040116 Archi-scraps April Challenge

BOLD. Graphic. Polka dots...

I find this building fascinating on many levels.

It's obviously an upcycle of some kind of shipping/storage containers,

which can actually be a very economical way to create a structure.

When I look at the surrounding landscape (including the pavement 

where this seems to be "parked") I begin to get very curious!

And then, obviously, there are those gigantic hot pink dots - on black, none the less!

I found a number of pages in my scrappy inspiration files that had dots or circles,

but ultimately that riot of dots with a large dose of black won the day.

The hot pink heart & a few other accents are a nod to that color in the inspiration.

The photo of baby Addie in polka dot socks started the whole thing off!

All of the dotted papers, including the tissue, came from my Felicity Jane 

kit stash, as well as the striped bag matting the photo & holding the journaling.

There are a few little nods to the telephone theme, including the cute little October Afternoon telephone card at the bottom & a telephone dial punched from an OA 9 to 5 paper. 

I've stamped the date of the photo where the telephone number would appear on the dial.

Everyone loves polka dots! The latest prompt #206 over at Whimsical Musings 

is to scrap with polka dots, so link up over there as well.

Thanks for stopping by!

032616 CKC Stylish Scrapbook Storage

Over at Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog we have
been running a great series on Stylish Scrapbook Storage.
(My earlier post is here.)

Vintage jelly jar storage for colorful brads.

I took a look at my happy scrappy place & discovered that while I have a good deal of 

organization going on, most of it is NOT stylish. This makes me sad!

Efficient but boring storage

 The top half of this storage is mostly inspiration - not storage - by design.
I mean, I am grateful for the luxury of bins & drawers full of goodies, to be sure!

But my personal vibe is much more vintage & found object/unorthodox.
 I'm blessed to enjoy a highly individualized space that is very inspiring to create in.

But while it is highly impractical for me to do a studio utility storage "makeover",

I DID find a few storage options that are both stylish and practical.

My inexpensive IKEA desktop lazy susan houses a number of 

attractive storage options that keep things visible & close at hand.

Vintage lustreware Czech pottery pitcher for tools, transferware vase used for ruler storage, colorful mug for pens/scissors.

Vintage & new jelly jars for brads & clips, Jenni Bowlin antique green metal drawer for enamel/puffy accents.

Decorative pins poked into the lid of a floss storage basket.

This big rusty helper keeps my most used supplies right at hand on my desktop.
Top left is a vintage ice cream carton holding some pens & some compasses.
Alongside is an old cast iron soap dish & an orphaned teacup to hold loose little bits.

Whew! Between this post & the last, I have just proved myself a liar.
 I have quite a few stylish storage solutions!
Who knew? I hope you've been inspired by this little tour.

I know many work best in a clean uncluttered environment but I love eye candy :-) 
Take a look around you, at some of your favorite things with a re-purpose in mind.
Surrounding yourself with things that make you happy really IS inspiring.

We would love to see your creative ideas for stylish storage.
Feel free to add your take to the Linky and name it STORAGE STYLE.

Thanks for stopping by!

032416 ATC Gang March Meet-Up

Our happy little band (minus one - Karen, you were missed!) met up again at Michael's.

Art journaling was the focus of the afternoon in between catching up & swapping cards.

Our challenge was to use some of the gelli prints we made the last time.

In no particular order...

(I need a cute design for the back of my ATCs!)

I have the small size Gelli plate so I chose different papers for each card, 

which I overstamped & paired with a wood veneer accent plus either ribbon or washi.

Next time we are challenged to use this "bleeding tissue" paper brought by the ever-generous Norma.

I had to laugh at how she came by it. She had an online order just a few bucks shy of the free shipping amount! Would love to hear what you've bought for that very same reason :D

Link HERE to a similar product

 Here's the description: 

Perfect for collage, mosaics, flowers, paper sculpture, and many other craft and decorative uses. Water-soluble, the colors "bleed" when moistened, creating artistic effects like tie-dye.

I have all kinds of ideas rolling around in my head...

 

Thanks for stopping by!

031616 CKC March Challenge #3

Here we are at CKC March Challenge #3 already!

Challenge #3: Create An Instagram Inspired Mini. 
Create a small, but perfectly formed mini 
 to show off those dinky, little photographs of your lunches :) 

No pics of my lunch (I seriously don't understand the appeal 
of Instagram?) but I have a few of the two of us in Alaska! 

As soon as I saw the prompt I knew I would make a matchbook album.
 It's the perfect mini for a series of photos that don't need a lot of explanation.

 

This one measures 2-1/2 x 3-1/2 inches.
I combined two Project Life-style cards for the cover & used kraft for a base.
I knew it would be too thick for the traditional staples,
so I punched holes & secured the pages with twine.

Inside:

The letters were the only thing added to my kit for this project.

They were supposed to be in there in the first place but I forgot them.

I love how clean & graphic this turned out!

The photos

The back...

I think this was quite successful!

Now print off some teeny tiny photos & grab your kit.

Come on... you know you want to...

Thanks for stopping by!

031416 WM#204 Tiffany Blue

Another totally Lisa Whimsical Musings Challenge!

WM#204 inspired by Tiffany Blue...

Yum, yum, yummy!

This is the first mental image of Tiffany that came to mind.

Then this:

or this adorable image:

So I decided to tackle this one with what is left of my March CKC kit,  

Bright Idea. I knew I had alphas in the right color & found 

a few other things that worked within the colorway.

This one little perfectly colored swoop was fussy-cut from the label of the Cosmo Cricket stickers!

The speech bubble has an outline in the right color, too.

Although I can't share it here, my layout is based on the exclusive February ScrapHappy sketch.

I spent a day with two of the grands & Lincoln took some pics with the Samsung galaxy 

Kids Mode app - that's the little icon for the camera feature under the "silly" word.

I filled in a few spots with some of the stamps in the Felicity Jane set included in my kit.

This turned out to be a lot of fun to put together, kind of like a treasure hunt!

My kit was so small this month yet it really went a long way.

Care for a treat? 

Thanks for stopping by!

031216 WM#203 Eyelets

I love that Lisa picked up her WM#203 inspiration for this week's challenge

from the FaceBook group conversation. Started by Sherrie, the eyelet/grommet 

trend that is beginning to surface was presented at THIS LINK. 

Take a scroll through the article - there are 15 fab fashion takes on the trend.

I chose #6,  this Marc by Marc Jacobs Eyelet Metal Choker ($158)

Sorry, ladies - it's out of stock at the moment...

Here's my take:

I had intended to add brads to complete the pattern but I would have had to make this element HUGE to do that.

Here's the full page, photographed at an angle to show off all of the gold!

Keep watching - I have been inspired by almost all of the examples!

I'm hoping to add some eyeletized embellis in future.

Stash-busting with style, baby!
 

Thanks for stopping by!

031216 CKC Stylish Storage Solutions

Over at Counterfeit Kit Challenge blog we have
been running a great series on Stylish Scrapbook Storage.

I will have a post later this month as well, with a tour of my studio,
with some more ways to stow your stash stylishly!
 
I love this $3 sidewalk sale shelf for some glitter supplies - I even found it's twin years later!
This fits perfectly in that odd space between the bifold closet doors & a little side wall.
The tiny cordial glass holding those flags is my Grandmother's Heisey "Orchid" crystal.

Bonus hanging storage for a Tim Holtz class project & a Raggedy Ann keepsake from a friend.

I love vintage picnic baskets to stow my stash of mini-albums & blank books,
my childhood family photos which include my parents' wedding album,
what is left unscrapped of our own 30 years of family photos.
They are attractive, portable & affordable storage options.
I don't believe I've ever paid more than $15 for one!

(I need a good clean out under here - yikes!)

They tuck right under my worktable, out of the way yet at the ready.

Imagine having all of your crop paraphernalia stowed & ready to grab?

One last affordable & stylish stackable storage option is metal cigar boxes.
Just a few of mine - one holding my Martha Stewart glitter,
another with used postage stamps assorted ephemera,
and the third came for $2 including all the game pieces!

Go have a poke around your cupboards to see what stylish storage is pining away to be used!
 We would love to see your creative ideas for stylish storage.
Feel free to add your take to the Linky and name it STORAGE STYLE.

Thanks for stopping by!

030816 CKC March "Bright Idea" kit, page 2

Last week's Whimsical Musing Challenge #202 was to be inspired by "extra".

An odd-sounding prompt but Lisa gave lots of good directions to go with this.

I pondered that awhile & looked through some photos for inspiration.

These volunteered & I am really happy with how this turned out, 

especially being able to use that Fab Scraps lightbulb 

(wasn't I clever to put the pull chain on there?) 

and also that this story has been recorded.

Yes, I did say I used my CKC March Bright Ideas kit.

You remember? The one with no patterned paper...

(ahem)

Weeeeelllll... I succumbed to temptation & dipped into my 

Felicity Jane treasures for the background paper & a few little bits.

My memories, my rules.

De-lighted (pun intended) with how the Fab Scraps lightbulb element looks!

The story

One of Sherrie's a-ma-zing Breesy Badges! I love having creative scrap buddies who share their talents :-)

Looking forward to tackling this week's WM#203 - use eyelets!

Thanks for stopping by!