The Inspired Scrapper

Challenge #35 - Inspired By...

Sorry for the late post, folks. I had computer issues yesterday! Without further delay, meet the lovely Erica Perkins, one of the winners of our "Scrapbooking Community" challenge at BC Crop for Kids.

Her winning layout is below. The DT and I loved the colours she used and the simple, yet eye-popping design.

Here are a few words from Erica...

I am a mom of two young babes, and I work part-time doing my own business in the childbirth community. I have been scrapbooking for close to three years now and feel blessed with the opportunities I have had to learn from some of the leaders in the Canadian scrapping community, to work with fabulous products and to build a wonderful circle of friends. When I started in this art, I was doing it with the idea of creating a show piece of my kids events and experiences, but it has transformed into so much more.
 
The older I get the more I realize the importance of telling our stories and sharing experiences. So scrapbooking has also become that for me, an opportunity to share my experiences with my children and family, but also to sit and chat with a group of women about my joys and struggles. They can become cheap therapy really, knowing that I am not alone in my experiences and that others share the same struggles as I do. I have made it one of my goals to open up more to the people around me, become more vulnerable in hopes of deepening already great friendships and share my life...it is my hope that my friends will then do the same with me. Scrapbooking is a big piece of making that happen as I can open up in a layout and as people see it discussion or sharing begins, or when I'm with a group of women and we are busy being creative we can be chatting about pretty much anything.
 

You can find some of my work in the fall issue of Canadian Scrapbooker or in upcoming issues of Scrapbook Trends and Simply Handmade. Of course, I also share latest creations on my blog at www.apodofperkins.blogspot.com

 

Challenge #34 - Happy Halloween by Debby Visser

I made two pretty simple pages for this challenge. 

The first one was created with stuff I got from Scrapbook Fanatics last year; Imaginisce Hallowhimsy.  This line is so cute and very easy to work with.  The dotted and striped papers have all kinds of colours to work with, including purple, yellow, pink, green and so on.  So you could use this paper with just about any costume.  The images down the side, were punched out from one of the papers as well, and each of them is embossed!  The title and the black shapes were cut out of foam with my cuttlebug and the felt pumpkins are Queen and Co, I just inked them up a bit.  The journaling talks about how for the third year in a row, Jaxon was a lion and Danny was a dragon. lol.

Just this past weekend, was BC Crops 4 Kids, in Abbotsford, Sandra from the Memory Workshop gave me this CUTE CUTE line from My Minds Eye.  I just HAD to sit down and create a quick page with it!  The die cuts and papers are so cute and so fun to work with and I just happen to have a 'frankenstein' costume! 

I used my favourite white gel pen from Stampin Up to outline the title and make the border around the paper.  I also used my new edge punch from EK success that I got from Scrapbook Fanatics for the fun edge at the bottom of the striped paper.  Aren't those little die cut monsters cute!  There are tons more shapes on each sheet too!

Supplies:

Spooktacular; Imaginisce, Cuttlebug, Queen and Co, Bazzill, black ink.
Jaxonstein; My Minds Eye, Jenni Bowlin, Bazzill, EK Success, Cuttlebug.

Challenge #34 - Happy Howl-oween!

It's hard to believe these photos were taken a year ago already! I figured it was finally time to scrap them - just before I take a whole bunch of new Halloween photos.

Supplies: Making Memories and Pink Paislee Patterned Papers, Bazzill Cardstock, Maya Road Ribbon, Making Memories Alphabet Stickers and Metal Embellishments

I couldn't decide which photo to use on this layout so I decided to use them all. I printed 4 photos to 2"x3" and then cropped some of them a little bit. The main photo is 4"x6". I love how easy it is to fit lots of photos on a layout when you make a bunch of them small. That way I didn't have to decide which ones to scrap.

Do you have lots of Halloween photos waiting to be scrapped? Create an easy multiple photo layout to quickly cut down your pile of photos.

Wishing you all a safe and happy Halloween!

Challenge #34 - Happy Halloween!

Wishing all you ghouls and goblins, witches and warlocks, a very safe and happy halloween! Here are the treat bags I made for my son and daughter's classmates.

These Mummy Bags were inspired by a pumpkin I saw in Canadian Family Magazine. They wrapped a pumpkin in gauze to make it look like a mummy. I LOVED the idea, so I used it to make mummy goodie bags. First, I cut strips of gauze and sprayed them with "Caramel" Glimmer Mist. Once dry, I used these strips to cover small white paper bags. The big bag is filled with caramel popcorn for the teachers and the little bag contains a few goodies for the kids.

 

This was inspired by a project I saw in a Stampin' Up catalogue. I found these small brown paper bags at Creative Packaging. First, I filled a small plastic bag with goodies, then inserted them into the brown paper bag which I cut up first. A breadstick was used as the broom handle, but for the kids I'll use Halloween pencils.

Happy Haunting!

Sonja.

Challenge # 33 - Memories of Preschool by Anna Zalamea

Hi Everyone! Here is my take on the Page Maps sketch for September 2009 by Becky Fleck.

 

In this layout, I included a pull-out journaling tag tucked under the middle photo. Thanks for looking!

Supplies: Bazzill cardstock, October Afternoon patterned paper and tags, Maya Road pompons, Making Memories ribbon, American Crafts Thickers, Making Memories Tiny Alpha stickers, misc. brads & eyelets

Challenge #33 - Mt. Rushmore, by Leigh Penner

This week's challenge was to use the following sketch to create a layout. It is found at Page Maps by Becky Fleck, September 2009.

 

I love sketches! When I first started scrapbooking, I adhered very strictly to the sketch. But now, as I feel more comfortable with my style and being creative, I just make sure the bones of the sketch are there. Sometimes, I rotate or flip it to suit my photo. Sometimes I add extra elements, or leave some out. And honestly, sometimes, the finished layout ends up looking nothing like the sketch. And that's okay. A sketch serves as a starting point and inspiration jump-start to create a layout.

With this sketch, I left out the suggested piece of patterned paper in the centre and changed the size of my photos to work with the ones I'd already printed out.

 
 

BC Crop for Kids - The Inspired Scrapper Challenge

Have you heard? The Inspired Scrapper is hosting a challenge for those of you attending BC Crop for Kids next weekend.

Our Challenge is "Scrapbooking Community": A big part of scrapbooking is community. The people you meet. Friends who inspire your life, on and off the scrapbook page. My challenge is for you to create a mini-album or layout of any size, that celebrates your scrapbooking community. Whether you crop with friends, attend retreats or visit your favourite online forums, let us know how your scrapbooking community has touched your life.

Deadline to submit your creation is 9:00am on Sunday, October 25th. All entries can be dropped off at the BC Scrapbooking Crop for Kids info/registration desk clearly marked with your name and contact information. Entries will then be judged by members of The Inspired Scrapper team attending the crop, based on creativity, content and journaling.

Two prizes will be awarded by judges decision and one by random draw. All three winners will be offered a guest designer spot on The Inspired Scrapper challenge blog. Have fun!

Read more about it here.

BC Crop for Kids - Cropping Tips

Good Evening, Ladies! Sorry for the late post, but my kids were home sick today so I haven't had a minute to spare.

There's no challenge today, but instead a few TIPS on how to pack for a crop. With BC Crop for Kids coming up, I'm sure it's on the brain for lots of scrapbookers in BC.

It is my opinion that people overthink crops (and overpack too!). I know this b/c I'm one of those people! *LOL* Each time I attend a crop, I promise myself to plan better the next time. So, here are my tips, based on years of cropping mistakes...

• PHOTOS: print your photos one week before the crop. Flip through them and see what you come up with. If a series of photos are screaming for a mini-album, set them aside. If others are asking for layouts, set them aside too. By planning your photos ahead of time, you'll be able to come up with paper and embellishments to accompany them.
• FOCUS: pick three projects to work on. I usually go with one mini-album and two layouts, although this year, I'm bringing my annual family Christmas Card stuff too:) I grab three baggies and add photos and matching scrapbooking supplies, each to a corresponding baggie. If you're a kit subscriber, this job is easy. Just match photos to the kits you already have on-hand.
• FORGET IT: Aside from the one or two magazines you've been dying to spend time with, leave books and magazines at home. They take up a lot of room (and are REALLY heavy too)! Instead, walk around the cropping room. Talk to people and look at their work. Chances are, you'll find more inspiration in the people around you that you will ever find in a magazine.
• FRIENDS: If you know who you're sitting next to, send an e-mail to ask what they're bringing. For example, at my table in this year's Crop 4 Kids, only one person is bringing a Revolution and dies. Someone else is bringing stamps. Another is bringing their Cuttlebug and embossing folders. Me, I'm bringing my inks and alphabet stamps. As long as you don't mind sharing your supplies, your load will be much lighter. (But don't forget to label your goods:)
• FAVOURITES: Aside from my three projects and coordinating supplies, I bring my "favourites"...things I reach for time and time again...like my scallop border punch, kraft cardstock, my favourite Thickers, clear buttons, embroidery floss and a needle, a few patterns of KI Memories cardstock, a baggie of mixed flowers and my little letter stickers. These will provide me with the "extra something" I need to complete a project.
• FUN: Let's face it, how much scrapbooking really gets done at these things? Don't worry about packing everything. If you REALLY need something, chances are, someone at your table will be able to lend it to you, or it will be available at the on-site store. Remember, you can always finish your project at home, if you're missing something. A great tip provided by Cari Locken, "Take some scrap paper (cardstock) and cut it into different photo sizes (i.e. 4x6, 6x4, 5x7, 3x3, 2x2, 3x5, etc) so that when you are working on a layout and don't have the photos you want you can place these different pieces of cardstock down so that you can finish working on your layout."

One thing about cropping at an event is that you're limited to what you have in front of you. Sometimes, that's a good thing! Too many scrapbooking possibilites can inhibit your creativity at times. Take this time to use what you have and enjoy the creative process. Happy Scrapping!

Bye for now,

Sonja.

Challenge #32 - Thankful by Lisa Thibaudeau

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! This holiday is a kickstart to my favourite time of year: Fall! This year we've been extremely fortunate with warm weather and beautiful sunshine. I've managed to get the girls out for a few photo ops and spend some time playing with them in the changing leaves. I still have so many pictures from last year that need scrapping, so I thought I would take a step back in time and create a 2 page spread of our pumpkin patch trip last Thanksgiving. Since we're planning on making it a family tradition, it should be fun to take some new pictures this year and compare them!

 

  The butterflies on this pp were just yelling at me to cut them out, and I love how beautifully they match Brielle's shirt. Chipboard letters are American Crafts, and the tree and leaves are Hambly rub-ons that I've been saving for the perfect layout. I finished it off with 'autumn' ribbon by American Crafts. 

Challenge #32 - Thanksgiving Dinner Placecards by Cari Locken

I love this weekend!!!  I love fall & everything about it and just being thankful for all that we have. This coming weekend we'll be having turkey dinner at my parents house. I'm looking forward to spending time with family then.

I decided to help my mom out by making some placecards for the table.  (when my daughter saw them she asked if she could make some for the children's table too! ;) Definitely!!)

Here's what I came up with.  They're simple but do the trick.  And in honor of Scenic Route closing their doors I decided to use some paper from the Sonoma collection. I just think it is so pretty and perfect for Thanksgiving.

Here's what my daughter created.

And of course, my youngest wanted to join in the fun as well.  (yes, they're both home from school today sick with colds).  So, his Kindergarten teacher gave us a little project to work on with him.  This was his creation.  Isn't it cute??

Happy Thanksgiving!