Frat friends forever Jan 2021 Guest Designer Embossing

 

Humbled to be a guest designer for Lasting Memories layout challenges for the Month of February. The theme this month is Techniques. Challenge #533 is all about embossing, which couldn’t have been more intimidating to me because I’ve NEVER, ever, used embossing powder or folders before!

This was truly a “challenge” for me.

When I received this assignment, I realized I would have to purchase my first jar of embossing powder, a technique I’ve been wanting to try for a while, and figured it’s about time I tried! I used a new Stencil Girl pattern I’ve been wanting to use, and inked the negative spaces with a Nuvo Clear Mark Embossing Pad, sprinkled the embossing powder on and impatiently waited while heating each location. I have to admit, the time, work, and mess involved with embossing powder will likely keep me from using it often, but I really loved the soft peeled paint color, which in turn inspired all the diverse shades of green in the layout.

I feel like I threw the kitchen sink of mixed media at this page. Inspired by the lush summer color in the photos, I took all the green shades of mixed media out of my stash, perhaps hoping scrapping a summer photo would make me feel warmer on this freezing cold, windy winter day here in the Northeast US.

I started with a Vicki Boutin preprinted mixed media foundation and printed paper from the Let’s Wander collection, and added more texture with a second Stencil Girl stencil, a Vicki Boutin Kaleidoscope stencil, and mesh drywall tape. Mixed media products included Distress crayon, Crestivefx Prism Glaze and Distress embossing glaze in Peeled Paint. Using two Distress Oxide inks, I brushed two different tones over the drywall tape. For those who don’t know what drywall tape is, you can find it in any hardware store. I often use it as a technique to create very small checkered patterns.

 I also sprayed three water color paper tags with two different colors of Nuvo Mika Mist and used four different color inks with water to create a softer color effect on two of the tags. I love how the Distress crayon with stencil resist overlay looks like a piece of burlap. Finally, Powderpuff chaulking inks and two different types of Nuvo drops completed the mixed media party, and a Nuvo glitter marker and craftsmart oil based pen made the journal strips on the CTMH cardstock pop.

This layout documents the dedication of college friends, even during a pandemic. My husband’s fraternity brothers were so desperate for some time together last summer, they each drove almost 2 hours, from three different states, in order to play a simple (and socially distant) round of golf together. I’m grateful he has such good friends to lean on during difficult times.

In the end, I’m so thankful this opportunity forced the purposeful effort of exploring a new media, but with my limited craft area and storage space (that doubles as our dining room) I’m not buying more embossing powder anytime soon... what a mess!😳 Every time I sit down at the table I’m convinced I can find powder remnants.

I also submitted this to the Scrap our Stash January sketch challenge, which is where I got the geometric inspiration for the layout, and the Paper Issues January Memory challenge.

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In addition to the products mentioned above, I also incorporated the following:

Heidi Swapp color theory alphas, chipboard stars, and watercolor paper tags.

Studio g epoxy brads and Doddlebug boutique brads

Joilees diecuts

Staples date stamp

Pretty Little Studio Document Life Stitches clear stickers

kingart brush tip and artist’s loft fine tip pens

Boxer Scrapbook Productions Palooza Transparency (how many remember this scrapbook supply company? I dug deep in my stash for this title!)

Hot Chocolate Bomb Jan 2021

 

I’m trying to keep up with documenting daily life in my yearly albums the last few years, not just family vacations, and this is my first entry of 2021.

My son’s friend was so kind to make a couple dozen “hot chocolate bombs” and distribute them to the neighborhood kids. I had heard about these “bombs” for weeks, and frankly, had no idea how to eat them... I literally searched, “How to eat a hot chocolate bomb” on the internet. We had a quiet family weekend planned, (typical during the pandemic) and this was a fun way for the boys to end the weekend together.

It was so fun to watch them melt into warm milk; like a cool science experiment! My son and I like to cook together but we don’t tend to do desserts much, so this was fun for him to know that other kids his age like to cook, too!

I started with my scrap folder and alphas not associated with a specific collection first, then rounded it out by adding items from the new Vicki Boutin Storyteller collection I purchased from My Little Scrapbook Store. I used that collection only once before and have lots more to use.... so I’m planning on ignoring her newest release altogether so as not to be tempted to purchase more before using up more of my stash first!

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In addition to the unknown scraps of paper, salvaged twine, circle paper clip, winter sticker, gold and silver mini grommets, and gold washi, here are the other products I used on this page:

CM straight trimmer

Staples date stamp

Doodlebug coffee mug paper clip

Creative Imaginations Ocean Sparkle foil chipboard alphabet letters

Powder puff chalking inks: coconut white, charcoal black, pumpkin pie.

Reflections paper strips

K&Company black & ivory designer paper

Craft cart silver oil based pen

Crate paper letter stickers cowgirl collection #GL162 (circa 2006?!?!)

Sticko alphabet stickers 

Scherenschnitte Design LaserCuts Gold lace sticker trim

Fineline red tip and unknown ATG glue

I submitted this to the January 2021 Scrap Our Stash Remix challenge, and the MLSS January MLK weekend givaway#2.

License to Drive January 2021

I’ve had this idea to for my son’s birthday layout for a while, using an old photo next to a current photo of him sitting behind the wheel of a car. The Lasting Memories challenge #579 for this month was the perfect reason to GET IT DONE.

The layout inspiration was provided by the #JanuaryBONUS sketch from this month’s Creative Memories virtual crop.

Little did we know at the time, this day marked not only a yearly milestone, but an important moment in time. This was the last day our family spent together prior to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown a day later. We had our son drive us to a local canal path park along the Delaware River to celebrate his birthday and passing his drivers test. He and I also enjoyed a mommy/son lunch out that I treasure, as we promised we would try new local new local menus regularly until he leaves for college. That promise has been put on hold for now, but hoping to get a few more lunches scheduled when it gets warmer and we can sit outside again. I’m thankful for all the extra time together we have had as a family over this difficult year, but this day looms large in my mind as a shift in our daily lives and adjusting to an unknown future on many levels.

I don’t purchase Creative Memories that much, mainly because I don’t like the thin quality of their patterned paper, however with two boys who love Matchbox cars, Formula One racing, and lots of road trip vacations, I couldn’t help but invest in the cars border chain tool and coordinating papers, die cuts and stickers. I also used the CM platinum shimmer cardstock, which unlike their printed paper, never disappoints.

In addition, I pulled out the Vicki Boutin Let’s Wander city plan stencil and stars vellum paper to supplement the featured collection and support the driving theme of the page. The Reflections craft paper background with the muted colors in CM collection needed a pop of color, so I added some mixed media with the Picket Fence Paper Glaze in Cornflower Blue, Catherine Pooler Mini Icing on the Cake ink, and Nuvo glitter and crystal drops. In addition to the high quality stickers that came with the CM collection, I also added stickers from the Echo Park All-Boy collection. With the exception of the craft paper, die cut title from Paper Wizard Scrapbook Company and the featured CM collection, all these materials were purchased from My Little Scrapbook Store. 

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Legacy of Letters Jan 2021

 

My husband’s grandfather, “Louie Pops,” had a huge personality and was a significant influence on our lives. He was a prolific letter writer (Three decades of letters and articles he sent us are located in three overstuffed boxes in our living room.) He religiously read the New York Times each morning, carefully clipped articles that somehow brought to mind someone he loved. (Just a passing and vague reference to your alma mater in a newspaper or magazine would reward you days later with a little white envelope in your mailbox with severely angled, barely legible handwriting stuffed with a meticulously folded clipping and notes written in the margins.) Once you were selected to be on his mailing list, this river of communications from the US Post Office flowed freely and regularly for years. We joked he kept the post office in business.

The first December after we were married, we received this short letter, simply explaining the ritual of lighting the candles at Chanukah, and the translated from Yiddish a prayer that is to be said allowed. Pops was a deeply religious man, but extremely tolerant and well read on all religions. (He was a BIG fan of Pope Francis.) My husband considered himself Jewish, but his parents lack of religious guidance didn’t provide him a formal religious education. We had already decided to raise any future children we had Catholic, as my family practiced, however I also understood being the child of divorced parents my husband cherished what family traditions he remembered from his youth, and celebrating the Jewish holidays with his grandparents was definitely one of those memories. So, for 25 years, we have done the best we can honoring Chanukah, Rosh Hashanah and a Passover in our household with foods and rituals, explaining to our boys the historical significance of each holiday and how it directly relates to their own religion of choice and family traditions.

I started with a Vicki Boutin mixed media printed foundations paper with two very old Stampin’up! patterned and washi paper collection kits, and decade old Chanukah paper I had in my stash. I broke into a new collection of Ella & Viv Spice Market and used the Medina paper. I also used some gold washi tape, DCWV brights cardstock, faux enamel dots from the dollar store and Nuvo glitter drops. I love my new kingart dual tip brush pens, and the alpha and K&Company medallion stickers I snagged on the 99 cent racks at Michaels recently. I tried to follow the mirrored Stick it Down January 2021 single page sketch below when layering Tim Holtz Distressed Oxide Wild Honey, Speckled Egg and Hickory Smoke inks brushed through two different stencils (Vicki Boutin Kalidascope and Scrapbook.com Vintage Moroccan) over the preprinted background. Fineline red tip and unknown ATG glue. CM 12” straight trimmer. My favorite part of this page is the colorful chipboard and accitate medallions, which were an afterthought and not in mind when I gathered my possible materials at the beginning of this project. 

I really liked the modernity graphic menorah on the somewhat tacky old Chanukah paper so I included it on the page and submitted to the January 2021 Paper Issues fussy cut challenge.

I designed this as a stand alone layout, but did have its neighboring page, Happy Hanukkah January 2021 in mind to draw upon some artistic inspiration.

 This entry marks one year since I started this blog. I’m so grateful there I’ve been consistent with my entries all year. It’s been a great release to document my thoughts during this stressful time, and happy that I’ve found a medium that allows myself to successfully journal and produce art after many years of trying and failing. Apparently it takes 50 years to make a habit stick.🙄

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Happy Hanukkah Jan 2021

I used Vicki Boutin mixed media printed cardstock with some very old Stampin’up! Paper, gold buttons and sequin string, and decade old Chanukah paper, stickers and stamps I had in my stash. I also used some gold and blue washi, a menorah and title diecuts, Boxer scrapbooking blue buttons, Nuvo crystal and glitter drops, Gina K gold glitz glitter gel, Vicki Boutin matte acrylic gel and gold packaging dots I salvaged. I love my new kingart dual tip brush pens (#121 peacock blue) I gifted to myself for the holidays. Catherine Pooler Stone Blue premium die ink. Tim Holtz Distressed Oxide Wild Honey and Hickory Smoke. Fineline red tip and unknown ATG glue. CM 12” straight trimmer. I think my favorite hack of this page was using my CM picket fence border system cartridge to imitate candles. 

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This layout was based on January 2021 layout sketch #216 from Sketch N Scrap:

I also submitted it to the Paper Issues Light the Candle challenge.