We Are Family Subtitled Learn From The Best

Sup!
Alrighty, so recently I have been trying to push myself to that next level in scrapbooking. I took a class at Two Peas Called Step Up Your Scrapbooking, which for me was a good refresher course in the basics. I've also decided to straight up scraplift a few of the "masters", the people in scrapbooking whom I look up to and who's styles I like. In art school students will mimic the greats to get a better understanding of a particular style of painting so I am hoping to achieve the same kind of effect by scraplifting.
This layout, We Are Family, is a lift from Shannon Tidwell, a piece she did called......, yup, We Are Family. I love her clean, spunky style. Check out her blog if you get a chance or you can find her at Two Peas In A Bucket. Okay, here is her layout:

Cool huh! Here is my rendition:

Apart from a few minor changes, it is pretty much the same layout. I do think this was helpful, I feel like I have a much better understanding of putting layouts together using that horizontal axis.

I LOVE how Shannon sews on practically every one of her layouts but I do not have a machine, yet, so I tried hand sewing using thread and not twine. I ended up having to put the brads down cause that part underneath has a jag in the sewing, so I wanted to cover it.
I think I am going to keep up this scraplifting the masters concept for a little while longer. I don't have quite as much fun putting the layouts together but I do feel this practice is beneficial.
Well, there ya have it.

SUPPLIES USED
Papers - Kaisercraft, Studio Calico & Basic Grey, Embellies - Studio Calico, My Minds Eye, Crate Paper, Glitz, Amy Tangerine, Anna Griffin, and Basic Grey.
Alphas - October Afternoon

She Is Her Fathers Daughter

Sup!
I am trying to go full steam ahead on Lorna's scrapbook as I really want to send it to her for Christmas. I am not a particularly fast scrapper so I better get the lead out. This next layout was originally based on a Citrus Twist sketch which I will post cause it is a really cool sketch but by the time I was done with it my layout looked nothing like it. I usually, even when working off a sketch, draw out my layout and then pick out papers and embellies to go with it. However, I decided on this layout to "just go with it" and put it together "real quick". Well, it turned out to not be so quick nor did I feel like I was "just going with it at any point" so I will NEVER use that method again. Okay, I am rambling. Oh yeah, the sketch was done by Sandy Ang if you get a chance, check out her blog cause she rocks. I love her stuff.
Here is the sketch I bastardized.....

Cool huh! I know. This is my warped version of it.......

Its not the worst layout ever but about the only thing that resembles the original is the angled paper. again, my lack of planning facilitated that.

This is Robb and Jewell in a hot tub enjoying themselves immensely. I like the rock n roll hand gesture they are both displaying. It immediately made me think of the title, She Is Her Fathers Daughter.

Again, I am really tring to go back to basics on scrapbooking, focusing on things like repetition, visual triangles and the things that really make a layout pop. I have been scrapbooking since May of this year and I am ready to bump my layouts up. Get them to that next level. Making sure your foundation is strong is probably the best way to do that.
Alrighty, so there ya have it.

PRODUCTS USED: Papers - Studio Calico & Basic Grey
Embellies: Letters AC Thickers & AC (the tiny ones). Glitz - frame. Basic Grey - toothpick flags. Paper die cuts - My Minds Eye & Elles Studio. Pink Paislee - Chipboard hearts. Ribbon - Maya Road.
Heart paperclip - Maya Road. Mini paperclips - I wish I knew, they are adorable and I am almost out. I heart this stamp - Technique Tuesday.

The Legacy

Sup!
So this week over at Colorful Creations the guest designer is Helen Tilbury.  Helen is one of the first scrapbook artists I became cognizant of. When I first began paying attention to not just the pages I liked but the designers I liked as well. That being said, I was a little excited, "Yay!" I gushed, "She's awesome!" So for her sketch challenge I wanted to make sure I did a really good job. Here is the sketch we worked with:

And here is my take:

Now, you know me, I am not about putting really big pics up on a layout. Heck, usually I only scrap 1 pic in a layout so even going with three was a challenge. I made the pic area smaller and embellished up the side some to make it my own.

The journaling says, "Parents who bunny ear have children who bunny ear..." The title indicates the legacy being passed down is the need to bunny ear people in photos.
This is another layout for Lorna's scrapbook. I noticed, when going through all her pics, that there was a disproportionate number of photos with the bunny ear thing happening. I had to comment on this.

 I went with my usual distressed and layered look and of course teal was in there. In fact I LOVE the teal and red combo. I think its awesome. The twisty ribbon on the right was something I lifted from Lilith E's Color Conspiracy layout. Lilith is my absolute FAVE scrapbook artist. She can do no wrong as far as I am concerned.
I also wanted to refocus my efforts on what little design knowledge I do have. Repetition, visual triangles, directing the eye, etc. which I tend to get away from quickly if I don't pay attention.
Overall I like the layout. At first I was going to omit the ribbon on the side and leave some white space but when I did the white space looked barren and seemed forced so I thought it better to put it in.

SUPPLIES:
Papers: Studio Calico, Letters - Thickers. Journaling sticker - Glitz. Metal pins - October Afternoon & Amy Tangerine. Arrow magnet - Smash. Maya Road - trinket pins & Kraft flowers. Washi Tape - various.
There ya have it!

Cousins!

Sup!
I know. I went all out on the title didn't I? Okay, this is turning out to be one of those layouts that I just don't care for. I finished it and took a nap, hoping that when I woke up I would like it better but that just didn't happen. Wow, I set that one up real nice didn't I? Makes ya feel like ya can't wait to see it.......

Okay, so I wanted to try a different approach to this one.I LOVE layouts done by Lilith E., they are awesome so I wanted to try that approach. This is that attempt. I am going to keep working on it cause I think her work is perfect but I don't think I nailed that look yet. Sigh. I had fun with this one. I liked the stamping and the layering around the photo. Maybe its the pink I don't like. I dunno.

I tried to do lots of layering around the photo using different mediums, tissue paper, ribbon, paper, and even metal and wood. I also stamped a lot more than usual on the page. The stamp effects I actually really like. Just something about the whole bugs me. I haven't done any journaling on the lo yet and maybe that is what is getting under my skin about it.

Well, there ya have it.

SUPPLIES USED
Papers - Echo Park Happy Day
Embellies - Metal long thing - Industrial Chic. Wood flags - Basic Grey. Stamps - Lawn Fawn & Studio Calico. Ink - Distress in Broken China and Worn Lipstick. Pins - Maya Road. Paper die cuts - My Minds Eye & Studio Calico. I also cut the file tab and the tag using my Big Kick. Alphas - Jillibean Soup. Metal Pins - Crud, I can't remember, some pin company at Two Peas In A Bucket.

The Ladies Lumsden

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One of Colorful Creations monthly challenges is For Girls Only, which are challenges based on, you guessed it, girls. Octobers challenge is to scrap any summer pics you have left before we are consumed with winter. At least everywhere else but here in good ole Az.. I am working on Lorna's scrapbook still so I scrapped a photo of her, her daughter, her niece and her mother visiting Disney World last summer. I also used a sketch from Creative Scrappers. In terms of straight sketch sites, you really can't get much better. The sketches are always easy to see and interpret and they have a wonderful DT so you get a wide range of layouts. At any rate the sketch, #230, looks like this:

Here is my take on the sketch and the for girls only concept:

In terms of the sketch, first my photo is in landscape not portrait so I had to change the sketch to account for that. I then had to move the title to the bottom cause it wouldn't fit on the side. I also wanted the photo towards the upper left since the people in the pic seem to be looking downish.

The journaling says, "The lovely Lumsden ladies enjoying a summer outing." I did make a two sided tag with my die cut machine because I am leaving room for Lorna to put any journaling she wants on most of the layouts.

SUPPLIES USED:
Papers - Crate Paper Random & Story Teller collections.
Fibers - Bo Bunny
Embellies - Prima wood ribbon thing....., Joilee gold stickers. Thickers letters. Paper Studio paperclip. Maya Road stick pins. Brads, I have no idea, they have been in my stash for a seriously long time.

So there ya have it!