Scrappy Girl Around the World

My latest featured layout is a traveler's notebook spread (2 pages) that features photos from a local farmers market.  This TN insert is all about a history and photo walk I took with a friend last summer; some of the gorgeous photos are featured here.  I couldn't take my eyes off of the amazing colors around the market, so I *may* have gone a little crazy when it comes to how many photos I took there.  I wanted to make sure that the background brought out the bright colors, so I chose to use a few pieces of lively yellow paper to go behind the photos.  I also followed the format I've been using by including a cork number to indicate the stop # on the tour we did.   Because I so loved this market, I included a shiny heart sticker from a kit I had that was made by Kelly Purkey .  As I had a large blank space at the top of the right-hand page, I needed to fill it with something.  I chose a phrase label that I had in my stash, and placed two puffy ...

I'm back on the blog today to give you a look at my latest NYC layout.  My whole NYC album uses 6"x8" pocket pages (plus some smaller inserts), and this particular layout is a one-pager.  It features two photos from the taking the subway, specifically the uptown E train.  I used a cool card I received in an older kit from Studio Calico (the one with the colorful numbers).  I thought it worked well with how the numbers and letters of train are listed on the overhead boards on the subway platforms. For the upper left pocket, I used a basic journaling card I had with a grid pattern.  I chose it because it was red at the top and had a space for the date.  I also chose to add a phrase/word label I had that had the word "train" on it; it seemed like a perfect fit.  The only other embellishments I added were a small enamel dot and a circular die-cut with the word "Adventure" on it in a fun font. If you'd like to see how it all came together, you c...

My most recent layout is one that I made in a traveler's notebook insert.  I took a history and photo walk last summer, and I've been slowly working my way through those photos.  I'm still having a fab time scrapping my NYC photos, but I wanted to take a little break and challenge myself to work in a different size for a bit.  This layout features a photo from Mickey's Diner, which is a famous spot in downtown St. Paul.  If you've seen "The Mighty Ducks" movies or "Jingle All the Way", you've seen it before.  I only got one good shot, as the second one was blurry, so I wanted to make sure that I did that one good photo justice.  Since this is only a one-page layout, I really wanted the photo to stand out from the background. I used a patterned paper background that was fairly subtle, I added some washi to bring in the red elements, I continued the use of a cork number to designate the spot on the tour, and I chose to make my own journ...

I've only been back from my trip to New York for a little over two weeks, but I am so inspired by my photos that I wanted to start designing my album.  When it comes to planning out how my album will come together, I tend to be very Type A.  I like knowing that that the pages are going to match up in a way that I'm happy with, and I also like knowing how many page protectors it's going to take to finish the job.  With that in mind, here is how I spent some of my time today. Since I'm doing a 6"x8" pocket page album, I do have to put a lot of thought into what will be on each side of the layout because it has to work for what will be on the other side.  This is often the biggest challenge with using pocket pages.  However, I like the challenge it gives me; I find it a more enjoyable process than just doing a standard 12"x12", at least for right now.  I also find pocket pages to be a much faster way of scrapbooking in general, so it means that...

While the 100 Days Project has ended, I'm still catching up on posting about it.  Today I'm covering days 91 - 95. 91)  This was a busy day, so I didn't have much time to spare for crafty stuff.  I decided to download and edit photos I took recently at an orchestra performance. 92)  My Citrus Twist order arrived today.  I bought the Jameson kit (from January 2017) again, plus an extra stamp set.  When I had a monthly subscription with them, I received the Jameson kit, but I used almost all of it, so I decided to order it again.  So love it!  I even did an unboxing/review of it to encourage people to pick it up when it was on sale ($18, originally $36). 93)  For this day, I posted another process video using my photos from Edinburgh.  This one was still 6"x8" pocket pages, but it features photos that had a red and gold focus.  I really had to think about what I could use that would match with them, also because I had a rece...

Here's another update as I near the end of the 100 Days Project.  I am still so pleased that I decided to take on this challenge, as it has helped me to accomplish a lot of crafty stuff, and it has made me feel more creative in general. 85)  I am sooooooo behind on watching the videos I subscribe to on YouTube.  I decided to spend some time watching videos from Inkie Quill because those tend to be my favorites. 86)  I posted a process video featuring more 6"x8" pocket pages with MORE photos from Edinburgh.  Yes, still working on those photos. These photos were the last from the Scott Memorial and them moving away from Princes Street Gardens. 87)  It was a friend's birthday on this day; she's a crafty girl, too, so we decided to make a trip to a huge craft store that's about an hour away from where we live.  We took our time shopping in the store, and then we had lunch downtown in that city before we headed back home. 88)  I've been purc...

Still going!  I feel like I'm on the home stretch now, as it's actually Day 86 today.  Since I run behind here due to needing some time before posting, I'm starting with Day 73. 73)  I made some collage prints and had them printed at CVS, as I needed them in a hurry.  I put several 3x4 photos onto 4x6 prints.  Worked like a charm! 74)  I spent time prepping layouts for a scrap day I was having over the weekend. 75)  This was scrap day!  I spent quite a bit of time chatting while I was scrapping.  However, I did still manage to get a good amount done.  76)  I watched more Inkie Quill videos because I have soooooo many to catch up on still. 77)  I was running a bit behind with posting a video on my channel.  I did get around to it on this day!  I did a layout in my traveler's notebook insert; it features some food photos. 78)  I had something super awesome happen on this day!  Another scrapp...

A few days ago, a fellow scrapper and YouTuber, Elle Wood, contacted me about doing a collaboration.  Her idea was that we would both use the same inspiration layout/photo/sketch to make our own traveler's notebook insert layouts.  I jumped at the chance, since I am still fairly new to the whole YouTube thing, and I've admired her work.  So, you can see my take on the inspiration layout below in my video.  The link to Elle Wood's video is shown in the description of my video.  I hope you enjoy seeing the process for both of our layouts!

Here's another update on my 100 Days Project progress.  We're a bit over halfway now! 49)  Once again, I found myself short on time.  So, what was something I could do fairly quickly?  Sort another photo order from Snapfish, of course!  However, it didn't go as fast as I thought it would, given that I had a bunch of 4x6 collages (2 3x4 photos on each) that required cutting. 50)  I realized on this day that my pile of embellishments on my desk were getting quite out of control.  I had puffy stickers, wood veneer pieces, flair badges, etc., and I had to organize them before I could even think about touching a layout. 51)  I posted a process video of a layout of Scotland photos.  This one features a 6x8 pocket page, with an insert, and photos from the architecture all around Edinburgh.  I'm very happy with how the layout turned out in the end. 52)  I worked on a birthday gift for my sister-in-law featuring some Harry Po...

I'm back today with another update on my progress with the 100 Days Project.  I have to say, I don't know that I've ever been as prolific as this, in terms of creative output.  I'm also loving the inclusion of something creative/crafty into every day, even if it is only for 10 minutes; it makes me feel happier as I go about my day. 32)  I did a blog post here about some of the research I've done for visiting Amsterdam.  I can't believe how quickly that trip is approaching! 33)  I have been slowly working my way through my photos from Edinburgh and Glasgow.  I had printed some of them already in 4x6, originally thinking that I would be doing traditional 12x12 page layouts.  However, since I decided to switch my plan and go with 6x8 pocket pages, I had to rethink my photos.  On this day, I made it all the way through my Glasgow photos, making many of them 3x4 in order to fit two into a 4x6 photo collage (via the Project Life app ). 34)  ...

13)  I worked on a layout from a trip to Universal in Florida last year.  I had really looked forward to working on the photos of our hotel, as it had a very retro style.  I found several papers and embellishments that had a similar style, so busting those out was very fun! 14)  I came home from a weekend away to find a new set-up on my craft desk.  It includes an adjustable lamp arm and a special clamp that holds my iPad for recording videos straight down at my desk.  I tried it out pretty much right away; I'm pleased to say that I think it'll work well for me. 15)  I posted a video on my YouTube channel.  It was a flip-thru of my Seattle trip album from earlier this year.  I did that album as a 6x8 pocket page album; I didn't want to do a full 12x12 album since I had been to Seattle before and did/saw a lot of the same things.  In any case, the video equipment worked just the way I wanted it to, so I was pleased! 16)  I di...

I've recently been working on some layouts from a trip I took to Des Moines, Iowa in the summer of  2016.  I went with a friend for a long weekend, just to get away for a bit and explore a different city.  We packed a lot in during our time, so it will take quite a few layouts to get through all of the photos.  I had done a few pages here and there, but I figured that making some process videos would, in a way, force me to work on them more.  With that said, here is my very first process video on my YouTube channel!

I've been working on more layouts for the 2016 Ireland album (my husband's trip).  I wanted to show a visual record for this one, as I changed my mind off and on about certain elements during the process of putting it all together.  The photo below shows what I started with for this page.  It was pretty much just the background cardstock, a branding strip I had from a piece of patterned paper, and a map my husband saved that specifically showed the Ring of Kerry. As you can see in the next photo, I switched the map to the left side.  I'm not sure why, but the curve at the bottom just didn't look right on the other side.  Once I had it placed along the left side, I wanted to add some washi to both sides, to bring in some other colors.  I thought some contrast was needed, given the intense green in the map.  I also added the compass bit at the top, which came from the same map.  I put some red rhinestones in a visual triangle, to bring out the...