October Afternoon

Monday Challenge: With Love for Patterns

Hi there OA fans! Alex here with a challenge for you.

I love patterned papers! I don't know if you can call it a techique, but what I love the most is to mix and match different patterns on my layouts. If I could, I would squeeze in an entire collection on one page! But don't be afraid; I won't challenge you to do that! My challenge for you is to use five or more patterned papers on one layout/card. Two sides of one paper counts as two different papers.

On this layout I have used six different patterns:

If you ask me, October Afternoon papers are made to mix and match like this. They are just perfect for all of us who love patterns. This lovely Midway collection is no exception!

I created my title using a card from the Miscellany package together with a word sticker and the colorful Midway alphas. 

I have used two different papers for my background and from the rest I cut the stripes. Using stripes is a great way to incorporate many different papers on one page. I let each stripe end with a ring of the same pattern. I made the rings using two different circle punches.

Joining me today is Roree. Just look at this stunning card she has made for us!

I love it down to the tiniest little piece of patterned paper she has used!

Now lets see what Roree has to say about her project.

I absolutely love patterned paper. It is the one scrapbooking product I collect (and hoard!) the most. So when Alex gave me the challenge to use five or more different patterned papers, I was ready! I created this fun card using the new Travel Girl collection. Because many of the paper sheets in this collection have strong patterns, I decided to cut four of the papers into strips. I layered the the Guide Book and Mix Tape patterned papers by creating a division between each with thin strips of the Directions patterned paper, blocking each pattern. Doing this, I get the full affect of each without one overwhelming any. For the last piece of paper, I cut out the word "explore" from the Journaling Cards sheet and created a tag. I finished the card with some white ribbon, a Tidbits label, and a couple of Shape Stickers.

Thank you so much, Roree! Your card is amazing!

I hope we have inspired you to take our challenge and start mixing and matching those gorgeous OA patterned papers. Don't forget to share your work with us and upload your projects to OA Flickr Gallery. Show us your love for patterns!

A mini-album and something for Dad from the Midway collection!

Hi everyone - Lowri here and welcome to my second Guest Post for the month of May.

This week I have been busy using the Midway Collection. This fun and bright collection was perfect for creating this mini-album and I have used some very informal cell phone pictures taken on a day-trip to the carnival!

Midway Mini Album

I have created this album from scratch using my Cameo and two die-cutting files from Lori Whitlock (found here and here). The album can be created by hand (search online for accordion fold binding) but using a digital cutter makes light work of a lot of the measuring and all of the cutting!

I have chosen to make all of the inserts out of envelopes and tags – but the cutting files offer a number of options which are all included with the download. I also scaled down all the cutting files by 65% before I started as I wanted my album to be smaller. Just remember to scale all elements in the same proportion – otherwise they will not fit together.

The picture above shows a couple of details from the album cover. I cut a slit in the hat and slotted a couple of stickers into the cut. One of my favorite tips is to use talc to remove the stickiness from the back of stickers – which basically turns them into die cuts and lets you play around with placement without fearing you will stick them in the wrong place! The little camera button is my favorite embellishment of all – I could have used 10 of them in this project alone!

This album has a simple construction and is held together by the accordion fold spine. There is a detailed instructional video on YouTube which guides you through the process and each set of two fold is held together with eyelets (see Pictures 1 & 2 above). I chose to reinforce the covers with chipboard but you do not need this step. Each “page” is slotted into the spine and you can choose to glue them in. I found they were a tight fit without gluing and I like being able to pull the envelopes out to look at too, so mine were not glued in (see Pictures 3 & 4 above).

The picture above shows the envelopes and tag inserts in more detail.

The tags and envelopes are simply decorated with several elements from the collection including the Word Stickers, Brads and Tid Bits.

There are so many fabulous design details in these collections – I know that I am going to use every scrap of this one over a few years to come as my kids grow up!

Dad’s Treat Boxes

To demonstrate how versatile this collection is – I have used a couple of bits and pieces to make these fun Father’s Day treat boxes. They both contain a gift voucher to a wine boutique for my husband and Father-in-Law (hope they don’t read this blog!)

I have cut the boxes using my cuttlebug and this great Sizzix die and then used some of the Sew Fun Banners and Tin Pins to decorate. Fun, simple and a great way to use up some of your leftovers too.

I hope you have enjoyed these projects – please post a comment with any questions and be sure to check back next week for some more ideas. – Lowri

Thursday Sketch: Circles and Layers and Arrows, Oh My

Hi everyone! It's Mandy Koeppen bringing you the Thursday Sketch.

Thanks to some helpful inspiration from my favorite Aussie friend this fun and funky sketch is full of circles, layers, and arrows. It can be easily made to fit your scrapping style just like Jill and I have done.

Here is the layout I created using the sketch.

I kept the 12x12 format but decided to use a 3x6.5 inch photo and tucked the 3 smaller photos on the sketch under my main photo just to make it more me. Of course once I did that the whole layout changed but that's the great thing about sketches you can make it your own.

The photos I used on this layout are from a trip to the fair a few years ago which made grabbing the Midway line a no brainer when I was gathering supplies. Along with Midway I used a couple pieces from Travel Girl, Farm Girl & Witch Hazel lines to create this layout. 

Joining me today is Jill. She created this beautiful layout.

And here is what Jill had to say...

I went with an 8.5 x 11 layout for this sketch challenge, and used 

woodgrain-textured cardstock as a backdrop, since the photos were kind of earthy.

This sketch was perfect to use with the three photos I captured the 

other day of my dog rolling around in the fresh-cut grass. I could 

barely hold the camera still because I was laughing so hard -- these 

are the three photos that made the cut. When planning the layout, I 

took my color cues from the greens and yellows in the photos, and 

worked in some blues here and there, pulling together papers and 

accents from the Travel Girl and Daily Flash collections. One departure from the sketch was to back the horizontal photo mat with a series of vertical strips rather than just a single strip, adding to the light-hearted feel of the page. I also relocated the title block 

to the top of the page.

I hope you enjoyed today's sketch. If you get a chance to play along, don't forget to post your project in the OA Flickr group.  I can't wait to see how you interpret it!

Thursday Sketch: Staggered Elements

Hey everyone!  Roree here with today's Thursday Sketch Challenge.

I created this sketch just playing around in Photoshop:

It is not quite to scale for a 12 x 12" layout or a square card, nor is it to scale for a 8 1/2 x 11" layout or A2 card. It sort of landed somewhere in between the two. I apologize for that. Hopefully you can look past that and use the overall design or elements as a jumping off point.

I decided to create a card using the sketch:

I stuck with the general design of the layout, only replacing the flowers and a label in place of the photos and using a white twill bow in place of the journaling.

As for products, I used patterned paper from the Travel Girl collection, Shape Stickers, Chip 'n Stick, and Tidbits from the Woodland Park collection, and Buttons, Designer Brads, Shape Stickers and Washi Tape from the Midway collection.

Vivian played along with the sketch this week and created this amazing layout. Here is what she had to say about it:

"I loved the staggered photo placement in Roree’s sketch and used that as the jumping off point for my layout. I used Daily Flash Snapshots here, which were perfect for this series of photos. Two of the photos are matted on colorful polaroid frames cut from the Compose patterned paper. The third photo is matted on the Say Cheese! Memory Card. I poked a hole in the card behind where my photo would go and then cut up towards the flash, trimming the zigzag edges so that I could tuck the corner of my photo under the flash. I titled and finished my layout with various other elements from the Snapshots line. "

I hope you enjoyed today's sketch and the samples Vivian and I created using it. If you get a chance to play along, don't forget to post your project in the OA Flickr group.  I can't wait to see how you interpret it.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

buttons, buttons...

Hi everyone! Becky here today, sharing a few simple ideas for using what you have in your stash...specifically buttons. In my opinion, buttons are one of the most economical embellishments to use to add depth and impact. The October Afternoon buttons available in many of the collections come in an abudant package, so you can use them without feeling as if you should "save" them. Whenever I use buttons, I thread twine or thread through them. My friend Kelly has a thing about the buttons being threaded, so I guess it rubbed off on me. I can't seem to use a button without having it threaded! 

For this layout, I only used about 1/3 of a package of OA buttons, so there are plenty left over to use for other projects.

I simply lined them up to border the pattern paper that the photo will be adhered to.

There's actually a mistake on this layout. This is from Addie's 5 year session, not her 6 year session. 

I also tried something I've wanted to try for a while on this layout, I used an OA sprinkler sprayed on a stamp. The OA sprinkler that I used was Witch Hazel Witches Brew.  You can see the stamp from the Midway collection that I used here. 

I think it worked fairly well! Fun to play around with for sure. I did dab it on paper towels before stamping to get rid of some of the excess. 

I also did a little machine stitching to adhere the ribbon and label down at the bottom of the page.

I hope you enjoy trying one of these ideas and share what you make with us on the OA Flickr gallery!

 

When the fair isn't in town, Guest Designer Melanie Fink makes her own!

I am so very excited to be the Guest Designer on the October Afternoon (OA) blog this month and playing with their AWESOME products!  Like all of you, I am a huge OA fan!  Their products are so versatile and they have a wonderful throwback feel that just makes you feel warm inside. 

I came to love OA products even more when I went to the OA Warehouse Sale last fall and met some of their employees.  They are wonderful people and they live in Minnesota, which makes them even more awesome!  Yes, I am a fellow Minnesotan, which you may have guessed already or read in my introduction on the blog last Friday.

I am a big die-cutting fan too, so you can expect to see me incorporating die-cuts (particularly SVGs) in my projects.  Die-cuts create so many possibilities with paper, as you will see with my project today.  With the exception of wooden dowels used for support, it is entirely constructed of paper!

I primarily used OA’s Midway collection to create the Ferris wheel (SVGs from the Summer Street Carnival collection at SVG Cuts) and the base it is standing on.  I used bits of other collections as well – Witch Hazel (wheel), Cakewalk (twine), and Sidewalks (buttons).  You can fill the carts on the Ferris wheel with treats and/or plastic toys, and you can embellish it so many different ways.  It is a great center piece for a carnival themed birthday party!  Disclaimer – the Ferris wheel does take patience to assemble.  The great news is that there is a video tutorial here that shows you how to put it together.

When I am tackling a big project like this, I start by cutting out all of the SVGs that need to be assembled.

Tip:  Use lightweight cardboard for the base of the Ferris wheel.  This creates a sturdier base.

Tip:  Cut each of the carts out twice – once with the Midway paper and once with a solid-color coordinating cardstock.  Then glue them together prior to assembly. This will allow you to put heavier treats in the carts and it makes the patterned papers really stand out.

Next is assembly time!

Tip:  Use Spray Adhesive to glue the wheel together – it is faster and easier to reposition before it dries.

And more assembly!

Now for the embellishments!

I created a fun star embellishment on the face of the wheel!   To create this embellishment, you will need the Midway brads, Sew Fun Banners, and Label Stickers, a 1-1/8” circle punch, foam dimensional stickers and decorative star pins.  Start by taking one of the circle banners and poke a hole in the center of it. 

Then put a Midway brad in the center (I liked the red star one) and apply one layer of foam stickers to the back of the banner circle.

Next, add the 1-1/8” circle punch to the back of the banner circle.  Apply two layers of foam stickers to the back of the circle punch.  To finish the layered circle, add the label sticker to the back (I liked the gray star-like one).

To finish off the embellishment, add star pins by pushing them into the foam stickers inside the layered circle.  I added a rhinestone circle-shaped sticker that I had lying around too.

I used buttons from the Sidewalks collection on the ends of each wooden dowel on the wheel.  I added rhinestones to the center of each button for some bling (adds to the glitzy feel many Ferris wheels have).

I chose to embellish the right side of the wheel base with stickers from the 12” x 12” sticker sheet in the Midway collection and I added a star pin too.

Who wants some cotton candy!  I do!  I put mini cotton candy bags into the carts.  I used 4” x 3” bags, cotton candy, and twine from the Cakewalk collection to assemble these.  Yes, I ate some of the cotton candy during assembly!

Lastly, I created a base for the Ferris wheel using a corrugated box (It is the one I got from OA filled with goodies and it is the standard scrapbooking paper box size).  The first thing I did was take extra tape off the box and cut off the 4 top pieces of the box using a utility knife.

Next, I cut 4 sheets of the Midway paper so they were 11x11 and would fit perfectly together on my box.  Then I started at the center of the box and taped down the sheets of paper as shown below.  Don’t worry about the tape showing, you can always cover it up, as I will show you.  To make it look like a wrapped gift box, I folded the paper in the corners as shown below.  Don’t worry about the tape showing, you can always cover it up if you don’t like it showing. 

When done adding the 4 sheets of paper, the box looks like this.  

Next, I cut two strips of the Midway patterned paper to cover up one of the taped areas on top.  You can use any paper you like. 

Then I added some ribbon and a bow to cover up the tape line running horizontally. 

There are so many different ways to embellish this paper Ferris Wheel.  You could add your own unique take - use flair, Midway miscellany, and/or goodies from other collections!

 To share in my excitement as the Guest Designer this month, I have a surprise for you!  The box I made for the base of the Ferris Wheel has some goodies inside!  Stop by my blog http://www.thepaperretreat.blogspot.com, to see what is inside and to enter to win the goodies inside!  I hope you stop by my blog and celebrate with me!

Melanie

(For more from Guest Designer Melanie Fink, check out the OA blog every Friday during the month of April!)

Technique Thursday: Repetition Stamping

Happy Thursday!  It's time to get some extra mileage out of your October Afternoon stamps while also putting your Sprinklers to use!  In the past, I've shared my love of stamping with Sprinklers, and today, I will walk you through an approach to stamping with Sprinklers that I love: repetition stamping. 
The term "repetition stamping" has multiple meanings. While it can refer to simply repeating a single image multiple times, it may also refer to repeating (and possibly overlapping) an image multiple times without stopping to reink the stamp each time. The effect of that kind of repetition stamping is a series of images with different intensities of color.  

Here is the approach I took to create the layout above:

Preparation.

- Choose a stamp that you can envision repeated multiple times on the background of a layout. I chose the pinwheel stamp from the October Afternoon Midway collection. 

- Select several bottles of Sprinklers in similar colors or analogous colors (that is, colors next to each other on the color wheel), so that when the colors combine, they will blend well. I worked with blues (Carbon Copy and Lagoon) and a neutral gray (Token) on this layout. 

- Consider using a box as you spray the Sprinklers over the stamps; it will help to keep the "blowback" under control.  

- Place a piece of sturdy cardstock (your stamping "target") on a flat surface nearby, and back it with scrap paper (like newspaper, magazine pages, or catalog pages). This way you can stamp off the edge of the paper without making a mess on the surface below. 

Step 1. Place the stamp on an acrylic block and spray the first color of Sprinklers over it. Don't worry about coating the whole stamp. I just sprayed toward the center. Complete, crisp images aren't the goal here -- just go with the flow! 

Step 2. 

Stamp the image multiple times on different areas of the paper, with different areas of the stamp. I was able to stamp three to four times per image without reinking.  

Step 3.

Without cleaning the stamp, spray the second color of Sprinklers over it. Once again, don't feel the need to cover the stamp thoroughly. 

Step 4. 

Stamp the image multiple times, just as you did the first time. Try to stamp the image in open areas. Overlapping edges isn't just okay -- it's preferred.  You'll start to notice that the colors blend in lovely ways. 

Repeat the entire process with additional colors of Sprinklers, until you have covered the entire background. 

Step 5. 

After the background dries (mine took just a few minutes), add some stitching to the images for a bit of extra texture and charm. I machine-stitched the centers of the stamped images, turning the page slowly as I sewed. 

I love the overall effect! 

I completed the page by adding my journaling on October Afternoon label stickers, and used some 9 to 5 letter stickers for the title. 

So what do you think?  Are you ready to try some repetition stamping on your next layout?  I'd love to see it!  Be sure to share it in the October Afternoon Flickr gallery. 

Thanks for stopping by today! 

-- Jill 

Tuesday Sketch: All in a Row

Vivian here with our weekly sketch. Today's sketch lines photos up in a horizontal row, with the title placement and a few key page elements drawing attention to all the photos, with one focal point photo emphasized with a large chevron/arrow element:

Interestingly enough, both Roree and I interpreted this sketch as a card.

Roree rotated the sketch 90 degrees to the right and came up with this absolutely gorgeous card:

Roree had this to say about her card: "It is always so fun to see which direction a sketch will take you. Just by turning the sketch you can get a very different look. I just love that about sketches! I created my card using paper, stickers, and chipboard from the Farm Girl, Woodland Park, and Sidewalks collections. I decided to replace the photos/journaling boxes with a long strip of floral paper. I replaced the title with a scalloped edge along the paper strip. And I kept my sentiment towards the bottom like in the sketch and replaced the arrows with white twill ribbon that I misted using Comet Tail Sprinklers from the Rocket Age collection."

Let's take a closer look:

While Roree went in the gorgeous direction, I went in the whimsical direction. My card uses the sketch in its original orientation and combines patterned paper, stickers, and embellishments from the Midway line (including the fun Photo Booth patterned paper). A few white staples add the finishing touch:

We hope you are inspired by this sketch, whether you use it for a layout, a card, or any other project! We'd love to see projects inspired by this sketch, so be sure to post them to our October Afternoon Flickr gallery.

Monday challenge: Three's Company

Hi everyone, Mou here with today's challenge!

When I make layouts, cards, etc. I rarely stay within one collection. I like to use bits and pieces of papers, embellishments, etc. from several collections. In that process, I have found that the October Afternoon collections, as distinct and beautiful as they are, also work really well together. That's where my idea for today's challenge came from: Make a project with 3 patterned papers, 3 buttons, and 3 brads. 

Here's my take...

On this card, I used 

3 patterned papers

1. Berry Basket 12x12 paper, Farm Girl Collection

2. Elixir of Eucalyptus 12x12 paper, Witch Hazel Collection

3. Paper Staws 12x12 paper, Cakewalk Collection

3 Designer brads from Cakewalk Collection and

3 Buttons from the Midway Collection

In addition, I used a little piece of cheesecloth, a Cakewalk chipboard sticker and some Mini Market Mint & Creme alpha stickers.

Today, I have Becky playing with me and take a look at what she created...

Becky says: "One of the things I enjoy about challenges, is the fact that you can make it your own. When Mou gave me her challenge, I decided to be pretty literal in my approach. I used only 3 pattern papers, 3 buttons and 3 brads, and only added non-consumables, a bit of vintage ledger paper, misting and sewing in addition to my background chipboard. Made the challenge a little more challenging, but that was good for the creative process."

You rocked it Becky! Thanks :)

You can play along too. Upload your creations on the October Afternoon Flickr gallery  for all to see and be inspired!

Happy Monday :) 

♥ sketchy tuesday--arrows, trim, stamps? ♥

Good morning OA fans, Danni here with you today with a new, fun sketch to the start of our spring colors and weather (fingers crossed)

Here's this week's sketch

 

How will YOU interpret today's sketch?  What stands out to you?  Do you see a row of arrows?  A row of distressed stamping?  Possibly sticker trim?

 

 

Here is the card I created from this sketch

 

 

 

I wanted to use some of the diamond-shaped stickers in the OA Midway Line and this sketch allowed me to do so in a fun way

 

 

 

And joining me today is the incredibly talented Jill with her amazing take on the sketch.  I am completely WOWED and know you will be too! 

Here's what Jill had to say:

One of the first things that stood out to me about Danni's sketch was the line of arrows at the top of the page. Initially, I thought of adding an accent line, but then it occurred to me that I could fill that space in another way, with stamps and mist! I used the clock stamp from the 9 to 5 stamp set, and stamped the image repeatedly with white ink. I then added spray ink -- Tinsel and Lagoon Sprinklers -- holding the nozzles close to the top of the paper and tilting the paper at an angle to allow the Sprinklers to drip down the page. I then pressed the whole page against some scrap paper (a large junk mail envelope, actually) to remove any excess and to allow the page to dry quickly.  I then gathered my papers, photos, and accents together, and stitched across the top. Without this sketch, this page may never have come into being, and I am so glad that it did! Thanks, Danni!

 

 

 

I KNOW right?  Amazing page Jill, thank you so much!

And, we can't wait to see how this sketch will inspire YOU.  If you are inspired to create a layout or card using this week's sketch, please share your creations in our OA Flickr Gallery

We'd love to be inspired by YOUR take!

Happy Creating♥

Danni & Jill