Something old, Something new...

If you're anything like me, when you get new scrappy goodies, you dive right in, often forgetting the many treasures you already own. I'm going to share with you just a few approaches on how to incorporate some older product onto your pages without making them look dated.  Don't worry, I know you've got new stuff you're dying to use,  we're just going to sneak a bit of aging stuff in, in order to clear a bit of room for the next trend.

Patterned paper- If you're used to using lots of solid or neutral backgrounds for your pages, dig through your older papers, and pick out some that can be used as solids, and keep them nearby when working on new pages. Often, you can slip them in with a new collection. On this page, I used the reverse of an older My Mind's Eye paper ( green dot) paired with a new sheet from The Amy Tangerine Ready Set Go Collection. You can always slide in scraps of those older papers too, as decorative border strips, as I did with a piece from Sassafras Lass.

Letters- Maybe it's because I love letter stickers so much, but I think even the craziest fonts or colours will work somewhere somehow. Don't forget about the basics you already own, and don't be afraid to use several fonts to make up a title if need be. I used an older sheet of Candy Shoppe letters from Doodlebug Design Inc, to make this simple title.

Embellishments- I added a few stickers from Crate Paper Story Teller collection and some flags from the October Afternoon Sassparilla Collection. These are still newer products, but were being neglected since I had newer things to play with. The really old bits include the metal framed tag and chipboard apple from American Crafts. The key to making everything work, is to keep a balance between the older items, and some newer trendier items or techniques. In this case the wooden shapes I coloured with Distress Stain, and the stenciled background help to keep the page feeling current. 

Trends are cyclical, and it seems everything old is new again. So don't discount your older embellishments and papers, you may be surprised at how well you can incorporate them with the newer treasures you've just brought home. 

Have fun mixing it up!

Erin

Princess Party!

This month, I am using some of the lovely Lily Bee products found in the store!

I really wanted to keep this page simple ! I used one of the Lily Bee index journalling cards tucked in behind one of the photos and lots of those little lovelies in the Lily Bee bag of bits.

 I used both the Buttercup and Handmade lines on this page - I love that you can intermix their lines so easily!

Those bits are amazing for adding just a touch here and there - I added some twine and made a banner using my Tim Holtz tiny attacher too :) It is one of my go-to tools these days!!

As always, there are lots of sales going on in the store - and have you seen the new drool worthy Evalicious!!! Heaven!

Check out the newest SMASH stuff HERE - it is perfect for pages and SMASH albums too :)

Happy Scrapping!

Let's talk versatility

So, this month, I though I would take a different angle at my assignments. I browsed through the LCOM store and there was SO much I wanted to get - and sadly, I couldn't!!! But, there were ways for me to get some of the things I really wanted and not break my budget either!

The main thing I got was a couple paper pads - nope, not 12x12 - 6x6. Really, the main difference is that the patterns are smaller in size - but really - I don't think it makes a difference!

Here is a page I created using just a 6x6 paper pad + 1 other 12x12 sheet for a base for the layout:

You can tell that the patterns are smaller -but I think it fits! Check out closer up and see.

 The patterns on the papers work just as good smaller as larger!! If you didn't know... I bet you wouldn't even know it was made with a smaller sized paper!

 and i just have to say that these are my new favorite letters from American Crafts:

*** and they come in a bunch of different colours too ***

I chose a couple lines by My Mind's Eye from the store to work with - but there are 6x6 paper pads by all these manufacturers in the store right now:

Echo Park

My Mind's Eye

Pink Paislee

Simple Stories

Tim Holtz

other supplies:

October Afternoon - buttons

My Mind's Eye - brads

I have another project to share with you this week using the smaller size- come back and check it out! :)

Of course, make sure you check out what is NEW at LCOM this month!

*{Having it All}*

This layout was so fun to create. I cannot tell you how crazy fun it is to work with Simple Stories stuff, it's overwhelming at the possibilities that are available! (Overwhelmingly good though!!) I enjoy the thickness of the paper, but it's perfect for distressing too. The colors are beautiful, the fonts are fantastic, the feel the line gives out is warm and cheery -- yet if you need to say something striking and important you can and it won't get lost.

Make sure you check the store for great products and great customer service!!!

Have a wonderful Friday!!! Hope you can work some scrappy time in this weekend!! Whatever your plans, have a great one!! :)

Display Your Memories the Tim Holtz Way

Tim Holtz Configurations Tray
by Krissy Clark McKee

If you want a fantastic, creative way to showcase your photographs and you are looking for something a little different than the usual scrapbook page, perhaps you should give the Tim Holtz Configurations Tray a try! Not only do you have the freedom to add as many or few photos as you want, but the moveable boxes really allow you to create wonderful 3-D displays of treasured mementos or pieces of ephemera.

The small boxes come in a plain beige color which are suitable for inking, painting or covering in paper as I have done. You can also move the individual boxes around to help achieve just the right look for you!

I was initially going to use more photographs and only my most recently purchased Tim Holtz products for my Configurations Tray; however, the more I played with it, the more I began pulling out stickers, charms, buttons, ribbons - basically all the things sitting in my scrapbook stash that I was going to finish using "some day" - much of it purchased over the past year from the STORE!

I used pop dots to add dimension to some of my ephemera, and each object was glued down so it wouldn't move (or fall off). After I glued my Tim Holtz papers onto each box, I covered everything in a gel medium. And, of course, because I was doing my best to channel Mr. Holtz I ripped, distressed, inked, crumpled, misted, crackle-painted and grunged just about everything I touched!

Would you like a closer look? Here you go:

Hope my month of Tim Holtz has inspired you to go check out his products and all the other fabulous fall shipments that have arrived at the STORE!

Products Used:

Tim Holtz Configurations Tray
Tim Holtz Idea-ology Newsprint Alphas, Chain Tassels, Plaquettes,Crowded Attic Paper, Crowded Attic Stickers
Other Tim Holtz Products: Keys, Clocks, Ribbon, Frames, Art Tags, Gears,Safety Pins, Distress Ink Tea Dye
Glitz Laced with Grace Journaling Stickers and Title Stickers
My Mind's Eye Lost and Found Union Square Tags
Buttons
Flower
Burlap
Scrabble-Type Tiles
Charms
Ranger Crackle Paint and Glossy Accents
Acrylic Gel Medium

Everyday Tim Holtz

By Krissy Clark McKee

When you think of Tim Holtz, the words "distressed" and "grunge" and maybe even "ephemera" come to mind. Projects made with Tim Holtz supplies always seem to use lots of ink, layers of paper, trinkets, gears and such. However, you can just as easily use Tim Holtz supplies to make simple everyday cards that take only a short amount of time to create yet make a big statement!

One reason my cards came together so quickly is because I used the Tim Holtz Crowded Attic paper pack. This collection of paper has everything from sheets with just one pattern to sheets covered in small squares and borders and everything in between.

And if you want to dress things up a little more, you can simply use Tim Holtz Ribbon like I did with my "Joy" card, or you can add small trinkets, buttons or items like his wonderful tiny metal hangers such as I did with this card:

Products Used:
Tim Holtz Crowded Attic Paper Pack
Tim Holtz Crowded Attic Stickers
Tim Holtz Ideology Ribbon
Tim Holtz Ideaology Hangers
Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Antique Linen)
Tim Holtz Crackle Paint
Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type Alphas (Black and Brown)
Small Burlap Square
Border Punch

Love Affair

Boardwalk
By Krissy Clark McKee

Guess what? I am having an intense, serious love affair...with Tim Holtz. No, not the living, breathing Tim Holtz but with all of his scrapbooking products! Why? Because Tim Holtz stuff is so cool and fun and a little bit funky. His CROWDED ATTIC paper pack has a fantastic combination of neutral and richly colored papers, filled with various-sized images that would make anyone want to fussy cut. And I don't know how, but the more you crumple, tear, ink and otherwise distress Tim Holtz paper, the BETTER it looks!

I wanted my layout to have a vintage theme and look like something you might find in an old trunk in an attic so I edited some recent staycation photos to give them a sepia tint. My faux ruler at the bottom of the photos and the journaling tag hidden behind the left photo, which looks like the cover to an old stamp pad, are both from the Crowded Attic paper pack.

And those pretty Tim Holtz papers make gorgeous embellishments when combined with items like his CHAIN TASSELS and buttons. See?

Finally, I think the Tim Holtz Alpha-Parts Ransom Letters look so cool - almost as if I had taken apart a small printing press and used the keys from it!

I have so enjoyed creating this layout and I strongly urge you to go get some Tim Holtz for yourself at the STORE, get your hands dirty, and have some fun!

PRODUCTS USED:
Tim Holtz: Crowded Attic Papers, Alpha-Parts Ransom Letters, Tassels
Other Tim Holtz Products: Ideology Trimmings, Wander Tag, Clock Hand, Distress Ink (Walnut Stain, Tea Dye)
3 Buttons
2 Number Tabs
3 Rub-Ons
2 Border Punches
Flower Punch
Glimmer Mist