Some Fun Halloween Layouts

My October 2011 Counterfeit Kit...I made the 1st 2 layouts below with this kit.

 

I got this cool mini banner from a swap I was in last year, so I cannot take credit for designing it.  I couldn't wait to use it on a layout!!!  I sometimes find it hard to use papers with "scenes" on them (like the haunted house paper on the right), I have seen some very creative ways of incorporating paper like this on Pinterest, so I gave it a shot.

 

Another layout from my Counterfeit Kit here.  I decided to experiment with "collage" like groupings of photos on my layouts.   I think I like this look.  I used this technique on lots of layouts in the past 2 weeks. 

 

There are so many great "Halloween" Papers that seem hard to use to me at first.  They are like little pieces of artwork themselves, and I find it difficult to not cover up the important designs.  This "Happy Halloween" paper was a bit challenging to me.  I made the medallions myself, I scored the fold lines at 1/8" so they would lie relatively flat.

 

I LOVED this background paper...and I'm glad I found some pictures to work with it.  It was another one of those "challenging" pieces.

 

Not much special here, just a few simple embellishment clusters...the photos and patterned papers are already so busy and detailed.

 

More of that "collage" technique...I guess I really used it ALOT in the past 2 weeks!!!



I created the copper "pearl" flourishes with puffy paints!  I found if I gently tap the paper from the back side (while the puffy paint is still wet) it creates that rounded "pearl " top, rather than a little "mountain peak" on the top of each drop.  On a side note, I made the cape for the Beast costume, and I bought an old flower girl dress from a thrift store for $7 and dies it yellow, added some tulle and flowers, and viola...Belle!



This was a bit challenging to fit all the photos on this page.  I hardly ever use rub-ons, but the flourishes on this page are rub-ons from a kit from Basic Grey.

 

A more simple layout, I had fun using the faux "collages" on this one too!



A Fall Theme layout...rather than Halloween.  I actually used papers and stickers from this year's $1 Spot at Target!  I just love owls and had to get these.  I have been wanting to get some cloud paper too, so it was perfect!

 

Not one of my favorites...this reminds me of my older style, I think it's because of the tilted photo on the left.  For some reason, I like my photos to be either aligned straight, or ever so slightly tilted when I scrap now...so this tilted technique brings me back to my "older" days.  But I never re-do layouts...so this will just stay as it is :)

Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog Hop

This is the last stop on the Counterfeit Kit Blog Hop!  Thanks for joining us.  This month's blog hop challenge was to showcase a stamping technique.  My technique is an older technique, I wanted to share it because I had forgotten all about it, but I like the look.  I'm hoping some of you like it too!  It can be recreated with any color embossing powders and paper, I used black and white in my example. 

I, once again,  used Unity stamps for this technique.  Sherri is sponsoring this month at the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog.  You can be entered to win a Unity stamp set by commenting on the blog hop post for today on the Counterfeit Kit Challenge Blog.



I gathered my supplies, which include, 2 different colors of cardstock and matching embossing powder, embossing ink, stamps, and a heat gun.



First, I stamped and heat embossed the same images on BOTH sheets of paper.  I did white embossing on the black paper, and black embossing on the white paper.



Next I choose just one color of each image and cut out it out. For my example I cut the white paper with the black embossed heart image and the black paper with the with embossed stamped text. 

 

Then I cut the identical image (in the opposite color) exactly in half and adhered that half to the top of my first image (making sure the images line up create a whole image.)  Next I flipped the embellishment over and trimmed off the excess paper.

 

I matted the completed "split" stamped image onto a piece of patterned paper...and there you have it!  An interesting technique to spice up a stamped image on a layout or a card. 



Counterfeit Kit Challenge #3-Stamping Your Own Embellishments




Here is the layout I created.  I used one stamp set to create 3 different embellishments on this layout.

  

This month I used this Unity Stamp set called "Here and Now".




The first embellishment I created was a mini calendar page.  I wanted to use the large "calendar/journaling block" stamp.  "As is",  this stamp was too large for me to use on my layout, so I improvised.  I first stamped the entire image, then I cut the stamped image down to a smaller size to only include the calendar part that I wanted for this layout.

 


The second embellishment that I created was a journaling block.  The stamp I used was the "5 cent" ticket image.  It worked out great to house a little bit of journaling and got tucked neatly behind a photo.

  


The last embellishment I created was a mini banner.  I used the "ampersand" stamp to create each pennant for my mini banner, then I cut out each stamped image by hand.  Once the banner is created, the ampersand symbol looks more like a design element and less like punctuation/shorthand. 

 

A Couple More Septmeber 2011 Counterfeit Kit Layouts

For this layout I used my September 2011 Counterfeit Kit and my Unity Stamp set called "Here and Now".  I wanted to show the time line of Maddy getting ready on her first day of Kindergarten.



I also used my September 2011 Counterfeit Kit for this layout.  I have had these alphabet stickers in my stash for YEARS!  I was so excited to use them!!!

The following layouts are not from my Counterfeit Kit, just a few layouts I have worked on in the past 2 weeks...

A layout I created using a "zebra" stamp as an embellishment over the top of parts of the layout.  I also used one of those painted wooden items (the flamingo) that I found in the wooden crafts aisle of Hobby Lobby.



I just loved this paper from October Afternoon, and I decided to use it to scrapbook the photos of my kids watching one of their favorite movies, Monsters Inc.

I recently read a series of blog posts, found here, pertaining to using up scraps.  I decided to use various border punches to create border strips from lots of my scraps.  The pre punched border strips came in VERY handy for this layout.  All of the time consuming punching was done for me.  The best part is, I punch all of those border strips while watching TV with my family.



Yes, I brought my camera into Target to take pictures of school supply shopping...I bet everyone thought I was nuts!




Every time this bush blooms in front of our house I want to take pictures of it.  The thing is, it only blooms for about 2 or 3 days, and only blooms a couple of times a year, so I always miss it.  Not this time!!!  I finally got some pictures of the beautiful purple blooms!




I love when I get some photos of myself with the kids.  These type of photos are few and far between, so I was really excited to scrapbook them, even if I was in a bathing suit!!! 



Some More Recent 2 Page Layouts

I just wanted to share few layouts I have created over the past 2 weeks...


I used an Allison Davis Sketch from one of her Sketches for Scrapbooking books for this layout. 

 


I used some pieces that I made for a swap last year on this layout.  That is crepe paper (like party streamers) gathered under the photo mats.  Since I had all the "bits and pieces"  this layout came together SUPER QUICK!

 


I bought a stack at Michael's this spring just for these two pieces of paper.  (I liked lots of the other paper too, but these were my FAVORITES.)  I LOVE yellow, but don't get to scrap too much with it.  I was super excited to get to create this page.

 


My favorite part of creating this layout was adding the embellishment cluster on the left hand side.

 


This page has been "in progress" for probably 2 months...I just really needed to finish it up and put it away.  It's not one of my favorite layouts, but that's ok.  I think I just had it out looking at it for too long.  Definitely one of those "forced layouts"!

  


I liked the bright colors in these fun photos.  I don't scrap too much in bright primary colors, so it was a nice change of pace.  I used this layout as inspiration for the tags down the right side of this layout.

  


I just love this "old' paper.  I'm glad I finally USED it...I bought it when I went through the "I can't use this because the layout won't be good enough" phase.  I'm glad I got over that phase.  Now I use up "good" and "new" embellishments and papers without a second thought.  I would rather have them on a layout than stashed away "waiting" in my scrapbook room!  This is the inspiration layout I used.

 



This layout was created around the alphabet stamp across the bottom.  A friend of mine got it at a yard sale this summer.  I thought it was PERFECT for a first day of school page!  The journaling block is actually product packaging from Making Memories.

 


I thought this  bicycle paper was super cute!  Glad I found some photos to go with it!  I have also really been wanting to use a cloud embellishment, like the ones I have been seeing everywhere this summer.  So I was happy to cut it from the reverse side of one of the patterned papers!

 


This is the first layout I created with my Counterfeit Kit from September 2011.  Sadly I took these photos about 5 days before the LSS (pictured) announced they were going to be closing down.  That was about 3 weeks ago, and they are already gone.  I have been shopping there since the first year they opened, 11 years ago. The saddest part was that I just started bringing my daughter there for a weekly afternoon crop, for some quality mommy/daughter time.

 


And this is the second layout I created with my September 2011 Counterfeit Kit.  I really liked the color combination this month, I found that I have lots of photos to match.

 Thank you for looking!  I hope I left you with some 2-page inspiration :)

Counterfeit Kit Design Team Blog Hop August 2011

You made it to the last stop on the Counterfeit Kit Blog Hop!  I was SUPER excited that Allison Davis created this sketch just for US this month!!!!  Here is my layout using the sketch...

Don't forget, if you leave a comment for the blog hop participants, you will be entered to win 2 Allison Davis "Sketches for Scrapbooking" books!  More details about this prize can be found in this post.  Thanks for following the Design team Blog hop for Counterfeit Kit this month.  Have a great weekend!

Lots of Fourth of July Layouts (and a few others)

It's been quite a while since my last post...here is what I have been working on.



I used Nichol Magouirk's style as inspiration for this layout.  I tried to pull designs and techniques that she often uses, such as stamping, a title created with multiple fonts, layering, buttons, tabs, strips of paper, and staples (she uses paperclips quite often lately).




This is made with my July Counterfeit Kit Add On.






I created the sparkler embellishments with toothpicks and pipe cleaners.  This is the first layout I have ever created without any patterned paper or cardstock (with the exception of the background grid paper)!  I'm deciding if I like it or not, it was a nice change of pace!

 


Another layout from my July Counterfeit Kit Add On.




I used my July Counterfeit Kit Add On, yet again!




I used some product packaging for my journal block.