Their Sketch, My Way: Scrap Zone

Welcome to another first for me! I've been a Close To My Heart consultant for a couple of months already, and a customer for two years, and this is the first time I used one of their Workshop on the Go (WOTG) guides. I can sometimes be a stubborn rebel against things that I think everyone is doing, but I can admit to using sketches from time to time to dislodge a crafter's block. And I adore any artwork I have seen designed by Close To My Heart thus far. Plus, if you have been reading my blog, you will know that I am a strong believer that there are no rules in this art form of memory keeping, so therefore if sketches are your forte, I think that is fantastic, and I encourage you to consider the books and kits that Close To My Heart has to offer.  But I digress.

I have already used some of the Laughing Lola WOTG kit on the Debbie Reynolds layout (seen here: http://ticklemescrappy.blogspot.com/2013/12/layout-share-debbie-reynolds.html ), so I felt I should next use these lovely papers on the included sketch before I used up too much to resemble their beautiful design. But of course I had to make it my own!

First, is a picture of how the guide layout looks, so that you can see my starting point.  

And (drum roll, please!) here is my layout!

As you can see, the original design is definitely apparent in my layout, but I have also made some adjustments, such as:

- The 2 pictures on the far left are a bit bigger than the sketch, and I used black hemp to define the line between them.

- I substituted one of the 4 photos on the left for a journaling block.

- In place of one large photo and a large open space on the right page, I stacked three, again using the black hemp as a dividing line.

- I used the purple patterned paper instead of the plain cardstock.

- I used different stamps and accents than shown on the example in the guide.

- And of course in my habit of stretching your supplies, I mixed in some non-Close To My Heart items (I am typically not a product purist).

Here are a couple of detail shots. 

First, I used other  Close To My Heart stamps than intended to heat emboss my title.  The word "Scrap" is done with an alpha stamp set, and the word "Zone" and small arrow in circle is from the ProPlayer WOTG stamp set.

Here is a picture of the embellishment cluster to the upper right of the layout, again adjusted from the original sketch to include more banner pieces and the chipboard camera accent.

I love how this turned out, and I hope you have enjoyed it too!  And I hope my layout has inspired you to take a sketch - whether it is how you usually scrap or not - and make it your own.  Your Life, Your Art, Your Way!

Want to get your hands on the products I used? Here's how!

Laughing Lola Workshop on the Go - http://ticklemescrappy.ctmh.com/Retail/Product.aspx?ItemID=7402&CatalogID=1639

Laughing Lola Paper Pack - http://ticklemescrappy.ctmh.com/Retail/Product.aspx?ItemID=7394&CatalogID=2002

Laughing Lola Complements - http://ticklemescrappy.ctmh.com/Retail/Product.aspx?ItemID=7322&CatalogID=2002

Laughing Lola Assortment - http://ticklemescrappy.ctmh.com/Retail/Product.aspx?ItemID=7336&CatalogID=176

Framework Alphabet - http://ticklemescrappy.ctmh.com/Retail/Product.aspx?ItemID=7475&CatalogID=1836

ProPlayer Workshop on the Go - http://ticklemescrappy.ctmh.com/Retail/Product.aspx?ItemID=7404&CatalogID=1639

Follow me on Facebook!  https://www.facebook.com/ticklemescrappyctmh

A Very Special Layout Share: Christmas Tradition

As we are only 2 days away from my favorite day of the year - Christmas Eve - I decided to pull out an older but favorite layout to share today.  This is one of those timeless layouts that has almost no chronology, and says a lot about myself and my faith.

As you can see it's a very simple layout, with little embellishment, and the photo is actually from a Christmas card. But the meaning and the tradition it shares is so deep to me that it is a sentimental favorite. And isn't that the goal we hope to achieve when we create a page anyway? My reason for scrapbooking is to preserve favorite moments in my life, so that years down the road just looking at that page, and reading the journaling, will whoosh me right back as if I were there again.

Because I am an open book, and the journaling is really the focal point of this layout, here it is for you to enjoy if you so desire:

I hope you take some time to stop and smell the poinsettias, and realize which traditions of Christmas - or any other holiday - are most meaningful to you. If they are that important, they are worth some pretty paper and stickers, aren't they?

My husband and I wish you and yours a most blessed and happy Christmas!

Layout Share: Debbie Reynolds

Apologies for the delay in posting, but all good things come to those who wait, right?!

Once again, I am super excited to have gone outside of my normal box to create a page from a VERY recent photo - left to my usual chronological ways, this photo wouldn't have made it out of my computer for at least 5 years, but here I am, trying new things!

The context here is that for Halloween this year, the youth group I volunteer with was encouraged to dress as a favorite movie character.  I LOVE musicals, and "Singin' in the Rain" is one of my favorites, so I launched a thrift search for a great raincoat, and this simple costume was the result.

Let me tell you honestly that creating this layout resulted in some arguments - with myself. I was a little unsure about the color mix that happened as a result of the movie poster on the left side of the page, but I considered it context and didn't let it bother me.

You may ask why I paired this photo with this paper - or perhaps not, but I shall tell you regardless. The color of my raincoat is woven into the paisley print on the right hand side.  I have to admit also that I sometimes think of paisley as really pretty and artistic water droplets.

Allow me also to point out that I used a bit of a design trick in creating a diagonal line with the three flowers, so that your eye naturally moves to the photo.  Even though the right side of the page is perhaps busier than I would like (like I said, arguments with myself), I still wanted the photo dressed up by its surroundings. I also wanted to make sure that the left side movie poster didn't steal the show.

I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that a good portion of the products on this page are indeed Close to My Heart products. The patterned paper, colored card stock, chipboard flowers and bow are all from the Laughing Lola line - I will include links below. While I may be a consultant, it is because their products are beautiful and of superior quality, and I will use their products as well as any other brand as I am inspired to do so.

I also used one of Close To My Heart's sketches for the first time, and settled on this one in the Reflections book - it simplified my process and I was able to easily make it my own.

Thank you for stopping by, and here are the links if you want to get your hands on some Close To My Heart goodies as well!

Laughing Lola Workshop on the Go - http://ticklemescrappy.ctmh.com/Retail/Product.aspx?ItemID=7402&CatalogID=1639

Laughing Lola Paper Pack - http://ticklemescrappy.ctmh.com/Retail/Product.aspx?ItemID=7394&CatalogID=2002

Laughing Lola Complements - http://ticklemescrappy.ctmh.com/Retail/Product.aspx?ItemID=7322&CatalogID=2002

Laughing Lola Assortment - http://ticklemescrappy.ctmh.com/Retail/Product.aspx?ItemID=7336&CatalogID=176

Layout Share: The Book is Always Better

So this first layout share on my blog is exciting for several reasons:

1. I'm usually a slow scrapper, but I pulled this one together in about an hour.

2. I finally got a chance to use the beautiful book patterned paper from the Scholastic collection by Close to my Heart.

3. It's the first 12x12 layout I've done in awhile, as I've been mostly working on finishing an 8.5x11 album lately.

4. It's the first non-chronological layout I've done in . . . maybe ever?? I'm trying new things!

5. It's the first layout completed for what will be an "All About Me" type of album!

So here it is!

I confess, I took the photo of those books for the sake of the layout, with every intention of pairing it with this patterned paper. 

The black letters are from two different sets of Thickers - I'm slowly and finally getting addicted!

And the journaling spot is half of a page from one of those spiral bound journaling books from Making Memories.

The rest is just out of my stash - I apologize, as I won't be able to name a manufacturer for everything I use, it's just not how I roll.

From a "stretching my stash" perspective, I purposely only used that portion of the patterned paper, as I want to use it over and over again!

So I hope you enjoyed this first of many layout shares.  This layout is much simpler than I normally scrap, but I still tend to keep it "clean" and intentional. 

Thanks for stopping by!