Tag: simple stories

Back-to-School and Back to Scrapping

Back-to-School and Back to Scrapping

back-to-school

Yippee! I finally finished a scrapbook spread for the current year in which I’m living. No, that doesn’t happen very often (I’m still trying to finish a December daily album from 2015). In fairness, I decided to give myself a fighting chance this year by going with pocket pages. . . with the option of a few 12×12 more creative designs.

So here’s my first go at this new approach and I think it might just work for an album that’s, well, “a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll.” I’m going to use Simple Stories-ish papers to keep a cohesive feel throughout the months, and I started with the back-to-school Smarty Pants pack. I received inspiration from the Stuck?!Sketches early September challenge and the Scrap Our Stash Tic Tac Toe Challenge. It was pretty simple to combine the two challenges and the second pocket page gave me plenty of space for multiple photos; because let’s face it, it is really hard for me to wrap up a monumental day with just one pic. By the way, I’m not adding my pocket page to this post just because there is a lot of personal information on it and I try to keep my little guy’s privacy as under wraps as possible. Thanks for understanding. I can tell you that it’s a nine-pocket page with six photos and three decorative squares that complements my large design.

The layout for the main page came from the Stuck?! September sketch pictured below. I thought this was a great layout for my main back-to-school picture and I love all the textures and fun elements. I fulfilled the Scrap Our Stash Tic Tac Toe Challenge diagonally by using an arrow, ruler and dictionary paper. This challenge has become one of my favorites, because I get to decide which way I want to combine all these fun items.

17757559_10154297931246039_496005685489655732_nScrap Our Stash

Firefly Dreams

Firefly Dreams

fireflycard

FMS Final 203-001I couldn’t help but take a few moments to create a card for the current Freshly Made Sketches challenge. It seemed so simple. . . until I picked my shape. Of course it all took on a life of its own, but I conquered it in the end.

I used my mason jar die for the shape and showcased it on a background of Simple Stories Summer Fresh papers. I highlighted the lid with a grey marker and added brown twine to give it some punch. The firefly stamp was the fun part, and I highlighted those cute little guys with a touch of pale blue on the wings and Stickles on the lights. I also added yellow sequins to mimic the fireflies outside of the jar. In the end, a bit of blue Glimmer Mist and ink all around adds depth to all the card elements.

“Dream” seemed like a fitting word for this end-of-summer card. . . plus, it was a handy stamp on which to lay my hands. (Sometimes it pays not to pick up your messes.)