Dance Layout for Scrapbook Sketch Challenge

I have another scrapbook page to share featuring my youngest daughter's Lyrical dance photo.  Her routine for this year's dance recital was breath-taking!  Alaina is in the most wonderful dance program.  It's called Bella School of Dance and the owner Anna Kate's mission is to teach dance in a wholesome and age-appropriate manner.  Her dance school is highly relational and non-competitive.  The recitals are so moving and expressive!

This Share What You Love DSP just retired but I thought it went too perfectly with Alaina's costume not to use it.  

I added a TON of Basic Rhinestones to my scalloped circle die.  I had just half as many stuck on originally, then took a deep breath and added the other half - and I loved it!  The sentiment is from the (very) retired En Suite stamp set.  

Check out the title!  I stamped it in alternating colors of Blackberry Bliss and Old Olive.  I wanted it to stand out more so I added a small strip of Vellum beneath it and some pearls to the letters.  Tip: Remember, you can use Stampin' Blends markers to color your pearls to make them any shade you want!

I made this layout for The Studio Challenges June sketch challenge.  I almost always use a sketch when I scrapbook because it allows me to focus on the fun part - mixing and matching colors and patterns, journaling, and adding embellishments.

If you would like a copy of the NEW Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog and you don't already have a demonstrator you love, send me an email at nicole@thejoyfulstamper.com.  I'd love the opportunity to earn your business!  

Old Stuff is Fun, Too

I get it.  

I understand the hold-your-breath anticipation of seeing the UPS truck rumble down your street, knowing your Stampin' Up! order is out for delivery and on that vehicle.

I, too, have felt the heart-pounding thrill of seeing that truck stop in front of your home and the beautiful man in brown walking to your front porch with a (hopefully) large box that has "Stampin' Up!" printed on its sides.

And maybe, once you have opened the box and lovingly caressed your precious new supplies, you even SNIFFED THE PAPER.  

I do it.

A new Stampin' Up! order is fun to get and will always be fun to get.  But it is also fun to blow the dust off our older supplies and create with those.  Doing so brings back memories and feelings of nostalgia for me, because seasons of my life are tied up in when I first enjoyed those older products.  My newer supplies haven't had a chance yet to make those sentimental connections.

I got my youngest daughter Alaina's dance photos back and decided to participate in Sketch-N-Scrap's sketch challenge.  

I will never part with Stampin' Up!'s En Suite set.  I tried to get a good shot of this - I stamped in Versamark on Basic Black cardstock, sprinkled with black embossing powder, then heat set.  I love the subtle effect it adds to the layout!  I die-cut the images with our Stitched Shapes Dies and Stitched Rectangle Dies.

The flower piece in Alaina's hair inspired this embellishment.  I used the retired Blossom Builder, Pansy, and Petite Petals punches to create it with Cherry Cobbler  and Basic Black cardstocks.  The new Hot Air Balloon punch would make great large petals, too!  My title was stamped with the Letterpress Alphabet set (one of the first sets I ever got) in Real Red ink and cut with Paper Snips.  The Paper Snips are small and sharp enough to navigate these letters and make fussy cutting a breeze.  

I didn't want white pearls on my title so I colored them with my Dark Basic Black Stampin' Blend marker.  You can make your pearls any color you want with our Stampin' Blend markers! 

This layout is going into a 12" x 12" shadow box I got here and will be hung on our living room wall.  Alaina also dances in Lyrical and Jazz classes so I'll show you those layouts in future posts.  I hope I've inspired you to mix old and new products on your layouts!  Leave me a comment letting me know what you like to scrapbook!

If you would like a copy of the NEW Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog and you don't already have a demonstrator you love, send me an email at nicole@thejoyfulstamper.com.  I'd love the opportunity to earn your business!  

Senior Photos Mini Album

This post is image heavy but there are so many details in this project to show you! I wanted to make a mini album showcasing my favorite photos from my oldest girl's senior photo shoot.  Here's the cover and a peek at how the inside pages are assembled:

The pages are 6"x12" pieces of cardstock, scored at 4" and 8" on the long side.  This gives you three 6"x4" panels to each cardstock piece.  I folded them accordion style, then glued the last panel of each piece to the first panel of the next piece.  I then cut DSP to 6"x4" and glued those to each cardstock panel.  I then went crazy with embellishing!

 I made this two months ago so my album uses Stampin' Up! products that are retired but Stampin' Up! has so many current beautiful papers and embellishments in the new Annual Catalog that can work for this album.  

Tips and Tricks:

• Don't overthink!  This project flowed wonderfully because I did not allow myself to fret over placement.  I just "went for it".
• Pull out just a handful of supplies that all coordinate.  For this project, I went with one pack of DSP, its matching cardstock colors, and Stampin' Blends.  I added a few dies and a pack of wooden embellishments to the pile, and proceeded to make this album using only those supplies.  This also helps with not overthinking.
• Create with love.  Working with my daughter's senior photos was a joy and that translated into easy creativity.  It was fun reminiscing about raising her as I cut and glued.