On the Hunt

More Chantilly paper, another Sophia journaling square, sparkle flourishes, Chantilly badge assortment, and washi tape. And I used our Cricut Art Philosophy to cut shapes, and the title was from Artbooking. I love that font. Another Pagemaps layout.

In my Easter Bonnet

Chantilly paper, because I needed to do a girly layout. Pearl flourishes, Cricut cut title, flowers and flourishes, and an old Sophia journaling spot. Also, a few flowers added. Pagemaps layout.

Won't you tell me how to get...

Pagemaps layout, Oct 2011. New colored paper I got at Michael's, by Recollections. Cricut, of course, and some green washi tape. Oh, and our aqua Dots.

Be Yourself

I am Cricuting like crazy today! I used the extra chevron strips and outline from last layout's overlay, cut the title and banner, all from Artbooking. And I'm loving washi tape today. Along with the Project Life journaling cards.

Playtime

I used the Cricut to cut an overlay for the first time, with the Artbooking cartridge, and liked it. Adhering it was a bit of a pain, but I wound up leaving it loose in the center. I told myself it was part of the texture.

Sweet treat

Our old Dream Pop paper from last May, Cricut-cut title letters, and a little washi tape.

Hexagons galore

Goodness, this took forever! Hexagons cut on the Cricut w/Accent Essentials cart, Superhero paper, and some fun Flip-Flaps. Layout from the 4x6 Photo Layout Book.

Birthday Cake

This is a birthday layout using our old Superhero paper and accompanying embellishments. I used the Cricut Art Philosophy cartridge to cut the title and added some metal rivets. And another Project Life journaling card from the school pack.

Kindergarten graduation

At my annual scrap retreat once again! Here's the first layout of the weekend. I used CTMH Elemental paper, from a couple years ago, some Project Life journaling cards, and some Jolee's stickers that I found in my bag. Oh, and cut to a sketch from Pagemaps June 2013.

Our Special Day

Wedding layout, using For Always paper and Stickease, embellished with washi tape, shimmer tape, a border punch, and the coordinating zip strips. Layout from April 2013 PageMaps.

Textile and Texture

This month's issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine had an article about using natural fibers and textures on your pages. Inspired by that, and a layout photo they had, I came up with this. It uses Chantilly papers and fabric, our burlap ribbon, and multiple fonts and colors in the title. With all that going on, very little embellishment was needed.

Kisses!

If you are able to make it out to the Open House tonight, you can bring this home: a little heart-shaped favor bag, cut using our Cricut Artiste cartridge from Chantilly paper. I think I may have talked my daughter out of using the store-bought Barbie Valentines she wanted, for her school party.

The new catalogs are in!

Isn't it pretty? Contact me today to obtain your Spring/Summer 2013 Close To My Heart catalog and idea book, full of new papers, stamps, embellishments, and more! Come to an open house tonight, my monthly workshop night on Thurs, Feb 28th at 6 pm, or e-mail me to schedule a home party, book party, or to host a workshop and earn fun free products from this catalog. Also, watch this space over the next few days, as I'll be posting photos of artwork created with our brand-new papers.

Also, for February, our Constant Campaign is a Studio J special! Our online digital scrapbooking program is so easy to use--no software to download or install, no subscription to buy in advance. You can just upload your photos and play today, creating beautiful layouts in minutes, and you don't need to pay for anything until you decide to print your creation. And this month, you can purchase any printed layout for only $5! Check it out by clicking the "Shop With Me" icon to the right, or just go to kerriestrong.ctmh.com.

Happy Scrapping!

PSA: Clean your camera phone lens now and then

OMG! Do you see the differences between the photos in those last 2 posts? So sorry about that!

I have a feeling all my other photos can benefit from this amazing bit of knowledge as well.

What kind of camera do you use most often? I desperately want a DSLR, but I have a nice P&S and still find myself using my phone more often than not because it is there. Handy, that. I think the best camera is the one you will use, right?

Running for Bagels

Two 2-page layouts, both with Olivia paper and Stickease. The first had a little stamping using the rock and roll technique to achieve multiple colors on those leaves. I love leaves.

Second layout, I had some pink in my shirt that I wanted to bring out, so I used some different B&Ts from the same pack, and based it on Smoothie cardstock instead of Colonial White. I used one of the old Sophia journaling spots.

That huge space is for my race bib, if I ever find it. New scrappers, come up with a good way to store memorabilia BEFORE you begin scrapping, OK?

With All My Heart

I wanted to post this layout without photos first, so you could see how it was put together. I have seen a lot of single page layouts with geometric shapes scattered across the page, but not many doubles, which is what I like to do for my clubs, and this was a hostess club project. So, I just cut one double-sided piece of Avonlea B&T into 2 inch squares, began in the bottom right corner of the left hand page, and alternated patterns to create a set of steps, leaving a sliver of space in between on all sides. I did the same with the right page, beginning in the top left.

Because I knew my squares were not going to match up all the time, I intentionally skewed a few squares here and there so it's not as noticeable. A 5-4-3-2-1 triangle on each page left me with 6 squares, so I added 3 to each opposing corner, cut our silver ribbon into pennants, and embellished with the January Stamp of the Month. My club wanted to learn watercoloring with pencils as this month's technique, and this stamp lent itself well to that. A quick addition of the zip strip along the bottom finished the page.

The perfect photos for this aren't printed yet, but they will go across the page in a single line, in the middle. I may use Slate cardstock to matte the photos, and will probably add a journaling spot, but I will update this post later when it's complete.

Embrace Life

There were children other than my own in these photos, so please forgive the old-fashioned judicious placement of lamp glare and scraps. I hope you can still see the basic layout, using Olivia paper, Stickease, and pearls.

Iron Girls

Fancy new paper from our new catalog, a doily, Keepsake alphabet, a wooden shape and some punched shapes. Layout was another simple one. :)

Alas, now I need to pack up. This made 23 pages; 2 more than I accomplished last year (thanks to this blog, I was able to go back and look that up.) I love this trip for getting stuff done, but I really love hanging with this great group of women. :)

Scaring Up Some Fun

Moonlight paper, my own layout, Moonlight complements and a few extras from a friend. Again, I made my own journaling spot. The embellished chipboard is a great way to add dimension. I love how our Complements have moved beyond flat stickers!

Happy Day

Fanfare paper, which I still love, and my own simple layout. There was a funny story here but I didn't want everyone to see it, so I created a hidden journaling tag. And I used the handy coordinating Stickease to embellish and as the title.