Make it Work!

As Tim Gunn would say, sometimes you just gotta "make it work"!

Each month as I pore over the gobs of goodness in my kit box, 

there are always a few items that I'm kind of like, "huh, wonder how I can use that?"

Either it is just not speaking to me, or the sentiment doesn't ring true for me...whatever. 

This month, I wanted to show you how you can make those work!

For this canvas, I used one of the journaling cards that had a sentiment at the bottom,
but covered the sentiment with the flower.

Here, the little wood tag said "I Love This City"....I just covered that with my papers.
The little banners sticking out also had a sentiment on them
and I just hid it behind the tag, still letting the cute banner ends peek out.

For my journaling card, I simply put x's over the words I didn't want.
Also, my calendar is upside down...that's just a mistake...I hoped no one would notice. :)
Then I just told on myself....sigh.

I loved the chalkboard feel of the black paper where I mounted my photo. However, it said "this makes me happy", which is lovely, just not what I needed for this layout.
So, I covered the words with the flower element.
I also wanted to use the wood veneer tag, but needed a spot for my quote. I flipped over the tag, added a little paint, and made my own journaling spot.  BOOM...made it work!

I find I do this more and more and am always looking for ways to maximize my kit
so that it works for ME! 

You still have time to grab your own TRANSFORMATION kit!

Make sure you stop by the gallery to be inspired 

by the rest of the fantastic design team!

Help us get the chatter going and be challenged on our forums!

And get ready, next month is going to be amazing!

Journaling: The Power of the Pen

When it comes to journaling on our layouts, we all have our own unique approach. After the thoughts come rolling in, after the rough draft happens, it's time to place it on our layout.

Something that I love is seeing handwriting. I think that it adds a beautiful and personal touch to our layouts.
The other day, I found a bunch of letters that my grandma had written to her friends. Something stirred within me when I saw her handwriting. No one else has her handwriting. It is completely her own and, I think, the personal relationship she has with her handwriting, made it so much more meaningful.

Many of the design team showcase their own handwriting on their layouts. I love that!

Layout by Jen Matott

Layout by Lori Wilbanks

Layout by Melissa Elsner

You can see Times New Roman, Calibri and Arial on anything and everything. There is no personality to it! So here is my challenge to you - USE YOUR OWN HANDWRITING! Add some personality. Leave your mark and embrace it. Whether you hate it or love it, there is so much more value when using your own handwriting. Believe me. 

You can do it. 

Transform Yourself with a Challenge...

Our FREE inspiration page is filled with different items to poke you, push you, tickle you and otherwise inspire you.  Today we've got our first Transformation challenge to lay down in front of you.  Are you ready?

Adaptation: Sometimes when change happens around us we have to change too.  What has happened around you, or what new information have you received that caused you to adapt to a new situation and how well did you adapt?  How long did your adaptation take? Do you remember what it was like before the change that caused you to have to adapt? Did you know that change was coming? Were you scared or excited?

Please create a layout depicting a situation when you had to adapt.  For your design twist, fold, twist or otherwise adapt something on your page.

You know, I'm one of those women who never really wanted to be a mother.  So when I met my husband, and his three children, I knew my life was about to change.  Talk about adapting!  Hmmmm... time to go twist something and make a layout... how about you?   Please share your thoughts in the comments below, or link us up to your layout (or better yet, share it in our gallery!)

I'd love to see your creation(s)!

Welcome to the last stop on the SFTIO TRANSFORMATION Design Team Blog Hop!

Welcome to the last stop on the SFTIO Design Team Blog Hop! 

I hope you've enjoyed seeing what our outgoing team members, the designers staying on for the next term and the members of our Teen Collective have been creating.

I want to express my deep gratitude to the uber-talented Diana Brodeur, Jen Matott and Nicole Martel who have been part of the SFTIO family for over a year and will continue to be forever family. Their sharing, caring and ability to communicate emotion has truly inspired me! Thank you darling girls!

The amazing Melissa Elsner (our intrepid DT coordinator), Lori Wilbanks and Kiki Halbert will be staying on with us as SFTIO grows in new directions...I'm so happy about the fresh and creative take on our kits that they'll continue to share. 

Some of you already know about SFTIO's sister program, 'CreateU', specifically developed to help inspire pre-teen and teen girls to use our craft to increase their self-esteem and self-awareness. Each member of our Teen Collective will be joining us for one month as a Guest Designer and active "voice" on our website and forum. 

From scrapbooking to art journaling to vision boards and more, SFTIO's kits are the perfect way to express and create YOU with symbolism and heart.

If you are starting here at the SFTIO blog, make sure you go to the beginning at Melissa's blog as you won't want to miss out on all the gorgeous inspiration. And if you leave a comment on each blog, you'll increase your chance of winning a prize!

I'd love to know what emotions you'd like to see in future kits - so please leave a comment on this post with a 'feeling word.' 

Blog Hop Order:

Melissa (theprofoundbrunette.com)

Jordan http://jordanhebl.blogspot.com/

Jen http://arttalk-sigmagirl.blogspot.com/

Katie http://www.punkprojects.com/

Diana http://dianabrodeur.blogspot.com/

Andie http://scrapinandie.blogspot.com/

Nicole http://nicolemartel.blogspot.com/

Kiki http://kiki-halbert.blogspot.com/

Heather  http://craftyscrapbooker.blogspot.com/

Lori http://lorispills.blogspot.com/

SFTIO Blog http://scrapbookingfromtheinsideout.blogspot.com (You Are Here :))

We also have a fabulous prize packed in a pretty SFTIO logo canvas eco tote bag! 

The winner will be announced by Monday on Facebook and the SFTIO blog.

Thanks for swinging by! Make sure to visit Scrapbooking from the Inside Out. We have a FREE Inspiration Page giving you loads of ideas using our current emotion, a welcoming forum and you can grab your own kit here!

The June 2013 Transformation Kit: 

I can't wait to welcome you to our world. You're already one of us just by being you.

Love,

Behind the Scenes with Lori

Hi everybody! Lori here to share with you some info about this page:

 

What prompted you to pick this take on Transformation?
My process for deciding what I'm going to do each month always begins with Pinterest. :) I love finding quotes and/or images that speak to me in some way and that portray a specific interpretation of the month's theme. I love this quote because that is just how I feel about prayer. It is a need, and it changes ME instead of my circumstances, more often than not.

Why did you choose this photo?
I actually "staged" this photo (I know! GASP!) and wanted it to be an extreme close-up with just my face. I think prayer is where we meet God at our most vulnerable state, stripped bare, no hiding. I wanted that feel with my photo.
 

How do you feel about the message of your layout?
I liked the serenity of using watercolors behind the stencils and hope that peacefulness comes through.
 

What symbolism did you pull into your design?
I love this stencil and thought it looked a bit like church windows. I wanted both a hard and soft feel, as sometimes prayers are not sweet and pretty, sometimes we are desperate and angry and hurting. I used modeling paste and mixed it with the Dylusions spray in the kit, then used a palette knife to spread it through the stencil. I also sprayed the ink spray directly onto the page through the stencil, then dripped a bit of water on them, to create that melty look. I used the Glitz Uncharted Waters Waves paper with only the blues showing, again to create a feeling of serenity and peacefulness. I used the scrap of paper with the days of the week and the calendar as a reminder of the need for prayer all the time. I love the little photo overlays and thought they could symbolize "windows to the soul."
 

Tell us a little bit about how you feel now that you have "let it all out" on this page. 
This is a very personal page, as my faith is very important to me. I like that it reminds me of my need to stay connected to God, and that often when things are tough, it's my attitude and my perception that needs to change. 
Head over to our gallery to see all the design team's amazing creations!  

Transform with Words

We always start out the month looking at the different facets of the topic of the month.  As you know, this month is Transformation.  Let's take a look at some synonyms for this fabulous topic via the word cloud below. 

Click image to enlarge

What do you think?  Any that pop out at you that you love?  Hate?  Please share with us in the comments below!

The TRANSFORMATION Kit is LIVE! Are you ready for a change?

Ready for a change? Join us this month with the TRANSFORMATION kit and shift your perspective from the Inside Out. 

Glitz Uncharted Waters, Cosmo Cricket Summer Love and Basic Grey Knee Highs are filled with variegated color, ombre design and delicate-to bold motion that perfectly captures the spirit of change that lives in your heart and mind. We've included some of our best symbolism ever. Crate Paper's super-hot Photo Overlays let you TRANSFORM your photos on the fly, Julie Balzer's Celtic Circle Template celebrates the seasons and transitions of the life cycle, smooth AND textured white cardstock to create contrast and Dyan Reaveley's Dylusions spray ink in Calypso Teal to add life and depth to your musings.

Images include Jenni Bowlin's limited edition silver feather rubons to float on the currents leading to your future, layerable translucent alphas to spell out your plans with precisely the level of certainty you wish, plus anchors to steady you, ocean waves to propel you forward and film leader countdown paper to measure your progress. Amy Tan's Yes Please wood veneer and die cut bits, Glitz transparencies and some alterable (transforming) flowers round out a truly meaningful kit that will help you set your sights and set sail toward the new and improved you.

Click here to go to our buy page and get yours!

KIT DETAILS

PATTERNED PAPER: 
Basic Grey Knee Highs Kissing Tag
Basic Grey Knee Highs Jump Rope 
Basic Grey Knee Highs Ring Pop 
Basic Grey Knee Highs Hopscotch 
Cosmo Cricket Summer Love Drive In 
Cosmo Cricket Summer Love Sno-Cone 
Cosmo Cricket Summer Love Water Park 
Glitz Uncharted Waters Waves 
Glitz Uncharted Waters Anchors 
Glitz Uncharted Waters Scallop 

EMBELLISHMENTS: 
American Crafts Remarks Transparent Amelia Alphas 
American Crafts Thickers Kenzie Alphas  Crate Paper DIY Shop Photo Overlays 3 pcs 
Fancy Pants Artist Edition Quote Stencil - Dream/Journey 1 pc 
Glitz Uncharted Waters Peekaboos 2-3 pcs 
Jenni Bowlin Rubons Silver Limited Edition Feathers 
American Crafts Amy Tangerine Yes Please Wood Veneer - Smile 3 pcs 
American Crafts Amy Tangerine Yes Please Bits Die Cut Shapes – Create 6 pcs 
Glitz Uncharted Waters Bits and Pieces 3-4 pcs Petaloo Color Me Crazy Canvas Flowers 1-2 pcs 

COLOR: 
Ranger Dylusions by Dyan Reaveley Calypso Teal 

CARDSTOCK: 
American Crafts Sunflower 
American Crafts White 
American Crafts Black 
American Crafts Geranium 
American Crafts White (Smooth) 

TECHNIQUE: 
Crafter's Workshop Template - Celtic Circle - 6x6