{Hey Girl} JustNick Studio Design Team Project

 Hey crafty friends!  Glad you could stop by today.  I have a new scrapbook layout that went up on the JustNick Studio blog yesterday that I want to share with you.

I created a fun banner for a selfie I took last year.  Remember last year?  Barely, right?  
For details and close-ups of my layout as well as how this came together, go visit the JustNick Studio blog.
Thanks for stopping by!
Majken

Introvert for JustNick Studio Design Team

Howdy everyone!  I'm back today, and guess what?!  It's my birthday!  I know that Nicole did not know that when she scheduled the blog dates for us a couple of months ago.  I love serendipity!

I have a fun and colorful layout to share on the JustNick Studio blog today, so please go check it out with some close ups and technique steps.  Go now...hurry!  :)

In the meantime, here is a quick look at my layout. I used the Simple Stories "Oh Happy Day" collection...such a burst of color and happiness!

 

I hope you have a great week (that includes some chocolate)!

Majken

 

Selfie Captured | JustNick Studios Design Team (Using a cut file as a stencil tutorial)

Hello friends!  So glad you stopped by today.  Yesterday, Nicole announced the new term's design team for JustNick Studios, and I'm super excited to share I'm starting my second term!  Squee!

Our first layout of the term is "About Me", so I chose to do a colorful layout by creating a stencil from a cut file to create my background.  I'd love for you to hop over to the JustNick blog to see how! 

This wasn't hard, but the results sure are beautiful!  The Horizon collection by Paige Taylor Evans for Pink Paislee is just lovely.

Thanks so much for visiting today - I'd love for you join me on Instagram for more fun and inspiration, too. 

Have a crafty week!

Majken

Some People | JustNick Design Team

Hi everyone!  I'm back this week with a second layout about friends that I've already shared on the JustNick blog.  How lovely is this Pink Paislee collection?  Those colors are such happy colors.  I've known these ladies since around 2004 as well!

 

Hop over to the JustNick blog to see close-ups and details on how this layout came together.

Have a crafty week!

Majken 

 

Celebrate Friends | JustNick Design Team

You know how life just gets away sometimes?  I inadvertently missed sharing two layouts here that I shared with the JustNick blogosphere, so I will be sharing them this week.

We'll start it off with one about a friend I've known since around 2004. We met at our "day job", and we worked at two of the same companies during the same time.  But the really fun part is that we are also scrappy friends in real life!  It's so fun to have someone that shares the same passion you do.  <3  You can visit Heather's blog here.

Here's a layout about us!  Not only is this layout about us, taken while we enjoyed flights of margaritas, I created the layout at a crop we went to together!

To read about how I created this layout, find out what cut files I used, and see close-ups, visit the JustNick blog now!

Have a great week!!

Majken

Life Goals - JustNick Studio Design Team Project

Hello hello and happy new year to you all!  Today I have a goal-related layout to share with you as we kick off the new year.  Take a peek!

I fell in LOVE with that ombre purple paper, so I had to use it since it's my favorite color.  I have some additional close ups you can see - head over to the JustNick Studio blog for more details.

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Don't forget to follow me on Instagram, and have a great rest of your week.

Majken

Definitely Wonderful | JustNick Studio Design Team Layout

Hi everybody!  So glad you stopped by today.  I have a layout on the JustNick Studio blog today, and it's one of my favorites!  It was so fun to create this fun and colorful layout.  

To see some close ups and the cut files I used, head over to the JustNick Studo blog. 

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful November!  Hugs and chocolate (hot chocolate for those with cold weather!).

Majken

Reach for a Smile - Paper Basketweave Technique for Scrap Our Stash January Book Challenge

Hi scrappy friends!  So glad you are here.  I'm popping back this month to share a new layout using a fun paper strip basketweave technique.  I actually woke up one morning with the idea in my head - but I'm not sure if I was dreaming about scrapbooking or something else!?  In any case, I came up with this layout for the Scrap Our Stash January Book Inspired Stash Challenge #34 and decided to use it.  

My inspiration from the book is the overall "sketch" from the book cover layout - you can see the curve of the snow from the book, the photo is placed where the Cat in the Hat stands, the title placement, and the journaling placement where the author is listed. Fun! Plus, this Fancy Pants Happy Place collection makes me smile. :)

I started by choosing two papers from the collection to include as my base. I used my trusty Cameo to cut both papers along the curve I created in the software.  I merged them together on a base white cardstock, put some paint spatters on the dark cardstock, and sewed along the seam.

I then focused on the basketweave mat for my photo.  I cut many 1/2" strips of multiple papers from the collection and started weaving. It's a bit unwieldy when you first start, but once you have three strips together, it stays nicely. When it got large enough to hold the photo while also leaving a nice border to show the basketweave, I glued the edges over to the back.

After that, the rest came together quickly! For the title, I was inspired by one of the phrases on the My Happy paper "Reach for a smile" - I used the Happy Place letters and found some old My Minds Eye phrase stickers to complete the first part of the title (I had to smile at my luck to find all three words I needed!). I outlined the words with a black pen to help them work with the Happy Place letters.

I put a few of my leftover strips to work as embellishment, and I created a chipboard heart using the My Happy paper and used a yellow Wink of Stella marker to highlight the word "joy".

I sprinkled some puffy stickers from the collection and cut some custom plus signs to pop up using 3D foam tape. And then did a spot of journaling between the plus signs.

I'm digging all the positive signs - goes with optimism and happiness. :)

Have you used the Happy Place collection? I hope you are inspired to grab some and make pretty papercrafts!

Have a great week!
Majken

Hello Simple Life - Stuck?! Sketch

Hi everyone!  I know everyone is now looking to autumn-themed layouts, but I'm still enjoying summer.  :)  With that spirit, I wanted to use more of my Simple Stories Summer Vibes collection - I think it's my favorite Simple Stories collection so far.  The colors are amazing!  I also found this sketch at Stuck?! Sketches and really wanted to leverage it.  When I think of "The Simple Life", this vacation in Colorado Springs four summers ago is what popped into my head, so I ran with it!

I was saving the "Shine On" sheet for something and decided this sketch was it!  I first sewed along some of the sun rays in gold thread to define them and I went over a few of the rays twice to add interest.  I trimmed a strip of the "Hello" paper for the bottom to help anchor the page.

The Be Happy sticker was perfect for the center to cover where the sewed lines met.

Then I just started cutting and layering more Summer Vibes papers for the journal spot and photo spot.  I found a clear acetate tag with gold triangles (and some other elements you will see) from Pink Paislee's Citrus Bliss Ephemera pack and a "five o'clock somewhere" wood element in my stash and knew I wanted to incorporate them!  Once I had most of my papers trimmed, I cut a few circles of the "Just Beachy" wood-grain paper.

I created the title by trimming "Simple Life" from one of the papers.  I have a combo stamp/die set by KI Memories by Hampton Arts for Sizzix and stamped "hello" using StazOn brown ink onto a small piece of Shine On paper then cut with my Big Shot.

For the journaling spot, I used a couple of the rectangles from the Journaling Cards paper as well as a butterfly from my stash, some Summer Vibe stickers, a sequin and enamel dots.  I included the "memory" wooden element above it. 

Finally, I put a little embellishment spot in the upper right corner to complete the triangle for the wooden elements, even though this wasn't part of the sketch.  I used another acetate banner, some stickers, and sewing. 

Here is the sketch:

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Make it a wonderful week.

Majken

Note 2 Self | Scrapping Our Stash Blog Hop with Giveaway!

Hi everyone-

Today's page is part of the Scrapping Our Stash blog hop (and boy what a stash I've collected through the years!), and I'm so excited to share my layout with you for ALL THE REASONS but mainly:  

1. I adore this J'Adore collection from BasicGrey
2. It's based on a sketch by Audrey Yeager she did as guest designer for the Scrap Our Stash Challenge Blog (not related to our hop) and 
3. It's a page about me.  Do you find it hard to do pages about yourself?  I do!!  (I have created this one and this one.)

You should have arrived from Christine's awesome boy-themed layout...but the full hop list is at the end if you get stuck or want to start at the beginning.  So grab some chocolate, hop along with us, and enter below for your chance to win some scrappy goodness from My Scraps & More!  But first:  

I started with a blank slate of white textured cardstock.  I chose two inks to create the splatters (CTMH Outdoor Denim and Tulip) on the top left and bottom right.

I trimmed the "Cuddle" paper first into two pieces - I adore those pretty flowers!  I layered a strip of the B-side of the "Sweetheart" paper and a strip of Studio Calico's Darling Dear Hepburn Chevron patterned vellum that I scalloped (love that stuff!).  

I next trimmed rectangles from "Kiss", "Cuddle", and "Sweetheart" to mat my photo.  To help my photo pop a little more, I needed a little layer of white, and to create a different texture to the photo area, I used one of my dies from Mama Elephant's Peek-a-Frame set.  And before I put my photo mat area on the layout over my strips, I machine stitched several circles to go along with the sketch.

After I put the photo area on, I dug through my embellishment stash and chose some sequins, wooden hearts, and enamel dots to sprinkle around the circles and among the ink splotches.  

And then, it hit me:  Must. Fussycut. Flowers!

I tucked a minty Maggie Holmes tag behind the photo area to complete the challenge Tic Tac Toe!  I also fussycut a wobbly circle to frame my journal area.  I used alpha stickers from the J'Adore collection for "Note", a minty "2" and then I used my Cameo to cut "self".

I hope you liked my layout!  And now, the fun part:  a giveaway!  I'm giving away one $15 e-gift certificate to My Scraps & More.  All you have to do is:

• Be or become a member of my blog with Google Friend Connect or Bloglovin AND
• Leave a comment on this blog post

Easy peasy!  You have until Monday, August 31st at noon Central time to enter for your chance to win.  International entries are fine, and I use random.com to choose the winner.  I'll announce the winner here on my blog on Tuesday, Sept. 1st.  Good luck! 

Next up on the hop is Katrina!  Head over to see her lovely puppy-themed layout!

Thanks sooo much for hopping along with us!  Below find the sketch, challenge Tic Tac Toe with my choices highlighted, and the full hop list.

Full hop list:

Cathy http://alteredplayground.blogspot.com

Lee-Anne  http://lee-annelovethejourney.blogspot.com

Christine http://scrappingwithchristine.blogspot.com

Majken http://chocoscrapaholic.blogspot.com/ *****YOU ARE HERE*****

Katrina http://paperscissorsandglue.blogspot.com/  *****GO HERE NEXT*****

Sandy Ross http://itsafamilyaffairwithscrappynana.blogspot.ca/

Alison  http://alisondaydesigns.com/

Cheryl http://patchesandscraps.blogspot.com

Wendi Robinson http://scrappydayinparadise.blogspot.com/

Meet Me in the Sunshine

Happy Friday everyone!

Well, I don't know where you are visiting my blog from, but I'm in Texas.  What that means right now is a BOAT-LOAD of rainfall and terrible flooding.  We are fortunate in the West part of Houston to not have experienced any immediate danger to us or our home.  Others have not been so lucky.  So today I wanted to share a layout I created when the rainfall from last fall gave way to a beautiful Texas Wildflower season in the spring.  Bluebonnets are quite beautiful alone, but when they are a sea of blue against a green field, they are pretty close to heaven.

Here is my layout.

I used papers from Webster's Pages "Dream in Color" collection.  The Dream in Color paper caught my eye immediately, and I felt it was the perfect background for the photo of me with the bluebonnets.

I decided to use a sketch by the talented Jennifer Haggerty that was created for the My Scraps & More April Sketchathon - sketch #6.

To tone the background down slightly, I chose a blue cardstock and spritzed it with Heidi Swapp gold Color Shine and cut it diagonally.  I sewed the left and bottom sides of the triangle.

I layered my photo with white cardstock and other papers from the Dream in Color collection and then put my title down using the Amy Tan Rise & Shine Gold Phrase stickers.  Perfect!  You can also me my journaling just below the photo in the bottom right corner.

Here is a close-up of the photo mat with a "dream" tab I punched:

To balance out the layout, I put an embellishment area in the top right of the page, following the sketch.  I used ribbon, punched a banner and heart and used more of the gold Thickers.

Here's Jennifer's sketch:

That's all for me today.  I hope if you are in the South and getting hit by all this rain that you found a small ray of sunshine and beauty in your day.

XOXO,
Majken

{I am} Simply me...on a journey - MSAM sketch #106 reveal

Hi there everyone!  So glad you can visit today for a a layout I created for the My Scraps & More sketch blog for sketch #106 by Ana Castro.  Such a fun sketch with the photo slides that could also be film slides.  I also am absolutely in LOVE with the Simple Stories I AM collection.  Such great colors and elements!  Don't you think they'd be wise to make an "I AM 2" collection like they did for Say Cheese??  Crossing fingers!  Take a look at my layout below and then head over the MSAM sketch blog to see everyone else's creations.  Enter your layout for a chance at the May prize from MSAM!

 Such a fun collection - we storytellers and memory makers just don't get in front of the camera and pages as often as we should!  I started with the base of the brick background.  I took the orangy-pink polka dot paper and cut six photo slides using my Cameo with this cut file...three of my cuts have the "PHOTO" in the bottom.  And I cut one using the black flower paper.

After placing my photo slide cuts and photos out, I just started choosing the ephemera that worked for what I liked!  I cut a few banners, made a few stitches, placed some lacey washi tape, and adhered everything down.

That time that the layout came together so quickly because the collection is that awesome....includes this layout.  :)

Of course, I was compelled to use "I AM" for my title.  My extended title going diagonally from top right to bottom left is "I am simply me on a journey".  

My private journaling spot is hidden, tucked behind the photo with the speech bubble - I used a tag from the ephemera to write what I wanted.  I'm not normally drawn to gold, but it's just too pretty with this collection NOT to use!

I finished the layout sprinkling a few enamel dots around the page.

Have you used photo slides or film strips on a page, and if so, did you like how it turned out?  I must admit this page makes me happy.  :)

Don't forget to play along with the May sketches at MSAM sketch blog for your chance at the May prize!  If you haven't purchased anything in this collection, go grab some soon!

See you soon back again in scrap-land!

Majken