April 12, 2013

Guesting for We R Memory Keepers

Happy Friday, everyone!

Today I’m guest designer with We R Memory Keepers. Have you seen my layout on their Facebook and followed the link here? If so, welcome! Good to have you! If you’re a regular reader, welcome back

I received a lovely assortment from WRMK’s “For the Record” line and was really drawn to this dark paper and the sentiment tag. The photo is of my husband, one of the first I took using the camera I had just bought. As you can see, I used WRMK’s Sew Easy – so easy! I’ve always admired those who do a lot of detail work on their pages, and using these tools made it easy to add embroidery! I layered the photo using some of the other papers and a doily (a staple of mine!).

From the Silhouette store, I got a couple of shapes from WRMK, but ended up using these butterflies on both layouts. I added some sequins to make it even more dreamy.

Instead of using Thickers or anything like that for a title, I used this tag. Turning it slightly to fit in the corner made the page more interesting, breaking with my normal, grid-like style.

My second layout also features my husband. We took a two-day motorcycle trip last summer, with more than just a few ferry crossings. For the trip, we brought this classic Norwegian chocolate crackers called Kvikklunsj and he had a few strips every time we caught a ferry, while posing for me and my iPhone! The photos are not from the same crossing, but that doesn’t really matter

There is a lot going on on this page here! I used one of the WRMK papers, but cut out the print on the side. Instead I added it on top of plain white cardstock, but… I cut out the butterflies and added more of those dark papers beneath it, creating a very cool effect. I used the same paper for the Silhouette-cut title.

Once more, doilies! I got some silver and gold foil doilies at Etsy and used those to layers the photos. This made me cut out even more butterflies (well, the ones from the negative space…) and embossed those with gold embossing powder.

I didn’t want the page to be too cute, so instead of adhering the butterflies to the page, I used my mini-stapler.

I really hope you’ve enjoyed your stay on my blog today and that you’ve been inspired. Have a great weekend, everyone!

April 4, 2013

About scrapbooking

I was a very new scrapper when I joined the first kit club. It was a kit club that just sent everything from a line and called it a ‘kit’. That was the way I scrapped then, but quickly left and moved to a club that used different lines and had a little something extra on the side. Those kits made me realize that scrapping is not just about heritage and frills and flowers and sepia-toned photos. That’s the style that was in in Norway then and I thought I was very strange for not following this through.

I came to scrapbooking with a background in photography (many of my photos are here on DeviantArt). I have done many different “genres” as a photographer – from ordinary news paper article styles, to portraits, to landscape (here) and also a lot of concert photography (general concerts photography, one particular band that I have many photos of,. I started scrapbooking as a way to showcase my photos and there is particularly one layout – my second ever – that stands out to me.

Kits have been an easy way for me to scrap. I like that I get to try different things – and therefore finding a style that suits me, yet gives me the chance to try something new and daring. It’s almost like I sound like a broken record, but my goal is to stamp more. Emboss more. Layer more. Being part of a kit club has also shown me that scrapping is ok – whichever style you have. It’s showed me that the same product can be used so many different ways, and for me, I think that is what has changed me as a scrapper the most.

April 2, 2013

Simple Scrapper April Blog Hop

Welcome to Simple Scrapper’s April blog hop! This time we’ve got an amazing give-away. I promise you, you won’t be disappointed.

This month I’ve got two layouts to show you: The one I made using one of the new sketches from Simple Scrapper’s April collection and the one I made using April Story Starter prompts.

I really liked the letter-sized sketches this month! It’s been a while since I made a layout this size, and in a way I was amazed how crowded the paper became

For this layout I chose a photo of T and Nymeria, our youngest cat. I used I Lowe Scrap paper and a Sodalicious tag instead of journaling.

I cut parts of the title using my Cameo, but also added some flair and October Afternoon alphas stickers.

The banner was cut without measuring much. I added a doily to layer it all a bit more (a stapler for me, isn’t it?).

For the Story Starter prompt, I went a bit outside the box. I chose a self-portrait of myself, but added a card instead of that fourth photo on the sketch.

I used some Becky Higgins PL journaling cards as extensions of the photos and added the journaling.

The journaling is about one of the reasons why I chose this profession. The journaling on the card reflects many of the thoughts I have each morning as part of getting ready. It can be easy to feel down on yourself, feeling you never do the right thing, working as a teacher, so I try to tell myself what I do correct

Now that you’ve seen my pages, I really think you should hop on over to the next designer on the list!

Simple Scrapper (Jennifer Wilson)
Jeryn Carlisi
Lisa Corbin-Polak
Ronnie Crowley
Holly Humbert
Margrethe Aas Johnsen <– THAT’S ME!
Amy Kingsford
Aimee Maddern
Jean Manis
Van Nguyen
Melissa Priest
Celeste Smith
Sara Case Strickland

So, are you ready for the big give-away? Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter a giveaway for a one-year premium membership at Simple Scrapper. There are three ways to enter and three winners will be selected. To be eligible, you must enter by 11:59pm CDT on Friday, April 5.

Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter a giveaway for a one-year premium membership at Simple Scrapper. There are three ways to enter and three winners will be selected. To be eligible, you must enter by 11:59pm CDT on Friday, April 5.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Premium Membership at Simple Scrapper provides skills and shortcuts to help you simplify and find more meaning in your memory keeping. Each month members receive a new collection of sketch templates and Story Starters, story-focused prompts for pages and projects.

March 28, 2013

Celebrate the good times

I created this layout yesterday while husband took a quick spin on his motorcycle. It came together really easily – and I didn’t spend more than (at most) and hour and a half from start to finish, and that includes snapping the photos and editing them!

The photos are from earlier this month when my mom turned 66. She was born on March 8th, 1946, and the date is fitting. As you probably know, March 8th is the International Women’s Day and my mom is a big feminist!

For this layout I used Elle’s Studio’s new papers, one from the line called You and Me and one from Day to Day. I also added a a piece from a Sodalicious paper and a bit of Studio Calico. Beneath it all is a few strips of black and white arrow washi tape (not sure where I got it). The balloons are stamps from Mama Elephant - a brand that was new to me a little over a month ago (but they are soooo cute!).

When creating this, I did something I normally don’t – mist splatters! I do like the effect though!

I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut the title from plain black, textured cardstock and used some very old Cosmo Cricket stickers for the subtitle. I love the transparent background of those – makes them very versatile!

I used the app called Camera+ to take the photos and edit them slightly. You might have seen them before if you follow me on Instagram. I usually take the photos in Camera+ and I do have a weak spot for the filter called ‘Ansel’. Afterwards I often run them through PicFX and use the filter called PFX 10 – it creates a really awesome effect on black and white photos; almost makes it look like a matte print. You can see what I mean here.

Best wishes for a happy Thursday!

March 27, 2013

Unpublished layout

I was looking through the folder where I keep the layouts I made in 2012 and I came across this one – a previously unpublished layout.

On this I used Amy Tangerine Sketchbook tappers and embellishments + an embroidered tag by Sasha Farina. She is amazing with the needle and you can get your own tags in her shop. The stamp is by Kelly Purkey – love her designs! After adhering the die-cut title, I decided to outline it using a black marker. That makes is easier to read and adds a bit of dimension!

Thank you for visiting!

March 26, 2013

A friend is someone who…

Happy Tuesday!

Today I want to share a layout that I made after being very inspired by this week’s Studio Calico challenge. Kinsey’s layout is so gorgeous! I’ve never really used my Silhouette Cameo like this before – making a large, negative space title like this, but it was really fun! I chose to use one font only, but still emphasising some of the words by making them larger.

I chose to paper by Amy Tangerine only. I bought these last summer and haven’t used them yet (!!!). I love the colors and the patterns, but they haven’t really fit the layout I’ve made this year. I chose to spice things up a bit, but still try to choose papers that “fit the words” so that they were still readable.

I had originally printed a 4×6 photo, but seeing how large the title came out, I had to re-print as 3×4. I layered using the same papers plus some doilies.

It was so much fun cutting a large, bold title like this – I’ll definitely be doing it again! If you want to download the title as a cut file (.studio), you may do so here. I would love to see you create something with it, so if you do, please link me up!

Thanks for visiting today!

March 25, 2013

Sneaks!

I’m done making my Simple Scrapper for April, but want to keep them a secret until the blog hop next week! There hasn’t been time for much scrapping lately, and I really want to share something, so here are some sneaks…

For the new sketches, I made a letter-sized layout. Here’s a sneak…

For the Story Starter, I used the same self-portrait 3 times and a wood veneer card as a stand-in for the fourth photo spot.
Can’t wait to share these with you all!

March 19, 2013

Daisy Devotion

The designers over at Cocoa Daisy has started this wonderful tradition of highlighting their members every once in a while, and fittingly enough, they can it Daisy Devotion. I came home from work today to find me as the subject (or should that be object?) this time around.

That made me realize that I have not even shared one of the layouts that was shared on their blog a couple of weeks ago. Oops!

I love this photo of my mom from when she was little. I don’t know the precise year, but judging from her size, it must have been in 1950 or 1951? I love how she’s walking away from the camera, the way she carries her purse and her general attitude. It reminds me of this old Norwegian song En liten pike i lave sko (A little girl in low shoes).

(When I did my Bachelor course on gender studies, I used this photo and the song for my oral presentation! I used my family’s history to show the evolution of Norwegian gender roles.)

For this layout, I really want to use many layers.

I used washi tape beneath the different patterned papers to create even more dimension, in addition to curling, sanding and ripping the edges of the paper.

I also journaled straight onto the photo as I didn’t know where to put my journaling. The effect if great, if you ask me!

Thanks for visiting today!

March 16, 2013

New Scrap365!

Hello!

The newest Scrap365 is out and I received my copy today!

If you don’t know the magazine, it’s a UK-based scrapbooking magazine that offers the very latest and trendiest layouts and techniques. They’ve got an amazing design team, but also accepts layouts from readers. Click the image above to buy a subscription. You will not regret it!

This issue includes my three page article on Instragram for scrapbooking and there’s a sketch at the back based on one of the layouts I made. Here’s a sneak peek at the two layout in the article:

March 14, 2013

Without you…

Without you, my dear readers, there’d be no reason to blog (other than record keeping for myself).

So this is for you: Thank you for taking part in my life, sharing your thoughts and your own scrapbook layouts. I love swinging by your blogs – I try to always do so whenever someone leaves me a comment.

This post on Michelle’s blog really made me smile today. Michelle in a scrapper I deeply admire. She is not afraid to show her own unique style. And having her credit me for her change makes me scratch my head a bit… I thought she had inspired me to do my own thing, not the other way around. I guess her Hot Topic-post yesterday was really useful and insightful.

So, thank you, Michelle, for your kind words:

I also want to thank Margrethe Aas Johnsen of OneLifeDocumented

Margrethe’s work over at Scrapbook.com got me to stop trying to imitate the Prima design team and start making original work.

If you want a lesson in disciplined and modern scrapbooking swing by her blog.