Crop & Create Ottawa was an incredible experience

Friday morning after arriving home from our vacation at the cottage, I sat down to my laptop as usual and perused the usual...Facebook, Google Reader. I thought about how lovely our vacation was, and how even though I packed up some scrapbook and art journal materials, I hardly did anything creative while up there.

And then I got a notification for a group I'm in. It had a new post, and I checked it out right away. I was thrilled to read that the owner of Loonie 4 scrapbooking was looking for someone to take her spot at Crop & Create in Ottawa, and it started that day! She was offering it to the first person who replied, and I had to say, I scooped that baby up so quick! The owner contacted me right away to arrange the transfer of registration.

I had only found out about Crop & Create coming to Ottawa in August, and it was already sold out. So this opportunity to go was such a nice surprise! I cannot say enough about the owner's generosity in giving this wonderful gift! It just goes to show that women in the scrapbooking community are truly a reflection of the best qualities we possess. I contacted my friends to let them know I'd be there. It turned out that we were taking a class together too, and we got to sit together for the cropping on Saturday.

Here are a few layouts that I did during my adventure this weekend:

This layout was created for one of the challenges

I love using Fall pictures for warm layouts

My fave layout from the weekend

Learning from Vicki, Kelly and Catherine was a real pleasure. I learned so many techniques, such as tissue encasing, tape binding, and making an adorable fridge magnet from a Maya Road bottle cap and sticker sheets. (Catherine it truly was the best make & take EVER!)

I really hope that they come back to Ottawa again in the near future. It won't be the last time I go to an event they've organized. The location was ideal, and the organizing team had everything running so seamlessly that we quite often forgot about how much work went into it all. If you get a chance to attend a Crop & Create, take it! You will not regret it, and you'll be hooked and waiting for the next event.

Time to unwind...and news!

I'm ready. So ready to take a vacation with my husband away from the hustle and bustle of my job, the city, life. We are both eager to spend some real time together to enjoy each other's company and get out into nature. Just thinking about it brought my mind back to a hike we did together not all that long ago. So I scrapped it as my submission for this week's The Color Room layout. Here's the palette:

I love that he doesn't mind having pages with his photos surrounded by flowers. He's rugged but sentimental I guess.

And have you heard the news? I'm the new blog coordinator for Creative Scrappers. It's such a thrill to be working with these talented ladies. Mad skills I tell you. Mad. I'm sure going to enjoy soaking in all the inspiration!

So while I am away, I'll definitely be bringing my art journal materials with me, some scrapbook supplies too, and I'll be letting loose the creativity that is locked up inside me right now. I'm quite sure that I'll have several more nature-inspired layouts coming.

Hope you have an amazing week!

I scraplifted... myself! Digital to Paper

I used to think that I would never scrapbook using paper. Digitally I could resize photos and crop them in an instant. I could resize elements to fit the layout. I could layer and shadow and make anything look realistic. But there is one thing that I learned today that I never understood until today. Despite being able to create a layout that looks virtually like a paper layout, it was not as satisfying as creating the same layout with paper.

Oh sure, I wish I had an abundance of items on hand to almost replicate what I did digitally, but the accomplishment I feel after having spent time looking through my stash for the right paper, the right spray, the perfect elements, well it's awesome. I sat down and looked at what I had in front of me, and I used what I had on hand, and what I didn't, I manage to improvise. And I love the final product.

Here's the original layout done about a year ago, digitally using Photoshop CS3:

It was definitely a challenge making this layout using a variety of elements from different designers and trying to get a cohesive feeling from it. I really loves the final product. That's why I decided to scraplift it. And here's the result (click the photo for a larger image):

I loved working with the leaf skeletons and the different flowers, and ribbons. I had a lot of fun, winding that rope through the title as well. I had done it digitally before but this was a first for paper.

It's not an exact replica obviously. I took a two photo layout and made it one photo. I changed the title location. I used slightly different colours. But I love it. I'm definitely going to put this one in a shadow box and frame it. I love this photo, and remembering the day and how perfect the light was.

I really hope you think about scraplifting yourself and seeing how you can change something up, especially if your style has changed over the years.

Hope you had a good weekend, and stay tuned for more fun later this week!

A simply lovely gift tag!

I have a lovely quick project to show off today. I've loved working with Scrap'n with Flair's September kit featuring A Ladies' Diary by Graphics 45. It's perfectly vintage and feminine.

This weekend I made a quick tag using the papers and some beautiful flowers from I am Roses. I made a video of the process so that you can play along.

Here's the final product:

I'm definitely loving these tags! They are quick elegant gifts for friends, or decorations for my craft room.

Hope you have a lovely weekend!

Mini wallet album - fast and great for gifts!

Happy Sunday everyone! I've been having some fun working a little project that would be quick and easy, and make a great gift for co-workers or friends. It's a mini wallet album that holds no less than 13 journal tags or photo mattes and uses one sheet of 12X12 paper to make the wallet. Super simple!

I learned how to make this by watching a video from Stephanie (With a Grin) on You Tube. She did a fabulous job of showing off just how pretty you can make these, so I decided to give it a shot. I created the wallet using supplies from the Scrap'n with Flair September kit  which features Graphic 45's A Ladies' Diary, and a few extras I had in my stash. This mini looks gorgeous using simple pieces of paper, tags and stickers.

The mini wallet album closed up using some ribbon for a closure

The front holds 3 tags for journaling or photos

Behind the tags is a larger tag for photos or journaling

When you open up the wallet, you find two pretty pages

One with a pretty little tag

And a larger journal tag with photo matte on back sitting in a pocket behind

And the other pretty page with its journal tag and photo matte

Inside the side pouch are two pretty photo mattes/journal tags

And in the other side pouch are also two pretty tags for photos or journaling

The back of the wallet has a place for three pretty tags

One of the pretty tags in the back pocket

I can see that making these mini wallet albums could end up being quite addicting. You should definitely try it out!

Did you like this little project? Have questions about it? Let me know in the comments and I'll give you the answers you are looking for.

Have a great weekend and we'll see you again soon with another fun project!

A new mini art journal - a ladies' diary

I have a confession to make. Every since I was a kid, I've been addicted to all things small. Anything and everything miniature got my attention, what little there was of it. Mini-books were no exception. I had to have every kind of small notebook there was around, including my own small diary complete with lock and key. I never wrote in that diary. Well, okay, I wrote a few entries. But I can actually remember as a young child being drawn to small notebooks. Things to scribble in, draw in, or just hold.

So it's no wonder really that I've got more than half a dozen art journals on the go, or ready to go, and a couple of home-made smash-like books. I love them all! None of them go wasted. Each has its purpose.

And so what did I make today with my kit from Scrap'n with Flair? You got it! A notebook, art journal, junk journal - whatever you want to call it. This one is a little less than 6 inches square.

This month's kit features A Ladies' Diary from Graphic 45. Now I know why they call G45 "crack" for fussy cutters. It's the kind of paper that you don't want to waste a single piece of. The designs are beautiful and classic with their dusty rose, cream and teal. Beautiful soft vintage papers. So of course, I had to get out my detail scissors so that I could fussy cut out the title of my new journal. And I kept all the little individual bits of paper left over from making the journal. Including some wonderful little accent cut-outs like the ones that adorn the front cover. Then I used Glossy Accents to hit the small dogwood flowers in the large image and the title. I also put some on the gentleman's corsage for dimension.

I love how the lady on the right is looking at the couple. 

I had ordered my Cinch book binding tool a while back but today I used it for the first time and love it! So easy to work with. So I made up this art journal with various papers, some watercolour paper, some ephemera (which I can tear out to use on a layout), some music sheet paper, maps, book paper, scrapbook paper, kraft paper. In all there are probably well over 100 pages. I cannot wait to use this little beauty. I think it will be a combo art journal/idea book. You'll undoubtedly see layouts in it from time to time on my blog.

Now given that it's the long weekend, you might not see the kit on the store website yet, but it will be there and you will want to pick it up.