Challenge Thursday.....Her Favorite

Good morning!  Today I want to share a challenge I found on the scrappy web and share my take on it.

Jot Magazine is a new free online scrapbooking magazine.  I discovered Jot very recently, right as they were getting ready to publish their second issue and let me tell you, I was blown away when I finally sat down to look through the magazine.  Amazing.  I tell you what, every project was beautiful and on trend.  LOVED it.  

I found Jot when I stumbled upon their blog through someone else's link and I was very impressed.  One of their blog features is a monthly mood board challenge and I jumped right in to participate.

 

This is the first time I have participated in a mood board challenge. I usually find these sorts of challenges overwhelming because there are so many details that have to be factored in.  Or more accurately, I find them intimidating because I always feel as if I could never come up with a layout as fantastic as the examples given.  I know, bad attitude....but I obviously got over myself this time and gave it a go and LOVING how it turned out.  And that it what challenges are all about anyway, pushing yourself outside your comfort zone.

 

Here are some closeups....

 

 

 

 

All products used on this layout, except for the ribbon, were from the Citrus Twist September kit :-).

 

Happy scrapping!

 

Michelle

 

Inspired By.....Janna Werner

They are many talented ladies that inspire my scrapbooking and one of those ladies is Janna Werner. When I look at a project by Janna, I am always drawn to the lightness and the soft color palettes that she tends to work with.  I also quite fancy her layering--little bits tucked here and there.  Love it all.  Major scrappy crush.  Ha ha.

Recently I fell in love with this particular layout and it inspired my own scrappylift....

 

In this excercise I allowed myself the freedom of following what Janna did beccause sometimes the best way to learn a new style or technique is to mimic what someone else has done.  I began first by searching my stash for neutral grays to layer and a few colors to add as accents.I also looked for two different alphas, some stickers, and a few other embellies I could sprinkle around.

 

The tiny grey alphas are from Lily Bee's Buttercup collection and I hoard them! I think they are just the absolute best font ever in the world of tiny alphas.

 

 

I colored the astericks with grey chalk ink and I am hoping the color does not rub off on the page protector.  I let them dry quite awhile, but not quite sure yet how they will do.

By doing what Janna did, I pushed myself into placing my elements in ways I would normally not do so.  Scraplifting for me is a learning exercise and hopefully by considering her techiniques I will be able to tweek my own style. 

If you would like to check out some more of Janna's work you can visit her blog or head on over to her 2Peas gallery.


Michelle

Sweet Happy Moments

Recently I read a blog post by Corrie Jones where she talks about having a "go-to" layout design and I thought about a particular design that I too have re-incarnated several times. 

 

Often times when I am sort of stumped creatively, I will just start pushing around papers and they almost always end up layered to the side. Why is that??  But you know what, I always end up liking the layouts when I finish them, so I just go with it.   

 

 

And a close up....

A no stress layout.  Love it.

Michelle

Sketchy Sunday......

I am a super huge fan of sketches. There are certain sites I actually stalk on a weekly basis checking for their sketches. And I thought, with out any originallity in the concept, I would offer up a layout ono my blog every Sunday based upon a sketch I found on the world wide web--hence I am calling my post Sketchy Sunday, original I know.  My hopes are that this offers you a bit of inspiration and possibly an introduction to a new source for scrappy sketches.  So onward and upward, to the sketch!  (Wow that sounded really dorky.  LOL.)

First up is a sketch from Elles Studio.  Elle's Studio offers a new sketch on their blog every Thursday and they almost always appeal to me.  There designs are sweet and simple with lots of white space. This quality is really quite ideal for me because it adds up to a ginormous amount of room for interpretation. 

This first sketch, which you can find here, was posted on their blog on August 15th.

And here is my take...

 

My son's first time taking out the long board by himself.  Real proud of him, but also slightly nerve wracking.  So many things that could go wrong.....

 

Most of the time, I interpret a sketch pretty loosely. I had found that in the past if I really constrained myself to the sketch I would sometimes end up with a layout I did not really love and I hated that feeling. I realized that I need to consider a sketch as merely guidelines and allow myself the freedom to do what I want with it.  And with this in mind, I kept really close to the sketch.  Ha ha. 



If you would like to see more sketches that I have found, please check by scrappy sketch board here on Pinterest and pin away!   

Now, to go off in a totally random direction and because I am witnessing the madness as I type this.....when did my 3 year old turn into such a little prissy monster???  Now granted, she's always been a bit on the prissy side (Mom, that is not an understatement!), but lately, she refuses to share with her little sister and has taken to screaming when ever Allora "ruins" her stuff.  Aack. 

Happy Sunday.

Michelle

A Book Post.....Rick Riordan's The Sea of Monsters

Last year I had intially bought The Lightening Thief, the first in Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series, for my son Hayden to read.  Of course, being the book nerd that I am, I read it first.  In like a day :-).  So, when I saw previews to the new movie that came out this summer, I decided it was time to read the second book, The Sea of Monsters.

 

Without giving too many details away (because I do not like spoilers and am assuming you don't either), Percy returns to Camp Half Blood after a deadly game of dodgeball and finds that this safe haven for demi-gods (children of Gods) is losing the protection of it's magical borders due to a bit of sabotage.  Of course, Percy and his friends embark on a quest to save the camp and have a whole lot of fun (fun for me, not so much for them) on the way. 

The book, like its predacessor, is a fast and easy read.  The action is fast paced, includes lots of humor, and leaves you wanting to read more.  However, what I love about this series and the reason that I have kept interest in the series, is the mythological aspect of the stories.  Granted Riordan takes liberties with the Greek characters, but they are based on solid "facts"and have renewed an interest in Greek mythology and literature.  Seriously, any book that makes me want to put it down and pick up Homer's The Odessey is pretty awesome!  LOL.

I also quite enjoy the modern slant that Riordan has taken with the Greek mythology--explaining why Mt. Olympus is now situated above the Empire State Building, giving a modern take on the gods and goddesses (really, Hermes the messenger God as a jogger and the head of a postal service is exactly how I would have imagined him), enlightening us as to what really goes on in the Bermuda Triangle....pure imagination and lots of fun.   

Happy reading.

Michelle


 

Challenge Central: Hello Happy Girl

Happy Thursday!  I would like to introduce a new, reoccuring Thursday post:  Challenge Central.  Every Thursday (hopefully, I am not being too ambitious here!) I plan on introducing a "challenge" that I find on the scrappy web and present my take on it.  I scour the web on a daily basis and am always on the lookout for a mojo buster, something to get me out of my regular routine and I want to share my finds with you.  Now these may be simple or they may border on the more complicated/totally out of my comfort zone area!  The whole purpose is to take me from "wow, I like that idea" to "Been there, done that!" and hopefully spread some scrappy inspiration around!

For this first challenge, I turned to Glitter Girl's Episode #86 that you can find here at 2peas.  In this episode, Glitter Girl's challenge is to pay attention to design and make sure all the elements on a layout are cohesive.

This is what I came up with....

When I think of a design being cohesive I think of these things:  color, motif, and repetition. 

Color is my favorite element.  The possibilities are endless.  When it comes to color I do my best to match my products to the picture. Here I went off of the blue dress my daughter was wearing and matched it to Dear Lizzy's Lucky Charm--a line I have yet to tire of.  Also, when choosing my colors, I try to take into account the overall mood of the photo or story I am trying to convey. In this photo Allora is very happy that she is climbing up the "big girl playset," so I chose to incorporate yellow because it is a happy, energetic color. My next choice, red, was a no brainer because it is a natural compliment to both blue and yellow.

When considering motif, I am looking at the overall "main idea" of the page.  As I said previously, I really wanted to convey my daughter's happiness and joy and this is what I thought about as I looked though my stash. I ended up with some happy, butterfly stickers, a frame with the word "smile" on it, a "happy" diecut, a yellow flair button with the words "Hello Sunshine," and gold glitter Thickers.  All these elements work together to make, in my opinion, a "happy" layout.

Finally, repetition.  This to me, is the most technical of the bunch.  Basically, take your elements and repeat them.  Ha ha.  Here I chose to repeat the chevron pattern three times.  The color yellow is repeated in three differnent spots (think visual triangle), I have two butterflies, and my main colors are repeated throughout the layout.

So there you go, I completed a challenge that required me to really "think" through my own process and strive to make a cohesive design.  Fun stuff :-). 

Michelle

  

Wordless Wednesday......

 

Happy Wednesday.

Michelle

Currently.....

Drinking...Trader Joe's Pumpkin Spice Coffee.

Eating...Almond butter and pear sandwiches for lunch.  A much needed change from the usual peanut butter.

Taking...A megadose of Vitamin D prescribed by the doctor.  Could NOT believe I was super low on D--totally explains my unusual and extreme tiredness.

Sleeping...Like a rock.  Seriously, I do not move and remember nothing.

Excited...for a fun weekend with my family.

Wondering...why puppies chew so much. Seriously, it is a compulsion.

Thinking...that I am ready for all things pumpkin.

Watching...Football and The Big Bang Theory. 

Reading...Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Wishing...for the cleaning fairy to come to my house.

Happy....that it is fall!  I have been in denial for awhile since summer is my favorite, but the smells of cinnamon and leaves have melted my little cold heart and I now remember that I DO indeed love fall.



Michelle