Contrary Bliss June Kit Projects

Scrap piles. We’ve all got them. And I could have said that I might be the only one with the inability to throw mine out, but now I know that Tina is also incapable of wasting good scraps. So what to do with them? Tina has a fabulous suggestion! Scrap a printer tray. It’s a fabulous way to dedicate some wall space or shelf space to someone who deserves some kudos in the home decor. Check out Tina’s:

Need a few ideas to get you started on your own printer tray project using June’s Contrary Bliss scraps? Tina’s got ‘em and she’s willing to share…read on!

I remember when I was a kid I made my mother a GORGEOUS photo collage book of all her kids for Mother’s Day. She cried. This was back in the day of 35 mm film and lost negatives with no chance of ever recapturing that moment if a photo was cut up or otherwise “defaced” (her words not mine…I tell you…it was a gorgeous photo collage for a 9 year old). But those days are over. We all have so many pictures we don’t know what to do with them. We’ve all got digital copies and then duplicates of our digital copies and then backups of our photo files and online backups of those. We’re covered. So don’t be afraid to cut out some photos. It’s great fun. It adds some great dimension to your project, works especially well for a printer tray project and…no one is going to burst into tears. I’ll make sure my Mom doesn’t look at this blog post just in case.

I like to call this suggestion…embellishing it up. That’s right, sometimes it’s simply time to create a new word or phrase and hope it catches on. If you hear that one being tossed around I’m pretty sure I started that fad. Just like my little brother started the yo yo fad back in the 90s. (Yah, right!) Anyway…back to the subject at hand. Don’t be scared. Use your embellishments. In fact…maybe make it your goal to use ALL your embellishments! It’s so fun!

Here’s a simple idea…how old is the loved one you are featuring in your printer tray project? Pull out some fabulous alphas from your kit and hope you’ve got the right number left over.

And of course…don’t forget their name. Addie…what a sweet name for such an adorable little gal.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…POCKETS! Love em! I especially love to secretly use them. Slip a meaningful note in there or an extra picture or a picture taken right after the adorable cut out picture in front of the pocket in which she made a horribly ugly face. Pockets are fabulous.

Words! I’m a word girl. In fact, I know of a surety that there are people in my life that sometimes just stare at me with a pleasant expression on my face wishing that I would just stop using so many words. But they’ll keep wishing. I like words. They mean stuff! Use them!

Get creative…for instance…Addie is simply a dear…or is that deer? See that? That, my dear – uh -deer, was a play on words. And it made the use of this fun little embelly that much more smile worthy!

Just in case you’ve never seen a printer tray project in person here’s a side view so you can imagine just how great this little addition will look on your wall. Now stop thinking about it and just do it! (No need for Nikes, though. I recommend turquoise heels…with bows on the toe).

Sometimes I feel like that old saying that life doesn’t come with an instruction manual was directed right at me…because I want one. I really, really want one. I’m pretty good at following the rules. And when I don’t follow the rules I still really appreciate the starting point that they provide. And for some of life’s more wild and crazy and unexpected moments it would be really, REALLY nice to have the guidelines of an instruction manual meant for the general public’s use. But alas! It was not meant to be. I’ve looked. There are no such “general use” instruction manuals for life. Maybe that’s why I feel so inclined to jump on Francine’s bandwagon of creating my own. Check out her 12×12 Must Read Bedtime Stories layout:

It’s like a fab-tabulous page in an even more terrific instruction manual for life than any I’ve ever imagined. What a great way to use your scrapbooking talent. I love the way that Francine uses her scrapbooking to generate solid representations of her life. Her journaling is always so thorough and personal. And I really appreciate all the effort she puts into showing us just what it’s possible to accomplish at the scrapping table.

Notice the cluster of journaling cards on the right. And notice that she uses her embellishments and tools, but she never lets them limit her. Just because she used several journaling spots on the page doesn’t mean that she’s going to limit her journaling to that area.

Here you can see that Francine created a fun look with a journaling spot combined with teeny alphas and the number 4 pulled from the teal alphas. It’s a great spot of color. I also love the photo that Francine used that actually shows the bedtime stories that are popular at their house. I love that. Such a good way to document/journal the memory.

Here you can see just how extensive Francine’s journaling gets on this page. She inspires me to write more down!

Not quite sure where to start your own little instruction manual? Well…start with bedtime. What bedtime rituals just could NOT be skipped at your house?

True Love is one of those concepts that is not only universal, but it’s timeless. So there’s always room for one more True Love layout. Whether you’re chronicling your own true love, that of a child, a sibling, a parent, or…a great, great, great, great ancestor…as is the case here with this special layout from Jan.

Jan used her Contrary Bliss June kit to put together this amazing 12×12 layout. It’s gorgeous. And it has an amazing story.

Here’s the story behind this layout…straight from Jan:

“I was researching my husband’s family on Ancestory.com a couple of months ago and I received an email from a lady in Wales who noticed we had the same relatives in common.  It turns out her husband’s mother is my husband’s grandfather’s sister.(Confused yet?!)  Anyways, she let me look at her family tree and photos, which was amazing, it went into the 1700′s.  Among her photos, was this one, a photo of my husband’s grandparents shortly after they were married.  I gave this photo to my mother-in-law who had never seen it before, she was thrilled!  You see, her father died when she was eight years old and she doesn’t have very many photos of him, so she was so excited to see this one and a few of him when he was a boy.  This photo prompted her to pull out a box of papers from her attic that has never been opened since her mother passed away.  Inside was a scrapbooker’s treasure!  Her mother had kept every letter she received from home (Wales) when they immigrated to Canada, cards and notes that her children, husband, and herself had given each other, documents, etc.  It made me realize that preserving these memories or saving those little bits of memorabilia are worth it!  My mother-in-law did not know her mom had kept all those letters and cards, so it was wonderful for her to see cards and letters that her father had written.  So, that’s my little story behind this photo!”

This makes me want to get on the ball and figure out some of my own family history. It also makes me want to take advantage of the documents and pictures that I do have to commemorate the history and the numerous instances of “true love” that make me…well…me! We’ve all heard that saying “All because two people fell in love” and that ‘s what I think of when I look at this layout. Except that this proves that it’s more than that. We’re a part of an ever growing chain. And it’s so fantastic to see a visual presentation of one piece of that lovely chain, don’t you think?

What sort of projects have you put together to “show off” your family history documention or photos?

Something good today will happen! Sometimes positive thinking is all that gets us through. And sometimes seeing something amazing and seemingly unconnected from our day to day lives can show us that there are great things in the world even if the “things” uppermost in our minds and lives may not be approrpriately described as great at the moment. That’s what I like about Jan’s Today layout. Something good today will happen…even if it’s not “my” something good. I can enjoy the something goods of those around me…like this:

My favorite aspects of Jan’s Today 12×12 layout?

The way she left the torn spiral edge along the gop of the photo matte.

The layering topped by flowers.

The combination of shapes in the layering.

The way the smaller flowers drift up above the photo following the spritz of color.

Jan’s use of ink to really create a cohesive look on the page.

The little bit of stitching that gives different layers a little extra ooomph.

Look around for “Something Good” in your life or the life of someone near you today. And when you find it…take a quick photo to commemorate that no matter how bad things get…there’s always something good happening somewhere in the world and by noticing it you get a little piece of something good for yourself.

This is Jan’s last month with us on the LBD Design Team! We’re going to miss her and her amazing projects. But we’re so glad that she’s been able to work with us for the past year! You’re amazing Jan!

You know those people who just have a killer smile? There’s really no other way to describe it. They can make you feel better, distract you from the obvious, and simply…get away with murder if only they remember to flash their pearly whites? In my opinion it’s simply lovely to know one of these people. It’s amazing to be one of these people, I’m sure. But I don’t believe I fall into their number. So sad. I’ll keep practicing, but I don’t think this particular maneuver is learned! I think you have to be born with it. But there’s on instance in which the presence of a Killer Smile in your life is bitter sweet. And that’s when that killer smile belongs to one of your kids. Then you just have to hope that you’ll develop an immunity or that your kid will only use it against you in rare instances. Fingers crossed for Leslie because…this one here…is one fantastic example of a killer smile! But I don’t think I hold out much hope for her since it appears this boy knows exactly how to use his killer smile. Look away girls, look away! You may be falling under his spell at this very moment!

Leslie took full advantage of the pieces included in the Contrary Bliss kit. We particularly love some of the extra fun Leslie added to the trims she used on a couple of her projects this month. In this layout you’ll notice that she trimmed the edge to have the traditional V cut and then added a knot. Then she incorporated it into her layering to accent the photo.

Here you’ll notice Leslie used the American Craft Thickers for her title in combination with the Glitz Design Teeny alphas. You’l also see that the thickers are, as their name implies, sort of thick and they add some dimension to the title. The vintage paper is placed on the ledger background paper (Crate Paper Toy box Collection Library paper). Then she used a few different paper patterns from the kit and cut them in circles and laid them side by side at the top of her photo. The included My Mind’s Eye Stella Rose Hattie Boy frame was also a noticeable part of the layering. I LOVE how she distressed the different pieces before laying them down. Gives it a great look and in my opinion allows the patterns to pull off a more masculine air when needed.

Got someone in your life with a killer smile worth documenting? Well now you’ve got a layout to go with…let’s see what you come up with!