Basic Grey -- Latest & Greatest Part 1

With CKC Hartford less than a week away, I felt compelled to finish up some of the layouts I started at CKC Valley Forge. After all, using up supplies is the best excuse to buy more. Right?! So, today I am going to share one of the four layouts I started at the Latest & Greatest from Basic Grey workshop. Lucky for me, the colors from this layout matched the colors from Michael and Jennifer's wedding so I didn't have to think too hard about what pictures I would use.

Journaling reads: Michael & Jennifers Wedding. Mark the proud ring bearer, reminded us of Michael in his tux at our wedding!

For those of you who have never taken a Latest & Greatest class, you can compare it to an Evelyn Wood speed reading class. LOL! This class moves at lightning speed but the results are worth it. Look at all the layers in this layout. I don't know if you can tell from the picture but there are actually six layers of paper. Also, the class focused on the left side of my two-page spread. The right-hand page was an add on.

With this layout, I had to change the class "recipe" because my vertical and horizontal pictures did not match the page map given and, of course, I wanted to add more pictures. In addition to class supplies, I used the Stampin' Up! Scallop Circle Punch,

Technique Tuesday stamp from the Petal Pushers set, Jolee's pillow embellishments and Heidi Swapp words.

Check back later this week for another Latest and Greatest layout.

Ingredients: Basic Grey Eva Collection; Technique Tuesday Petal Pushers Stamp; Stampin Up! Bravo Burgundy ink and marker; Bazzill Crocheted Blossoms; Jolee's by You embellishment; Heide Swapp Silhouette words; Stampin Up! Scallop Punch.

Feeling Blue

Actually, I'm feeling anything but blue today. A little tired, maybe, but with two new layouts under my belt and less than a week to go until CKC Hartford, my creative mojo has never been better! I can't wait to share the layouts I did last night but before I get to that, I want to share an oldie -- and now a goodie. You see, I've been going back and looking at my old scrapbooks and as I'm learning new techniques and aquiring new materials, I've been tinkering a bit.



I completed the "Feeling Blue" layout about six months ago. I always liked the use of white space and bling but still felt that something was missing. The other night it hit me. This layout was missing the journaling. Since I went to CKC Valley Forge, I've been trying to make my layouts more about the story and not just the pictures. So here it is -- the story of our night at Blue Man Group.

Journaling reads: Three blue mimes entertained us on our last night of vacation. Highlights of the show included: fantastic percussion music, a spotlight on late arrivals, a toilet paper mosh pit and meeting Blue Man Group!

I'm not one to use a lot of bling but I love the square framing Mark and Melissa. Also, I usually hand write my journaling so I think the computer-printed journaling adds an interesting design element and helps anchor the page.

Ingredients: DCWV cardstock; Stampin' Up! Headline Alphabet and Small Alphabet stamps; Stampin Up! Brilliant Blue and Basic Black inks; Heidi Swapp bling.

Finally...A Post

With a hectic back-to-school schedule, helping with homework and studying, as well as putting "Mom's Taxi" back on the road, I haven't had much time for scrapping or blogging. Finally I have a layout to share. Mind you, I completed most of this layout at the CKC Crop back in July. All I had to do was the journalling when I got home. Bestselling novels have probably been written in the time it took me to journal. So, here it is. Hope you enjoy the layout and the journalling!

Journalling reads: How could we go wrong when we accepted the rental car agent's offer to give us an upgrade? But parked next to the sporty convertibles and the cool SUVs was this burgandy albatross. Melissa burst into tears and, despite 95 degree temperatures, Mark pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head to make sure that his friends -- who were 1,000 miles away -- wouldn't see him getting into this car. As for Sal and I, we suddenly felt the urge to look for an early-bird special! After the disappointment passed, we laughed about the car we now call the Grandma (r Quis)!

I used a lot of materials on this one page -- some planned and some unplanned. The half circle from Making Memories' Noteworthy Collection and the Technique Tuesday stamp (seen in green and black) were items I acquired at CKC. I love how these extra elements added personality to the layout. Oh how my CKC trip has paid off. LOL!

Speaking of CKC, I'm headed to Hartford for the day in early October. This time around, I've signed up for more classes which will save me a lot of money at the Vendor Fair.

Ingredients: Creating Keepsakes and Making Memories paper; Technique TuesdayBoho Buzz Stamp; VersaMagic "Tea Leaves" green and Archival Ink Jet Black ink; American Crafts Thickers; Making Memories 3-D Metal Tag; Bazzill Garden Flower chipboard; Ranger pink embossing glitter; flowers from my stash; Michael's Rhinestone Stickers; Stampin Up! black marker.

Guest Designer -- Part 2

Sorry this post is a few days late. Mark and Melissa went back to school yesterday so between the search for school supplies (Do they really make 2 subject notebooks?) and the endless number of forms that had to be filled out, well you get the picture! Anyway, as promised, I have more of Lynn Ward's fabulous layouts to share with you.


This first layout is simple and elegant. Like the page you saw in the last post, this one uses the papers from the wedding invition.

I love that Lynn uses more than one picture to tell a story. I know I can never just pick one picture for a layout! The next double page spread uses a total of 10 pictures. I hope you don't mind if I scraplift this one, Lynn.

Speaking of scraplifting, here's another page I just might copy -- at least the title block. Don't you just love the squares and diamonds?

I'm telling you, one page is nicer than the next. Here's another page I love. The title of the page is the title of Michael and Jennifer's wedding song. Lynn used a laser die cut for the words and hung the red heart from the "I." Now, I bet you've never seen this paper in any scrapbook store. That's because Lynn made it by scanning the sheet music into her computer. Isn't that fantastic!

Lynn, thanks so much for sharing your work and being my very first guest designer.