Around Here

My second layout using Ali Edwards' Story Stamps, the September kit. A lot more work went into this layout than appears. I colored the mat circles with Gelatos to get the watercolor-y effect. Stamped the Story Stamp "Around Here" in coordinating colors using Colorbox inks. The paper strips are from a Maggie Holmes Crate Paper pad. A rarity for me, I have handwritten my journaling notes. Ali is a good influence on me. Little wood veneer houses from my stash were also colored, using Distress Stains. Thanks for looking. 

Retrocentric - Story Stamps

This is my first layout for the new Ali Edwards online class called Story Stamps. This month's stamp selection is called Prompts and features a sheet of stamps which are exactly that. Prompts for Story Sparks (as Ali calls them). Love This is an appropriate stamp for these photos of my little sis at a Retro photo shoot this year. I think she looks totally glamorous so I used the perfect papers from DCWV paper stack called Mod Retro. Not much else going on on the layout. The photos and stamps say it all. I am also using this for the monthly sketch challenge over at Paperartistsonline. Thanks for looking.

Benicia Road Trip

Working on Week Ten of Hello Story. This week we were challenged to use the 5 W's as our story structure. Back to the basics in journalism. My layout is another direct copy of Ali's sample. Stamps are from Club Scrap's Road Trip (gifted by Squirrel Nancy). Paper is from DCWV Seaworthy stack. The shapes provided by Ali in this wonderful class were cut on my Silhouette. The photos were taken in Benicia earlier this year on a little day trip with hubby. I've lived here 39 years and had never visited one of the early capitals of California.  I'm cheating a bit but the journal notes are on the opposite side which will be a pocket page. Thanks for looking.

California Here I Come

On to Week Eight of Hello Story. The lesson this week centered around using Maps as our story structure. I have been wanting to make a layout like this for a long time. A long time. Photos are from 1975. The cross-country trip I took from Kentucky to make California my new home. A long time ago. The photos are slide scans and aren't the world's greatest quality so I applied a "Seventies" filter to them in Photoshop and that seemed to save them. Seems appropriate. I cut the state shapes in my Silhouette and then colored them with Gelatos. I sprinkled several colors of sprays onto the layout (courtesy of Squirrel Farley who kindly donated her stash to me). A few sequins from Club Scrap stash and some hand dates and locations and the job was done. Oh, I did die cut some geo tags from my Technique Tuesday dies. Gold Thickers title. I am so happy I finally put this layout together to start the albums documenting my life in California. 

Dark Gulch

Another layout from Week Eleven of Hello Story at Big Picture Classes. The story structure for this week was Opposites. The sample layout from instructor Ali Edwards featured black cardstock with her handwriting in a white gel pen creating an overall design. I don't feel comfortable with my own handwriting nor any darn white pens in my stash. So I stamped two stamps from Unity's Going Places SMAK repeatedly to create the pattern in Hero Arts Unicorn ink (and I'm still wondering if it's made from REAL unicorns).  I shamelessly copied Ali in most other ways. Lucky to find those camera paperclips in my stash. Believe they were a gift from a Squirrel. Really happy with this one. As much as I avoid single page layouts. The opposite side will probably be a pocket page. More photos from our recent getaway in Mendocino County. Thanks for stopping in.

So Totally Different...

Yes, I know. It's embarrassing to still be working on this class. But that's how I roll. This layout is from Week Eleven of Ali Edwards' Hello Story class at BPC. I love this layout and the Silhouette cut, supplied by Ali. I asked Mallory to provide the journaling for this one, the differences between her and fiance Jeff. I blurred the text since it's not really my story to tell. This couple are engaged and will be married in March. This will be interesting for her to look back on in ten years. The photo was taken at Seaside Beach in Mendocino County and edited in Lightroom. I used my new Seaworthy stack from DCWV and stamps from Unity KOTM Spirit of Summertime. Thanks for looking.

the 4th - Unity Friends with Flair Challenge

WOW! Where has the month gone? I haven't posted in quite awhile. Well, here I am at last. This layout was created in line with my plan to use up the entire Liberty 6x6 pad of paper from BoBunny. Still haven't accomplished that self-challenge, but this hybrid Project Life layout took a good chunk of it. The pinwheels are cut with dies from The Stamps of Life. The stamps used are from two Unity SMAK kits: Camera Ready and All in the Numbers. The left side, which was inspired by Week 7of the Ali Edwards class Hello Story, is a traditional layout. The right side is in a We R Memory Keepers pocket page. Thus, the glare. The photos cover our activities on the 4th of July this year. Thanks for visiting.

\

60 @ Sixty

This layout was created for Week Four of Hello Story by Ali Edwards over at Big Picture Classes. Still slogging my way through, after a bit of a break for some household duties, etc. The story concept for this week was Time. I chose to chronicle a bike ride I took for my sixtieth birthday. It was my goal to ride 60 miles for 60 years. I used paper from Graphic 45 Race for Time from their Old Curiosity Shoppe Collection along with a Tim Holtz clock stamp. The other cardstock is from my Club Scrap stash. The arrows indicate at which mile the photographs were taken. The time and some other information was handwritten (yes, I know, unusual for me. Ali is really having an influence on me.) I am pleased with my final result although I believe a couple of these photos are too dark and will need to be printed again. Sometimes I'm just not happy with Costco prints. Thanks for stopping by.

An Enchanted Evening

I was so disappointed about an error I made in the Photoshop preparation of this digi/hybrid layout that I became blocked about finishing it and posting it. I didn't want to fix it and spent another couple of bucks at Costco to repair it so I am posting it as is. Let me know if you see my mistake. Insane I know, but these little things (mistakes) in my scrapbooks make me crazy. I'm such a perfectionist.

So I created the template in Photoshop. Used Club Scrap Tribal paper for the background and cut the shapes on my Silhouette. The Hello Story lesson in Week 5 is Mathematics. Ali's layout used plus signs to link a series of photos. I pretty much copied her design directly but her layout seems much more impressive. Oh, well......it's done. On to the next one.

Thanks for dropping by. I also used this layout for the monthly scrapbook sketch over at Paperartistsonline.

Good Eats

For Week 5 of Hello, Story, Ali Edwards suggested using Mathematics as our story structure. In the digital package, she provided shapes and PSD files using math symbols to tell our story. This is another combination layout, using a traditional page on the left and a pocket page on the right. I used the PSD file to mask three photos and the title on the left side. The right contains tiny photos of all the places we ate on our Cambria trip. Paper from Recollections. Thanks for dropping by.

Cambria

This is the title page for the section covering our recent trip to Cambria. I am still plugging away at my Hello Story class. For Week 3, Ali gave us these cool arrows in our digital element package. I really like the results although my dear hubby pointed out to me (once the layout was completed) that the two solo photos of us should have been on the same side, pointing at the photo of us together. Oh, well, it's done and I'm still happy with it. Club Scrap paper. Office supply metal-rimmed tags and gold Hardcover Thickers are my only embellishments. Thanks for looking.

Hello Story Weeks 3 and 4

A little break for a birthday trip and now I'm back, hard at work on Weeks 3 and 4 of Hello Story from Ali Edwards over at BPC. Week Three was about direction in our life. Week Four is about the passage of time. I think I covered both topics on this two page layout about my 6oth birthday and the things we did to celebrate it. Papers are from the Snapshot Stack from DCWV. Digi elements are all from class materials from Ali. I am pleased with the result. Even if, as usual, it took much longer than it should have. Thanks for stopping in.

Hello Story - Newport

The next timeline from Ali Edwards and Hello Story is a circular pie chart. I am really loving this design and will be using it again and again. This one will be the opening page for a trip hubby and I took to Newport, Oregon, last August. A little bit of journaling telling about each day's highlights. I shamelessly copied Ali's technique of cutting sections of each pie slice and raising it. Doesn't show much in the photos but I think it's fab. All supplies are Club Scrap except for arrow stamps from Close to My Heart and letter stamps and brads from my stash. Thanks for looking.

Lexi 'n Me

Still working in Week One of Hello Story with Ali Edwards at Big Picture Classes. The topic is Timelines. For this one, I decided to do a layout showing photos of my niece, Lexi and me during our infrequent visits. I used the Papillon kit from Club Scrap and two Embosslits from Stampin' Up for the butterflies and hearts. The word stamps are from various sets, mostly The Stamps of Life. The arrows are from Close to My Heart. I'm very pleased with how this turned out and I thank Ali for her inspiration. Although Ali's sample was done on white and kraft giving a very crisp look. I will use that in the future for another story. But my goal this month, in keeping with my motif self-assignment, was to use my stash and "winged things." The locations have been blurred to protect the innocent. Thanks for looking.

Hello Story

Last Thursday, I started another class with Big Picture Classes. This one is called Hello Story and is taught by Ali Edwards, a scrapper I have followed for years. She is introducing us to what she calls Storytelling Structures which give us the tools to tell our stories with confidence. She hopes they are designs we can use over and over again. As you may have noticed, I'm not much of a journaler on my layouts but I would like to include more information than I do. I'm hoping by starting with the story in mind, I may achieve that goal. Rather than tacking it on as the last thing when a layout is complete. 

The videos and digital content provided with this class are amazing. I have learned so much already and feel really excited to get these layouts from my head or computer to paper. This first assignment is a Timeline. I chose to make a photo showing the quick change in weather upon our arrival at our motel in Newport, Oregon, last August. This is just a 6x12 photo right now but will be used on a layout depicting more of the story. Just wanted to share it with you so you know I'm doing my homework. More will follow once I pick up my prints at Target. I am so excited about some of these designs.