Distant Shores

I have finally started on scrapping the Alaska portion of our trip that started a year ago July.

DISTANT SHORES - July 6, 2010 - Top of the World Highway, Alaska

JOURNALING:  We had no idea that our trip to Alaska would grow to be over 5 months long.  We stayed so long that the snow forced us to take the ferry out instead of driving.  July 6 to December 3, 2010

PHOTOGRAPHS:  Matt & Angela Shetzer of Shetzers Photography

SUPPLIES USED:  PageMaps March, 2011 sketch; DCWV Natural cardstock; Array parchment cardstock; Gartner Airplane Voyage patterned paper; BasicGrey Manila Brief patterned paper; Kraft cardstock; Judikens Treasure cube rubber stamp; Stampin Up Sanded rubber stamp; Cricut Expression w/ 50 State cartridge; SCAL software; Britannic Bold & CK Letter Home fonts; Pennant and tag svg; Doodlebug Design Paper Frills in tangerine; Bazzill Just the Edge in Rio; American Crafts Precision Pen; Stampabilities Brown and Black ink; Tim Holtz distress ink in Antique Linen and Spiced Marmalade; Floss; Twine; Buttons; Alpha beads

TECHNIQUE NOTES:  In this layout, I really wanted to create a feeling that showed how long we explored, but really how little of the great state of Alaska that we actually saw.  I used the Cricut 50 states cartridge to cut out the shape of Alaska and then using Google Maps, I placed alpahbet beads to coordinate with everywhere that we spent at least one night.  I used the same alphabet beads to create a legend that gave all the important details of location name and dates.

When you are on vacation, don't forget to take photos of those road side signs.  What an easy way to make your photos do your journaling for you.

Double page layout

Page 1 Detail

Page 2 Detail

SUNRISE FLIGHT

I wanted this layout to be very simple and to concentrate on the beautiful sunrise image. When I found LisaJane's Evergreen border, I knew that I had to use it to enhance this layout. I choose a single set of trees and cut them out in various colors and then placed them throughout the layout.

TECHNIQUE TIP:  Using the same embellishments three times in this layout creates a visual triangle that helps move the readers eyes through the layout and pulls it all together. The natural fiber paper provides a great base for the trees and definitely mimics the rugged Alaskan coastline where this photo was shot.

SUNRISE FLIGHT - November 24, 2010 - Haines, Alaska

JOURNALING: As the slow winter sun rises, this eagle and Matt were treated to a beautiful orange glow.

PHOTOS: Bald Eagle images by Matt Shetzer of Shetzers Photography

SUPPLIES USED: Evergreen Border SKU: LK00265 by LisaJane at Filekutz, Sketch by Becky Fleck Page Maps 2 book (page 60), The Paper Studio Affinity cardstock, The Paper Company Kraft cardstock, K&Company Julianne patterned paper and journal tag, Stampabilities Brown ink, Tim Holtz Spiced Marmalade distress ink, Font: My Own Topher, Handmade paper, Doodlebug Design Paper frills, JudiKins textile cube stamp

Here is a photo of the complete set of Evergreen Borders that is available for purchase at FileKutz. I used the third set in this layout.

Waiting for the Fight

I always struggle with journaling right on my layout but I took the plunge on this page and was quite happy with the results.  As I almost always finish my layout with my journaling, I guess I am afraid that I'll mess up an otherwise complete layout.  My Ah Ha moment was that if I mess it up or spell something wrong, then all I need to do is to put some type of journaling tag over it.  Problem solved!!!

For examples of more scrapbook layouts using ribbon and fibers, please visit my online gallery HERE.

WAITING FOR THE FIGHT - October 31, 2010 - Haines, Alaska

JOURNALING: A third Bald Eagle waits patiently as two others fight over the salmon on the Chilkat River in Haines, Alaksa.

PHOTOS: Bald Eagle images by Shetzers Photography

SUPPLIES USED: BasicGrey Porcelain patterned paper, Kraft cardstock, Bazzill Just the Edges, Sketch by PageMaps2 page 29, JudiKins Textile Cube and Treasure Cube stamp, Ranger Distress Ink in Frayed Burlap and Fired Brick, Font Daisy Regular, EK Success punch, Making Memories Kraft words, Fiskars Scallop scissors

Attack

I've been lucky enough to find a great friend here in South Padre Island who shares my love of scrapping and card making.  We've been able to scrap at her home several times and its great fun as we each get to try out each others tools.  On this layout, she had a great corner punch that allowed me to create these wonderful shapes for this layout.

To see more examples of 1 photo scrapbook layouts, please visit my gallery HERE.


ATTACK - October 31, 2010 - Haines, Alaska

JOURNALING:  A pair of Bald Eagles battle for a left over salmon on the river.

PHOTOS:  Bald Eagle images by Shetzers Photography

SUPPLIES USED:  K&Company Julianne patterned paper and mats, Kraft cardstock, Ranger Tim Holtz Distress ink (Antique Linen, Frayed Burlap, Weathered Wood), Judikins Treasure cube stamp, Inkadinkado Gem Stone Flowers stamp, K&Company borders (tickets), Creative Cafe Just Write stamp, Font is CK Leisurely, Sketch by PageMaps2 (page 39), Bazzill Basics Just the Edge

TECHNIQUE TIP:  I wanted to add to the vintage feel of this layout and using a plain white border strip just did not work.  I took the normal Bazzill Basics Just the Edge border strip and stamped it with the Judikins Treasure cube stamp to give it the appearance of old handwriting.  Using the weathered wood ink by Tim Holtz as the main inking accent on the page contributes to the softness and tone of the page.

the CHALLENGE

For some reason, my husband says that this is one of his favorite pages. I love using kraft paper and the BasicGrey collection really coordinates well with it.

THE CHALLENGE - October 26, 2010 - Haines, Alaska

JOURNALING: A Bald Eagle challenges another for the salmon catch while another flies away with his.

PHOTOS: Bald Eagle images by Shetzers Photography

SUPPLIES USED: BasicGrey Porcelain patterned paper, Kraft cardstock, Array parchment cardstock, Ranger Distress Ink in Fired Brick and Frayed Burlap, Making Memories Poppy paint, Font Tekton Pro Cond, Diamond Glaze, Ranger Stickles, JudiKins Treasure Cube Stamp, Jasmine Cricut cartridge, Sketch by PageMaps Page 117

TECHNIQUE TIP:  I wanted to vary my flowers a bit so I choose a multitude of centers for them.  I used my Diamond Glaze to adhere a cluster of small glass beads in two, I used some buttons (various types) on several and then I used my favorite Stickles (I'm a glitter junkie) in several.  Overall, with the variations of flower petals with various patterned paper and my centers, I think the flowers provide a nice accent to the wonderful photos that my husband took.  

Cuddly Couple

For some reason, I really struggled with scrapping these two photos of an eagle pair in a tree.  It took me several attempts to be able to finally come up with a design that I liked. 

CUDDLY COUPLE - October 11, 2010 - Haines, Alaska

JOURNALING: A pair of Bald Eagles nestle in a tree together near the Chilkoot river.

PHOTOS: Bald Eagle images by Shetzers Photography

SUPPLIES USED: Little Yellow Bicycle Vita Bella patterned paper, DCWV Neutrals cardstock, Art Advantage paint in Hookers Green, Doodlebug Design Paper frills, Fonts are CK General Store and AR Julian, Sketch by PageMaps (page 16), Stampendous Pattern Trio Stamp, K&Company Brenda Walton patterned paper, Sharpie pen for journaling, Stampin Up Dot Dot Dot stamp, Versa color ink in Bamboo, Stampabilities Brown ink, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist in Olive Vine

TECHNIQUE TIP: I always have problems matching the mountains of flowers that I have with my layouts to get the perfect color. I did not have the perfect green for these flowers so I started out with some white flowers and then used my glimmer mist (olive vine color) to create some neat variations in color on the flowers. Once they were dry, I stamped them with my Stampin Up Dot Dot Dot stamp in brown to help give them some definition. I then cut one flower in half and adhered to the top and beneath my journaling tag. Easy perfectly matched flowers!!

Soaring

I noticed that all my Bald Eagle layouts were done with either natural colors or colors from the images (green, yellow, brown) and I thought that I needed a couple of patriotic pages to showcase our national bird. Below is the first of the layouts that I've done with a bit bolder colors.

SOARING - October 31, 2010 - Haines, Alaska

JOURNALING: A Bald Eagle soars into the trees on the Chilkat river in Haines, AK.

PHOTOS: Bald Eagle images by Shetzers Photography

SUPPLIES USED: DCWV Nantucket patterned paper, Stampabilities Brown ink, Sketch by PageMaps (page 52), EK Success corner rounder, Stampin up corner rounder, Oriental Trading stitch template, Font: CK Carefree, The Paper Studio pearlized cardstock, Fiskars Secret Garden Foliage stamp, Versa Color ink in blue

TECHNIQUE TIP: I decided to buck the normal trends of matching my layout colors to my photograph and developed this patriotic color scheme to showcase our national bird. Since the colors were so powerful and the meaning they convey is clear, a few simple star embellishments and some stitched flourishes added to the patriotic mood.  This sketch was featured in Becky Fleck's Page Maps 1 book and if you look at the sketch (page 52), you will notice that it was for a 8 1/2 x 11 vertical layout.  Just another example of how to take inspiration from a sketch to create your layouts.

Look Out Below

I've been working feverishly to finish up my Bald Eagle scrapbook by the time we leave here in two weeks. It's been great fun, but I will be glad to get back to some different types of layouts and be able to start on our trip through Alaska last summer.  The Bald Eagle scrapbook will contain 28 layouts.

LOOK OUT BELOW - October 31, 2010 - Haines, Alaska

JOURNALS: Bald Eagles battle for a salmon meal in the last run of the season.

PHOTOS: Bald Eagle images by Shetzers Photography

SUPPLIES USED: K&Company Julianne patterned paper and mats, Kraft cardstock, Ranger Tim Holtz Distress ink (Antique Linen, Weathered Wood), Judikins Treasure Cube and Textiles Cube stamp, DCWV Neutrals cardstock, Bazzill Basics Just the Edge, Stampin Up Notes and Details and Dot Dot Dot stamps, Eagle cut file by FileKutz by LisaJane, Smooch pearlized ink, Sketch by PageMaps 2 (page 104), Font: Evie's hand

TECHNIQUE TIP: I used four different borders by Bazzill on this page. Two of them started out being off white so I used my stamps and inks to colorize them and add more texture to the layout. Another one started out to be off white and I decided that a pale blue would give a bit more separation to the zig zag border so I sponged some of the Tim Holtz weathered wood ink onto it to recolor it. The bluish textured flowers also started off in plain off white and with my stamps, I blended them in with the theme of the layout.

Here is a closeup of the wonderful cut file from LisaJane at FileKutz.  What a great way to finish off this layout.

To purchase this wonderful file, please click on the photo above to be taken to the website..

Hanging Out

So I bought these wonderful transparency frames quite some time ago (like over a year) and I have had a hard time using them because they are so large.  Now I've come up with a few ideas for them such as mounting them on cardstock to create a frame in the background but this is actually the first time I have used one directly over a photo.  Since I'm scrapping with such large photos for the Bald Eagle album, I thought they would be perfect and I must say, that I like the look they created below.  What a great way to frame your photos.

HANGING OUT - October 31, 2010 - Haines, Alaska

JOURNALING:  A pair of adult Bald Eagles relax on a cold winters morning in Haines AK.

PHOTOS:  Bald Eagle images by Shetzers Photography

SUPPLIES USED:  Little Yellow Bicycle Vita Bella patterned paper, DCWV Neutrals cardstock, Ranger Distress Ink in Frayed Burlap, Wild Honey and Faded Jeans, Sketch by PageMaps page 103, JudiKins Textile Cube stamp, Font Hey Gorgeous, Fiskars Remember This stamp, Colorbok overlay

The Landing

Wow, I can't believe its been over a week since I last posted, but that is good as I have lots of new layouts to share.  I am still working on my Alaska Eagle Album and will have 26+ layouts in it by the time I am done.  That isn't all of the wonderful photos but then of course, we can never scrap all our photos no matter how much we might want to.

The Landing is one of the few two page layouts that will be in this album.  This album has been tough for me as its a huge break from my normal style of two page layouts with lots of photos.  I don't think I've ever done as many 1 page layouts with only 1 photo in all my scrapping time.  Its fun as I get to focus on showcasing just a few photos and then let my papers and embellishments tell the rest of the story.  Journaling is also pretty minimal. 

This page in particular was tough as it uses purple and I am not a purple scrapping kind of girl!!!  But I thought it worked great with the hues of the photos and lets face it, with only brown, white & yellow in my photos, I need some different color combinations.

THE LANDING - October 20, 2010 - Haines, Alaska

JOURNALING: A fluffed Bald Eagle lands on its new perch after a thorough bath.

PHOTOS: Bald Eagle images by Shetzers Photography

SUPPLIES USED: The Paper Studio Affinity cardstock, K&Company patterned paper, Sketch by PageMaps 2 page 18, Plaid tearing ruler, Rubber Stampede Ink, Doodlebug Design Paper Frills, Paper Pizazz easy stitches template, Bazzill Stitch template, Fiskars Castaway Postcards stamp, BasicGrey Manila patterned paper, Ranger ink, Royal & Langnickel Rub on alpha, K&Company Julianne patterned paper, The Crafters Workshop Doodling template

Here are some closeups of the 2 pages.

The Scout

One of the hardest parts of traveling all over the US is that I miss my wonderful scrapbooking friends at home.  I was lucky enough to meet a fellow scrapbooker and card maker here on SPI so we spent the other day learning new things from each other and enjoying a great scrapping day!!!  Below is a layout that I completed on Sunday.  Its always so much fun to get together to scrapbook as you get to try out new stuff.  I really enjoyed picking her brain on stamping and using a lot of products from Stampin Up.

THE SCOUT - October 31, 2010 - Haines, Alaska

JOURNALING: Peering over the Chilkat river, this Bald Eagle watches for the opportunity for a meal.

PHOTOS: Bald Eagle images by Shetzers Photography

SUPPLIES USED: BasicGrey Granola patterned paper, Hot off the Press Easy Stitches template, Sketch by Becky Fleck at PageMaps, Stampin Up border punches (border, circle, scallop, corner), Making Memories journal tag & kraft paper stickers, Post Script Dates stamp, Stampin Up Alphabet stamps, My Minds Eye journal tag, Sizzix texture plates & embossing folders, Studio G chalk inks, Ranger's Liquid Pearls

Born To Be Wild

As you can tell, I have been working almost exclusively on scrapping some of the wonderful Bald Eagle photos that Matt took last year in Haines, Alaska.  Below is another layout that I did for a challenge at Back Porch Memories. 

BORN TO BE WILD - October 20, 2010 - Haines, Alaska

JOURNALING:  This Bald Eagle contributes to the chatter of 3,000 eagles as they converge on Haines, Alaska, each fall for a late salmon run.

Photograph by Matt Shetzer of Shetzers Photography {http://www.shetzers.com}

SUPPLIES USED:  BasicGrey Granola patterned paper, Sketch by PageMaps for Back Porch Memories, Fiskars Border Punch, Ranger Nick Bantock Charcoal ink, Hampton Art Artsy Edges Stamp, Bazzill Stitch Template, EK Success corner rounder, Ranger Enamel Accents, Straight from the Nest Cricut cartridge, SVG shape tag, Sure Cuts A Lot Software (SCAL), Creative Cafe Just Write stamp, Hero Arts Circular Design stamp, Diamond Glaze, Hampton Art Border stamp, Tim Holtz Fragments

Here is the wonderful sketch that the layout is based on. 

Becky Fleck PageMaps Sketch courtesy of Back Porch Memories