I haven't mentioned my Scrapbooking Challenge for 2011 very much on my blog recently, so I just wanted to remind you all that
the challenge is still on and many of us are still reaching for this goal and still going strong! If you haven't been able get "one done every seven in 2011" (one two-page layout done every week), then maybe this post will inspire you to start over again or get going now (it's never too late to join us!!). In case you missed it or need to refresh your memory, here is a link to
the first post I shared about this challenge that will serve as a reminder about what exactly it is we're doing. If you are one of the many who tried to take on this challenge in January but your enthusiasm has slowed or you just couldn't find the time, please don't waste any more precious time feeling bad about what you haven't been able to accomplish yet this year, but rather let's put that energy into getting some scrapbooking done now! In January, one of the things I taught and encouraged at our "new year" scrapbooking class, was the importance of learning how to scrapbook simply and quickly! Not every page you make has to be a "masterpiece" work of art that requires hours of your time. A simple yet beautiful page layout can be made in just 15-20 minutes or less! Yes, it is so much fun to take our time and get especially creative with our stamping and embellishing sometimes, but sometimes we also just want to get it done
more quickly and simply and that is okay too!
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I am so excited to finally show off the progress I've made for our challenge recently by completing 20 pages (10 layouts) - and yes, I think it did take me about 10 weeks to get them all done even though the pages were so fast and simple to make, lol. All of the page layouts I'm sharing with you today were made with just 3 products
from Close to my Heart:
1). Bliss level 1 kit X7132A ($9.95)
2). Bliss level 2 paper packet X7132B ($12.95)
3). Bliss level 2 My Stickease X7132C ($4.95)
As you can see from the pricing above, simple scrapbooking can be very affordable also! For just $27.85 (plus the cost of adhesive) I was able to complete 20 pages and I still have lots of paper and a few stickers left-over to create even more with! As you can see, I did scrapbook a few wedding photos that work well with this particular kit, but I also LOVE the versatility of the Bliss kit!! The Bliss papers and My Stickease work well with a variety of different kinds of photos that were taken over a long span of time. I chose Bliss because I felt that the neutral colors would compliment the older and more special "heirloom" family photos without over-whelming them, as well as co-ordinate with the newer more recent photos. I wanted the album to have an elegant and timeless feel to it and I think that "Bliss" really helped to accomplish that. Because all the supplies I used co-ordinate so well with each other, it helped unify the whole album
while still allowing each page to be different.
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Finally, if you're wondering about the adorable girl you're seeing in these photos, it is not me or anyone related to me. These layouts are pages that I completed for a new friend! I took on my first ever "scrapbooking for hire" job recently. I normally wouldn't take on such a project due to my limited creative time and the tons and tons of photos I already have of my own to work with, but this project was very special because it is a gift from a God-mother to her God-daughter and because the customer who hired me wanted clean, simple pages, with no lumpy embellishing, I felt like it was do-able for me to take on the job. The God-mother had been saving photos and correspondence she had received from her God-daughter and her family over the past 36 years and wanted to have everything together in one album
to give to her - what a special gift!
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Pages 2-3 (below)
Pages 4-5 (below)
Pages 6-7 (below)
Pages 8-9 (below)
Pages 10-11 (below)
Pages 12-13 (below)
Pages 14-15 (below)
The page on the right includes a paper pocket I added to the page. Three tall Christmas Card photos are slipped behind the pocket (so that's why you only see half of the photos on the top half of the page).
Pages 16-17 (below)
The page on the right is one of our photo storage pages that includes
six horizontal pockets to hold 4x6" photos (item# 4113).
Pages 18-19 (below)
The page on the right is another page with lots of pockets so I could include more Christmas cards and Christmas card photos. Instead of mounting these items directly on a page, pockets provide a great option to allow "easy access" so they can
still be pulled out and opened to be read.
Page 20 (below)
(includes a blank journaling square for the God-mother to use to
write a short but sweet message of love to her God-daugher!)
Finally, I want to wish Margie and Kellie much joy as they and enjoy their album together! Thank you for allowing me to share these pages here and for the opportunity to have a glimpse into your special relationship and many years of happy memories.
I feel so lucky to get to know you in this way!
One of the most fun things about this stamp set is that you get solid image stamps that you can stamp inside the outline images to add a pop of color inside the outlines (and save some time coloring in with markers). With our clear stamps it's easy to see exactly where to line them up so you can stamp one image perfectly inside another image each and every time (you can't do that so easily with wood stamps)! I used 2nd generation stamp-rolling technique with the solid images to achieve the shaded look I have on my flower, bird, and butterflies below. Then I colored the stems and leaves with a Sweet Leaf marker and even added a little bit of green to the swirl inside the butterfly wings as well.
The 8x3.5 card design (above) is inspired by Wishes - Right Design (p. 42) and features the Miracle papers (X7133B). I absolutely LOVE our new 1" wide Sweet Leaf Stitched Grosgrain ribbon (Z1383), so I just couldn't resist adding that wide bow (wide ribbon is very in-trend right now)! 
Finally, this 4.5" circle card (above) is inspired by Wishes - Simple Statement (p. 11) and it also features our Miracle papers (X7133B). Peeking out from behind the card is a white cd sleeve envelope that I stamped to match and put the card in when I give it away. When the card is inside the envelope, the center of it will peek through the clear window in front - too fun! I also used our paper edge distresser (Z1297) to scrape and rough up the edges of the colonial white cardstock that is then sponged with bamboo ink and a sponge dauber. For just $2.50, our little edge distresser tool is an easy and affordable way to add even more interesting details to our creations! You can click on my photos for a more close-up view of this distressing if you'd like. Now you can continue on the SOTM blog hop and see many other creative ideas for using this stamp set by visiting Kristie's blog next! Enjoy!!
