More from the 12th...a busy day!

So, in addition to finishing the Foster Kittens Mini Album at the Scrap Again crop...I also finished some 12X12 layouts...

I know you are probably sooooo tired of seeing the Foster Kitties, but I made a 12X12 layout for my personal album...based on the fantastic Month in Review layouts that Nichol Magourik does...in fact just this week she did a blog post about how she creates her photo collages in Photoshop...

Anyway, onto my version...



I'm trying to be better, not sure why, at listing my supplies...but all I can remember is that the paper is from SEI's Birdie Brunch line...

I picked a bunch of miscellaneous pictures (from the 392! that I took)...I made each picture about 1 1/4" square and printed them all on an 8 1/2 X 11 sheet of photo paper.

I made my collage in Adobe InDesign...I have PhotoShop Elements, but I feel more comfortable using InDesign...personal preference, I suppose. (Or maybe it is just that I don't want to have to figure out how to do it in PSE...maybe...)



After I printed out the photo collage, I cut the page so the two top rows of pictures (the first group of fosters we had) were above the page title, and the remaining four rows (the second group of fosters) were below the page title...

So like Nichol Magourik's pages...I'm not ashamed to say I'm a scrap lifter...

Why mess with a great idea?

And here is a close-up...



Of, I'm not sure what...just pictures! LOL! My layout photography could really use some guidance!

Although I do love those two photos (towards the bottom) where where you can see George (grey tabby) start by licking Elaine's ear (tortie) and end with biting her...to funny!

Those pictures may need their own page in the Foster Mini Album...

But wait, I already marked it off of my UFO list!

Page Maps...

Like I mentioned yesterday, I really like using sketches. Especially if I have a large project...with the layouts sketched out for me, I can focus on the papers and embellishments...(and sometimes finally break out my new tools and try them out!)

And one great source for sketches is Page Maps website...as well as their blog (which hosts cool contests with cool prizes).

This is a layout I finished on the 12th (yes I was very busy that day!)...and am finally getting it posted (just prior to the cut-off for the Page Maps contest...whew!)

Here is the sketch...



And my version...



This picture is of my cat Rooster Cogburn (yep, we are John Wayne fans) and one of the foster kittens, Lizzy...the most photogenic foster kitty we had! The last few weeks of having the foster kitties, as we waited for their new families to come pick them up, Rooster spent most of his day in the room with them...he just loved playing with them and keeping them company...and Lizzy took a real shining to him...aw, kitten love!

This was the first layout I did using my new iRock tool....and I L-O-V-E it!

I love how the scattered rhinestones look in conjunction with the pre-made pearl swirl.

I also used another new favorite tool, from Epiphany Crafts, a little button maker. Now you can make perfectly matched buttons for your projects using patterned paper...so cool!



The papers I used are from K&Company...but I can't remember the line...sorry...they came in a ginormous variety pack I bought at Michael's last year...I think the paper pad was called "The Best of K&Company"...



I love how my tag turned out...I cut strips of coordinating paper from the line and used a variety of edge punches on each...then layered them on top of a manila tag...I inked up the punched edges a bit and then 'fluffed' them up...



Overall...a very pastel purple page...not a color I usually use, but it seemed appropriate for the picture...very sweet!

Busy month...Foster Kitten Mini Finished!

I have had a busy scrapping/crafting month! Yeah!

I had two consecutive Saturdays full of scrapping...yeah!

A week of EBay scrap selling...yeah!

A consignment scrap sale...yeah!

And a full Saturday of scrap shopping...double yeah!

Whew!

On Saturday the 12th I had a full day of scrapping at Scrap Again (a local monthly crop)...and finally finished my Foster Kitties Mini album (which I started last November - check that off of my UFO list!).

All the pages are 8X8...and I think I really like this size...fun!

There are a lot of pages here...hope it isn't too boring...but I know you will melt at some of the pictures...so here it goes...











































Most of the pages were based on either Page Maps or Pencil Lines sketches...a great way to burn through a big project...

I am really happy with quite few of the pages...and some..well, not so much, but in the end the pictures are put into an album and I can sit and enjoy them (and show them off!)...

I hope you enjoyed!

And one more layout...

I thought yesterday's post was getting too long...

So I broke this layout out into a separate post...

And I love it so much, it really deserves it...

And...I didn't scrap lift!

(Yeah Me!)



Lainey loves Jon soooooooooooooo much! In this picture she is snuggled in his arm looking up at him. She loves to sit there in his arms and watch TV with us in the evenings...she is the snuggliest cat I have ever met!



The journaling is about how she was destined to be a part of our family...and how glad we are that she is...

I did my journaling printed on tags...a trick I learned watching Nichol Magourik....I told you, she is really inspiring my pages these days!

Finished Some Layouts...

...Layouts I started back in January...

It seems like I had three or four layouts hanging around just waiting for the finishing touches...

And I finally got those completed last weekend...

This first layout is based on this layout by Nichol Magourik...and by based, I mean I copied it exactly...


Of course, with what I had on hand...



I added glossy accents to my title...I love the shiny look!...



And some embellishments that have been hanging around...



And filled it with the picture Christmas Cards (and one really cool handmade card) we received this past year. Finished!

I love Nichol's inspirational work!

Here's another layout based on her January Stamping class at 2Ps...

The pictures are from Christmas Eve, when our nieces came over to play lotto scratchers with us...so fun...I hope we can make this a yearly tradition!



The tip from January's class was using stamps to make your sub-title...



My sub-title is Hurley's numbers from Lost...tee-hee...I thought this was so clever...I even patted myself on the back!



And I got to use this cool toy camera shape I bought from the Silhouette store for $0.50! Woo-hoo!

More Cards...the trend continues!

Here are a couple more cards....I am REALLY enjoying these!

Its like a little art project that I can finish in a night...and bonus, I'm using up scraps! Yeah!

This is one of the Valentine's Cards I sent out this year...all sighed "your secret admirer"...



But everyone guessed who they were from...next year I'm leaving the return address off of the envelope!

And this is a card I made for my niece's third birthday...



Love that flocked pink tail!



'Til next time...

Another Sketch Layout

I found this really great sketch website, Pencil Lines, last year when I was in the need for some inspiration...and through their website I found one of my fav blogs to read, Balzer Designs...Julie is so inspirational!

Well, Pencil Lines had a sketch posted on their blog the other day, sketch #227, that really struck me as super cool...so I had to sit down and work out a layout based on it...

Here is the original sketch...



I love the center vertical design, not a design I generally use...

And here is my layout...



I would say that I have been on a 'cat in the sunshine' picture taking kick laltely...but if you know me, you know I am ALWAYS taking pictures of the cats in the sunshine...jealous of them, I'm sure that's my motivation.

The journaling on this layout, by hand again (ugh!), is about how nice the cats have it...food, petting, napping, and such...but specific to the pictures of Elaine, it is a bit about how relieved I am to know that she has a good and safe place to live, given her limitations (which have not stopped her one bit or slowed her down at all!)...



And I just have to say, I am loving using stamps on my layouts...all thanks to some awesome free classes over at 2P's!



I posted a question on their stamping forum about what ink pens stampers recommend for inking up stamps...and one person said they use Crayolas...really?!?! Yes, and they are awesome (better on rubber stamps than on acrylic) and soooooo cheap! I'm loving them!

And one final picture of Lainey (for now, anyway)...I love this look...


"Hey mom, whatcha doin'?"