Happy Friday! Today I am so thrilled to have the amazingly talented Geralyn Sy putting her spin on this week’s Blueprint!

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Geralyn: I love the Blueprint Ann-Marie sent me! I drew inspiration from the large typography in the middle and the two sectioned off squares below it; they formed the basis of my layout. To create the bold title on my layout, I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut out ‘hello’ (my handwriting) and ‘Seattle’ (font – Nevis) from the lovely Mint Julep patterned papers.

There are so many different ways to create a bold title. If you don’t have a Silhouette Cameo, you can use large alpha stickers or even handcut some letters for a cool look.

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Home: BC, Canada
Workspace: I don’t have a designated craft area, so I normally work on the floor.
Favorite Color Palette: I love shades of aqua/blue with coral & yellow.
Social Media Preference: Instagram
Playlist: Whatever is on my iPod.
Inspiration Source: Pinterest! It’s helpful to create a board of things that inspire you, which you can refer to whenever you have a creative block.
Early Bird or Night Owl: Night Owl
BG Product You Hoard: Mini Alphas
Three Random Facts About You: 1.) I can understand basic Tagalog but I can’t speak it. 2) I love to travel and have been to 20 or so countries so far. 3) I love ampersands.
Advice for Newbie Crafters: Have fun and experiment with different techniques and styles until you find your own.

Follow Geralyn here: Blog | Instagram | Pinterest

Joy: I worked with the Mint Julep collection and created a unique handmade flower to add to any projects. This is great when you don’t always have the tools in your arsenal to create something pretty to add to a creation. To begin, I cut out three circles using 6 x 6 patterned paper and circle dies.

Using some scissors, start to cut into the center of the circle, making sure not to cut all the way through. I prefer to eyeball it in order to give the flower more character.

Adhere each of the circles together with some dimensional adhesive.

Add a center feature to the flower by threading some twine through a Vintage Button and adhere it to the center of the flower with a glue dot. Tie the twine into a bow and add to a card.

Trim a standard size card to form a top fold card 4 1/4 x 5 1/2,” trim a piece of patterned paper to measure 4 1/4 x 2″ and adhere to the base of the card, trim another strip of pattern paper 1/4 of an inch and adhere to the top of the other piece of pattern paper. Add the handmade flower with dimensional adhesive to the left hand side of the patterned paper and finish off by adding a stamp sentiment to the top of the card in addition to a few pearls.

This is sadly my last post for BasicGrey, I want to say a huge thanks not just to BasicGrey as a company but also to Shara and Mel who gave me the most amazing gift to be apart of this incredibly talented team and fabulous company, I have enjoyed every minute of my time with BasicGrey and have learnt so much…but with changes in my life, some hard decisions have had to be made and unfortunately I will be standing down from the BasicGrey team…

However, I will still continue to create with their amazing product and, who knows, you may see me back here guesting :) I wish BasicGrey, Shara and the rest of the team all the very best and thank them from the bottom of my heart…

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Susan: Today I wanted to share a way to use BasicGrey’s shiny Candy Buttons to take your layout over the top. For my layout I decided to start big with a bold layered sun burst inspired by the “hello Sunshine” die cut. I just love the fun prints and colors in the “Hey Girl” collection and embellishments from Die Cuts and Transparencies to the Flair Stickers.

I chose the black text background from the Bow Ties collection to really make the colors pop. I have used metallic threads to stitch cardstock strips down the center of each sun ray, curving the edges of the papers upward.

Finally, I have added red and aqua Candy Buttons randomly on each ray. These little glossy pops of color are just that something extra to finish off a layout and make it shine!

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Today Lisa Dickinson is here to share her tips for translating song lyrics into scrapbook pages:

Lisa: I am continually inspired by songs and lyrics and find myself incorporating them into my scrapbook layouts on a regular basis. I tend to listen to music while scrapping, and often will jot down certain lyrics that resonate with me as good titles or journaling.

On this particular page, I knew when I saw the sweet photo of my husband and daughter that I wanted to include the lyrics from an Avett Brothers song, “A Father’s First Spring.” The song describes how utterly life-altering the birth of his daughter was for a father, and how it has changed him forever.

This snippet of the lyrics perfectly sums up how my husband feels about Riely. She truly has captured his heart in ways he never knew before she came into our lives. While I could write in my own words about this relationship, the lyrics just say it so much more beautifully than I ever could. And because the song is in regular rotation on our playlist, it has a connection to our family and it makes sense to include it our scrapbooks.

So the next time you are at a loss for words, try looking to your favorite songs! Quite often you’ll find the perfect sentiment for a page right there amongst the lyrics.

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I began by wrapping up the gift in kraft butcher paper to give the packaging a neutral base.

I then typed a short message on the flap of a mini envelope using my typewriter and layered it atop a cluster of patterned papers. Once I liked the arrangement, I pierced a hole through all of the layers and used a brad to loosely hold everything together.

Finally, I wrapped a garland strand around the package (adhering every couple of circles to the kraft paper) and called it good!

I’m always looking for nontraditional ways to to use my scrapbook supplies and this project really fulfilled that goal. I encourage you to rethink your craft stash as well…who knows what amazing things will come from it!

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Happy Friday! Today the amazing Maile Belles is here to show that Blueprints aren’t just for layouts! I threw this image from The Proper Pinwheel her way without too much guidance and she totally rocked it.

Here’s how Maile interpreted this week’s Blueprint in card form:

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Maile: I drew inspiration from a couple items in the bottom right corner.  The balloon cookie cutter (I think that’s what it is anyways) tied with bakers twine inspired the balloon theme and the big aqua ball shape inspired my big blue and fuzzy brad embellishment.

Don’t be overwhelmed; focus on one or two items and run with them.  This will allow you to utilize an inspiration pieces in a number of different ways.

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Home: Sunny California

Workspace: In my craft room or at the dining room table.  My crafty cart on wheels helps me transition to either one, depending on my mood.

Favorite Color Palette: Usually blues/aqua with oranges/melons.
Social Media Preference: Instagram

Playlist: If I’m at the dining room table I’ll turn on some old movies.  I love the TCM channel.

Inspiration Source: Pinterest.  Keep a notebook handy, use it to jot down any creative idea that pops into your head.

Early Bird or Night Owl: Night Owl

BG Product You Hoard: Stamps!

Three Random Facts About You: (1.) I’m 5’3″ and I drive a lifted Jeep. ( 2.) I love triangles. (3.) My first name and middle name are Hawaiian. My mom was born and raised on the islands, but I have never been there.
Advice for Newbie Crafters: Keep to the basics when it comes to supplies.  Start by selecting and item or two and brainstorm unique ideas or uses for them.  This is great practice to enhance your creativity and unique style.

Follow Maile here: Blog | Instagram | Pinterest

Today we are getting back to basics and focusing on one of our very favorite products: Candy Buttons! Marinette Lesne, Kelly Rasmussen and Kelly Noel have three inspiring projects that help to illustrate just how versatile these self-adhesive embellishments can be!

Kelly Rasmussen: I just love the look of Candy Buttons scattered over a project. Those little pops of glossy color ended up being the perfect finishing touch to this card. And I tucked a few part way under the raised panel for a little added interest.

Marinette: I’ve always loved to using brads on my creations, so when BasicGrey created Candy Buttons, I was immediately in love with them. They’re so easy to use and the colors are just so gorgeous! On this layout, I added some Candy Buttons with different sizes on a vertical line to highlight my title.

Kelly Noel: BasicGrey’s Candy Dots are one of my very favorite products! I can’t seem to get enough of them and use them on nearly every layout these days. There are so many fun things you can do with them, but for this layout I just created a simple border using different colors and sizes of the dots.

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Amy: Hi everyone! Today I am here with another fun sewing project using the Aspen Frost collection. I am sharing a brief “how-to” for this single ornament, 18″ pillow cover that coordinates with an upcoming quilt pattern I designed for BasicGrey called Oh What Fun!

As you can see, the quilt features a top full of ornaments, each unique in their pattern and fabric combinations.  The Oh What Fun! quilt pattern will be available in June along with the Aspen Frost collection.

To create this pillow, you will want to create one ornament of your choice following the Twin Size option in the pattern.  Once you have done that, you simply add borders of the background fabric to make your block the size of your desired pillow cover.  In this case, I made mine measure 18 1/2″ square.

Next, back with batting and muslin and quilt as desired.  I quilted with an all over loop design that reminds me of falling snowflakes. Finish up your pillow in your favorite method. I usually prefer an invisible zipper closure but today I decided to use an envelope backing with binding for a touch of color around the outer edge.

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial! I look forward to seeing lots of Oh What Fun! quilt tops and pillows pop up on line this summer once the fabric and pattern are available in shops.

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Hi everyone! Today I’m here to share pages from my completed Carte Postale mini book and offer even more tips on how to scrapbook on the road. In case you missed Part One, click here!

Save room for more photos. While I do my best to complete as much of the album as possible while I’m on vacation, I always allot extra space in my book for photos printed after the trip ends. Since I use a mix of cameras (DSLR, Instax, Instagram) to document my travels, I choose my favorites from all my options and paste those into my book when I get back home.

Use pockets to your advantage. Remember when I said love to use pockets as a means for storage before I put my album together? The same theory holds true once the book is completed as well. Sometimes I don’t want to showcase every individual piece of memorabilia, so I will just leave it tucked in a pocket and consider it a design element.

Customize the book to fit your needs. Although there are over twenty pages in the Carte Postale spiral journal, my short weekend getaway was not long enough to fill up the entire book. But alas, I was able to quickly customize the journal by tearing out the extra pages I did not need and reusing some of them as patterned paper for the pages I left intact.

Work out of order. As I was working through this book, I definitely did not go in chronological order. Instead, I used the designs on the pages as the deciding factor for where to place my photos or memorabilia. I don’t worry about jumping around (especially for short trips like this one) because once the book is complete, the entire story will be told and that’s all that matters to me.

Highlight memorable quotes. I am notorious for wanting to move to whatever city I am visiting and San Luis Obispo was no exception. I must have said this line once every five minutes the whole time we were there, so it was only natural that I included it in the book. The orange sans serif stickers are perfect for capturing this sentiment and complementing the colors on the opposite page. P.S. A great way to keep track of quotes as you travel is to write them down on a piece of paper and tuck it into one of the many pocket pages for safekeeping before scrapping it.

Three cheers for mini books! Now I need to plan my next trip so I can make another scrapbook on the road!

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I read a great article the other day that argued that the anticipation of an upcoming vacation is often just as emotionally fulfilling as the vacation itself. What does this have to do with scrapbooking, you ask? I’ll sum it up in three words: travel mini book. Over the years, I have made several mini books documenting various trips (some as short as a single night, some as long as an entire week) and they all have brought me so much creative joy.

I love conceptualizing the size + contents of the book. I love planning out what kinds of supplies I want to use. I love thinking about the types of memorabilia I want to include. I love deciding how much or how little I want to embellish my pages. I really love the brainstorming phase that helps to build anticipation for my impending travels. But the very best part of all? The fun doesn’t have to begin + end at home. Scrapbooking on the road is the ultimate way to savor every minute of a trip and not forget a single detail. Today I will be sharing my tips for planning out a travel mini book + taking it in on the go! Let’s get started!

Create the cover. Whenever I make a mini book (travel or otherwise), I always begin by creating my cover. I feel like this simple action really helps to set the tone of the book and get my creative juices flowing. For this album, I used the Carte Postale spiral journal and embellished the cover with chipboard shapes, a Snippet, and a typewritten title.

Choose supplies. The key to scrapbooking on the road is keeping supplies to a minimum. Just as you wouldn’t pack your entire closet into a carry-on bag for an overnight trip (or would you?), you don’t want to lug around every last embellishment from your craft stash during your travels. While a limitation on supplies might sound like a creativity killer, I promise it has the opposite effect! I always feel so inspired when I only have a few embellishments to choose from because it eliminates the “too many options” paradox and makes me a much more efficient crafter. Plus, I don’t have to worry about leaving anything behind when checkout time rolls around on Sunday morning! Win win.

Add pockets. A great way to plan ahead for the storage of photos + memorabilia is to add pockets or envelopes to your mini book. For this book, I added a Carte Postale library pocket to the cover to hold all of the Instax photos I knew I would be taking. Not only does this allows me keep everything in one place before I have time to sit down and get it scrapped but it also acts as an interactive design element as well! Form + function really can coexist.

Now that you’re all packed, let the real adventures begin! To be continued…

Have you ever made a scrapbook on the road?