{inter} National Scrapbooking Weekend

What a great {inter}National Scrapbooking Weekend it has been.  I participated in the fun at Big Picture Scrapbooking, where many a wonderful scrapbooker presented inspiring videos throughout the day.  BPS is trying to get 10,000 layouts uploaded to Instagram.  With my crafty busy-ness, I was able to get this one done and up.  You might recall this layout, which remains one of my all-time favorites.  Like, ever.  And not just because I have an inappropriate crush on Jon Bon Jovi.

I completed this for the Ali Edwards Hello Story class I was taking (well, I still AM taking it, technically) at Big Picture Scrapbooking.  For my recent layout, I (unintentionally) gave more space to the written area than to the photo area.  I used the same basic idea, though. Here are some closer shots at some areas that excite me:

Love these sparkly Dear Lizzy Thickers!

My own swirly cursive, inspired by Kristina Werner's work.

I also used a new Sharpie white pen today.  It worked fairly well.  I guess no matter what white I try to use on patterned paper, it will soak in and I will need to go over it more than once.

Because BPS wanted us to upload these publicly, I started a different Instagram account, as my personal one needs to remain private.  I am now jpkrafty if anyone wants to follow my crafty creations on Instagram.

National Scrapbooking Day

With fervor I participated in the Creative Crop through Big Picture Scrapbooking.  If you have not signed up for your free membership, you are missing out!  There is a totally free Project Life Community on there!  Plus, the Creative Crop is a free day of challenges (with prizes) every year. They had chats throughout the day with some great designers.

So, one of the things I did that day was create a cool flap for one of my PL pages, thanks to a challenge by Aly Dosdall.

Because one pic for a visit to Chuck E Cheese is never enough.  I used tacky tape to secure a 3 x 4 flap cut from a PL page protector (an older one), and then secured it with some chevron tacky tape from Queen and Co.  A great way to add pics to a page without making a gigantic layout.

This next layout was to document a significant relationship in my life for which I am grateful.  The wonderful Stephanie Howell inspired us to come up with a simple story in a simple layout.

I could have chosen several, but I started with my elder son and me. Love that kid more than oxygen.  

This next page was a triple challenge whammy.  1. Stray from your "comfort zone" in some way (May Flaum inspired). 2. Incorporate arrows in your journaling (the fabulous Ali Edwards, of course). 3. Use the given sketch as a springboard (provided by the talented Donna Jannuzzi).

Patterned paper mixes with patterned paper: definitely out of my zone.  And journaling on patterned paper...yeah.  I stayed somewhat true to the sketch provided.  You will note the incorporation of arrows in a few spots.

We were asked to fill out an I Statement list by Stacy Julian. This was to get the creative juices flowing as to what stories need to be told.  Here is my list:

We were also challenged to create a summer "bucket list."  Here's my take on Tami Morrison's challenge:

We were given an option to use the Fuzel app, and I fell in love with that one by the amazing Angie Lucas.  We were also encouraged to use recent pics from our phones.  No prob!

Needless to say, I knocked off a great deal in a 48-hour period.  So grateful to all of the awesome designers who presented the challenges to us!

Challenge 4: Baker's Twine

Definitely a challenge to use baker's twine.  I like the look of it, I am just not always adept at how to make it work well in crafting without it saying, "Oh look!  I used baker's twine!!"  I dig subtle.

I have had these "Max-isms" written down for a while.  Ignatius and I added a few from 2012 as well.  This Jenni Bowlin paper was super easy to write on, and, as a teacher, I loved that it was handwriting paper.  I stitched baker's twine on the side of the journaling.  I also used to to seemingly anchor the photo to the page.  Digging the Thickers, as always, and it's been a long time since I did a picture framed with several layers.

Page Deux

This page comes from the "Reflection" challenge of the Creative Crop.  For those keeping score...it did not take me hours...I had some family/nap time in between.

This is a page of the 8.5 x 11" variety.  My photo is of my page hanging from my Ikea display rack.  I love it, and it is so underutilized!  I really love the concept of displaying scrapbook pages for a bit rather than stuffing them in a book and forgetting about them for a while.

 And here's a bit closer, for those who might wish to read the journaling and see the elements.

Love the Amy Tangerine Thickers, as well as the Echo Park letter stickers.  Yellow and gray (tones) are quickly becoming a staple of mine, too.  So cheery!  

Creative Crop begins

Happy National Scrapbooking Day!  This year, I am consciously trying to mark the event by participating in the Creative Crop sponsored by Big Picture Scrapbooking.  Here is my contribution for Challenge #2 (there's a challenge offered every hour by some of the big names in the biz).  Ali Edwards presented this challenge, which allowed me to make a page I had been thinking about for a while regarding Ignatius and running.  The challenge was to compare/contrast a photo from a few years back to a photo from today.

I chose a pic from a 2006 Fun Run and one from Ignatius's first high school track meet.  I really like how it turned out, although the asymmetry was challenging for me, that's for sure.  I had seen and worked a little with pages that have a lot of white space, so I thought I would give it a whirl.  I love the bingo card, because it had both of the ages from the photos that I stamped in blue.  I framed the page (textured SU! 12 x 12 cardstock) with some twine.  The paper ribbon that says Saints is paper that I bought at The Scrapbooking Studio.  I love that they have papers for the local schools.  The sticker "In the blink of an eye..." was from a package I got from my secret Santa this year.  I also placed the years of the photos in Thickers.  On to some other challenges.  If you have a chance, check them out.  It's free and there are prizes.  Plus you have more than just today to complete them.