Grad School Scrapbook Layout

Here is another 2-page 12x12 scrapbook layout of me and the Musketeers from grad school.  This layout features us in class goofing around and celebrating Kristie's birthday.  I used paper from the Basic Grey Sugared collection.  The rest of the embellishments are from my stash and include Basic Grey buttons, American Crafts fabric Thickers, Chatterbox Dimensional Stickers, paper scraps and miscellaneous bling.  Nothing too fancy, but I loved the colors and trying new things. 

The 4 Musketeers!

Okay, so back to the beginning...here is the intro layout of the Musketeers book that I am working on.  I'm actually nearly done with this book, but I'm working on my first mini-album right now so the 4 Musketeers are on hold.  But in the meantime I will post some of the layouts that I've already completed.  Maybe eventually I'll go back to the Jamaica book. 

It has been fun doing this book because I can make it more girly that the previous beachy book.  The 'Teers and I went to grad school together and completed a dietetic internship in Edmond, Oklahoma.  That was some time ago, but I am keeping the memories fresh by doing this book.  It has been so fun going down memory lane.  Anyways, we worked, studied and played together for about 6 months.  I had some of the best times of my life with these 3 special ladies--Amy-lou, Wendi-lou and Kristie-lou {a.k.a. The Lous}.  We gave ourselves a lot of nicknames...silly girls!

Page 1:  The 4 Musketeers!

For this layout I used We R Memory Keepers "Tiffany's" paper.  I loved the colors and the soft, yet distressed look of the designs.  I layered some Prima flowers and added some brads from Oriental Trading Company.  For the flourishes, I cut DCWV Rock Star paper using the Cricut Straight From the Nest cartridge.  The chipboard adhesive letters are Heidi Grace Midnight Kisses, which I found at Big Lots for $1.50. 

Hope you like it!
Stephanie-lou

Hmmm...maybe I'll blog today...

I've taken a hiatus from blogging, scrapbooking, baking...I guess life just happens and sometimes I forget to make time to do some of the things that really make me happy. So, a few weeks ago I snapped out of it! I decided to finish the layout that I started back months and months ago...I can't even remember when I started it--that's how long ago it was. I think it was before Christmas. All I had to do was bling it up and be done already!

So I did and that got the wheels turning and renewed my interest in scrapping.
Here is the layout that I finished. It is from an album that I am doing of me and the girls I hung out with in grad school. We called ourselves The 4 Musketeers. This is about the 4th or 5th layout of the book--it is so unlike me to drop this in without starting at the beginning of the book. But, maybe this is the new me! Jump right in and don't worry about being so "sequential"! {okay, we'll see how long that lasts}

"Night Life"
I used Me & My Big Ideas paper, Tim Holtz fragments to make the guitar and flower embellishments out of DCWV Rock Star paper, DCWV All Dressed Up chipboard pieces, and Oriental Trading Company black felt flourishes. I made the paper flowers by dipping them in embossing powder and heating them several times to make them thick and shiny. Then I blinged them up w/ some black and clear rhinestones.  The letters are Thickers.

Hope you like it! More to come! I am working on some new things and trying out mini albums. Oh my gosh! I'm having fun now!

Jamaica Tropical Fun

Ahhhh!  Summertime!  This is the third layout from my Jamaica scrapbook.  We were hanging out on the beach, sipping on some Jamaican rum and groovin' to some reggae music.  Pretty relaxing, huh?  The paper is, once again, DCWV Citrus with a few scraps of On the Beach from Paper Studio.

The chipboard embellishments are K & Company.  Other stickers are from Me & My Big Ideas and JoAnn Essentials.  I used We R Memory Keepers eyelets and the Crop-a-Dile II Big Bite, then threaded ribbon through the eyelets.  This created a framing effect. 

The blue border is Fiskars Threading Water border punch, which I thought was appropriate.  The pink paper accent background was cut from the Cricut Storybook cartridge.  I used one of the Marquees from the cart and cut in half lengthwise.  I just love the colors on this layout.  It is soooo summery!  Hope you like it!

On the Way to the Beach! Jamaica Style!

This is a 2-page layout of the travels to Beaches Resort in Negril, Jamaica.  I wanted the pages to blend, but to stand alone, if needed.  Not that I can think of a reason why they would be separated.  I used DCWV Citrus paper again, but went BOLD with the design.  I figured, what the heck, it's my first scrapbook, go crazy!  I also wanted to try using the gromlets that I got (really cheap at TJ MAXX) and the Crop-A-Dile II Big Bite.  You can see them lining the bottom of the blue circle on the first page.  Speaking of the circle, I actually traced a luncheon plate and hand-cut it out.  My mother laughed and said, "Why don't you use the Cricut?"  Well, there is something to be said about hand-cutting.  I feel like I'm really crafting...old-school.  Plus sometimes it just seems faster.  Especially for a big circle like this.

I did use the Cricut Expression to cut out the lettering and the scalloped frames.  The letters were a combo of Lyrical Letters fonts and Life is a Beach--I used the graphic with the swim trunks that were attached to the word "BEACH"--then cut off the trunks.  I wanted the letters to be connected (no, I don't have a Gypsy).  The scalloped frames were from the Winter Woodland cartridge--I think they were a background for a snowflake.  Perfect for what I needed!

I stuck some paper flowers together with some brads and played around with the layout for a while.  I was pretty happy with how it turned out.  It is vibrant, fun and colorful.  This layout took some time, well, most of my layouts do.  I am not a fast scrapper AT ALL!  I have to rearrange at least 5 or 6 times...then I take a break from it, sometimes for several days.  Then it all seems to come together in the end.  I don't commit with adhesives unless I am really sure I like it.  It drives my mother CRAZY!!  Ha!

Jamaican Me Crazy!

First scrapbook layout ever! Earlier in the summer, I started a scrapbook of the Jamaica trip I took with some friends several years back. It was fun to go through them again and to relive the memories of the trip. I used DCWV Citrus paper for this one. I wanted it to have a bright tropical summer feel.
I also used Cricut Life is a Beach cartridge to cut out "Jamaica Mon". The paper is a sand print from DCWV Travel paper stack. The round embellishments were stamped and handcut. Other miscellaneous embellishments are Colorbok and Me & My Big Ideas.

This is the first page of the book. Tomorrow I will post pages 2 & 3, a two-page layout.

TTFN,

Stephanie