Color Confusion Made Clear!

Do you have color confusion? Are you intimidated by that color wheel? Today I'm here to help! I do get compliments on my colors, and I thought "it's really not that hard", but then I realized one thing. That color wheel can be darned confusing! There's no way to memorize all the possible combinations, and you might just sit there saying "what are all these shapes in the middle for?"

Now, there are many different versions of color wheels available, but this is the one I have:

This is the one I recommend, and it you can probably find it in the art supply section of your nearest craft store. You use the holes in the center of each color grouping to help you decide which one your paper matches best. (Obviously this wheel can't cover an infinite range of colors.)  The center spins, as you can see in my video, to help you choose the combination of colors for your project.

I forgot to mention analogous color schemes in the video. this is just a group of 3-4 colors in a row along the color wheel. So perhaps you might use yellow-green, green, blue-green(turquoise), and blue. Or a monochromatic scheme where you use varying shades and hues of the same color.

You can see the color wheel in action in this video here:

If you want details on any of the layouts in that video, here they are:

Note - All of my layouts started with a sketch. My go-to sources are Scrapbook Generation and Close To My Heart, but some come from other sources and I also draw my own.

 

This layout started with the die-cut paper, and I had some scraps of the stripe, both from The Girls Paperie Vintage Floral line.  I pulled the blue from a small portion of the stripe for more contrast, using Frosted Teal cardstock from Bazzill as my bases. I added the green pattern from The Girls Paperie Vintage Travel line and the pink pattern from Basic Grey's Urban Prairie line.  Title was cut with the Cricut Artiste cartridge, brads were from my stash, and all other embellishments are The Girls Paperie Vintage Floral line.

I wanted to capture the feeling of a Creole plantation with this layout, reflecting the colors of the house itself. A perfect choice were these papers from Graphic 45's Olde Curiosity Shoppe collection. I added a journaling sticker and chipboard tag shape from the same collection. I used some felt flower shapes in my stash with the Epiphany Crafts Round 25 shape studio tool and bubble caps, some stickers from the collection and CS scraps. The title was cut with the Silhouette Cameo using Times New Roman and Black Jack fonts.

This layout began with leftover items from this month's promotional Cloud Nine card kit from Close To My Heart. (I made 1 set of 5 cards instead of 2 so I had large pieces left.)  All of the embellishments and stamped title shapes are from the same kit. I added White Daisy CS for my bases, along with Lagoon, Cranberry, Sunset, and a scrap of Honey CS.  I added stamping from January's stamp of the month, Cross-Stitch Wishes for an arrow border and a few tone-on-tone hearts in the background.

This layout started with a discontinued kit from CTMH, Avonlea. My color wheel declared Ruby red the winner of the add-a-color contest, so I added a few CS accents and some embellishments from the kit and the Ruby Mini-Medley Accents collection. The title is stamped with some discontinued stamps.

This layout uses the ProPlayer kit right out of the package - the experts know what they're doing. But, you CAN add other colors if you choose. If you didn't watch the video yet, you can see there how to add more colors to this combination. The titles and gears are all cut from the Cricut Artiste cartridge.

If you have any other questions about using a color wheel, feel free to ask them right here! I'm happy to help out.

More Advent Calendar Variations

I know, December 1st has come and gone, but I wanted to share the other two advent calendars I made for my kids to show you some variations. (And there's always plenty of time for next year, right?) As a reminder, I made these using SVG files from SVG Cuts and Make The Cut software.

The one I showed the other day was for my 10yo daughter - she likes blue.

Here's the one I made for my 8yo daughter:

This one uses discontinued papers from Close To My Heart, cardstock from CTMH, glitter cardstock in Aqua from American Crafts, and more Cuttlebug/Sizzix embossing folders.

Here's the one I made for my 6yo son:

This one uses pattern papers from Figgy Pudding by BasicGrey, cardstock from CTMH, and some shiny foil paper I've had in my stash for YEARS.  (I don't think I will try to use the foil paper with a cutting machine again after this experience, lol.)

Sorry for the poor photos - I finally finished these before dinner, and of course the light is not the best around here in the evening!  Hope it gives you an idea of some of the different looks you can get from the advent calendar files.  Thanks for stopping by!

Magical Knight

Welcome all to day #5 of Blog Candy Week here at Saving My...  I can't wait to give away all of the fun goodies I have stashed away!  If this is your first visit, be sure to go back to this post and find out how you can win.  Now, on to today's project:

Every princess should have her knight in shining armor, and when you're young there's no one better for that role than Daddy.  This is the second time I've scrapped pictures from this event; I did a layout for my older daughter's scrapbook previously.  Our younger daughter has such a loving and playful personality that I thought lots of hearts would be perfect for her pages.

I started with a sketch from Sketch Support for this layout, sticking pretty close to the original other than changing the stars to hearts and eliminating some stitching and strip journaling.  I also replaced one of the indicated small photos with an additional, larger, heart.

I chose to use papers from BasicGrey's Bittersweet line for most of my patterns, so I started with a base of Blush cardstock from Close To My Heart.  Since I only had single sheets of the Bittersweet papers, I opted to replace the large background of pattern paper in the sketch with a lacy cutwork paper, a K&Co Silhouette, in a darker pink.  I added the BG pattern strips, cutting scallops for the bottom strip using my Cricut.  I decided to add some interest in my grouping of hearts by using various textures, including vellum and some American Crafts glitter cardstock, all cut with the Cricut.  I added some heart brads to the vellum to attach them to the page, then adhered the remaining hearts using pop dots for dimension.  For balance, I also popped up the larger heart on the opposite page, and added a heart stick pin (K&CO) to my journaling area.  My title is cut using my Cricut and the Stone Script and Opposites Attract cartridges.  Finally, I added a few final touches using my i-rock and pink gems.

I hope I gave you a few ideas to use in your layouts today!  Sketches are really my go-to for getting things done - it's so much easier to change a few things to make them my own rather than starting from scratch every time.  I hope you'll take the time to enter for this week's prizes, and hope to see you back tomorrow!

Giveaway Day 2 (and a card share)

Good morning!  I've been in a Valentine mood, so today I decided to share a quick card I made using Make The Cut software and some SVG files from Lettering Delights with my Cricut.  As it turns out, today's prize is also Cricut-related... read on!

I made this cute easel card using Basic Grey's Urban Prairie papers and cardstock scraps from my stash.  The border punch was from Stampin' Up and the glittery Twinkle Brads and "bitty" size black brads (on the frog's eyes) are from Close To My Heart.  The pink glitter cardstock is by American Crafts (available at www.cutterscreek.com).

The super cute frog and the sentiment are both from the Frogs and Kisses SVG set at Lettering Delights.  They have a ton of other "love" sets, including printables, and they're all on sale right now.  In fact, they even have a free Monster Love set ($15 value) on their site through February 14th, so be sure to pop over and check them out!

Now, for today's prize!  I am giving away a Nursery Rhymes Cricut cartridge as well as a $10 gift certificate to Lettering Delights!  (Don't have Make The Cut or SCAL?  No worries, they have a ton of fonts and printable graphics also.)  The Nursery Rhymes cartridge has a great font on it - it's really the reason I broke down and bought myself the cartridge too!   Here's a shot of the main images included:

 

Rules for entry are easy and as follows:

• You must be a follower
• Just leave a comment to enter (limit one entry per person, and make sure I have a way to contact you) 
• Entries must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, February 1st

Thanks for stopping by and good luck!

Oh, Croppy Day!

On Saturday, Mandie & I spent the day at a 12-hour fundraiser crop.  With kids home from school today, I'm kind of wishing I was back there again and find myself singing "oh, croppy day" (to the tune of Oh Happy Day - yes, the gospel song) over and over in my head!  I know, I'm odd.  That's OK.

At any rate, it was nice to just spend a lazy day cropping.  I only completed three 2-page layouts, and finished another I had started previously.  The only downside was that I forgot the cord that connects my Gypsy to the Cricut - good thing Mandie had all of her cartridges with her!

I can't share all of my layouts today; a couple of them are for the Cutters Creek blog later this month.  You can look for my Summer flashback this Friday, the 15th, and my pirate Halloween layout next Tuesday, the 19th.  However, I can share the other two.

The first layout is for this week's Cricut Circle blog Think Pink challenge.  This challenge asks us to use at least 3 of the following: Pink, Ruffles, Scallops, Flourishes, Glitter and Jewels.  We also have to use at least two Cricut cuts.  I had some cute pictures of our girls from a few years ago, where they had fallen asleep together in our bed, and I decided to use those.

I met the criteria using pink, a flourish cut, lots of scallops on my chipboard elements, and pink gems.  I used a sketch pattern from the new Magic book from Close To My Heart, and modified it by using chipboard flowers instead of additional pictures.  Patterned papers, chipboard elements, and the large brad in the upper right are all from Basic Grey's Sugared line; cardstock and pink brads are from Close To My Heart; Cricut cuts are both from French Manor; and pink gems are I-rock gems from Imaginisce.

The other layout I completed also uses some older pictures I really needed to get scrapped!  I do have a little journaling to complete - it will go to the left of the main photo under my subtitle.

I used another sketch for this layout, but I can't remember which book it is from.  I used some of my favorite papers on this layout - Beyond the Sea from Heidi Grace - along with some Cardstock from Close To My Heart.  I will warn you that these papers are super hard to find, but I'm working on finding a source for anyone who is interested in them.

My title is cut with the 3 Birds Cricut cartridge (thanks Mandie!) and my scallops and circle are cut with Plantin Schoolbook.  Adhesive gems and pearls are all from CTMH, and the rub-ons used on my subtitle and directly on my main photo are also from the Beyond the Sea line.  (Click on the photo to enlarge and see them better.)

Thanks for stopping by today!  Don't forget to stop back here or over on the Cutters Creek blog this Friday and next Tuesday for more scrappy goodness.

Tree-mendous Card

This is my card for this month's sketch challenge over at Rubber Stamp Chat.  The challenge is being hosted this month by Starving Artistamps, so I'm using an image from their Into the Woods stamp set, and my inside sentiment is from the matching  sentiments set.

This fun tree image has all kinds of little circles in it's branches, and they make the perfect place to put little buttons, brads, whatever.  I chose to give my tree a Fall feel, by using various sizes & colors of brads to fill in the circles.  I cut out my image using the out of the box technique.  I colored in my grass with Copic markers - 2 shades of green, a little brown, and the colorless blender.  I colored my sky with a blue watercolor crayon from Stampin' Up! and a water brush.  The patterned paper and ribbon are from Basic Grey's Mellow line, and all cardstock, stamping ink, and large gllitter brads are from Close To My Heart.

I'd love to see you participate in this month's sketch challenge, so head on over to Rubber Stamp Chat to play!

Guilt Trip Photos

Wow, it's been over a month since I've added anything to the blog! I feel SO guilty! Probably like yours, our family has had a very busy July with little downtime for creating or blogging. We've been to a huge 4th of July celebration, a family reunion, blueberry picking, and a day at Chuck E. Cheese's (due to a weather-related zoo cancellation!). We also had a week of evening Bible School, and we got to drive the youngest to Speech once a week and hang around waiting for him.

So, to get over this guilt trip I've been on about not blogging, I treated myself to some scrapbook time over the last several days so I would have some new things to share here. I'm STILL scrapping our trip to Disney from last January, so that's what I've been working on. I almost have our adults-only day at Epcot finished finally, and here are the results of the last few layouts I've finished.

Here we have beautiful Germany, land of my ancestors! I used the Cricut Blackletter cartridge for the title. CS is from Close To My Heart, and patterned papers are from Daisy D's and Bo-Bunny. Crocheted flowers and all brads are also CTMH; paper flowers are Prima & unknown.

Up next is wonderful Italy! All papers are Heidi Grace from Fiskars (Wild Daisy Road). The title was cut using the Cricut Calligraphy Collection cartridge, Matrimony font. Scalloped border punch, swirly stamping wheel, and sparkly brads all from Stampin' Up!, and all other brads from Close To My Heart.

Lovely Japan! This LO uses REALLY OLD papers from Close To My Heart. So old, I don't even remember the name, and the images were punch outs instead of stickers. Also uses Circle Window Charms, and Edge Anchors from CTMH. The cute little Japanese girl is a clear stamp from Hero Arts, the ribbon is unknown, and the title is cut with the Cricut cartridge Caligraphy Collection, Inspiration Blackout font.


Finally, mysterious Morocco. You may notice this LO design looks familiar. I unintentionally used the same design as Germany, but they are far enough from each other in the album that I don't think most people would notice! CS is from Close To My Heart. The 2 patterned papers are from Basic Grey's Boxer line, as are the chipboard accents. Uses brads from CTMH, and the Believe upper & lower stamp sets from CTMH for the title. Notice my little arch I made? I used Cricut Design Studio to stretch an image from the Fabulous Finds cartridge so it mimics an architectural arch, and positioned the design and paper so it only cut into the bottom edge of my piece. (I was really pleased with how well this idea turned out!) I used Bamboo ink from CTMH for distressing and shadow effects for the archway.

Well, that's it for now. Hopefully, it won't be another month until I post again! School starts soon, and I finally have 2 of my 3 gone all day. Little man Drew will go to Preschool 3 mornings a week. We've yet to hear about Speech Therapy sessions from the school district; hopefully that can be scheduled the other two days so he's not completely overwhelmed with school!

More Eco-friendly Moves!

Thanks to some friendly suggestions and a few well-placed emails, I now have more eco-friendly scrapbook products to share with you!

Remember those cards I made a while back from scraps? Well, the gift the scraps came from finally had the finishing touches put on and was gifted. So, here's the final product:

This was made with all Basic Grey papers and coordinates, as well as few CTMH embellies. Since I love BG, I sent them an email about their eco-policy. Here's what I found out: they do not yet have an "official" statement. However, Nancy at BG tells me that all of their papers are made here in the US (another bonus), and their printer plants 2 trees for every one that is used to make paper. They are also big on recycling all paper used in their office. A nice step in the right direction! (If you're interested, I'm posting the remaining pix of this item at the end of this entry.)

Die Cuts With a View has a paper stack called the Green Stack, which is made with 70% recycled paper. I couldn't locate it on their website, but over at Joann's I found it in 12x12, 8x8, and Matstack sizes, plus chipboard shapes. Plus, Joann has them all on sale right now. Here's a link if you're interested: http://www.joann.com/joann/catalog.jsp?CATID=cat2002&PRODID=xprd913676

WorldWin Papers uses wind power! Here's a quote from their website: "WorldWin Papers uses wind power in all of our facilities. We choose to purchase wind power for our corporate offices as well as our converting and distribution center to help protect the environment and reduce greenhouse gasses." Check out more info over on their environmental policy page at http://www.worldwinpapers.com/environment.html


Tinkering Ink offers a limited run Becoming Green collection. It's printed on 100% recycled, 30% post-consumer waste product. You can check it out on their website at http://www.tinkeringink.com/shop/product/bg-kit-becoming-green-kit/

New kid on the block, Jillibean Soup has their first line printed on kraft paper made of 100% recycled stock. Check out their products over at http://www.jillibean-soup.com/products_landing.php.

Scrap green with Paper Trunk -- that's their motto! They use a recycled cardstock, produced with wind power, and printed with vegetable-based ink. They even have a whole page of links about living greener. Check it out at http://www.papertrunk.com/scrapgreen.php. Check out some of the links on her page like the cosmetic and household products databases! If you think the items in your home are all safe, think again... and feel free to ask me if you have more questions about safer household and personal products!

OK, that's what I have for now. If you have other companies to recommend, please post a comment and share them with us! Now, for the rest of those pictures I promised...