Oregon Scrapbook Pages

Pete & I recently returned from a trip out to Oregon, where we visited our son and his family.  Sometimes we think it would be nice if we lived closer to each other, but one good thing about it is that it gives us an opportunity to spend time in such a BEAUTIFUL PLACE!  

Being surrounded by both gorgeous scenery and grandchildren, we naturally took lots of photos!  Near the end of our visit, I was browsing through the photos we had taken & started planning my scrapbook pages.  I realized that the Naturally Eclectic paper from Stampin' Up would look great with my photos.  

I knew the blue & green would go nicely with the beach & aquarium photos.  And the pinkish purple would match a lot of my grandaughters' clothes!   And besides, all of the sheets have sort of a water-colored look to them, which goes perfectly with the typical rainy weather of the Pacific Northwest.

However, this was paper that I did not have, so I went ahead and ordered it online.  It arrived on my doorstep a couple of days after we got home, and by then I had printed my photos.  I was all set to create some pages!

The pages came together pretty quickly.  I used several tips that I have shared here before in previous blog-posts:  

SIMPLE STAMPING TIP #3 - Look for elements (colors, accents, patterns, etc) in your photos that you can repeat on your page.

SIMPLE STAMPING TIP #7 - Stamp directly onto patterned paper.

SIMPLE STAMPING TIP #10 - Print some of your photos as "wallet sizes" in order to fit more photos on a page.

SIMPLE STAMPING TIP #15 - Cut images out of patterned paper to use as embellishments.

SIMPLE STAMPING TIP # 28 - Invest in a set of heart rubber stamps to use on a variety of cards & other projects.

Heart Happiness stamp set, Occasions Catalog, p 20

So, this latest trip is literally "in the books"!  It is so nice to be able to look at these pages; not only to remember what a great time we had, but also to reflect on the blessings of family and the beauty of God's creation.

Hearts, Flowers, & Romance

A few days ago I was flipping through the pages of my church directory and noticed that this sweet couple is about to celebrate their 61st wedding anniversary.  Well, to my way of thinking, that is definitely worthy of a card!  To add to the romance, they married on Valentine's Day.

 Naturally, I chose hearts to use as the focal image on their card.  I stamped two hearts from the Heart Happiness stamp set, "fussy-cut them", overlapped them, & then adhered them to a sheet of paper cut from the Petal Palette designer series paper.

SIMPLE STAMPING TIP #29 - Invest in a set of heart rubber stamps to use on a variety of cards and other projects.

Heart Happiness stamp set

Petal Passion designer series paper

The sentiment I chose from the Petal Palette stamp set works perfectly with the two stamped hearts.

Petal Palette stamp set

By the way, have you seen the new Love postage stamps?  I "love" the combination of script and flowers!

So I hope you see that hearts, flowers, and romance are not only for Valentine's day . . . love can be celebrated every day of the year!

Card for February

SIMPLE STAMPING TIP #2 - Stamp a stack of cards each month to have ready to send.

For my "all-purpose card" for February, I used a few products from the new Stampin' Up Occasions catalog.  There are several birthday sets, as well as sets designed to be used for the spring holidays (Valentine, Easter, Mother's/Father's Day).  Many of the sets can be used interchangably, which is what I've done for this week's card.

One of the new packs of paper is called Petal Passion.  All of the designs in this pack have a hand-painted look in shades of black & white.

I love the variety of patterns here!  There are several ways this paper can be used, including using various coloring techniques.  The neutral color scheme means that you can use it with any color.  For my card, I used Cherry Cobbler.  This card has somewhat of a Valentine-look to it, but I think it can be used for any occasion or simply as a note card. 

The sentiment is from the coordinating Petal Palette set.

 

This is a great set, for the sentiments alone!  But the floral stamps, plus that cute little chickadee, can be used for practically any occasion.

The heart stamp is from the Heart Happiness set.  Take a look at all of these different styles of hearts!

Every paper-crafter needs a set of heart stamps, in my opinion!  Even just a little heart stamped in the corner of an envelope can let someone know that you think they are special.

You can browse through this new catalog by clicking on the Occasions Catalog image in the right sidebar.  If you see something you would like to order, let me know!