A preview of my first digital scrapbooking collection!

My first digital kit sneak peak

First came my love for traditional scrapbooking while shopping the isles of a local craft store in early 2007 and then came my love for digital scrapbooking- once I joined a few online scrapbooking communities and discovered the beautiful digital creations of others! And if you know the software, then digital scrapbooking is just as creative as conventional scrapbooking, if not more! I say more, because you can easily manipulate paper and embellishment colors and customize anything to fit your style or whatever look your trying to achieve! I've dabbled in the world of digital for a few years now...more for my career in fashion design, but also for scrapbooking and have recently decided to create my own kit to incorporate into a baby memory book. It's been a slow process, but it has been going much better than I expected, so I'm pleasantly surprised! First I decided on a theme and then created an inspiration board and decided on a color palette;

Images on the inspiration board are from; Bump Smitten and On to Baby

And from there, I started to create my first digital scrapbook collection. I'm far from finished at this point, but very happy with the progress I've made. I'm looking forward to the finish product-a personal goal that will finally be accomplished!

The best part of scrapbooking for me is the tangible elements and how you can add so much texture and dimension to a flat page, but with the nature of digital scrapbooking, this gets a little more complex. But I've found that I love digital scrapbooking kits that are very realistic with a lot of dimension, texture and look as if they are popping right off the page. One of my favorite digital designers is Vinnie Pearce. Her work has a very realistic look to it, so I love working with a lot of her products. Unfortunately I don't scrapbook as often as I'd like (let alone digitally), but I still love to have all the options! I'm also a big fan of hybrid scrapbooking, where traditional meets digital scrapbooking. All the possibilities are awesome, which is why I love this hobby so much!

What are your thoughts on digital scrapbooking?





Handmade Inspiration Board #3: Thanksgiving

It's about that time- to start thinking about Thanksgiving and I can't wait for the day! I love this holiday the most because if focuses on family, thankfulness and AMAZING food! This year I am in charge of the Thanksgiving dinner (it's my first time, so all helpful tips are welcome *wink*), so I thought I would gather some inspiration for the day and build from there. Here is my inspiration folder, I hope you're able to gather some ideas from it as well! xo

Supplies Used; Patterned Paper- Cosmo Cricket and Crate Paper; Cardstock- American Crafts and Bazzill; Transparent Scroll Design- K&Company; Doily Rub-Ons- Hambly Studios; Gem Brad- Making Memories; Paper & Crochet Flowers- Prima Marketing Inc.; Alpha Stickers- Making Memories; Stitched Brad- Basic Grey

Images Used;

Leaf Printed Linens- Martha Stewart 

Thanksgiving Table Setting- Martha Stewart 

Fall Floral Basket- Martha Stewart

Give Thanks (Gobble Gobble)- Better Homes and Gardens 

Thanksgiving Poem- Better Homes and Gardens

(Photos of inspiration board by; Wahkuna)

Colors of Autumn

The other day I purchased a fall inspired bouquet (pictured above) and knew I had to capture its beauty some how! So I had the idea to create a fall color palette, inspired by the photo of my flowers and the photo of wine & pumpkins that I took while visiting a winery not too long ago (mentioned here). And to top it all off- today is such a lovely day to dedicate a blog post to the beautiful colors of autumn! Enjoy! xo


Photos taken by: Wahkuna

Birthday Wishes

Supplies: Textured Cardstock- Bazzil; Patterned Paper- Sassafrass; Ribbon- Making Memories;

Distress Ink- Ranger; Stamp/Button & Embroidery Thread-Other

home·spun

[hohm-spuhn]
–adjective
1. spun or made at home: homespun cloth.
2. plain; unpolished; unsophisticated; simple; rustic

Origin:

1580–90; home + spun


This birthday card I created a while back and thought I would share it with you today. I used the Studio Calico Back 40 kit. I really like the patterned papers that have the decorative scallop edge, they're perfect as a finishing touch! This patterned paper is from Sassafras and I love their papers, they always have a homespun feel, very vintage. The patterned paper is attached to the card using a zz stitch with a ribbon running across the center attached at the sides with zz.

The sentiment was created with a stamp on a piece of textured card stock that I shaped using a tag stencil. The border was made using a glitter gel pen and Tim Holtz's Ranger distress ink. The button is attached using ivory embroidery thread wrapped and tied into a bow.

Below is a color palette I've created inspired by this card. Maybe it will inspire your next project! Enjoy!

Love You Forever

Now this post is going to feel a little like fall, a little pumpkin spice, a little apple streusel, reminds me of all the things I love about the change of seasons.

This card is titled "I Promis to Love You Forever", the colors and design create elegance and sophistication. Accents of pearls give it just enough texture and pop. The solid cardstock mixed with a herringbone print is also a great touch to add interest and the stitching creats that homespun look. With the fall season just around the corner, this spicy color palette is sure to stir some delicious creations!

Supplies; Cardstock-Bazzill; Ribbon-Cosmo Cricket; Border Embellishment-Cosmo Cricket;

Patterned Paper-Studio Calico; Pearl Flourish-Want 2 Scrap; Pearl Embellishments- Recollections

Old Friends~ New Tradition

At the end of last week I received a surprise in the mail. It was a card from a very dear friend of mine. We've been friends since 2nd grade (about 20 years as she put it) and have gradually grown apart over time due to distance and separate life paths. But the good thing about always remaining friends and staying in touch from time to time is that you always stay connected some how, and although it's far and few between, when you get together it's almost like yesterday and no time has past at all. That is how I feel around her...she is my special long distance friend. The funny part is that I've been thinking about her lately and how we've been  needing to catch up, which was exactly when I received her card. Life is funny like that.

In response to her thoughtful card, I of course had to make one to send back. The sentiment is so fitting- I miss you. To create this card I used part of my July Studio Calico kit- Continental. I love Studio Calico coordinated kits, they are always so fun and have such great color combos/embellis! I also LOVE to incorporate stitching (whether by hand or on the sewing machine) and also some kind of fabric or ribbon. That must be due to my fashion/apparel background. I spend my days around clothing, fabric/swatches, ribbon, buttons and fasteners. It always spurs up some kind of creative ideas! Here is the outcome;

Supplies; Textured Cardstock- DCWV(matchmakers); Patterned Paper- Studio Calico;

Flower- Studio Calico; Textured Fabric- K&Company;

Distress Ink- Tim Holtz(pumice stone);

Rhinestones- Other; Sentiment Stamp- Other.

I love the color palette for this card. Its sweet yet sophisticated with a little bit of distressing to produce a worn look. For the flower design on the top left, I cut it out of a Studio Calico advertisement card that was patterned on the back side, and I couldn't resist using the pattern, it's so beautiful and adds a great focal point to this card! I definitely think my friend will enjoy receiving this in the mail. It's worth saving! I would like this card-giving to become a tradition, almost like a pen pal, a new way to stay in touch more. Since we live far apart, I'm hoping that we are able to constantly write to eachother to stay connected and keep our friendship strong, afterall...who has time to sit on the phone for hours anymore! And being a memory preserver, having everything in writing and documented makes it so much better for future keepsakes (which reminds me, I still have all of her letters from Middle School!!!) :-)