it's finally time for another challenge. mary and i had this one picked out about a month ago ... then we got busy. then we planned it again ... and we both totally forgot. i think we even planned it again ... and forgot again. lol! finally, we decided to ask heather to play along ... figured we'd be more likely to finish if someone else was there to hold us accountable. lol!
so for this challenge, we decided on these 4 things:
1. scenic route pattern papers ... one of my favorite manufacturers
2. buttons ... i love buttons
3. brads ... i love brads just as much as i love buttons
4. heidi swapp plastic alphabet letters ... don't use them as much as i should
here is what i came up with. i had this larger photo of alyssa printed out ... so figured i'd use it for my layout. my thought when i started was to print out some of the other photos from that day in small sizes ... and add them to the layout. but once i got the page going ... i only had room for one extra photo. i never plan my layouts ... they just sort of happen.
i love buttons all lined up in a pretty row of colors! the buttons are all autumn leaves ... but i was having problems finding the perfect shade of turquoise. i came across these large, bulky brads from bazzill ... and they worked out perfect. and i added little silver mini brads to the clear buttons.
like i said, i love the plastic letters from heidi swapp. for the longest time, i would just collect them ... deeming them "too good to actually use". but that is something that i've gotten so much better about ... realizing it makes no sense to hold on to something and not use it. these letters for my title all came from the same package ... it was a mix of fonts and sizes ... which i love the look of.
do you ever get to the journaling part of your layout ... and not know what to do or how to add it? i do that all the time. the journaling for me is the very last thing i do ... and usually it's never planned ahead. usually, whatever i journal about comes from whatever title i ended up with ... and the title is something i never plan either. i was THIS close to adding the journaling in my own handwriting ... since there were lines on the grid paper to quide me. but i was worried that it wouldn't look right ... and i didn't want to take that chance. lol! so printed journaling strips, it was!
supplies:
pattern paper - scenic route
buttons - autumn leaves
brads - making memories (silver), bazzill (turqouise)
plastic letters - heidi swapp
font - old remington
make sure and check out the other girls layouts they came up with for our fun challenge ... heather even did 2 layouts! you can see mary's HERE ... and heather's HERE. and if you play along, be sure and share with us ... we'd love to see what you come up with!
The way you center that picture really adds to the angle you took it at...makes it stand out. I really like the colors and the buttons. Super cute!
Posted by: Carla | January 30, 2009 at 02:38 PM
glad i could hold you guys accountable. lol!
love your layout - it's so awesome. fabulous colours and i love the row of buttons and brads.
Posted by: Heather M. | January 30, 2009 at 02:43 PM
i need to try this... i'm working on 2 pages and i can't move on... i must try the button and brads:)
thanks you guys, very cool!
Posted by: lovely cee. | January 30, 2009 at 02:54 PM
oooh, you guys always choose such fun products for your challenges...and this one is no exception! I love the topic here - such a fun thing to have in your books to remember! And I love the color combo too - so happy and fun! :o)
Posted by: Wendy Sue | January 30, 2009 at 03:00 PM
Love it Laura. I can so relate to the whole leave the journaling and sometimes even title till last thing. My journaling, if I do it,lol, is usually a last minute addition either squeezed in or used to fill in a gap somewhere. I am currently involved in a layout swap were several groups of women (5 in some groups 6 in others) from across Australia all work on the same layout within a group. One starts with the background, a photo and a piece of pp, emb etc and then passes it on to the next one who adds a little. My fourth layout arrived the other day and it was either add the title or journaling, I knew it had to come but I have been dreading it,lol.
cheers
Sue
Posted by: Susy | January 30, 2009 at 03:09 PM
Love the brads in the buttons, very cute!
The others are OK I like yours the Best!
I am terrible about journaling, to me it's the hardest part of the whole layout.
Posted by: wendy myers | January 30, 2009 at 03:35 PM
Laura as always love your layout thanks for sharing with all of us.
Posted by: Deneen | January 30, 2009 at 04:11 PM
Love all the layouts! You guys did an awesome job. Love Mary's pink paper and the cute flowers just like the ones on her daughter's outfit! Very cool.
Thanks for the great ideas!
Posted by: Heather Jordan | January 30, 2009 at 04:19 PM
Awesome idea Laura, I will have to hunt out my HS plastic letters though i think i might have sold them...Love the layout!
Posted by: Debbie - NZ | January 30, 2009 at 05:18 PM
Love the colors & the design! I agree the journaling IS the hardest part. I'd rather use journaling strips than my handwriting too! Your LO's are always inspiring! Gotta check out the other LO's now!
Posted by: Sara Rossi | January 30, 2009 at 05:48 PM
i'm back - looks like i've missed alot of fabulous projects from you! You rocked the MM! I wanna know why you didn't drive on over to CHA anyways?? How far are you from aneheim?? Your projects all look wonderful!
Posted by: Brenda Hurd | January 30, 2009 at 08:32 PM
loving this layout!!! my layouts just kinda happen too. even when forced to use a sketch, lol. :D
Posted by: doris | January 30, 2009 at 10:07 PM
I am just the opposite. I need an idea in my head or a sketch to jump off from. It usually ends up different in the end.
Love the colors in this layout. I too love scenic route.
Posted by: Melinda | January 31, 2009 at 04:52 AM
love how you added the little brads into the buttons! Totally great page. Love Mary and Heather's takes too!
Posted by: Rhonda Steed | January 31, 2009 at 10:10 AM
lovin' the colors a lot!!! what a cute lo - you are lucky she's good about doing her homework!!
Posted by: Leslie | January 31, 2009 at 01:28 PM
very nice Laura! I really like how it's all centered down the center column, nice and clean! Nice color choices also.
Posted by: Erika | February 01, 2009 at 05:09 PM
Wow - I LOVE this layout. The colors are awesome, love the title (have those same letters), love how you put brads in the buttons (I still have to remember that to try that).
I think journaling on the strips was a good idea (even though I like your handwriting).
Posted by: Laura T. | February 03, 2009 at 01:18 PM
i was just looking at this again and i love that font. where did you get it? online?
Posted by: Heather M. | February 03, 2009 at 02:35 PM