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Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Welcome Art_Teacher - Our June 2019 Guest Designer! 1 comments

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papercrafting inspiration featuring products from photoplay, simple stories, authentique

Screenname: Art_Teacher

First name: Laura

My craft supply 'must have': Patterned paper!

What inspires me to create: Nobody in my family is a scrapbooker. I have a desire to catalogue my family's history, and I am an art teacher. It needs to be pretty! lol

Most readers don’t know this about me: I am one of this message board's original members, coming online in July of 2003, soon after ACOT (formerly Stickers Galore) started their message board. I found the board during a very sad time in my life, after losing my mother-in-law to breast cancer. This board gave me friends I never knew I had, and helped me to cope with the loss.

During that time, I also recognized how important it was to create lasting memories for my family, and the techniques I learned helped me grow as a scrapper and a person! Over the years, I have cherished the friendships I have made here, and I continue to develop my scrapping style, while loving every minute. :)

BIO: I have been scrapbooking (starting with Creative Memories) since 1998, when I found the need to scrapbook a European trip with my husband and friends. In 2006, I learned digi scrapping, and in 2008, I became a member of the ACOT Digi Scrapping Design Team. Although the DT was disbanded, I remain proud of having represented this site and I did some of my very favorite layouts during that time.

I have also been part of design teams for Silvia Romeo, HotFlash Designs, and E-scape and Scrap. I will always be bi-scraptual, loving both paper and digi, and I am dedicated to dispelling myths about digi scrapping, since this board is no longer a digi site.

As a junior high/high school art teacher, I love to share the art of scrapbooking, and I am always available to teach and help anyone to love this passion! I have been married to my best friend, Mike, for 29 years this July, and we are the proud parents of our spoiled furbaby, Paisley, a golden doodle, who is the subject of many of my layouts.

Project #1: My Dad

My Dad - layout featuring the Best Dad Ever collection - PhotoPlay.

products used:

about this layout:

I created this layout with the Photoplay "Best Dad Ever" papers and stickers. I thought the papers gave off a retro vibe that suited the photo really well. This photo was actually an old Polaroid that I scanned into my computer and enlarged. It turned out so much better than the photo quality of that old photo actually was! This layout is really simple, but I think sometimes simple looks best when dealing with heritage photos like this one. I used the paper tearing technique with the cardstock to add to the heritage feel.

Project #2: Our Story

Our Story - layout featuring the Antiquities collection - Authentique

about this layout:

This layout shows one of my flaws in scrapbooking: whenever my husband and I go on a trip together, we almost always fail to get many photos of the two of us together! So, I made it the subject of my layout and showed our individual photos, and wrote my journaling about it. I really liked the colors and elegance of this Kaisercraft line called "Antiquities." It is made for heritage photos, but still works really well with modern ones. I used the Kaisercraft "Antiquities" butterfly stamp to add to the paper background. One thing I discovered while working on this layout is that I frequently use the "back" side of the double-sided papers...at least they are the back side as shown in the ACOT shop!

Project #3: Let's Go Places

Let's Go Places - layout featuring the Simple Vintage Traveler collection - Simple Stories

products used:

about this layout:

I love to do double-page layouts because I take tons of photos. Usually, I start with a good sketch, and this layout is no exception. I find that sketches help to organize me and, even though I might change it up a bit, they help me pull together what could be a really cluttered layout. This layout is various photos of our actual anniversary day during our trip to Germany in 2011. (This is where I might add that, as you can see, I am not a chronological scrapper. I am still scrapping photos from almost 10 years ago, along with current ones! I just keep them in separate boxes and when I finish a year, or a trip in this case, I will put all the pages into an album.) I used the Simple Stories' "Simple Vintage Traveler" line with this layout, because the colors really reminded me of our time in Germany. It goes great with those photos, and I know I will be doing more layouts using it to finish out the album. I don't always buy kits or full lines for my scrapping, because I love to mix and match, but when I have a vacation to scrap and so many photos, I find it makes things much easier and the pages of the album go together better.

Project #4: On The Road Again

On The Road Again - layout featuring the Here & There collection - PhotoPlay

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about this layout:

This is another layout from our trip to Germany, but I used the Photoplay "Here and There" line for this one. The colors made me immediately thing of my husband's car, and the elements were more suited for driving, rather than flying, so it was perfect for this subject. In this layout, I did a photo block, which is another way that I find it easy to organize a large group of photos. Cost-saving tip here: I cut out the middle of the paper behind the photo block (the red/blue striped one), so I could use it elsewhere, since it wasn't going to show anyway! I do this frequently on layouts, because it saves paper when you are layering, plus it makes your layout less heavy. I often use strips and pieces of my more expensive papers, and simply mount them to the piece of paper found in the page protectors of my albums for stability.

Click to view more from Laura

All of us here at A Cherry On Crafts would like to welcome Laura as this month's Guest Designer! Please be sure to check out her inspirational gallery and plan on participating in all of her Guest Designer Challenges. You can find them on our Message Board! One participant per challenge will receive a $5 eGift Certificate to A Cherry On Top Crafts!

Posted by heidi

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Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Meet May 2019's Guest Designer 0 comments

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papercrafting inspiration featuring products from bella blvd, pebbles, dear lizzy

Screenname: CarrieG

First name: Carrie

My craft supply 'must have': White cardstock!!!!

What inspires me to create: The little everyday moments-- good or bad I find these are the times I want to cherish and document

Most readers don’t know this about me: I scrap on my lap (while at my desk..ha)

BIO: I live in the middle of nowhere Texas and absolutely love it! Let’s sing it......"small town livin' is the life for meeeeeeeeeeeeee" I have been married to my wonderful hubby for almost 26 years and have 3 out of the house kids and one caboose who is a sophomore in high school. If you ever look at my gallery you will see that I also have a 3yr old grandson who is the light of my life....and the focus of MANY layouts!

I have been scrapping for what seems like a lifetime! If I had to guess, I would say about 20 years! Several years ago I got very burned out doing the whole DT/being published thing and stopped scrapping, but 5 years ago I came back with a new mission to scrap for ME! I would like to say I have a distinct style and try to make my photo(s) the focus of my projects and it is a 50/50 dice roll if I journal on a layout (if I don't I always include some on the back). I look forward to this month being GDT!

Project #1:

Going For A Walk - layout featuring the Let's Go On An Adventure collection - Bella Blvd.

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about this layout:

I immediately thought of this older photo of my girls when I saw this line! We used to go on a lot of adventures when they were younger...such fun times!

Project #2:

At The Lake - layout featuring the Let's Go On An Adventure collection - Bella Blvd.

about this layout:

The bright colors of this line were a perfect contrast to this old photo of my paternal grandparents many moons ago.

Project #3:

It's All Good - layout featuring the It's All Good collection - Dear Lizzy

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about this layout:

This dramatic text from my youngest daughter screamed to be scrapped and the fun and a bit funky vibe of this line was perfect!

Project #4:

Keep On Being You - layout featuring the It's All Good collection - Dear Lizzy

products used:

about this layout:

This older photo of my youngest daughter has always been a favorite and when I saw this line I knew I wanted to scrap it again! She was always finding something. This time it was a pair of salamanders and she begged me to take her photo with them.

Project #5:

Oh Wow - layout featuring the BigTop Dreams collection - Pebbles

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about this layout:

My grandson figured out how to work the system....his mom's phone AND play outside....silly lil turkey!

Project #6:

The Mini Adorable Hulk - layout featuring the BigTop Dreams collection - Pebbles

products used:

about this layout:

My grandson loves the mugs like these at the "blue store" and always wants to take photos with them.

Click to view more from Carrie

All of us here at A Cherry On Crafts would like to welcome Carrie as this month's Guest Designer! Please be sure to check out her inspirational gallery and plan on participating in all of her Guest Designer Challenges. You can find them on our Message Board! One participant per challenge will receive a $5 eGift Certificate to A Cherry On Top Crafts!

Posted by heidi

0 comments

Friday, November 2, 2018

Meet November 2018's Guest Designer 0 comments

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papercrafting inspiration featuring products from pebbles and photoplay paper

Screenname: StacyLee

First name: Stacy

My craft supply 'must have': So hard to choose! My Sizzix tag die set, I use them all the time!

What inspires me to create: Sketches and challenges get my creative wheels turning.

Most readers don’t know this about me: I usually keep a bag of candy hidden in my desk drawer, right now it’s sour mini Starburst.

BIO: Hello! My name is Stacy and I live in SW Florida with my husband, our teenage son, and our two furbaby rescue dogs. I work full-time as a billing manager for an orthopedic surgery group. I’m originally from a tiny town in Missouri where I grew up on a farm.

I’ve always enjoyed different types of crafting since I was a child and I began scrapping 17 years ago, after the birth of my son. I currently design for Sketch N Scrap and also Sketches In Thyme. I love to add “clusters” and layering on my pages, & also enjoy using stencils, texture pastes, and my sewing machine.

Project #1:

Smile Always - layout featuring the Along The Way collection - Pebbles, Inc.

products used:

about this layout:

The Along The Way line was a perfect complement for this picture I took of my Mom in her backyard this past summer. There are so many pretty patterned papers and embellishments in this line, perfect for creating clusters!

Project #2:

Senior Night - layout featuring the Along The Way collection - Pebbles, Inc.

products used:

about this layout:

When I first looked at the Along The Way line, I immediately thought it was all feminine. But, looking through the patterned papers, I found that there are so many black & white patterned papers that work so well together. I used the notebook paper from this line for the background, and fussy-cut a few phrases from one of the sheets. This photo was taken a couple weeks ago on Senior Night at my son's high school. We were very proud parents to escort him onto the field before the final home game of the season!

Project #3:

Stay Grounded - layout featuring the The Daily Grind collection - PhotoPlay Paper

products used:

about this layout:

I love the colors and funny phrases in this line! I used a photo my son snapped of me with my favorite coffee mug. I also used some texture paint and a stencil to create the "coffee cup rings".

Project #4:

I Love Dogs - layout featuring the Fetch collection - PhotoPlay Paper

products used:

about this layout:

This is a layout of some recent pictures taken of my sweet furbabies, Ozzy and Malcolm. I was really lucky the afternoon I took those that Ozzy didn't mind posing. He hates the camera, but Malcolm loves it!

Click to view more from Stacy

All of us here at A Cherry On Crafts would like to welcome Stacy as this month's Guest Designer! Please be sure to check out her inspirational gallery and plan on participating in all of her Guest Designer Challenges. You can find them on our Message Board! One participant per challenge will receive a $5 eGift Certificate to A Cherry On Top Crafts!

Posted by heidi

0 comments

Wednesday, October 3, 2018