Awesome Awesome Awesome

I really like the pocket page thing, I love it as a compliment to my "regular" layouts no matter what size they happen to be. I do find using those 4x6 and 3x4 cards a bit awkward to use in the mix if I want to showcase the whole pretty card, so in this awesome summer album I'm working on thanks to the class at Clique Kits, I'm learning to step out of my comfortzone with those kinds of card. This page is REALLY SIMPLE, not much to it, but it also uses a single diecut sheet of paper which is also a bit of a challenge for me ;). (Yeah, really stepping outside my box here)

Let me know what you think.

The back of this page is a page that goes with some others, so I'll leave that until Tuesday. Have you worked with one of these Snap Albums or an album of similar size? Do you use pocket pages mixed in with your regular size pages? When is the last time you challenged yourself? 

Wow, I'm full of questions right now. Thanks for looking.

Birthday Summer Snap Pocket Pages

With Pocket Pages, I don't tend to give them a title like I do most layouts. These are the pages that sit to the right of the VA Ren Faire page in my little SNAP mini for the summer. I'm not entirely sure I'm finished embellishing... but I like these for now. That clear card I really like mostly clear, but if I find something I think it needs, I can add it later.

I LOVE the washi that came in my kit, and I LOVE the bits of Washi holding some of the envelopes closed, I am even using those bits along in my book. I used the Elle's Studio Fun in the Sun Stamp set that I picked up in the Clique Kits' store (did you know you can use the code SUMMERFLASH to save 35% on all store items right now. I selectively inked up the scallcop on the "everthing about this is AWESOME stamp for the little scallopped border. The pic of the Happy Bday sign is one that the kennel staff made for me at work this year... love those guys! That straw is from 7-11 and cracks me up!!

I worked yesterday on printing out some different sized photos, I didn't really pre plan where they were going in this album, I just wanted a pile of pics ready to go. I have several more pages ready to photograph barring me deciding to embellish any further. I am LOVING this little album and so very happy I decided to take this class AND buy the suggested album. They have this album in black chevron stripe in the store also and I'm so tempted.... I wasn't sure how I'd feel about this size, but it's fantastic! Ok, I'm rambling... any suggestions on how to get better pics of my pocket pages... I know they'd be better taken in the daytime. 

Welcome to the June Pep Rally!!! Time for SHOW and TELL!!!

If you've come to this post via Scrappin Madge, you have made it to the next stop on your bloghop, if not... why don't you mosey on over to Clique Kits and stroll through, there will be a giveaway!

I've almost used up this amazing June kit this month. I had one full sheet of paper and some scraps left along with some of the embellies that came with the kit and some die cut images that I had cut out right away. The theme of this month's blog share is Show and Tell/My favorite things. I decided to challenge myself and just make a layout about stuff I'm into right now. There is a list of my current favorite foods at the top right, the middle holds my favorite things to do for fun right now and my favorite scrappy trends. I used that last full sheet of paper in it's awesomeness and layered my scraps underneath. I scattered around some printables and a cut file or two, did some watercoloring and painting, took out some wood veneer hearts by Pinkfresh Studio from a previous kit and WHA-LA! 

Please to enjoy (I also added a tidbit from the June store offerings, it's from Ellie's Studio and super cute!)

I think it's a great idea to challenge yourself or step out of your own comfort zone every now and again. I've had a summer cold for the last several days and it's been a challenge to sit at the table to do anything! I'm now feeling better and up to scrapping! I'm so excited about today because I'm off work, I have some old photos of my father from when he was in Vietnam and I've talked to him on the phone and I have stories to log about these photos so tomorrow I'll be challenging myself to write about photos that don't have my own memories, but instead I'll be preserving the memories that he shared with me about those photos! It's all very exciting and I hope you have fun getting inspired by everyone! Have fun hopping along!

Here is the blogroll:

Clique Kits

Gia

Jody

Erica

Lacey

Stephanie

Madge

Charity******you are here ;)

Rosann

Shayne

Alisha

Danielle

Tyra

Tess

Cassandra

Mariah

Place Holder...

There is some kind of summer cold going about work and I'm having my turn with it. I did do a bit of scrapping today, but I'm getting ready for Wednesday's Pep Rally with Clique Kits and I'll show you what I worked on this evening.

Don't forget, I'll have a beautiful (hopefully) layout for you to see tomorrow as you hop along with Clique Kits! Hugs everyone!

Every Summer Has a Story

Happy Summer Everyone! Today is the actual first day of summer, but traditionally I have considered Memorial Day Weekend as the start to my summer, when I was in school it was always out by then and warm, AND I have a birthday around that time so it just all seems to fit nicely. So as I have gotten started on my Clique into Summer class with Clique Kits, it seemed only right to start there. Here is my coverpage for the album:

and here is the layout that I made on the back of this page:

This little album has a ton of pocket pages and I've already got more photos printed and more in a folder ready to resize and print to make more pages... it's a work Saturday for me and I have different off days this week so I am hoping to get some scrapping done around that... can't wait to show you what else I've been doing this summer! 

Clique Into Summer

I know I've been talking about Clique Kits quite a bit, and on that note did you see I had another Substitute Teacher post up there yesterday??? Ok, now that you are back, it's time to be disappointed that I don't have a fantastic layout for you to see today.
A few AMAZING life events other than being the guest blogger happened to me yesterday.

 1. At work I intubated my first cat yesterday. (I work as a veterinary technician) I have been doing this to dogs for several months now and finally had the opportunity and manpower available for me to attempt it on a cat... they are a little more tricky.

2. I found out the tomatoes that I have growing on my balcony have been fruitful, along with some tiny blossoms, there is on teensy little tomato growing.

3. I talked to my Daddy and he gave me some background information on some old photos I have of him from the 50's and 60's. This is AWESOME!!!

4. I started working on my super awesome Summer School kit featuring Simple Stories Good Day Sunshine collection which is all rainbows and clouds and wonderfulness... Sigh...

Stream of Consciousness Journalling

A closeup of one of the insta cards from Simple Stories included in the kit... and those awesome flagged paperclips that were handmade to be included in this month's Clique Kit. 

I use my scrapping as my therapy. I have seen a therapist and she agreed that this seems to do wonders for me. Some people keep a private journal, I just put it on a page with embellishments. When there might be things I don't want just out there then I find some way to make them less prominent or even to hide them on the page. This weekend I was just having a lot of ... feelings and I wanted to get rid of them. I find that if I write it down it serves as a release for me... and seems to immediately make me feel better. I did some stream of consciousness journalling on different blocks. Then I picked one that wasn't too personal... um that might not make people uncomfortable and stuck it on top and shoved the others behind it. If I feel the need to re read it sometime, then it's there for me.

Here is the whole layout... LOVE the Heidi Swapp Favorite Things collection with the DIY Boutique from Simple Stories... THANKS to Clique Kits for combining these wtwo along with their own exclusive printables and cut files... I LOVED working with these!

Here are a couple more closeups of this layout. 

Class Kit and Watercolor Review

I got some exciting supplies this week. I received my Summer School Class kit featuring the Good Day Sunshine collection by Simple Stories and I LOVE this collection!!! The rainbows make me SWOON. The class kits are all sold out, but the class content is still for sale over at Clique Kits. 

The first session of Summer School was released this week, (week one of classes that is) and it was all about watercoloring and different techniques. I broke down and bought some watercolors for the class. They weren't the ones I really wanted, but they were available. I decided they needed to be video reviewed in case other people were wondering how they were so:

AND in case you hadn't heard yet... Clique Kits has a new feature this month, a guest blogger from one of their very own subbies and the first Substitute Teacher was ME!!!! I hope your week was wonderful and that all Father's Day plans go smoothly. HUGS!

Bee Happy, You are my dad!

Father's Day is this weekend and I'm sending out my card to my Daddy today. I combined SEVERAL stamp sets from Paper Smooches and Lawn Fawn for both the background and building the sentiment. The heart is a "page" out of a Maya Road Canvas book, The "washi" is fabric tape from Maya Road as well (can anyone say ... warehouse sale). The background paper is from and old K &Company paper pad I've been hoarding for several years now. I edged everything with distress ink in vintage photo.

Breaking down the Lawn Fawn:

 bee, trail and "happy" ... Hello Sunshine

dad and ! ... Say Cheese Too

Breaking down the Paper Smooches:

you are ... Chit Chat

my ... Hooties

background honeycomb ... Geo Graphic

The background is done with Gelatos and the black ink is a Faber-Castell Big Brush pen. I added my own comma. I love the super handmade look... I think my Daddy will love this card!

Now that I'm in a stamping mood, let me share with you the Summer School kit from Clique Kits AND some stamps I pulled from my stash to use with it (possibly).

Sparkle and Wine

I used to feel really intimidated looking through online galleries and wishing my own pages looked nicer... the photos that were being showcased were so perfect. Then I got more comfortable with my very own work and decided that I liked the photos that I liked, the ones that tell the story aren't always the prettiest ones. In fact, that photo of me there in the middle is one of the WORST photos I have taken... but this memory is so sweet and fun that I wanted to document it. The products on this page come from the June Show and Tell kit from Clique Kits. I used a fiskars circle punch to punch out all the pink dots and kind of thought of all the polka dots as the bubbles in the sparkling wine that is in the photos. I used the red sequins to also echo the bubbles. I LOVE the paper that has all the square blocks with ampersands and wanted to use one as an accent and in my title, that yellow and gray just seemed to add the right touch. Then this page just sat... I couldn't decide on a title or something... it needed SOMETHING. Then I got my email and watched my first Summer School lesson...

The page needed more yellow and so I broke out my watercolor set and just splodged on some yellow that I mixed by combining the yellows in the set. I used a pipette to drop drops on the colorwash and create that look of movement as it dried. Then when it was dry (aka, this morning) I used another circle punch, this time one with scallops (also by Fiskars... love their punches) and  punched a bunch of shapes, I went around the scallops with a Faber Castell Big Brush pen in black and made doodle dots to accent and add more "bubbles".

I also remembered that I had this My Mind's Eye washi tape hanging out in my stash and that it would bring some more gray into the layout. 

I really love how this layout turned out. OH... important note... that bow is not a real bow... I just looped the ribbon from the kit around and then put another piece over the middle and stapled it. I cut the flagged ends and then added printables and images from the cut apart sheet and a Simple Stories sticker to make it all wordy and happy. I loved creating this page and hope that it will inspire you to use whatever pics you have, even selfies made at night indoors and in low light like me! 

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT:

In case you didn't notice, there is a new badge over on the right hand side of my blog... it's a Clique Kits Substitute Teacher badge... I'm doing some guest designing for this awesome club and my first post will show up over there on June 11th (tomorrow even!!!). Be sure to head over and check them out because they are AWESOME! Like them on Facebook and Instagram too! Hugs everyone!!

So I made a haul video of my monthly kit...

I'm kind of really silly sometimes...

Please to enjoy!

May Faire

To start this post out, I'd like to mention that THANKS to Fancy Pants Designs, I found a new challenge blog called Scrap and Play. I am entering this layout in their June 1st Challenge #3.

For my fantastic birthday weekend I went to the Virginia Ren Faire. It was FANTASTIC and smaller than the one in Maryland that happens in the fall. I used my Field Trip Kit from Clique Kits to create this layout, and followed along with the scrapbook bingo board at Scrap and play.

This layout actually had a double bingo on it. I used a punch, mist, and chipboard (those gold stars are chipboard and made by Studio Calico). I also have a button and lots of Fancy Pants Design product on this page. Let me know if you are playing along! I had SO MUCH FUN!!

Clique Printable HB2U

It's not a secret at this blog that I LOVE my Clique Kits! Someone posted their video today and I'm so jelly that I don't have my kit yet ;). What I do have, is the printables and the cut files. I was off work today so I decided to print the printables and cut them apart to have ready to dive into when my kit arrives, I also went ahead and diecut the cut files out of black cardstock. Then I was inspired to go ahead and make a card. I can print and cut more of these out... and I needed a cool birthday card. I started my card by clustering together a handful of the printables and gluing them all together. Then I dug out some Thickers (pink foam glitter Thickers) and stuck the text version of Happy Birthday in the corner of the polaroid diecut. I needed a good background on my card base, So I pulled out some Altered Orange Studio Paint (really glad I did, it's starting to dry up and was THICK) and got my favorite The Crafter's Workshop Stencil out and Stencilled on what I like to think of as "The Death Star Window" pattern. It took four times of repositioning the stencil and spackling more paint on to get the background covered so that I was happy. Then I took some foam tape and covered the back of my printables cluster with it and added the cluster to the front of the card.
Super easy and I LOVE IT!!!

I LOVE THIS CARD!!!

Sigh...