Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Oh man...

I was going to have a great post today!!

I left all my photos on my other computer! So upsetting!

On Saturday I went to a 12 hour crop and had such a great time, I wanted to show you what I got done. So I will post those photos over the next day or so.

Also on a side note the name of my blog will be changing soon, Just evolving a little to incude all the fun things I love!

~Amy~

Monday, January 23, 2012

Scrapbook Sketch #2 for 2012

I'm so happy to bring you Sketch number 2!!!! 


This week I'm introducing "Inking". You will notice that anything "cut" has been inked. I use Distress inks from Tim Holtz. I use the blending tool with the foam but you can use ink pad alone. It adds dimension and is great! 


The key to inking is using it all the way or not at all. 


Sketch Sample
For this sample..


3 Bugs in a Rug - Dawson


Background: Rawr (daw-834)


Pattern 2: dino party (daw-826)
reverse side of Pat 2 is the brown


Pattern 3: dino patch (daw-831)


The photo mats are from color packs that I had  a dark shimmery blue and a light blue. The main image has the white in the middle.


Distress Ink used : Broken China (I think Chipped Sapphire or Stormy Skye would have been great choices too... I'll have to pick them up)


Notice that there are two extra 2" circles... I ended up cutting a couple extra so I flipped them over and used them. 
The Title is white sticker letters framed.


Inked Edges

 Framed Title

Sketch #2 2012


Enjoy!!!! 

I love comments so please let me know that you like what's going on.

Also if you have your eye on some awesome paper and want to see it an upcoming sample... Please let me know. 

The sample pages will also soon be available on Etsy... Just more exciting things on the way!!

~Amy~





Sunday, January 22, 2012

An afternoon at the park...

Despite the cold and snow I'm heading out to the park with my hubby and the pup. I'm hoping to get some great snow photos to scrapbook with the winter Bo Bunny Line!!!!!

I'm going to get my new sketch post ready when I get back. Look for it in the morning!!!

~Amy~

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Lets Talk Embellishements for Moment

Do they call to you???? I can hear them I swear... The pretty little "this and that" or anything purple.

"I have to have it, I'm sure I'll use it." "Those colors are great." "Oh it's on sale."

Sound familiar? We all have been there for something if not for those crazy Embeli's... I love them all!

Ok here is the flip side... Using sketches has really cut down on my embellishment habit. It's probably added to my paper addiction... alway a trade off right? I'm more selective in my embelly buying...

Don't get me wrong, I will always use embellishments!!! They add that something extra, that little pop to every layout. But... I have noticed that I now shop for them differently. I have a couple future layouts in mind right now and if pick one up and can't think of when I'll use it I put it back.

For example... today at lunch I went to Michael's and the Disney stickers were on sale, So I had to look (I am a major collector of anything Pluto). I only bought one (this is a big deal... trust me) and it was the back of Mickey Minnie watching fireworks... I wanted this one before but wouldn't pay full price so I grabbed it. I had a pirate one in my hand and knew a photo of my nephews... but I wasn't really sure I'd use it for sure so back it went.

I have definately become more select in my buying and I know it's becuase I know scrapbook with a plan (sketch).

I'm getting my next sketch ready, I just have to figure out what paper I'm going to use for the sample. I'm happy to say that this has been the hard part so far, I'm thinking about using some papers from a DCWV paper pack.

It will be up sooner than later!!

~Amy~

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

SOPA and PIPA... Have you seen google today.

SOPA AND PIPA - Know more

Wikipedia has gone dark... along with many other sites... Google has blacked out the "Google".

This is something that could affect us all... in more ways than I really want to think about this early in the morning.... but here I am thinking about it.

While I am a huge supporter of copyright, I'm a photographer and I'm the daughter of photographer. This legislation is more harmful than good. Read the link to wiki and then try and access the home page. For a site that large to dark, it means something.

The saddest part of this is it will only really effect american companies...

Ok I'm off my soap box... I will back tomorrow with a scrap related post PROMISE! (and I have a new sketch in the works!!)

Monday, January 16, 2012

Scrapbook Sketch #1 for 2012

I'm so super excited to show you my very first sketch!!! 


What is so special about my sketches??? I'll tell you, they make every thing so easy. 
All the measurements are on the sketch for the key elements. No guessing.


Do you ever look at a sketch and think well just how big is that border??  Yes?? Not on mine!
From borders to circles to other cuts, even the photos and photo mats all have the measurements right on the sketch. 


This is how I learned to sketch and I absolutely LOVE it! 


Finished Sketch (Minus photos)


This is Bo Bunny Ad Lib Paper
The Colors are Bazzill Paper
The Aqua is Swimming Pool and The Orange is Hopi
On most of my sketches you will have one photo that has three mats. That is your focus photo, you favorite, the main image. I tend to pick white or black for my third color unless I have a good match in paper laying around.
I went a little crazy picking patterns
Pick two matching papers as your background. Remember that depending on the sketch a lot or a little will show. In this Sketch the top is covered but you still see a good bit of the paper. The background is Bo Bunny Ad Lib Improv.
  
This is what I decided on for this Sketch!

The Aqua Dots are the backside of the Bo Bunny Paper Ad Lib Scribbles. The Colorful lines are Bo Bunny Ad Lib Vertigo. The stripes are pretty busy so the dots being soft are a very good balance. For this Sketch I only needed one page of each design, sometimes you need more.
Matching Colors


Take your base pages and/or your coordinating patterns and match two to three colors for matting your photos. I mentioned earlier that picked two and then used white (a little money saver). Most of the time you need two sheets of paper for matting in each color. This sketch if cut right will use only one. It's always good to have extra, especially if your using a special color (like I did with this sketch)


I used my Cricut to cut the circles but it doesn't matter how you cut them.
Circles cut with Cricut
For this Sketch... You adhere the top border and all the circles before you secure your photos on to the layout. 

Wow this is a lot... You will notice on the sample that I added an embellishment from the Ad Lib cut outs. I didn't add a anything else, I was trying to keep it somewhat simple... I tried!

There is plenty of room to add embellishments. You can even use one of the photo frames for journalling if that's your thing :-)

And Here is the Sketch!!!!

If you want a higher res (better for printing) file of the Sketch leave a comment with your email and I will email it to you!! 

I hope you love it!!!

~Amy~
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Saturday, January 14, 2012

I can't get enough Bo Bunny!!!

Ok... Hi, my name is Amy and I'm obsessed with Bo Bunny. 
Any line, paper or embellishments... I love it all!!!


I pulled out my stash of paper just to show you I'm not fibbing!!


Bo Bunny Madness!


I have my first sketch ready to post I just needed to make a sample to show everyone. I decided to use paper that can still be found, rather than using from my stash. That got me thinking... so of course I bought Bo Bunny paper!!!

I thought that it would fun to do a post about Bo Bunny. It's very possible that my sample sketches will most be from Bo Bunny. (That was a warning) :-)



Now the paper I bought today is not in my photo... so it stays a surprise!




Look for the first Sketch Tomorrow or first thing Monday!!!


~Amy~

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Downloads... Oh the downloads...

Hey everyone!!!

Here we are midweek, I had my first class of my LAST semester last night... 14-1/2 more weeks!!!! 

Ok enough about school... I went and looked at the dowload stats of the Mom & Me file just to see if anyone grabbed the freebie... and YAY!!! it has been downloaded 6 times. Normally that would be sad since it's not many but I'm just happy that people liked it... and that you are still out there.

So I will be posting another free SVG file in the next couple days.

I'm really hoping to have the first sketch up sometime next week (wouldn't Monday be a great way to start the week???) I'll try my hardest!!!

One last thing... If you have been looking for a specific something (word, thing, place, design) and your not finding it. Let me know!! I love requests!!

~Amy~

Friday, January 6, 2012

Free SVG File... as promised!! Mom & Me

Hello all!!!!

Here it is the first free svg file of 2012!! So exciting I know.


I have plenty of photos from my childhood just not too many with my mom... So this one is pretty special!!

The file Mom & Me is cut in purple with a green shadow. I then stickled the purple, I think the stickles are little to sparkly in the photo LOL!!

The great thing about this file is you can use it with boys or girls :)

If you have any problems with the link for the file, let me know it's been awhile since I posted a file...

Happy Scrapping!!!

Mom & Me SVG File

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Re-doing an old Scrapbook page

We all have those pages that we look back on and go "Seriously, what was I thinking?"

Years ago I started a "Book of Me" using my childhood photos. It wasn't long after I started this that I put my scrapbooking away for many years. When I stated to get back into it I pulled that out first and it didn't take long for me to look at it and realize I hated what I had done.

I read many comments on the subject of re-doing old pages... most said leave them be, it represents how far you've come... and crap like that... feel good stuff HA!
I did that... for awhile.

I started to put my book together and realized I just couldn't stand those beginning pages when the later pages (I only have the first 10 years done LOL) were pretty awesome!

So I tackled those pages and I had a deadline, this weekend! I want to show my mom my great book when I see her.

After doing most of the pages I realized I should have taken before and after photos of them all... I'm sharing one page with you now.

Here is the before!
All those scissor cuts are my own nightmare now. I can't stand them...


So that is what I started with... Here is the 1/2 way point where I'm tearing the photos off this page.

You can see where the paper has torn... It's very important that you don't tear your photo. Don't worry about the paper your throwing it away anyhow.

Once I got all the photos removed I trimmed them as best I could back to straight lines.


The Final Layout!



I matted the photos and you can see on some I couldn't cut all the scissor cuts off.  I mat all my photos now. I love the look. I love clean lines. Honestly It has been a great "feel good" time re-doing these.

I don't suggested you go back to all... but if your like me and had a project started and wanted it to flow. Then do it! It will make you so happy.

I didn't forget about that free svg it's coming...

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Happy Everything 2011 and Happy New Year 2012

So I really let this blog go last year and it has made me quite sad :(

Time to change that!!!  I hope everyone had a good 2011!
2012 has started out pretty great!

I have one semester of school left and had some time off at Christmas and I completed 18 two page layouts... 18!!!!

I've decided to take this blog down two paths... I will still have svg files (no worries). But I have found that I love to scrapbook with a sketch as my guide and recently... well whose kidding, after doing 18 layouts. I have decided to do some sketch creating.

I'm super excited about this!!! I have big plans!!! 

I'm going to get a FREE svg posted before the weekend!! So keep an eye out for it!