Hey ya’ll, it’s Lu again, and this week I wanted to share some inspiration from interior design. My favorite (residential) design style is a  relaxed eclectic or “collected” look. With interiors, that may mean years of patiently waiting until you come upon the exact piece of whatever (furniture, rugs, accessories, etc.) that you envision to complete a room (who hasn’t done that??).  Although in my personal experience, a space is never complete, lol!  I get a great deal of inspiration from “home” magazine features. The image below particulary caught my attention for a few key reasons, the mix-n-match aspect and the composition. My eye was immediatley drawn to the bold wallcovering as the room’s “theme”, contrasted with the crisp white quilt & accented by the small-scale supporting fabrics. And although it’s a “formula” that I have often practiced, I thought it might be fun to dissect the image & use it for inspiration on a layout!

Thankfully, it takes comparatively little time to pull together a “mix-n-match” layout… just a little imagination to think outside of the “kit” so to speak! You might ask, with beautiful kits already perfectly coordinated, why would you want to mix and match? For me, the answer is two-fold: 1) sometimes, as wonderful as a kit may be, it may not have all the necessary pieces you desire for a layout, and 2) I personally feel that mixing & matching can add depth  and interest to a layout. I know that whenever I look in the gallery & I see how others have used a combination of kits, I am always very inspired by their creativity. So with that in mind, I used the above image for inspiration to create a layout. Although I chose another color palette to work with, I did try to use a few elements from the original photo. I used an allover pattern for my background, layered a paper to mimic the headboard shape, used a solid neutral to create a focal area and added an “accent” paper  (much like you would  throw pillows) to reinforce the color scheme. Then I threw on my “accessories” to complete the look! I challenged myself to use a different kit for every item and I’m sure that I could have done it, with some restraint (I struggle at times with that concept)! But there are just so many wonderful options, I ended up using a few things (okay, several) from quite a variety of different kits. Here is what I came up with:

 Here is my product (credit) list:

• Wild Love- background paper, accent paper behind photo, alpha
• Barefoot- green paper
• Clementine- black button, heart stitch
• Sweetie Pie- heart with safety pin
• Sprout- key, photo ribbon wrap, damask stamp, ivory lace (yeah, I have a hard time saying “no” to Sprout)
• Damask & Dots- aqua flower
• Modish Girl- floral swirl
• Gigglebox- greenery and phrase strip
• Yours Truly- lobster clip
• An Affair to Remember- aqua sequins
• Summer Cottage- red embroidery stitch
• Sandbox- aqua label tab

For me, it’s a bit like a treasure hunt (both for interiors & digi-scrapping). I enjoy the “thrill of the hunt” almost as much as the finished product! Software such a ACDsee can help organize your digi-supplies & make “mix-n-matching” almost effortless! If you’re interested in learning more about that program, here is the webpage focusing just on digital scrappers. Although I personally have not used that program, with a growing digi-stash & an aging recall ability, lol, I might just seriously consider it!

Above all- whether the eclectic style is yours or not- remember that inspiration can come from anywhere! Just a little confession… until SP’s post on Ad Inspiration, I  had not consciously considered ad layouts as a source of inspiration! Now, I truly scrutinize every page, lol! An open mind is the source of creativity, I believe. If I’ve inspired you today, please let us know… better yet, show us a layout with the challenge to use a different kit for every item! (Remember to credit the kits, as you just never know who you’ll inspire)! I think you’ll be pleased with the result… Until next time, Happy Scrappin’!

LuBeauty & Fashion, Inspiration, Uncategorized 5 Comments

Hi everyone, it’s Lu here, and today I’m bringing you a little color inspiration from the design world. When considering this post, I turned to Pantone, a “global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries”. In December 2009, they announced the 2010 “Color of the Year” as Turquoise.

 I was pleased to discover this, as I love this color! And I was really happy to bring this post to you during the summer, because for me, that’s when I most dream of turquoise. Of course, I’ll wear turquoise jewelry year round like pearls, but something about that cool color is such a welcome relief (visually) from the heat. It stands on its own, but I especially love it paired up with a few other “summery’ colors such as yellow & green. I think of sunshine and lemonade with yellow; with green, I can smell fresh cut grass & see grasshoppers jumping! And like most people, when I see striking color palettes, it gets my creativity stirring! Like SP and her magazine ads, I have a hard time seeing anything & wondering “how can I translate that in a digi-layout?”  Here are a few “beauty & home fashion” items that have caught my attention…  

  As my background is in interior design, one of the things I’ve spent a lot of time around is paint chips. Pouring through them to find just the right color… and oh yes, one shade makes a big difference! Personally, I’ve always been captivated by the names assigned to the colors… it can really transport me, you know? And the colors that are paired together… sometimes I’ll think “Wow, that is so unusual, I never would have thought to put that together.” Other times, I”ll think, “Wow, that’s is so unusual… I never would have put that together!” LOL! Anyway, I thought it would be fun to emulate those paint chips to support my turquoise color study and this is my combination! 

On the color “palette”, I assigned each color the kit name that I had pulled from for inspiration. I thought this might be a fun starting point to inspire ya’ll to create a layout utilizing these stimulating and oh-so-compatible colors. They play nicely together, don’t you think? You don’t have to necessarily use these kits, there were quite a few that I could have worked from, in varying shades. These kits just worked best for my layout, as you’ll see below: 

  If you’d like to learn more about Pantone and the full article of the 2010 Color of the Year, you’ll find it here. I found it to be very informational & interesting. Well, that’s it for me today, but if you’ve been “inspired by turquoise”, please let us see what you come up with… reply back in the comments with a link to your layout in the gallery. Happy Scrappin’!

LuBeauty & Fashion, Inspiration, Uncategorized 23 Comments

Hi everyone! Beckie here!

On Mondays we try to bring you a fashion, shopping, or beauty related tip…but you’re stuck with ME this week, so we’re doing this my way!  LOL!  Last week SP brought you a free template based on an advertisement.  Today I’m going to show you ways to draw inspiration for your layouts from FASHION!

I love Banana Republic – not just the clothing itself, but the gorgeous styling of the outfits and the presentation of the brand.  That was my destination for this week’s fashion inspired post.  I desperately fought off the urge to SHOP and focused on the gorgeous apparel before me (only because I promised myself I could shop LATER!) – and immediately noticed how the styling of each outfit was complemented by the perfect accessories.

Accessories are the finishing touches, the final pieces we put on before heading out the door.  And they can TOTALLY change the mood of an outfit!

I selected this simple dress as the starting point for this week’s fashion inspired design lesson:

It’s a simple white dress (summer’s version of that versatile little BLACK dress!).  But notice how the stark contrast of the leather accessories really pull the outfit together! And the metal accents (her earrings and on the shoes) are a wonderful new texture against the softness of the dress.

So how does this apply to scrapbooking?  Let’s get started!

• A simple, neutral backdrop is the perfect foundation for creating a wonderfully “pulled together” layout.
• Limiting accessories to a few pieces that say “wow!” not only saves time, but also emphasizes the beautiful qualities – or even the theme – of the pieces you utilize.

My fashion inspiration challenge:

Use these principles to create TWO layouts in one afternoon that I’d be proud to add to my family album. The results?  I  spent less than one hour on each of these layouts but I love the way they came together!  Best of all – These are photos from the past few months that I just hadn’t taken the time to scrap yet.  So if you’re like me – you take photos at a faster rate than you can scrap them – give these designs a try!

“he is Batman” is SO DIFFERENT than my usual style!  But I just love the way it came out.  I started out with the photo, which I absolutely ADORE – and wanted to keep it clean and simple.  I kept the background neutral, in natural gray and black  and realized that the yellow paint on his face presented a way to add a tiny pop of color to the paper background for this layout.  Finally – that bow. I just love it.   To me, it sits on top of the layout like a big warm hug ;o).

It was pretty easy to do a clean and simple design for a one photo layout, but how about a THREE photo layout?  For this design, which was about my kids “fishing” in our cul-de-sac, I wanted to add a fun element that would create the theme and add a necessary touch of playfulness. Once I had my neutral background , I added the cute little pond doodle, and the fun swirly “splash”!

It took all the willpower in my being not to load my layouts up with the gorgeous patterned papers from Shabby Princess’ kits, but by challenging myself to create from a new perspective, I got new life from kits that have been in my stash for quite some time!

Each of these layouts were inspired by one simple white dress.  So the next time you’re shopping – at the store, on-line, or even browsing magazines – challenge yourself to pick an item and let it inspire YOU on your next layout!

BeckieBeauty & Fashion, Inspiration, Uncategorized 7 Comments

Hi all, SP here :o)  Monday’s are generally reserved for some sort of beauty/fashion inspiration…so I thought I’d go along those lines, but with something a little different!  I’m sure many of you have seen (or participated in) AD INSPIRATION scraps before!  They used to be a favorite of mine…I loved having that little bit of a jump start to a layout…and I really enjoyed interpreting an ad in my own way.  Not to mention, it sure was fun to see how everyone else ‘saw’ it, too :o)  I find it difficult anymore to look through a magazine without seeing all of the similarities with scrapbooking, lol!  Fonts, page design, colors – they all catch my eye and bring my brain right back to scrapping and how well they would translate to a scrapbook page lol!

So, with that said – here we have a great ad…ready to inspire you!  I’m sure this will be the first of many ad inspiration/challenge posts – so I really hope you enjoy them, LOL!

When I saw this ad…I knew that it would be perfect for a scrapbook page!  All of the dedicated squares (with rounded corners, no less lol)…the clean, crisp text…and the opportunity for a fun title – perfect!  I decided to follow the ad quite literally, as I knew what I wanted to do the second I saw it lol!  I was so excited to scrap these adorable pics of my niece (taken by my SIL)…and had BUNCHES to choose from!  At some point, I will also make a coordinating second page with one large photo on it!  But, this was the perfect way to fit lots of pics on the page…and really focus on the gorgeous colors of her sweet little outfit…and just some of the precious moments captured on our holiday weekend walk!

You do not have to be so ‘literal’ with your interpretation!  Perhaps you are inspired by the colors – or maybe the ad makes you want to try your hand at photo extraction – or, you could just like the idea of the rounded corner squares :o)  Be creative and have fun!  My layout came together faster than just about any I have ever done…and I owe that ALL to the wonderful AD INSPIRATION :o)  I love having just a little direction sometimes lol!

So, here’s a better look at the ad…and at the LO I was inspired to create (everything on my LO is from the BLOSSOM collection available at the Shabby Shoppe)!

 Finally, I thought I’d share the super sweet template with you :o)  It is a simple 12×12 page, all ready to inspire you!  To download, click HERE, or simply click the image below!

I hope this post has truly inspired you…if nothing else, to look at your magazines in a new way LOL! 

Finally – I wanted to announce our first RECIPE CHALLENGE winner….

YAY…sarah_13′s “A day at the Beach” layout was the winner of our first recipe challenge :o)  THANK YOU soooooo much to all who joined in the challenge, we look forward to more!  CONGRATS, sarah_13 – you should have received an email with a $10 gift card to the Shabby Shoppe :o)  Have fun shoppe-ing!

OK, I think that does it for me today :o)  Have a great Monday…and I’d LOVE to see any layouts you create in the Shoppe’s Gallery :o)

Shabby PrincessBeauty & Fashion, Free (not desktops), Uncategorized 22 Comments

Happy Monday morning (is that an oxymoron? lol)!  SP here :o)  Thought we would start the week off with some ‘favorite things’!  Every Monday, we will be posting something about fashion or beauty or home…or just shopping in general lol!  So, this week…I decided to talk ETSY!  Etsy is a website where you can buy and sell various handmade items (along with vintage items and craft supplies, etc.).  I know that MANY of you are already avid Etsy shoppers…but I wanted to show some super fun ‘stuff’ that I think most of us digi scrappers would love (or need lol)!  I will be linking to the Etsy seller’s shops and not directly to the product shown…simply because most of these items are one-of-a-kind and once they sell…they are gone!  However, if you love something and can’t find it in the linked seller’s shop…consider sending them a message via Etsy’s site to see if they can create a custom listing for you (I have found that most sellers are soooooo super nice and happy to help in any way they can)!  Of course, keep in mind that what I am showing is just a tiny little peek at what you can find at Etsy!  You could literally spend hours just browsing camera straps alone lol…and I hope you will :o)

So here goes…first – a couple of my fave things that I have purchased at etsy for my adorable niece!  Thanks to my SIL for the adorable pic of her in the apron dress (how stinkin’ cute is that?)!

(Camera Straps)  So, there are LOTS and LOTS of camera strap options at etsy!  You can choose from straps that simply slide over your existing camera strap…OR…get one that totally replaces your camera strap!  I have the latter (but will no doubt be buying some of the strap ‘covers’ as well at some point lol).  Many will come with a ‘minky’ backing which I absolutely love!  Ya know…especially for us girls who have dSLR cameras…they get HEAVY…and that super soft, plush minky lining really helps.  Anyway, I’ll show you a few of my faves that are available at etsy right now (the sellers shops will be linked below)!  But, just remember that at etsy…most everything is one-of-a-kind…so once someone purchases these…they will be ‘gone’ :o)

Don’t those just look YUMMY?!  There are three different Etsy sellers represented above…and here is the info for ya if you want to go shopping!  The strap on the left (brown and blue damask) is made by AUGUST BLOSSOMS (she has lots of gorgeous designs)!  The strap in the center (bright and beautiful) is made by COTTON CANDY (again…lots more in her shop)!  And, the strap on the right (damask with pink minky backing) is by PHATSTRAPS (lots and lots of camera straps available).

(Cellphone/Gadget covers and cases) Ok, so we all know that we can easily purchase covers and cases for our phones, ipods and gadgets at just about any tech or department store.  But, why…when you can get super adorable versions that are handmade and do the job (as well as show off your personality and style)?!  At Etsy, there are tons of choices and options for just about any kind/brand of phone, ipad, kindle, gaming devices, etc.!  So – check them out!  Here are a few that really jumped out at me (the sellers shops will be linked below).

Just love, love, love all of those!  Again, three different Etsy sellers shown above…and here is the info and links to their shops :o)  The cover/sleeve on the left (bold floral pattern) is from WALLABY BAG CO (lots of other adorable options, too).  That super cute crocheted bag in the center is from WEE WITTLE TIDS’ BOUTIQUE (they offer so many crocheted items…all equally gorgeous)!  And, the pretty sleeve on the right (green) is from THA MEOW DESIGNS (again, lots of great options to choose from).

(Camera Bags) There are lots of functional and gorgeous camera bag options available all over the internet…including Etsy!  Most of the Etsy sellers offer lots of different fabric options as well as custom combinations – so you can find the bag that fits your camera (and lenses, accessories) and your personality perfectly.  Here are a few beautiful options (seller’s shops linked below).

While the bags shown above are generally for dSLR cameras…Etsy also has many options for smaller, point and shoot cameras – so be sure to check them all out!  The camera bag on the left (black and white damask) is from XCESSRIZE (many more fabric options).  The bag in the middle (colorful paisley) is from JANINE KING DESIGNS (again, lots of fabric options).  And that gorgeous bag on the right (bold pattern with polka dots) is from GYPSY ROSE HANDBAGS (many, many options on both fabrics and sizes, etc.).

(Premade Scrapbooks/Albums/Brag Books) So, I know that as digi scrappers – many of us do not have all of the scrapbooking supplies laying around for creating gorgeous ‘traditional’ albums!  So, if you are itching to have a beautifully crafted album – check out Etsy!  There are lots of sellers who create scrapbooks and albums that are ready-to-go!  All you have to do is add your photos and/or journaling!  You can find them for specific themes…or just for everyday photos – some sellers will even customize the title for you :o)  They are especially nice if you are looking for something super special as a gift (think about a special wedding album to give to the bride or mother of the bride…a newborn baby album, etc.).  Check out some of these (seller info will be linked below)!

Knowing the amount of time, talent and supplies that goes into creating albums like these – I really think that these are a great deal and ‘concept’!  Especially if you have no desire to purchase and store all of the ‘stuff’ necessary to put these albums together!  So, the album on the left (you are so sweet) is from PAPERSILLY…love it :o)  The album in the center (you are my tweetheart) is from EFFORTLESS HEIRLOOMS.  And that super cute album on the right (birds of a feather) is from WHATCHAMADOODLES (lots more great options)!

(Pampered Pets)  If you like to pamper your sweet little pet (they are members of the family, too!) – then you have to check out all of the fun stuff available at Etsy!  From dog collar and leashes to beds, clothing, carriers and custom dog tags – they have it all!

Seriously – if you love buying special things for your puppy, kitty (or other pet) – you will just love shopping on Etsy!  Those super cool and unique initial dog tags (on the left) are from URBAN PUPPY (love those).  The gorgeous dog collar (in the center) is from MIMIGREEN (lots of fabric options).  And, the super sweet star dog collar (on the right) is from byNICOLA (she offers lots of color and graphic options)!

Alright…so I have shared some fun items with you…but as I’m sure you know – there are a gazillion beautiful products available at Etsy…so have fun shopping (all the while, supporting talented artisans…many of which are stay-at-home moms trying to add to the family income)!  Consider checking out the amazing handmade clothing (especially for kids…just do a search on APRON dresses lol)…jewelry (so many gorgeous pieces…especially in silver and beadwork)…purses and handbags…kids hair accessories…home decor – you name it!  Just know that all of the time you spend shopping at Etsy can seriously cut in to your digi scrapping time LOL!

Please note that the photos above were taken by the Etsy sellers (not me) :o)  If you are one of the Etsy sellers that I featured…and would prefer that we not use your photo – please just let us know and we will be happy to remove it ASAP :o)

THANKS SO MUCH for stopping by the BLOG!  We have a fun week planned with lots of great posts and content…so be sure to check back! 

Shabby PrincessBeauty & Fashion, Uncategorized 12 Comments