True Story Guest Artist Rachel Hawkins and TWO more Challenge...plus our next kit!

Before this incredibly quick month comes to a close (is ti just me?), I want to share the beautiful work of our guest contributing artist, Rachel Hawkins. Here's a little bit about her:

Rachel is a wife, mother, counselor, dance teacher, and lover of creativity. Being a counselor Rachel loves crafting as a way to connect stories and process emotions. Scrapbooking is not just a hobby for Rachel, but a therapeutic outlet as well.

And you've got to love her name too. :)

You can see more of her work on Instagram and on her blog.

Here are two of her takes on this month's theme, TRUE STORY.

Doesn't this kit make you a fan of pink? There's such a modern, feminine look with the gold, black and pink combined.

And make sure to come by our members group for TWO MORE layout/art journal page challenge for this month - perfect for creating this weekend. Click here and just ask to join!

Stay tuned for Sunday's full reveal of the November kit, INNER GIFTS.

Happy Halloween Weekend!

Guest Contributing Artist: Stacey Hansen

Hi everyone!

I am so excited to be joining Inside Out this month. Here is a little bit more about me before I dive into sharing more about this first page:

A cupcake mom living in a world of a half dozen kiddos, paper, frosting, adoption, fitness and yoga.  Stacey started scrapbooking almost 20 years ago to document life and all that it brought her way.  Through the years her craft has turned from creating with paper and photos to telling a story of heart, purpose, and life through her eyes.  The story is what drives it all in life, on paper, in the gym, on the yoga mat it is all about heart. 

You can find me here:

Instagram : https://instagram.com/cupcakemomcolorado/

Blog: http://sassynsweetscrappin.blogspot.com/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/cupcakemom/

Now onto my first page I'm sharing with all of you!

I wanted this layout to have free movement.  It is imperfect intentionally.  Splatters of mist, lines a little crooked, and clusters of embellishments to reflect my heart and life. 

Journaling:

It has taken 39 years to be exactly who I am right now. I am kind hearted, fierce in my thoughts, and completely free.  In the course of life I built a castle around my heart.  I guarded it fiercely with bricks of authenticity. These walls kept me safe they kept me from pain (or so I thought) and they protected me from being vulnerable.  The truth is I didn’t even realize until recently that I had carefully crafted this castle.  Slowly and ever so tenderly the castle walls are crumbling and this beautiful heart that feels even bigger, loves even grander, risks even greater is  now being exposed.  Tears of joy fall freely like a dam that has been broken.

The heart is much kinder, the mind so much clearer, and the freedom is so much sweeter than  I could have imagined.  This girl with a new perspective is removing the rubble of what kept her so strong and in the process has become more flexible.  The castle that was built to protect was really what was holding back more of  the joy, peace, and contentment that  was outside those gates . The fear of being a burden is gone, the dragon that stood watch over the castle ran off with it when vulnerability arrived.  Dragons can’t hang with tears it puts out their fire.  The moat that few dared to cross even after making past the dragon has been filled with  a gift soil  given by those who knew the princess inside better than she knew herself.   And the princess……well I am quite excited to see what life looks like  when the gift that had been  protected for so long is now free to roam the land.

Join here on Friday as I share another page I created using the Inner Child kit!

More Pages from our Guest Designer: Jana Maiwald-McCarthy

Hi everyone,

Normally our guest artist would have posts every Friday during the month but, mailing overseas can be a little tricky. Better late than never is my motto! So, without further ado, here are the last two gorgeous pages, with a little "Behind the Art" info, by our talented Guest Artist, Jana Maiwald-McCarthy.

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From Jana: "On this layout you can see me at the end of 2006, after 18 months I found a new love! the beginning was not as easy as i thought! i was very suspicious... but we made it! We got married in December 2008 and "our" child was born in October 2009... this layout made me smile! I had fun creating it!

I love how Jana showcases how our dreams can end in a completely different way. Still beautiful but, not always taking the route we had envisioned. I love that she has found her happy and was able to celebrate that through her page.

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From Jana:  This layout sums up my life together! I am a creative person from head to toe. I love to make art in every kind of mood. It helps me to get out of sad times and it makes me even happier in happy times! The stencil in this kit was perfect for a layout like this! No photo needed, right?!

Jana is living her creative dream! Are you? 

Guest Contributing Artist: Jana Maiwald-McCarthy

Hello and happy Friday everyone!

I am so happy to introduce you to our guest artist Jana Maiwald-McCarthy. We are a little late bringing you her beautiful pages thanks to the ever amazing international mailing system. But, I am a firm believer in "better late than never" because her pages are surely going to inspire you!

She is sharing some Behind the Art with two of her pages using the August kit Live Your Dream.

Here is what Jana shares about this page:

"i was on a girls trip back in april. as a mom of 3 it´s pure luxury to have a weekend off! the photo shows me infront of a big mirror in the 5 stars hotel! this weekend filled me with happiness! i really enjoyed the process of this layout... the journaling is nearly the same i told you right now"

How many of us have dreamed of a weekend away? Jana did a beautiful job capturing a moment that was very meaningful and luxurious for her. 

Here is what Jana shares about this page:

"when i was 25 yrs old my world stopped for a while! my husband left me... and i was alone with 2 (very young) kids! i believed in us, in him... but i failed! false dreams, false paths! it took me a few months (10 to be serious) to get back into my "normal" life! the process of the layout was not so easy, i felt the pain i felt 10 yrs ago... i cried! but i am happy this happened... i am a better me, a stronger me!"

This powerful page is such a beautiful way to express your inner world. Your deep, heart emotion. Those difficult moments in life can be hard to go back to but, oh so healing after a good creative journaling session.

You can see more of Jana's work via her blog and Instagram.

Next Friday we will share her other two pages created with the August Live Your Dream kit.

Behind the Art with Guest Designer Devra

Hi everyone,

Guest Artist Devra here with my last page using the July kit Shine.

I have learned that I feel good, that I shine my brightest personality when it’s warm out and I can surround myself with some of my favorite things, or go to my favorite places. I have also learned, when I can’t do this, I need to find alternatives, and not get stuck in a rut of negativity. I need to focus on looking forward to them again when spring returns.

First, I arranged the photos into a loose grid. I had decided I would fill in with pieces of papers and other embellishments. I reached for items that help enhance my feelings of happiness and love of the summer season. Again, I fussy cut some sayings out of the papers. I love the pink background paper with the subtle sayings. I chose other papers that complement the pink as well as lean towards summer, such as the lemons.

Thank you so much for letting me join you all this month. It has been a true honor.

You can keep up with more of my creating by visiting my blog: My Creative View

Behind the Art with Guest Designer Devra

Hi everyone,

Guest Contributing Artist, Devra, with you again. I'm here to share more of my third page created using the July Shine kit.

One of the things I’m learning is it’s ok to make fun of yourself, and to take a lighter approach to life. I wore a pink paper crown on my birthday. I wanted to look like I was feeling special. I was radiating happiness, both inside and out. When I began this page, I had a light hearted feeling in mind, and wanted to show that on the page.

I surrounded the photo with as many of the bright and happy pieces as I could. I used ones with sayings as puns, such as the Pineapple, to keep with the idea of making fun of myself and the day. I love that the background paper looks like falling confetti. It also goes to the lightness of the page theme. I used the arrows to help guide the reader through the page.

Thank you for joining me today!

Are you ready to dive deep into your inner world? Join us now! There is no better kit to begin your journey than with the Shine kit! 

July Guest Designer: Devra Hunt

Happy Friday!

Our first Contributing Artist page, using the July kit SHINE, is from our talented Guest Designer, Devra Hunt. We are so happy to have her joining us this month; showcasing her perspective on SHINE and how it applies to her inner world. We think you'll love what she created, too.

Let's get to know Devra a little bit better before she shares some more about her first page!

I currently live in the Seattle area where I am the COO of my family, who are my husband, our two boys and our awesome dog Snickers.  My boys are 14 and 12. One is the intellectual type. He loves school, reads and swims. The other has undiagnosed special needs and keeps me on my toes.  My husband is a 5 year cancer survivor. All of that gives me much to think about, reflect on, and incredible material to keep me scrapping for a very long time.

I scrapbook for fun, for creative exercise, for therapy. I scrapbook for stress release.  I am not an epic storyteller, but my pages all have journaling, our albums do tell our story. They are a view into my family's life.  With all of the experiences I've had in my life so far, I have to find humor in the little things everyday.  I don't let life get to serious. I want my older son to know I love my life, as challenging as it can be at times. I want him to see that in our family's books.  

I do both single and 2 page 12x12 layouts.  I'm not sure I can define my style, It's constantly evolving.  But there are 3 things that almost always appear on my pages, larger photos, bright colors and humor.  Even on pages about me. I may change colors for my pages, and take a serious tone, but there is always something there to lighten the mood. All of these things turn up in my pages, which you will see on my blog and in my Pinterest Board. Therefore, some look consistent in style, others look really different.  When I am not scrapping, I am reading, watching baseball, and always dreaming of the beach. 

The Wizard of Oz is my favorite movie and Over the Rainbow is a favorite song of mine. I often think about the lyrics and how they can pertain to my life.  I went into a deeper, darker thought process for this page. Darkness is an antonym for shine.

Rainbows appear when it’s raining. To give the appearance of rain, I used sketch pens and a Silhouette file to create the background.  I wanted the rainbow in the photo to stand out, and not get lost on the page. Matting it with strips of pink papers did just that.  The Make a Wish card refers to the thoughts in my journaling. I used the lemons, to represent my feelings about how life can be sour, and not always sweet, bright and shiny. 

Come join us! We'd love to welcome you to our visual journaling family. Start with the July kit SHINE today.

Behind the Art with Guest Heather Adams

Hi everyone,

I loved all of the diecuts that are included in this month's "I Am" kit, and I decided to make a page focused on those cute shapes and icons. One of the little banner diecuts says "Enjoying the Ride" and I thought that would be a perfect title for my page. The phrase "enjoying the ride" fits my life so well right now.

 

I definitely used some of the ephemera shapes that meant something to me. I used a feather to symbolize light-heartedness, and I used a butterfly for freedom and happiness. One of my favorite parts about this layout is the chevron arrow that I cut from the "Tribal" paper from Crate Paper's Journey collection. I also love the "oh the places you'll go" tag because it fits so well with the photo of my shoes! Yes, I'm on a journey.

 

The journaling on this page is just a short summary of how I feel about life right now and how I have learned to just enjoy each moment of my life. This page made me so happy to create because I felt like the embellishments spoke what my heart is feeling! Everything just falls into place so easily!

Thank you for joining us this month Heather! If you would like to keep up on all that Heather is doing, make sure you follow her!

Blog: http://craftyscrapbooker.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004174548395
Instagram: http://instagram.com/heatherphotochic 
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/heathera17/

Behind the Art with Guest Heather Adams

Hi everyone,

For this page, I used the lyrics of a song in our hymnal at church for the journaling. The song is about how I am a child of God and how he cares for me and my life. I used the Cracked Pistachio distress marker to write out the words on the right half of the page. Being a child of God is something that defines me, and I thought it would be a perfect subject for the "I Am" kit. The phrase "I Am" is definitive in itself, so I thought it would be appropriate to document what defines me. What defines you? Is it your job? Your family? Your faith? It's something to think about. :) 

 

I used a photo of myself at the beach because where can you feel so small while God feels so BIG? I love the beach. And I love how God cares for little ol' me. I used a little gold anchor sticker to symbolize that God is my rock and steadfastness and also it fits because the photo is of the beach. I used a few hearts on this page, symbolizing God's love for me.

Behind the Art with Guest Heather Adams

Hi everyone,

The moment I saw the "Thankful" paper in this month's kit, I knew that I needed to make project using all those little "I Am" phrases. They are just the perfect phrases. Some of the phrases describe me and then some of them I'm working on. I think I just need to keep this art journal page out to look at every day. It would make me feel so much more confident and happy!

 

I used little pink flower stickers to symbolize that I am growing. Like I said, some of the phrases are things that I'm working on. For example, "I am courageous…" I don't know if I would describe myself that way, but it makes me purpose in my heart to be more courageous so I can say, "Yes, I am courageous." I also used the little pearls to symbolize worth. I am worth something. To my family, to my friends, to God. I am somebody.

Blog: http://craftyscrapbooker.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004174548395
Instagram: http://instagram.com/heatherphotochic 
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/heathera17/

Welcome Guest Designer: Heather Adams

Hi there! 

I'm Heather Adams, a 20 year old college student. I am currently going to school for graphic design, and I love it. I love documenting the little things in life. I enjoy making just about anything you can create with paper-- cards, layouts, Project Life pages, you name it! Besides scrapbooking, I enjoy traveling, shopping, and photography. I also have a 16-year-old sister that I love doing things with. 

Right now, I can truly say that I am happy with my life. I used to have a lot of anxiety and sadness over how events in my life were turning out, but now I can honestly say that I am happy. Not much as changed, but I think my attitude has. And of course I couldn't resist putting a photo on my page of me holding scrapbook supplies! Because, hey, that makes me super happy too.

I used the stencil included in this month's kit for the "happy" in my title. I colored it in with the Cracked Pistachio distress marker. You can tell that it looks a little like watercolors. So how did I do that, you might ask? I colored on a clear acrylic stamping block with the marker and then picked up the color with my waterbrush. After that, I filled in the letters through the stencil with the ink. After I colored the letters, I went around each one with the fine tip of the Cracked Pistachio marker. That color is so pretty and so is the stencil!

My favorite embellishment on this page is the large geotag card. I added the sticker that says "where I want to be" and I think it's just perfect. Yes, being happy is right where I want to be. The little "happy camper" tab was perfect too, I thought.

Visit Heather:

Blog: http://craftyscrapbooker.blogspot.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004174548395
Instagram: http://instagram.com/heatherphotochic
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/heathera17/

Behind the Art with Sofia - Guest Designer

Here and There

This layout is a very personal one and I actually still can’t believe that it is up on the web for everyone to see. 

This story was a fun one to tell. The past 7 months of my life have been taken over be a long distance friendship/relationship. The reason why it’s crazy is because this is really my first relationship. I’m not freaking out really, I am taking things one step at a time. As I am writing this before I leave for the airport, I can tell you that I can’t really eat my breakfast and I am not interested in eating (which for me is crazy because I would marry food if I could) and I have the most active butterflies in my stomach. But it’s all excitement and will hopefully die down a bit as the day goes on.

I used a lot of symbolism in this layout. I first want to point out how many patterns and colors and stuff there is on this page. Feeling nauseous? That was the idea. Whenever I tell people Max and I’s story (which you may read on the journaling close up), I pretty much always get the reaction of, “Oh my God that is so cute! Barf…” So I sort of wanted to put that on the page. 

Another symbol would be the clouds on the bottom of the page. I put everything above the clouds because when I am on my way to him, I will be literally flying above the clouds! Also, the top pink calendar is situated to show January to June which are the full 6 months that we have gone without seeing each other and keeping in touch through Skype dates and Whatsapp.

I really enjoyed doing this page. I feel pretty good about the way s came out. The one thing is I still don’t feel like it is finished! I have never felt this way, I usually always feel done but not with this one. I’m wondering f it is because I’m still not sure where this relationship is going quite yet. Even though I have a pretty sure feeling about where it’s going I’m not totally sure! 

Enjoy!

Sofia

Behind the Art with Sofia - July Guest Designer

Wanderlust

To be perfectly honest, the word perspective really scared me. I didn’t think I had anything to scrap about or a story to tell. I then realized that Perspective can be anything because it is how you see things! 

How do you see the world around you, people, things, experiences? I think that is a really good thing for you all to hear in case you are thinking that the theme this month is impossible to scrap about. It was definitely a challenge and made me really think. I then found that my journaling was really hard to make short, I had tons to say!

I am a world traveler and always am looking for my next destination. Ironically I am in Germany as you read this! From the moment my mom dragged me (pretty much by my hair because I really didn’t want to go) to Europe I was hooked! I saw things that I loved and the world became bigger. I had no idea what was out there! I had once been a home body; never wanting to leave my Santa Monica bubble but now I just want to leave all the time! But I also do love my home and my city and am very proud to live in Santa Monica. I feel grateful for what I have every day.

The photo that I used is a photo I took on my last travels to Germany. This is an amazing place called Rothenberg ob der Touber. It is my favorite place that I have visited on my travels so far because it’s not only Christmas time all year round but it’s breathtakingly beautiful!

I have to admit that this page was more fun than anything. I didn’t really dig deep on this page like I have in the past but it was still fulfilling. I always enjoy scrapbooking and I think that this page is very pretty. I am super happy with how it turned out. 

Have a great day!

Sofia

December Guest Designer: Andrea Ratcliff

We are so excited to have one of our Teen designers, Andrea Ratcliff, designing with the December kit TRUST. Here is more about Andrea and a couple of her layouts. 

Visit Andrea's blog HERE.

Here are a couple of layouts that Andrea created:

We love that Andrea shared these fun photos of herself. They go so perfectly with her journaling. And wouldn't you agree... trusting ourselves seems to leave us feeling unstoppable! 

I bet if we all thought about it, we have observed a wonderful expression of trust by someone in our life. Whether it was bestowed upon us or upon someone else. We love how Andrea is showing us how to include others in our lives and reflecting on how it makes us feel. 

We will share a couple more layouts by Andrea before the month is over. In the meantime, come join us on our Facebook page to stay up to date on all the happenings. We'll also be sharing more design team layouts over there soon.