Laura Vegas

Scrapbooking And A Little Bit Of Everyday Life

recent posts

about

Bella Blvd: Family Photos 2015

September 24, 2015

It's "Spread It Out" day on the Bella Blvd blog today, so that means I have another two page layout to share with you. I had a few ideas for layouts rolling around in my head, and even started printing out photos for one of them. And then I totally gave up on those ideas, as time was slipping away from me.

My sister came out for a surprise visit about a month ago, and we managed to take some new family photos. She doesn't make it home that often, so we try and do the photo thing when she is here and we're all together. We didn't actually plan this time, as to what to wear, but I guess our color mix wasn't too bad.

I printed out most of my photos as 3×4", 4×4", a 4×6", and then added in a 5×5" photo just to add some height difference since I was lining all of these photos up across the page. We took these photos at the end of August, and here in my part of CA, we won't see anything resembling "fall" until late October, maybe even November. However, the Hello Autumn collection was the perfect match for our photos, as the colors we all wore were represented in the colors of the fall themed collection.

I knew that I wanted to use the beige triangle tone-on-tone patterned paper for the background of my layout. It's a subtle design, so the photos, title, and other products all stand out well against it. I lucked out, as I only had two sheets of that paper left. I added a thin navy blue woodgrain patterned paper strip along the tops and bottoms of both pages.

I happen to have plenty of sticker sheets to work with, so I was able to use two orange scalloped border stickers (one on each side of the spread). If I didn't have duplicates, I would have simply used a border punch on some patterned paper instead.

For my title, I used a mix of Blueberry Simply Simona chipboard alphas and a die cut word (from Kerri Bradford Studio) which I cut from a green leaf patterned paper. As I was looking for some embellishments, I came across these brown chipboard banner flags from a prior fall collection, and decided they would be perfect for adding the year. I used some cream number stickers to add the year.

I couldn't really find any embellishments to fill in that space on the right side of the spread, so I decided to die cut a tree, using my Silhouette and some patterned paper. I embellished the tree with some threaded buttons.

If you haven't already, stop by the Bella Blvd blog today and check out the two page layout from designer Heather Leopard. I really loved what she came up with, and it was so similar to what I was originally going to do. So it's a good thing I gave up on my previous idea 😉
Bella Blvd: Step-By-Step Project Sheet – IF Whatever Is Lovely

September 13, 2015

The September project sheet went up on the Bella Blvd blog last week, but I'm just now getting around to blogging it here. I was asked to work with the new Whatever Is Lovely collection for this month's layout, which goes hand in hand with the Illustrated Faith brand. While this collection is certainly faith based and created for religious projects and even bible journaling fans … it can also be used for everyday layouts, which is how I wanted to show it being used.

I knew that I wanted to use part of the chevron patterned paper, with the gorgeous color combo and thick stripes. I was originally going to have my strip going across the top of the page. But the awesome white ruled pattern is the backside to the chevron pattern. With the direction I cut my strip of the chevron pattern, the ruled lines would have been going the wrong way (from how I wanted them) across the page. So I changed up my plan, and adhered the strip along the left side of the page.

I love the ruled pattern for backgrounds, and knew right away that I would use a large piece of that on this page. I didn't have my title planned when I fussy cut the "lovely" word from Praiseworthy patterned paper. I mainly picked it because it was one of the words that wasn't cut off at all, and I knew I could work it into my title.

I cut the "whatever is" from the Art Prints patterned paper, and added it right along with the "lovely" brush script word for the first part of my title. There are lots of great sayings and words on the Art Prints patterned paper, but I was aiming to stick to things that weren't necessarily faith based for this layout.

I used the white Amorie chipboard alphas and the yellow alpha stickers from the Treasures & Text sticker sheet to complete my title. I don't usually use any pen work on my layouts. Not sure why not, because I think it can look really fun. But I wanted the yellow alpha stickers to stand out a bit more, so I drew some rough pen lines around the outsides of the stickers.

I actually had this old photo of Alyssa printed and laying around, and it matched the papers so well, so I decided to go with it. Otherwise, I probably would have spent forever and a day looking for a photo for this page.

I choose a few of the other patterned papers to layer under my photo, cutting each one a bit bigger than the one before it. I machine stitched around the edges of each paper, and then layered them all together to adhere to the page.

To finish off the page, I embellished it with stickers from both the Treasures & Text sticker sheet and the Little Bits sticker sheets. Since I used a few of the star stickers, I decided to skip the enamel dots this time, and sprinkled some of the black enamel stars from the DooDads pack.

You can download the step-by-step September project sheet, complete with full supply list and detailed instructions, RIGHT HERE.
Kerri Bradford Studio: Thank You Cards

September 11, 2015

Finally, something new to share! Actually, I have a layout I should have shared earlier in the week, but I just never found the time to blog it. I'll have that up next week, along with another layout. I hate when I go so long in between posting. Anyways. On to the cards that I have up at Kerri Bradford Studio today.

I recently cleaned out a bunch of my handmade cards, and randomly sent a bunch of them off to friends and family. No sense in keeping them tucked away in a drawer, right? While going through my stash of cards, I came across THIS CARD that I had created over 7 years ago (I searched the card out on my blog to verify that) and decided to use it as inspiration for a few new cards.

I sized the circle border from Kerri's Best Thing Ever page kit to fit the length of my card (these cards are 4" x 9.25"). I tend to cut most of my files from patterned paper, but decided to put some of my colored cardstock to use on these cards. I have SO much of it, and rarely use it. I had my color combos picked out for both cards, so I cut one circle border from purple for one card and from yellow for the other card.

I debated between several of Kerri's flower shapes, but finally settled on the funky flower from the Hello There class freebies. All of the freebies that come with the classes are reason enough to take Kerri's classes, let along the huge amount of knowledge you'll get from what she has to teach! I cut several flowers for each card, all the same size and all from the same shade of green cardstock.

To create my circles, I used one of the backings to an arrow cut file in the Need Directions kit. I know Kerri has a few other kits that have some circle options, most of which are a negative shape or just the backing from something.

I also used some of the simple techniques on my original card, and worked them into these new cards. It was fun to pull out some supplies that I haven't used in a while, like the paper flowers, puffy paint and Stickles. I do actually use my embossing folders quite a bit, but not as often as I should, since I love how much it adds to cardstock with little to no effort.

I knew I would be using some of Kerri's stamps to add my sentiment to the cards. I decided to use the "thank you" from the For You stamp set. Since I embossed my cardstock circles, I couldn't stamp my sentiment onto the circles, which was my plan all along. So I simple stamped my sentiment onto plain white cardstock, and fussy cut each out before adhering to my cards.
Kerri Bradford Studio: Grateful 4 Amazing Cousins

August 31, 2015

I have a new layout up over at Kerri Bradford Studio today. I've had this photo of the girls and their two cousins, taken several years ago, that I've been meaning to scrap for the longest time. You see, my girls don't have a ton of cousins. In fact, Alyssa doesn't have any first cousins at all. Her dad's sister, along with my brother and my sister, don't have kids and we're not exactly holding out hope that they ever will have kids at this point.

However, on Joe's side of the family, his one brother has a daughter and his other brother has a step daughter. So Sarah does in fact have one cousin by blood, and one by marriage, and Alyssa has two by marriage. Confusing? I know Alyssa had a TON of distant cousins on her dad's side (I want to say third cousins to her), and both the girls have a few distant cousins on my side. But they didn't get to grow up playing with cousins at the family get-togethers, so it was always just the two of them for the most part.

I've been slightly addicted to the same circle die cut background for the last year or so. I'm sure some of you may have noticed me using it over and over again, on so many of my layouts. It's just a favorite of mine, so it's become my "go-to" background design.

I was excited to play with some of the backgrounds in the new Background Basics #3 kit this time around, and I choose the plus sign background for this layout. I cut it from a sheet of white textured cardstock, and then spritzed it with a few colors of misting spray before adhering it to another sheet of white cardstock.

For my title, I wanted to go with a longer title, arranging it both above and below my photo. I love mixing and matching words and/or phrases from different kits, cutting each word and/or phrase from different patterned papers and cardstock.

I dug up the word "cousins" from the All In The Family kit, and cut it from two different tone-on-tone patterned papers, which I layered together. The little banner was pulled from the Banners kit. I knew that I was going to use some alpha stickers for part of my title, so I sized the banner to fit directly below my photo to hold those stickers.

Kerri has a few choices when it comes to the word "grateful", but I went with the one from the Giving Thanks kit. I knew that I wanted to use the number "4", instead of using the word "four", as it would also represent the four girls. The Weathered Door Alpha kit is one that I turn to whenever I can't find exactly the word I'm looking for. Or in this case, the number I was looking for.

All of my patterned papers on this layout are from Echo Park, but pulled from several different collections, both old and new. The plastic pink circle with the heart at the top of the layout was from a kit I got I a huge sale at Studio Calico, and I attached it with some chunky silver brads. And my little alpha stickers and the "beautiful" sticker are both from Bella Blvd.
Bella Blvd: Ninth Birthday Party

August 27, 2015

Hey everyone! I've got a new layout up over on the Bella Blvd blog today. I was brainstorming for a few new features on the Bella blog as I wrote up our August schedule, and I decided to start a new one called "Spread It Out", focusing on two page layouts. I knew I would pretty much freak out my layout designers, as I know a lot of designers do not enjoy creating two page layouts. Which is why I'm committing to creating a new layout for this feature each month, and then inviting/forcing (same thing, right?) one other designer to play along with me.

I love to embrace the two page layouts, as I actually enjoy making them. I think that's because I love to incorporate tons of photos onto them, and it's a great way to document all of those things that just can't fit on a single page layout. Like birthday parties, for example. Which is why I decided to scrap photos from Sarah's 9th birthday party for my first layout.

I mentioned this on Instagram a few days ago, but I'm so used to working with just ONE collection (and being told exactly what collection) when it comes to the majority of the layouts I create for Bella. Whether it's project sheet layouts, catalog layouts, booth work … it's more limiting and you work within the assortment of papers in that one collection.

So when I do have a layout to make, where I can really work with whatever collections I want, I get stuck. It's like I don't even know where to start in picking out my patterned papers (which is how I start all of my layouts). I have a HUGE stash of Bella papers, and it's not like one or two collections were calling out to me. I finally just pulled out a few of my paper holders, very randomly, and within just a few minutes, pulled out about 6-7 patterned papers, all from different collections. I didn't overthink it, which helped speed up the process.

When it comes to the photos, I'm pretty sure you all know by now how much I love photo collages. I'm not one to make several layouts about the same event/moment, so I really try and incorporate as many photos as I can on my layout. And when it comes to working a huge amount of photos onto a layout, photo collages are just a smart way to go. It keeps the photos contained and organized.

I used templates from Kerri Bradford Studio of course, and created two separate collages with 8 photos in each. I also printed 3 photos individually, for a total of 19 photos on my two page spread. What I'm not showing here (mostly because it wasn't totally finished), is that I also printed 10 more photos that I slipped into a 6×12" divided page protector. I'll add that right in between these two pages in the album. So my total is actually 29 photos for this spread.

I pulled out my favorite white grid patterned paper to hold my title and journaling. The overall design of this page is one that I do quite often, so I knew the basic placement of all of the elements on this page. I knew I wanted to use the Blueberry Sienna chipboard alphas for my title, and then added a die cut word and some alpha stickers to complete my title. And as always, I lost the dot to my "i", so I simply added a tiny enamel dot in it's place.

I picked out patterned papers that coordinated with the colors in the photos, and that coordinated together as well. I did little debating over where to work in each paper, as it all just sort of fell together and balanced itself out. I didn't want the layout to be super patterned paper heavy, so I die cut a circle border from the yellow patterned paper to add to each side of the spread. Just a little way to break things up, and add a little "dimension", but in a flat way. If that even makes sense?

I think this layout fits in perfectly with how I prefer to scrap. Lots of photos, lots of patterned paper, some die cutting, a title mixing chipboard/stickers/die cut words, and simple embellishments. I knew I would probably add some chipboard elements to embellish the page, and I lucked out when I pulled out a package of Hearts & Stars chipboard pieces, and found five stars that perfectly matched the colors on the page. I added a coordinating enamel dot to the center of each star.

Head on over to the Bella Blvd blog to check out what our other designer created for this new feature. And continue to watch for it once a month, as it will usually fall on the third Thursday of the month.
Summer Thoughts

August 18, 2015

I know I've been absent from blogging a lot this summer. In fact, I've only blogged 16 times in the last three and a half months. Which is pretty bad. I have no clue what my average was before that. I mean, I could go count, but I'm not THAT curious to know. I just want you to know that I am totally aware that I haven't been around as much as I might have been before.

Maybe that's because I honestly haven't scrapped that much the last few months. I've created a bunch of stuff, some of which I've already shared and a lot of which I can't share for a while. But I know that it feels like I haven't done that much lately, even though there are projects that I really do want to get done. It's that one little thing that stands in the way though. TIME.

My summer months always feel so hectic and busy. But not because we're having tons of fun, going on daytrips and vacations, and just enjoying life. It's because we're working. Well, more so Joe and I, as the girls definitely had some time to relax this summer. Although, in their defense (especially my college girl), I think they needed a decent amount of downtime after the busyness of the school year.

I've had all of these extra bodies in the house this summer. I had three summer daycare kids here with me. Although I did have one regular kiddo gone for the summer, since her mom just had a baby, and she got to hang out at home with them. I had my girls home for the summer, and most days, Sarah's boyfriend was here a lot too. Joe works nights, so he's here sleeping during the day. I'm shushing the kiddos in the morning, since the girls are still sleeping. And then I'm shushing my girls in the afternoon, while the kiddos all nap. I just don't get much done during the summer, since after working an eleven+ hour day with the kids (and squeezing my Bella job in there was well), I have no desire to do much of anything in the evenings.

I can't lie though. It's been nice to step back from scrapping in a sense this summer. I didn't worry about getting stuff done. I wasn't thinking about projects I wanted to work on. I can definitely get caught up in the things that I want to do, and not give my full attention to the things that I need to do. This summer, however, I really do feel like I just enjoyed the moment. Ok, I didn't enjoy every moment (too many little ones takes a toll on my sanity!). But I was present more than usual.

I've juggled a lot this summer, making a full time job and a part time job work, along with some freelance work here and there. We've spend several weekends doing much needed things around the house. We've been working, alongside Alyssa's dad (who honestly, did most of the work), to get Alyssa set up in an apartment across the street from the college for several weeks. And we've dealt with, and are still dealing with, the sudden loss of Alyssa's grandma from a very short battle with cancer.

I've also dropped the ball on stuff, simple because I didn't want to worry about things that didn't have to be done. Nothing of any importance, mind you. Just things that I've been pushing to the side here and there, with the "I'll do that later" mentality. I guess now is about that time.

Sarah went back to school about two weeks ago, starting her junior year of high school. Sigh. Alyssa is pretty much moved out and in her apartment now, and will be starting her sophomore year of college next Monday. Sigh. I have a two week "break" of sorts with the daycare kids. I still have four little ones here, but it's the least amount I've had all summer. I have my previous kiddo coming back in two weeks, and she's bringing her new baby brother! So that will be a big adjustment, I'm sure. Not to mention I have another daycare parent expecting a baby later this year.

Long story short. I haven't blogged as much. And I've missed it. I haven't scrapped as much. And I've missed it. I have a list of projects that I want to do, which includes some 6×8 album projects that I've been itching to start/finish. So I'm really hoping I can get back into the swing of things here, so that I'll have more to share with you all 🙂

*** And since I didn't even chat about the cards, as they're self explanatory, they were both made for Bella Blvd for their summer release booth at the SPC show in July. Both used the new Fresh Market collection, and you can read about them both HERE.
Bella Blvd: Forty Eight Project Sheets

August 4, 2015

Hey everyone! So, as I started working on my most recent project sheet layout (see previous post) for Bella Blvd, I got to thinking about how many of these project sheet layouts I've made. I've been with Bella for over four years now, and started doing these layouts shortly after starting the job. One a month, for the last four years as of this last one. That's 48 layouts for 48 project sheets.

It's not necessarily common knowledge, but I'm usually given a challenge for each of these layouts, along with being asked to focus on a particular collection or embellishment. I usually mention the challenge when I blog about the layout here on my personal blog. But it's not like most people would know that I had something I kept in mind when creating the pages.

You'll definitely find some of the same photos used on different layouts. This happens. Especially with holiday type collections, as my girls are older now. Take Halloween, for example. I haven't taken Halloween photos in about five to six years. My girls are also "film babies", so their younger years are all on film and not easily accessible. So I do tend to pull the same photos out a lot, as I don't have a lot to choose from. Or I borrow photos from a few friends of mine to fit what I need. I counted and eleven of these 48 layouts have photos from my friends.

I'll be honest here. Another thing that I run into is that sometimes I'm scrapping photos/stories/events that I've already scrapped. These memories are already documented and "in the books" so to speak. I think that happens a lot in the industry, whether it's something like creating these project sheet layouts, or when it come to magazine work. Every once in a while, I might actually like the new layout more than the one I created originally. But a lot of the time, these "duplicate" layouts end up in a random pile somewhere, and they may never make it into the albums. A few of these layouts have actually been taken apart, the good embellishments saved, and then the rest was tossed. I know some might cringe reading that, but it happens.

And then there are the layouts that actually do mean something to me. The ones that are documenting something for the first time, whether it's the photos or the story. There are definitely layouts within this group of 48 that I'm not fond of, but there are also quite a few that I really do love and that are permanently in the albums. And I'll leave it up to you if you'd like to try and figure out which ones are which 😉

Edited to add: If there layouts within this group that you are wanting to lift (I mention this, since I'm reading that in your comments), and you don't want to dig around for the individual project sheets, you can find all 48 projects sheets and download the ones you want RIGHT HERE. They come with a supply list and step-by-step instructions, all written by me!
Bella Blvd: Step-By-Step Project Sheet – Fresh Market

August 3, 2015

Today, over on the Bella Blvd blog, our August project sheet went up. For this month's layout, I was asked to use the brand new Fresh Market collection, circles, and Clear Cuts transparencies. The first photos that popped into my head for this layout were these adorable shots I took years ago of Miranda, a previous daycare cutie of mine. I had so many different photos to choose from, all with different facial expressions, and had to have a friend of mine help me narrow them down to just four photos.

I printed these photos on my photo printer, and basically printed two photos, which each having 2 photos side by side. That way I only had to adhere two "photos" across the page, instead of four individual photos. I didn't really notice how those two center photos combined until I was editing the photos of my layout, otherwise I probably would have swapped them around.

For the circles part of my challenge, I knew I wanted to arrange some patterned paper circles on the top half of the page, above my row of photos. To work in the Clear Cut transparency, I layered a piece of the Pickle Juice Confetti over my white cardstock background. It added more to the "circle" theme, and added some interest to my white background, without overwhelming the page.

That yellow/orange "I was made for sunny days" circle started out as a 4×4" card on the Daily Details patterned paper. I was able to cut a circle from it, without losing any of the fun image.

I usually use my old Creative Memories circle cutter when cutting circles for my projects. It's super handy, and less work than taking out my Silhouette for something as basic as circles. I cut a larger circle, from both the black/white polka dot patterned paper and white cardstock, to hold my title.

I cut a few smaller circles from the black/white polka dot patterned paper, along with a few circles from the aqua scalloped border patterned paper. I arranged them along the top of the page, and then added some pink enamel dots and some stickers.

The majority of my patterned paper strips on this page came from the Borders patterned paper sheet. The striped border along the top and bottom of the page, the aqua dotted borders above and below the photos, and the pink gingham border along the top of the page, all came from the Borders sheet. I'm a huge fan of the scalloped border stickers on the Treasures & Text sticker sheets, so I use those a ton on my pages.

And you know I had to add lots of machine stitching, right? I rarely do a layout or card without it these days. I just love how much it adds to projects, and it also helps secure everything in place, should adhesive give out down the road. For all of the circles, I did my machine stitching before adhering them to the page. Just easier when you're working with circles.

You can download our August project sheet, complete with supply list and step-by-step instructions, RIGHT HERE.
Scrapbook & Cards Today: They Humor Me

July 22, 2015

Sooooo. Back in May, when National Scrapbook Day rolled around, I was searching for the layout I had created for NSD in 2014, and was baffled when I couldn't find it on my blog. I mean, it was definitely up on the Scrapbook & Cards Today blog (HERE) that year.

But I searched my blog high and low one day, and couldn't find it anywhere. It makes no sense that I never shared it, but maybe I really did overlook it. Or maybe I did share it and then the post vanished. Stranger things have happened. Anyways. I thought since I don't have anything else new to share right now, I would share it again. Or for the first time. Who knows at this point 😉

I go back and forth between two different styles when it comes to creating my layouts. Sometimes I’m all about the layers and texture and sometimes I work in a technique or two. I almost always add machine stitching and I love die cutting. I also love mixing and matching between manufactures and using a fun variety of products!

However, sometimes I'm looking to create simple and quick layouts, without all the fuss. Of course, I also still want them to look amazing and have plenty of interest. Luckily, there are so many products on the market that make "simple and quick" look "amazing and interesting". I created this two page layout with 10 photos, 6 3×4” cards, 6 thin strips of patterned paper, a few stickers, some alphas (chipboard and stickers), a few paper flowers, and a handful of buttons. And it really didn’t take me any time at all.

With the hugely popular Project Life elements showing up in so many manufacturer’s collections, it’s easy to find a wide variety of 3×4” and 4×6” cards to coordinate with your photos. I am not a Project Lifer (is that a term?), but I have a huge collection of Project Life cards and elements. They are easy for working into my everyday layouts and cards.

The 3×4” cards that were used on this spread came from a single sheet of 12×12” patterned paper, so I did have to trim them before using. I love that it gives the illusion that I dug into so many different patterned papers to create all of these different cards, when in fact, they all came from one sheet of paper.

I truly LOVE my die cut machine and my sewing machine, and I rarely make a project without using one, if not both, of them. However, with the way my scrap space is set up, I don’t have easy access to either one. If I want to die cut a title or shape, or if I want to machine stitch on my project, it involves clearing off enough room on my desk to put those machines. When I set out to do super quick projects, I forgo my die cut machine and head straight to my large collection of alpha stickers and chipboard for my titles and I skip the sewing machine all together.

By printing my photos 3×4”, the same size as my cards, I was able to create a collage of photos and paper across the two page spread. By lining everything up, and keeping things very clean and linear, I was able to get the “bones” of the page (cardstock, patterned paper and photos) put together very quickly.

I added some simple embellishments to some of the 3×4” cards. By sticking to a few of my go-to embellishments … buttons, flowers, and stickers … I saved time by not having to dig through all of my supplies looking for little bits of things to add to the pages.

Remember, creating eye-catching layouts doesn’t mean you have to spend hours on every page, or put $20 worth of product onto your pages. A little really can go a long way!
Bella Blvd: Summer 2015 Reveal – Clear Cuts & Tiny Text Alphas

July 16, 2015

If you haven't heard the news, we're revealing the new Summer 2015 collections all this week over on the Bella Blvd blog. Today, we're sharing the new Clear Cut specialty paper designs and our new Tiny Text alpha stickers.

I created this layout for the catalog, to show off the new Clear Cuts transparencies. I picked one of each design to start my page. The black stars, orange hearts, and green chevies. And then picked a few patterned papers from the Fresh Market collection and the IF Whatever Is Lovely collection to coordinate.

I had the idea to do a sunburst design on the page, which is something I did a few years back on a Bella layout. When I had created that previous layout, I had created my own template from a sheet of cardstock. I simple drew a circle in the lower right corner of the page, and then used my ruler to draw the "bursts" going out to the edge of the page.

Luckily, I saved those template pieces. That's actually quite unlike me, as I love to throw things away thinking I won't need them again. Also, I'm very glad that I was smart enough to number them, so I could easily piece it all together.

I started tracing and cutting the bursts from my patterned papers, arranging them around the page in a pleasing pattern. For the Clear Cuts, I simple cut a square wider then needed, so that I could just adhere it in place, and then place my patterned paper pieces in place over them. I didn't want to have to try and cut the transparencies into the exact burst shape, since I didn't want to have to draw on them.

Once all of my bursts were in place, I machine stitched along every row and into the center of the page. I then created a "mini layout" of sorts, from the white ruled and green dotted patterned papers, to adhere over where all of the bursts met in the center.

I cut down a few border stickers (truthfully, those are mock up "stickers", which was just paper I had to cut – they'll look better as actual stickers, I promise), and layered them together to give my title somewhere to rest. I used some of the white Amorie chipboard alphas, along with a few stickers to complete my title.

Head on over to the Bella Blvd blog to check out the new Clear Cuts & Tiny Text alphas, and get in on a chance to win-it-before-you-can-buy-it!