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Now that the month of December has started, it's only fitting that your Auntie Em's design team use Christmas-themed paper and embellishments for this month's challenge.

The collection used this month is Holly Jolly Christmas by Echo Park. It's from a few seasons ago but that just goes to show how you can find a use for past collections, even if you've past it many times in the store. Plus, it's Echo Park and how could that be bad? (It's no secret - I love Echo Park!)

Following the 2012 PageMaps calendar sketch for December, I decided to use one larger picture for this layout.

This picture brings back so many fantastic memories for me - and isn't that what scrapbooking is all about?! It was taken Christmas morning 2008 of my husband Matt holding our exactly 2-month old son Samuel. I just happened to be snapping a few pictures of papa and Sam when I saw it...Sam's first smile! Seriously. I managed to get a picture of Sam's first smile! How lucky was that??! It was such a special day to begin with but this made it even more special - my kid smiled for the first time. As any parent will tell you, this is an amazing moment that you'll never forget. Such a big moment obviously deserves it's own scrapbooking page!

I layered several patterned papers and matted the picture with the chevron pattern. I first used the Big Shot to emboss the paper with a snowflake pattern. To add some sparkle, I used Glimmer Glam in Chandelier. I also added a piece of brown trim to the bottom. Lastly, I distressed the edges of my picture and wrapped it with twine. My bow wasn't as perfect as I would have liked so I added a white brad.

The collection was accompanied by chipboard stickers and I used to the pendant in the top left of the page.

Journalling is always an important part of the scrapbooking process for me. I used the Big Shot to create my own journalling box.

Now that my husband and I are expecting our second child, I realize how fast time with Sam has gone by. It seems like yesterday that I was celebrating my first Christmas as a parent. Preserving memories through scrapbooking allows me to look back and remember these good times that fly by so quickly.

Happy scrappin'! I hope everyone has a safe and happy Christmas/holidays filled with family, friends, love and good food.

~Sarah



Life is Good - Your Design Team's November Sketch Challenge

The cool weather is now upon us, so it's a great time to get some crafting done! This month, your Auntie Em's design team used the Life is Good collection by Echo Park and our layouts feature distressing techniques.

Lorena's take:

Nancy's take:

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For the distressing I pulled out a few pages from a notebook that had a nice little bicycle image in the corner. I crinkled it and sprayed some glimmer mist on it and worked it in to give the paper an antique feel I did this twice wetting the paper as well to make it really wrinkled and blow dried it. Layered 2 of those and voila my page was complete.

Sarah's take:

I used clear Tim Holtz Distress Crackle Paint on all the pattern papers. I distressed the brown vertical band by using the chipboard flowers and sand paper and by distressing the edges. I also distressed the edges of my photos by using a file.

Stephanie's take:

I used brown VersaMark ink on my pattern circles and photo mat, and used a photo from Instagram that had a distressed grainy look to it.  


You too can submit your PageMaps calendar November layout for a chance to win a prize from Auntie Em's Scrapbooking. All you need to do is create a layout based on the sketch using distressing techniques with product purchased from Auntie Em's.  So, bring your layout into the store!

Pretty Girl

For this months design team layout, I once again used pictures of my niece.  She is usually my subject of choice when I have girly paper, or embellishments to use.  It also helps that she enjoys getting her picture taken, unlike my son who either makes a silly face or places his hands in front of it.  

This month the PageMaps challenge is to create a Flag or Pendant on your layout based on the August PageMaps sketch from the Scrapbook & Cards Today calendar.  I couldn't figure out where to put the chipboard bird, so I decided to use it to create my flag.  I wanted it to look like he was holding one end of the tread and wrapped the other end around the wooden buttons.  I guess it's not really a flag in the traditional sense, but hey... scrapbooking isn't about being traditional and always following the rules.  

  
A little iridescent embossing on the chipboard letters and of course some stickles on the pink flowers of the pattern paper, and voila... Done!

August PageMaps Challenge - Songbird style

Have you noticed how flags and pendants are popping up everywhere in scrapbooking?  This month the PageMaps challenge is to create a Flag or Pendant on your layout based on the August PageMaps sketch from the Scrapbook & Cards Today calendar. 
Check out what your Auntie Em's Design Team did using the Songbird collection from Prima Marketing.

If you want to play along for an amazing Auntie Em's prize - simply bring your layout to Auntie Em's before the end of August.

Stephanie's Take: Pretty Girl

I kept it pretty simple this month, letting the photos of my niece be the main focus of this page.  I didn't want embellishments to take over, a simple title, wooden buttons, and my version of a flag was just enough.

Sarah's Take: Mother's Day

Flags are easy and fun to make. I cut a few strips of paper and used a square punch on the end. Then, using liquid glue, I wrapped the other end around a toothpick. I love that an embellishment that took 5 minutes to make can add so much to a layout.


Nancy's Take: Too Cute

When I saw the paper I knew right away what photos I wanted to use. I love it when it's obvious what the page will become. I used the flag in the title and I had a leftover pin from one of the last challenges that went just perfectly on the layout. I simply wrote TOO in brown pen and drew some stitching around it wrapped it around the pin and voila "too cute"

Lorena's Take: "SMORE'S"

I turned the sketch on it's side and created a unique title with the ticket shaped alphabets with this collection.  I used both colour and sepia photos together on this layout to capture the moment of my daughter's Smore's experience - pure love!

Watch this blog every week for more close up's and details about each layout.  You can see each of these layouts displayed at Auntie Em's for the entire month of August.

Double Trouble

I love the look of a well planned and balanced double page layout.  However most of the double page sketches that are out there have too many photos for my liking.  This months pagemap challenge had just two photos on it, which is great.  But I had three photos that I wanted to use. So... I stretched the sketch into a double page.  And using a technique that I saw on "Live With Prima" a few weeks ago, of building your double pages at the same time (can't believe I've never done that before) I thought I would give it a try.  Well I must say it came together very quickly and it does hold it's balance and continuity well.

I didn't put a title on my page (I may later) but I have dubbed it Cake Face.  These are photos of my son at his first birthday party and the next day when we were just hanging out at the local garage getting the oil changed in the car - he wanted to climb in those stacked tires so bad!

Using the Little Yellow Bicycle collection called Saturday's made it so easy to make a boy layout (or two) and the theme of this month's challenge is to use stamping on your layout to create your own embellishments.  I did just that with the previously naked chipboard circles and stars, and I also stamped and fussy cut (I know what were you thinking Lorena?!) a 'little yellow bicycle' .... psst it's actually a Prima stamp!  On some of the chipboard I did three layers of stamping - see the first photo where I did stamping and embossing on top of embossed background on top of a brick wall stamp.


You too can participate in this challenge, simply bring your layout based on the sketch to Auntie Em's scrapbooking by the end of the month and make sure you use stamping somewhere on your layout to enter!  There's going to be prizes!!!


Hope you enjoyed,


~Lorena~

Nancy's March Layout Challenge

Hi Everyone...I am so excited to be part of this great team...I mean have you seen the other girl's work it's incredible!

From now on no excuses! I have to complete one challenge a month and blog about it...woohoo that is just what I needed. The challenges have always been one of my favorite things over at Auntie Em's it's so interesting to see how the same page map or technique can inspire us to create such different things.

As you can see I decided that the subject of my layout would be my favorite little person my niece (oh and I guess I can say God Daughter now too) Gabrielle. I babysat her for an entire weekend and sent my sister and brother in law on a weekend getaway. It was an awesome weekend and I wanted to create a layout for it. I am planning on using a multi photo insert to go with this layout that will include some journal blocks and more photos of the weekend.


The Paradise line from little yellow bicycle that Emma gave us to work with just happened to match perfectly the photos I wanted to use. BONUS!


So I started as I always almost do in photoshop. I always sharpen my images and check that the levels are ok. I printed the images from home on my Epson directly onto 4x6 paper. I left one of the images in full colour and manipulated the other image a bit.


To create that effect I duplicated the layer and made one layer sepia and toned it down to about 50% then brought back the colour in her cheeks a little; cause those rosy cheeks, are just too cute.

I cropped the images and was on my way. The layout turned out great but there were bumps along the road. I was trying to get the flower challenge just right and ended up leaving lots of glue on the bottom left so I adapted the layout and moved the title from the right to the left to cover up the mess.

As you can tell the graphic designer in me has a hard time letting go of the grid. My layouts are mostly straight and everything is aligned. I swear I try really hard to break that habit. For that reason I wanted my flower to be a little rough around the edges. I decide to create a flower out of ribbon since I have an unhealthy obsession with ribbon. Check out the photo tutorial below and the detailed shots of my layout.

I hope you all have a chance to create a layout for the March challenge it's a good motivator to getting things scrapbooked!