Scraps From My Heart

Sometimes a layout comes together easily…and sometimes it doesn’t. This was one of those times where it wasn’t coming along like I wanted it to. Tip: if you are spending HOURS on a layout and it’s still not working out…it’s time to start fresh! That’s when I hit the beloved delete key and start over. This was my first draft after LOTS of changes. I loved the circles, but I was really struggling with the color combination. I’m not a ‘mauve’ kind of person (or blue). I love the letters that spell ’smile’, but they weren’t working for me on this page. And then I felt like it was way too busy. In my second draft I felt like I was surrendering. I really liked the journaling on the right side of the page though. And for my third draft and the finale, I opened a new 12×12 document, moved some of the elements over from draft 2 and started over. Whew! I realized that I did not like working with the mauve and blue from my mom’s shirt. (Next time she and I will have to coordinate on what colors are ‘proper’ to wear for scrapbooking…haha!) So I changed the picture to black & white and put a warming filter over that. There’s also some texture on the picture…I hope it’s not too much. And because it was March (winter) I thought it would be fun to add some snowflakes since I’m ready to scrap snowflakes again. I’m still not totally satisfied with this page, but I’m tempted to just leave it alone. (Walk away from the computer, walk away from the computer) All of the supplies are from Little Dreamer.

I am basking in the glow of this fun-filled week in which we are making so many new friends, aren’t you? So far we’ve been to Europe , the UK, and Australia , and today we’re going to venture into some seriously exotic territory as the World Tour of Card Making continues. But first, some logistics. The train is going to be going extremely fast today because we have so much ground (and ocean!) to cover. So, I highly recommend that you load up on carbs with your favorite muffin or pastry, and that you grab yourself some strong coffee. You’ve just got to keep your energy up on this busy day that marks the mid-point of our week-long tour. And you brought your comfiest pair of shoes, right? I’m just sayin’. Are you ready? Can you hear the chug of the train? Let’s get ready to roll! Pulling out of the London station, in just mere minutes we find ourselves in Morocco with this clean and graphic card by Travelingmama : Things I Love Card (inside it says, “…but most of all, you!) Next stop? Japan! Check out this cute card by Laura : Enjoy Today Card From Japan, we travel to Singapore with this beautiful card by Emeline Seet : So Chic Card Next stop? The Dominican Republic with this fun ensemble by Odette : Holiday Treat Ensemble …and Puerto Rico with this sweet card by Joan : Live, Laugh, Love Card Our last stop of the day? The Phillipines with this fun-ky card by Iris : Wish Card Aren’t these just amazing projects, friends? Be sure and stop by all these inspiring blogs so you can see their World Card Making Day cards, get to know them better, and leave a comment. Travelingmama Laura Emeline Odette Joan Iris For not only is this week all about spreading the card making love in preparation for World Card Making Day on Saturday , but it’s also about having a chance to win some moxie fab prizes! And the more you comment, the better your chances of winning! Today’s moxie fab line-up is as follows: Yuletide, Volume 1 ; Vintage Automobiles ; Enjoy Life ; Wildflowers, Volume 2 ; All Occasions ; and Yuletide, Volume 2 rubber stamp sets from Darkroom Door Vacation , Instants , and Birthday collections from Spanish Memories Nook and Pantry Collection from BasicGrey So head on over and drool, comment, make a new friend, and possibly win this super duper prize! We’ve got just two more days left on our World Tour, friends! I wonder which countries are left? Make sure you stop by tomorrow and see! Loving all this globe trotting, ~Cath PS Make sure you stop by the Paper Crafts Connection blog today to read Go-to Gal Kim Hughes’ tips on mass-producing cards–an important aspect of the holiday card making season which is kicked off by World Card Making Day! PPS Are you radiant for gradient? If so, you’ll be interested to know that the original deadline I posted for the Gradient is Radiant Challenge is incorrect! You now have an additional week to work up your projects. The new deadline is midnight MDT on Monday, October 12 . So get your gradient on and rock this challenge all the way to the 12th! PPSS Are you a paper crafter from anywhere else in the world besides Canada, the United States, and the countries we’ve already covered? If so, link your blog up here so we can be inspired by you as well!

Onto Crafting 101 — where the best artists in the Blogosphere share with you the basics of rubber stamping, paper crafting and scrapbooking. We’ll even teach you how to use that Photoshop program you have sitting under your desk right now! I just added a category for Copic Markers - check it out at the bottom of the page. All this for the bargain price of FREE! Read on… Best of the Blogosphere Crafting lists. Remember these lovely little boxes don’t show up in Google Reader, so if you can’t see them, click on over to my site and they will magically appear. (When you see the boxes, there is a small “read more” in the bottom, right hand corner… click it and you can see the list with pictures as a web page!) All the Best Tutorials: How To Videos: Tips You Shouldn’t Miss: Templates To Help You Make Stuff: Photoshop Tips and Tricks: Everything you ever wanted to know about Copic Markers: Please remember that my site is powered by YOU. Please comment here if you’d like me to read your blog or if you have seen some amazing blog art that I’m missing! Thanks!

Today was my first lesson with Adobe Illustrator. Whew! I got through the first lesson and I was like, “That’s enough for me for one day!” I see a lot of potential with Illustrator and I’m excited!! I’m on the 30-day trial version, so I’ll be spending as much time as possible learning what I can so I can make a decision. I tell you what, having some experience with Photoshop sure is helpful! I created this page yesterday. I’m on the last part of our trip to Arizona as far as scrapbooking the pictures. I can’t wait to see them all finished and printed in a hardcover Shutterfly book. Whoohoo! Supplies: Paper: Kraft (After 5 Designs) Overlay: Designer Digitals Swirl Brush: Elegantly Speaking from After 5 Designs (I think…) Star: Little Dreamer Designs Font: One Fell Swoop, Adorable Everything else is my design, well, except for the photos (thanks Quent!)

Wasn’t the “scenery” in Europe just so beautiful, friends? I can see that all y’all had a moxie fab time on Day 1 of our tour through Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Poland, and Croatia. I peeked at all the comments you left on the designers’ blogs, and seriously, I don’t know when I’ve felt so much blog love, friends! Isn’t this just so much fun? Did you make some new friends? Did you subscribe to some new feeds? I know I did! Today’s “scenery” is just as amazing, as we tour the card making meccas of the United Kingdom and Australia . I hear the train’s whistle a-blowin’, so we’d better settle in, buckle up, and hang on for the ride! What I love most about our tour around the world is seeing the different styles that are popular in each different country. Let’s stop in Australia first. Teresa Abajo : Discovery Art Box Kaz : Little Bundle of Joy Card and Carole Janson : Birdie Banner Birthday Card Across a Really Big Pond to the United Kingdom , we begin with Kim Dellow : Autumnal Card Rach : One of a Kind Card Kath : Just for You Card Andrea : Feel Better Turtle Card and Lucy : Penguin Christmas Card Again, leave a comment here in the Moxie Fab World saying anything you’d like about today’s tour, THEN visit each of these blogs, for each one of these inspiring designers has created a card for World Card Making Day that they’d love to share with you! Teresa Kaz Carole Kim Rach Kath Andrea Lucy Click on their blogs, drool over their World Card Making Day cards, noodle around in their archives, subscribe to their feeds, and then leave a comment for each one of them on today’s post as well. Better than that, you’ll better your chances of making a new friend and gaining new sources of inspiration! Each time you leave a comment, you will increase your chances to win these fun products from manufacturers in England, Ireland, and Australia : Stardust & Moonbeams Stamp Set , Handmade Girl Stamp , Mini Messages–A Little Hello Stamp Set from Elzybells Art Stamps Duchess Collection , Loire Valley Collection, and Pina Colada Collection from Kaisercraft Very Vintage Christmas, Off Beat Backgrounds, Gingerbread Joy–Oven Fresh, and Gingerbread Joy–Half Baked stamp sets from Waltzingmouse Stamps All comments must be made by midnight on Sunday, October 4. All international comments will be eligible to win the prize. Phew? How you holdin’ up? Better rest up because tomorrow we’re going to some exotic places, and we’re covering so much territory, you’ll definitely want to wear some comfortable shoes! The world is getting smaller each and every day, ~Cath PS Be sure and click on over to Paper Crafts Connection today where Susan Opel is talking about ways to celebrate World Card Making Day on October 3–and she’s got a KI Memories give-away as well! PPS Are you a paper crafter from the UK or Australia who shows projects on her blog? If so, link it up here so we can get to know you as well!

Hi friends! We’re taking a break from our World Tour of Card Making for just a minute so I can announce the winners from last week’s Comment-to-Win! We’ll resume our travels momentarily. I’m pleased to announce that… Mel who said… Soft and simple, the earth shows its love in beauty and bounty…Earth Love brings the pleasure of a summer morning to your pages and projects with simplicity and whimsey. and nina who said… Love this collection! I would definitely use it for all of our camping pictures - they’d be perfect. are the winners of the Cosmo Cricket Earth Love collection from last week’s Moxie Monday! Congratulations, ladies! To claim your prizes, send me your addresses in an email to cedvalson@papercraftsmag.com with the prize you won in the subject line and I’ll get those out to you right away. And remember, international winners will receive a complimentary one-year subscription to Paper Crafts magazine instead. Oh! I hear the whistle blowing for the World Tour of Card Making–better get our tushies back on the train! See you in the UK and Australia! Your traveling companion, ~Cath

Pagoda Passion Old West Dinosaur Tracks OK, now you will really want these…. They are on pre-order now!

I never thought this day would come. In April/May of 2005 I signed up to be a demonstrator for Stampin’ Up! My first party was with Nettie and Jamie. My last will be with Kathy Jo on October 24, 2009. I have loved being a demonstrator. Most of that has been because of the amazing women I have become close to over the years. Sure, I love the products, but that honestly was just a small part of it. When I moved from Wrangell, the hardest thing was knowing I would be leaving my customers. They became like family. They are family. I love them all and I care about them so much. *tears* Recently, Stampin’ Up! asked all of the demonstrators to sign their new agreement, but I could not agree to their changes. It hurts deeply to be in my last month with SU, but at the same time I see God opening up a new chapter. There are SO many changes taking place right now. I’m learning to just go with the flow. It just feels really weird knowing I will be done with SU. I’m so thankful I left my customers in good hands in Wrangell. (Laura, I know you are doing great! I’m so glad!) I didn’t feel ready to start up a new business in Ketchikan. I wasn’t looking forward to starting fresh. So I’m excited to see what’s in store. I know about some things…but I will wait to share the news with you. I’m excited! When God closes a door, He opens a window. He has certainly done that!

Happy Monday! I’m here with another digital scrapbook page. I worked on these pictures the other day and I had actually deleted the page in Picasa because it wasn’t working for me, but I hadn’t deleted it in Photoshop. So I saved the file in Photoshop and decided to come back to it later. I’m glad I did! Originally the small 6 pictures were colored, but it was clashing with the rest of the page. I love the turquoise, white, and orange together!! The butterflies don’t really go with the rest of the page, but I think they look cute and it really ties everything together. It’s all about balance, right? Did you know that our eyes look from left to right? That probably makes sense when it comes to reading a book, right? So when we look at something (like a scrapbook layout) we are looking from the top left and our eyes circle around the rest of the page. Supplies: Paper: Kit for Kate by Crystal Wilkerson Clock brush: Sugar Plum set from Little Dreamer Butterfly: Custom shapes Rhinestone: Style through Photoshop, enhanced by me Fonts: Amerika, Kayleigh, Chaparral Pro This is the page I talked about in a previous post. I combined some of the things from both pages to create one. I’m still undecided on what size I’ll make the pages for this particular album. I’m planning on having the pages printed in a Shutterfly book, so I can’t really have two different kind of sizes. That’s fun to do though!

I was in a creative mood tonight and I was so inspired by that kit for Kate that I thought I would create something. I also found some fun quotes on Rhonna Farrer’s blog the other day and I thought I would use one of them on my page. I love inspiration! The pages below are similar. One is 8-1/2 x 11 and the other is 12×12. I started out creating the page on the smaller size. Since this is a brand new ‘album’ I am starting pages for, I thought it would be fun to decide right now if I should do the smaller size or 12×12. I’ve been doing 12×12 for so long now, but maybe it would be good to change the size of pages. Hmmm…. What do you think? Which one do you like better? Supplies for the digital pages: Paper: (Wood) by Little Dreamer from the Cupid’s Mark kit; Kit for Kate Quote: Rhonna Farrer’s blog Other embellishments: Kit for Kate