October Afternoon

Topic Tuesday: Feeling Lucky?

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

This week's Topic Tuesday prompt, appropriately, focuses on luck:  What is your view of luck? How do you define it? Based on this definition, do you consider yourself lucky? 

Roree and I used these questions as a springboard for our projects, working in some St. Patty's green along the way and mixing old and new October Afternoon collections. In thinking about the prompt, Roree was inspired to create this lovely card: 

Roree explains: 

""I view luck as a circumstance of chance. Sometimes your luck can be good, sometimes it can be bad. Either way, it is something that you have no real control over. I do feel like I have been lucky in my life, especially in love. I have been with my husband for almost 25 years, married for almost 22 those, and I am still madly and deeply in love with him. (And I think he still feels the same way about me too!)

This feeling of luck inspired me to create a love-themed, St. Patrick's Day-inspired card just for him. I used patterned papers from the Farm Girl (for the lucky die cut) and Witch Hazel (for the stripes and clover) collections, along with Milk Money Pop Drops and letter stickers from Daily Flash. It's the perfect sentiment to let him know just how much I love him."

The recipient of this card is most definitely one lucky guy! 

My thoughts on the prompt led me to create a layout that features a photo collage documenting the evidence of how lucky I am. 

...Or am I not lucky, but blessed? The journaling works through this question. 

Among the layers of this page, I incorporated a variety of colors and patterns, all of which pick up the colors in the photo collage. The backdrop for the layout is the B-side of an uncut "Journal Cards" sheet from the Saturday Mornings collection. I included some Miscellany, Wild Cards, and accents from various October Afternoon collections, such as Daily Flash, Road Map, Report Card, 9 to 5, Cakewalk, and Schoolhouse. As a finishing touch, I added a few stamped sentiments, using the "Everyday" Daily Flash roller stamp. 

So how about it? Feeling lucky? We'd love to see your take on this week's Topic Tuesday prompt! Link us up in the comments below and/or share your projects in the OA Flickr gallery. 

Thanks for visiting today! 

-- Jill 

Monday Challenge: It's Not Easy Being Green

Hello, and Happy Monday! Emily here to start off a fun St. Patrick's Day week here on the October Afternoon blog!  This week we will be focusing on the color green and/or the idea of luck.  For my challenge, I decided to step outside the box a bit and asked my talented friend Patricia Roebuck to create a layout using the theme, "It's not easy being green." I told her that her layout should include a topic about something difficult...perhaps something she wouldn't ordinarily scrapbook.  We as scrapbookers are always making page after page of our smiling kids, our fun cup of coffee, or our favorite travel destination. However, life isn't perfect, and sometimes we all need a little push to make a layout about something not so pleasant. The color green, I told Patricia, was optional. Patricia didn't use green on her layout...and, boy am I glad she didn't...because it's amazing:

I know. Your jaw is on the ground right now, isn't it? It's AMAZING!  I love rainbows and this is just perfect!! Here is what Patricia had to say about her layout:  

"Emily’s challenge had me thinking of so many ideas, and then the phrase, ‘it’s not always rainbows and unicorns’ popped in my head.  I used the Scones pattern paper from Saturday Mornings to create a ‘pinwheel’ of rainbow colors.  I used the Daily Flash alphas to do the title.  And then repeated the rainbow theme throughout.  Even though my journaling is ‘real’ and not about happy things, I wanted to keep the layout positive and cheery, but kept the journaling brief.  I have a process video you can watch here.  Thank you so much Emily for this challenge!"

When I created this challenge, I also had tons of ideas in mind for a layout. Let's face it...I have lots of less than perfect moments every day!!  I decided to use my challenge title, "It's not easy being green" as my inspiration - and I changed it to "It's not easy being 3" instead.  I searched high and low for a photo of my three year old having a tantrum, because, let's face it, he has them often, so there is probably a photo somewhere. But, I couldn't find one, so I decided instead to use on looking down on him from above that I took last fall. I wasn't planning on creating a green layout, however I've been on a bit of a monochromatic layout kick lately, and I had fun choosing some green papers and elements from various different OA lines. I've discovered that green is one color that October Afternoon surprisingly doesn't have a ton of, so I added some aqua into the mix, as well! That big "3" is a leftover from the December Story kit!

The best part about this layout, in my opinion, is that while I was finishing it up, my three year old just happened to come upstairs to "help" me scrapbook. As I was typing my journaling onto the two tags, he "helped" me by turning the handle while I was typing a few times, typing an extra letter or two for me, and thoroughly distracting me enough to totally screw up in a few places, which is rough when your typewriter doesn't have a correction ribbon! I decided to leave it all as is, thus the errors and the crossed out word. It makes this totally authentic!

He also really, really wanted to "help" me take the picture of the layout.  He sat just as close as he possibly could...and did manage to move it around a few times...

We would love for you to play along with our "It's not easy being green" challenge! Upload your layout to the October Afternoon Flickr gallery, post it on our Facebook page, or connect with us on Instagram via #octoberafternoon. Happy Monday, and happy scrapping! 

My Hair Had a Party Last Night | Guest Designer: Heather Leopard

Hi friends! Heather Leopard guesting here and I am back today to share a layout with you that's all about LAYERING!

First, I have a question for you...do you suffer from bed head or know someone who does?  My littlest suffers from it in the worst way.  She goes to bed a beauty queen and when she wakes up it's as if her hair got in a terrible fight. I snapped this photo of her the other morning, with her hair in a more mild state but still a mess.

With her hair a tangled mess, I thought it only fitting to include lots of layers on this layout.  How about we walk through the process and do a little "how-to" for creating this layout?

Step 1: Choose two busy patterns, one tone on tone pattern paper and white cardstock.  

 

Step 2: Choose 2 - 3 Memory Mix Cards or additional pattern papers, cut down to 2x2 and 3x3.

Step 3: Cut one sheet of pattern paper to 4"x12". Adhere to the left side of your white cardstock. 

Step 4: Cut 2 strips of your tone on tone paper (mine is the woodgrain pictured above). One strip is 1"x12" and the 2nd is 1.25"x12". Adhere over the edge of the pattern paper and white cardstock. I love that you can see the layers ever so subtly here.

Step 5: Add a 1/4" strip of white cardstock to the left of the woodgrain. Adhere a sticker strip on top of the white cardstock.  I did this to help make the sticker "pop" on the pattern paper.

Step 6: Stitch the edges of the sticker and woodgrain to the paper.

Step 7: Cut a 6"x6" square from your 2nd pattern paper. Distress the edges of the paper. Layer it over the Memory Cards. I left a pocket for two of my cards at the top so I could add additional journaling.

Step 8: Print a 4"x4" photo and add a frame around it.  Adhere to the page and embellish. The "drama" card was only fitting for the drama that pursues during the detangling process. I have learned that braiding the hair at night lessens the amount but does not eliminate bed head and makes the hair nice and wavy in the morning.

Step 9: Add a vertical title along the border. I chose a silly song my mom introduced me to as the title for my page

Step 10: Add journaling, stamping and additional embellishments. 

So that's my process for creating this page documenting a small part of our morning routine.  I hope it inspires you to add different types of layers to your next layout.  I'll be back next week with a fun way to create a unique background by mixing and matching various patterns so STAY TUNED! 

Thursday Sketch: A Little Here & A Little There

Hey, October Afternoon Fans! Mandy here today bringing you this week's sketch. 

This sketch was based off the layout I created below. I was just having fun creating and this layout kinda fell together rather quickly(love when that happens!) and I thought it would be a fun one to make into a sketch so y'all could create a project based off it. 

As you saw earlier in the week I love working with scraps. This layout is another one created with items I had within arms reach and scraps laying on my table.I say this all the time but I'll say it again.. I love that all the bits and piece of the October Afternoon lines seem to coordinate together it makes scrapbooking so much easier. Here I used scraps and embellishments from the Daily Flash & Saturday Morning collections. 

I hope you've been inspired with this sketch! Please share your creations on OA's Facebook wall or on Instagram. On Instagram, please tag us @octoberafternoon and use the hashtags #octoberafternoon #oasketchday so we can see what you've been creating with OA products!

~Mandy 

Saving | Designer Inspiration

Hey, everyone! Roree here with this week's Designer Inspiration post.

I don't have an inspiration photo to share with you today. Today's inspiration is all about an idea—SAVING. This was the design team's theme for the week, and it really is quite appropriate with Daylight Savings Time taking effect this past Sunday. The theme was open to interpretation, and here is how I interpreted it:

I wanted to make a card (no shocker there!), so what better type of card to make with a saving theme in mind than a "Save the Date" card! I used Daily Flash's Girl Talk (Dish, Giggle, and Blah, Blah, Blah) and All Boy (No Girls Allowed) patterned papers, along with my Cricut Explore and Live Simply and Doodlecharms cartridges, to create this sweet announcement card. 

I chose the "Shop Font" Alpha in Strawberry Ice Cream from Daily Flash for the title.

Then, I framed the date, created with a label from Public Library's Label Sticker sheet and Daily Flash's "Story Book" Alpha in Meringue, with two love birds and Buttons from the Midway collection.

Aren't those little birds just the cutest?! I love them!

If today's inspiration theme inspires your next project, please share your creation by linking it on Instagram with the hashtag #octoberafternoon, along with tagging @octoberafternoon, so we can see! You can also share your projects on our OA Facebook wall or the OA Flickr gallery.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

Tuesday Challenge | Use Your Scraps

Hello OA fans!  If you are like me (Patricia), you have lots of scrap pieces of pattern paper leftover.  Before you throw them out, take today's challenge.  Working with scraps is my favorite way to scrapbook.  You can layer with them, tuck pieces here and there, and my new favorite trend is to use pieces and stitch across.

This is what I did here for my layout.  Used strips that I stitched across, and tucked pieces in along the line of the photo.  I used Saturday Mornings collection to document my favorite shows.  And I am embarrassed to say, I had too many that I couldn't fit on the layout, even tried a 12x12.  So I got creative.

Using Daily Flash washi tape, I taped all seven shows (photos) front and back to create an accordion fold.

Now I can see all of the shows on one layout!  Of course, the dinosaur was a perfect little touch to this since Doctor Who is a time traveler.  I cut one of the cards from the collection, and placed the "watcha watchin" part at the top of my layout, and then typed out the name of the shows on the TV part.  I like how I got use out of that one card in two different ways.

I just love the Saturday Mornings collection.  Beautiful colors, patterns, and so fun to work with!

I am so excited to have one of my long-time scrap crushes joining me in today's challenge.  Here is Mandy's layout and what she has to say.

I absolutely loved Patricia's challenge this week! I am one of those gals that gets all giddy diggin through her scraps and finding use for them instead of throwing them away(this is sometimes a bad thing). 

For this challenge I only used things I had laying on my desk from previous projects. As you can see from the variety of papers and embellishments my desk hasn't been cleaned in awhile lol. 

When it comes to scrap papers I like to use them as is or rough cut them into wonky squares. I like how this use your scraps layout turned out and I hope it inspires you too. Thanks P for the awesome challenge!!

Mandy put those pieces to great use on this almost abstract layout, such a cool look!  She also used papers from Saturday Mornings, as well as Girl Talk, and Daily Flash. 

Now it is your turn.  Go through all of your October Afternoon scraps and see what you can come up with.  Layering, blocks, die cuts, strips, whatever you like.  Be sure to share your creations with us via the October Afternoon Flickr Gallery and tag #oadesignerchallenge and #octoberafternoon on Instagram.  Don't forget to tag me @patricia_roebuck so I can see.

Monday Challenge : Scrap Recipe

Hello everyone!

I'm back with another Scrap Recipe challenge for you this beautiful Monday. :)

I have my beautiful and talented fellow DT member, Suz joining me today. I absolutely adore that paper-pieced mug on her layout and that delightful story that comes with it. Suz's layout reminds me of my dad. He loves A&W rootbeer!

 

 

Suz said :

"I was so happy to have a chance to support Sasha and to play along with her fun Scrap Recipe Challenge for today! I set straight to work creating a layout that revolved around a little ole A&W root beer mini mug that I received from my parents as a child. I decided to create part of my title work by cutting up the background alphabet stamp from the Public Library collection and then I used a Silhouette mug cut file to add a little extra love and repetition of design to my layout.  I used four patterns from the Saturday Mornings Journal Cards 12 x 12 patterned paper to back up the cut file mug design. Then I machine stitched around the die cut for a little added texture and dimension. A few border stickers and chipboard elements and "Good Stuff" starburst circle stamping on some wood grain tape to add a bit more love to my design.Then I finished my layout by typing my journaling onto a journal card with my vintage typewriter. Super fun and simple to create along with Sasha's recipe as a guide! Thank you for the inspiration challenge Sasha!! :)"

 

OCTOBER AFTERNOON PRODUCTS USED IN MY DESIGN: 

Saturday Mornings - Designer Brads, Journal Cards 12 x 12 patterned paper, Word Stickers, Borders and Labels

Public Library - "Alphabetical Order" rubber stamp background set, Border Sticker

Daily Flash - Flash Chip "To The Point," Flash Chip - "Old Oak Signboard", Eggnog - Pop Drops, Homemade Acrylic stamp set ("good stuff" starburst circle stamp), Daily Flash - flash Chip Photo booth 

Here's my take on the recipe :

Great minds think alike, I must say! I too, used the same Saturday Mornings Journal Cards patterned paper for my layout, just like Suz. I cut the title from 4 'journaling cards' and make it the focal point of my layout. Just look at those beautiful colors!

I typed my journaling with my manual vintage typewriter, again, just like Suz! LOL. I swear we didn't plan this, but I totally high-fived Suz in my mind when I saw her layout. :D I stamped the cute bird and scissors with perforated line with black ink to kinda balance up all the sweet colors in this layout and added some pink pop drops, a pink heart chipboard and a pink brad. 

I machine-stitched all around the layout, part of my title and my journaling several times, then hand-stitched some pink straight stitches onto the letter H E R and O :) I really, and I mean really love how this layout turned out. 

I hope you will give this recipe a try! Let me know if you do, I'm @sashafarina on Instagram. You can also share your creations with us via the October Afternoon Flickr Gallery.

Have fun and happy scrapping!

March's Guest Designer | Heather Leopard

Howdy everyone! My name is Heather Leopard and I am super excited to be guest designing with the amazing October Afternoon team this month!  I'll be here each Friday to share a little peek into my life and hopefully inspire you!

I was born and raised in the Lone Star State and still live here with my incredible family – hubby, 2 daughters, 1 bonus son, and 2 rescue dogs. I love to scrap the little details and daily adventures of my children. I strive to capture the essence of whatever it is we are doing and I focus in on the photos of those moments. I consider my signature style to be Layered Chic, mixing, matching, and layering multiple patterns and colors in fun and unique ways. 

I want to connect with you:

Instagram: @heatherleopard
Blog: heatherleopard.blogspot.com
Pinterest: @heatherleopard
Facebook: heather.c.leopard
Twitter: @heatherleopard

 

I was asked to do a little Q&A to start my guest gig off so let's do it...

Are you a layout person, a card person ... or both? I am most definitely a layout person. That said, I enjoy making the occasional card for the special people in my life.

What is on your scrap desk right now? My iPad, watercolors, the October Afternoon Saturday Mornings collection and the remnants of the latest club kit I was creating with.

What is your favorite October Afternoon line or product? I’ve always LOVED the October Afternoon Alphas Stickers (the mini market alphas and the newer Flash alphas) but I’m also really digging the Doo-dads and Tidbits. They are perfect for layering!

What can you NOT scrapbook without? My sewing machine and some dose of reality TV to keep me company.

What is your favorite source of inspiration? I know this sounds cliche but I really do see inspiration everywhere.  From my travels to advertisements, to just being out and about my girls, but when I really want to soak it in, I turn to Pinterest.  I search various art forms, graphics, typography, quilts and of course I soak in all the goodness of my fellow scrappers.  After only a few minutes there (yeah right, more like hours!), I'm always quite inspired.  

Speaking of inspiration, I was recently inspired by the triangle trend to create this layout.  What really drew me in was one paper in particular from the Saturday Mornings collection.  The Journal Cards paper can be easily spliced up to create fun journaling cards or used for layering but something about it inspired me to look at it in a different way.

To create this, I simply designed a cut file that can be downloaded HERE and cut everything out of 1 sheet of pattern paper. Yep, one sheet and a few embellishments were all I needed to create this! The great thing about the Journal Cards paper is that it included a variety of colors and patterns for mixing and matching.  The "how-to" to re-create this is on my blog.

Before I go, I wanted to share a little sneak of one of my projects I'll be sharing next week.

That's all the sneak I'm gonna give so please STAY TUNED and check in next Friday.

Before you go, here's the last of my Q&A...

What is your favorite movie or TV show? I can't. I just can't choose one. From Carey Grant, Doris Day and Audrey Hepburn classics to the Brat Pack era to modern day movies, it's not possible to narrow to a favorite.  In terms of TV shows, I love criminal dramas and reality TV.

What is your favorite food? Definitely Tex-mex, specifally Puffy Tacos, followed closely by Italian. We found the best Italian place in Paris. LOL The Risotto and pizza was amazing!

What is your fondest childhood memory? Spending endless days and nights with my family skiing and sailing on Canyon Lake, where I grew up.

If you were a superhero, what would your name be and what power would you possess? I would absolutely love to be able to freeze time and / or re-live moments in time. That way, my kids could just stay little. Plus, there are so many moments that I’d love to experience and savor all over again. 

If you could have dinner with anyone, living or deceased, who would it be and why? My grandparents and uncle, who left this world way too early, along with my hubby and kiddos, so they could meet. I talk to my kids about these special people in my life but it would be so amazing for them to have their own memories of them.

I hope you all enjoy the projects I'm going to share with you this month.  You may just spot a few sneaks of them on my Instagram: @heatherleopard

Thanks to Suz and the October Afternoon team for having me! 

Thursday Sketch

Hi all! Alex here today bringing you this week's sketch. It's all about clouds and big titles :-)

I also wanted to play with this week's theme "In like a Lion", so I searched for inspiration on Pinterest. I fell for this one:

My layout is a combination of both:

I wrote the quote on my picture using Photoshop. If you want to know which fonts I've used, check out the post on my personal blog.

I cut out the clouds from my favorite Omelette paper from the Saturday Mornings collection. I also added a number of tiny Daily Flash pop drops stars. The lovely "smile" tin pin is from the Daily Flash Girl Talk collection. 

I cut out one of the circles from the Scones paper and decorated it with a cute little Saturday Mornings brad. Finally, I added a few strips of my favorite OA washi tape: Tropical Sherbet. 

I hope you like the sketch and the quote and that you feel inspired to play along! If you do, share your take on OA's Facebook page or connect with @octoberafternoon on Instagram. Tag me too if you'd like. I would love to see what you make! I am @agadji. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Celebrating Spring with Saturday Mornings

Hello OA fans! Melanie here today to challenge you to scrap those Spring time activities, yes you heard me right, SPRING time activities!!!!! March is finally here and hopefully it means that the beautiful weather is just around the corner, waiting to bring along all those fun activities like going to the Sugar Bush. I know this is more a Northern activity but I thought I could still share it with you. The sugar bush is a yearly tradition with my family, we plan an outing to our local Sugar Bush to enjoy maple syrup, large amounts of pancakes and taffy on snow. It was my youngest daughter’s first time tasting taffy, at first she was very skeptical and unsure of that “sticky” stuff but she quickly developed a taste for this sweet stuff and nothing could come between her and her taffy. The SaturdayMornings collection ideal to document such an activity! 

When I first sat down to create this layout I wanted to do a grid design using the Memory Card mix, after a copious amount of moving things around, I decided to go back to creating with layers, it’s what I do!  I still used with the Memory Cards but instead of using them as focal points, I used them to create layers. I also recycled a glassine bag to create a subtle layer, I collect (ok hoard!) these glassine bags, I love how they bring a touch of softness to any project. The Memory Cards were also ideal for incorporating my journaling, which I did using my vintage typewriter.

 

After establishing my layers, it was time to create clusters using the Saturday Morning Tidbits, Designer Brads, Daily Flash Chipboard Stars and Daily Flash Tin Pins. When creating clusters I will always repeat the same elements, in this case I used stars, brads and stickers. By doing so it creates a cohesive design that is intriguing but not overwhelming. Also by layering the embellishments you will create depth and dimension, which is also always eye catching.

 

 To finish my design I used the Daily Flash Roller Stamp, the OA roller stamps are my favorite in the scrapbooking industry. I always reach for my OA stamps, they have become a staple in my projects. This time I used gold ink to compliment the gold mist splatters.

 

I hope you will be able to go out and enjoy some Spring time activities! If you decide to use the Saturday Mornings collection to scrap those activities be sure to upload to the October Afternoon Flickr gallery, post it on our Facebook page, or connect with us on Instagram via #octoberafternoon.