It’s My Party: July 2012

Sweet and spicy…one of my favorite combinations of words. Yum. And may I say, GO SUZ! I love your idea of a road trip. Diners and fried chicken and being merry…you have it right. And there’s no better way to commemorate a good road trip than with a great scrapbook layout. Suz, LBD Kit Club Design Team Member, went all out with this one.

Check out Suz Mannecke’s Sweet Spicy 12×12 Layout using the Little Black Dress Kit Club July 2012 Scrapbook Kit – It’s My Party!

Favorite aspects of one of my favorite Suz layouts this month include: her perfect use of the Chevron strip at the bottom (love the way you ended it cutting on the Chevron line and stitching past the end), the heart cutouts, the photos (are those printed using Postal Pix and Instagram?), and the journaling. I love when I read someone’s journaling and it makes me smile. Shoot me, I love to smile. Smiling makes me happy. Granted, being happy makes me smile, too, so it’s a toss up whether Suz’s page made me happy or smiling about Suz’s page made me happy, but I’m going to say either one works for me. On to your next adventure, Suz! You’ve inspired me to plan one again soon, as well, so thanks!

Layout:  “Sweet Spicy Love”

Patterned Paper: Heidi Swapp Sugar Chic, My Mind’s Eye “Indie Chic” (yellow chevron), Basic Grey: Little Black Dress-Corset, Glitz teeny alphas, houndstooth jounaling card (July’s kit)

Non-kit items: Silhouette Cameo design (hearts) Studio Calico stamps, Studio Calico Mr. Huey Classic White

School’s Out for the Summer! It seems like just yesterday my son was jumping in my car yell-singing this song. But somehow, it’s almost time for school to start again! It makes me want to smile and pull my hair simultaneously. Yikes! Where did all that time go? Ginny Hughes put together a couple fantastic scrapbook projects this month using the Little Black Dress Kit Club July 2012 kit that reminded me that I’m almost out of time…well, summer 2012 time.

She may not have meant to remind me of school, but seeing her fabulous, customized folder mini album and her bookmark simply reminded me that I have to buy school supplies and get the kids finished up on their summer reading lists. Dang it.

To distract us all from the fact that we have much to do to prepare for the new school year, I suggest pulling out the latest Little Black Dress Kit and putting together something fun and special to include with the typical school supplies when the kids head off to school. Now on to see what Ginny put together to inspire all this hoopla!

First, check out Ginny’s It’s My Party kit bookmark:

Awww…I love Dr. Seuss. And I know that no kid wants to lose their “spot” when they’re in the middle of reading. Dr. Seuss is a genius and must have the respect of an official bookmark without dog eared corners. Love the use of the journaling to give the bookmark a little extra character with the “save my spot” in the bottom right corner. Also adore the use of the trim both on the top of the bookmark and as the final touch on the “flower.”

Next, check out what Ginny put together using the Heidi Swapp folder included in the It’s My Party scrapbook kit. She intended it be the beginnings of a fabulous mini album for her daughter. She made the folder for Adeline’s 2nd birthday. The plan is to put in some photos and the cards she gets on her big day and then do some journaling about the day. What a fabulous idea!

Of course, with my mind all stuck on back to school, I have to point out that customizing such a folder would make for a great addition to the kids’ binders. Better than a note in their lunchbox any day. Sometimes they don’t even USE their napkins at school (much to our despair).

Thanks for the inspiration Ginny!

For more projects from Ginny check out: Facebook, Pinterest, and all the other posts here on the Little Black Dress Kit Club Blog.

Ginny Hughes suggested this month’s optional Design Team scrapbook layout challenge and it was a fun one. Who doesn’t love music? And if you don’t love it…you usually have some sort of feeling for it. And according to Ginny’s rules, it doesn’t matter how it inspires you, you just have to have some type of inspiration.

Ginny simply suggested that we have a little scrapbook challenge to use music on one of July’s projects. It could be the title, included in the journaling, or just be the inspiration for the page in general. The “music” reference could be of the title, the lyrics…whatever calls the designer’s name.

The designers, of course, loved the idea. Here’s what they came up with…see if you can make the “music” connections yourself.

Alyssa McGrew’s You Are So Beautiful 12×12 Layout

(Do you find yourself singing to yourself when you get a gander at this one? I sure do. Fabulous little ditty for a fabulous scrapbook page).

Dancing in the Rain 12×12 layout by Keri Babbitt

I adore! Tell this sweet lady that I approve of her version of umbrella use, but only when dancing in the rain. Soaking wet is the only way to go!

Check out the closeup before you rush off to create your own dancing in the rain layout!

Dance 12×12 Layout by Suz Mannecke (or She Hoped You’d Dance…And You Did layout)

This layout is based on one of my all time favorite songs – If you haven’t heard it, you just have to listen to it. And then check out Suz’s layout again…it will add another layer of fun and gorgeous to the layout for you.

Jenni Calma’s Circa 1998 12×12 Layout: Note the journaling…sometimes a good quote is the best way to record a moment so that you remember it perfectly every time you look at your scrapbook page.

And what better way to record a moment than with the Talking Heads? Fun and quirky and so much to pull from…

Check out the closeups:

Closeup #2:

All this month’s challenge projects were created using the Little Black Dress Kit Club July 2012 scrapbook kit, It’s My Party. Get your party on with a kit of your own!

DETAILS on PROJECTS Below…..

Life IS beautiful! And I think it’s great to sometimes note that thought down in writing or even better, in “scrapbooking.” Check out Valerie O’Neall’s Life Is Beautiful 12×12 Layout and then go home and make your own! Because no matter what…something in this life HAS to be beautiful even on the worst days.

This particular beautiful layout was put together using the Little Black Dress Kit Club’s July 2012 It’s My Party scrapbook kit.

Not that you care about my opinion because this beauty speaks for itself, but I DO have some favorite part of this layout…here they are: the peek a boo cutouts (particularly the lace insets), the simply stamped date below one of Valerie’s own beautiful moments, the black/white mattes coinciding with the b/w photos and the b/w Heidi Swapp photo corners. Beautiful, Valerie, BEAUTIFUL!

Closeups:

I adore the stitching and I adore the mixture of patterns in the cutouts…thanks for another gorgeous (I mean beautiful) project, Valerie!

More from Valerie on her blog (listed on the right hand side of the blog with the rest of the amazing LBD Design Team members), on the LBD Facebook Page, on LBD’s Pinterest Boards or here on our other blog posts.

1984…memories, memories. Those of us who lived through the eighties have more to scrap about, talk about, think about, and think about…and try not to think about…than the rest. I firmly believe that. What do you remember about the 80′s? Do you have your own eighties scrapbook page? Check out this take on the eighties from our very own Suz Mannecke! You’ll love it:

1984 12×12 Layout by Suz Mannecke using the July 2012 scrapbook kit from Little Black Dress Kit Club

My favorite was Frogger…and PacMan, of course. Did any of you catch the Galaga reference in the recent Avengers movie? Made me smile! Ironman is so clever and all knowing…even when it comes to the best of the best 80′s video games.

Time for your closeup!

And another…

My favorites on Suz’s 1984 layout? The inspired use of the neon photo corners (who said they had to hold photos?), the simple, but oh so meaningful list journaling, and the white background and black/white accents with the pop of neon!

Love it and hope you love it, too. Use it a springboard for your own 80s scrapbook page. And when you’re done…let us see it on the LBD Facebook page.

And don’t forget to check out new kit products coming soon! August’s Lucky Penny kit…from the Little Black Dress Kit Club.

- DETAILS BELOW -

Layout:  “Hello 1984”

Patterned paper: Basic Grey; Little Black Dress-Corset, diagonal striped paper and ribbon (July’s kit) Heidi Swapp Day-Glow neon photo corners, Glitz teeny alphas; Pink Paislee London Market Jumbo Numbers

Non-kit items: shipping tag; Staples, washi; K&Co., chevron duct tape (pink/orange/green); Duck Tape (Wal-mart), Studio Calico “hello” bubble stamp, cardstock; Colorbok and Die Cuts With A View