Back In the Saddle

Hey my Scrappy Friends!! If you were wondering where I have been lately, I've been on Vacation! Well my mom had come to visit us on the Island and so I played tour guide. Visiting and seeing the sights, smells and sounds of Hawaii!
I love starting a vacation, it's always so nice to take a break from the normal grind of daily life and do fun things. But I have to admit after a while I am itching to get back to my desk and steal some time to scrap. By the time you sit down at your desk though, you are just to tired for the daily activities to put together a decent page. 
Getting back into the groove has been hard for me. So what do you do when you feel like your loosing your mojo? I watched tons of Process Videos, and eventually I kicked myself in the butt and got back to my desk, because you know I really am happier when I can sit back, flip through whole pieces of 12x12 papers and figure out how I'm going to give it it's voice among 3 or 4 other papers. Thankfully another scrapping and I do challenges together almost just for this purpose, to push each other and to keep us motivated to keep our love for our craft alive. 
If you are new to this blog, or my YouTube challenge, I'll refresh your memory. In January my friend Alicia Tilman, (Alicia JinHee on Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiI0sh1z7NRCej6h9bsja-A)  started doing Youtube challenges with each other. The series is called Scrappy Play Date with Alicia and Hannah. We use various forms of inspiration and create a layout, art journal or something crafty. Usually it's a layout but sometimes we just need to do something different to change it up. We have used mood boards, sketches, pictures or quotes from Pinterest. I love how we both interpret the pieces differently and make them fit our style and come up with something fun! 
This last week we decided to use multiple photos on our layouts. Both of us are known to just use one maybe two photos on a 12x12 layout. And while there is nothing wrong with that sometimes it's nice to change it up, or something it just makes more sense to have multiple photos from an outing or event we are documenting. 
Doing multiple photos isn't an easy thing, there is a lot to think about. Like how mach empty space do you want, how big do you want the photos, is layering possible or do you need to rethink what layering should mean on the layout, I could go on but I think you catch my drift. For me I am used to having lots of empty space to play, so I figured I should go with a patterned paper with some pattern on it. I figured I would have to rethink how I would the way I would have to layer. I picked my photos, which were from a beach day we had from when My Mom was here, and I had quite a few I thought should make the cut. I had 6 in total, so I printed them out in 3x4 sizes some vertical and some horizontal interest, if I really needed to add extra!! 
I decided that this would be a good chance to use my brand new Clique Kit since it had lots of full papers, all the embellishments matched and it would give me more space to focus on placement of the actual layout and less thought into what works together. Thats the nice part of using a kit anyway. But I also loved the papers from this kit, they used PinkFresh Studios Up in The Clouds Collection for their kit, and this is liken of my all time favorite kits!! No lie! It is just so spring like and fun, with tons of gold!!
I decided to place the horizontal photos on the bottom half and stagger the vertical photos on the top half. I felt like this gave me enough empty space to see the fun background paper and to embellish later. 
 I loved the Fun 3x4 watercolor card in the kit, so I cut it down and used it to help separate the top from the bottom. 
I then decided to use one of their papers, Patterned Circles, as the inspiration for top half since I wasn't comfortable using lots of layers behind the photos like I usually do on layouts. I used my circle punch and cut out some of the fun patterns from the circles and I also added some stamps from past PinkFresh Studios embellishment kits that I had. They were the perfect size for these small circle. I lined the circles in rows on the top half. I liked the way bits and pieces from the circles and patterns stick out but because they are small it's not too much. 
In one of my PinkFresh Studios Embellishments we received gold chipboard pieces. They matched perfect with all the gold in the 3x4 card and embellishment pack from the collection so I wanted to use these. The only thing I wanted to tone down the gold a little, and I also am digging all the paint dipped chipboard pieces American
Crafts is putting out lately. I figured I could do this same thing with these chipboard pieces. I picked out multiple different spring colors from my acrylic paint and painted most of my chipboard pieces in half. I love the way they turned out too!
In the April Clique Kit there was also some Websters Pages Vellum that worked perfect along with some blue heart Vellum from Pretty Little Studios in my stash. I layered these behind the bottom photos. Since there is only two photos on the bottom, it helped add a little something more down on the bottom of the page.  I added a flair from the Clique Kit that matched the paper, which added a nice touch. I used some acetate pieces, puffy stickers, hearts and the chipboard pieces I altered in groups around the photos. I pretty much made sure each photo had a little grouping of embellishing near it, bringing your eye to that photo. 
Finally I finished my title. In the embellishment pack, there was a big ampersand with gold on it, and I know I wanted to use this next to the fun card I cut up to fit better. I used the alpha stickers to spell out sand and the title read Fun & Sand. Perfect. I finished up with enamel dots, from freckled fawn and Dear Lizzy. I also used a black pen to write the date and outline around the outside of the layout to keep your eye focused in the layout and not all the colors flowing off the paper. I
I really love how it turned out. I was surprised at how it really did just come right together. I was sure when I started I would have to toss a couple of photos aside form another layout. But persistence  paid off and I ended up with a great layout and fun photos documenting my kids enjoying the beach!! 
You can find some of the products I used from the websites for  Clique Kits Store, http://www.cliquekits.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html and from the website for the embellishment kits of PinkFresh Studios, http://www.pinkfreshstudio.com.  Also here is the link for for YouTube Process Video for this layout, https://youtu.be/5tLxPcvh_-8?list=PLStgm2kXSUE4TIr7G6dPDMS0ecMrl07LZ
Hope you have an Inspired Week!! 
Aloha, 
Hannah
 

Fun With Sketches

When I started scrapping a little over a year ago now I used sketches exclusively. The thought of not using a sketch scared me to death! I mean this 12x12 paper was completely blank and where to start was a mystery. Maybe you've been in that place before, maybe you are there now. But I always find using a sketch now like coming home. It's like being all grown up and visiting, the home I grew up in  with big girl eyes and remembering all the things I loved about being there. And then I use the sketch and put it away and glad I can go to my big girl home called full reign creativity. I love using sketches now still but find I change them so much most of the time. I love being able to do whatever I want on a page, but because of sketches I understand why things look good where they do. 

Paper Issues had a crop this past weekend, and when I seen they had a sketch challenge I knew for sure that was one challenge I needed to do. It is a simple sketch but leaves a lot open for the crafter to add and make it their own. I usually change up sketch just so I can make it me, but this time I really wanted to stick with the sketch. I did however use a patterned paper on the background. Since I started using a lot of media on my pages I have found myself using more and more white and kraft colors as backgrounds. I find that really helps open the layout up and keeps it from looking to busy, since I still have to add lots of layers! I mean I still want to use all those yummy patterns. 

I dug in my older papers and found a old Crate Paper collection and used that to start. But to keep it current I used newer lines for my layering papers. The sketch calls for 4 3x4 papers along the top third of the paper. I choose to cut my papers in different sizes, some 3x4 and some thinner but longer. I even used some gold star vellum from Studio Calico under a 3x4 journaling card from Clique kits. 

Since the background was a teal color  choose pink to compliment it. Also I was scrapping a photo of my middle daughter and she loves her some pink. I thought pink would play on her playfulness and cute smile. Also I kept the patterns simple on the layering paper, like pink watercolored paper on Pink Fresh Studios  paper, or simple patterns on white paper like on We Are Memory Keepers Love Notes paper. 

For embellishments I added gold since I had gold on the vellum and made sure I used lots of pink too. On the journaling card since there was some bright teal, I used one teal sequin in the clusters to mirror that as well. I find that mirroring colors in my papers with embellishments helps make my layouts look like they belong together. The colors don't have to match perfect but or patterns don't have to be the same but if the are similar they look like they should go together. 

I added a craft paper from the Amy Tangerine Stitched collection and drew in stitch lines, since I don't own a sewing machine to make it look more homemade. For the title I used October Afternoon letter stickers in white. Nice and simple and then one word had pink sparkle foam letter thickers from a older Dear Lizzy line. Just the right touch of spunk. 

I ended everything with some splatters of black color shine, pink shimmer homemade mist and then some thinned out white paint. 

By keeping this layout simple, for me at least, it is so much easier to focus on my daughter and her story, which is written in hot pink on the journaling card. 

I really had fun using this sketch. But like always after using a sketch I am happy to go back to creating something equally great without a sketch. I hope this week you guys try to use a technique that reminds you of when you first started scrapping. That you love but don't try enough. 

I have been super busy this weekend having a ton of fun. I attended my first online crop!! It was so fun chatting and crafting with lots of ladies I see hanging around the crafty group. Paper Issues the online store hosted on online crop and had tons of challenges in which you can enter projects and have a chance to win goodies. Who doesn't love a good challenge. I wish I could have been more productive of course, but the kiddos needed food, and laundry needed folding too. But this weekend I worked on four layouts! It's a nice feeling getting a recent amount of scrapping done in a short amount of time. The crop is still accepting work for their challenges until March 29th too, which is awesome, because the challenges I didn't get to this weekend I now can finish up this week. Feel free t head over to their blog,http://www.paperissues.blogspot.com and see how to attend the crop, late of course and check out the challenges.
I thought I'd share a few of my layouts I worked on this weekend. The first challenge I started on the UmWow Challenge which required the use of a stencil. How I do love me a good stencil too. I thought this was a great layout challenge to start with. I decided to start off with plain white cardstock. Lately I have been in a spring mood, wanting flowers to bloom and the colors we think of with spring are calling to me to use on my layouts!! I grabbed some paint, because lets be honest, I really don't feel a layout is complete unless i add some kind of paint to it. Using blue and teal i just painted some spots of the layout. Leaving lots of white still open too. while drying I picked a photo. Sometimes I start off with a photo, sometimes I almost finish the layout before even picking the photo. It really depends on my mood. I had a photo from the other day of a bubble on some grass, it seemed perfect for the blues and teal colors, and called out spring to me.

I wanted to keep the layout simple and not to heavy, so I looked through my little stack of stencils and picked out two, a swirl one by The Crafters Workshop and a big 12x12 stencil from The Crafters Workshop that had chicken wire and other type of prints. I used thinned out pink paint with some homemade pink glimmer spray to tone down the color  and stenciled away in spots over the paint and on some white cardstock. I thought the page needed some more white so I grabbed white paint and stenciled watered down white paint with the chicken wire stencil. Keeping it light I only used it in three places mainly over the areas of paint.
I almost always need to use layers of paper on my layouts, it just doesn't feel right without layers. I picked a few papers that matched the colors I had on the layout and were spring like. I choose Pinkfresh Studios paper, Crate Paper from Notes and Things, and a 3x4 card I had painted with similar colored paint dots a while ago. I outlined the papers to help them feel uniform and together even though they weren't from the same collection.

 With the layers done, I felt it was time to embellish. I really wanted to keep it simple and fun. This is a layout about my kids having fun blowing bubbles. I made two clusters, one at the bottom left hand side of the layered photo and up on the top left hand side of the layout. Since my paint was kinda in a diagonal starting at that left corner it just seemed the perfect spot for a cluster. I used bits from Amy Tan's Stitched collection as well as bits from the embellishment pack from Up in the Clouds by Pink Fresh Studios. The colors were perfect and just really yelled fun! I also cut a triangle out of that Crate Paper paper I used in the layers to tie the top cluster together and finished that cluster with some enamel dots and a gold heart from the Dear Lizzy Serendipity collection.

The bottom cluster I looked for embellishments that matched the top like circles and similar colors, The Dear Lizzy Serendipity collection had tons of round donuts, since I don't eat much donuts and haven't planned on scrapping a donut layout, using these circles here were perfect. By hiding most of the donut it just looked more like a circle instead of a donut. There was also a round embellishment in the Stitch collected with gold on it, The craft color matched the triangle at the top and the gold tied in with all the gold from the Pink Fresh Studios embellishments. Adding some fun word stickers from Dear Lizzy and Simple stories just finished the cluster up nicely and added a fun touch.


I wanted to add a touch more of pink to the layout, and didn't have many pink enamel dots so I picked out my pink paint again and thine it down with gesso so it would drop nicely from a paint brush and added pink splats over the layout. I also wanted one more element that brought out the bubble in my and the rhinestones from PinkFresh Studios were perfect.


I love how this layout turned out, so fun and bright but balanced because of the white background. I definitely need to break out my stencils more and add them to my layouts as a nice little layer under my photos!



Throughout this week I plan on sharing with you some of the other layouts and cards I made for this crop. I had so much fun getting to know everyone and seeing all their work!! I hope you take a minute to check out what everyone is working on in the crop and maybe you will join us and link up something you made for the crop as well!!

Watercolored background

Where do you get inspired the most? Do you find yours on your news feed in the morning while sipping coffee? Or by browsing through other crafters pin boards late at night while your hubby is snoring in bed next to you? Do you find it while watching Youtube in your saturday comfy Pajamas and warm slippers? We all as crafters, scrapbookers need to stay inspired. I don't know about you but when I feel uninspired I can sit at my desk and do nothing for hours, wasting time sorting photos, watching netflix and all that stuff that easily deverts my easily wandering mind. I am always in search for something new to inspire me in a new way. Whether its a new bloom on my plumeria bush, the agua and turquiose colors pounding on almost white sand at the North Shore, or the look of my daughters face when she smiles with that new open toothed grin to show off her newly lost tooth. 

I have found challenges to be a fun way to change the way I think about scrapbooking and find elements that spark inspiration. Last weekend on Victoria Marie's FaceBook group she posting a moodboard challenge. I admit, I am afraid of moodboards. thrying to show the feeling of two or three seperate photos and then have to match them with specific colors, is a lot of work. But I thought to myself, If I want to grow I need to try something new right. Just take a chance. Thats how we grow as Scrapbookers trying new things until either we know it is not our style or we excel at it. 

I looked at these beautiful colors of pastel green, blue, cream, aqua and a dark brown that almost looked red. Thenn the photos of a high grassy field and an antique dresser with peeled paint, and inspiration started coming. Lately I have been trying to contruct one sheet of paper to use on my page that is all me. I use whatever product or photo, and try to let that influence what design or colors I will use. I knew that on this page I wanted to do this same thing. I wanted to create a floral background. I knew this could turn out horrible or amazing. I spent a day or two just doodling whispy flowers, in my free time. When I decided what I wanted them to look like I sat down at my desk with a pencil and white cardstock. I knew I really wanted that charcol pencil look to peak through any watercolors I would use later. Plus if I needed to I could erase pencil if I messed up. And I just doodled flowers and buds all over that cardstock.  

Then I used the mood board colors as a reference and tried to mix my watercolors to match. I wanted to stick with just three colors, light pastel green, blue, and pink. Here is a picture of the background all painted. 

Noow that my background was complete I could go through my stash and pick out papers that match the color scheme and feel that I am going for. I was really looking for an antique and whispy feel.

Using a paice of vellum helped tone down the background floral but still use a bigger piece. I matted it with green and a dark woodgrain from Maggie Holmes Open Book. 

I layered a few sheets of paper under my photo for interest but kept the layers similar in size to not overpower the photo or background.

I also kept the embellishment clusters simple to complement the background floral paper and the layers behind the photo. 

Also by using Kraft and gray i added interest but keeping it natural. I love the way the Dear Lizzy gold and white title word stickers bring an elegance to my page. I kept the title simple by just using the date. I also have many other photos from this day that will be together in my album so I didn't think it was to important to have an unique title. the sequins added a touch of color around the page!

Here is the whole layout completed,  love how it turned out!!

Here is the link to the process Video on my YouTube channel, 

http://youtu.be/A6MTIkdipfQ

I hope seeing this helps inspire you to find new ways to be inspired, to be challenged!!

hannah

In Knee Deep In December Daily

We are almost half way through December, yup can you believe it? Maybe you can, maybe your days have been filled with tons of activities celebrating the holiday season. Maybe your days have dragged on and you are finding it hard to find the true joy this time of the year. How is your December Daily coming? Are you already behind and feeling overwhelmed with documenting the festvities? Or are you right on schedule plotting along adding your daily photos at the end of each perfect day? 

If  you are anything like me, it's been a mix of both throughtout this journey called December Daily. Documenting my families fun daily routines and traditions has been fun and challenging. Some days I have been so tired sitting at my craft desk even for an hour just made me tired. Some days I just couldn't wait to get started sorting through my papers and embellishments to retell my day. 

But now my question is how do you keep this momentium going, and not get off track? How do you keep your Christmas spirit alive for another two to three weeks? 

For my familiy some of the fun about the holidays has begun but the busy stuff is still about to happen. I don't know about you but I am truly happy to be documenting our traditions but I don't want to get in a rut either. Some things I have tried to help me not feel overwhelmed is not to push myself. I had a few days this week where I was so tired. But I decided to put the guilt of documenting behind me. If I finish my December Daily in December that is great but it isn't the end of the world if I don't. The key to this process is to fall in love with christmas, each time you look at the album. Each time you relive those special moments through photos. Another thing I am doing is trying to keep it simple. My family doesn't care if my album looks like all the albums in magazines or other blogs.  By keeping it simple the pictures from that day can be the stars along with the stories behind it. 

Also don't be afraid to use prompts from other places, such as pinterest, blogs, or other social media sites to guide you through the hard days where you aren't sure what to document on a day where nothing major or christmasy has happened. Using other places as inspiration can take your album to another level.  

Also don't be afraid to chage the way you re doing things in the middle of the project if it isn't working. If taking pictures everyday is something you are having a hard time remembering, take a few throughout the week and pick out a few of the more meaningful ones. This is your Christmas story, you don't have to put it together the same way as the crowd. 

I am gonna wrap this up, or I may talk all night. But I hope everyone is remebering why christmas is special to their families. I hope that whatever your process is you make it yours, whether simple or overdoing it. Don't be afraid to change things up as the season gets busier and more is on your plate. Time will slow down at some point and you can work it out later. 

When Ali thought about this new way of documenting the season that is traditional rich in stories and warm feelings, it was meant to be easy and simple. As a scrapper myself its hard to slow the reigns down and make something simple, but we are knee high in the Christmas season with lots to enjoy. If we aren't enjoying the season how can that flow into our projects. Let your joy for the Holidays overflow into all that you are doing this months, in all your projects and memory making!! 

I hope eveyrone has a great Christmas and find inspiration in the little details!!

Hannah

Reflections during this Holiday Season

This week as I start to work daily on my December Daily album, it has me thinking about the past, present and future. Thinking about goals I want to make for next year, things I want to accomplish this christmas season to encourage a love for the holiday in my children.  Thinking about the past and wondering what new changes will occur in this year to come. 

Lately this week I have been thinking a lot of how much the scrapbook community as I have come to know it as has changed. I started learning from so many great scrappers on Two Peas and then just as I seemed to get a good ground that resource was gone. Of cource I can go on Youtube and watch all the old videos they made, and I still do. But there was something about finding all this inspiration at one place. I miss that. 

Two Peas closing opened up a whole new door for me though. Opened me up to the whole world of online community that I hadn't known before. Yes I watched many amazing scrapping on Youtube. I ate that up actually. I hadn't actually interacted with any scrappers at this point. Then I strolled on Facebook and started looking up a few groups I had heard on YouTube, and that was it. 

I have started meeting and connecting with so many great ladies who love scrapbooking as much as I do.  I love talking with them seeing their work. It inspires me to keep creating myself and even to try many new things I would have never tried on my own. When the days get busy and I am not able to et on visit with these ladies I miss them. 

So this december I start to think about habits I want to make for myself, to make me a better scrapbooker. Journaling, I think we all at times feel like we need to pick between a beautiful layout or great journaling, at least I do. I want to in this coming month and this next year work on more intental journaling. Making sure I am telling the story behind the scenes especially before the background stuff gets blurry. I know I have left out my blog, and that is something I want to work on too. Scheduling time to sit and write how my scrapping is going. Telling the behind the scenes thought process when it comes to my scrappy process. 

I also hope to get more connected to other scrapbookers to help form better friendships with the ladies I have met through my journe scrapping already. These ladies inspire everyday and I want to let them know how much I appreciate them. I want to help encourage them when they are down like they do for me. 

I hope in this holiday season you take the time to think about the things you want to change about your craft and think about the ways you contribute to your craft. Take the time to smell the roses and intentally make time for yourself in the midst of a busy and fun time. Encourage your friends in a new way! 

I plan to keep you better updated on my holiday journey, I look forward to seeing what everyone else is creating and learning this holiday season as well.

 Hannah

P.S. To see what I am creating head over to my YouTube channel and check it out. I hhope to be posting lots of my December Daily album as I work on it. I am also creating other layouts when I am not busy with my DD album.

Falling in Love with Watercolors

In July I started experimenting with watercolors. Pulled out my low stock of white cardstock and looked in my cupboard for something I could use to paint with. I borrowed my kids paintbrush and started mixing water to the gel food coloring I had to see if they would in fact work as a watercolor. To my surprise it worked, and really well. I loved the vibrant colors I could capture on the starking white cardstock. Since that day I started watch youtube videos on watercoloring and mixed media. And I starrted playing some more. Using the kids sketchbook paper, backs of one sided cardstock that was outdated and scraps of colored cardstock.  I really just wanted to see what worked and what didn't. It was totally fun. I bought mists to try that along with the watercolor, and started playing with those. This concept of mixed media reminds me what it's like to be a kid. To create something without having a goal, without somone forcing you and doing something fun just because you want something to look pretty. Since that first day I started using watercolors I have added many more layouts to that list. Im am definitely am not ready to stop either. In fact my curiousity is causng me to want to try other mixed media items. Gesso, Gelatos, Modeling Paste, Stamps, Stencils, more Watercolors. the list could probably go on further. I wanted to share with you a few layouts I did recently that had watercolors on them. I also plan to continue growing and learning and adding more mixed media to my albums, I hope you do too!!!

  In this layout, I used a sketch from Creative Scappers, which I worked on a couple of days ago, I used watercolors on a wet tag to let the colors bleed into each other. Then I used a silver ink pen to write he date and doodle hearts. I love the tie dye look it has. Also one of my layers under the photo I used a piece of sketch paper that I watercolored and then added salt on the wet watercolor. When it dries you can see the shape of the salt crystals and the texture of the paper is altered. All you do is wipe the salt off the paper when it is dried (it takes a few hours to dry all the way, I left mine over night) ad you can use the paper. I used scissors to cut the paper so my trimmer didnt get an residue on it and make it rust.  

I am working on a process video for this layout and it should be up this week. 

 I this layout, called Summer Visitor, I used watercolors, a Simple Stories page pocket cutout as a stencil and mists. I blended my watercolors to get new colors. I love how the stenciled look turned out. It puts this summer layout over the top.  I then tried to match my layers and embellishments to the watercolors for a fun look. I have a youtube video sharing this layout on my YouTube channel, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ivynNpKflis

 This is the first Layout I did with watercolors, using strips of colors lending well for beach layout. I matched colors in each section of the strips of color with the embellishments. It was really fun to make and pretty simple. I layered with papers from my July Scraptastic Kit. I love how the blus strip of watercolor brings out the blues and greens from the ocean water in my photo.  

I hope you enjoyed seeing a few layouts I made with using watercolor, and I hhope to show you many more as I continue to make new layouts!! Feel free to head over to my new youtube channel and check my layouts out.  Subscribe if you like me, and want to see me more.  I am also on instagram too, Especially if you want to see bits and pices of projects I am working on or pictures of Hawaii. Have an Inspired my scrappy friends!!!

Until next time Aloha!!

Hannah