You Can Never Have Too Much Beach Time

Another Carta Bella Beach Layout

I love this layout of my grandkids in the Gulf of Mexico. Neither one was very fond of getting much more than their feet wet after they felt the tug of the waves, but they sure enjoyed the beach time.

This layout uses the Carta Bella "Summer Splash" collection, and I added the Recollections flowers, Nuvo Drops, and a starfish from Jolee's Boutique. The background paper is from Bazzill.

I can't say enough about how much I love the Summer Splash Line. My last four layouts were made with it.  Click back to my last three posts to view the other layouts.

Family Beach Layout

My daughter's family at the beach

This layout is of my daughter Jess's family at the Gulf Coast last fall. This was Finn & Shae's first trip to a beach, and it was a success, despite Hurricane Gordon coming on land while we were there.

As I did on my other recent layouts, I used Carta Bella's "Summer Splash" collection for the papers and a lot of the embellishments. The background cardstock is from Bazzill, which makes great, sturdy papers for scrapping or cardmaking.

I added the little flowers from Recollections, the tag, sequins from CTMH, and the Nuvo Drops.

Thanks for looking!

Fin[n]s Up!

Finn's Beach Layout

Finn enjoyed the beach as much or, because he's older, maybe even more than Shae. He was all smiles for his time at the Gulf.

There's a little glare on the photo of the left, but in person this layout looks great. I copied the basic pattern from the book Time to Scrap by Kathy Fesmire. It encourages the creator to use shape to create motion

The yellow background cardstock is from Bazzill. All the other papers and embellishments are from Carta Bella's "Summer Splash" collection, except the strings and the tag base. I also used Nuvo drops along the top edge of the photos for extra detail and texture. Both the tag and the upper beach ball are raised with dimensional adhesive.

(The title of this page "Fin[n]'s Up" is a play on the parrothead  phrase "Fins Up" referring to Jimmy Buffett's song Fins.  Parrothead jokes--only a few would understand, but I couldn't help it.)

 

Shae by the Sea

12 x 12 Scrapbook Layout

Sweet Shae loved her first beach trip, even if the waves were a little overwhelming. This layout of Shae at the Gulf Coast is simple, but I wanted to focus mostly on the pictures and her expressions. All the papers are from the line "Summer Splash" by Carta Bella, as well as several of the embellishments including the "Beachy" sign. I absolutely love Summer Splash, and have created several beach layouts using it.

To add a little more interest, I added the white to the background paper to look like waves breaking, using Tim Holtz's Distress Crayon "picket fence."

The starfish is from Jolee's Boutique from my large stash of everything beachy.

I added lines of Nuvo Drop dots above and below the main strip and randomly within the starfish paper print.

I LOVE this picture:

Thanks for stopping by! More beach layouts are on the way......

More Tags and 2019 Goal Update

So far, so good...

February wasn't quite as productive as January but hey, it's a shorter month, and the January motivation has passed. I still completed all my goals except for 1 card and 1 layout. Satisfactory, I think.

March is halfway gone, and I've completed several things. First, my monthly Christmas tags:

My goal is five, and I made six. I think it's probably easiest to make an even number, because you can make to of almost the same tag at once.

All of the stamps are from Simon Says Stamp's "Christmas Cheer" set. I used Dylusions paint pens and water color pencils for the coloring.

On the trees I used Nuvo drops for the center of the stars (I just moved it around with a pointed tool) and the garlands. I hand wrote the "to" and "from" on all the cards.

For the Santas, I used Nuvo drops for his mittens, and the trim of his hat.

It's hard to see in pictures, but the beards are covered in Sparkly Fluff by Our Craft Lounge. I don't know if this is even available anymore. I bought it several years ago. The color is "sugar," and it adds sparkle and a soft texture--kind of felt-like.

The North Pole signs have Nuvo drops on the top finial. I added Ranger's Glossy Accents on all the signs.

Look at all the tags I have done for Christmas next year, and it's only March 16!

Winter One-Derland Layout

Shae's First Birthday Party

Shae is two now, but I'm trying to catch up on her baby book. Her Winter 1-derland or One-derland (or O-NEEDerland if you like the movie That Thing You Do) was so special. Her birthday is just after Christmas, so her mom and I found a lot of white decorations on sale, and tried to stay with a white, cream, grey, and blue scheme.  

She looked like a winter princess in a ridiculous tulle-skirted dress with a fur jacket. I took all these pictures at night, so the shades of white and cream aren't contrasting too well in the photos.  I really like the ripped edges on the white paper with the cream color peeking through. The small amount of patterned paper is one sheet from a stack by DCVW called Collage Art. 

Both layouts have a lot of miscellaneous embellishments and silver and gold Nuvo drops. All the decorations were easy--we grabbed all the white dishes and decorations we had sitting around. The treats included a hot chocolate bar with some added liquor for the adults. I LOVE a themed party, and my grandkids are giving me a lot of opportunities to help with craft projects. They've started enjoying making crafts with me, and I hope they continue to enjoy being creative.

Christmas Gift Tags

Progress on My 2019 Goals

One of my 2019 goals is to create at least 5 Christmas tags per month so I'll have a nice stash of them in December 2019 when I'm busy with other Christmas crafts and activities. I'm happy to say that in January and February I've already created more than 30 tags. I'm way ahead! Snow days have probably helped a lot. Here are the tags I made last weekend:

It's very easy to make a batch of similar tags. I cut all these from craft paper and a few white and cream cardstock pieces. I used four CTMH stamps, three punches, some twines, markers, Nuvo drops, and a few holiday brads.

Here are my favorites from each theme:

Not the fanciest, but I think this tag is my favorite.  I like its modern shape and colors.

This has a tag on a tag. The smaller tag is a punch. I colored the image with Copics and added white "snow" using white Nuvo drops.

I like both of these. The tag on the left is made from the negative space from punching out the tag on the right. The tree is a brad.

Not a great photo... I added white ink to a plain stamp, and it really made it pretty.

This is another set where I used the negative (on the right) from the snowflake I punched out for the tag on the left. The silver snowflake is a brad.

Thanks for looking at a Christmas project in February!

Altered Mary Poppins Little Golden Book

Walt Disney's Mary Poppins: A Jolly Holiday

This altered Little Golden Book just went up on my Etsy shop.

I took apart the binding and added three ring binders down the left side (later adorned with ribbon, etc.) Then I added twelve new pages between the original papers. All the original pages of Mary Poppins' A Jolly Holiday are there and 100% readable. Here's a peek inside:

I used papers and embellishments from my stash--two numerous (and too old) to give credit. I know the flash cards are from Tim Holtz Ideaology, and the BINGO card is a real game piece.

Lots of the pages have removable tags and photo or journaling spots tucked into pockets.

A few of the pages are simple--ready for a 4x6 photo to be attached.

Many of the pages have other interactive hidden spots for journaling or more pics. The last page includes a kite (a nod to Let's Go Fly a Kite from the movie).

I hope you enjoyed taking a look at this newest project, and if you're interested, head over to Etsy and check out my shop here: GoodGollyMsMolly

Art Impressions Beach Card

"I Smell Old People."

I am very happy with how this beachy card turned out. I've been practicing my beach (sky, water, & sand) backgrounds with Ranger Distress Oxide Inks. I added some Glossy Accents to the water to look like waves and the water's edge (both look white in this picture). The very front of the sand is made with Flower Soft. It may be the first time I've used Flower Soft in the years and years I've had it. I don't know if it's even on the market anymore, but I thought it looked like dry sand.

The stamps are from Art Impressions. I'm not sure of the actual stamp names because I've thrown away the packaging, which isn't like me. I'm guessing they are older because I keep the packaging now. I colored the stamps with Copics and added little touches with Nuvo drops here and there.

 "I smell old people. Oh wait, that's you." is from the Tim Holtz Ideology Snarky Small Talk set.

The mat around the scene is a paper from the BoBunny 6x6 Beach Therapy Collection papers.

As long as the recipient has a sense of humor, I think this card would be appropriate for a birthday, retirement, or anniversary.

Valentines for the Grandkids

I try to send mail to my grandkids on every holiday and their birthdays and postcards when we're out of town. I remember how fun it was to receive mail as a kid, and with technology, it's even more rare now.

I think they turned out super cute, and they came together pretty quickly.

First, Finn's card:

The cactus, glasses, and sentiment are all from Simon Says Stamp. I colored them with Copic markers. The cactus and glasses are adhered with black dimensional tape. The white dots and the "thorns" on the cactus are Nuvo drops. The hearts are punched from and OLD EK Success punch.

Here's Shae's card:

Again, the sentiment, sun, and sunglasses are from Simon Says Stamp and colored with Copics. Nuvo drops make up the white dots and the gold dots on the edge of the sun. The sun and glasses are raised with black dimensional tape.

All of the stamps are from the same Simon Says Stamp set, One Cool Pineapple:

This set is really cute and works for lots of occasions. The pictures are really fun to color too. It doesn't look like a set I would normally buy, but I've joined Simon Says Stamp monthly card making kit subscription. I'm really enjoying it. Every month you get a preview of the kit, and you aren't required to buy it, but I'm trying to diversify my stamps and products. The kits come with some or a combination of stamps, inks, embellishments, papers, stickers, envelopes, cards, embossing powders, etc. I highly recommend the kit.

Thanks for looking at my post. Surprise someone with a handmade Valentine this year!

No-Spend February

Can I/Will I?

I have designated February as a no-spend month at our house. That means no shopping, no ordering online, and no eating out for lunch or dinner.

Will there be exceptions? Of course. Nick's birthday is this month, we'll have work-related activities we can't skip, and the 22nd is National Margarita Day (can't miss this--it's a tradition to go out with my Parrothead friends).

Hopefully though, most of our expenditures will be the grocery store. No crafts, no clothes, no household items. Nothing that isn't absolutely needed. I'll report back at the end of the month. Will I be rolling in $$$? Doubt it, but if it gets us in the habit to take our lunches more, that's a plus already.

2019 Resolutions Update

So Far, So Good!

I've been keeping track, and so far, all my creative goals for January have been met. Woot! I've even worked ahead a little bit. I love to be creative, and getting all of these projects done not only gives me a great sense of accomplishment, but it also makes me happy--doing more of what I enjoy!

We'll see if I can keep it up....

Easy Hawaii Layout

Paradise Found

In my quest to try to update my scrapbooks, I'm jumping around and just making pages of anything I want. The other day I felt like using beach paper, and I ended up with this layout for our Ohau trip three years ago.

The pictures are from various sites around the island. I used a paperpad called "Utopia" from Authentique for the papers. I used four: the op half of the layout, the bottom half, the strip through the middle, and the punched flowers.

I added Nuvo drops to the flowers I made, and to the centers of the flowers already on the paper in the bottom right. I used my own handwriting for the journaling.

Thanks for taking your time to look at my layout. Hopefully, lots more to come this year!

Shae's Summer

Actually Scrapbooking from THIS Year...

I found a version of this layout in the book Time to Scrap by Kathy Fesmire.

This book is from 2009, and it just shows that you can update older layouts for newer pages. The paperclips and the small photos drew me to the design. Except for the picture in the upper right, I used 2x3 sticky backed photos from my HP sprocket printer--how easy! I'll definitely be looking for more ways to use these small photos to make layouts.

The close-up photo shows the journaling. I used premade Tim Holtz ideology sayings on strips of paper and added Nuvo drops to make the strips match the paper in the layout. "SUMMER" is made with CTMH "Posterboard Alphabet," to which I added Nuvo drops as well. 

Poor little Shae's book is far behind her older brother's, so I'm trying to catch her up. Thanks for looking, and leave a comment if you like it!

Beach Vacation Junk Journal

Memories and more Memories

We rented a van and took Jess and Neal and the grand kids to the Gulf Coast early last fall. We had an old-fashioned family road trip with messes, crying, car games, naps, good food, bad food, hotels, fights, beach days, shopping, walks (runs in the rain), sightseeing, laughs, smiles, and lots and lots of memories. Oh, and a hurricane named Gordon that took away some beach time, but gave us a couple fire alarms and quite an adventure.

I made this junk journal before, during, and after our trip. I just finished it today (the day I wrote this, not the day I posted it). It might get some more doodling added, but it could be done, so I'm classifying it as a "done" project.  Here are a few pictures of the finished book.

Look how thick and chunky this journal is!!! I love a chunky journal. I used the small Dylusions journal and the outside is made with Tim Holtz's Distress Oxide inks, splattered with water.  

I also love, love, love when ribbons an tags, an other "stuff" sticks out from the edges of  the journal. I added lots of ribbons and tags that would go behind the confines of the book. There's a sand castle charm, and the light blue rubber thing is the bracelet from a hotel we were supposed to wear to use the hotel's amenities.

I'm only sharing a few pages, but this is truly a junk journal. I followed no rules and used so many types of papers and embellishments. I even used four different types of photos. (1) regular prints from my digital SLR printed on my home photo printer; (2) phone pics from my Pixel XL printed on my home photo printer; (3) Fuji Instamax photos from my Fuji Instamax Mini automatic camera; and (4) phone pics from my Pixel XL printed on my new HP Sprocket 2nd  Edition. I intend to do a blog post on my Sprocket soon. 

So many fun memories. It was Finn and Shae's first time at the beach, and they loved it!

I can't begin to name all of the products I used. Those palm tree stickers are OLD. I have a painted inked background here with Dylusions, some misc. B&T papers for pockets, and some newer chipboard stickers. 

Junk journals are a great way to use up miscellaneous items in your stash of products and a great way to be creative. There are no rules. We have another big vacation coming up next September, and I'm already looking forward to starting my journal!

Journal with 1960s Vintage Valentines

This ring-bound journal is full of vintage early 1960s Valentines--the kind you would get in your carefully decorated shoe-box-turned-Valentine-box at school. I know these cards are the real deal, because my friend Jane actually received them in the early 1960s, they are addressed to "Jane" on the back, and the sack she gave them to me in was marked "1963."

Here's the front cover. I added lots of ribbons, glitter, Nuvo drops, and tags throughout the book.

This page has a "new ephemera" bottle cap attached to it.

This page has a lot of room for journaling.

A little tag with a heart pull tucks behind the "Dolly" Valentine.

This side pocket has a tag for either journaling or a small photo.

This "tub-e" page is one of my favorites. I think the ribbon on the inserts makes them kind of look like curtains.

This small folding piece tucks behind the tail and hearts in the upper picture.

A tag with another Valentines and a charm embellishment pulls from behind the bear Valentine.

The girl with the flower hat tucks behind the envelope, which has a tag that pulls out of it. The three hearts also pull out from the "heart" card.

1960s sexism shown here. The boy is the snake charmer, and the girl is hanging Valentines on a clothes line. Both have journaling papers slipped behind them.

These pages have four more Valentines and some Tim Holtz photo booth pictures.  In total, I think I used 16 vintage Valentines. My friend Jane must have been a popular gal!

This book is in my Etsy Shop: GoodGollyMsMolly If you're interested, please go take a look at it and the other handmade items I have for sale there.