Seeing Stars

Between the birth of my new nephew (hopefully I'll be getting some newborn shots this weekend), a sick kiddo, a scrapbooking weekend, and the beautiful weather I just haven't had time to get anything ready to put on here.  I finally found some time today to get a little something done.  I'm going to try to get a few more things up later this week so stay tuned.   

Today I'm sharing with you a card that I made for my new nephew.  (Hopefully his mom won't see this post until she gets the real thing.)  As I've said before I love to use scraps.  On this card I'm going to show you how a few pieces of leftover paper and ribbon can turn into a beautiful card.  So grab some supplies and follow me. 

Here are some items that I had leftover from a book I made for my nephew.  When I make a big project for a gift I love to use the leftovers to make a card.  Not only are the items right at hand but they all coordinate and it makes the whole gift look complete. 

The main focus of my card are the large stars from the patterned paper.  To create the star elements for my card all I did was cut them out!  I used a sparkle pen to add some detail (you can't see it in these pics, sorry) and used pop dots on the middle star for some added interest.  The middle star is actually two stars with only the small star cut from the top one.  I used an exacto knife to do this and saved the rest of the star for another project.  It's so fun to turn a flat piece of paper into a great embellishment.  Think bling when you do this too (glitter, brads, i-rock, etc).  Any of those will make your embellishment even cuter!   

I thought my card was still looking a little plain so I added this star stamp to my ribbon.  It added just the right touch of balance to that large ribbon.  Just be careful when stamping on ribbon because sometimes the ink can bleed and make your image appear smudgy.   









Here is the finished card. I thought it turned out pretty cute!  The 'Congratulations' is embossed so it popped a little more against the dark background. 

I hope you enjoyed my fun card today.  Just remember that you don't always have to buy expensive embellishments.  Make your own using some patterned paper, a sparkle pen, and some pop dots.  You will have unique and inexpensive embellishments that really make your cards stand out.  Thanks for stopping by. 

Supplies:

• patterned paper: My Minds Eye (Twinkle Twinkle Little Boy)
• stamps: My Sentiments Exactly (Baby Sentiments), Close to My Heart (Circle Around)
• ink: Close to My Heart (Cocoa, White Daisy)
• pen: Sakura Gelly Roll Stardust (Clear)
• other: ribbon, embossing powder (clear), pop dots, adhesive

  

Janae's Maternity Shoot

My wonderful sister-in-law, Janae, is expecting later this week.  So glad that we were able to get these pictures before the baby came!  She looked so beautiful in the late afternoon sun and was a sport going with the flow.  This was my first 'photo shoot' and I think it went well.  Some of the black and whites I took in black and white with the setting on my camera.  Check your camera and play around with it.  Shooting in black and white is fun!  All shots are in manual mode with my 50mm f/1.8 lens.  Enjoy and hopefully there will be some newborn shots in the next week or so to go along with these.  Thanks for stopping!!

FOUR

Today I decided to do a challenge from A Walk Down Memory Lane.  It is their 9th birthday so you have to do a layout with a birthday theme using this sketch.  I went with Tanner's fourth birthday and had a lot of fun with it.  He's been asking me to get more pages done in his book so that made him happy.  Here is what I came up with.  Thanks for stopping by!

Supplies: Echo Park Paper Co.- Little Boy; cardstock- misc blue and white; Tim Holtz Distress Ink-Faded Jeans; Pressed Petals- Chip Chatter Tall; Colorbok- chipboard tabs; misc- snaps and twine

High Flying Fun

Over the weekend we took the boys up to the park for a little kite flying.  It was very windy so they didn't last long (the boys or the kites).  We had a good time anyway.  Of course I had my camera in tow.  For these shots I used my 50mm f/1.8 lens (this one is my fav and is hardly ever off my camera).  I was playing around in manual mode again too.  If you haven't used manual mode before or aren't really familiar with it, get out your camera manual and read up on it.  It really isn't that hard to shoot in manual mode once you get the hang of it.  It can change your photos a lot too.  You can see the differences the shutter speeds make in the colors of the sky in these pictures.  And as for why I was shooting at ISO 400 on a sunny day is beyond me.  I just never changed it.  Which brings me to a great tip I learned in a photography class.  Zero out your camera after a shoot, especially if you are shooting in manual mode.  Basically that means set all of your settings (white balance, ISO, exposure compensation, etc) back to a normal setting.  That way you won't miss a shot the next time you pick up your camera.  There are times that I just have to pick up my camera and shoot with the boys and if my camera wasn't back to a 'normal' setting I would miss some great candid shots.  Anyway, here are some pics and don't be afraid to play around in manual mode.  See how it changes your shots the next time you are out taking pictures.  Enjoy and thanks for stopping by. 

Alex and Bill, 50mm, 1/2000th at f/11, ISO 400

Looking up, 50mm, 1/2000th at f/11, ISO 400

Zach's kite, 50mm, 1/200th at f/11, ISO 400

Alex, 50mm, 1/200th at f/11, ISO 400

Sturdy Alex, 50mm, 1/200th at f/11, ISO 400

Zach, 50mm, 1/400th at f/11, ISO 400

Alex slant, 50mm, 1/400th at f/11, ISO 400

Zach slant, 50mm, 1/400th at f/11, ISO 200

Glitter!!

I know that at the sight of the word glitter you will do one of two things: 1) Get super excited and keep reading because you love glitter too or 2) want to stop reading right now because glitter is messy and you don't want to even think about using it.  I'll admit I used to be one of the latter.  Why would I use glitter?  I have boys, they don't like things to sparkle and plus it gets everywhere and makes a huge mess, doesn't it?  Well, I'm here to tell you that glitter doesn't have to be messy and you can even use it on those boys pages and cards. 

When you go to your craft store you'll notice that there are a lot of types, brands, and colors of glitter.  I use the Doodlebug Glitter Sugar Coating (shown above) and also the Reflections Extra Fine Glitter Set (available at Michaels).  Both of these are a fine glitter but there are chunkier ones available if you like that look.  Find colors that appeal to you or that you use often.  I like these brands because they come in a set and I can get many colors for a great price.

Now that you have your glitter what do you do with it?  I have found that there are a few tricks to make using glitter easier and less messy.  The best tip (and what got me using glitter) was one I saw on the Home Shopping Network.  I don't remember who it was but they were demonstrating the Xyron 150 and showed how to use it to add glitter to your project.  Usually when you use your Xyron you are making a sticker and insert your item with the bottom down so that the top isn't sticky.  If you want to add glitter to the top of your letters or die cuts you need to do just the opposite.  Insert your item top side down.  This puts the adhesive on the top, you can coat it it glitter, and now you have a glittered die cut!  So simple and I can't believe I didn't think of it!

Another way to add glitter to your project is with liquid glue.  You can use a brush to put glue on brad tops, dip them in glitter, stick them in a packing peanut pointy side down to dry, and then you have a glitter covered brad!  This would also work for buttons as well.  There are also glue pens for adding detail lines to a patterned paper or die cut with your glitter. 

A couple of other tips before I go.  I've found that when using die cuts (Cricut or other) it helps to cut them out of the same color of paper as the glitter you will be using.  It helps to make the glitter show up better.  I also just use a scrap piece of 12 x 12 paper to set my item on when adding the glitter and then I can just crease the paper and dump the glitter back in my bottle.  All of these tips can also be applied to flocking as well. 

I hope that gets you excited to try using glitter on your next project!! Thanks for stopping. 

What a 'Zoo'tiful Day

We had gorgeous weather here in Omaha today so we did what a lot of other people did...go to the zoo!  I always love to go to the zoo and see what all the animals are up to.  I also love to try to capture the experience with my camera.  Before I head to the zoo I always try to have a game plan (or at least a lens plan).  I don't like to lug a lot of lenses around when it's just myself and the kids so I try to only take one.  Today I decided to go with my 'snout' (55mm-300mm) and boy am I glad that's the lens I took.  I was able to get real close to quite a few neat animals today.  All of these shots are SOOC (straight out of camera) except for the watermark.  I was playing around with manual mode for a lot of these too (the butterflies, zebra, and boys are program mode).  For some that's the only mode that will work well (especially when shooting through the glass at the zoo).  Here are a few of my favorites.  Enjoy!!    

Mating butterflies, 220mm, 1/200th at f/5.3, ISO 400

Zebra, 300mm, 1/400th at f/5.6, ISO 200

All smiles, 120mm, 1/640th at f/6.3, ISO 200

Lemurs behind glass, 135mm, 1/13th at f/5, ISO 800

Gorilla behind glass, 195mm, 1/500th at f/5.3, ISO 400

Tiger yawn, 300mm, 1/200th at f/5.6, ISO 200

Peacock head, 280mm, 1/125th at f/5.6, ISO 200

N. American porcupine, 150mm, 1/320th at f/5, ISO 200

N. American porcupine, 150mm, 1/320th at f/5, ISO 200

N. American porcupine, 300mm, 1/200th at f/5.6, ISO 200

Giraffe Congratulations Card

In addition to scrapbooking and photography you'll probably get to see some cards and organization tips on my blog.  Those of you that know me know that I love to organize so I'm sure that's not a surprise.  I also can't stand to pay $3 or more on a card when I can make one that is way cuter and costs a lot less.  And that brings me to today's post.

For many of my cards I like to get a little inspiration by heading over to Split Coast Stampers and checking out their card sketches.  I love to see all of the different ideas that are on there and can almost always find a great one to work with for what I need (with a few tweaks of course).  This card was made with Sketch #369. 

I made this baby card for a friend of my dad's.  Since I have all boys I don't get to make little girl stuff often so I enjoy using purple and pink when I can.  I try to always use scraps on cards too and this one is no exception.  The patterned paper was some leftover from a paper pack called Nana's Kids (DCWV).  I love that it has some fun sparkle to it!  The purple ribbon was a scrap and the gold fiber on top is by EKSuccess.  I inked the edges of all the pieces of cardstock and patterned paper with Tim Holtz Distress ink in Walnut Stain and used a stamp set by My Sentiments Exactly. 

The giraffe was cut using the Cricut with the Create a Critter cartridge (of course using scraps).  I love this cartridge!!  Add some glitter (Recollections in Sunflower and Pumpkin) and some i-rock (Imaginisce)eyes in purple (sorry this picture doesn't show the color well) and it was good to go.  I love how adding the glitter gives it that special zip.  More to  come on adding glitter in another post.  Some pop dots give some dimension and this card is ready to send off. 

Even if you don't have all of these supplies take a look at what you have and you can still create a beautiful card.  No stamp- print something out on the computer.  No Cricut- use another die cut image, cut something out of patterned paper, use a sticker, you get the idea.  No ink- use a marker.  You too can create a beautiful card in no time.   

Thanks for stopping in.     

Hi all and welcome to Scraptography!!  I love scrapbooking and I love photography and since they go hand in hand I figured it would be a great name for my blog.  I hope you like it too. 

As a mom of four wonderful boys I take tons of pictures and somehow find the time to scrapbook them (although I'm very far behind).  I'm hoping with this as an outlet I can inspire myself and others to create wonderful works of art both with their cameras and on paper.  I hope you enjoy getting to know my little men as they are in almost every photo I take and layout I make.  Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you again soon.