Page Map Challenge

This month the DT Customer Challenge has a little twist. In addition to using the same papers we used in creating our projects for The Wall this month, we are asking you to use this page map: Now we would not ask you to do something we did not do ourselves, so here is my layout:

You can see that I turned the layout 90 degrees clockwise, but other than that, I was very faithful to the original sketch.

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I am not generally a very fast scrapper, but this page went together very quickly. The little trees were fussy cut from the Cream of Mushroom paper from Jillibean Soup and make the perfect accent pieces. The corrugated alpha (which I raved over in a previous post) has 2 different treatments: inked then heat embossed and acrylic paint.

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You can check out the display featuring all the DT page map layouts in the crop room. We came up with a wide variety of ideas using the same page map and the same selection of papers - you will even find an example showing how to turn it into a 2 page layout! We hope you decide to enter this month's challenge, because we would love to see what you create - and you might just win a Gift Certificate to Scrapbooks Plus!

Boo! SPOOKY! and YUMMY!

When we got our kits, I knew exactly what I was going to do with it...for the first time in nearly a year, I made my card first.

I love for stripes to run up and down on a page...and i love to fussy cut...so it was perfect there was something to fussy cut and there was strips...

I used the core'dinations paper, to make the card itself...and then sanded it a little so that you could see the yellow-orange color as well.

I love this card...Did you make a card for World Card day?

Word Cardmaking Day ....

... was this past Saturday. So in honor of that, here are the cards I made with the Jillibean Soup kit.

The papers are great for "fussy cutting" - cutting out part of a pattern. I used a large flower from the Roasted Pumpkin on my first card. Then, I thought the green circles from the Chopped Parsley would make a great tree, so I added a hand-drawn trunk & branches and a few leftover red dots for apples (what can I say - we've been spending a lot of time at the farmers' market).

Too cute to spook!

I loved the kit that Susie put together this month! I love to use kraft colored paper and use it quite a bit in my everyday scrapbooks. To me it is so versatile and easy to match (most) any paper with.
I really loved the Jillibean Soup corrugated alphabet, but when I put my title down with just the kraft color, it didn't have enough "pop". I decided to ink the letters in black to tie it into the black capes and costumes that are in my photo. I also put some googly eyes in the "o"s of spook. The black ink worked really well and helped the letters pop right off the page!
Stop my Scrapbooks Plus and pick up some the papers that we used this month and show off your work!
Enjoy!
Lisa

The Rule of 3's - It's Not Just For Triangles Anymore!

One of the basic design principles we scrapbookers, among others, use is the rule of 3's. Usually we use this to create a visual triangle of embellishments around our focal point. You can also use the rule of 3's when selecting the color of your items for your layout. Many times I have a layout that looks okay, but is missing something. Usually I notice this when I have just one black or white colored item on the page. It looks lonely and somehow the entire piece is unfinished-looking to me. The solution is simple: always be sure that your colors are in 3 places on your layout. If you have a white photo mat, add some white brads and patterned paper with white in it to make the layout feel cohesive.

In this layout I really wanted to use these yellow Thickers to highlight the yellow dress in the photo. I split the title in half, giving me 2 areas of yellow. Then I added the yellow journaling box (a Marvy punch) to get my third yellow item. I liked the burgundy ribbon, but by itself it stood out too much.... so I added the thin burgundy mat and the burdundy felt flower. Now it looks complete! I did the same with the orange... it's in the patterned paper, the cardstock matting, and the brad center of my flower.

The next time your layout feels off, check and see if you're following the rule of three!

thanks for stopping by!

erin

1 Cute Chick

Start with some Cream of Mushroom, add equal parts Ground Corriander, a dash of Orange Sugar, and a pinch of Chopped Parsley and what do you get? A layout using papers from Jillibean Soup! I really am in love with this stuff! The little birdies on the Cream of Mushroom paper were actually the inspiration for this layout because they led me to the title, which led me to this picture of my daughter from this summer!

To emphasize the "chick" theme, I looked around Scrapbooks Plus and found those cute chicken stickers from Mrs. Grossman's. I could not believe how absolutely perfectly the colors worked! Then I pulled out my Modge Podge and decopauged this little wooden birdie element with a brown on brown patterned paper from Anna Griffin.(By the way - the orange grid paper in the background is the flip side of the Orange Sugar polka dot I used in the layout - sweet!) I gave this guy some fancy tail feathers with a wide, striped ribbon and added a small black button for an eye.

Back to the Cream of Mushroom paper - I pulled the dark brown color from the trees and used it to mat the photo and the different layers of paper. It's a color blocking trick I use when I am working with papers with strong graphic design.

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I think every layout needs journaling, but I often hide that journaling. Do you see a pull ribbon just to the right of my daughter's smiling face? It is attached to a "Journaling Sprout" from Jillibean Soup. They come in die cut packs of 24 in a variety of sizes and designs.

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For the title - One of my favorite products from Jillibean Soup is the corrugated alphabet!! You will see in my other layouts this month that I played around with some different techniques on this embellishment. For this particular layout, I just swiped the letters with an orange ink pad and sat back and enjoyed the results! I like mixing up different fonts and textures, so I added vinyl thickers from American Crafts for "chick". I used my Base Camp Cricut cartridge to cut the rather large numeral "1" from coordinating blue cardstock and ran it through a paper crimper to match the corrugated alpha. Voila!

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"So where is that "pinch" of Chopped Parsley?" I hear you wondering. Good question! You have to look carefully. At the top of the layout on the Cream of Mushroom paper there was a red swirly tree that really didn't work with the other colors in the rest of the layout. No worries - I just pulled out a circular punch and cut a new tree!

Yesterday I promised you a picture of the "free with purchase" bonus. Take a good look at the wooden birdie element from the layout, because that is the freebie! Yep! If you buy any (3) items from the Design Team kit this month, you can pick up one of those cuties at the register - but only one per customer because we like to spread the love!

Soup's On!

The Design Team has been busy this month with Chopped Parsley, Roasted Pumpkin and Minestrone. No, we have not moved our creative pursuits into the kitchen! These are the names of a few of the "ingredients" in this month's kit: The manufacturer is Jillibean Soup, a company featuring designs on kraft paper as well as brightly colored prints, some of which are double-sided (like the Olive Sugar). There are also a bunch of coordinating elements available with this line - ribbons, felt flowers, and *yummy* journaling spots. Just wait until you see the corrugated kraft paper alphabet!

I also "mixed in" some papers from Anna Griffin and the "Boo To You" line from My Mind's Eye, because how can you scrap for October and not include Halloween?

We are really looking forward to seeing what your pages look like! For the DT Challenge this month we are providing you with a page map to use for your layout. We are also offering another incentive - a "free with purchase" bonus! I will post a picture of it tomorrow, so make sure you check back. Once you see how the DT used it on their projects you will definitely be inspired.

.So come on into the store, check out The Wall, choose your papers, pick up a page map and get "cooking" - there is another Gift Certificate up for grabs!!!
(and yes, I will probably continue to "pepper" my blogs for the rest of the month with references to cooking - oops! I did it again!)