Family Is Forever

Sup!
It is funny cause the drawing for this layout was entirely different from what it looks like. I actually sort of let this one put itself together after I picked out the papers and embellishments. Okay, so here goes:

I wish I had not covered up the title as much, at least on the picture but what are ya gonna do. The keys on the left of the photo represent three family members that are no longer with them. They mean a lot to Lorna and she has taken their passing hard at times so I wanted her to know they are always there.

I used the negative of the word family cause I thought it came out cooler looking than the actual word. I then misted the is forever part. The rest of it I just sort of moved stuff around until I liked it.

I have just one layout left and Lorna's album is finished! That makes me so happy. I wanted to get this to her by Christmas and I am. I hope she likes it. I don't have much to give in the way of money but I want her to know how much I love her, how inspiring she is to me and how happy I am she is still in my life after all these years. Well, there ya have it.

MATERIALS USED:
Papers - Glitz - Cashmere Dame Collection. Ribbon - Websters Pages. Brads - My Minds Eye. Metal heart - We Are Memory Keepers. Metal keys - Prima. Stamp - Studio Calico. Ink - Distress - Mustard Seed. Paper Die Cuts - Lily Bee.

Makin' A Splash AKA AAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!

Sup!
So can ya tell I had some sort of struggle with this one? Why, yes, yes I did as a matter of fact. Sewing...... Started out okay but before I was done with this layout I learned how to: remove and clean the bobbin shuttle, remove the feed dog plate and clean the feed dog area, change a sewing needle, figure out how to use the automatic threader (when I couldn't thread myself I should have known the needle was bent then), clean the bobbin shuttle again, and then a third time. Finally I gave up and went with plan b. Okay here it is:

So, you see titles sewn in all the time, I thought it would look cool so I went for it. Nope, it kept jamming up, tearing the paper, all sorts of evil things took place. The word splash was my plan b, underneath there is a rip in the layout and I could not continue sewing through the entire word like I did in Makin', so I used the negative for it and put it on pop dots. Looks okay but wow oh wow it burned me on sewing through titles for a while.

Overall, I like the layout okay, I think this is a fantastic picture of Jewell, she looks so fantastic here. This was a Crate Paper intensive layout and I always love them. Alrighty then.

MATERIALS:
Papers - Crate Paper, Modern Trend. Garland - Crate Paper. Ribbon - Bo Bunny. Stickers - Crate Paper. Fabric sticker - Basic Grey. Paperclip - MME, Buttons - OA and Tormalu. Oh yeah, and that house paperclip is Maya Road.

A Good Man Is Hard To Find And Sew Is A Sewing Machine

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Okay, so I decided to buy a sewing machine cause I "wanted to do a little light sewing" on my layouts. I spent the first night learning everything there was to know about the piece o crap first machine I bought, only to return it, bleary eyed, to the store the next day. My second attempt, with a Singer, was MUCH better. I now, can not only get the stupid bobbin mechanism to work, but actually apply thread to my layouts in a sewing type fashion.
Okay for this layout, I pulled out all the stops. Titled, A Good Man Is Hard To Find, an homage to Lorna's husband, I am also submitting to Colorful Creations Scraplifters Retreat Challenge. This month the challenge is to lift a die cut concept from someone. I chose to scraplift, of course, Lilith Eeckels, and her fondness for die cutting titles like she did in this layout. Here is mine:

In addition to using the die cut I SEWED THE CRAP OUT OF SOME STUFF!!!! I also misted, used some gesso, masked and in general became a mixed media bad ass on this layout.

Okay so there it is. I am looking forward to getting better and better at sewing on my layouts and I plan to use that technique on pretty much every layout going forward.

MATERIALS USED:
Papers - I Lowe (not a type o they are polish papers) Scrap, Echo Park and Bazzill.
Embellies - Brads and decorative paper clip MME, stick pins - Maya Road & Little Yellow Bicycle. Tiny tags - Basic Grey. Circle Transparency Die Cut - Imaginations. Wood veneer frame - Studio Calico. Bag - I dunno. Mist - Mr. Hueys in Taxi. Ink Distress - Black Soot. Stamp - Studio Calico. Mistable stars - Studio Calico.

Well, there ya have it.

Celebrate Your Inner Silliness & A For Girls Only Challenge

Sup!
My latest addition to Lorna's album is a layout of Jewell being her very silliest! Additionally, Colorful Creations monthly challenge For Girls Only, is to use chipboard this month. The Celebrate in the title is chipboard from October Afternoon.

I wanted the page to look like maybe the top papers were wrapped around the back and end on the front there. A cool effect except from that point on I was completely thrown off by angles. If I placed things at the same angle as the base papers it looked off, if I placed things at a 90 degree angle, it looked off.......
Finally I used both and just plowed forward.
Also, the silliness in the title was cut from my new Ecraft which I LOVE!!!! I LOVE HAVING AN ELECTRONIC DIE CUTTING MACHINE!!!!!!!!! I will post on that specifically later.

Materials Used:
Papers: Crate Paper, Pretty Party Collection. Basic Grey, Paper Cottage Collection.
Embellies - Chipboard - Cakewalk, October Afternoon. Letters - Basic Grey & Tim Holtz. Brads - My Minds Eye, Nostalgia. Metal pins - Basic Grey. Button - October Afternoon. Flag - Basic Grey. Tab - Smash. Envelope - Simple Stories. Paper Die cut - Crate Paper. Bakers Twine - Maya Road

Well, there ya have it!

A Technique Review Via A Whodat From Way Back

Sup!
So you absolutely cannot discuss Lorna even briefly without touching upon the fact that she loves, LOVES the New Orleans Saints. Now, I consider myself a fan, I keep up with games and players. I sport many a Saints apparel, if they play here in AZ I will spend 300.00 on tickets. Lorna blows me out of the water. That girl truly does bleed black and gold. That being said it is only fitting that I do a layout paying homage to her love of the Saints.
Now, this is my first real "themed" layout. I normally just find things that I think are cool and slap them on the paper. With this one, I really did not want it to look like a sixth graders art project on their favorite team. Okay here goes:

I have not participated in many challenges this month, heck, I think only one so far, so this one will get submitted into Colorful Creations Technique Review challenge. The crux of the challenge is you must have at least 2 of the following techniques on your layout:
stitching
distressing
layering
wet embossing
dry embossing
I have everything but the stitching. The black fleur de lis and the Chipboard Saints in the lower right corner are both wet embossed. The tag to the right of the pic is dry embossed, there is a bit of distressing in there and there is layering all over the place. Shoot, now I want to go back and stitch something too.
Since the Saints colors are black and gold I stuck with the black and white and used the gold just on the emblem. I did not want to use yellow in place of the gold because it would have begun to look cheesy I think.

 I am not going to list all the manufacturers this time because, seriously, I think every single thing I used was from a different company and there is a ton of stuff on that layout.
Well, there ya have it!

Easter Day Down South Louisiana Way

Sup!
Next up on my layouts for Lorna agenda is Easter Day Down South Louisiana Way.

Most everything on this layout (the pins, tag, & bling are not) is from my November kit and add on from Scraptastic Kit Club. Great kits BTW, check 'em out.

For the photo I printed out two copies, cut the portion showing the crawfish off and matted it, then lined it back up to the original. I kinda like it.
Again, I am focusing on layering, layering, layering. I still need some work but I am feeling a lot more comfortable with it now and am beginning to have fun with it.

In the upper right and lower left corners I added the chocolate cardstock. In the upper right I cut it with a deckle cut and put it on top. On the lower left I cut the base paper again with the deckle and put the cardstock in to replace the corner. In person it gives it a little extra texture.

For the title, I used all of my Sizzlits font sets which I am in love with. The top font is Cherish, the middle one is the letters from alpha bubbles and the bottom is Mac n Cheese. They are da bomb!
I am very close to being done with Lorna's album. Since it is so close to Christmas I am no longer scrapping anything but her stuff.
Well, there ya have it.

U R 1 Beautiful & Fabulous Girl!

Sup!
Okay, I gotta say, I am really proud of this layout. I have been trying to get myself to that next level in scrapbooking and this layout is proof that my efforts have not been for naught. I started with a sketch from Stuck! Sketches which looks like this:

Of course since the orientation of my photo was different I had to change that around a bit and I went way out on my background. Here is my version:

I just got my Studio Calico Starburst Mask and I wanted to use it. I misted the starbutst onto cardstock and then partially cut out the misted portion so I could lift them up. I then put the whole paper on identical colored cardstock and propped up the misted portions with pop dots. The colored doilies you see tucked into the misted portions I fussy cut out of Simple Stories papers and tucked in. The title I pulled from different sticker sheets from Simple Stories and Crate Paper as well as chipboard letters I had.

For the journaling I misted a tag and mixed in handwritten journaling with some Cosmo Cricket Tiny Text stickers for individual words.
Overall, I am super happy with how it came out. This, of course, is another page for Lorna's scrapbook which I am 3/4 done with now. Hooray, it will be done for Christmas.
Well, there ya have it!