Fetch a Sketch - 01.29.10

Quick post tonight...
Here's this weeks sketch. I made it in Photoshop instead of Illustrator this time and it was surprisingly easy. I was able to get a little more details into the sketch. I'ts all about the details! :oP

And here's my layout. I'm not really sure I like how the title came out, but it was so much fun to play with so many flowers some of which I made yesterday! Didn't I tell you the picture was perfect or this?And some details shots for you!


Stay sweet,
Mari

Fetch a Sketch - 01.29.10

Indulge and Divulge Thursday - 01.28.10

Yummy Flowers...

We all have so many flowers and I know most of us wouldn't have it any other way. They make the perfect last touch to some if not most of our layouts and they are super fun to play with (and look at... but that's another story.)

Today I sat wit my bucket of flowers and started brainstorming. What fun stuff can we do with these fabric flowers? Wait no more, here's a list of fun things to try :o)

• Paint 'em
• Flock 'em
• Glitter 'em
• Ink 'em
• Spritz 'em
• Alcohol ink 'em
• Stamp 'em
• Chop 'em
• Stickle 'em
• Mix 'em
• Layer 'em
• Crackle paint 'em
• Fold 'em

...and that's just to name a few, got something to add? leave a comment below, I'd love to try something new :o)

Here are some pictures of what I played with and some of the results. Tomorrow I'll post a layout made with fun flowers - I found the perfect picture for it from our trip to Savannah!!

As promised here's the layout I made using the snowflakes from this Tuesday Tutsie. One day I'll see real snowflakes, but for now these will do :o)

TGI*almost*F
Stay sweet,
Mari

Indulge and Divulge Thursday - 01.28.10

Tuesday Tutsie - 01.26.10

Make your own embellishments - Snowflakes

We tried two different ways to make snowflakes today. Made some from scratch using the pattern below and some using my trusty Slice. I'm sure some of you have made snowflakes before. I, on the other hand, can't say I've had the pleasure; since we don't have snow here and all... so I was super excited to make these! They were fast and fun. (according to Dean the Slice ones weren't fast or fun :oP )

I got these instructions for making paper snowflakes from here.

While I made the big snowflakes (on the right) Dean cut some little ones with the slice. The ones pictured above are just the ones made from the pattern. I tried to be creative and do different cuts to get different snowflakes... but I'm sure you all knew that since I'm probably the only one that's never made snowflakes before :o( Yes, I'm a little bitter... I'm not one for the heat.

Once cut, I outlined the snowflakes with a Snow Marker and used my heat tool to puff it up. Then I used a small paintbrush and went all over them with white Perfect Pearls. Fun stuff, try it!

Here are some of the snowflakes at their final stage :o) On the left are the ones cut using the Slice, and on the right are the ones hand cut. I then layered the hand cut ones to form a 3-D looking snowflake which will be the focal point of my layout. Can't wait!

I'm still working on that layout. So for now I'll leave you with these two totally unrelated layouts I made today at the store for display. If you like what you see and would like to make one of your own, come by ScrappyB to get your BoBunny supplies and stay a while... We'd love to have you over :o)
It's 9:35 and I'm just publishing my post. I guess I should blame it on an excellent episode of Chuck and the 30min power nap we took after it... Shame on me.

Stay sweet,
Mari

Tuesday Tutsie - 01.26.10

Can do Monday - 01.25.10

The Challenge - Scrap without a picture!
The story behind the challenge - I could have sworn I snapped a few shots in the Subway, of our luggage and of ourselves. I even remember posing inside the fake Subway prop that they have right when you get to the airport... Now where are these pictures, I have no clue. This story had to be scrapped with or without pictures, it was something I didn't want to forget. Plus, no way I was going to pass up using these cute American Craft travel papers! they were too perfect for this...
The new ongoing challenge - figure out how to take better layout pictures. These just don't do them justice. As hard as I tried to fix the color, its still off... The background is white not yellow! If you have any tips on how to take better layout pictures please let me know. I need help! and yours would be greatly appreciated :0)

*See* ya tomorrow!
Stay sweet,
Mari

Can do Monday - 01.25.10

Bohemian

Just wanted to share a layout of some of our shots from Savannah... Believe it or not that shot of us was taken in the hotel elevator's mirror... thought that natural, photoshop free, fiery effect was so neat!

Hope you like...
Stay sweet,
Mari

Bohemian

Love these girls...

Just a quick layout for you today. I'm really loving this white background deal, can't you tell? I used Basic Greys' Sultry and two different sets of Thickers. I thought these pictures from Epcot would look awesome with this line. I love the way it brings out the color in them - once again, Basic Grey doesn't disappoint.

We have so much fun together, and this day wasn't any different than all the other wonderful ones I've spent with Wy and Eileen. I love these girls, they are so sweet, lovable, thoughtful - they are just great; I'm really lucky to have them in my life. Although I must say, there's one thing I remember most about our trip to the Flower Festival... can I say HOT?! Eileen and I were DYING. We're such babies. hehe To our defense though, we were carrying those heavy cameras with those huge lenses. That must have to count for something, right?

I'll leave you tonight with a quote... Come back tomorrow for a new layout!

"The better part of one's life consists of his friendships."

- Abraham Lincoln

Love these girls...

Fetch-a-Sketch Friday - 01.22.2010

Hi there! Welcome back to Fetch a Sketch... I had so much fun making this layout! I might have to say its one of my favorites at the moment. I've had this paper line from Crate Paper for a little while now and I was itching to do something with it. So I looked and looked through thousands of pictures that still need to be scrapped until I found the perfect photos for this layout. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't we supposed to match photo to paper and not try your hardest to match your paper with some photos? lol

Enough babbling, here's the sketch:

And here's my interpretation of it:

The pictures are from when Dean and I went to Bok Tower Gardens. It truly is a beautiful place. If you haven't been and you live around the central Florida area its a must see. Check out the details here.
Making all these layouts just makes me want to go back to all these places.. hmm.. :oP
It was an unforgettable day, I *heart* him.

Stay sweet,
Mari

Fetch-a-Sketch Friday - 01.22.2010

Indulge and Divulge Thursday - 01.21.10

Making Memories Slice

(I have the green one, but this one is much cuter :oP )

My story with the Slice is one of love and hate. Dean got it for me as my Christmas present in 2008, I believe it was one of the first models so I expected it to have its quirks but I didn't expect it to take me a year to have it all figured out and working properly. Nevertheless I was super stoked about my new Slice; it was my second attempt at an electronic cutter (the Cricut and I decided to split a couple years back due to inactivity).

What a better way to explore and *fix* my slice than during an Indulge and Divulge? So for the third and final time Dean and I set to calibrate it with the memory card MM sent us after reporting the problem. Well apparently we were the problem, or I should say *I* Once calibrated (for the third time) it was like magic. I know, I feel like I've wasted a year of Slice fun because I wasn't patient enough to follow the instructions properly *sigh* Oh well, no point on dwelling in the past - Slice fun here I come!

First things first. Now that we have it working lets test it and see what it can cut effectively.

The Slice works really smooth when cutting:

• Cardstock
• Thin single sided pattern paper
• Sturdy double sided pattern paper
• Textured paper
• Acetate
• Vellum
• Embossed paper
• Vinyl
• Photos
  

I had little difficulties while cutting:

• Metallic cardstock
  
• Thicker double sided paper with little texture

I was not able to cut:

• Fabric
• Felt

Overall I can't complain. I'm really pleased with all it can do (might be because I wasn't able to do much for a whole year lol) but still.. check out all the different weights and textures I cut while indulging:

I can't wait to try the embossing tip. I've never been one to emboss, but there's a first time for everything! Also, MM is coming out with drawing tips for the Slice so instead of cutting, it draws the shape you've selected. I wonder if this new release has anything to do with the new Craftwell electronic cutter which does both, cut and draw. Either way, seems to be a great addition to the Slice family :o)

I was able to use the slice for one of my layouts - for the first time EVER! woot!!

Some of you might have seen this layout displayed at ScrappyB a little over a month ago. It was one of those I *had* to make right away or I was going to get a heart attack :oP I just finished it today with some pictures and the beautiful journaling card I cut using the Slice (One of the shapes in the Noteworthy cartridge)

Come back tomorrow! I can hardly wait to show you a new layout I just finished today...
Stay sweet,
Mari

Indulge and Divulge Thursday - 01.21.10

My boys

This is another layout that I just finished today. Once again all it needed were pictures. I'm such a slacker :oP You know what I find funny though? The fact that an actual layout can change meanings in such little time. I made this one back in August, before we had Indy. Originally "My boys" meant Dean and Blue, as you can see Dean didn't make the cut at the end. Sorry babe. I'll make it up to you, promise.

Hope you're having a great day!
Stay sweet,
Mari

My boys

Tuesday Tutsie - 01.19.10

I'm so excited to share this with you today! I saw this technique in the February issue of Scrapbooks etc. and thought it was a great way to accentuate the subject and separate it from a busy background. I just thought it was so cool and fun I just had to share! If you have this issue check out on pg. 96 titled "Print twice, cut once"

First things first. When picking out the picture you want to use for this, you have to keep in mind a few things; A close up shot will not work, and do not use a picture in which you're showcasing the background image. Find a photo with a somewhat busy, unimportant background.
Print two copies of the picture you've selected. One in color and one in black and white.

Its up to you whether you use scissors, a craft knife, or both. It all depends on the picture and how much detail you want to keep or take out. In my case I was able to do all of the cutting with my trusty Tim Holtz scissors from Tonic Studios. :o)




Once you're done cutting your color copy, you should have something like this. We're almost there, bare with me...






Adhere some pop dots to the back of the cut-out color copy











And place it on top of the black and white copy aligning it to the image, so the cut-out matches the picture thats under.






Here's an angle shot so you can see the effect a little better.


That wasn't too hard, right? This is such a great way to add a little dimension to your pages and a perfect way to give more definition to your photo.


And here's the finished layout... I used Sassafras's Amplify line, and applied this technique on all three pictures.

I just saw this morning in scrapreview.com that Imaginisce is releasing a scooter line next week! and its super cute!!!! oh, get this; scooters AND dogs... Check it out here, isn't it adorable? Now I've been hanging on to these pictures for over a year now, not really knowing what to do with them until Amplify came along. Don't get me wrong, I think the colors work great, I'm not complaining, but a scooter line? and come to find it just the next day I made this, that's just wrong. I guess we're just going to *have* to rent another scooter soon babe! :oP Gotta love scrapbooking, it gives me excuses to do all sorts of fun stuff... hehe

Stay sweet,
Mari

Tuesday Tutsie - 01.19.10

Can Do Monday - 01.18.10

The challenge - Make a layout with white background.
The story behind the challenge - I've always loved the *look* of layouts with white bg. It gives the page such a clean feel and it lets the picture(s) be the real focus of the entire layout. For some reason though, I've just never been brave enough to try this. I'm what you would call a busy scrapper; the more crowded a page, the better. Lately I've been trying to break out of that habit. Although I love the look of a busy page I also love the simplicity and cleanliness of a layout with good use of white space. There's no reason I can't do both, right?

I had a few pieces left of Sugar Rush from Friday's layout and thought it would be perfect for this challenge - have I mentioned I love Basic Grey? hehe

I'd love to hear from you! Are you a busy scrapper like me, or are you more of a simple/clean scrapper? Is there a different way you'd describe your style? What is it? I'd like to know!

What can I say? I'm so in love with this layout - challenge met.
Off to get more white cardstock :oP .... and to look for a synonym for "love"

Stay sweet,
Mari

Can Do Monday - 01.18.10

An Oldie...and the park

Can you believe I just finished this page today?! I'm not sure I want to tell you when I actually made it. All it needed was a picture... It was one of those layouts I made just because I loved the paper and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them; whether I had a picture for it or not. I know, sick. My mind works in mysterious ways, what can I say? I have about, oh I don't know, 15-20 layouts with no pictures. Maybe I'll set my mind to finish them all for a Can Do Monday and then we'll have a Layout-Palooza!!

.............OK I *have* to tell you. I just can't keep it to myself. This layout was made in February 2008. YUP almost two years ago. If this is not a wake up call then I don't know what is. Let the picture search begin!

Took the puppies to the dog park today so *they* could meet Bubba, my friend Stacy's new puppy. He's a mastiff, and just about the most adorable thing you've ever seen (besides my own, of course hehe)

Indy and Blue on our way to the park - they love each other most of the time...

Meet Bubba!! Not a good picture I know, but that's the only picture I have of him, besides the one of him sniffing Indy's butt and I just didn't think that one was appropriate :oP

and here are Blue and Indy discussing what to do next...

Hope you all had a great weekend! *See* ya tomorrow for the second Can Do Monday!

Stay sweet,
Mari

An Oldie...and the park