VSBN September 2017 - Labor Day

What does Labor Day mean to you?  How do you celebrate Labor Day?  For some, it's summer's last hooray.  When I was growing up, we went to the lake for swimming and a picnic.  In my early 20's, it was the last of the summer boating season on the lake.  Today, it's the day my husband says I can get out the Halloween decorations!  I don't actually decorate on Labor Day, but that holiday marks the starting point of when I CAN decorate for Halloween.  I usually do it the following weekend.  With that in mind...

G - Labor Day.  The challenge is to scrap what Labor Day means to you.  I could be how you celebrate Labor Day.  Cookout, swimming, decorating, reading, napping, working - whatever you do to celebrate Labor Day.  And put away your whites, you cannot use white on your layout.

And not a stitch of white.  OK.  The labels have white letters.   

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a moo'valous day.

VSBN September 2017 - Back to School

Back to school - nothing screams fall like back to school time.  School supplies.  New clothes.  This was my favorite time of the year.  Mom would take us to Roses for back to school clothes.  This was before the time of the Towne Mall, which was built around 1986, and all the clothing stores that now populate the city.  It's been quite a few years since I have shopped at Roses, but back then, they had quality clothing.  We would try on the new fall fashions and put them on layaway.  It was still a tad early (warm) to be wearing fall clothes when school actually started.  We purchased school supplies at TG&Y, which was our "Wal-mart" without the grocery section in those days.  Every year, I always got a new themed metal lunchbox, with a thermos, and a book bag.  Little House on the Prairie.  Wonder Woman.  SuperFriends.   Those are just a few that come to mind.

I'm no longer in school and my kiddo graduated from high school a few years back.  So, a twist is in order - let's not take this theme so literally.  

F - Back to School.  We learn something new every day.  The challenge is to scrap something educational or demonstrate / share something learned in a paper crafting class (a tip or a technique).  Alternatively, back to school photos could be scrapped.

My page focuses on the GREAT AMERICAN ECLIPSE.  Included on the page is a demonstration of how the moon eclipsed the sun from OUR point of view using punched circles.  While the sun / moon pairing actually moved in an upward diagonal across the sky, I chose to show this in a soft arrow that provides movement around the page.  This page will function as a title page for a series of pages (maybe four) about that day.  The idea for this page was developed during the many breaks that were taken during the viewing of the eclipse.  I wanted to remember how the moon crossed the sun at 1 and exited at 9.  I had this page done very quickly that evening - in under an hour.

We had a lot of fun with the solar eclipse glasses and the pinhole viewer.   I did not take any photos of the eclipse itself, instead, choosing to enjoy the experience.  

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a moo'valous day!

VSBN September 2017 - Pumpkins

Pumpkins are the ultimate fall "thing".  It's not fall without pumpkins.  Everything is pumpkin.  Sometimes it's a bit too much.  Pumpkin spice in chocolate?  That's a crime.  Pumpkin spice creamer, on the other hand, is something I look forward to every year!  I buy it by the case!  Cause it keeps until late December, even into January!  I check the expiration dates.  And stockpile it in the shop fridge and the house fridge and the work fridge. 

Whether we eat, decorate or carve pumpkins, nothing screams fall like pumpkins.  Of course, there are the changing leaves, but we don't have one tree on our farm.  Truth.  I don't miss picking up limbs or raking leaves.  I had enough of that sort of thing growing up.  I get to enjoy the change of the leaves around the country side.  I digress.  Pumpkins make me smile.  

Now on to the challenge.

B - Pumpkins.  How about those beautiful shades of orange with pops of green?  What about those white Cinderella pumpkins?  Beautiful.  This challenge is to create a page featuring pumpkins or a page inspired by pumpkins.  It can be the item itself, a pumpkin recipe or the colors.  Moo've out of your comfort zone by going BIG with the photo or title or both!  

So many things I love about this page!  The memories of that visit, the colors, the title, those gold foam Thickers.  (sigh)

This could be a Halloween moon.  Another demonstration of how to go BIG and create a great statement page for display.   Look at all the gold!  I love those gold chipboard letters!  There were only 26.  LOL.  How many words can we make out of just 26 letters.  Pat, I need to buy a vowel pack.  (wink)  Plus the R, S, T, L and N.  I've learned to enjoy those products of which I have limited amounts, rather than purchase more, wish I had more or "save for that special project".  

Going BIG with the photo or title is one of my favorite ways to create a statement page.  These pages usually find a place to hang on the salon wall in my living room.  

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a moo'valous day!

VSBN September 2017 - Festivals

Hello there!  It is my pleasure to serve as the hostess for SplitCoastStampers' September 2017 VSBN.  For 2017, VSBN (Virtual ScrapBooking Night) consists of a series of monthly challenges, rather than a series of quarterly virtual scrap nights.  The challenges for this month's VSBN revolves around the theme "It's FALL y'all!" The focus of each challenge will be on events that occur primarily during the fall months of August, September, October and November. But, that's too easy.  The challenges presented for September (hopefully) introduced participants to new ideas and maybe helped push the limits of their scrapping comfort zone. This is how we grow.  Yep, each challenge had a twist to moo've us out of our comfort zone.

There were nine challenges in all, posted three daily challenges on Labor Day weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) and two daily challenges on each weekend thereafter (Friday and Saturday). The final weekend of the month will be "ketchup" time!  (And yep, I have one on which to "ketchup'.)

Ready for the first challenge?

A - Festivals.  Fall begins the festival season! In our rural corner of the country, there's one in every small town every single weekend. This doesn't include the local school fall festivals. 

The challenge is to scrap a series of photos taken at a fall festival event using a grid format. The grid does not have to consist only of square photos. You can change it up and use circles. Or you can mix it up and use both! Not all grids have to contain a photo. Substitute a journaling block or a cluster of embellishments or use one large cool embellishment.

Once I discovered grids, I found I like them.  My greatest challenges with a grid is getting the photos on evenly distributed and straight!  LOL.  

My first page features the fire trucks from last year's Rineyville Days parade with square photos. The middle grid contains the title work. 

My second page is not fall themed; however, I share it to give you an idea of how a grid of circles would appear on a layout.  I made this page several years ago, one day when we were snowed in!  

There were gorgeous pages submitted for this challenge.  I enjoyed looking at them all.   You can see them here:  Festivals Gallery on SCS.

Thanks for stopping by!  Have a moo'valous day!