much not my usual MO when it comes to how I put things together.  I kept adding washi to echo the line of the photos, and eventually it came together for me.  I'm not sure it's one of the better pages I've made, but it was a great learning experience with working through it's issues.  

I did use some cloud washi that I got with a kit that I had never used, so that was exciting for me.  Add in some hand drawing on the kite I cut with my silhouette as a cute and personal detail and it adds those little finishing touches that really make a layout feel complete to me.  I love to draw on my layouts.   I guess it seems like it puts a little bit of laurie onto the page.  Pretty paper is good, but the essence of me is what I really aim to capture.  This is my life and this is what I draw; my pages are an extension of me.  Forgive me, I got philosophical just now -- it's been a long day with lots of laundry.  :)

Much love to everyone out there in cyberspace.  Hope the chill of fall is warming your hearts!

Love Those Daddy Pancakes

Sorry the light is weird on this -- still figuring out the best place to take photos at the new house!

Another page based off a sketch from the Scrapbook Generation 6x6 paper pad class -- I love that these pages feature lots of photos!

My goal with these pages (besides documenting memories, of course!) was to use up a lot of the little bits and pieces that I had lying on my desk.  I think it came out pretty cute!

  

Paper Camellia : Sept 2014 Round Up

Here's a quick round up of things I made with this month's Paper Camellia Kit!

The October kit reveals tomorrow and I can't wait!  

Rain Dancer

I've been going through my stash trying to use things up and I had these fun little October Afternoon rain clouds.  They came with a kit, and while I'm not sure I'd ever buy them for myself, I basically designed this layout around them (based off a Scrapbook Generation sketch).  Love that Mon Ami paper with the rain and the clouds -- perfect for my photos of Orli dancing in the rain.  And the best news -- the chipboard clouds are now in my album and off of my desk.  Gotta love that!

She's a Book Worm

Another layout from this summer that I haven't yet posted.  I cut into an older set of papers by Websters Pages and I just love the happy colors that echo the colors on my girl's shirt.  As you can tell, I was very into (and I still am very into!) great big pictures on my pages.  Story first, then decoration -- and the story is all about the photo in this one.

I'd like to say that this layout makes me long for summer again, but the truth is that it's still in the 90s in this part of the world and I want fall to come like nothing else.  I'm totally looking forward to the Chickaniddy Scrumptious line.  I just love that line -- I can't wait to pick up some pieces!

Bring on Apple Cider Weather!

Reveal Day at Paper Camellia!

Today is Reveal Day at Paper Camellia Kits!  I love reveal day!  This month is a beautiful kit full of mint, soft teal, reds, pinks and grey.  

I'll be sharing a few more layouts over the next few days, but be sure to go and check out the kit!  

beautiful & messy motherhood moments

I'm taking "Inspired Scrapbooking" over at Big Picture Classes this year and this is the first fruit of that endeavor.  I feel like all my pages are very baby-centric right now (well duh, I have a 10 month old, right?) but I want to make effort to explore a little more deeply this year.  And yes, the page is still a little baby-centric, but it's a step in the right direction.  My life pretty much revolves around a tiny human who doesn't say too much (except Duck, Art, Cat, Uht-Oh, and Snack) so there will still be a lot of baby.  

Speaking of classes, this year I'm taking:

1. One Little Word with Ali Edwards
2. Inspired Scrapbooking with Stacy Julian
3. 31 Things with Ali Edwards

and I'm ponding doing "Before Your Story" with Jennifer Wilson.  I think I'm in a sweet spot right now to take classes with Orli having a good, early bedtime and me feeling creative and productive when she's sleeping (and still able to be in bed by 10!) -- and the Ali class ends just before the Jennifer class starts.  And the idea of documenting your life before baby is appealing because it's all baby all the time in this house.

What are you taking this year?  Do you have your OLW picked out?

Paper Camellia Jan 2014 Kit Fun

Hi everyone!  I'm back from my holiday hiatus and today I wanted to share some layouts I made using the lovely Paper Camellia January 2014 Kit!

So many embellishments!  And beautiful colors, too!

This one is my favorite so far.  I love the simplicity.

I'll have more to share a little later -- so stay tuned!

On the Paper Camellia Blog

Did you see my blog post over at Paper Camellia?  Go check me out -- and just FYI, this amazing kit is almost sold out, so grab yours if you're interested!

Paper Camellia: 2013

I'm here today with another layout from the December Paper Camellia Kit!

I love a big photo, and I used this page to do another one of my sweet girl.  Gold rub ons around the edge provide a neat frame, and the frame of layered paper keeps things focused on the center of the page.

Love this cluster.  I put strips of washi on a piece of scrap card stock and punched out the butterfly.  

Love these little chipboard banners -- they match the banner from the Bundled Up sticker sheet perfectly!

Paper Camellia DT: December Kit Love

Hi friends!

I am so lucky to be one of the Design Team members over at Paper Camellia Kits, especially when I get a chance to play with beautifully curated supplies like those in December's kit.  Over the next week I want to share a few things I've made.

Happy Hanukkah!  This is a sweet photo of Orli and her little menorah that I wanted to keep.

I often find December a tricky month -- it's hard when everything is Christmassy and you're a blue and silver kinda girl.  But this kit was neutral enough to be very usable for me -- and I appreciate that!  Love those Thickers that spell out Miracle -- a fun focal point and it works really well!

I textured the edges of my paper with my We R Memory Keepers Heart Attack tool (which I got on clearance at Target -- holla!) and inked them with a Prima inker.  A few enamel dots, a button, a little mist -- and don't forget those freaking awesome gold rub ons -- and yeah, I liked it.  I'm into the paper layers on this layout.  Everything looks so nice together right out of the box it was easy to put together.

Up top is more layering, mist, and a really fun star paper clip from the Alison Kreft Christmas Collection from Webster's Pages.  I love me a good paper clip.  :)

I hope you're all enjoying your December so far.  I'm working on my JYC/December Daily and will have those going up soon -- and of course, more pages from this beautiful kit will go up soon, too!

Three Reasons you are THE BEST

I love this page.  It's all bright colors and funky, graphic patterns and hand writing and drawing -- and it's very, very me.  I was inspired by the No. 1, 2 & 3 tags out of the Dear Lizzy Polka Dot Party Bits pack -- I never seem to use my numbers in die cut packs like that and I was determined to use them this time.  So I pulled them out and built this entire page around them.  I chose a photo with bright, saturated colors that could hold its own against the brightness of the papers and went to town.  In the end, I love it.  It's a sweet, personal page that really captures my essence and the sorts of things I like to make the most.

I included lots of little bits like I am want to do -- I love those tiny little details.  Love, Love, Love those Dear Lizzy Polkadot Party Bits -- I used to think that they were a stupid purchase, but there are so many of them and you can really use them on so many things -- a good die cut pack is a must buy for me.  Pop them up on some foam tape and you have instant interest.

Hope you all have a happy Monday!  I'll be getting ready for Thanksgivukkah this week - what fun!

Welcome to a Whimsical Twist Blog Hop!

Welcome to the Whimsical Twist Favorite Blog Hop!  Hopefully you reached me from Lisa’s blog, but if not head back to Whimsical Twist and start the hop from there!

Today I am sharing a sweet and simple layout that uses a few of my favorite items in the Whimsical Twist Shop.

I love this simple layout featuring two of my favorite people in the world -- my sweet daughter, Orli, and my amazing husband.  I snapped this photo at baby gym one morning, and knew that it was a memory I wanted to record.

I started with an amazing ombre and polka dot (!!!) base paper which is a lovely, heavy cardstock sheet from Chic Tags, a brand which is quickly becoming a favorite of mine.  The ampersand paper behind the photo is from Alison Kreft for Webster's Pages' Recorded Line, as is the cute blue arrow paperclip.  What a great color that is!  The journaling is in a cute little library pocket from Basic Grey's Carte Postale line, which has a lot of great pieces that can be used for many things other than travel pages.  The cardstock ampersand and circle are both from Dear Lizzy's Polka Dot Party Bits package.  There are so many great pieces in those packs -- I love them.  Grey strips border the page on the top and bottom; those are also from Polka Dot Party -- I just trimmed down some narrow pieces of paper and down they went.  And don't forget a generous sprinkling of sequins for a little extra pop!

I love a cursive alpha!

All blog hops should have a giveaway and this is no exception! At each stop along the hop, make sure that you leave a comment so you can be entered to win a $20 gift card to the Whimsical Twist shop!  One random commenter who has commented on ALL of the blogs will win!

Your next top will be: Sharm

Here is the complete hop in order, just in case you get lost along the way!

Whimsical Twist - http://whimsicaltwist.com/blog/

Carrie - http://carrieshappyscrappin.blogspot.com/

Ashley - http://marklandandmain.blogspot.com/

Lisa - http://lisascreativeniche.blogspot.com/

Laurie - http://lauriedanielle.com  <<-- YOU ARE HERE

Sharm- http://craftyliciousme.blogspot.com

Sandi-  http://lifeatthebeach51.blogspot.com/

Alexandra- http://avc-creations.blogspot.gr/

Kristin- http://memoriesbythepageful-kristin.blogspot.com/

Charissa- http://www.akihasmommascraps.com

Standing Like a Big Girl

Today another page created mainly from the September Citrus Twist Main and Pocket Life kits.  Have I mentioned that I LOVE the september kit?  I do.  Such dreamy colors! 

I used had this really cute photo of my daughter standing alone for the first time (well, with the support of the ottoman!).  One print was a misprint from having walgreens print my instagram photos (they cropped them -- I should have known that the would!) but it still had those nice dreamy colors that worked so well with the papers in the kit.  So I pulled it out and paired it with a less dreamy but entirely there photo of Orli and it looked really cute.  There is hidden journaling on the pink card that tucks behind the polka dot paper.  Sometimes journaling just doesn't work with your design -- so hide it!  I like all my pages to have a little journaling, so when it doesn't go with the layout, it just gets tucked behind something else with a little string to pull it out.  

I'm loving that October Afternoon washi.  

I just used a tag for the journaling card that I sprayed with a bit of tattered angels mist and tied a piece of My Mind's eye Lime Twist baker's twine.  Some mist splatters and a mambi chip to indicate that I do, in fact, "love this" and it all came together.

Also, I cannot believe it's the middle of October already.  I am soooooo ready for some turkey!

Spoon Love

This layout was made using the September Citrus Twist Kits Main and Pocket Life kits, plus my own alphas and a few mambi chips.  I love how it turned out.  Sometimes it seems that if you want to include a lot of journaling in on a layout it distracts from the flow of the page -- but it becomes part of the page on this little sheet of notebook paper from the Dear Lizzy Polka Dot Party cut apart page.  I punched the edge to make it look torn from a notebook.  

Of course, there is some stitching.  It's so easy and a great way to add a little texture.  This is cream thread with a gold bobbin thread -- just a little bit of sparkle shows through.

This heart mambi chip fits on the Amy Tangerine paper almost perfectly!  It was too good not to use.  I love how it keeps the flow of the paper, but adds a little extra pop with the dimension and the glitter.  I also love how the b-side of the bottom strip of paper coordinated with the rest of the line.  I wanted to show it off, so I folded it down for extra texture!  

Today on the Whimsical Twist Blog!

There is a new challenge going up on the Whimsical Twist blog today -- and it's all about TEXTURE.  I love me some texture and dimension (don't even ask how many rolls of foam tape I go through!) so I was excited to create an inspiration piece using burlap (so autumnal!) and the new Family Traditions line by Adrienne Looman for Webster's Pages.  The full layout is up on the blog -- so go check it out and be sure to enter your own creation for a chance to win a Whimsical Twist gift certificate.