Simple Scrapper | January 2016

09 Tuesday Feb 2016

Posted by Sara in ScrapBook, Simple Scrapper

Tags

So….. I’m alive! Is anyone still out there?

Sorry for the unannounced two month hiatus but I’m back and have some fun things to catch you up on and share, starting with Simple Scrapper news. January marked my 3 year anniversary with them and I love the company, the Team, and Jennifer, the owner, more now than ever! They really are fabulous and the Membership materials and value just keep increasing exponentially! Plus, we have added some amazing talent to the Team including my good friend Cathy Caines! I was thrilled to learn she made it – her work is just incredible, as is the work of the other designers so make sure you check my side bar to scope them all out.

You may have noticed I didn’t post any LO’s for Simple Scrapper during December and that’s because we did a huge issue of the monthly Member’s magazine, Spark, and filled it with past LO’s, information about all the designers, our signature styles, favourite products and tools, and so much more! It was fabulous. My favourite so far.

But I’m back now with the January LO’s so enjoy!

The Story Starter LO was all about my mom (and me!):

I used my favourite paper and Thickers, both from Amy Tangerine, as well as some awesome gold alphas:

And I had fun with lots of layers and bits to embellish:

My template LO for January features a picture of one of my besties and I just as we got off the plane in Mexico last summer. Best trip ever!

I used some little phrase stickers and most awesome cork stars to finish this one off:

And that was January! I’ll be back soon with the February LO’s, plus my 12onTwelve pics and details on the two main classes I’ll be teaching at The Paperie this year! Lots of good stuff to come and the share soon!

Cheers!

The Premium Membership at Simple Scrapper provides skills and shortcuts to help you simplify and find more meaning in your memory keeping.

Simple Scrapper | January 2015

07 Wednesday Jan 2015

Posted by Sara in ScrapBook, Simple Scrapper

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Layouts, mixed media layouts, Simple Scrapper, Sketch Template

Here I am, starting my third year as part of the Simple Scrapper Creative Team! I can still clearly remember getting the email from Jennifer inviting me to the Team and how excited I was – and it just keeps getting better and better! There are some fabulous new changes and events in store this year, for both members and nonmembers, so make sure you pop over and take a look at what Simple Scrapper has in store!

Here’s what I made for this month.

First, my template LO:

I had a bunch of mixed media fun here, using Prima 3D Matte Gel, Antique Silver Art Sugar, and ColorBloom Sprays, along with one of my all time favourite Balzer Designs stencils. I also layered tons of diecuts:

That gave me lot more dimension, texture, and colour! Finally, what’s a LO without a little shine?

Glittery alphas and blue stars took care of the sparkle for me, representing the sparkle my girl has in this picture. It’s a favourite, even though it’s blurry.

And here’s just a bit of the news from Simple Scrapper – there will be a layered template/sketch available on the blog every month for free!

Before moving on to my Story Starter LO I just wanted to tell you what Story Starters are (I get asked that questions a lot!). Basically, each month there’s a different theme, for January it’s New Beginnings – and then Premium Members are provided with a fitting quote plus twelve (12!) prompts to get you scrapping those stories you may not think about! Awesome, right? And, for more good news, Jennifer will now provide the theme on the blog each month along with a challenge for everyone to take part in!

The New Beginnings theme and Story Starters this month prompted me to scrap the story of how my friend Suzette and I became BFF’s – we’re been friends for over 30 years (but if you ask, I’m only 27 😉 )

I knew I had to include the story, and you all know how terrible I am about journaling, so luckily for me it’s a pretty short story to tell:

Seriously, that’s it. Life is pretty easy when you’re kids!

To finish it off, I added some puffy hearts I received in my Ali Edwards December Daily kit, a scrap of paper, and some drywall tape. The paper was pretty enough to keep the whole thing simple.

And that’s it! Make sure you check out the Team Gallery and our Pinterest page for more inspiration this month and, as always, let me know what you’re making out there – I can always use more ideas and look at pretty stuff!

Cheers!

The Premium Membership at Simple Scrapper provides skills and shortcuts to help you simplify and find more meaning in your memory keeping.

Let’s Hear it for the Girls!

22 Monday Sep 2014

Posted by Sara in Cards, Classes, ScrapBook

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

cards, Classes, Layouts

A while back I posted a class I taught at The Paperie, Let’s Hear it for the Boys! Well, I’m finally getting around to sharing the second class, Let’s Hear it for the Girls!

As a bonus, we also made this one a LO kit and I think there might be a couple left at the store! You get everything you need to complete the LO’s and cards, plus full colour, step by step instructions – go grab one while you can!

This first one is pretty simple but the background paper was so gorgeous I couldn’t cover up much of it!

I added some fun shimmer mist droplets and sequins for sparkle:

And the Thickers in the kit are an awesome colour:

The second LO is a little more involved with some fussy cutting of elements:

I couldn’t resist cutting out one of the cute foxes and the chevron arrows were just asking to be used!

There’s also a great geotag clip in the kit and I got it to stand out by backing the heart with a scrap of patterned paper:

Finally, I made two cards – one was a birthday theme of course, because you can never have enough birthday cards!

And the second is a pretty generic one using those cute foxes again!

Once the LO’s and cards were made, there was still a ton of stuff left over for more cards or Project Life inserts – awesome value! The only thing not included in the kit were the mists that I used for droplets and the adhesive. It’s the perfect thing to take to a friend’s house for a night of scrapping or when you just want to do something but don’t want to think too hard about it! 😉

If you like this type of kit you’re in luck – I’m going to be doing more for The Paperie! We released a Back 2 School kit this past weekend at the Sunshine Foundation Crop and Silent Auction fundraiser and there are more in the works! I’ll post the School kit here on Wednesday so stop back then to check it out.

Cheers!

Simple Scrapper Show & Tell | September 2014

02 Tuesday Sep 2014

Posted by Sara in Mixed Media, ScrapBook, Simple Scrapper

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Layouts, Simple Scrapper

I love this time of month! All the Creative Team members for Simple Scrapper show off their work, the Team Gallery goes live, the membership magazine & templates are out, and, best of all, you can show off all your work too!

I had a lot of fun with the Story Starter prompts for September:

I love that pic of my friends and I!

This LO was a real collaboration – the template and story starter are from Simple Scrapper while the back ground techniques are from a class I took from my friend Cathie. Love all the layers:

And look at that awesome shine! I was also really happy with the way the title work came out, with those great India Ink splats around it:

The template LO is an idea I’ve had for a while but haven’t been able to get on paper until now:

Don’t you just love Molly’s storm cloud face? We see a little too much of that lately! 🙂

I added a bunch of Twinkling H2O’s paint to the wood veneer to get some shimmer on them:

And then I added two coats of glossy accents to the raindrops – they look fabulous in real life!

Make sure you check out some of the other work from this month, either at the CT’s blogs or at the Team Gallery. Then, go leave a link for your own work so we can take look – don’t forget to leave some love for everyone along the way too!

I’m busy these days prepping a new class but I’ll be back later this week with some eye candy from classes I’ve recently taught – there’s been lots of good creating happening, my friends, I hope you’re all getting to do the same!

The Premium Membership at Simple Scrapper provides skills and shortcuts to help you simplify and find more meaning in your memory keeping.”

March | YLA2014

30 Wednesday Apr 2014

Posted by Sara in Classes, ScrapBook, Yearlong Album

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Layouts, YLA2014

Another month, another Yearlong Album class. Another sketch. Another day of fun teaching times with friends.

Here’s what we made last weekend:

I had lots of fun layering bits and bobs and stars and stuff:

And we all had a great time making an inky, misty background using the awesome Quatrefoil stencil from Ronda Palazzari for The Crafter’s Workshop:

I’m heading off this evening to a 4 day scrapbook retreat with all my friends – it’s going to be epic! And most awesome too! 🙂

P.S. I know I’m missing an “H” from my title – I’m waiting on a new pack of alpha stickers and then I’ll add it in!

Layouts by sarathings designs; sketches by Mary Ann Hounsell

Paperie Card Kit | January 2014: Part 1

10 Friday Jan 2014

Posted by Sara in Card Kit, Mini Album, ScrapBook

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Layouts, Mini Album, The Paperie Card Kit

Ok, go get a coffee, or tea, or hot chocolate, or something – this post is full to the brim with pics so you may need sustenance to get through it! 🙂

It’s Card Kit release time at the Paperie again and Wendy has already shown the beautiful cards she designed with the kit.

I know I say it every time, but this might be my favourite kit yet! It definitely netted the most projects and it contains one of my favourite stamp sets ever! To give you an idea of how good this kit is, I made 4 – 8.5×11 LO’s, a card, a mini album, some lunchbox notes, and a canvas. I’d say that’s pretty good value for a $24.99 kit!

I did give you a sneak peek a few days ago with my Simple Scrapper LO’s so today I’m going to show you the other 2 LO’s and the mini album. I’ll be back soon with the rest but if you want to check it all out now go to the Paperie to see it in person or online at their blog.

The mini album was the first thing I made – as soon as I saw the metallic envelopes I knew I had to use and highlight them!

I did pull out some washi tape from a previous kit, and used a stencil with mist for the cover, but everything else is from the current kit, including the sequins, ribbon, and stamp for the album title:

A fun note about the stamp – I heat embossed using a mixture of gold, silver, and glitter gold powder. The look in real life is very cool!

I kept it pretty simple with just a few words and washi, and the envelope pockets leave lots of room for extra Christmas pictures. I think this would be an awesome gift for a grandparent – small and easy to store with lots of photos!

For this first LO I knew I had to use this out-take picture of Molly during our Christmas Card photo shoot. She’s so funny when she has to get her picture taken and it’s always a negotiation: “I’ll be good for two pictures if you’ll take this one.” And then she makes a crazy face or pose.

I heat embossed the title again, printed the journaling on some of the included patterned paper, and scattered some sequins and doodles throughout:

The only thing I added from outside the kit were those Basic Grey glitter enamel dots – I love them!

I did a little cluster at the top of the page with some more pieces I fussy cut:

The last LO I made was a bit outside the box – literally!

To fit this in my regular album I’ll simply cut down a 12×12 page protector and sew it shut with the same metallic thread I used to adhere the flags:

Since this was my idea of an abstract tree, I didn’t want to add journaling to the “trunk” so I simply added the title to a circle with the small Studio Calico alphas and journaled around that:

And that’s it – finally! 🙂 I hope you enjoyed and got a few ideas for yourself and I really recommend you call in to get this kit. Truly, even after all the projects I did, I still have enough paper to make more cards and LO’s! It’s really chock full this month.

See you soon with the rest!

Paperie Card Kit | November 2013: Part 2

06 Wednesday Nov 2013

Posted by Sara in Card Kit, Cards

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Card Kit, cards, Home Decor, Layouts, The Paperie

Yesterday I shared some of my work from the Paperie Card Kit and today you get to see the rest!

I did one more LO, as usual:

I had fun punching and adding circles:

and playing with embellishments:

For once I actually made cards with the Card Kit – go figure! I had run out of cardstock so I cut up a piece of white woodgrain from my stash for the card bases.

They’re super simple but they make use of the fun Lawn Fawn birthday stamp set that’s included. Perfect for kiddies birthdays and we always have lots of those to go to!

I also made one card that will probably go to my dad, who owns his own sailboat:

Finally, I made a wreath. This actually caused me some stress because I had planned to make a wreath thinking that the November kit would of course be full of fall-like colours. Ummm, not so much. The pale pinks, blues, and yellows threw for a bit but that wreath was stuck in my head so onward I went:

Not bad, hey? I used some of the 6×6 patterned papers, as well as one of the kraft and one of the white envelopes included. A bit of distress ink and I think it turned out rather fall-like after all!

The wreath base was wrapped with burlap ribbon, then I pinned the leaves in place and the acorns were handcut and glued. Easy but I love how it turned out!

I’ll be back tomorrow with some Halloween pics – I been meaning to post them but time has gotten away from me!

A new kit and a LO update…

22 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by Sara in Classes, ScrapBook

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Classes, kits, Layouts, Scrapbooking, The Paperie

I took another class at The Paperie this past weekend – this one was all about how to make your own kit and Krista did an awesome job of showing us how to pull one together from both new products and from your stash.

Mine is a bit of a combo – I found the large patterned paper, the one on the top right, at the shop and loved it, so that was my starting point. I added 3 more papers, plus the washi tape and letter stickers I got in class, and came home to finish it off. Love all the bits and bobs that were forgotten in my scrap cave – a kit is the perfect way to get them in sight and use them up!

What I really loved about this class was being able to customize the kit to my preferences. All the colours are ones I want to use and since I owned most of the stuff anyway, I know I like (or used to like!) all of it.

I’m calling this one Carnivale!

Carnivale! a kit by sarathings

The name seemed to fit with the colours, the banners, and the fun patterns, especially the large one.

There’s lots in here but I’ve had some of the chipboard and stick pins for longer than I care to say! If I can get on the ball and pull together another kit or two before the retreat, I’ll be able to pack a lot lighter than I usually do!

Now, an update from last week. I finished the second LO from Rae Lynn’s Book of Me class and I love how it turned out! I had to hide the “s” on the end of “simple pleasures” and extend the title and it all worked out really well.

An Unexpected Simple Pleasure

Plus, I really like the dimension of the banners and the shine of the glossy accents in the camera.

And yes, Rae Lynn, the journaling is done but I forgot to take a pic!

If any of you have a better name for my kit, throw it out there – I was a bit stumped, titles are not my strong point! 🙂 Also, I am planning a technique post tomorrow, fingers crossed I get it done in time!

Clean and Simple Stencils

10 Monday Sep 2012

Posted by Sara in Classes, ScrapBook

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

Balzer Designs, Classes, Layouts, Stencils, The Crafter's Workshop

I love mist. I love the randomness of it and how it’s intense where you spray and then fades out – love it!

I also love molding paste – the dimension, the cool effect, the sharpness of the image yet it’s jagged on the top. Awesome!

But I know people who hate getting their hands dirty.

Yes, it’s true, there are crafters out there with clean hands, my friends! They’ll never understand the Julie Fei-Fan Balzer Dirty Girl apron…. Heck, they’ll never need one! 🙂

And so, for those people, and for those of you like me who can swing either way, I have a new class this Wednesday night!

Clean and Simple Stencils.

You can do it, you can stay clean, and I have two LO’s to prove it! Better yet, I incorporate at least 4 different techniques too!

If you haven’t signed up yet, this class is selling fast – call The Paperie ASAP to come join in the fun. If you can’t make it, we can get you a kit with instructions!

You know I love a big and crazy class so come on – what are you waiting for?

See you Wednesday! 🙂

Layouts!

21 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by Sara in ScrapBook

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Kiddies, Layouts, Scrapbooking, Studio Calico

It seems like this summer has been very uncrafty for me – who has the time? Especially since it’s actually been summer-like here this year and I’m taking full advantage!

That being said, I have a couple of LO’s to show you that were made before summer started!

Don’t you love his face? That was his “smile” expression for a while – cracks me up!

And just so she’s not left out:

Love that pic of her, wish I knew what was going through her head!

And don’t you love those flowers? The LO was done with a Studio Calico kit and those were made from the included stamp and Amy Tangerine Border stickers – love them!

Something I’ve noticed lately is that I almost always have hidden journalling. Don’t ask me why it took me this long to figure that out, I’m sure some of my friends are shaking their heads right now and thinking, “Umm, yeah!”

Not the swiftest here sometimes people!

So I guess my “signature design element” would be a toss-up between sanding the heck out of everything and hiding my writing. I don’t do it on purpose, it’s just that I don’t think about it until everything else is done and then I don’t want to add anything else. On the occasion I don’t do hidden journalling, my other trick is to write around the borders of the LO or pictures – it gives them a neat design element and gets the writing in there at the same time!

What are your signature design elements? Take a look back over your most recent LO’s and see if something pops out. I love to hear what you do all the time!