Put it All on the Page

Did you ever make a page and think "it's missing something but what...?"

Last week, I asked myself that question when making a page using the All About a Boy Collection from Echo Park.  It all started with the title. It's actually a strip from the border sheet but to me it was a title.



From there I grabbed my pictures and some embellishments.  I chose some SC wood veneer stars and the Freckled Fawn Wood Chips speech bubbles and then a couple of packs of enamel dots by My Mind's Eye. They come in so many wonderful colors I just couldn't decide on one.

I added some embellishments but thought it was missing something so I added some more. I kept adding and adding embellishments. And then I added a few more besides until I got this page.



Here are some closeups...



Enamel dots and ink splats work very nicely together, don't you think?



There is no way that I could or would use this many embellishments on every page but it sure was fun. Kind of like a shopping spree when you buy everything you like/love.

Now it's your turn. Try loading on the embellishments and see how it feels. Might just be a bit of fabulous!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cathie

A Use it or Lose it Blog Hop

Welcome to the first ever Bust-Your-Stash/Use-it-Or-Lose-It blog hop. I usually blog about using your stash on Mondays and this week I'm excited that my friends, Krista and Sara, have decided to join me. Today, I'm going to show you my scrapping process from start to finish using old/older products. So, let's get started!

First, I gathered my supplies for this layout.  After sorting through some cardstock and my scrap bin, I settled on these papers.



And then I picked some embellishments. I like to have lots of options so I always choose more than I think I'll use.



I started with the background paper from Cosmo Cricket's holiday collection from 2011 - the Peppermint Collection.  The other side is all Christmas ornaments but this side doesn't feel Christmas-y at all. It's been on my desk for months - time to use it!

I layered the blue cardstock under the white piece from Cosmo Cricket, added the strip and then cut everything down to about 11" long.  The strip was part of the Stupendous sheet  from Pink Paislee's Portfolio collection. Love this collection!



Now for the layers.  I cut the larger strip of Pink Paislee paper in two and added the journaling card from October Afternoon. I used the cloud side in this shot but ended up using the other side with stripes. The "be spontaneous" strip is from a Jillibean Soup card that I love cutting up and adding to layers.



Then I added my photos. These were printed as 4x6" but I cut them down to 4x4".



Time to start embellishing. The tags are from The Paperie's September kit - they're from My Mind's Eye. That "precious" tag is also from My Mind's Eye. It's from their old Wild Asparagus collection. Remember that one - it was so lovely. And another phrase from the Jillibean Soup tag.



Then I added some SC Mister Huey Clay to the cream cardstock. I love that mist.



And back to the embellishing. The tag is from a pack of October Afternoon journaling cards from the Cakewalk collection.  This is another leftover from a Paperie kit.  And the "hello" metal tag...well... it's a mystery.



And then some more embellishing. I tuck and add and adjust until I'm happy.



Then I added my title. I usually know what my story is about before I start scrapping but this one was about scrapping cute photos. A little boy playing with giant teddy bears just has to be scrapped. While I was moving things around on the page, Ben saw the pictures and said "Look, teddy bears!" and then I had my title. It's a line from a song my mom used to sing when I was little - perfect. And these mini letter stickers from Authentique were just the right color.

I deliberately separated my long title from the photos and embellishments so it would stand out and be readable.



Then I added my washi tape. I usually save my washi tape for last. It's a great way to tie things together and fill in any holes.



And here's the final page. I added some grey airmail washi tape from Freckled Fawn to the top and bottom of the layout to frame the page. And added twine to the buttons.



And that's it. I hope you enjoyed this peek into my process. It really is easy to use up old supplies - especially when you still love them and mix them with new supplies.

And now for some more inspiration, hop on over to visit Krista and Sara. They are super duper talented scrappers and they have some great pages lined up to get you bashing your stash in no time!

Krista Wells: Confessions of a Twenty Something Artist

Sara Case-Strickland: Sarathings

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous Monday!

Cathie

You know it's summer when...

...family and friends come to visit on their vacation. It's one of my favorite things about summer in Newfoundland.

It's a sad but true fact that I a lot of my family doesn't live here. So, when they come home for a visit, I make the most of it. I put our regular lives on hold (as much as possible) and cram in more quality time than you'd believe possible. (Vacations don't last forever, after all.)

This is a page about a trip we took to a cabin in Hopeall when my friend, Louise, was home in 2010. The men-folk went to pick up fish and chips for supper and we piled all the kids in our wagon and went for a walk to pass the time. Such a simple thing and yet such a wonderful memory from that summer.



All the paper is from Echo Park's Sweet Summertime collection. This is an old collection so you won't be able to find that fab cloud paper anymore but it was perfect for this page. I punched holes in the background paper and threaded the My Mind's Eye twine right through before tying a bow. I find it easier to work with twine if it's anchored in place with brads or holes. And, of course, a little washi tape from Freckled Fawn to finish it off.

My favorite part of this page is the stenciled border framing the pictures.  I used the Number Jumble stencil by Dyan Reaveley and some white paint. Her Dylusions stencils are available in 5x8 and 9x12 but I only have the smaller size.  I had to mask and line up the stencil a couple of times to make the framed area big enough for my pictures but it was worth the effort.

Well, that's it for today. I hope you're having a wonderful summer with lots of family, friends and sunshine, too.

zove

Cathie