Members Spotlight: using theme items

Happy Friday! Today I want to showcase some of our members and their clever use of theme items on non-theme pages.

hera used the Documentary kit (July 2009) for this family picture. I love how she used all these travel items for a non travel page. The tickets and the map tags at the bottom... perfect!


Here, MandieLou used the Documentary collection for this sweet mustache page. How adorable is this? :)


Check out how scoop71 used all these home items (Homefront + Documentary + Houses stamp) for a family picture. Lovely!



Finally, I love how tinacloer used Airshow from Partly Sunny on this page. I think these airplanes work great for *any* boy page!

I hope you get inspired to use all those theme items and join the challenge this week. Have a great weekend :)

Two Very Fun People

Today's member spotlight is really a two-for-one bonus. I was going through my CHA photos and when I saw this picture of Em, Barb, and me, I knew what had to be done. WAY back, 3 years ago, when Studio Calico was very new and fresh, I met these two friends on the message board and immediately decided I liked them. They have both been here from the beginning, so I thought it was about time they got the spotlight.

So without further ado, I give you Emily Spahn and Barb Novak! Interspersed between the answers are their top 3 favorite layouts/projects.

1. How did you two meet? How did you become friends? Who joined SC first?

B: We met through a circle journal organized by a friend on Two Peas. That was probably five years ago. We met up about a year later in real life (went out for ice cream) and have been great friends since. Even our husbands are friends now! And, in case you were wondering - neither one of us ever got our circle journal back. :) We both joined SC at about the same time without telling the other (I think) and have been around since the first kit.

Barb

E: We met online probably in 2005?? We were part of a 2peas circle journal (that of course went horribly wrong!!). We met in real life in July of 2006...where thank goodness we discovered that the other was totally normal! ;) We've been friends since then and have had all kinds of fun online and real life adventures! We've even gone on vacation together and our husbands are now friends, too. We have both been at SC since the very beginning, but if you want to get technical, I joined first on 6/13/2007 and Barb joined three days later on 6/16/2007.

2. You've been around SC for a long time, list your top 3 favorite kits ever.

B: In no particular order:
Farm Fresh
Looking Glass
Whodunit

And, I will admit here that I am still hoarding part of Billboard. I just can't bring myself to break it apart and add it to my stash. (me too Barb, me too.)

E: Oh goodness. I don't know! That's really tough. I think my favorite kits were: Billboard (the first ever SC kit), Soda Fountain (June 2009?), and Partly Sunny (June 2010?). But I think this month's kit might be a new favorite...

3. What's your favorite tool or product?

B: Ledger paper
E: Patterned Paper and Kraft cardstock. I could scrap forever with only these two things, I think!!

Emily

4. Give me a quick rundown of how you create. What you start with, how you choose, etc.

B: I start with pictures and then find a sketch or something else to be inspired by. Then, I just play with paper and embellishments until I get it right. I'm an irritating person to scrapbook with because I'm always asking, "How does this look?" or "What about this?" And, I have to be honest and say that I'm a huge scraplifter, too. It's tough for me to make something without being inspired by someone or something else. I do always give credit to my source, though.

E: I almost always start with a specific paper or color scheme. I usually pick this before I even pick a photo. Totally backwards, I know!! I like to use lots of mismatched papers on my layouts, so I will build around either my original paper or the color scheme I chose. So if I know I want some green, I might have six different green papers laying out and choose the one that "fits" best. After it's all put together, I might try to throw a few embellishment on, though I admit that embellishments make me a little scared!

5. List 3 things that make you happy right now.

B: Mad Men, Sleeping late, and Iced lattes with honey.

E: At this very moment?? (Looking around...) Zucchini bread from the Madison Farmer's Market. My new orange bag from Canvas (thanks to Laura Kurz for sharing that store!). And the crabby, but cute little blonde that is pulling on my pants leg as I type this.

Barb

6. Describe your style in 10 words or less. Now describe Em's/Barb's in 10 words or less.

B: I'll would say that Em's style is patterned, colorful, quirky, and fun. I especially love how she mixes patterned paper and uses fonts. For myself, I want to be simple and classic. As much as I love product and paper, I really want to showcase a picture or two and tell a story in a way that is timeless and appealing.

E: My style....easy, fun, kinda simple?? I don't know how to describe my own!! Barb's style is easier for me to define...also semi-simple but with awesome little details. totally cool.

Emily

7. Who has influenced your scrapping style?

B: My first scrap-crush was Becky Higgins. For awhile, I didn't make anything without one of her sketches nearby. From there, I found The Dares and started to be a little less square and symmetrical. Sometime around then, I also found Ali Edwards and wanted to learn how to tell a story. And, at some point I found Shimelle Laine and got interested in making mini-albums. Right now, though, some of my favorites are: Lisa Dickinson, Jill Sprott, Tina Aszmus, and Laura Kurz.

E: My two favorite scrappers of all time are probably Shelly Lamming and Kelli Crowe, which is funny because I don't actually scrap much like either one of them!

8. What keeps you hanging around SC?

B: The people I have gotten to know here, the great kits, and the gallery. I can always find something to look at in the gallery.

E: The fantastic kits, the friendly people, and the great service. :)

Barb

9. What's your favorite vegetable?

B: In the winter I would say broccoli. Right now, though, I'm all about the zucchini.

E: Sqaush? Or creamed corn at Thanksgiving, but that's a starch, I suppose. I think I might be more of a fruit girl.

Emily

10. Which SC line have you loved the most?

B: I'm super excited for Elementary - especially the Penmanship paper.

E: I can't wait to get my hands on the new Elementary line. I love it all!!

Thanks so much ladies, I have had a blast reading your answers and seeing the layouts that top your personal favorites list. I hope you readers have enjoyed getting to know these two members better too. :)

Emily (it's so weird to call her Emily, she's EM), shared this final photo with us, it documents their first IRL meeting. Don't you love being a scrapper!?!

Top Ten Favorites: Final Countdown

In the #5 spot is "You & Me Today" by Lisa Dickinson. Love the layering, the texture and the color combo.

#4, "He" by dpayne, is one of my recent personal favorites. The mist, the stitching...I love every single piece of this layout.


The #3 spot is filled by our own Susan Weinroth, with her layout, "A Surprise." She made good use of the crown punch and circle punch.


#2 is another of my favorite layouts - "Dream" by Qingmei. She used a ton of techniques on this one - by using the Hot Air Balloon stamp (my favorite) and all different sizes of circle punches, she really put some thought into this layout.


And finally, our #1 Favorite layout - "Look Out, Ocean" by JustG. Super simple layout, just some kraft, a little ink and a fantastic picture.


That's it for our Top Ten Favorites!

xoxo,
Steph

Bold Member Inspiration

Here are some layouts that caught my eye in the Studio Calico gallery. These members made some bold design decisions, and created some great layouts!

by Ursala

I really like her bold use of that huge feather.
Very brave, and it works!

by Margrethe

I love the bold contrasting colors in this layout.
The black and white, and red and aqua that Margrethe chose catch your eye immediately.

by JenniferSanborn

Jennifer also used color in a bold way.
I love how she chose a bright green and worked it through the whole layout.
YUM YUM!

by Penny

I love the bold titlework in this layout by Penny.
Having the title take up a large amount of room is one great way to make a statement.

by Elise

I love how Elise used a large interesting photo with her title printed right on it to pull you in.
Adding embellishments on top of photos is one of my favorite layout treatments!

by Marit

Another bold use of photos is to cut the focal point out of the background.
This retro treatment hearkens back to the early days of scrapbooking, but Marit makes it work!

Member Inspiration - Documentary + Partly Sunny

It's official - Documentary is live and shipping! That means the gallery is filling up with fantastic layouts. Here's a few that caught my eye:


By MandieLou




By Tina A



By BrwnEyes525



by DPayne

So if you haven't picked any up yet, this is a great line for all of your summer projects...and when you do, make sure to link up to the gallery!

And, there have been a few fantastic layouts from our last kit, Partly Sunny, as well.


by DPayne



By Norcha



By Kimberlyaltga

xoxo,
Steph W

paper + fabric continued

In case you missed them (and because they are amazing & deserve a shout out) I want to post some of the projects done for this week's challenge...

by midwesternsewinggirl

by brianaj

by Andreamac

I love all the different ideas and textures here... Thank you for playing along and sharing your wonderful work with us, ladies. And if you haven't played yet you still have a couple more days so hurry :)

granny's cupboard

Partly Sunny shipping notices are showing up in inboxes all over the globe - so I thought we'd give Granny's Cupboard a proper send off. There are so many gorgeous pages in the member gallery and I'm going to share a few with you today. While these pages aren't summer themed, you can use the colors, designs and page ideas as a jumping off point to get your summer photos scrapped.


(by Linda Sobolewski)

I love how Linda used the wave of the scalloped envelope as a guide for her titlework - this design would look beautiful with a series of beach pictures. I could also see photos from an ice cream shop on this page - those colors would be perfect!


(by rmoliverio)

I love this multi photo design - it would work well for recapping a week of your summer, or for an activity where you have more than one photo you want to feature. And the topic? Perfect. Summer isn't all sunny days and running through the sprinkler -go ahead and capture the "but mom, I'm booooooooooooooooooooored" and "but it's too HOT to play outside" moments. They might be frustrating now, but I promise you'll look back at them and laugh (at least, that's what I tell myself! ;)


(by Nora Griffin)

How gorgeous is that masked off tree on Nora's background? It's a perfect accent for her page about family, but when I saw it, it reminded me that I need to get some photos of my littlest guy hanging out in the shade with the other little kids at his big brothers' ball games. It's only natural to head for the shade to rest and recharge on hot days - those quiet moments would make a great photo opportunity.


(by astrid)

This page by Astrid just looks like a sunny day, doesn't it?? Her design is perfect to feature that one great summer photo you've been hoarding - the subtle circle created with the clear buttons really brings the focus to the photograph, and ties all of the main elements together.


(by allieh)

I love the simplicity of Allie's design - it really lets her photo shine. This would be a perfect way to scrap any detail shot of summer - dirty toes, scraped knees, popsicle covered faces, wrinkle-y fingers after being in the pool too long.


(by qingmei)

I love the side by side photos here, and how Geralyn uses photographs from the same place at different times. This would work well for a this summer / last summer page - I'd love to do one of my littlest then and now on the swing. It would also work well for first day / last day of school photos, or for showing growth in your garden.


(by reeni)
I adore how this page records a new summer tradition - it has me making a list of our usual summertime traditions so that I can get them onto pages. What sorts of things do you do in the summer that you don't do other times? My boys and I love to take advantage of the lunch specials at the pizza place on our corner - something we can't do during the school year.

There's still a couple days left to make a page for our summer challenge - I hope this has inspired you to get scrapping!

Member Spotlight

This week's member is Paloma1815. Her funky, simple style makes me want to drop everything and scrap. I love her use of white space and her teeny, tiny pictures.


1. Name/Screenname:

Paloma1815. I'm Spanish but I live in Waterloo (Belgium), where Napoleon got busted in 1815!

2. Who has most influenced your style? Explain.

I've been influenced by just about everybody! I guess I'm a very receptive girl : I love browsing through blogs, snooping around… I then make a mental note of what I love and try to use it after on my layout and my own way.

3. What 3 items can you not live without?

Alphabets, rubons, stitching and journaling!

4. Any guilty pleasures?

My husband. Oh and chocolate and... to read a good book in the bed!

5. What's your favorite Studio Calico kit?

Tough question... There is always something interesting, something new... errr, Over the Rainbow, maybe and Via Airmail...

6. What's inspiring you right now?

paint (splatters, mist, and so on), little pieces of paper, small photos.

7. Choose a layout that best represents you as a scrapper?

Visit her gallery here...

And check out her blog here.

Thanks for being inspiring, Paloma!

Using Type Creatively

Typography is what usually draws me to anything - whether it's a scrapbook layout, or a book cover. These posters and layouts caught my eye by using type in a smart way.



(source)

This card by amyharle








(source)


This layout by Paloma1815





(source)


This layout by Beth Ann






(source)

And this layout by Megan Klauer


Thanks for the inspiration, ladies!