Card Swap~

At Down a Dirt Road Scrapbooking we have started a monthly card swap. I don't normally make a whole lot of cards, but I thought this may be a good way to start getting some Christmas cards done.

Stop by the forum at Down a Dirt Road Scrapbooking if you would be interested in joining the monthly card swap.

Thrifty Thursday~

I know everyone out there has their own story, and different lives that they lead. But one thing I think we can agree on is that money does not grow on trees. The cruel reality is that often our hobbies are the first thing cut when money gets tight.
Each Thursday I am going to share little tips that I have learned over the years that may help others save a little money so that you can perhaps spend it on another pretty embellishment or new tool that you have been holding off to buy 

So here we go!

This is something that I have been doing for YEARS now and if you have ever attended one of my classes....I WILL make you do, whether you like it or not 

I cut the backs (or middle) out of my cardstock or patterned paper.
As you may have noticed from some of my layouts, my style is definitely a layered one. Sometimes with the background alone having 3 or 4 layers. So my reason in the beginning to cut the middles out was not to save money, but to save trees 

Here is an image of a recent layout:

Now here is the photo of the back of my layout:

Now you can see that I have obviously cut the back out of the brown, the largest layer. But I also have a lighter green cardstock layer there, I cut a hunk out of that as well exposing the final full layer which happens to be a pattern on this layout.

So not only am I saving trees, but cutting the middles out gives you lots of cardstock to mat your photos or create journaling blocks, that way you aren't wasting another full sheet to do that.
If you haven't already, I DARE you to try it 

***Hint***
I generally go an inch in from each side, when cutting a middle out.

Cute as a Button Butterfly~

This is a layout that I originally designed for a class. The patterned papers are by K&Company and the buttons are the perfect accent by Buttons Galore & More.

The punches are all by EK Success. They include:

• 2" Scallop Circle
• 1.5" Scallop Circle
• 2" Heart Punch
• 1" Circle Punch
• Oval Punch
• Scallop Oval Punch

Rainy Day Play~

This is another layout that I created using Vintage Bliss, a favorite collection of mine from Simple Stories. The spring theme embellishments were the perfect accent for the sweet Rainy Day Play photos of little Emma.

Vintage Bliss is available at the Cutting Garden.

Friday Inspiration~

This is a simple layout share. I created this layout using the Happy Campers Collection by We R Memory Keepers.

The patterned papers are Down a Dirt Road Scrapbooking and the buttons are from Buttons Galore & More.

Home For My Washi Tape~

I have to thank Pinterest for finding this idea. If you are like me, I have been accumulating Washi Tape like nobody's business. The problem was, I had no place to store it. It ended up just being random piles of tape all over the place. Pinterest came to the rescue. 

Click here for the link to the original post that I saw.

So here's what I started with....a bowl full of Washi Tape, and an empty cling wrap box.

Then I covered the box with some of my leftover Simple Stories papers.

I used great ultra thin Velcro closures to keep the box shut when full. Then added buttons from Buttons Galore & More.

Vintage Bliss~

Vintage Bliss is a collection that I adore from Simple Stories. This is a layout that I created based on a sketch by Sketchabilities. I love to use sketches from time to time to push me to use patterns that I love in different ways.

The photo that I used on this layout was done by WonkyEye Photography.

This is the sketch that I based my layout on by Sketchabilities.

If you too LOVE Vintage Bliss by Simple Stories. It is available at The Cutting Garden.

Challenge #64: 2 Hoarded Items~

This time around at Use It Tuesday the challenge was to use 2 items that you may have been squirreling away. I chose to dig through my bin of older embellishments and found a chipboard title and the felt butterfly that are both about 6 years old. The patterned paper I have had for at least 4 years now.

I based my layout on a sketch from the challenge blog Let's Get Sketchy. It's a great place to start if you're lacking a little inspiration.

So take the challenge at Use It Tuesday, I would love to see it!

Note To Self~

I created a couple of layouts while cropping with some friends earlier in the summer using the Note To Self Collection by Echo Park. I fell in love with the colours and the accents of the collection.

The first layout features of a photo of my father and I and our pony Duke when I was about 6 years old.

For the second layout I chose photos that I have also had for a while, my parents canoeing with BoBo on Irwin Lake.

I picked up Note To Self from a Pile of Scrap in Fredericton, NB on National Scrapbooking Day. Glad to finally dig into the kit!

Bundle of Joy~

This is a simple to create layout using the Bundle of Joy Collection by Echo Park. The perfect little Bundle of Joy is pictured here with my Mom.

24/Seven Birthday~

Just a quick little Birthday Card share today. This is a sweet little card that I whipped up for a birthday party that Margaret was going to. The patterned papers are by Simple Stories, the 24/Seven Collection available at The Cutting Garden.

End of the Line Layouts~

From time to time I do up page kits from all that I have left from kits I've picked up, collections I've loved or even just papers I had never gotten around to using. These are the layouts that I came up with. I thought I would just post them all together for some layout inspiration. 

Happy Campers Mini Book~

Here are a few images of a simple to create accordion mini book for Down a Dirt Road Scrapbooking.

The patterned papers are from the Happy Campers Collection by We R Memory Keepers. The perfect collection for any of your outdoor adventures.

The book itself is created using 1 sheet of brown cardstock cut into 4" strips and also scored every 4 inches and adhered together to create the accordion fold base.

Challenge #63: Friendship~

This week's challenge at Use It Tuesday is Friendship. I opted to use photos of one of my best friend's, beautiful family.

This is a sparkly little layout that I created earlier in the summer using some stunning photos of Megan's family taken by Wonky Eye Photography. The patterned papers are by Bo Bunny, a collection that I have had for YEARS. So happy to finally have gotten to use them, thank you Megan for the perfect colour scheme.

The buttons are not old and are from Buttons Galore & More.

The sequence flower I picked up at the local big box store for 15 cents on sale and the ribbon is from my grand mother's sewing box.

Happy Campers #2~

This is the second of my layouts posts for Down a Dirt Road Scrapbooking. September's kit was made up of patterned papers and stickers from the Happy Campers Collection by We R Memory Keepers.

Happy Campers #1~

This is my first of 2 layout posts for Down a Dirt Road Scrapbooking. This month I am using a kit consisting of the Happy Campers Collection by We R Memory Keepers. Such a great collection for all of your outdoor adventures!