Circle journal - favorite thoughts

Good morning!

Here's the last layout I completed for the circle journal, for Jean...

See, I wasn't kidding when I said these ladies would notice when I learned that sewing on paper was so easy!  Haha!

Here are 4 of my favorite thoughts, in no particular order, and some words about them:

"To love what we do and share what we love, as we help others enjoy creativity and worthwhile accomplishments... in this we make a difference!" ~ Stampin' Up!'s Statement of the Heart

I try to share what I love whenever I can.  To me, this is not JUST about stamping (although I DO love stamping!).. I think you should always share what you love, whatever it is!  It's awesome to be able to share a part of yourselves with someone, even if it's not always easy.  And I do believe that sharing your passion makes a difference, somewhere down the line. :)

"Love is like a friendship caught on fire.  In the beginning a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only light and flickering.  As love grows older, our hearts mature and our love becomes as coals, deep-burning and unquenchable." ~ Bruce Lee

I absolutely love this quote.  I used it on a project quite a few years ago (that I'm still working on), and this is actually how I feel about my relationship with Seth.  ♥

"A woman is like a tea bag- you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Like I wrote in my CJ layout shown a few days ago (Jenn's), I believe that women are very strong.  This is a quote that I have always loved, since before I can remember, and I was thrilled to see that SU! came out with a stamp set with this quote (Favorite Thoughts, in the Summer Mini).

"In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." ~ The Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy

Now this... this has struck quite a chord with me, and I really do think of this one every day.  It is also from this Law that the earth-friendly company Seventh Generation (one of my absolute favorites) derives its name.  This explains why I try to live "green" every day.. why I eat organics whenever I can, why I eat local products, why I use ONLY earth-friendly cleaners.. and so on.  I guess it's my personal philosophy?  I won't bore you with the details here, but feel free to ask me.  :)

The picture above Stampin' Up!'s Statement of the Heart is of me, my mom, and Shelli Gardner, who is the co-founder and CEO of Stampin' Up!.  I was tickled to meet her and have my picture taken with her at a regional seminar in Virginia Beach a couple of years ago, especially since I wasn't able to at Convention prior to that.  (My mom was my "guest" at the regional.)  She's such an inspiring person, through and through!  If you didn't know, she has a blog called So Shelli, which she updates regularly about her family life and SU! life.  She also has a Creative Challenge every month or so (using SU! stuff).. you should take the time to enter, as you can win free stamp sets!  :)

Anyway, the other picture is one that gives me such a profound feeling, whenever I look at it.  It was taken when we were at Maymont Park a couple of years ago, in the winter.  I felt it went perfectly with the quote above.

Here's my sign-in tag for Jean's CJ:

Lots of sewing here too, to coordinate with my layout.  Hope you like it all, Jean!

Circle journal layout supplies:
Stamps:  Taffy Alphabet (retired), Vintage Vogue
Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Rose Red, Old Olive, and Tempting Turquoise
Paper:  Naturals White, Kraft and Whisper White cardstock, Vellum Cardstock, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper (retired), Delicate Dots Designer Series Paper (retired)
Accessories/Tools:  Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, Metallic Brads, Scallop Edge Border and Small Heart Punches, sewing machine and thread, and Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, and Clear Buttons (retired)

Sign-in tag supplies:

Paper:  Naturals White and Early Espresso cardstock, Vellum Cardstock, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper (retired)

Accessories/Tools:  Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, Scallop Edge Border, Spiral and Small Heart Punches, sewing machine and thread

Circle journal - what I miss when away from home

Good morning!

Here is my next layout created for the circle journal.  This one is for Lisa, who wanted to know what we missed when away from home.  I tried to use lots of color for Lisa!

What do you think?  I used a little inspiration from a sketch on PageMaps, as I was feeling a bit burnt out!  I know how much Lisa loves those butterflies, so of course I had to use them. :)

To create the Crumb Cake (that name always makes me hungry) layer, I used the "negative" from the butterfly die-cut, sponging Crumb Cake ink into it like a stencil.  That gave me great images of the butterflies, almost as if I had stamped them!  I also stamped the flower vine from Vintage Vogue in Crumb Cake.

A bit of stitching on here too, as you can see.  Even hand-stitched the buttons on at the bottom!

So when I'm away from home, I'm always missing:
1.  Seth - when I was at the beach with my family, we talked over video chat almost every night
2.  Fluffy - she's like my child, so I'm sure those of you with children (or furbabies too) can relate!  :)
3.  my own bed - nothing like relaxing in the comfort of your own!
4.  home-cooked food - I guess I end up eating out a lot when away from home.  To me though, there's just nothing like a good home-cooked meal.  (I know the picture is of food not really "cooked", but it was of a recent meal of smoked mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, and yummy homemade garlic bread.. hey, that's cooked!  lol)

Here's my sign-in tag for Lisa (sorry, it's a little blurry for some reason):

Hope you like it all, Lisa!  :)

Circle journal layout supplies:
Stamps:  Jumbo Outline Alphabet and Good Neighbors (both retired), Vintage Vogue
Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Rich Razzleberry and Crumb Cake, VersaMark ink
Paper:  Peach Parfait, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight, Pear Pizzazz, and Chocolate Chip cardstock, Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Series Paper
Accessories/Tools:  Beautiful Wings Embosslits die, Little Leaves Sizzlits die, Metallic Brads, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White buttons (retired), Spiral and Scallop Trim Border Punches, Stampin' Sponges, Chocolate Chip 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, sewing machine and thread

Sign-in tag supplies:

Stamps:  Sentimental Journey

Ink:  Rich Razzleberry, Early Espresso

Paper:  Early Espresso and Naturals White cardstock

Accessories/Tools:  Crop-a-dile, Marina Mist 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Metallic Brad, Word Window and 1" Circle Punches, Cutter Kit, Basic Black Stampin' Write Journalier, sewing machine and thread

Circle journal - I love being a woman!

Hello!

I hope you had a great weekend!  Seth and I drove over to our hometown for the weekend with Fluffy, so we were visiting with family.  We just returned very early this morning, so I've had a late start to my day!  :)

Last week, I had finally finished my circle journal layouts.  Lisa should have them today!  (So sorry for the delay, Miss Lisa!)

Here's Jenn's, whose topic was 5 reasons why I love being a woman...

I had a lot of fun making this page!  I love the way the elements are arranged, and making that double eyelet border was very easy.  The black lettering on the background was printed through Microsoft Word directly onto the Naturals White cardstock.  You will notice on these last 3 layouts, that this is the period when Melissa discovered how easy it is to sew on paper.  LOL

My five reasons..
1.  Being able to multi-task!  This is one of my personal strong points, and I will quietly say that Seth has often admired me being able to do this.  :)
2.  Shopping for & wearing pretty things - I snapped the photo at Target, of one of their jewelry displays.  I love jewelry, although I don't own as many pieces as I'd like.  I suppose I have trouble spending a lot of money on them, especially "costume" jewelry.  I have been meaning to use this jewelry display as inspiration for Simply Adorned pieces.
3.  Being strong!  I feel that women are very strong and are able to endure a lot.
4.  I'm not expected to know a lot about sports (you know, like professional sports teams, etc).  Kind of a stereotypical thing, I know, but I'm glad that I don't have to remember all of the pro sports players and how good of a player they are, and so on!  The picture on the LO was of the football stadium at the University of Tennessee.  It was our first UT game, and there were close to 100,000 people in attendance!
5.  I'm looking forward to becoming a mother!  That's an experience that I am sure is like none other.

Jenn asked us to make a feminine accessory item for our sign-in tag, such as a purse or compact.  I had so much fun making this little purse!  Here's the outside:

I took a piece of Early Espresso cardstock, scored it, and covered one side with VersaMark ink.  I then covered it with Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder, and used my paper piercing tool to draw wavy lines in both directions.  Then I heated it, and voilà!  A faux alligator purse.  :)  You can tuck the purse flap into the Filigree Designer brad to hold it in place.

Here's the inside:

Hope you like them, Jenn!

Circle journal layout supplies:
Stamps:  Watercolor Trio
Ink:  Baja Breeze
Paper:  Naturals White, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, and Baja Breeze cardstock, Bella Rose Designer Series Paper (retired)
Accessories/Tools:  Chocolate Chip and Old Olive buttons (retired), Chocolate Chip 1-1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon (retired), Filigree Designer Brads, Linen Thread, Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, 1" Circle, Small Heart and Eyelet Border Punches, Cutter Kit, sewing machine and thread

Sign-in purse tag supplies:

Ink:  VersaMark ink

Paper:  Naturals White and Early Espresso cardstock, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper pad (retired)

Accessories/Tools:  Marina Mist 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Filigree Designer Brads, Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, Small Heart and Eyelet Border Punches, Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder, Paper Piercing Tool, sewing machine and thread

Circle journal - 3 things I love about summer

Hello!  I hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

I finally have Jessica's circle journal layout done.  I had this 90% done for a couple of months!  Can you believe... I really don't know why it took me so long, but oh well.  Sorry!

It took me a little while too to figure out what I loved about summer.  I am not a big fan of the sweltering summer heat and humidity!  I do enjoy going to the beach, especially to watch the sun set.. going to the farmers' market and getting fresh, local produce.. and growing my own veggies!

The strawberries we had bought from a local farmer a few weeks ago.  If you've never had fresh, local strawberries that were picked when fully ripened.. you're missing out!  There's a lot I could say on the subject, but let's just leave it at that.  :)  The picture of the tomatoes was taken last summer.. these were some of the first ripening tomatoes in our garden at Seth's parents' house.  I'm missing this so much!

The other pictures are from when we went to Nags' Head a couple of summers ago.  It was Fluffy's first time at the beach!  She was scared of the ocean, and was just content sitting in the sand in the shade.  :)

Like my palm tree?  I roughly drew the tree trunk on a piece of cardboard from a box, then cut it out and pulled off one of the layers.  Then I just inked it up and freehand drew some leaves and cut those out as well. I snipped into the leaves a little to make them more realistic.  I think it turned out nicely!

The title letters I simply cut using the Simple Letters Bigz dies and chipboard, then covered with Whisper White Craft ink, embossing with White Stampin' Emboss powder.  I created the "sand" by first using the freehand rotary blade in SU!'s Cutter Kit, then roughed up the edges with the distressing tool from the same kit.  I then spritzed some Chocolate Chip ink onto it, then sprayed this and the letters with Gold Glow Smooch Spritz.  I stamped "things i love..." from the Things I Love stamp set with Crumb Cake ink (new in the new catalog!), and I love how it almost looks like it was drawn in the sand.. if you can draw letters that perfectly.  LOL

Here's my sign-in tag.. nothing really special I guess!

I'm in the homestretch for the CJ layouts.  I think I have just three more to do - Jenn's, Lisa's, and Jean's!

Hope you like it, Jessica!

Circle journal layout supplies:
Stamps:  Things I Love
Ink:  Chocolate Chip and Crumb Cake (Kraft) Classic Stampin' Pads, Whisper White Craft Stampin' Pad
Paper:  Bashful Blue, Crumb Cake (Kraft), Whisper White, Old Olive, and Chocolate Chip cardstock, The Write Stuff Specialty Designer Series Paper (journaling tag)
Accessories/Tools:  Button Latte, Crushed Curry 1/2" Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Circle Designer Brad, Mini Library Clip, Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write Marker, Color Spritzer, Gold Glow Smooch Spritz, Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, Eastern Elegance Rub-ons (retired), White Stampin' Emboss Powder, Heat Tool, Stampin' Sponge

Circle journal tag supplies:

Stamps:  Tart & Tangy

Ink:  Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin' Pad

Paper:  Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie and Chocolate Chip cardstock, Summer Picnic Designer Series Paper (retired)

Accessories/Tools:  Real Red Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Old Olive 1/2" Library Clip, Old Olive and Real Red Stampin' Write Markers, Vintage Brad, Stampin' Sponge, and Scallop Edge, Word Window, 1-3/8" Circle, and Scallop Circle Punches

Circle journal - 4 things I've repurposed for scrapping

Good morning!

I'm slowly getting caught up on my circle journal layouts!  Here is my layout for Courtney, who wanted to know about 4 things we've re-purposed for scrapbooking.  (Is it "repurposed" or "re-purposed"?  I have no idea really, but Google Chrome says that "repurposed" is a misspelling. :) )

Most of the things I repurpose are for storage needs:
-  I had some foam-core poster board laying around for whatever reason, that I turned into an ink pad holder with the help of a hot-glue gun.  (Hope to get the SU!'s ink pad holder soon!)
-  I like to transfer my glitter and embossing powders into plastic containers normally used for food storage.  I keep a plastic spoon in the container, and I'm able to keep my powders neatly contained.  When I use them, I hold my item over the container, scoop some powder over it, then tap off the excess directly back into the container.
-  I found these cute little drawer organizers 3 for a $1 at a store.  I really want the Stampin' Up! Stack & Store revolving organizer for these embellie containers, but I have to wait on that.  For now, I'm using these!
-  The desk I have for crafting has a tray that I think is just for decorative purposes, not really for support.  I store all of my SU! punches on there.. not the best solution, but it works pretty nicely.  I'm out of room though.  :)

1st page:

2nd page:

Isn't that flourish cool?  I printed that directly on the Old Olive cardstock from My Digital Studio.  It is from the Baroque Motifs stamp brush set (another "real" stamp set I've been meaning to get!).  I just love how I can use stamp sets I don't actually have, with My Digital Studio.  And there I go with the border punch again.. lol.  Speaking of things I like to do, yes, I did stamp the title and cut out each letter.  Why I like to cut things out like that, I don't know.  I enjoy doing "tedious" work I guess... I find it relaxing!

Circle journal (8x8") layout supplies:
Stamps:  Baroque Motifs (digital brush), Taffy Alphabet
Ink:  Taken with Teal Classic Stampin' Pad
Paper:  Old Olive, Taken with Teal, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip and Mellow Moss cardstock, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper stack
Accessories/Tools:  Chocolate Chip corduroy brad, Filigree Designer Brads, Chocolate Chip satin ribbon, Bashful Blue taffeta ribbon, Sending Love Hugs Note, Sweet Pea Stitched Felt, Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, and Scallop Trim and Scallop Border Punches

Ok, and here's my sign-in tag.  We were to use a repurposed item, so I used a pretty clothing tag - inked it up a bit with Creamy Caramel and Chocolate Chip inks, and added a little spritzing with the Chocolate Chip marker.  I was so excited when the little rivet (?) on the tag matched my Antique Brass brads.. yes, didn't take much to get me excited late last night.  LOL

You could say that I repurposed my "hand-stamped by" personalized stamp by using it for the tag, omitting all the other parts of the stamp by just inking my name with a marker.  I snipped out my city and state from a piece of mail I received.

Sign-in tag supplies:
Stamps:  Personalized "hand-stamped by" stamp
Ink:  Creamy Caramel and Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin' Pads
Paper:  Certainly Celery cardstock
Accessories/Tools:  Antique Brass Brads from Vintage Brads pack, Linen Thread, Baja Breeze corduroy buttons (retired), Certainly Celery button from Sherbet Designer Brads pack, Chocolate Chip button from Button Latte pack, Chocolate Chip satin ribbon, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Color Spritzer, Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write marker

Well, see you later!  I'm off to cook some lunch, then out to the grocery store.  Hope you had a great weekend!

Circle journal - Emma's sign-in tag

Hi!

Here is my sign-in tag for Emma's circle journal.  She wanted us to do something related to movies, or use a star.  I hope this isn't too big, Emma.. but if it is, I'll re-do it!

I had fun making this one.  :)  I first covered a raw chipboard star from the On Board Essentials pack with Whisper White Craft ink, drying it with my heat tool.  Next, I inked up a retired background stamp (French Script) with Regal Rose Classic ink, stamping over the white star, then covered the entire thing with VersaMark and clear embossing powder.  I hit it with heat again to melt the powder.  The rest is pretty self-explanatory I think, so I won't bore you with the details!

Emma's sign-in tag supplies:
Stamps:  French Script (retired) and Vintage Vogue
Ink:  Whisper White Craft Stampin' Pad, Regal Rose Classic Stampin' Pad, VersaMark
Paper:  Chocolate Chip and Whisper White cardstock
Accessories/Tools:  Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write marker, Scallop Trim Border and Corner punches, Word Window punch, Linen Thread, Chocolate Chip button from Button Latte pack, On Board Essentials Chipboard, clear embossing powder, heat tool

Circle journal - 3 favorite actors

Hello!

Ok, so it seems like my creative funk isn't over!  Phew.  I've been trying to get caught up on these circle journal pages.. almost there!  Anyway, so Emma asked us who our 3 favorite actors are.  Mine are Meryl Streep, Angelina Jolie and Rachel McAdams.  I love how versatile these three actors are in their roles!  I think they all do their job very well.  :)  The pictures of the celebs were found via Google image search.

1st page:

2nd page:

How do you like the star shapes?  They're raw chipboard sprayed with my new Log Cabin Smooch Spritz!  (Available May 1st in the Summer Mini).  Love this stuff!

I created my title in My Digital Studio.  I used the stamp brush from the Favorite Things set, and used the Just Perfect alphabet brush for "actors".  I really enjoy being able to make everything perfectly coordinate with My Digital Studio!  Across the bottom, I used the Baroque Border wheel, and sponged with Creamy Caramel around the whole layout.

Hope you like it Emma!  Still working on the sign-in tag, because what I originally planned might be too big.

Circle journal layout (8x8") supplies:
Stamps:  Favorite Things (MDS), Just Perfect alphabet (MDS), and Priceless
Ink:  Chocolate Chip and Creamy Caramel Classic Stampin' Pads
Paper:  Dusty Durango, Basic Black, Bashful Blue, and Whisper White cardstock
Accessories/Tools:  My Digital Studio, Baroque Border wheel, Chocolate Chip ink cartridge, Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, On Board Essentials chipboard, Log Cabin Smooch Spritz (available May 1st), Bashful Blue button from Sherbet Designer Button pack, Linen Thread, Spiral punch

Circle journal - 4 unusual things I've done...

Hi!

I have been busy finishing up a swap and working on circle journal layouts!  My layout for Serene's is a little late (sorry ladies).. I had such a time with her topic!  It was fun trying to think up unusual things that I have done, however challenging it was.  Here's my layout... (click to see larger photos)

Page 1:

Page 2:

I used lots of yummy blue-ness for Serene!  Lucky for you, Serene, blue is one of my favorite colors! ;)

The little journaling spot was created with Whisper White cardstock, the Spiral Punch, and the Regal Rose and Bashful Blue markers.  I just love creating "notebook paper"!  The flower below that was created using punched out circles.  I used the faux suede technique (ask me if you'd like a demonstration), so the flowers have a little fuzzy texture to them.  And of course, I couldn't not use the Scallop Trim Border punch!

I'm not really that unusual!  I'm not a huge risk-taker either.  Here are the things I chose:
-  I earned a full-tuition scholarship!  I'm pretty proud of that, and this definitely helped me through my undergraduate studies, as I was also living in my own apartment.  I can tell you that it definitely wasn't easy financially though, but it was certainly worth it to me.  Also, I was the first person in my (immediate) family to graduate from college.
-  I flew across the country about a year and a half ago for stamping.  :)  This was to attend my first Stampin' Up! convention in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Definitely an experience I wouldn't forget, and I hope to attend again sometime soon!
-  I achieved "Platinum Artist" standing in the game "Rock Band 2", doing the vocals on expert difficulty.  Yes, I do play video games!  We have the Wii, Playstation 3, and XBOX360 (my favorite).  Not many can say that they completed the Endless Setlist in RB2, which consists of 84 songs...especially on expert vocals!  :)
-  Last month I drove (by myself) approximately 4 hours to attend a scrapbook convention with someone I had never met in person.  Susan is so fun, and I can't wait to meet up with her again!  Sorry, I forgot to get a picture with her, so you'll just have to trust me.  LOL

Serene requested that we make a tag for her sign-in page that showcases one of our unusual things.  Well, since again I suppose I'm not that unusual, I just drew a microphone and cut it out...

Hope you like it all, Serene!

Circle journal layout (8"x8") supplies:

Stamps:  Inspired by Nature, Taffy Alphabet

Ink:  VersaMark ink, Not Quite Navy Classic ink

Paper:  Not Quite Navy, Kraft, Old Olive, So Saffron, and Whisper White cardstock, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper

Accessories/Tools:  Beautiful Wings Embosslits die, Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, Regal Rose, Bermuda Bay and Bashful Blue Stampin' Write markers, Sweet Pea Stitched Felt, Kraft Corduroy Button, Linen Thread, Hemp Twine, Pewter Jumbo Eyelets, and Scallop Trim Border, Spiral, 1-3/8" Circle, and 1-1/4" Circle Punches, Crop-a-dile

Sign-in tag supplies:
Stamps:  Define Your Life, Flight of the Butterfly
Ink:  Not Quite Navy, Bashful Blue Classic
Paper:  Not Quite Navy and Whisper White cardstock, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper
Accessories/Tools:  Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, Scallop Trim Border Punch, and Basic Gray and Going Gray Stampin' Write Markers

Circle journal - Elaine's sign-in tag

Hello!  Here is my sign-in tag for Elaine's circle journal.  She requested that we make a door hanger, like you would see at a hotel.

I just love this picture of myself with my furbaby, Fluffy.. not sure why!  She really takes some funny pictures.

I first cut the Kraft cardstock down to a rectangle, then punched out a circle using a punch.  Next I cut out a section to the side of the circle, and rounded all of the edges - some with my corner rounder punch, and some freehand with scissors.  I used my Very Vintage wheel again, this time with Rich Razzleberry ink.  I created the little tag with my name by punching with the Word Window punch, then inserting that back into the punch to make it shorter.

The ladies are making their pages for mine next :)  Can't wait to see them!

Supplies:
Ink:  Rich Razzleberry, Soft Suede
Paper:  Kraft, Old Olive and Whisper White cardstock
Accessories/Tools:  1-1/4" Circle, Heart-to-Heart, Corner Rounder, and Word Window Punches, Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, Stampin' Sponges, Very Vintage Jumbo Wheel

Circle journal - 4 things that would be on my "welcome" sign

Hello!

Here is my next circle journal layout.  This one is for Elaine, who wants to know what 4 things would be on our "welcome" sign at our home.  It was a tough one for me!  I included mostly pictures of our furbaby Fluffy, because she is definitely a big part of our home and lives. :)

Here are the two pages separately for a better look:

As you can see, I did a lot of stamping and sponging with ink.  I rolled the Very Vintage jumbo wheel across the left side of the layout, and colored in the images with a Blender Pen and ink pads.  Watercoloring works beautifully on the Kraft cardstock!  I love also how the image is not as bold on the Kraft, creating an even more vintage-y look.

I do have the best recipe for blueberry muffins.. yum!  :)

Elaine, your door hanger tag is coming up soon.

Supplies:  (8" x 8" 2-page layout)

Stamps:  Vintage Vogue, Good Neighbors, I {Heart} Hearts

Ink:  Soft Suede, Old Olive, Taken with Teal, Rose Red, So Saffron

Paper:  Kraft, Soft Suede and Very Vanilla cardstock, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper pad

Accessories/Tools:  Very Vintage Jumbo Wheel, Old Olive Jumbo Wheel Cartridge, Taken with Teal, Soft Suede and Old Olive Stampin' Write markers, Blender Pen, Old Olive 5/8" satin ribbon, Sweet Pea Stitched Felt, Vintage Brads, Pewter Mini Library Clip, Kraft Corduroy Brads, Lots of Tags Sizzlits die, Stampin' Sponges, Color Spritzer, and Spiral, Large Oval, Scallop Oval, Corner Rounder, and Eyelet Border Punches

Circle journal - 3 favorite book characters

Hi!  I finished my layout and sign-in book for Paula's circle journal.  Sorry it's a day late!  All of the pictures I used on my layout were found through Google.

Here are the two pages together:

And here is the first page by itself:

And the second:

I set my cutting mat behind the pages, which ended up making them better-focused when taking the pictures - yay!

If you've never read these books, I recommend them - especially the Shopaholic series if you're looking for some fun reading.  Kahlan Amnell is one of the main characters in the Sword of Truth series, which is a fantasy series that I had read since the beginning.  They made the first few books into a TV series that is currently on air called "Legend of the Seeker".  Long books, but I enjoyed them.  And yes, I did get into the Twilight saga.. I actually have not read the fourth book yet, as I'm waiting for the paperback edition.  My last favorite character is from the Shopaholic series.  The first book, Confessions of a Shopaholic, was made into a movie a while after I read all of books in the series.  The author, Sophie Kinsella, is very good at producing books with a nice light-hearted feel.. one of those feel-good books. :)

I don't yet have an alphabet stamp set with small enough letters, so I created part of the title in SU's My Digital Studio ("my 3 favorite") and printed it.  "My" and "favorite" are from the Just Perfect Alphabet stamp set, and the "3" is from the Schoolbook Serif Numbers stamp set (resized to fit my title).  I then used the "real" stamp set Calendar Alphabet & Numbers to stamp "book characters" in Soft Suede ink.  The "stitching" is a rub-on from A Perfect Day rub-ons (retired).

3 favorite book characters layout supplies:
Stamps:  Great Friend, Just Perfect Alphabet (MDS), Schoolbook Serif Numbers (MDS), Calendar Alphabet & Numbers
Ink:  Taken with Teal and Old Olive (MDS), Old Olive, Soft Suede and Rose Red Classic ink, Chocolate Chip wheel cartridge
Paper:  Going Gray, Whisper White, Kraft, and Chocolate Chip cardstock, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper pad, The Write Stuff Specialty Designer Series Paper
Accessories/Tools:  Rose Red and Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write markers, Always in Bloom wheel, Linen Thread, A Perfect Day Rub-ons (retired)

And here's my book for Paula's sign-in page...

I free-hand drew the book!  I was pretty proud of myself, haha.  There's a little piece of printer paper for the "pages", and I lightly drew lines with a pencil to make it look more like there were pages there, smudging the lines a little.  What do you think?

Sign-in book tag supplies:

Paper:  Kraft cardstock, printer paper

Accessories/Tools:  Taken with Teal Stampin' Write marker, Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, pencil

Hope you like them, Paula!

Circle journal - 4 must-have items while traveling

Hello!

Here is my layout for Kathi's circle journal, highlighting my 4 must-have items when traveling:

I need to figure out the best way for me to photograph scrapbook layouts, because I just feel like the picture could be better!  It was necessary for me to shoot them together though, since I "crossed the crack" between the pages with a photo.  Kathi, I promise it looks better in person. :)

Scrapbook layout supplies (8x8):
Stamps:  Taffy Alphabet, Medallion, Totally Tabs, and Vintage Labels
Ink:  Soft Suede, Old Olive, Melon Mambo, Bermuda Bay, and Pumpkin Pie, VersaMark
Paper:  Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo, Soft Suede, Kraft, Old Olive, and Whisper White cardstock, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper pad, die-cut from The Write Stuff Specialty Designer Series Paper pack
Accessories/Tools:  Scallop Trim Border, Scallop Circle and Round Tab punches, Pumpkin Pie 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, clip from Clips Assortment, white embossing powder, and Soft Suede, Melon Mambo, Old Olive, and Bermuda Bay Stampin' Write markers

Kathi requested that we make a piece of luggage as our sign-in tag for her circle journal, so here's mine:

A lot of you will recognize the photo, since I use it as my avatar. :)  It was taken on top of a mountain we hiked up in Salt Lake City a couple of summers ago.  I created the... "straps", I guess? ... with the Modern Label punch and Antique Brass Brads from the Vintage Brad pack.  Of course, I had to include my little butterflies!  I'm not sure if you can see it very well, but I stamped the postmark image from Winter Post in VersaMark.

Luggage Tag supplies:
Stamps:  Winter Post
Ink:  VersaMark, Soft Suede
Paper:  Bashful Blue, Old Olive, Whisper White, Kraft, and Bermuda Bay cardstock
Accessories/Tools:  Modern Label punch, Antique Brass brads (Vintage Brads), Linen Thread, Beautiful Wings Embosslits die, Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler, Paper Piercing Tool, Stampin' Sponge

Hope you like my contribution, Kathi!  :)

Circle Journal - sign-in page

Hi!

I have finished and uploaded my sign-in page for my circle journal.  This is where I will put everyone's tags to show the contributors.  CJ ladies - please don't feel like you have to work within any constraints from my color scheme.. I tried to keep it fairly neutral.  I only ask that you pick an adjective that you would use to describe yourself, then interpret that to make a tag that reflects you.  I am almost done with my tag, but wanted to get the layout up on my blog.

The cardstock looks black in the photo for some reason, but it's really Chocolate Chip.  In case you were wondering, I stamped the title with the Jumbo Outline Alphabet, then colored in the letters with a Blender Pen and ink pads.  I left the overlapped parts white though.

Thanks for visiting!

Sign-in page supplies:
Stamps:  Jumbo Outline Alphabet
Ink:  Tempting Turquoise, Chocolate Chip, Old Olive
Paper:  Sahara Sand, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White cardstock, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper pad
Accessories/Tools:  Sweet Pea Stitched Felt, Tempting Turquoise 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Tempting Turquoise button from Playground Designer Buttons pack, Linen Thread, Scallop Trim Border punch, Spiral punch, Blender Pen

First Circle Journal Layout

Hi!

I finally finished my first layout for my circle journal!  It's pretty late here, so I can't write much right now.  Here are both pages together:

Here's the first page by itself:

And the second page:

I couldn't get the colors exactly right in the photos, probably because of the time of day when taking them.  :)  They look a lot better IRL!  I'll see if I can get some better pictures when it's daylight outside.

I should have my sign-in pages up later today as well!

Supplies:
Stamps:  Vintage Vogue
Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Rose Red and Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pads
Paper:  Chocolate Chip, Whisper White and Old Olive cardstock, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper pad, The Write Stuff Specialty Designer Series Paper (journaling die-cut)
Accessories/Tools:  Rose Red, Old Olive and Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write markers, Chocolate Chip buttons from the Button Latte pack, Linen Thread, Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon, Half-back Pearls from the Pretties Kit, Wire Clip from the Clips Assortment pack, Little Leaves Sizzlits die, Scallop Trim Border punch

Circle Journal - welcome page

Hi!

I have joined a talented group of ladies in doing a circle journal.. my first!  We were to choose a number, then a topic that incorporates that number.  For example, my topic is "5 things I cannot live without".  The pages are all 8" x 8".  Here is my welcome page...

I know, I'm using those butterflies a lot!  They are so pretty though, definitely the best Embosslit that Stampin' Up! has designed (in my opinion).  And I think they just look so beautiful with the Vintage Vogue set.  I have always loved butterflies, so this die is perfect for me.  (This also explains why I have so many stamp sets with butterflies..)

Here's a close up (click to see it even larger):

And yes, I have to say that the Scallop Trim Border punch is one of my favorites too, and I can't stop using it!  :)

Circle Journal Welcome Page:  Vintage Vogue stamp set; Old Olive, Soft Suede, Rich Razzleberry, and Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pads; Old Olive, Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Rich Razzleberry, and Kraft cardstock; Welcome Neighbor Designer Series Paper pad; Scallop Trim Border and Corner punches; Beautiful Wings Embosslits die; Linen Thread, Clear Rhinestone Brads