Scrapbooking | Quick and Easy Toddler Girl Play Date Scrapbook Layout

Back in February 2011 I got some new wooden Melissa & Doug playfood toys for the wee one and then invited the wee one up for a play date with Nanny (me). I had a lot of fun that day playing "kitchen" with her and having her make me "play food" for lunch. I think I enjoyed the play date more than she did!

I did manage to get two photos from that play date so I decided to scrapbook both of them. My background base sheet is an all-over floral print and then I took a piece of muted orange paper and cut it down to measure 2 3/4" by 12" in size and glued that down the left side of the page. I then glued orange ribbon down along the edge (where solid and printed paper meet) to add interest to the layout. I layered some pale yellow paper flowers together and placed a dark pink flower brad in the center and placed those onto my layout as shown in the photo.

I had a pre-printed sentiments block that talks about everyday memories and I cropped it down and then matted it onto yellow and then orange scrapbook paper leaving an 1/8" border around each mat. I placed that onto the layout between the two paper flowers. I cropped down two photos, mounted them onto yellow scrapbook paper leaving an 1/8" border and then mounted them onto medium pink scrapbook paper and left a 1/4" border around that mat.

I made a tab from printed cardstock and wrote the wee one's name on it and attached that to the right side of the top photo. I did my journaling on a coordinating tag and added some fiber to it for interest & texture. I had a gel sticker that says MEMORIES on it that I placed onto the page right above my journaling tag.

It took me about 35-40 minutes to make this layout and I usually don't use orange and pink together but I think the layout came out pretty cool looking and I used up some of my odds and ends that were left-over from other scrapbooking projects.

Tutorial | Xyron 5" Creative Station Machine | Make Your Own Stickers!

I have been crafting for over 25+ years and one of my favorite crafting mediums is scrapbooking! I have an entire room set up in my home devoted to just that...scrapbooking! One of my favorite and MUST HAVE products is the Xyron 5" Creative Station machine. This is actually the second one that I own and I just love it!!! You can create your own stickers, magnets and laminate your own items yourself and do so inexpensively.
Today I thought I would show the newbie scrapbookers how easy this Xyron machine is to use. When you purchase one it will come loaded with adhesive and you can purchase refill rolls of the adhesive as you need it. Today...I cut out some letters using my Cricut from pink cardstock and I am turning them into stickers for a scrapbooking layout.
Once you have your item ready to go...you simply feed them into the front of the machine. You will want to make sure they are flat so that they go in the machine smoothly. I feed mine in carefully two at a time (2" sized letters) to save space on the adhesive sheet.
Once you start feeding them in, slowly turn the handle on the side so that it moves them into the machine and onto the adhesive sheet. Continue feeding your items into the machine and turning the handle after each addition until all of your items are in and you can see them coming out the back side of the machine. There is a metal rigid cutter on the back (like what you find on aluminum foil packages) and simply just rip your strip of stickers off.
Now your stickers are ready to be peeled from the adhesive sheet and used in your scrapbooking layouts or on your cards. I also like to place them on gift bags and gift wrap. See...wasn't that easy? Investing in the Xyron 5" Creative Station Maker is a huge savings on purchasing pre-made stickers and it saves you a lot of time by making your own!

Have fun crafting and scrapbooking ~ Shelly

Scrapbooking | Easy Petting Zoo Scrapbook Layout Idea

My family loves visiting petting zoos and a few weeks ago we had the chance to visit one that had a lot of farm animals on it. They had billy goats, alpacas, chickens, horses, skunks, possums and all kinds of animals there.

When I scrapbook zoo layouts I tend to stick to the green and brown color palette as I think the earthy neutral tones work great for zoo photos. For the layout above I did that in less than 30 minutes in the 12x12 scrapbook format.

I used a solid light green piece of 12x12 scrapbook paper for my background. I then used a coordinating printed piece of paper that I removed 2" off one two sides to make it square to accent the solid piece and glued it down in the center of the paper. I had some varigated brown colored fiber that I attached around the edges using a glue pen. This fiber reminds me of a muted animal print and worked well for this layout.

I had a tag from the Tag-A-Longs (tm) collection that features a horse and the words "Petting Zoo" on it and used that for my tag & title. I cropped down 3 photos and mounted them onto black cardstock and trimmed it so that only 1/8" of an edge remained. I attached the photos to the layout using glue dots.

I placed one photo at the top right and I overlapped the two bottom photos. I then had some animal print letter stickers and spelled out GOATS and THE FARM ANIMALS and placed them onto the page. I had some tiny green letter stickers and spelled out Llamas and placed those above the photo with the llamas in it. I made a second page to coordinate with this one and I made a pocket with a pull-out tag for that page and did my journaling on that for the 2-page layout.

I love doing zoo theme'd layouts especially because I get to work in my favorite color palette of earthy tones. If you could see my scrapbooking room you would see big piles of greens, blues and brown colored papers! I like pastels but usually reserve using them unless I am scrapbooking pictures of my little granddaughter.

Scrapbooking With Supplies Purchased From The Dollar Store!

When it comes to scrapbooking you don't have to spend a lot of money or time when it comes to making nice pages for your scrapbooks. Here in our local area...many of our Dollar Stores have a craft section with $1.00 scrapbooking supplies. A few weeks ago I purchased some of those Dollar Store supplies to see if I could make nice pages with just using items I purchased at their store.

On that particular shopping trip I purchased at the Dollar Store: package of 3 glue sticks, 1 roll of pink ric-rack ribbon, 3 packages of 12x12 scrapbooking paper and each package had 5 sheets inside it, a package of chipboard embellishments and a glue pen. Here is how I used all of those supplies.

My background is a light pink piece of scrapbook paper and on top of that I cut down a sheet of black scrapbook paper that had pink and white flowers on it and glued it down on top in the center. I then took the glue pen and glued the pink ric-rack around all four edges of the black scrapbooking paper to add some texture and interest to the page.

I used a solid sheet of pink scrapbooking to mat both of my photos and trimmed the mat down so that only 3/16" remained. I did decide to round the corners on the photos and the mats. I then cut out a rectangle measuring 2" by 6" and glued the three round chipboard pieces onto that. (They match the printed paper that I used on the background). I took a fine tip black marker and did some hand stitching around the edges of that rectangle as it looked too plain without the hand stitching and then glued that onto my page.

I did use my Cricut machine to cut out the letters YOU & ME from pink scrapbook paper and then glued them to the page using the glue stick. I finished up by using the square shaped chipboard piece that says YOU & ME on it by gluing it under the bottom photo.

Everything used on this layout was purchased at the Dollar Store so don't think that Scrapbooking is expensive...it can be done on the "cheap" and you can do nice pages by purchasing supplies from your local Dollar Store.

Handcrafted Country Amish Wooden Swag Wall Hanging

I love country crafts and this easy to make "Amish" country-style swag is no exception! This swag takes about 2 hours to make because of the hand painting involved but you don't have to be an expert painter to make it because all of the painting work is really easy to do.

You will want to head to your local craft supply store and buy a roll of twine so that you can make the swag which is 5 pieces of twine braided together that is about 16" long. Make sure you tie a knot at the top and at the bottom.

You will want to purchase 3 wooden figures (found in the precut wood section of the store). We purchased pine wood Amish girl, boy and a half-circle shape for the "sign" along with various shades of acrylic paint and a paint brush. Paint your figures in traditional "Amish" colors and let them dry. Once they are dry use a hot glue gun to glue them onto the swag.

If desired, cut some raffia strands and tie them into a bow and hot glue them to your swag to add added interest to it. Hang your new swag on the wall or a door and enjoy!

Kid's Crafts | How To Make Pet Rocks

Summer is finally here and that means the kids are out of school and need to be kept busy. When it comes to kid's craft projects...I tend to look for quick, easy and inexpensive craft projects that my kids can do practically on their own.

One thing you can do with your kids this summer is to allow them to make some pet rocks and this craft costs about one dollar if you go out and find some smooth river rocks for them. If not...you can pick up a bag of smooth river rocks at your local craft supply store or at your local home and garden store for about $2.00 for a small bag. You will also need some sharpie markers in various colors, some all-purpose craft tacky glue and a small package of wiggle eyes. I decided to let my kids use Sharpie markers instead of paints because it was less messy. The kids can draw on their rocks any way they see fit. They can draw on facial features, hats, scarves, whatever or they can do the simple thing of just drawing on a mouth and nose and gluing on some wiggle eyes. You can make these "Pet Rocks" simple or you can go all out and let them get creative with them. Once they are done...they can become their "pets" for the summer or they can be used as paper weights. You can also purchase small clear plastic display stands and let the kids display their new rocks on a shelf or table in their rooms. The rock shown in this photo was made by my 7 year old nephew and he calls his pet rock...BALDY!

If you are looking for more craft ideas for kids this summer...check out my blog for the appropriate category as I have several great crafting projects that kids can do!

Scrapbooking | Wildwood New Jersey Beach Scrapbook Layout Idea

Hubby and I went down to our favorite Jersey Shore location back in May of 2011 to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. While on vacation in North Wildwood, N.J. I made sure I snapped a lot of photos of the beautiful beach and things we did while we were there. These 3 photos were taken right behind the Hereford Inlet Lighthouse that sits right on the beach in North Wildwood. It's the prettiest part of the island (in my honest opinion).

For this layout I used a piece of 12x12 blue textured scrapbook paper for my background. It looks like water. I then tore a piece of sand colored cardstock into thirds and inked around all 4 edges of that paper before attaching it to the bottom of my layout using doubled sided scrapbooking tape.

I cropped down my 3 photos and matted them onto dark blue cardstock and cropped them leaving a 3/16" edge. You can see the photo for placement. I had a "BEACH" theme'd vellum sticker that I mounted onto sand colored cardstock and then onto dark blue colored cardstock and cropped it down leaving a 3/16" edge. I am using this block for my title and attached it to the top right of the page using glue dots.

I had a cardstock small file folder that I used for my journaling and attached to the bottom right of the page and journaled inside it. I accented that with some brown burlap ribbon and a star fish sticker. I applied 2 sticker words "Weekend Getaway" and "Scenic" to the page to add accent under 2 of the 3 photos. I finished up by adding a 3-dimensional embellishment of ocean waves near the top left of the page.

This page took me about 35-40 minutes to make. I wanted a clean (not too busy) layout because I wanted to showcase the beauty of the ocean & lighthouse gardens and not have a bunch of embellishments to distract the beauty from the pictures.

Scrapbooking | Little Girls Princess Scrapbook Layout in Black & Silver

Our little grand daughter absolutely loves to play "dress-up" especially when she gets a new gorgeous dress like the silver sequined one shown in the photos. She calls these type of dresses her "Princess" dresses! A few weeks ago she was visiting me for a play date and we played dress-up and I took these 3 photos of her that day. I did this layout in the 12" by 12" scrapbooking format.

My background is a piece of 12x12 scrapbooking paper in block with silver metallic swirls printed all over it. I had a piece of silver metallic textured cardstock that I trimmed down to 3" by 12" in length and glued that down the left side of my page. I then had a piece of shiny silver metallic ribbon that measures 1" wide by 12" long that I glued down between the silver cardstock column and the background paper. I had silver textured ribbon that measures 1/8" by 12" that I glued down along each side of the 1" wide ribbon to add even more interest.

The title of my page is PRINCESS so I cut those letters out with my Cricut machine using the textured metallic silver cardstock on the #1 size setting. I then used the shadow effect and cut those same letters out again but using black cardstock. I then applied adhesive and stacked the letters together and then used a glue pen to glue then onto my page (left column).

I had 3 photos that I cropped down and rounded their corners. I matted them onto silver metallic cardstock and onto black cardstock (double matted), leaving an 1/8" border around each mat. You can see the photo to see where I placed them on my layout. I had 3 white hearts which I inked the edges of each heart with silver metallic ink and wrote Pretty, Model and Gia (one word onto each heart) and applied a foam adhesive dot to the back and then attached them to my page.

I finished up the layout by making a small journaling block that measures 1/2" by 4" cut out of silver metallic cardstock and then matted that onto solid black cardstock. On that I just wrote "Playing Dress Up With Nanny".

I love the black and shiny silver together in this layout...especially because it fits with the color scheme of her gown which is silver with silver sequins. ~ Happy Scrapbooking ~

Scrapbooking | Sugar & Spice Little Girl's Scrapbook Layout Idea

We try to have little "play dates" with our 2 year old grand daughter 2-3 times every week so a few weeks ago I took a few photos of the "wee one" playing with her Pappy. This scrapbook layout is done in the 12x12 format and I titled the page "Sugar & Spice".

My background paper is an all over large polka dot pattern in muted shades of pink, fushia, green and purple. I am not a fan of mini dots but I do like the larger polka dots on this paper. I made my own title block for the top of the layout which I printed out from my computer. In white letters it says "Sugar & Spice" and I printed it onto bubblegum pink scrapbooking paper. I then cropped it down, matted it onto medium green paper and then onto medium pink paper leaving an 1/8" border around each mat. (it's double matted). I then used glue dots and attached it to the top of the page. I had a chip board flower in the same colors of my page that I then mounted to the left of my title block using a glue dot.

I had 3 photos that I wanted to use and I cropped them down. Each photo measures a different size so I wasn't sure how this layout would turn out. I over-lapped the two photos on the right to make one big photo and they are mounted onto medium pink scrapbook paper and I left a 1/4" border around them. Under those two photos is a chip board word that says "Sweetheart".

The photo on the left (one of my favorite photos of her) I mounted onto the medium pink paper leaving a 1/4" border. I used a pink file folder tab and wrote her name on it and stuck that along the left edge of that photo. I had three 3-D embellishments in a flower pattern that has ribbon tabs that I mounted underneath that photo. I had a cardstock pre-printed block that says "PRETTY" on it that I mounted onto medium green and medium pink papers and cropped it down and attached that under the 3-D embellishments.

(not shown) I made a light pink paper pocket which I glued to the back of this page (yes folks you can do your journaling on the back of your layouts). I then did my journal on a piece of light purple paper and stuck it in the pocket.

Overall...I think it's a pretty cute layout that was really easy to make. I think I spent about 40 minutes making it and I used odds & ends that I had left-over from other layouts which is a great way to use up your miscellaneous supplies.

Creating a Blog Schedule For Your Knitting Or Craft Blog

Creating a Blog Schedule For Your Knitting Or Craft Blog by Loretta Oliver

Whether you've been blogging for a long time now or you're completely new to blogging one thing that can really help focus your efforts and make things less stressful is to create a basic blogging schedule. This way you know what you're going to write about ahead of time, or at least have a basic idea. It also helps your readers to know what to expect and when.

A lot of bloggers create their blog schedule by days of the week, Monday Mindbenders, Tuesday Teasers, etcetera. You get the idea. We're going to create a sample blog schedule for a knitting blog. I admit that I am not a knitter by trade, I just can't master the whole two needles thing, so if I use an incorrect term please correct me. Let's start our week on Monday and go from there.

Monday Machine Knitting: On this day you could write about the differences between machine knitting versus hand knitting, pros, cons, patterns, and so forth. Some great tutorial topics would be how to convert a hand knitting pattern into a machine knitting pattern and how to work in rounds on a knitting machine. There are also a lot of one day projects out there for machine knitting, like making a sweater in one day. You could review different machine knitting patterns, projects and accessories.

Tuesday Twos: Get it? Knit one, purl two? Okay, so maybe I'm not as witty as I think I am, but you get the idea. You're looking for a daily theme that you can easily write about. This could be patterns, frustrations, whatever comes up when you're knitting. Of course, knitting is just the example here, the same goes for any craft or really any topic at all, books, movies, cooking, collectibles, whatever your site is about.

Wednesday WIPs: If you're wondering WIP stands for work(s) in progress. So, sticking with our knitting example this would be whatever projects you are currently working on. Share pictures, talk about mistakes you might have made while going through the pattern, share a tip about the project.

Most importantly get your readers involved, ask them what they think and ask them to share what they are working on as well. You'll be surprised how many will blog about what they're doing also and include a link back to your blog post talking about works in progress. It really builds that community feeling even more.

Thursday Threads: Product reviews could go on this day. Talk about that awesome luxurious new wool you just bought, or the shiny new needles. Again, if you've got an affiliate link throw that in there and all the better.

Friday Free Patterns: Here is another opportunity to talk about products that you're using and the free patterns that you've found on the internet. The nice thing about free patterns is that they free us up to splurge a little more on the supplies. Tell your readers about the great hand dyed yarn you bought to stitch that scarf.

Even better if you create your own patterns and share them with your readers. You'll find yourself with a following of fans in no time at all.

Saturday Scarves and Socks: I couldn't think of an S word to go with the knitting category, so I threw in the scarves and socks, because everyone always seems to be knitting one or the other at any given moment. I personally wish that I could knit, just so I could make some of the great sock patterns I've seen on the internet.

Sunday Wild Cards: I like to leave Sunday as a wild card day where I might or might not blog. If I do then I just go off the top of my head.

Now, you've got a basic outline to follow each and every week. Of course, if something doesn't apply one week you don't have to stick to the outline, write what's applicable when it's fresh.

Also, don't be afraid to send out more than one post per day. Let's say you've already written your usual Wednesday post, and then your favorite knitting shop sends out an email for a one day only sale and you want to blog about it and shout it from the rooftops. Don't hold back on that, go for it. It's relevant, your readers are going to love it, and if you've got an affiliate link for that particular shop it's even better.

If you're just getting started as a craft blogger or want to get started check out How to Start a Craft Blog for Fun and Profit. It's a great guide that can give a nice boost to anyone looking to make a go of blogging professionally in the craft niche. Get started today! It's easier than you might think.

Loretta Oliver owns the cross stitch site Stitching the Night Away and authors a popular craft blog on a subdomain of the site featuring product reviews, project ideas, and various crafty features on a daily basis.

Save Money With Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens. All opinions are 100% mine.
If you have been crafting for years like I have been, sometimes I get pain in my fingers, hands and back when arthritis flare ups become an issue.  When flareups occur,  I turn to the Ibuprofen tabs produced by Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products I have been using their private label products for years and have enjoyed quick relief while saving money over the name brands.
I really like that the Walgreens private label products are a great value and that consumers don't have to sacrifice quality or trust. With the rising cost of goods and services, it helps my families budget.  I try and save money wherever I go.  I also like that the Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products are Walgreens pharmacist recommended, that most contain the same active ingredients as other national brands and they, of course, have a 100% satisfaction guarantee.  Makes me feel good about using them.
With each purchase of every Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Product they support bringing preventive wellness services to local communities through their  Walgreens Way to Well Fund™  I like companies that give back.
Take a look at their website for the list of private label products and see how you can save more on your budget.  It may mean more money available for that fabulous craft project that is next on your list!  Also several bloggers are holding giveaways for  Walgreens Gift Cards.  Come by and enter to win.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post and I was compensated by the advertiser to write this post. I was provided with the subject matter to write about but thoughts, opinions and words are 100% mine. Please read our Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy for additional information. All information contained on this blog is copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved.

Product Review: Pischke Pockets Needlepoint Tote Bag Kits

Today I would like to introduce you to the company called Pischke Pockets which is owned and operated by designer Julie Pischke. This company makes and sells needlepoint design kits to make fashionable and functional handcrafted ladie's tote bags. Once these needlepoint tote bags have been completed they can be used as an overnight bag, tote bag, diaper bag, craft bag or even a picnic bag.

Each kit from needlepoint designer, Julie Pischke includes a woven cotton bag, hand-painted mono canvas, needles, threads, instructions and a photograph of the completed project. This is the perfect needlepoint craft project and accessory for your next getaway or work on it while relaxing at home.

My Review: Pischke Pockets sent me their "Maui" Pischke Needlepoint kit to review. The kit came with Anchor needlepoint yarns & threads, instruction sheet, needlepoint sewing needles, the striped canvas fabric for the front of the bag and the hand-painted 10 1/4" by 10 1/4" needlepoint canvas. This design really speaks "Hawaiian Tropics" to me! I have only needle pointed a few times in my life so I would say that I am a beginner in this crafting medium. I read over the instructions and they look really easy to follow and I look forward to tackling this project in a few weeks. I inspected all of the materials included in the kit and they are all high-quality materials...like the Anchor needlepoint yarn so you will be pleased with the quality of the supplies that are included in your kit.

The kit came with a shopping list of the items I will need to purchase or have on hand to finish the tote bag which is really handy for when I hit the sewing store next week to purchase the remaining items that I will need. To do the needle pointing on the canvas you only need to learn 2 easy basic needlepoint stitches: The Continental Tent Stitch and the Basketweave Tent Stitch.
There is a cool video on their site that shows you step by step how to attach the needlepoint pocket to the bag once you have it all completed. In addition they have a step by step tutorial on the site along with step by step photos to show you how easy it is to assemble the tote bag.

I am really looking forward to starting my needlepoint bag in a few weeks and I will blog about this again here on our blog once I get it completed. So keep checking back for an update in a few weeks. I would like to invite you to check out Pischke Pockets web site to learn more and to purchase one of their fantastic needlepoint tote bag kits!

I would like to thank Pischke Pockets for sending me the needlepoint tote bag kit to try out and to review for all of you. It is really a cool kit and even a beginner needlepointer (like me) can make this gorgeous tote bag!

Disclaimer: Shelly Hill has personally reviewed the product listed above. Shelly has not received any monetary compensation for her review. Shelly did receive a free product to try out so she could evaluate and use it for her review. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ. Passionate About Crafting Blog is not responsible for delivery of any giveaway items won from this blog. We are not responsible for injury or mis-use of any products won from the Passionate About Crafting Blog. Please read our Terms of Service & Disclaimer Policy before entering our giveaways. Thanks!

Scrapbooking: Quick & Easy "Toddler" Out To Lunch Scrapbook Layout Idea

A few months ago we took our (then aged 22 months) little grand daughter out to lunch and we all ate at Chilis. Our little grand daughter loves going out to eat and she is always so well behaved at restaurants! I did this scrapbook layout in the 12x12 format size. I wanted it to be quick, easy, inexpensive and not overly cluttered.

I used a piece a 12x12 scrapbook paper in peach with green muted floral pattern as my background. I cut a strip from dark teal paper that measures 1 1/2" wide by 12" long and glued that to the left side as my border strip. I used a sticker border in a floral pattern on top of that. I had 3 photos which I cropped down, rounded their corners, mounted them onto dark teal paper, cropped leaving an 1/8" edge and rounded the corners again. You can see where I placed them on the layout by viewing the photo above.

I used my Cricut machine to cut out my letters that spell out my page title of "Enjoying My Lunch" and cut the letters from dark teal scrapbook paper using the size 1 setting on the Cricut Machine. I used a glue pen to attach the letters to my page. I finished up the page by using inexpensive stickers of 2 dinner bowls and a heart shaped cookie. Oh yeah, I also used a tiny word sticker that says "HELLO" by the top right photo as grand daughter was waving hi to everyone who walked by our table. She is a real charmer!

This page took about 25 minutes and cost me less than $1.50 to make. Quick, Easy and Inexpensive Scrapbooking!

Scrapbooking: Cape May Zoo 12x12 Scrapbook Layout Idea #3

For the past week or so I have been sharing some Zoo theme'd layouts that I recently did after we returned from a trip down to the New Jersey Shore. While we were on vacation we spent the day at the Cape May County Zoo (near Wildwood and Cape May). You can find my previous zoo theme'd layouts by going into my scrapbooking category here on my blog.

Today's zoo layout features 3 photos I took while we were visiting their "Birds of the World" habitat. I did this layout in the 12x12 format.

My background paper is a light seafoam green color with a distressed/weathered texture. I then cut a piece of muted mauve print paper to measure 5" by 12" in length and glued that to the center of the page. I then took some 1/2" wide seafoam green grosgrain ribbon and glued that along each long edge on the mauve paper using a glue pen.

I used my Cricut Machine to cut out my letters to spell "Birds of the World" from dark olive green cardstock and used my glue pen to attach them to the top of my layout. (it's my title of the page and I used the 1 1/2 setting on my Cricut).

I had 3 photos I wanted to use and cropped them down into square shapes which I then mounted them onto dark olive green cardstock and left a 3/8" border around them. I used glue dots to attach them to the page (see photo for placement). I made my own tag via my Cricut machine on the #2 setting and cut one tag out of light seafoam green paper and then did the shadow effect and cut a second one out of dark olive green cardstock. I used a glue stick and glued them together. I attached a grosgrain ribbon through the hole and mounted that journaling tag near the bottom right of the page. I then did my journaling on the tag.

I had three tropical bird stickers and just stuck them onto my page to add intrest to my layout and to fill some space.

I think this layout turned out fabulous. I wouldn't normally of used mauve colored paper in a zoo layout but I wanted to draw a little color into my layout design.

You can find my other layouts featuring the Cape May New Jersey Zoo by visiting my Scrapbooking section here on my blog.

Scrapbooking: Cape May Zoo 12x12 Scrapbook Layout Idea #2

Today I thought I would share with all of you a scrapbooking layout I did in the 12x12 format featuring two photos I took at the Cape May County Zoo in Cape May, New Jersey. For this layout I used the beautiful colors of the peacock's feathers for my color inspiration so I went with teals, greens and browns for my colors.

My background is a sheet of medium olive green paper measuring 12x12. I then cut a strip measuring 2" by 12" long from printed light olive green paper and glued that down the left hand side of the page for my border. Using "wave" shaped decorative scissors I cut another strip that measures 3/4" by 12" in size and glued that down the border to add an additional accent.

For this layout I had two photos that I cropped down, rounded their corners and mounted them onto medium teal colored cardstock, leaving a 1/4" border along three sides and leaving a 1" border on the right side. I then attached a metallic green brad to the wide border to add accent to the photo mounts and used glue dots to attach the photos to my background paper. My title of the page is actually a Tag-a-long Tag that is in a Zoo theme and I mounted that on the bottom left of the page with glue dots and accented it with some teal fiber.

I had some zoo theme'd word stickers that were printed on brown cardstock that I mounted onto light green and medium teal colored papers, cropped them while leaving an 1/8" border around each mount. I attached those 2 word stickers to the top right on the layout. I had a THE ZOO sticker that I placed between them.

To finish up my layout I had some tiny stickers of butterflies that I placed onto the background just to add accent and in the bottom right corner I placed stickers that say SPRING 2011 in the corner.

If you have been following my craft blog for awhile now you would of noticed that I go for clean layouts, I don't like my layouts "too" busy and I think I accomplished that with this layout. Total time to make the layout was about 40 minutes or so. You can find my other layouts featuring the Cape May New Jersey Zoo by visiting my Scrapbooking section here on my blog.