Hello everyone!  Kim here today with one of my favorite kind of posts… color inspiration!  It’s a new year again, so it’s time for a look at Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2013!!  In the past we’ve been inspired by Turquoise and Tangerine.  This year… say hello to Emerald!!

Now I have to say that when I saw what this year’s color was, I was really excited to scrap with it.  And I gave some thought to what might be fun to do with Emerald that would be a little different.  Here’s where my wandering thoughts led me…

The color wheel.  What is a color wheel, you ask?  The basic color wheel is made up of twelve colors.  There are the three Primary colors: red, yellow and blue, which when mixed together in different ways make up all the other colors on the wheel.  Then there are three Secondary colors: orange, violet and green.  Remember learning about those as a child?  Yellow and blue make green.  Red and yellow make orange.  Blue and red make violet.  Finally you mix a Primary and Secondary color to get the six Tertiary colors.  But really just taking a look at the color wheel makes a lot more sense!  Here is one example.

Now my whole reason for talking about the color wheel is to show you a way you can develop a color palette for a layout.  We’re going to look at color schemes that come from the color wheel and make those the inspiration for our layouts.  We’ll use blue-green as the starting point because Pantone’s Emerald is a blue-green.  Ready to see our color schemes??  Here we go!

Our first color scheme uses Complementary Colors.  These are colors that are directly opposite each other on the color wheel.  So for us today, we’re going to use blue-green and red-orange.

Complementary colors give maximum contrast.  This is because they don’t share any of the same colors.  For example, yellow and violet are complementary and violet is made up of red and blue (and not yellow).  Complementary schemes have an energetic feel.  Sometimes it can be a bit tricky to find the right balance though.  Here is what I did using Emerald and its complementary color.

Up next we’re going to look at an Analogous Color scheme.  Analogous colors are any three that are side by side on the color wheel.  Today we’ll use green, blue-green and blue.

Analogous color schemes are pleasing to the eye and are supposed to be able to create different moods.  As I read about this type of scheme, it was usually recommended to let one color be the dominant color while the other two colors add depth.  I’m not sure if I got that 100% right in this one, but here’s my analogous layout!

Our last color scheme for today uses Triadic Colors.  These colors are equidistant from each other on the color wheel (they make an equilateral triangle).  Our triadic colors are blue-green, red-violet, and yellow-orange.

Triadic colors give variety to a color palette because they aren’t close to each other on the color wheel.  Some of the color schemes could come off as a bit gaudy, but used the right way, they have interesting impact.  Here’s my take on this color scheme.

I asked the Shabby Team if they’d like to try these color schemes out themselves, and they have more inspiration to share with you!!

What I love most about this post is that we started with one color, Emerald, and the layouts that were created are all so different!  Thank you everyone for all these beautiful layouts!  If you want to see theirs in more detail, check out the gallery, where they will be uploaded soon.

Here’s where I usually say “that’s all for today”, but instead I must sign off a bit more permanently.  This is my last post before the team blog posts end, and I have so enjoyed my time here and sharing a love of scrapping with all of you.  Thanks for being such a great community of scrappers!  I’ll see you in the gallery!!  Bye bye!

KimInspiration, Uncategorized 11 Comments

Hello everyone!  Kim here today to share this month’s extra-large, extra-sweet Product Spotlight post!  We’re wrapping all the spotlight fun into this one post and giving you a bit of an early Christmas present too!  SP is once again putting ALL of her holiday kits and products ON SALE for a limited time!!  That’s right… everything holiday related!

There are several holiday kits in the Shoppe, each unique but also able to mix and match with other kits as well.  The Shabby Team has put together a bunch of new inspiration to show this.  I’ve tried to be helpful and name the main kits used in each layout.  But please keep in mind that the layouts may include items from other kits as well.  These will all be uploaded to the gallery with full credits, so check there for a closer look at each layout!  Here comes the inspiration…

Still a favorite of mine is the Twas the Night kit.  I especially love the blue ornate paper and the sparkly elements (there’s a star and snowflake too that are not shown here).  For this layout, I mixed these with paper and elements from the new Nutcracker kit.

And here are more layouts from the whole team!

And here’s one final layout by Kylie using the Believe kit.  I do love how the “Naughty or Nice” word art from the new Holiday Wordart and More worked so well for Kylie in this layout.  Don’t we all want to be on the nice list?!

Thanks ladies for all that inspiration!  That’s all for today, but tomorrow Casharina will be here with fabulous food post!  Bye!

KimProduct Spotlight, Shoppe News, Uncategorized No Comments

Hello to all of you on this Saturday!  Kim here to bring you an “extra” weekend post!  It’s my turn to share a hybrid project with you, but I must say I was a little unsure of what kind of project I had it in me to do this month.  At our house, Christmas decorations have gone up, food for parties is being made, and of course the secret shopping is also going on.  And speaking of shopping for gifts, we recently had family pictures made that will be given to some family members.  I thought it would be nice if I could find a little bit different way to frame them, so I was out there looking for ways to make a picture frame more unique.  One idea I saw was to use strips of fabric to wrap the frame.  Now since I can’t sew, I decided I would try to make this project a little more up my alley.  So… here is my frame wrapped in strips of scrapbook paper!

  I’ll admit that I kept this project as simple as possible, but it still has a bit of flair with the wrapped frame.  I like it!  And here’s what you need to create your own:

• Frame (This one seems so simple, but it was the trickiest part for me.  You need to remember that you are going to wrap the edges when you pick out a frame.  So, the kind of frame where the glass and backing needs to be slid in from one end won’t work.  You need glass and backing that goes straight in from the back.  I hope that makes sense!  And in truth, you may not be able to fit the glass back in the frame anyway.  In my example, I couldn’t.  You may have to experiment a little to see what works best for you.)
• Scrapbook paper (My example uses the plaid paper from Once in a Blue Moon.  I printed it on my home printer on 8.5×11 inch paper.  No need to have 12×12 inch pages for this project.)
• Tape or other kind of adhesive
• Printed out embellishments of your choice
• Scissors

Follow these steps to wrap the edges of your frame:

• Remove the glass and backing from your frame.
• Cut your scrapbook paper into strips.  Mine were about 1/2 inch thick, but you can experiment to see what you like.
• Use tape/adhesive to attach one end of a strip to the back edge of your frame.
• Wrap the strip around the edge of the frame, being sure that you have some overlap each time you wrap.
• When you get to the end of the strip, cut it so that it ends on the back edge of your frame and tape it down.
• Repeat the last 3 steps until you have all the edges of your frame covered.  Just go as close to the corners as you can because you’ll take care of those next.

Now for the corners.  I wasn’t sure what I’d do about this part, but here’s what worked for me.  I cut out a square of the scrapbook paper, then cut a little bit into one corner of the square (shown below).  I taped the two corner pieces down on the inner part of my frame (where it wouldn’t show), then wrapped the rest of the square around the corner like you’re wrapping a present (with more tape to hold it down).

You’ve done the hard part at this point!  You’re all ready to put your pictures and the backing in the frame and add any embellishments you’d like.

There are a couple of other things I’d like to mention from my experience with this project.  Number one, the hardest part is going to be finding a frame that you will still be able to fit the picture and backing in after you wrap the frame.  You might try wrapping just a few strips of paper, then seeing if it’s going to work.  Using regular weight paper (not a thicker cardstock) to print out the scrapbook paper will allow the paper to bend and form more to the frame.  I’d recommend not trying cardstock.  That said, I did use cardstock to print out my embellishments.

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing this little hybrid project!  And I hope you have a lovely rest of your weekend!!  Be sure and stop back by the blog on Monday as Lindsay will be here to announce our next Layout of the Week.  Bye!

KimHybrid Projects, Uncategorized 4 Comments

Hello blog friends!  It’s Kim here today with a little bit of scrapping inspiration!  There have been several times recently that I have gone back to some of my favorite kits and realized there are still a few elements in them I have never used.  I know there are times that I really love an element when I see it, yet somehow it never seems to “fit in” to any of my layouts.  Does this ever happen to you??  You mean to use that pretty paper or that fun banner or that unique flower and you just never get to it?

I challenged the Shabby Team to find an SP element that they have never used before and create a layout with it.  I love the results and hearing how they enjoyed the challenge.  Let’s see what inspiration we have today!!  First of all, I took the challenge too and created this layout with mostly the Clementine kit.  I absolutely loved this kit at first sight and go back to it often.  But I have no idea how I’ve waited this long to use the stitched flowers and paper button!  I knew these elements could inspire a layout, and here’s the layout I made when I started working with them.

Next up are layouts from Rosy and lego.  Rosy said that she’s always felt the Fun Flash Cards would also make good elements for a layout but had never used them that way before.  I like how she picked the “i” and “s” cards by the photo to highlight the initials of her son and his special animal.  Lego really stepped up to the challenge and made a layout entirely of elements she has not used before.  Wow!!  She said the result feels “a bit alien”, but she likes it.  I do too!!

These next layouts are from Amber and Emily.  Amber used a frame, sparkle swirl and some papers for the first time.  And I think that frame is just perfect for a layout like this!  I like that she stapled and taped it down in just the right spots so it truly looks like it’s bending off the page.  Emily decided to use the Gracie medallion paper and Autumn Word Whimsy for her layout.  She also wanted to challenge herself to use the leaves in a little different way than before.  I think the result is beautiful!  I love all the different kinds of leaves – both realistic and whimsical – together in that cluster.

Aubrey and Kylie’s layouts are up next.  Aubrey used the photo sleeve from Gracie as well as other elements she had never used.  I love the large stamp in the background and the zipper with stitching.  She put all the pieces together perfectly in this one!  Now Kylie, who has worked with SP for a long time, was truly challenged to find an element she has not used before!!  But she says she is 99.9% sure this is the first time she has used the red button flower from Twirl!  Her layout is a masterpiece of fun and girly drama, which I know about in my own house too!

Our last piece of inspiration comes from Lindsay.  She says that the paper clouds and epoxy buttons from Giggle Box are part of the reason she loves the kit, but this is the first time she’s put them into a layout.  I love that she chose the grays to make the yellow and aqua really pop.  And it all so perfectly makes sense with the saying of her layout.

Thanks everyone for all the inspiration and for being willing to do something a little different!!  If you want to see more details of their layouts, they will be posting them in the gallery.  And of course, we always love to see what you do with the inspiration as well, so post your own layouts there too!!  Bye bye for today, but see you here tomorrow as Casharina shares a hybrid project.

KimInspiration, Uncategorized 5 Comments

Hello everyone!  Kim here today to continue the product spotlight goodness that Kylie started yesterday!  When I think about SP’s Halloween kits, I have to admit that the first thing I think of is not Halloween.  Funny, right?  It’s just that I find myself going to the Halloween kits for all kinds of layouts.  There are great papers and elements in all three kits ~ Goose Bumps, Boo, and Smell My Feet ~ that when mixed and matched with other kits are really versatile.  I thought it would be fun to challenge the team to create an everyday layout with at least one Halloween kit plus at least one non-Halloween kit.  And they did not disappoint!  I have a ton of awesome inspiration to share with you today!!

To start with, I couldn’t ask the team to create something and not give it a try myself :)  Here’s my layout using Smell My Feet, as well as elements from a few different kits.  If you could see into my home right now, you would know this is definitely an everyday occurrence, as my youngest is always climbing on anything he can find!  Can I just say that I love all the colors in this dotted paper?  I could have gone so many directions with color using that paper.

Now for some inspiration from the Shabby Artists… some of who are making their blog scrapping debut today, YAY!!  Amber has created such a sweet sleepy baby layout with some great elements from Goose Bumps (love that black photo frame with the tape on the corner).  And Kylie paired Goose Bumps with Penelope to create a perfect fairy page.  The colors from both kits work really well together.

Aubrey’s layouts are full of fun… we all know how little ones do love a fort and balloons!  I love that in one of her layouts she has mixed Goose Bumps with An Affair to Remember for a birthday page.  So creative!

Next up Lego and Lindsay have taken pieces from Halloween kits and wrapped them in with all sorts of other kits.  I always admire the way Lego uses stamps to create a softness in her layouts, and she has done it again with this one.  One of the stamps she used was the scattered stars from Goose Bumps, an element I have used frequently myself.  Lindsay has also used one of my favorite elements from Smell My Feet, the cardboard frame, and she has filled in the banner from Goose Bumps with colors to match her layout.  Isn’t her cowgirl so cute?!

Our next layout is trademark Rosy.  She has beautifully blended photos of her two kids and added just the right touches.  Notice how she’s used one of the pieces of tape from Smell My Feet.  One of my favorite parts of that kit are the unique pieces of tape.  Emily has created a layout with lots of fun photos.  I love that she was able to use the alphas and stars from the Wonderful kit.  They make a great combo with the plaid paper from Smell My Feet.

And to wrap it all up, here is Casharina’s layout.  She has used some of my favorite pieces of all from the Halloween kits: the scalloped frame, word strips and alpha from Boo!  I find myself coming back to those elements a lot (especially the alpha).  The stitching is very cool too.  I really love what she’s done here – clustering perfection!

Thank you ladies for all your inspiration!!  If you’d like to see their layouts in more detail and see a full list of credits, check out the gallery, as they’ll be uploading them throughout the day.  And while you’re looking, stop by the Shoppe to get these Halloween kits while they are ON SALE!  Plus, there’s more happening on the blog tomorrow, as Kylie is here to announce the winner of Template Challenge 28… and give you the next template to enjoy!  Bye bye!

KimProduct Spotlight, Uncategorized 5 Comments