The Secret To My Creativity...

I would fall over in a huge big puddle of nothingness if I didn't have caffeine. And cookies. But mainly caffeine.

It is actually extremely dangerous for me to have any liquid around where I am working, but I like to live dangerously. I once killed a perfectly good laptop with a glass of apple juice. I lived to tell the tale, the laptop did not.

I also absolutely require snacks while scrapbooking. Crumbs are really just embellishments, right? Alright, I am a little bit more careful than that, but I definitely think that snacks play a vital role in my creativity. Caffeine, snacks and Grey's Anatomy on DVD. In that order.

What do you snack on while scrapping?

(Oh, and you can find the Praline Cookie recipe here... happy snacking, um, scrapping!)

Sugar Pie

Good evening! Happy Tuesday... hope you've had a good day! I've got a few scrapbooking techniques & tips to share with you. Let me just go grab one of my favorite layouts from the September kit...



...awwww. I love that little sugar pie. What a sweetie. :)

Let's take a closer look at a few of the simple and effective techniques I used in this layout.

The first thing I did was print out this picture BIG, 8x10 to be exact. I'm very into big photos on my layouts lately. For me, they take the center stage and the details in the photo (like her blue blue eyes) are easier to appreciate when the photo is larger. Because the photo is sooo big I let the shape of the photo dictate a simple layout design on the Chocolate cardstock. Then I did some basic layering with the Lemonade patterned papers from the paper add-on and the Sweet Marmalade paper in the main kit. I just LOVE these two lines together. What a fun combination!



Once I had the foundation of the page down, it was time to add the fun details. This is my favorite part! The Jenni Bowlin border stickers with the opaline pearls layered on top worked nicely to bring a touch of femininity to the page. I used two borders on each side of the page to add some balance.



This page was just screaming for some of the yummy flower whimsies and blossoms in the embellishment add-on!!! I wanted then to have a more shabby appearance so I just crumpled them up. I put the diecut in my hand and just balled it up and then I smoothed it out again. The folded edges were raised a bit after I balled it up, so I lightly sanded the raised parts then I grabbed one of my small Martha Stewart ink pads and smoothed the color lightly over the top of the flower. I also created a large flower from the Lily Bee paper by drawing a flower shape and cutting it out. The ink pads were great for adding additional color to the edges of the flowers and on the crumpled areas. Then I layered the blossoms with buttons on top as centers. I added a few buttons and some ribbon from my own stash and the page was complete!

Oh wait! The title! A fun little technique is adding a little bling to the foam Thickers with a bottle of Stickles glitter glue. I just added it to the tops of the alphabets so it would look like it had a sprinkle of sugar on top.



NOW my page was complete! :)

Next time you're looking for a technique to try, crumple and ink it! It's addicting.

Back to the Daily Grind!

Hi there Mosh Posh fans! It's Monday, Manic Monday to be exact. If you are like me, right about now you are preparing dinner, doing homework, or bathing someone...sound familiar? Well, in our hectic lives it can sometimes be hard to fit in our most precious hobby. So tonight, amongst all of my craziness, I am going to let you in on one of my favorite secrets...the grid layout! I must say that at first I kinda thought that the grid was not my cup of tea. I believed it was too boxy and symmetrical for my taste. But after designing for Mosh Posh in June, I realized that when you are in a pinch, it can be a girl's best friend. See, I am a very slow scrapper, it truly has nothing to do with my IQ, I just love the details. I received my glorious June kit and got right to work. Details, details, details were everywhere...I was having the best time. But in the last days of marathon scrapping, I began to worry if I would make the deadline with ALL of my layouts complete. My BFF suggested, "Why not do a grid layout?" Seriously, that was all it took. Now, when I am in a rut...I scrapbook a grid layout. When I am in a pinch for time...I scrapbook a grid layout. When I am low on supplies...I scrapbook a grid layout!

Here is a look back to June when I scrapbooked a traditional grid layout.

"Got Class?"

I created the grid by cutting 2 X 2 squares of the beautiful Jenny Bowlin patterned paper, inked the sides, and added a touch of hand-stitching to make myself feel better about the details...remember? What really surprised me the most, was that the layout was not at all boxy and symmetrical. Yes, it is cleaner than my usual creations, but fun to boot. Here is a look at a different take on the grid layout...using the September kit.

"The Best of Friends"

That's the BFF that gave me the good advice. Learn to like her, were like peanut butter and jelly...we are always stuck together. This time, I actually choose to do this layout...a grid layout with circles, rather than squares. I believe it was the perfect way to accent the precious Lily Bee paper.

So, there ya go. I think ALL of the Mosh Posh girls did a variation of a grid layout. You can check them out HERE. So girls if you are pressed for time, in a rut, or have just never gave it a try...now is your chance. Let me see what cha got!

Psst... Want in on a Little Secret?

Hey Ladies. It's Friday and Jenny checking in. I'm looking forward to two big things coming up. One, my DH is coming home from his IA in 12 days. It's been a long 7 months! But, more importantly (only kidding) is Mosh Posh's October Kit. I thought I'd give you a little hint for today's Friday Fun.

Do you like Cosmo Cricket's Boyfriend Line? How bout Jillibean Soup paper and Sprouts and maybe some buttons? How about Lily Bee's glorious new Audrey line? Maybe even some fabulous LB rub-ons? Just sayin...

It's all about INSPIRATION

Hiya, it's Brook with our weekly dose of "Behind the Scenes".

Here's where I give you a little peek into how I create. Today I'd like to share how I find my inspiration for my layouts and photography. It's always important to me to have a constant stream of inspiration, otherwise I get scrapper's block. Big time. So, here's my 3 favorite sources of creative juice:

1. Clothing!!! Oh, my kiddos clothes are so adorable. They're colorful and they have such fun patterns and cutesy characters on them. I also get some inspiration from my own clothes & bags. The lace trims and trendy colors are such a source of ideas. Look at the hottest scrapbooking products. Look at the trendy clothes. It's all connected. Owls here, owls there. Also, because we're wearing clothes in the photos I take (thank God! LOL.), using them as a source of inspiration is a no-brainer. Here's a couple yummy photos to hopefully inspire you:


Can't you just see these cute Gymboree clothes inspiring a scrapbook page?

PS: A tip for using clothes as inspiration: Don't always be concerned about everyone in all your photos being matchy-matchy! The more color, the better. Also, don't think that your papers & embellies have to perfectly match the colors of the clothing in the photos. Using a photo with colors that complement (but not match) will help the subject pop off the page. For example, if the photo is of your daughter in a yellow dress, try using shades of purple in the layout! The same goes with green/red, and orange/blue. I'll go into color combinations in more detail in a future post...

2. Art!!!! Are you an art enthusiast? If so, you will find loads of inspiration looking at contemporary and postmodern art. A walk through the local art galleries or to an art festival is a fun way to catch the creative bug. I happen to love painting! I am a color junkie. Take this painting by Vincent Van Gogh...

I can totally tell that he would have made a GREAT scrapbooker. Can you just see those stars cut from Bazzil and the haze around them from a twist of yellow tulle stapled on? Maybe some stickles here or there? A Sassafras feltie thrown in there for good luck??? Also, just a quick spin through Etsy will bring up dozens of "pearls"... a treasure-trove of inspiration to right click and save away in that folder labeled "AWESOME STUFF: INSPO".

3. Music! Oh man, music can be such a rich source of ideas, emotions, memories... you name it. Music is the bomb-diggity of inspiration. The kind of inspiration that comes from within. Have you ever walked through a Disney theme park? Ever notice the music that's playing wherever you go? It's music that keeps our internal dialogue going and our thoughts become alive. My imagination kicks in when I'm listening to a song with lyrics or a sound that touches me. Or I'm remembering the last time I heard that song... when I was a kid... when I rode the school bus to school in the front seat right by the sweet bus driver (Mrs. Brown) and it came on the radio... when she turned the volume louder and started singing it in her rich vibratto... and when I got hit by a spit ball on the back of my neck right as the chorus started. Ah, music. Pure inspiration. Here's one of my all-time most inspirational songs:

"Together" by William Shatner on YouTube.

For the rest of my life, whenever I hear this song I will think of my oldest child, Benjamin, when he was just beginning to dance. Every time he heard this song he would dance. Mmmm... beautiful memories. Memories that deserve a place in one of my scrapbooks.


Which reminds me... remember last week when I mentioned Journaling Prompts? Don't forget your journaling. Don't forget to scrap the Misc. Memories that don't have a photo to match!

Happy Wednesday!!!

PSS: Check it out, Mosh Posh and our September kit layouts were featured on the Sassafras Lass Blog:Sassafras Blog. How cool is that?

One Last Summer Hoorah!

I know it is the first official day of Fall, but if you are like me, that doesn't mean you are finished scrapping the last of your summer pics. With Halloween knocking at our doors, the September kit was just what I needed to wrap up my Summer photos. My layout, "Live, Laugh, Love" was adorned with 2 sweet pinwheels, just perfect to make you smile. So this Tuesday's Technique is a breezy, bright, and fun pinwheel!

Step 1: Gather supplies...double-sided patterned paper, paper trimmer, pencil, scissors, and a brad.

Step 2: Cut your patterned paper in a perfect square. For this tutorial, I cut the square to 5 inches.


Step 3: Draw a big "X" across the square. With the cross in the center of the paper and the ends of the "X" in the corners.


Step 4: From each corner of your square, cut towards the center of the square. DO NOT cut to the center of the square. Stop cutting at about 1/2 an inch before you get to the center.


Step 5: Now...if you look at your square you should have 4 triangles. Punch a hole in left hand corner of each triangle and the center.

Step 6: Fold over each of the punched corners to the center securing with a brad.



There ya have it! And here is how I used 2 pinwheels on my layout...

Git R Done

Well Hello there Mosh Poshers and Happy Monday. It's Jenny checking in with this week's installment of Manic Monday where the design team shares the ways we fit scrapping into our over-booked, hectic busy lives. I know we each have a story of how we got here. How we got started on this scrapbooking journey. I know for me, it all started in a teeny tiny scrapbook/teacher store in the middle of nowhere in MS after the birth of my first child. At the time I could store ALL of my supplies and tools in a "pizza box".

Fast forward 8 years and my scrapping is an honest-to-goodness obsession that has its own room plus space in two other closets. (Shh about that last part-that's downright embarassing). Add to that five kids and a deployed husband, making the little time I have to scrap stretch is hard! But, it must be done. Over the years I've developed a system. The most critical part of that system is really quite simple. I NEVER work on one thing at a time. I always work on 4-7 pages at a time. That way if I get "stuck" on one page, I can move onto others. Fix a title here, add an embellie here, or write out the journaling on a few when the mood strikes. Here is one of my work stations with 4 layouts in varying stages of completeness...


And a close-up of one done except for the journaling.

This process of mine really helps me make the most of my time between runny noses and laundry. Here's a sneak peek of Tiffany's rak. It'll be in the mail tomorrow. Stay tuned for more fun raks in the near future. Happy Monday!