Tuesday Special ~ diecuts and summer at SOS

Okay, secret? I loathe both die-cuts and themed paper, the very things on which scrapbooking was probably founded. So to put them all together - that's a real challenge! So what do you do? Put the things you don't like with the things you do - Just thought this was funny - I had started a post for this blog ages ago and it went like this, lol - I guess I was in a softer mood today! :)

Yeah, soooo... I'm not a die-cut person.

Like. At all.

I don't have them. I don't use them. I don't buy them. I don't own them. I never bought a machine. I never thought about buying a machine. I'm not saying die-cuts don't have their place in the scrapbooking world. I've seen many people use them successfully.
I'm just not one of them.

So Scrap Our Stash's 6th challenge became a real challenge.

Luckily, I keep a stash of such things for McKenna and I went shopping in her supplies. She helped me pick out a few things I might be able to use and on we went.

And then they added summer-themed papers.

Challenged.

I figure I can do anything in small doses, so I found all my supplies first and then found a picture to dazzle the page.

So I took SOS's challenge and combined it with one of my favorite lettering techniques. Well, not a technique, really - just mix and match. A great way to use up your letter stash, by the way! Another small stash secret - I didn't have enough yellow bling, so I tucked my sunshine in the clouds to block some rays.

All in all, I got enough on there to highlight the story that was to be - a little trouble!

Enjoy and visit us over at SOS!!

This Looks Like Trouble by Lindsey Krauss.
Supplies: Paper: S.E.I., Scrappin' Sports & More, Amscan; Cardstock, brads: Making Memories; Diecuts: What's New Ltd.; Washi Tape: Scotch; Droplets: Kaiser Scrapbook, Cloud 9 Design; Bling: Jeannie's, VivAmerica; Letters: White Blossom, Jillibean Soup, American Crafts; Mist: Tattered Angels.

Creative Thursday ~ A sketch and some bling at SOS!

And yet again, a red, white, and blue layout! They must be my summer colors...

So another sketch from Scrap Our Stash! Love...

Flag 13 by Lindsey Krauss. Supplies:Paper: CherryArte; Cardstock: Canson; Letters: Pink Paislee, American Crafts; Metal: Craft n Craftin'; Corrugated shapes: Jillibean Soup; Glitter: Stickles (Ranger), Paint: Making Memories, Cutting tool (for tracing): Creative Memories; Ink: Ranger; Other: Glitter buttons, glitter brad.

SOS's sketch: I always look forward to these...

And a little fun with my own fingers! Since I didn't have any mist in the color blue I wanted, I made it! Actually, truth be told, I made it long ago. It's just a mix of Stickles, blue MM paint and some water. I have a few of these made, and I keep them in those little plastic containers with lids, that you might get soy sauce or dressing in. I guess I couldn't find a paintbrush, because it was just easier to use fingers. Finger-painting!

Creative Thursday ~ Kraft at SoS

So Scrap Our Stash is back up and better then ever! It's been one of my favorite ideas in scrapbooking, as I have been on almost a complete no-buy for years now. I'm not in this to be famous, I'm in this because it's my preferred art and it will hopefully preserve a few memories. And I certainly have enough stuff already to work with!

So our first challenge was to use 50% kraft and 3+ metal. You know when I hear a challenge like this, I tend to go a little overboard. :) So my layout is about 95% kraft and 5 metal. When I hear kraft, it's more about the raw color to me. So I started by gathering every single kraft item I could find. I wanted to use some naked laser chipboard pieces, but it didn't work this time.
Click for kraft it up label on SOS
Click for my layout on SOS

There is no ink on this layout and the only patterned paper is the outside frame, which I added because the page was a little too boring without it. The brown you see is all rub-on or transparency. Remember those old Heidi Swapp letters? Still love those after all these years... I had actually forgotten the metal, so gathered a few bronze brads and scattered those around. I actually really liked the way this one turned out, and that makes for 4 out of 4 of my last pages monochromatic. Not trying to, I just prefer it right now.

Anyhow, onto the good stuff.

Not Yet Glasses by Lindsey Krauss. Supplies: Paper: Jillibean Soup, Basic Grey, Graphic 45, Letters: Vivamerica, Corrugated shapes: Jillibean Soup, Chipboard: Junkitz, other, Rub-on: Scrap Within Reach, Frame, Transparency: My Mind's Eye, Brads: Making Memories, Letters: Heidi Swapp.

Where can I go from your Spirit?... All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139

Creative Thursday ~ 3 in a day!

So a few weekends back, I finally joined Two Scrapbook Friends and just in time for a crop! I ended up getting three pages done on one snowy day here in NY. That hasn't happened in quite a while...

Hunting Season

This is the page I revealed for XoXo's Leftover Valentine post just a few days ago. Go see! We have three brilliant new design team members and of course, the talent that's there normally. Three posts this month!
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So this one I turned out for Shelby's Twitter challenge (add a bird, keep under 140 characters):

Hunting Season by Lindsey Krauss. Supplies: Paper: Basic Grey, Crate Paper, Cosmo Cricket; Sticker: Karen Foster design; Rhinestones: Recollections, Studio 18; Chipboard bird: Maya Road; Flowers: Prima Marketing, Petaloo; Ribbon: Cosmo Cricket; Other: Mulberry paper. 

Put Me In Coach, I'm Ready To Play

This one, I just love, love, love. I've had the photo printed out for months -years?- and finally found somewhere to put it. This was for Christa's bloggerita challenge (scraplift someone - I scraplifted Christa herself here): 

Put Me In Coach by Lindsey Krauss. Supplies: Paper: A.W.Cute, October Afternoon, American Crafts;
Sticker(s) Letters: The Paper Studio, Websters Pages, Rusty Pickle, American Crafts,
Pink Paislee, Doodlebug Design, Inc., Jillibean Soup; Clipboard: Stampendous; Chipboard: various unknown.

 Blues Clues

And the last one, I was getting a little punchy. I've had this layout barely begun for years. Yes, I said it. Years. All it has was the felt photo negative frame and the five pictures at the bottom. Luckily, I'm pretty organized when it comes to photos on the EHD, so I found the two to add to the top. (History: these photos came from some sort of challenge on -I believe- one of those famous Friday Night Crops at ScrapStreet. Then I just lightly embellished from there. Eh, it's okay; it's done. This was for Jayne's Facebook challenge (choose from a list, I chose close-up photo, journaling, favorite embellishments, tag, 3+ photos, music):

Blues Clues by Lindsey Krauss. Supplies: Paper: Little Yellow Bicycle, Sassafrass Lass; Sticky Stitches: Colorbok; Tiles: Stickopotomus, Inc.; Letters: White Blossom; Die cut: Pink Paislee; Flowers: Prima Marketing, Inc.; Other: felt negative frame.

Journaling: McKenna - October 5, 2008. You loved Blues Clues. You dressed as Blue for Halloween this year!

Creative Thursday extra ~ Easter Hat {2012 page 10}

Special thanks to my NY friend, Michelle Hernandez and Do More With Less for inspiring this page, and to Valerie Salmon at Got Sketch for her sketch #136.

Michelle asked for neon, I delivered. Might have even gone a little overboard... I have to say, this is the most obnoxious(ly bright) page I have ever done, but the challenge and neon task at hand kind of grew on me. I shot the layout in direct sunlight so you can get an idea of just how bright this thing is.

It was so much fun rummaging thru the stash for anything neon. Look at that old Gin-X I found! Oh, and I got this layout done in just over 12 hours - I haven't gotten one done that quickly in quite a while!

When I went neon, I automatically thought 80's, too. I knew I want to acid-wash my background (aka Clorox Clean-up bleach spray). "Frosted" the edges with Sakura glaza and EK Success Chalk markers. If only I could have permed something... I knew I wanted deco scissors (Fiskars Colonial around the orange). I also had visions of the strings upon strings of beads, jelly bracelets, and large hoop earrings we wore, which is where the circle-over-ribbon idea came from (an easy-to-fit-in bonus when I found the Got Sketch!) The last thing I just had to do was to layer the neon color - yep, just like my scrunchie socks back then. Oh, and don't forget the title upper left fashioned after the keds sign. =)

Oh, I so wish I had a picture of me in my floral headband that matched my floral leggings and shirt cuffs on the bright pink and turquoise shirt, matching (and switched layered) bright pink and turquoise socks, completed with pink and white strand of beads and large pink hoop earrings.

Or - maybe I don't wish a photo of that.

Either way, here is McKenna in her Easter Hat. Supplies: Paper: Imagination Project/GinX, BasicGrey, Jillibean Soup; Cardstock: Bazzill, other; Transparency: Hambly Screenprints; Markers: EK Success, Sakura, Marvy; Ink: ColorBox by ClearSnap; Other: flowers, sticker letters, ribbon; Bleach: Clorox.

Journaling: McKenna's Easter Parade at E.R. Hat, yes, but it's *not* a dress! Apr. 4, 2012