Roses are Red part 2

So I know I named one of my previous posts Roses Are Red but the layout I completed today is actually titled this. lol. So I came up with this layout for a challenge posted on scrapbook.com called the Monochromatic Challenge (nuetral colors are allowed). Every week you must use a different color. Week one is red; week 2 is green, week 3 is pink, and week 4 is purple. Each week has its own twist. I think I'm going to have fun with this one. Enjoy.

Journaling reads: Panted 3/2009 Photos of my prized (@ least for me) roses. My favorite color is red, of course, but white is so pretty, too!

This is a close-up of the lace flowers I made for this layout.

A bit closer close-up of the lace flowers.

Close-up of the hearts in the corner.

Oh, how do I love thee, Tim Holtz.

Let me count the ways.  Grungeboard, Distress inks, word keys, hitch fasteners, jump rings, type charms, locket keys, and time pieces. I could go on listing all of the products that I love from Tim Holtz. Of course the list would be shorter if I wrote about the stuff I didn't like (Is there such a thing? I don't think so). Here is a necklace I made with some of my new Tim Holtz products and techniques. Enjoy.

I had to use my favorite word key as a charm! Note the little clock charm (had to have that, it was so cute).

A close-up of my necklace. Yes, that's the Mad Hatter in that fragment charm!

Where to Put All These Stamps?

Today I wanted to share with you a little project I came up with to store my acrylic stamps. I didn't want to purchase a stamp binder because they can get a bit expensive and this way I was able to customize the look of it to fit my style.

I began with 8" x 12" chipboard pages and punched three holes in them (to bind them later). I glued three of these pages together for each cover to give the folder more stability. I wrapped the covers with my choice of scrapbook paper. I purchased white stamp folder page refills, sold in craft stores. These look like dry erase boards in page form and they already have holes punched in them. I bound the covers and the pages with binder rings, also sold in craft stores. You can customize this project any way you want; use different papers, glitter,stamps or add ribbon to the rings. The possibilities are endless, it all depends on your creativity. This was my first book so it's a bit plain but at least now I can store my stamps! I'm just going to have to make a couple more because my stamp collection keeps growing!

An inside view of my stamp folder.

Another view of my stamp folder.

Down the Rabbit Hole

I am guilty of loving anything even remotely related to Alice in Wonderland (You should see some of the stuff in my kitchen). Since the new Tim Burton movie came out, I have had ideas swirling in my head. You'll see inspirations from the story and various movies a lot in my layouts. I find I like the fantasy of it all; how things are not supposed to make sense and you can be as creative as you want with the elements. I am posting a layout below of my eldest daughter all dressed up for the Alice in Wonderland movie premier. Enjoy.

This is my "It's a MAD World..." layout.

A close up of the layout. The pictures are just snippets from a furniture catalog.

Another close up; this one of my daughter.

A close up of the key on the layout. I cut the key out with my Cricut Expression, shaded it with Distress Ink, tied a ribbon around it, and wrote the title on it (this I think I could have done better; I don't like my handwriting).

Roses are Red

Hello, again. I wanted to share a scrapbook layout I just completed. The LO is dedicated to my favorite color, red. I always find things in this color so much more eye-catching than in any other. This photo is of the entire LO, followed by some detail shots. I hope to improve on my photography skills or learn to scan my 12 x 12 LO's. Enjoy.

Here is the entire LO.

These are lace flowers I made. I added brads and a pin in the centers and some various embellishments.

This is a collage of a photo of myself when I had red streaks in my hair and a few of my favorite red items.

Steampunk

Okay, maybe I'm a little late catching on to this style, but I've been an admirer for a while: just never knew what to call it. Steampunk is a combination of Victorian Age fashion and gadgets with today's world. Cogs and metal intertwine with fabrics and ephemera. I love the collage look to a lot of the scrapbooking I've seen in this style so far and I think I am going to give it a go soon. Will post when I have completed something to this effect. But I hope that regular scrapbookers will give this style a try, even if it's just once. A person could add a lot into one layout! As I was exploring this style, and it spans from scrapbooking to fashion, I realized that my altered art hero, Tim Holtz, uses many of the elements seen in steampunk. I think this is awesome! I am waiting on some orders of Tim Holtz products to come in then I am going to jump right in!

The Beginning

Wow, had to give making my own blog a try. This is going to be an interesting experience I think.

The purpose of this blog is to expand my scrapbooking and paper craft experience and share my thoughts on the subject with anyone willing to listen. One issue I have with the scrapbooking world of today is that there are no scrapbook companies that focus on the darker side of scrapbooking. Goth, punk, emo...there are many that fall outside the box of the regular scrapbooking world. I want to showcase products, embellishments, and layouts that have an edge to them. Could mean anything from distressed to vintage and gothic to punk. I want to look at artists that create layouts and crafts that are different than the norm. The most important thing to remember is to have fun and explore the unexpected.