(inter)National Scrapbooking Day!

 

Today is National Scrapbooking Day in the states and Prima is having an AMAZING blog hop! So if you are working your way down their list, welcome! You are at the right place! (Make sure you scroll all the way down for the blog list and a GIVE-AWAY!)

Prima also has a wonderful line-up of LIVE classes, including my layout class shown here at 9 AM eastern time!

Here is a direct link to the Prima ustream channel. Hop on over and watch a class or two today. The classes go ALL day long. There will be prizes and lots of fun to be had on the chats.

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The layouts shown above don't have a lot of my normal feminine touches. And that's cool. Since I have a few older boys I thought I would play around with some of our newest metals, stencils, gesso, stamps, and so on. (My boys REALLY appreciate me NOT adding flowers to their layouts. Imagine that!)

I love the cleaner graphic & bright effect on this layout of Billy using Lady Bird.  It totally fits his personality and his photo!

You can achieve this bright look with PanPastels and a stencil! (Use a neutral backdrop paper like this one in the Lady Bird line so your attention is on the photo and techniques.)

Just set the stencil on the paper (I use washi tape on the sides to help secure it to the paper. When you are done coloring you can pull it up easily and it will not tear your paper.)

Start with the lightest color of PanPastel first, then work your way through to the darkest color.

(Just make sure you seal it once you are happy with the colors. I use SpectraFix which is safe to spray inside and has no nasty fumes.)

Next add a photo mat with foam squares, chipboard shapes, stickers and crystals. Add the photo with foam adhesive to pop it up off the page a bit.


Staple some twine to the page with a Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher to mimic the chevron pattern for a nice GUY touch.

Create a banner flag with our stickers (and a toothpick!) and tuck it under the photo.

Stamp all your important dates and sayings on the stickers with these cool roller stamps by Smash and Dear Lizzy! I use them ALL the time.

 That's it!


My other layout is about my 16 year old,  Brayden. It definitely has a different look than the first layout.  You can see the whole layout created in my class so check it out! (All shows are recorded in case you cannot catch them live.)

Prima Supplies

• 922375, 922351 DD Art Stencil
• 891671, 891633 Tiny Junkyard Findings
• 562861, 562908 Alphas
• 890995, 891003, 891015 Comfort Craft Chalk Fluid Edgers
• 960353, 960261 Mechanicals by Finnabair
• 960124 Clear Stamp- Sunrise, Sunset
• 564377 Washi Tape Stamp
• 563042 Clear Stamp-Engraver
• 564896 Lifetime Washi Tape

Other:

• Fiskars Star Punch
• Ranger Studio Gesso
• Ranger Archival Black & Brown Ink
• shipping tag
• orange twine
• Color Shine: BlackVelvet
• Glimmer Mist: Dark Denim
• Fabri-Tac by Beacon

Here's the video!



Video streaming by Ustream


So what do you think? Ready to try a few of these techniques on your next project? Leave me a comment and I will pick one person to win this fabulous prize on May 13th. Open to all countries.

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Here is the list for the blog hop!

Prima Blog
Sharon Laakkonen (You are here!)

Cari Fennell
Jamie Dougherty 
Frank Garcia 
Nic Howard
Janine Koczwara  
Heidi Kelley 
Brit Sviggum
Trina McClune 
Gerry van Gent
Lene Bjornerud 
Magda Bolinska  
Anna Dabrowska
Maiko Kosugi  
Felicity Wilson  
Larissa Albernaz 
Marie-Nicolas Alliot 
Louise Nelson  
Juliana Montoya  
Steph Devlin
Stephanie Miller
Solange Marques
Lea Lawson

Boy Page!

Yes...boy pages are always harder for me. It is so easy to grab a pack of flowers, or some pretty ribbons, and go to town, right? But, more masculine pages....much, MUCH, harder (for me anyway!)

However, I've decided to do a few each month since I do have four boys of my own...and a few of the boys don't particularly want flowers on their pages anymore. hehe.

Once I got going it really wasn't as hard as I thought....with all of the new masks, stamps, sprays, metal pieces, tapes, etc., out on the market it was MUCH much easier, and so MUCH fun!


16
My Boy 


So here's a page about Brayden, my 16 year old. He hates to pose for pics, but he cooperated this day for my sweet friend and photog, Sarah G!

I started by using gesso and some of the new Prima stencils by Donna Downey for a lumpy, textured background. LOVE how it almost looks like "building construction" is going on with that technique. Anyone else see that?

Then I started stamping and adding pieces of paper and washi tape...just to build a few layers up and make it grungier. HINT: let that gesso dry ALL the way before you stamp. For you impatient people (like me) you will be grateful you did! And use a permanent ink (Archival by Ranger) for stamping on glossy surfaces (like a photo.)




I also cut up some triangles from scrap paper and just added them on with a foam square. Stick them where you want people to look: the photo, the title, etc.

Of course Ingvild Bolme's Tiny Junkyard Findings can be used for masculine pages. What a perfect way to add strength and stability to a theme.





I LOVE those new linen-like alphas by Prima too...but I like to stitch through them. 

I HATE finding layouts that are a few years old and one lousy letter is missing. What in the world do you do? So I am stitching through as many as possible now to really get them down! haha.


 


















Then I added some metal pieces by Ingvild and Finnabair. LOVE those metal pieces!  Finish off the piece with a few drops of a color spray. Don't spray it...just open the bottle up and drop some splotches form the tube! (Cover your photo first with scratch paper.)






891671, 922375


Supplies:

• 922375, 922351 DD Art Stencil
• 891671, 891633 Tiny Junkyard Findings
• 562861, 562908 Alphas
• 890995, 891003, 891015 Comfort Craft Chalk Fluid Edgers
• 960353, 960261 Mechanicals by Finnabair
• 960124 Clear Stamp- Sunrise, Sunset
• 564377 Washi Tape Stamp
• 563042 Clear Stamp-Engraver
• 564896 Lifetime Washi Tape
• Star Punch
• Gesso
• Ranger Archival Black & Brown Ink
• shipping tag
• twine
• Color Shine: BlackVelvet
• Glimmer Mist: Dark Denim
• Fabri-Tac by Beacon