A mess out of chaos

I find myself staring at the mess before me....

I find myself in the middle of a mess wondering where that stamp went to or the scissors I just had in my hand... I find myself having to walk away from projects to tend to crying girls... I find myself having to get little hands out of my craft things and into theirs... I find myself avoiding house hold chores just to get back to my craft mess... I find myself sighing more than not... In all the chaos of motherhood Im slowly finding myself again... Crafting helps even though I get frustrated with my precious little girls... Its a balance... Mom and crafter/artist... Its finding those times to craft together... To just make fun! Allow the girls to learn the beauty of crafting...

Hey! It's me, Amanda the Crafty Ladybug! Welcome back to the craft nook! 

I have been  Scrap booking.... I am hooked.... I love the idea of making those "Kodak moments" shine through paper crafting!! But...

Honestly, scrap booking in and of itself can be overwhelming! What photos/memories do I use? What printing service do I use? Where in the timeline of our life do we start? Is there an end? Where do I buy supplies from that will keep my pictures safe? How do I create a page? What in the world is a layout? (Sorry its not beach related ha!) So many questions! Maybe... I can help you with that...

First, you do need actual photos in your hands! Shutterfly although quality can lack they have a great deal using their app. Mpix is another great source for photos. Great quality! There are plenty of other printing services to utilize. Find what works for you and your budget.

Next, find products that are acid and linen free. The majority of companies will list these qualities in the description. Creative Memories products are a great help in bringing your projects to life. And, they are for sure photo safe!! Check the awesome products out on my replicated website! 

http://creativememories.com/cm/AmandaNolt

As far as where to start... That was the hardest for me... I scrolled through tons of sketch ideas and nothing jumped at me other than "that's cute!". I finally sat down and sorted through my photos... Putting them with like photos (same events, seasons, etc) and put them in order. I found that I had a small number of pictures from a library outing and went from there...

I then, looked through my supplies... This part! Oh! can be so hard especially when what you have on hand doesn't fit your needs! However, I happened to have the paper pack Essential from Creative Memories. The stars spoke to me and my lovely CM friend had the star cartridge! I was excited to say the least....

Now the layout/sketch. The terms are often interchangeable and mean the same thing... Basically its laying out the photos you want to use while considering any embellishments or paper borders you like to add. If creating a page from your own imagination is overwhelming there are hundreds of sketches to help you out!

Once you have picked your photos and have a game plan get to work! Cut, fold, punch, glue whatever ya need to do! Don't be afraid to add stickers or even stamp! I did some heat embossing and die cutting with my project! Just have fun. This can be as simple or as complicated as you wish. 

 See ya next time in the craft nook! 

Keep on crafting!! 

Dedication

Blogging... It takes dedication and motivation... So... I am making a goal for myself! Beginning today, the coldest day yet in Wisconsin! -26 with a windchill of -49! I will post ONCE a week (a week = Sunday thru Saturday).

The posts will more than likely be simple and include one picture if not more! Crafting related, with a sprinkle of my personal life, and a good dose of the Lord! He has given me the talent to create and He should be thanked! Set your mind on things above and things will fall into place.

God Bless!

Excited to share the news!!!

I am apart of the FSJ/Spellbinder Creative Coop!!! Soooo much crafting fun in one place!!! Order through the affiliated link or directly through me (better deal there!)

https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=981584&u=1888038&m=70661&urllink=&afftrack=

***Please do no hestiate to email me when you place an order! I have no way of knowinh who orders and would love to send a thank you your way!!**

But, I couldn't stop there!!

I became a Creative Memories Advisor!! The scrapbooking products are beautiful and will pair well with family photos! Memories need to be captured!!!

https://www.creativememories.com/user/AmandaNolt

And then, I couldn't resist getting on the ground level of a growing affiliated crafting program RGStudio360! Richard offers both digis and stamps!! I will post more soon!! ;-)

https://rgstudio360.com/#AmandaNolt

Follow me along on my crafting adventures! I cant wait to create with ALL of these products individually and see how well they can blend together!

Email: thecraftyladybug86@gmail.com

***FSJ/Spellbinders and RG studios 360 use cookies!!**

Hydrangea Bloom Mask Off Project

Hello Again! It's Amanda, The Crafty Ladybug and Welcome Back to my Craft Nook!!!

I told y'all I love masking off!

 The sense of depth that can be created will make them "oooh" and "ahhh"!
It seems technical but its super simple!!

I stamped the hydrangea bloom (Bloom Burst Stamp Set) at least twice on copy paper and fussy cut those images out. I also stamped a few leaves and fussy cut those as well. I didn't bother with the stem this time.

I used Pretty Amethyst True Fusion Ink and stamped the first bloom at the bottom center. Don't be afraid to stamp off the page either!

Then covered it with the prepared mask and stamped on either side using Beach Breeze.

I continued masking and stamping to creating a border but left the right area open. I also stamped a few leaves and placed the masks where needed. 

Next comes the color! I brought out all of the Pan Pastels there were in the blue, purple, and green families. Going from dark to light I shaded each petal and leaf.

Hint** Areas that have direct light leave those areas "colorless". Meaning don't add PanPastels... Let the color of the paper show**

I created a soft sky using the palest of blues and white for the background...

In the upper hand right corner, I stamped the "thinking of you" sentiment.

Oh and had to splatter some Sparkle Silk for a little extra glitz.

I love how this project turned out! 

Masking off

Hello!! It's Amanda, the Crafty Ladybug and Welcome to the Craft Nook!! 

One of my favorite techniques is "masking off". Its rather simple but requires some prep work.

Stamp the desired image onto a post it note or copy paper.

 Fussy cut the image out. (The closer to the outside line the better). Depending on your project you may need more than one "masked image". 

Note... If you didn't use paper with a sticky back a glue dot or washi tape rolled up on will work. Remember the masked images are temporary and will need to be removed. 

Then you are ready to work on the actual project.

For starters I picked the Cottage Bouquet stamp set. Daises are a favorite of mine and I couldn't resist creating a small field of them.

Black and white was on my mind but one could easily add color.

I tend to begin stamping somewhere off centered.
Stamp the image...

Then place the mask on top of the first image.
**Lining up the images is necessary if you want crisp edges...

Once the mask is in place then stamp another image.

Repeat this process and move masks where and as needed...

Pace yourself and think the layout through. ;-) 

Masking off gives a sense of depth to your piece. The overlapping of images lets the eye believe that objects are staggered on the page. Items are in front of one another. An easy way to create depth without adding extra layers...

Oh and keep those masked pieces! They maybe covered in ink but you can so use them again!!

Tag Trio Video

O goodness! I had some many retakes of the voice over I finally gave up... By then, two precious girls decided it was a good time to have a squealing match. Memories.. 🤣

More videos to come...
Slowly like a herd of turtles!!