The Valley Crafty Corner

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Ohsnapgonzo Silhouette Challenge

Ok, I must confess. These challenges between Sandra and I, are so much fun. We talked about it the other day and we are going to keep going with it for as long as we can. We are discussing a lot more episodes of this in the future....I hope everyone stays tuned to YouTube so they can hear when we are going to have the next one coming up.

For this challenge, we needed to use our Silhouette to cut out files and use at least 3 of them on a layout. I chose to cut mine out on white cardstock so that it would give me some versatility of inking them of painting them a different color to match my layout.

I must say I really love how this layout turned out. I used most of the items from the Studio Calico May kit, called Planetarium. I just love all of the dimension of the modeling paste and the flecks of gold glitter.

It even impressed me more when I took pictures of it and it sparkled. That doesn't happen very often when you take pictures with your iPhone.

Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think of the layout, or if you have any questions.

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Saturday Stash Dive: Glamorous Girls

I'm so excited to bring the premier episode of "Saturday Stash Dive." It's a week late, but I wanted to make sure I had it all perfect for everyone. I came up with the idea for this new series while I was watching the latest Two Peas in a Bucket episode of "Scrap Your Stash." I noticed that they were using brand new product, instead of something they may have in their stash. This really bothered me. After I joined the 50 Projects Facebook Group, I felt there was an even bigger need for this series that ever before. It just felt like there were more haul videos than ever out there. I even heard someone say that "Scrapbooking was one hobby and Scrapbook shopping was another." This feels so true. I really feel there is a need for these videos to aid people in using up what they have.

This month's focus is going to be on 6x6 paper pads and how to incorporate them into your layouts. If you don't have 6x6 paper pads, don't feel like this doesn't apply. You can simply substitute it for 12x12 patterned paper. It might work better for smaller patterns, but you could try big bold patterns and see how it looks.

For week one: Boxes.

I was inspired by "Motivation Monday" on the 50 Projects Facebook Group. Every Monday, Tiffany will post a new inspiration to help get your creativity going for the week. There is no commitment or obligation to make a page from week to week, but it's too inspiring not to participate. Boxes are a perfect way to use up 6x6 paper. I used a 1-1/4" square punch but you could use any size of punch, or die, or even your silhouette to cut out the squares. I used a variety of 6x6 paper pads from My Mind's Eye, Studio Calico, and Dear Lizzy 5th and Frolic. I just chose one paper that had a multicolor pattern and then picked other papers that complimented the multicolor patterned paper. I also chose a 12x12 chocolate colored cardstock as my background to lay all of my punched out squares on.

Here is the process video:

Please feel free to leave a comment below and let me know if you have any suggestions for future episodes.

Monday, June 3, 2013

Saturday Stash Dive Postponed

I had full intentions of posting my new series on Saturday called "Saturday Stash Dive." This is going to be a new series that will come up every Saturday using some of the supplies that you might have on hand. I grew very frustrated with the Scrap Your Stash series from Two Peas in a Bucket. I found that they have been using new supplies instead of showing us how to use the items up or in a different way. I just found it very frustrating. So I decided to make my own series. The focus will be different every week. It might focus on a product or tool to use it, instead of letting it collect dust. I hope you will join me every Saturday, just not last Saturday.

Now, as to what happened. I had part of my layout finished on Thursday and was ready to finish it on Friday. On Friday afternoon, I started to have a little bit of pain in my upper back. I didn't think anything of it and just thought maybe I moved the wrong way or lifted something too heavy. On Friday evening as I started to work on the layout, the pain started to get worse and worse. I just thought if I went to bed early it would be better in the morning.

I woke up and the pain was radiating down my back, it even escalated up into the front of my chest and into my shoulders. It hurt to breath. If I moved a certain way, it was like someone was stabbing me in the back. It was unbelievable. I was beginning to wonder if I was having a heart attack. I seriously debated on going to the hospital. The pain wasn't any better all day on Saturday. I went to bed early on Saturday, hoping that it would be better. When I woke up it still hurt but was a bit easier to breath. Then it wasn't until Sunday evening that I could finally feel the pain start to release and subside.

Diagnosis: I think I had a pinched nerve from driving on the rough muddy roads. I had to drive out west on Thursday and spent most of the drive fighting the really deep mud and the rutted up roads. I was constantly getting bounced around the truck.

So with all of that hassle this weekend I didn't get my layout finished to post. So my apologies everyone. I was so excited to start June off with a bang and a new series. I will try to get the layout finished this week and get it up for this Saturday.

Thank you for your patience. If you have any suggestions for Saturday Stash Dives, leave a comment below and I will try to make an episode for you.

Lisa

Saturday, June 1, 2013

YouTube videos are fixed

I was so excited today when I opened up my blog and I can attach my YouTube videos again. It took a long time for them to get it fixed, but I'm so glad it is.

So for the first layout. I was in a "feather" challenge with Sandra (ohsnapgonzo on YouTube.) We both have a hard time incorporating these icons into our layouts, so we challenged each other to get them on a page. It was a lot of fun.

This layout was one of those Oprah A-Ha moments for me. I had a bit of self discovery with this layout. I chose the title "Feathers Appear When Angels Are Near." As I decided that this was going to be my title, it all of a sudden dawned on me that, this was my Dad's way of saying he was close to me at all times. I describe the realization in detail in the video.

full layout

bottom left of page

close up of cluster around photo

top left of page

This is the prep video for the challenge:

This is the process video

Thanks for watching

Friday, May 31, 2013

Guest Scrapper on The O'Banion's Blog

I am so excited. I was asked last Friday if I would be a Guest Scrapper on Amanda's Blog. I was so thrilled when she asked me. One, because I've never been asked to do anything like this before. Two, I have only every really scrapooked for myself and was very humbled when she asked me to do this guest spot. It's not that I don't think I'm a good scrapbooker, I just don't think I'm in the same caliber as some other scrapbookers. Like I said, I do it for myself. If I'm making a page, I'm making it pretty for me. Maybe that's why I'm so particular on some of my pages. I have litterally picked up an item and moved it over 1/8 of an inch. That's just rediculous.

Amanda asked me a series of questions, great questions, that I was to answer. Let me tell you, it was very interesting putting my scrapbooking style and theory down on paper (on screen, I guess.) I never really thought about why I did things, I just did it. But now that I put it all down on paper, it made more sense as to why I was doing my layouts the way I have been. I just did 2 layouts after I had sent her my answers back, and all of a sudden my "scrapbooking theory" was ringing in my head. I was starting to put my picture on the paper and I was saying in my head, "Ya, that's why I put that picture there." It was very interesting. I was like an outsider looking in for the first time.

So, in hind sight, it was such an amazing experience to get all of my thought process down and theory for doing this the way that I do. Thank you again Amanda for the opportunity and I hope that we can do more of these in the future together.

Here is the link to the post:

The O'Banion's Guest Scrapper 002

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

I heart this girl

I really love how this layout turned out. I especially love the looks my neice is giving in these photos. This was the first day that I had met my neice. My sister lives over 14 hours away, so there really aren't too many visits back and forth between the 2 of us. My mom has had the fortunate experience of seeing her alot over the past 2 years and she warned me that Hailey was extremely shy. So with that information in my back pocket, I played a little more on the defencive side. I wouldn't be too loud or talk to her too much. It wasn't too long and she was sitting beside me and smiling and laughing. I just love her so much. Everytime I look at these pictures it warms my heart.

I used the Studio Calico kit for May called Planetarium. I really wanted to hoard that Elle's Studio paper and I had a really hard time forcing myself to use it. But in my heart I knew that I would hoard it forever and it would sit in my stash and never get used. "Use it while you love it." as Shimelle Lain would say. So I did and I'm glad. I really love the look of it on the background. Thanks for looking. I can't post the video here, so head on over to YouTube and check out the process video..

I Heart This Girl Video

Monday, May 27, 2013

50 Projects Challenge

At the end of April, I joined the 50 Projects Facebook group. This group was set up by Tiffany Wagner O'Grady. The premiss behind the group is to create 50 projects before you buy any more supplies. I found this group from Nicole Jones (nicolejones911 on YouTube.) She had always mentioned that she was always buying products but never really using them. I could totally relate. I was a scrapbook shopper addict and I needed help. I feel like this group was like my Alcoholics Annonymous although it isn't annonymous on the group. In fact the total opposite. They are so wonderful and always commenting on the layouts posted. There is so much positivity and support that it's a refreshing change.

I was so excited when Two Peas in a Bucket started their series of videos called Scrap Your Stash. I figured this would fall right in line to helping me use up some of my supplies. But I was sadly dissapointed when I saw them using brand new products. I was hoping I would see them using up buttons or washi or maybe even patterened paper. Everybody has an abundace of this and it would be nice to see videos on it. So I've decided I'm going to start my own series of "Scrap Your Stash" with my own twist. Every Saturday will be "Saturday Stash Dive" where we will dive into some of our massive collections of stickers, buttons, brads, washi, etc. and use them in a different way to get them used up. I'm not sure if it will be videos or if it will just be blog posts, but watch here for more information.

I thought It would be fun for me to post the first 25 (plus one) pictures of my projects. You will see them below. They are in no particular order.