Member Monday with Carole Janson

Hi there. Happy Monday. This week we have a new Layout of the Week selected by one of our new designers, Carole Janson. She chose the layout below by Lori Gentile. Carole said, "I loved this layout when I saw it, I love the gorgeous detail, and the beautiful way the layout has been put together, just so gorgeous, Lori has done such a wonderful job."

"Blushing Bride" by Lori Gentile

Here is a quick interview Carole did with Lori.

1. What do you scrap the most? I scrapbook my kids more than anything else.
2. Who are some of you favorite scrapbooking manufacturers? I feel really fortunate to be able to design for my favorite manufacturers; Creative Imaginations, Crate Paper, Lily Bee Design and Petaloo.
3. When is the most productive time of day for you? First thing in the morning. Unfortunately, that time is reserved for taking care of my kiddos. :)
4. How long have your been scrapbooking for? I have been scrapbooking for twelve years. I just keep getting more and more passionate about it.
5. What is your favorite product? Patterned paper. I need it for everything and it always inspires me.
6. What couldn't you do without when scrapping ? Wet glue, specifically Helmar Quick Dry 450. I create my entire layout without adhering anything, then go back and gently pick up the corners, trying not to move anything, to put wet glue underneath and adhere it down.

Thanks Carole and Lori!

Little Something Sunday with Kat Glossop

It's winter in Australia and I am longing for the warmer months, the days at the beach, the gorgeous summer sun *sigh*

So I picked through some photos from last Summer and came across this beautiful photo of my niece. I wanted to highlight the beautiful day that it was with the sun being the focal point of the page.


I gathered together a bunch of yellow fabric and embellishments.



I then arranged them in a circle.


I then machine stitched in a spiral motion across the collage.


Next I added the buttons, brads and bulkier embellishments and the felt rays.


This collage effect can be done with any shape. H ope you're inspired and enjoy the beautiful summer weather!

July Design Team Inspirations

This month the designers chose to "lift" BarbP for our monthly Design Team Inspirations where the design team gets inspired by you! Below is the layout that was chosen.

"Love" by BarbP

First up is one from our newest design team member, Zoe Nemburt. Zoe said, "I was drawn to the use of the die cut, the way it brings the whole page together and frames the embellishments and photo. So I concentrated on this when using this page as my inspiration. I didn't go shabby chic as you can see. I used the wonderful bright colours of Cosmo Cricket's Delovely available in A Million Memories Store. I had so much fun using your layout for inspiration Barb thanks so much for consistantly sharing your work with us."
"Play" by Zoe Nemburt

Next up is the delightful Kat Glossop. She said, "I was inspired by both the design of Barbs page and the gorgeous title, sosimply, Love, it's a beautiful photo and a beautiful page."

"The Look of Love" by Kat Glossop

Next we have this super cute layout from Kay Rogers. Kay said, "I basically scraplifted the whole thing, including the topic! LOL! I love the shaped paper at the bottom, and the circular feel to the layout with the title. The only thing I changed was I placed the title on another piece of paper instead because of the size of the letters I was using."

"Love" by Kay Rogers

Next is this lovely from Jennifer Longenecker. SHe said, "There were several things from Barb's LO that inspired me. I really liked that she used three dominant colors: red, blue and pink so I chose to do the same using green, yellow and brown. Even though I used a longer title, I liked how she used one word for her title so I focused on one word within my title and made it stand out from the rest of the title. I also liked that she highlighted the hearts on the flowers by making them 3-d so I highligted the hearts on the sun and bee with red micro beads. I'm sure you will find a few more elements on my LO that were inspired by Barb's page."

"Unsunk" by Jennifer Longenecker

Then there is this layout from Carole Janson. Caole said, "I loved this layout, it is so soft and pretty, but the design is what caught my eye the most, I love how versatile the design is and how simple yet so stunning. I used the design as my main feature for my layout, using it for my holiday photo, and some very summery Webster pages pattern paper, and pretty Petaloo flowers."

"Explore" by Carole Janson

LAst but not least is this layout by Staci Taylor. Staci said, "I loved the way that Barb used a shaped paper as an anchor for her photo on her beautiful layout. I decided to do something similar, creating my layout around my shaped paper."

"Tire Park Play" by Staci Taylor

Thanks for inspiring us Barb and thanks to the design team!

July Design Team Challenge

Hi there! I have a new challenge for you hosted by Karen Grunberg. Your challenge is to create a layout based on the sketch below designed by Tonya Dirk. Here is the twist. You need to create a layout focusing on someone you haven't done a layout about ever or in a long time. Sounds interesting right?

You have until June 21st to post your layout to the challenge thread and the gallery in order to be considered to win a $10.00 AMM store gift certificate as well as a selection of AMM vintage trims to be shipped with your order. So get scrapping!

July Kit Reveal-"Summer Punch"

It has been so hot here in the midwest, topping 100 degrees some days. One thing I am sure we could all use more of to beat the summer heat is some Summer Punch! Have a look below at the July kit shipping now!

"Summer Punch"

Kit Contents:
Papers:
4 October Afternoon Papers
4 My Minds Eye Papers

Embellishments:
October Afternoon Alpha Stickers
Echo Park Shaped 12 x 12 Sweet Summertime Stickers
1 pack Maya Road Blossoms in yellow & pink
2 Maya Road Chipboard fruits (will vary)
Pretty Little Things Days of The Week Journaling Cards
Pretty Little Things- Tags and Labels starburst numbers
2 mini clothespins
1 pack Basic Grey Gummies
1 yard hot pink rick rack trim
1 yard blue gingham ribbon
1 yard AMM soft pink ruffled sheer trim
1 yard AMM floral trim

Here are some close ups of the fun embellishments in this kit.

Get yours here. You'll save by signing up for a subscription and not miss any of the hot new CHA stuff that wil be coming out in the coming months!

Technique Tuesday with Karen Grunberg

A Love Affair with Punches

I've always had a love affair with punches but recently, it's become even more so. The great thing about punches is that they are a quick source of unlimited embellishments. They can be pricey but it's a one-time cost for something that can be used over and over again. I tend to buy punches that aren't themey and this way I can use them all year round and I never get sick of them.

Here's a recent layout I made that only uses 4 border punches and 1 heart punch (it's a punch that has 3 hearts on it. I used nothing but cardstock, patterned paper, and alphabets on this layout. No embellishments.

Here's another example which uses one border punch and a butterfly one. Again, no bought embellishments.

In this layout, I used my border punches to create a background for my photo.

And here I just layered a bunch of them to create texture and interest.

And, finally, in this layout using the June kit, I made a frame using several border punches.

If you have even one single border punch, I recommend trying to play with it this week. Create a background or a frame or just a piece of patterned paper on the corner of your layout. You'll be amazed at how many different things you can do even with just one punch. You are warned, though, it's completely addictive.

Member Monday with Staci Taylor

Happy post 4th of July! Hope you had a great one. today's Layout of the Week was selected by Staci Taylor. She chose the layout below by Pearl, also known as "paperfections" on the message boards.
"When I Look Through the Lens" by paperfections


How about getting to know Pearl a little better! Read on!
1. Your layouts are always so full of details - where do you come up with your ideas for embellishing? For this layout , I was basically inspired by Ali Edwards' stamp set - Life in pictures.In that clear stamp set, a retro camera image was included but since I have the new Studio Calico Documentary papers with retro cameras in different styles and colors - I thought I would cut them out instead and use them to reinforce my title - Looking through the lens ...

2. What are your favorite techniques to use? As what you see on this layout - using spray inks - misting & splattering them - I am particularly fond of using more than 3 colors at a time ( if only because I already have these bottles of mists on hand - I have yet to use up a single bottle inspite of using them so much !) .Handcutting of interesting paper patterns , layering & tearing of paper ...

3. Are there any techniques that you've wanted to try but haven't taken the plunge yet? I would love to stamp & emboss on my layouts/creations . The other one would be using glitter powder .

4. What are your favorite subjects to scrap? Definitely my two kids , followed by their cousins - we have one family with at 6 kids ! So that gives my great photo opps at family gatherings / outings .

5. What are the scrapbooking products that you could not live without? Adhesive, my black marker , trimmer , fine tip scissors , mists, paper ( of course ! ) , Prima swirls , lace , trim , buttons ( oh dear , it's hard to stop ! )

Thanks for the inspiration Staci and Pearl!

Little Something Sunday with Tonya Dirk

Star Spangled Garland


1) Cut out a "gazillion" stars from double sided paper. I chose to cut out three different sizes. I used the basic cartridge on my Cricut and cut stars that measured 1", 2", and 2 1/2".


2) Next I used my Scor-pal and scored down the middle of every star.


3) Choose two stars of the same size and line them up back to back. I chose to use 2 stars from the same paper, however you could mix them up if you choose to.

4) Insert the first star under the presser foot of you sewing machine and sew traight down your scored line, allow a little thread in between stars and then insert the next star.


5) Continue sewing until you have used all of your stars or it is as long as you want it.

6) Lastly, bend all of your stars along your sewn/scored line to make them 3 dimensional. If you want you could just use single stars and then they would
have a flat look.


In this next photo you can see where some stars are flat and the double stars have been folded.
You could easily use this idea with different shapes, wouldn't butterflies or snowflakes be super cute?!

AMM Blog Hop!!

If you are here right now, you must be ready for some fun summertime inspiration! Welcome to the AMM blog hop. In honor of all the summer fun and out new Design Team members, we want to inspire you to create something fun this holiday weekend. We have projects, technique tutorials, sketches, and downloads to get your creativity working!

So what is up for grabs you ask? How about a collection pack by the new company, Echo Park, that everyone is buzzing about? So what do you have to do to win this little beauty? Well read the rules for our hop below.


RULES:
**The hop starts TODAY!! Friday July 2nd through Sunday July 4th.

**Each AMM designer blog will be showcasing a different project inspired by summer and all of its glory! Hop through each blog to check out the instructions for creating each project, then choose a project to recreate.

**Post your project in the AMM gallery and in this thread.

**You will have until Friday July 9th at midnight to post your project to be eligible to win the Echo Park Collection pack, Sweet Summertime!

**More than one project created earns you another chance in the random drawing. Please be sure that projects are created especially for this contest.

This is your first stop, next you will head on over to Carole Janson's blog! Have fun