Primrose Lane Kit... and busting out the Silhouette machine!

Hi friends. It's been a while, hasn't it? 

I've missed you all so much... it's been a hard month for us at my home. As some of you know from the message board, I lost my dad almost two weeks ago and it's been just a really sad time for us. 

I've been slowly getting back into creating... it's been a good bit of therapy for me just just escape into playing with bits and scraps and recording memories. 

Oh how I believe even more in this hobby of ours now! 

Last night I pulled out the gorgeous Primrose Lane kit (I understand these sold out really quickly- sign up for the wait list for kit subscriptions so that Noel can add some more!) ;) 

I also pulled out my Silhouette machine last night. I did the latest software update and I don't know if my computer didn't like it or what, but it took me a bit to get my machine to work! I was quite frustrated there but I'm so glad for the results! (Btw, it may have all been user error. Don't laugh at me. hehehe) 

I cut out a chevron background from white cardstock, and before I adhered it to my patterned paper, I misted a bit with some Studio Calico Opaque White and Shine. Then I started layering on top of it. I love all the little textures here! 

This picture is of me and my siblings on the day of my dad's military funeral. We'd already had the memorial the weekend before, so that day was just more of final closure... it's been so good to have them nearby to lean on. I'm really thankful for my siblings and that we have good relationships. And it's something I want to make sure I have documented in my scrapbooks! 

You're Simply the BEST! :)

Well Hello again...to all my favorite Noel Mignon peeps! :)

I hope you've had a beautiful MARCH...and enjoyed all the wonderful Craftiness going on here this month...and be sure to know that April is going to be JUST as good too! :)

I've created this card for Scrapbooks ETC blog with a sketch created by Valerie Salmon, using our Homespun March kit.

Isn't it fun to find fun ways to create looks you want with patterned paper? I also LOVE fabrips, and you can create all kinds of fun things with them too!

• This flower was created by pleating it around and combining it at the end. I punched a circle and cut some of the patterned paper up to layer together to complete this fun little embellishment.
• Fot the Chevron pattern across the border, I simply cut 3/4 inch strips of patterned paper and pieced it together like so.
• For masking, I used an old Jenni Bowlin packaging backing for my template, and then traced around it with a brown pen a couple of times. I used this Clay mist...I really love this color! :)
• Last but not least...twine! I LOVE my twine! It just adds the perfect finishing touch don't you think? :)

Have a BEAUTIFUL rest of your week! I look forward to seeing you all create wonderful things with this beautiful kit too!

xx

Loves,

Kimberly ;)

My first Primrose Lane layout

Good morning good people!
Well I got to dig into my Primrose Lane kit last night!
When I saw the big Pink Paislee numbers I knew immediately what I wanted to do with them.
I wanted to make this layout...

This layout may look a bit busy but it is really very simple.
I started off with this piece of My Mind's Eye patterned paper (in the Primrose Lane kit of course).

I matted the picture on a piece of patterned paper and adhered it to the left side of the layout.
I added the numbers/title under the picture.
Then I journaled (a bunch!) around the picture and title.
The last thing I did was embellish around the top and right edges of the layout with these rub-ons.
I almost used the whole pack!

Then it was done!
YAY!
And with plenty of Primrose Lane left to play with (well minus a pack of rub-ons!)!

:)
Have a great day!!
gretchen

Thanks a Bunch Cards

Hey there! This is Lisa today!

I'm doing really good at creating extra cards each month out of the kits. These ones are so pretty! I love the little Thanks a Bunch on the stamp set in the Homespun Kit.

I used the same design for both cards and just flipped it on the second card!

 

I love using bits from each kit to put together a couple of cards!

Being creative with Rub on's! :)

Hello everyone! I hope you are all having a super FABULOUS week! :)

So, do you ever struggle with different ways to use Rub on's? I often love to find new ways to use products to show them off in a layout. With this layout below, I decided to see if they would work on fabric. Sure enough, they worked out great! I LOVE the way it looks, and it was the perfect little touch of color I was looking for to frame the photograph.

A couple more close up's to share...

I created this layout with March's Homespun kit.

Extra products used: Elle's Studio Pennants, Elle's Studio Turquoise Pennants

Have a wonderful rest of your week!

Loves,

K

Monday Inspiration (on Wednesday)

Have yall paid much attention to the cool "Monday Inspiration"
(or sometimes it is actually "Sunday Inspiration")
that Noel or Virginia have been putting up on the message board??
If you have not, you should really check it out!
It is, well, very inspirational!
:)
This one, for example, from a couple of weeks ago is full of gorgeous purples and lavendars.
And here is one full of fabulous Mason jar ideas!

This week's post is a fun one!
It is all about movie posters!
Who would have ever thought that movie posters could provide great inspiration for scrapbooking?!
*****
I always enjoy looking at these posts but I have to admit that I have not ever done anything with them.
Until now!
:)
I challenged myself to take Noel's inspiration and use it to make something!
So I took this movie poster...

And I made this layout using the Homespun kit!

Cool, huh?!!

Inspired by a movie poster!
:)
Inspired by the painted look of the red frame on the poster, I actually pulled out some paint to make the hearts on this page.
(haven't done that in quite a while).
I used a foam brush to paint the red hearts on white cardstock.
After they dried, I cut the hearts out of the cardstock, and
used them as embellishments for the layout.

*****
So now here is a little challenge for you!
I am issuing you the same challenge I gave myself:
Use one of Noel or Virginia's inspirational posts to make something!
(you can look through this forum on the message board to find the inspiration posts)
And make sure to link up your projects here and tell us about them on the message board too!

We want to see them!
:)
Have a great day!
gretchen

Two Homespun Layouts

Lisa here today!!

I totally love this homespun kit. The best thing about it is that the products mix so perfectly and are so versatile that you can really scrapbook any topic you want!

This first layout here is just a quick page about an impromptu lunch we had one awesome saturday afternoon! I love the colors in this kit and all the elements that mix together so well!

And this page here is from my Take 12/Green challenge last week. I loved how easy it was to pull this together and keep the focus on the green photos!

Happy Spring everyone!!!! There's a lot of crazy weather going on...we are like 40 degrees warmer than normal here in Michigan. I've already got a farmers tan going on...in March...it's CRAZY...crazy AWESOME!!!

Two Baby Ducklings

Our house sits between a water reservoir and a creek and every Spring we see a duck family or two make their way through. Sadly, last year, two baby ducks were separated from their mother and were wandering aimlessly around our yard. We took care of them for a few days until our neighbors decided to make them their pets. My kids had a blast watching and caring for those cute, little ducklings and wanted to pose with them for pictures as much as possible before they moved into their new home.

I used the Homespun Kit to scrap this fun summer memory and the colors were perfect for these shots! I used the spray mist from the kit on the white cardstock background and then built my page around the Studio Calico patchwork patterned paper. LOVE! The chipboard letters are from January's Cabin Fever kit. The letter stickers are from the Echo Park This & That Charming collection and were also included in the kit.

I cut out one of the Echo Park journaling cards and used it to hold the story of this page. The cream music note butterfly is one of the October Afternoon Farmhouse die cuts from the kit. I used a Martha Stewart punch to punch the light blue butterfly from patterned paper. The cute duckling paper piecing was created with my Cricut Expression machine and the Nate's ABC's cartridge. I added a gray pearl from my stash for his eye.

Scrapping these pictures has made me giddy for the warmer days ahead! I just love when all the cute creatures and critters start coming out and the kids can spend the day studying them and exploring nature.

Have a great week!

Jana Eubank

Sunburst and flowers with Homespun

Hello Hello! Happy Thursday to you all! :)

Well...Here we are again, facing the end of another week...and I am still enjoying every piece of this wonderful kit! I love creating fun designs with paper...making embellishments. The twine in this kit, is so pretty, and adds just the right touch to pull any creation all together.

I've been wanting to scrapbook this picture of my kids and their cousin for so long, and I've finally found just the right papers to use for it. Every moment these 4 are together, it's crazy fun! This picture is the perfect example of what they are like when they are hanging out.

I think this Hambly is my favorite! The Camera's make me smile! :)

I LOVE this punch too, there are so many fun ways you can use it, here is an example in the image below.

I will be posting a tutorial on my blog this week on how I made the flowers below. Here is a link on how to make these fun fluffy flowers. :)

Thank you for stopping by! I hope you are inspired.

Have a beautiful rest of your week!

Lots of love,

Kimberly

The Workhorse of Scrapbooking: Two-page layouts, continued

Hi!
Gretchen here!
I want to follow up Jana's post from Monday.
She showed you how she made a 2-page layout without having to 2 pieces of the same patterned paper for the background.
Jana used kraft cardstock as the base of her layout and then she used strips of patterned paper to extend across both sides of the layout.
And I have another trick for you!
I too made a 2-page layout without having 2 sheets of the same patterned paper.
Instead I took 2 different sheets of patterned paper and cut each in half.
(so each sheet of paper ends up being 2 pieces of 6"x12" paper)
I used 2 pieces of plain ole white cardstock as the base of my layout.

Then I took one of the patterned papers that I cut in half and put one half on the far left side of my 2-page layout and the other half on the far right side of the layout.
Then I took the other sheet of patterned paper that I cut in half and added it to the middle of the 2-page layout.

Make sense??
Once I had my background created, I added the pictures and embellished from there!

I used a combination of 2 kits here.
Most of the layout is from the Homespun kit.
But since this a baby girl page, I wanted a little more pink on it!
So I grabbed the pink cardstock, pink plaid patterned paper, Hambly rub-ons, and bling from the Charm School kit and added some pink to the layout.
So are you a little less scared of 2-page layouts??
Maybe??!
I hope so!
:)
Have a great day!!

Green Challenge...

Hey everyone, this is Lisa today!

Since March is the month of green I have a fun challenge for you today! I was doing the take 12 Challenge from Ella Publishing yesterday and I decided to focus on the color green and take pictures of all the things during the day that represent the color green.

So I challenge you to take 12 pictures during the day of the color green...and then create a layout about it. I bet if you start looking you'll find lots of things in your life that are green!!

Here's how the color green represented my day yesterday: 1. Lots of green on the radar...rain, rain rain. 2. Love my green coffee much and green coffee bag. 3. Spinach...love spinach. 4. Oops, ended up with green pain all over my hand working on a project. 5. Added a splash of green to my layout yesterday. 6. My view of the green(ish) outdoors while I was working out. 7. More green on the radar, with a bunch of thunderstorms that brought some excitement in the form of tornado watches. 8. My green car is in much need of a washing. 9. My radio in the car is even sporting some green for the month. 10. Dreaming of cutting down these ugly trees and putting in a garden this spring and growing lots of new green things. 11. My husband painting our daughters toes green. 12. My nails painted green for the month!

I was busy taking my photos until late last night so I'll be back soon with my layout that I'll be putting together using the awesome Homespun kit...which is perfect for focusing on the color green for March!!

Happy green hunting!!

The Workhorse of Scrapbooking: Two-Page Layouts

I mostly create one page layouts, but when I have a lot of pictures, or need more space for designing, I turn to the "workhorse of scrapbooking" . . . a two-page layout design. I used my Homespun Kit to create this page about a family overnighter we took a few years ago to a nearby mountain resort. When you first think about doing a two-page layout design, you might think that you will need two sheets of every patterned paper that you want to use on your page. Not so! For this page spread, I grabbed two sheets of kraft cardstock from my stash to use as the base of my layout. Everything else was created using single patterned paper sheets from the Homespun Kit. Let me show you how!

I LOVE having the space to add more photos and still have the space to add some fun design elements. I cut the Studio Calico paper (with the multi patterned circles) in half. One 6" strip goes on the left side and the other continues over on the right page. Next, I built off of this center section by adding patterned paper borders below and above the Studio Calico. From there, I built my photo composition.

I love to make a "home" for my title to rest in . . . this time, I cut out a fun notebook shape using my Cricut Expression machine. I loved the slightly curved edge and lined up one of my title words along it for some added interest.

If your page feels too boxy with all of the rectangle cuts, try tilting one of your photos. Even a small change like that can add a little twist to your design! The circular patterned paper, slight curve of the title block, and scalloped borders along the top of the photos also helps to soften the design.

Thanks for coming by today! See you again soon!

Jana Eubank

Homespun- Playing with Fabrips

I love the Fabrips that Noel has included in the last two kits. They are super fun! 

For this layout, I used a star punch to punch out a shape from a strip of Fabrips from the Homespun Kit. Then I cut a notch in one side to make a bit of a banner shape and used the adhesive on the back to adhere it to the layout- but not without rumpling it a bit up first! 

I love the versatility and ease of this product. I added a few random bits of 

rubons to it as well to give it a distressed/painted look. 

Speaking of rubons, I loved that this Elle's Studio journaling spot had a bit of a design on it that looks like some of the Hambly rubons in the kit, so I played a little with that design and border. 

I hope you're having fun experimenting and playing with all the fun things Noel adds into the kits!

(P.S. In case you didn't get a chance to get in on the subscriptions, make sure to add your name to the wait list for when she opens up new subscriptions!)