Happy Monday SCT friends! The team is all back from Crop & Create Ottawa and we had an absolutely incredible time with everyone in Ottawa! We saw some of our old friends and made many new friends. The energy, the excitement and the education made Ottawa a place we cannot wait to come back to. To all those who attended, thank you. To all of those that flew in for the event, thank you. There was a whole lot of laughter, a whole lot of hugs and even a few happy tears. If you are looking to attend some of our upcoming events in Saskatoon, Markham, Winnipeg, Moncton and Burnaby...check here for dates and put them on your calendar!
We are excited to start this week with the ever fabulous designer Laura Vegas! If you've read our fall issue, she did the Easy, Detailed, Expert column and did an amazing job showing three completely different levels when creating a layout. We are thrilled she could join us today and Wednesday...you're in for a treat!
"Hey everyone! My name is Laura Vegas, and I'm very excited to be hanging out with you all as a guest blogger this week. Do you ever have those moments where your creative juices don't seem to flowing quite as easily as they should be? Where you sit and stare at your photos and papers, pushing them around, but not really knowing where to start?
Next time you're feeling stuck, why not try working with an inspiration piece. Nowdays we can find inspiration just about everywhere. Online, galleries, magazines, advertisements ... the list goes on and on. And the newest obsession for so many of us, Pinterest, is a place for us to corral all of those inspiring images together in one spot, so they are there when we need them. Browse through those images and go with the first one that catches your eye.
For me, it was this image from Photocard Boutique .
I was inspired by several things in this image. First, I LOVE the color combo with the pink, deep purple, aqua, yellow and brown. I was also inspired by the corrugated look of the paper wrapped around the metal can. It reminded me of an old tool that hasn't seen the light of day in my scraproom for years: the paper crimper.
I dug through my patterned paper collection, looking for papers in the same colors as my inspiration piece. Then I dug out my old paper crimper too. Those 2 things, my patterened paper and my tool, were the starting point for this layout. I ended up using one more piece of inspiration to get me started, and that was a layout of my own that I had just recently finished. Have you ever lifted your own layouts? I'm sure I'm not alone in finishing up a layout and really, really loving what I came up with design-wise. Keep in mind, you don't have to re-invent the wheel every time you sit down to work on a new layout. If you have a design that you love, use it again. And maybe even again. Most likely, those layouts won't be side by side in your albums, so no one is going to notice if you have the same basic page design on a few layouts.
Supplies:Patterned paper: My Mind's Eye, Basic Grey; Buttons: Basic Grey; Die cut machine: Silhouette; Other: thread
I will be back on Wednesday with a simple tutorial on mixing your patterned paper and a paper crimper to add some fabulous dimension and texture to your projects. I hope you'll join me!
~ Laura Vegas
Fabulous layout. Thanks for sharing your creative process.
Posted by: Brenda B | October 01, 2012 at 11:20 AM
That is so pretty Laura!! Can't wait to see more in Wednesday !
Posted by: Nicole n | October 01, 2012 at 12:03 PM
Your inspiration piece is wonderful. I love how you crimped the flowers! What a fabulous way to add texture and interest! I can't wait to see what you share tomorrow!!
Posted by: Ruth G | October 01, 2012 at 12:07 PM
Beautiful . Would love to attend crop and create next year.
Posted by: mcgregormary@me.com | October 01, 2012 at 12:24 PM
I love the texture the crimper gives and sweet layout.
Posted by: Rea Custer | October 01, 2012 at 12:34 PM
I've never heard of a paper crimper!! (I definitely had a hair crimper, though ;-))
I'd love to know more about how one works. Is it like dry embossing?
Posted by: Natalie (QSOgirl) | October 01, 2012 at 12:56 PM
Wow!!! Love the layout! You truly are an inspiration!
Posted by: Laura | October 01, 2012 at 01:40 PM
Love the color scheme and I am LOVING those flowers. I just adore the whole layout! Great job Laura-once again. And I enjoyed your article in the latest issue...!
Smiles from PA!
Posted by: Janet | October 01, 2012 at 02:03 PM
What a gorgeous page!!
Posted by: Tracey | October 01, 2012 at 03:37 PM
Love your layout with those wondeful colors and the flowers are so cute. Great job and thanks for the enlightening article in the fall issue!
Posted by: Dorina D | October 01, 2012 at 04:24 PM
Love the color combination and your layout!
Posted by: Brenda | October 01, 2012 at 04:32 PM
Very pretty. Love the papers and colors. TFS
Posted by: JoAnn B. | October 01, 2012 at 05:37 PM
Thank Laura, you're always a great inspiration!
Alma
Posted by: Alma Ross | October 01, 2012 at 08:27 PM
Love the crimped flowers..........I don't have a crimper, but maybe that has to be my next tool, as I have wanted one forever. And a beautiful layout in great colors.
I just scrapped my wedding photos today........I have been married 49 years........I didn't want to "rush" :D
Thanks for getting me inspired.
Posted by: Florence Unrau | October 01, 2012 at 10:40 PM
So pretty ! I love your flowers. TFS .
Posted by: Julie A. Shearer | October 02, 2012 at 09:18 AM