Hello Beautiful

How are we halfway through September already??? Time just keeps going faster and faster, I swear.

This being mid-month means we have a new Case file up over at CSI : Color, Stories, Inspiration! Let's have a peek at Case #262.

Here's the freestyle case prompts:

And the traditional Case File and Clues :

EVIDENCE

Floral Print
Stripes
Dots
Cat, bird, other animals
Bee or other insects
Flowers, leaves, flower pots
Something swirl
Rhinestone swirls
Hearts
Music-themed element
Nuvo Drops, Liquid Pearls, or something similar
Bows
Triangles
Scallops
Multi-colored alphabet
Layered/ dimensional stickers
Buttons
Brads

TESTIMONY (JOURNALING IDEAS)

Topic: Document your pet or another animal.
Prompt Idea: Choose a September prompt.
Presentation: Write your journaling in cursive.
Writing Format: Write a thank-you note to your subject.
Inspiration Words: happy, sing, darling

THE SCHEME (RGB Codes)

240.69.148 – fuchsia
189.208.57 – chartreuse
255.255.255 – bright white
255.241.22 – lemon yellow
9.9.7 - black


And here's what I made with it this time :

I made this page as an encouragement for myself. I've been thinking a lot lately of what I might like to do with my love of scrapbooking. I have a dream to make a business or a career out of it, but it never seems to be the right time or we never have the money or I get passed over for publication, or, or, or. There's always SOMETHING holding me back from even trying. I think that something might be ME.

When we came to look at our new house the first time, I was OVERJOYED to see that it had a room which seemed to be dedicated to crafty pursuits. In fact, the previous owners actually had a Cricut in it. After that I quietly spent some time praying and dreaming about this house. And then we were in competition with 3 other offers for it. And much to my surprise, our offer was chosen over all the others!!

My sister in law told me once how she thought it was so great that God delighted in giving me something that I really hadn't asked for (this dedicated crafting space). I never really thought of it that way before. Now I believe that this house, and this room is part of Gods plan for my life. I just have to remind myself once in awhile that I can do THIS whatever THIS may be.

Here's how I solved this Case:

COLOURS

All of the colours are there, with a little tiny but of orange added because it was in the papers that I chose to use (Highline 6x6 paper pad by Basic Grey). While normally not hues that I work with, I LOVED how the bright colours just pop off the black and white this time.

EVIDENCE

Stripes
Dots
Bird
Other Insect (butterfly on my pink tag)
Flowers
Hearts
Bows

TESTIMONY

I used the presentation prompt this time and wrote my journaling in cursive. It's hidden behind the middle square, which I turned into a pocket.

Journaling

You have dreams that are worth following
You can totally make them come true
You just have to choose to make it happen
Stop making excuses and figure it out
Don't let this dream die like the last one did
August 2018

Here's a few closeups of my page:

Here's a closer look at my title. I try and make my title work interesting or different, by using different fonts, stickers or papers to put them together. Often, I have the title placed on the page not "in order" if that makes sense. The whole title of this page is : "Hello Beautiful - you can do this" . So, while not in order, it makes the title more part of the design of the page.

Here's my journaling card pulled out of the pocket. I don't really like my handwriting that much, but I think it's important to include it once in awhile. It makes this page feel more personal than it would if I had just typed it on my computer.

And finally, this is from the bottom of the layout up. I LOVE layering my papers and embellishments up. It makes any page more interesting. After adhesive, I think I spend the most of my scrapbooking budget on pop dots and foam tape!!

Don't forget, if you play with this case and link up over at CSI using the Mr. Linky tool on the right-hand side, you'll be entered into the draw for prizes from our awesome sponsors pictured above!!

Thanks for popping by and checking out my page today!
I can't wait to see how you solve this case!!!

Currently

Another new month means another inspiring new case from CSI : Color, Stories, Inspiration!!

This was an interesting one, in that The Scene photo has way less colour than we are used to looking at when making a page. That in itself provided another level of challenge for me.

Here's the Freestyle Prompts for Case #261 :

And the traditional Case File and Clues:

EVIDENCE

Solid white background
Diagonal stripes
Ledger paper print
Clips
Cat/other animal
Fruit
Leaves
Clock
Filmstrip
Frames
Light bulb/lamp
Ruler
School-themed elements
Envelopes
Stamps
Hand-drawn elements (or things that look hand-drawn)
Calendar
Teacup
Numbers
Keys
Ink
Border punch

TESTIMONY (JOURNALING IDEAS)

Topic: Document something about school or a class you’ve taken
Prompt Idea: Get inspired at List Love
Presentation: Tuck your journaling into an envelope
Writing Format: Write in list form.
Inspiration Words: lesson, organize, idea

THE SCHEME (RGB Codes)

255.255.255 - Bright white
205.222.204 - Sage green
125.147.145 - Dark sage green
248.189.173 – Coral
233.49.57 – Candy apple red

And here's what I made:

I had a lot of trouble trying to get a nice photo of my page. If anyone has any tricks for getting nice photos easily, I'd love to hear them!! This time the layout is photo-less, but the subject of the page really didn't need one.

Here's how I solved this Case:

COLOURS

All of the colours are there. I decided this time to also do a little colour-blocking, and chose embellishments that (mostly) matched the colours of my papers.

EVIDENCE

Solid white background
Diagonal stripes
Clips
Cat/Other animal (the birds)
Leaves (in the patterned papers)
Clock
Light Bulb/ Lamp (in the patterned papers)
Ruler
School Themed Elements
Stamps
Teacup
Numbers
Border Punch

TESTIMONY

I used the Prompt Idea this time and #8 on the list at List Love jumped out at me. So I made a currently list which has changed somewhat since I made this layout.

Journaling:

Watching: Downton Abbey (for the 2nd time!)

Reading: “Just One Damn Thing after Another” by Jodi Taylor, using my Dad’s EReader

Trying: mixed media scrapbooking

Feeling: stressed & sad

Working: towards my blue belt (in karate)

Ready to: go back to work

Considering: finding a 2nd job

Enjoying: quiet time alone

Hating: the heat this summer

Loving: new haircuts & scrapbooking tools

Prepping for: the family reunion

August 10th 2018

Since the creation of this list, I have finished both Downton Abbey and the Family Reunion, and am no longer as stressed and sad. August was a busy time for us as a family, as my Mother has moved into the Granny Suite that we created for her in our new house. It was also the anniversary of my Dad's passing and that was a sad time for me.

Here's a few closeups:

I think this might be my favorite embellishment that I've ever created! The little chipboard girl was the perfect colour for this combo, and she already looked like she was flying. So I slid a little metal butterfly behind her and she ended up looking like a fairy. Then I added in a "right now" sticker that fit the theme of the page, and a wooden embellishment with a tea cup on it makes it looks like she's holding them. They add just a touch of whimsy and fun. She's been popped up to be the most prominent embellishment on the page. I just love her!!

I love birds! This little guy just happened to be the right colour and so I added him, just because I liked him. His black outline kind of reminded me of the inspiration scene. Another sticker that goes with the theme of the page and a little clock to represent time finished off this colour block.

Here you can see where I used my border punch and how I added my "light bulbs" to the page. This wasn't part of the original design but I needed to figure out how to hide the seam from cutting my 12x12 paper to fit into my printer. So I used my border punch on one side of each of the pieces (8.5x12 in & 3.5x12 in wide) and put my strip of light bulb patterned paper down the middle to return the page size to 12x12. A few more stickers, the measuring tape trim, the bird charm and my title finished off this colour block, which helped transition one colour to the next.

Finally, here's the journaling list, and my happy accident for this layout. I misspelled the word Abbey, forgetting the "e" the first time. So I corrected it and trimmed out that line of journaling again, attaching it over the old one. I added enamel dots and puffy stickers as bullets to the list to bring the colours of the combo over to the left hand side of the page. The date was stamped using a Heidi Swapp roller stamp.

Don't forget, if you play with this case and link up over at CSI using the Mr. Linky tool on the right-hand side, you'll be entered into the draw for prizes from our awesome sponsors!!

Thanks for popping by and checking out my page today!
I can't wait to see how you solve this case!!!