Bright and Busy!

I love color and pattern and lots of everything on my layouts. It's happy and fun just like my youngest who recently had his 7th birthday. I knew a bright and busy look was want I wanted for a birthday page to record this event but how to go about it and still keep it under control  had me perplexed.

Enter the simple circle punch. Circle punches are simple timeless tools that never go out of style and every papercrafter should own a few. By punching all my papers with the same punch, the repetition provides unity in the design and even better, there was no measuring and cutting involved.

I've used the beautiful Double Dutch line for this layout. I love how the gingham adds such a summery look and it's perfect for boys as well as girls.

The Double Dutch Index Journaling Cards are great for journaling but they are also perfect for matting photos with.

Mini pinwheels make a sweet childhood accent on a page. I've created mine out of 2.5" squares of Double Dutch patterned paper.

Lily Bee Supplies:

Patterned Paper: Double Dutch (Marmalade, Hopscotch, Key Lime Pie, Croquet, Marigold, Celery) 

and Buttercup (Flowerpot)

Journaling Cards: Double Dutch
Stickers: Victoria Park ABC 

Bag of Bits:Double Dutch

Happy creating!

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Add a festive confetti look to your cards!

I've been a little obsessed with the "confetti" look lately and wanted to show you some very quick cards you can make with patterned paper and circle punches! I actually found the idea to try this on a card from a printing website called Tiny Prints where you can create announcements with photos. If you are stuck for a design, these are great places to look for inspiration!

I looked through the Lily Bee papers and pulled out some various prints in reds and pinks and began punching different sizes with my circle punches. I added red cardstock circles to the top first for a dark contrast at the top, and then began layering more circles by degree of color saturation down the card, getting lighter and lighter in color as I worked my way to the bottom.

You could make a set of these in all different colors, and they would work for birthdays, thank yous, congratulations, etc. I like how the chevron circles look like little streamers on the green and blue card!

To finish the card, the word "happy" was die cut out of Lily Bee's Handmade patterned paper with my Cuttlebug machine, then I stamped "today" over the die cut with the Double Dutch clear stamps.

Give the confetti look a try on your next card, it's an easy design to put together for a last minute card that you might need!

Danielle

Lily Bee supplies used:

Handmade papers

 Double Dutch Clear Stamps (today stamp)

Other: circle punches, Wonderful Words die by Papertrey Ink, 

Sweet Blush ink and Spring Rain ink by Papertrey Ink.

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Bingo -- A Winning Combination

Sometimes, if I intend to use certain supplies I have on hand, I have to make a project centered around those supplies. I like to shop ( I am a woman after all ) but sometimes I take quite a while to get around to using the amazing goodies I bring home.

With the project I'm sharing today, that was the case.  I picked up a Silhouette file called 'bingo card' but I had yet to come up with an idea for how to use it.  Every time I browsed through my Silhouette library I admired this shape but passed it by since I didn't have a plan for it.

It was one of those files that I love the look of but I had no earthly idea how to fit it into a project.  This is where challenging myself comes in.

I decided to enlarge the design and made some adjustments to the size of the windows to accommodate my photos.  The result is a layout that makes me happy and another product from my 'stash' used!  Two birds with one stone!

Since the design of the cut-out is relatively complex, I didn't want to add a ton of embellishments but I did want to fill all of the windows with lots of Lily Bee goodness.

It was a simple matter of choosing patterns to tuck behind the openings and adding some punched shapes and homemade baubles and buttons from my collection.  I added the journaling around the die-cut shape, both telling my story and creating a visual frame accented with tiny punched triangles.

I do like adding just part of a punched shape to create visual interest (see the partial heart frame and heart).  I also decided to outline the shapes in fine black marker in order to emphasize the cut-outs.

Lily Bee Supplies used:

Handmade:  Papers - Patchwork, Sky Blue / ABC Cardstock Stickers / 6x6 Tiny tablet

Buttercup: 6x6 Tiny Tablet / Bag of Bits / Index Journal Cards

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Simple Chevron Layout

Chevrons are so in right now and I admit i totally love them.  Today i am going to share a quick way to create this beautiful design element with an old tool/fad that you probably already have in your stash.

It's time to break out the old photo corner punch.  Punch a bunch of corners out of the same paper.  Here i am using the Double Dutch line.  I knew i wanted 4 chevron rows and you will need at least 5 to 7 corners.  What's cool about this technique is you can use small scraps to create this look.

Make a row of three corners by taking the second corner to the first corner matching up the edges.  Add the third corner to create mountain peeks.

Now you are ready to add the bottom part of the chevron.  Turn the corner upside down and match up the "v" of the corner.  Add the next layer and suddenly you have a chevron.  You can keep adding the next layers until you create a length you want. Easy peasy chevrons!

 

 Enjoy!

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Color Stories

Have you ever associated colors with genders?  Is pink definitely girl?  Is blue always boy?  Hopefully after this post you can see how colors are gender neutral.  It's how you use them that makes them feminine or masculine.  With just a few accessories or shapes you can change the look of your project to suit your story. 

In both my projects i used the same color palette & patterned papers: Happily Lost Villa, This & That Brooch, and This & That Teacup.  Basically Orange, yellow, black, grey, & blue.  Sounds pretty masculine too me.

I did start with a masculine page.  I picked some colors that i thought would go with the feel of his photos.  I wasn't basing the colors on gender but what went with these photos.  In fact if you look at the names of the paper, they seem to say feminine: teapot, brooch.   I sprayed the background with blue mists in a grid pattern.  The grungy grid reminds me of him.  I decide to die-cut some stars out of the yellow & black paper.  With a bit of black pen around the edges, they stood out on the background.  A paper edge punch reminds me of school & notebooks so it was a good fit for this layout.  Keeping it simple also seem the way to go to keep it in that boy feel i was looking to achieve.  So love this layout, it is perfect for him!

For this cute little card i took the same patterned papers & used them in a way that suggest female.  The message on the This & That mixed cardstock sticker is definitely feminine in nature so it adds to the feel.  I sprayed the background with grey mists using a flower lace template.  I used a curved punch along the side of the paper & layered the Domestic Bliss Chipboard Sticker Flowers to the side.  Again a little bit of black pen along the edges to give them definition and the card is complete.

So if you find a color palette that is perfect for you project but think it might be too gender specific, think again.  Think about how you can change perceptions and make the colors work for you story.

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Finding Inspiration

Like many of you, I am constantly on the look out for inspiration. Usually I look outside of the scrapbooking world of creativity. But lately, I have been finding all sorts of inspiration through fellow scrapbook designers.

During a webinar interview last month, two of the designers used butterflies on their pages. I haven't used butterflies in a long time. I felt compelled to use my new punches & get creating. One of the designers stated using one tool or shape on a page is a good way to keep creating simple & less overwhelming. As I am always using more than one punch or shape on a page, usually, I loved the idea of keeping it simple.

Here is a simple card I created, 'Seize the Day', using layers of butterflies showcasing the Memorandum Collection. You can never go wrong using text background on any project & adding a splash of bright colors.


To continue with my keeping it simple plan, I created this layout, 'Sandy Legs', using the same butterfly.


Instead of layering the shapes in different colors, I added pop dots to some of the butterflies & created a tone-on-tone look on my page with the embellishments.

Lily Bee Supplies: (Seize the Day card)
Memorandum Whiteboard
Memorandum Grapefruit
Memorandum Lemon
Jingle Merry and Bright
Picket Fence Acrylic Stamps

Lily Bee Supplies: (Sandy Legs layout)
Memorandum Whiteboard
Memorandum Office Blue
Picket Fence Acrylic Stamps
Memorandum Index Journaling Cards
Lovely Chipboard Stickers

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White Space

"White space is often referred to as negative space. It should not be considered merely 'blank' space'...it is an important element of design. The use of negative space is key to aesthetic composition."
This is the Wikipedia description of 'white space' and pretty much explains one of the design elements we often use in our crafting projects. I love working with 'white space' and have created a couple of Layouts showing the use of this key element.
My first Layout 'Special Times' has a lot of negative space towards the bottom half of the Layout whereas my other Layout has the negative space around the photo towards the left, top and bottom of the page. Most embellishments are grouped together in clusters or anchored somewhere on the page. I don't tend to place them just anywhere or by themselves as this will look unbalanced.
I also like to repeat some of my embellishments or design elements, like the circles and butterflies in the second Layout 'Sunshiny Day' or the little punched flowers in the 'Special Times' Layout.
I would love to see some of you posting your Lily Bee projects on our Facebook page using 'white space'!!
Have a great week!

Supplies ('Happy Times'):
Lily Bee: Picket Fence 'Fresh Air' paper
Lily Bee: This & That 'Pretty Fabric' paper
Lily Bee: This & That 'Milk Bottle' paper
Lily Bee: This & That ABC Stickers
Lily Bee: This & That Mixed Cardstock Stickers
Lily Bee: Happily Lost 'Hammock' paper
Stationery: 'Oatmeal' and 'Butter' paper
Hello Sunshine: Rub-ons
Lovely: Chipboard Stickers

Supplies ('Sunshiny Day'):
Lily Bee: Picket Fence 'Fresh Air' paper
Lily Bee: Picket Fence 'Porch Swing' paper
Lily Bee: Picket Fence 'Verandah' paper
Lily Bee: Picket Fence 'Cottage Garden' paper
Lily Bee: Picket Fence Mixed Cardstock Stickers
Lily Bee: Picket Fence Acrylic Stamps
Stationery: 'Butter' paper

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Bowties are cool.

In light of all of the awesome new lines coming out from Lily Bee, I figured I needed to get to using up my stash to make room for new stuff!

I created this simply designed layout using that staple of the scrapbooker- the circle punch.

I am not, by nature, a very "graphic" styled designer, so to add a few touches of my own whimsy, I distressed the edges and made several small changes, like tilting the bottom large section.

To give the design a little more depth, I popped up some elements with foam adhesive.

I also hand cut my own "bowtie" to go along with the obvious theme of the layout! I try to keep my boy pages a little more graphic and simple, and I think I achieved that, while sticking true to my style. :)

Lily Bee Products Used:

Stationery- Butter & Tangerine Patterned Paper

Happily Lost- Good Book & Villa Patterned Paper

Picket Fence- Fresh Air Patterned

ABC Cardstock Stickers

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Simple Foundation Card

Stationary: Mushroom
Stationary: Slushie
This & That: Milk Bottle
This & That Mixed Cardstock Sticker
This & That Alphabets
3-D Adhesive (like Helmar's Zap dots)
Ribbon
Brads

I am really into card making these days.  I love when i make a card that i know i can just repeat the elements and make multiple cards.  The above card is actually for a family friend who is currently enduring the riggers of boot camp.  We want him to know how proud we are of him and give him the encouragement & support all our armed forces need.  There is a great site that collects cards called Operations Write Home in case you are interested in making cards for donations.

I am going to do a quick tutorial on how to put this card together.  Here are my supplies:
Stationary: Oatmeal cut to 3.75 x 5 inches
Domestic Bliss: Kitchen Confidential  4.25 x 11 inches
Stationary: Slushie 1.5 x 5.5 inches
3 punches shapes (using Found & Lost: Villa, Domestic Bliss Pearls & Heels, Hello Sunshine: Posies)
3 larger punches
buttons
letter stickers

Score & fold the domestic bliss paper in half to make the base of your card.  Next take your oatmeal paper, ink the edges, adhere it to the background paper, and stitch around the edge.

Take a pair the scissors and cut a triangle at the bottom side of the 1.5 x 5.5 inch stripe.  This will make your ribbon piece.  You can also use a wide ribbon trim like i did with the first card.

add your punched embellishments.  I inked all the edges and layered them on top of each other.  On the top card i put the punched pieces on 3-D adhesive and placed a brad in the center.

Add buttons to complete the embellishments.  You can use flowers, butterflies, hearts, brackets, etc.  Change it up with the seasons using christmas trees, hearts, snowflakes, pumpkins, etc.

Use stickers to add your sentiment.  You can see i turned this card sideways and created a whole new look. 

Lots of Love

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Letting Go of Perfect

Do you ever find yourself procrastinating about scrapbooking? Need hours to finish a page? Feel like you just don't have enough time?

It's a common problem and I've struggled with it from time to time as well. I want every layout to be special. To be perfect.

I've had to stop & reevaluate. Why do I scrapbook? It's not about being perfect. I just can't attain that. I'm also short on time. With five kids at home, hours on a layout is just not an option. I scrapbook to record my memories and to satisfy the creative urge. Period.

Why am I sharing this with you? I suspect there are quite a few scrapbookers out there just like me. You're short on time and you're waiting until you find the perfect time, the perfect idea, the perfect whatever...

Spring and summer are busy times of year but I just want to remind you that you can create quick layouts and just have fun. You don't have to wait for the perfect time to create. Just let go and enjoy. Just do it!



So here's a super quick layout to share. Using a simple grid approach can really speed things up. I'm lovin' on the gorgeous prints and colors in the new Happily Lost line. Yummmm! The colors have me dreaming of beautiful warm days ahead!


Punches are a super quick to scrap with. I love how punching different prints with the same punch really makes it fast and ties it all together.

Products Used:
Happily Lost Patterned Papers - Amazing Views, Hammock, Villa, Stroll, Sunsoaked
Hello Sunshine Chipboard Stickers

Happy creating!

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