Nat Noted -- October 1/12

 

Hello! This is Natalie. I'm a part-time blogger, half-time scrapbooker and full-time mom.

"Nat Noted" will be coming to you every week on this blog. I'm so happy to be able to share all of the interesting paper crafting ideas, tips, tools, techniques, and other cool things that I find online. I would love to hear of any sites or blogs that you keep up with.

So without further ado, here are 12 of things I found online that I had to share with you. I hope you like them!

1. I love the cover of this mini-album. Kerryn Lawson did an awesome job painting and distressing the chipboard to make it look like a weather-worn metal gate.

Photo credit: Kerryn Lawson (asterixlawson)

2. Sketches are a big part of my scrapbooking process. I love how they inspire me and allow me to focus my creativity on colours, papers, embellishments and techniques. I usually go to PageMaps for sketches, but Basic Grey also shares sketches on their blog. This time they posted a sketch by designer Susan Stringfellow. Her blog is full of great sketches too! I love this one because I love double layouts.

Photo credit: Susan Stringfellow/Basic Grey

3. Love this card!

Photo credit: Carina Lindholm (Carinas scrapblog)

4. The ombre trend is popping up everywhere. Zoe Nemburt aka Ceydaboo has a great post on how to create this look with Glimmer Mists. If you have every shade of blue, pink and purple Glimmer Mists -- and I may have more than a few colours in my Glimmer Mist collection -- the ombre look seems pretty easy to achieve. Love Ceydaboo's canvas. 

Photo credit: Zoe Nemburt/Ceydaboo (From the Inside Out)

5. Starbucks has a Pumpkin Spice Latte and Lily Bee Design has an Autumn Spice collection. I can't wait to get my hands on both! Love this great layout by Lisa Dickinson featuring this great collection.

Photo credit: Lisa Dickinson (getting by)

6. I've made a few mini-albums and have even started an art journal. Minis make great gifts. Kids love making them. And they're a quick way to get your pictures into an album. Plus, they're short and sweet like me. ;-)  But rarely do I see binding that is this beautiful.


Photo credit: Janna Warner (papiersalat)

7. The new Studio Calico wood veneer embellishments are fantastic. Not only are they cute, but I just learned how to use them as masks when misting. They're also made for colouring and stamping. Love how Julia Stainton transformed these wood tags with stamps.

Photo credit: Julia Stainton (Belle Papier)

8. Confetti is trending right now and it looks great on layouts and cards. I love how Paige Evans used flower confetti to frame her layout. Isn't this wonderful? 

Photo credit: Paige Evans

9. Donna Downey is showcasing altered brushes in her studio and on her blog. You have to visit her blog these to see these amazing brushes. Her last post included so many good ones. If I have to pick a favourite, it would be this one because "I am enough" resonates with me right now.

Photo credit: Croppin' Spree (Donna Downey - simply me)

10. There were so many great Hallowe'en collections released at CHA, but the Lost and Found Hallowe'en from My Mind's Eye was my favourite. I don't know if it was because of the soft orange in the paper or the bling or the embellies, but I just loved it and can't wait to use it. Found this cool pennant from Thienly Azim.

Photo credit: Thienly Azim (Mod Paperie)

11. My Mind's Eye just released a new collection -- Lost & Found 3 Ruby. Featuring a gorgeous palette of pink, red, gray and cream, it's easy to imagine using this collection in Christmas layouts. But I think it would work well for everyday moments, picnics and Valentine's Day. I think it's gorgeous!

Photo credit: My Mind's Eye Blog

12. Stephanie Ackerman makes some beautiful art. I believe she's coming to Canada in 2013 to teach. I hope she's close to Ottawa so I can take one of her classes!! I love her "love."

Photo credit: Stephanie Ackerman

I hope you loved the first Nat Noted as much as I loved writing it. See you next week!

Love

Hello fellow scrapbookers!

The featured technique for Auntie Em's design team this month is stamping. I must admit, I don't stamp much. However, I do own stamps and really, it's high time I use them! Following the July sketch in the PageMaps calendar, I created this layout:

It's no secret: I love my little guy! Unfortunately, I don't have that many pictures of the two of us. Most of the time, I'm the one taking the pictures. So, the pictures I used in this layout are close-up but that's because I took them myself. Yes, I have long arms! But, short of nagging my husband, it's the only way I'm going to get pictures.

I digress...The Saturdays collection from Little Yellow Bicycle was a perfect fit for these pictures because it's the right mix of masculine and feminine.

I used stamps in three different areas of the layout. The first is on the circle piece of chipboard. I used Glimmer Mist on the chipboard. Here's a tip: when stamping on top of Glimmer Mist, make sure the mist is really really dry. Or else, your stamping will bleed (trust me, it happened to me!).

The used a second stamp on the bottom of my journalling box. 'Consider yourself hugged' just seemed appropriate.

I used two different stamps to create the title piece. First, I used the shape stamp and cut out the shape using my Tim Holtz scissors. Next, I used white pigment ink to stamp the word 'Love'. I'm really happy with the result!

Now it's your turn! Submit your layout following the PageMaps sketch of the month to Auntie Em's for your chance to win a prize!


Happy scrappin'!