October Afternoon

Surf City | Old with the new!

Hello again, it's Nicole Nowosad here again for my last Guest DT post here on the October Afternoon blog!

I am mixing some older October Afternoon products with new on my project today.

I couldn't resist the urge to use several patterns from the Saturday Mornings collection, mixed together with some of my favorites from my stash like Daily Flash, Sidewalks, Girl Talk, Snapshots, Boarding Pass and 9 to 5! That is a lot of collections :)

It was easy to layer and mix the patterns from these collections by creating a simple grid and layering papers together. I stitched the layers together, added my photos and then some October Afternoon embellishments. I have always loved the fun buttons by October Afternoon and used some of those on this page.

I have been hoarding this pretty floral paper and fussy cut some out and added more stitching and buttons to finish off my page.

Thank you so much for joining me this month on the blog - I hope you enjoyed my projects! Thanks to October Afternoon for having me this month!

 

ETA: Thank you Nicole for sharing your time and your talent with October Afternoon and with our fans and followers here!

February's Guest Designer | Nicole Nowosad

Good morning! My name is Nicole Nowosad and I am very excited to be guest designing for October Afternoon this month!

 

I am a full-time working mom to two boys (12, and 9) and our princess who is almost 6!  I live a busy life, and that is just how I like it.

I have been scrapbooking in one way or another for about 15 years now. If I had to describe my personal style, it would involved a few words - color, pattern and stitching. I love using pieces of paper instead of whole sheet and yes, I keep even the smallest of scraps! I have am very fortunate to be on the Design Teams for Scrapbook and Cards Today Magazine, Jillibean Soup, Silhouette, Bella Blvd and Hip Kit Club.

Q: Are you a layout person, a card person ... or both?

I mainly scrapbook layouts but do make cards also! I would say most of my creative time surrounds scrapbooking 12x12 layouts.

 Q. What is on your scrap desk right now?

 

I just switched desks, so right now there is actually nothing which is odd for me. I always have something on the go, whether it is just some Silhouette cut shapes for my next project or odd supplies that need to be tucked away.

 

Q. What is your favorite October Afternoon line or product?

 

This is acutally a tough question! I have been hoarding lots of October Afternoon, but I would say I still love Cherry Hill, Sidewalks and Snaphots the most. I love the October Afternoon floral patterns and fun B side patterned papers. I could scrap all day with just OA papers!

 

Q. What can you NOT scrapbook without?

 

Oops, I think I just answered that! Patterned paper, it is my go-to supply. I try to make everything and anything from it. Tool-wise, I would say my Silhouette Cameo. I would even give up my paper trimmer for that.

 

Q. What is your favorite source of inspiration?

 

Truthfully, I don't really look for inspo. unless I have absolutely no mojo. I don't often go into galleries, I do Pinterest though. If I am needing some mojo, I will search shapes or graphic art prints on their to peak my interest.

 

 

 

Q. What is your favorite movie or TV show?

 

Well, I am sad to admit that I have watched Days of Our Lives since I was about 12 years old... so maybe that??? But, I do LOVE Scandal!! It's my new fave. Love that Olivia Pope :)

 

Q. What is your favorite food?

 

Hands down - Pizza. I even worked in a major pizza chain for 18 years and you would think I would hate it. Nope.

 

Q. What is your fondest childhood memory?

 

Hmm, good question. When I think back to my childhood, I always recall the times my family spent camping at various places in Canada, so I will have to go with that! 

 

Q. If you were a superhero, what would your name be and what power would you possess?

 

Oh my. Hmm, Multi-Task Mama. I would possess the power to get multiple things done in a flash.

 

Q. If you could have dinner with anyone, living or deceased, who would it be and why?

 

That's easy. My deceased grandparents. There is so much to ask them, and I never had the chance.

 

 

I look forwards to being with you every Friday in February!

 

You can follow me here:

 

Blog:  Nicole Nowosad

Instagram:  http://instagram.com/nicolenowosad Username: @nicolenowosad

Facebook:  Nicole Nowosad

Twitter: Nicole Nowosad

Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/nicolenowosad/

Galleries:  http://www.scrapbook.com/galleries/469117.html

Monday Challenge: Monochromatic Tags

Hey October Afternoon Fans! Mandy Koeppen here today with this week's Monday challenge.

This week I'm challenging you to pull out those tags and grab your pattern papers of the same color and create. You could add the tag to a card, your layouts, mini albums, gifts etc. I have 4 examples for you today. yellow, red, green, and blue. As I've said many times here on the blog past and present October Afternoon collection colors always seem to mesh well together so creating monochramatic tags should be no problem. 

Here is a shot of all four tags together on the cork board.

The yellow "Thanks A Bunch" tag was created with a mix from Sasparilla to the new Daily Flash Alphas. 

"Remember tag" was created with all blues. Instead of the simple horizontal layers like the yellow tag I chose a bit of a different look with a woodgrain background and layers of circles and the blue doily. I added pop dots to give the remember some dimension too. "Baby O" the red tag was one of the first tags I created for this project. I wasn't sure where I was going but once this tag was done I was on a roll and had lots of ideas flowing: Baby showers, Birthday, Wedding, Graduation, Thank You's, etc. 

Last but not least the green "Congrats" tag for the 2014 grad. Simple layers of pattern papers and the fun new Daily Flash stickers made this a great addition to the grads gift.

These tags were really simple and easy to create. I'm sure your friends and family would love to recieve a tag from you next time. This is a great way to use up those scraps too! 

I hope I've inspired you to create some monochromatic tags and if you do please share your creations in the October Afternoon Flickr Gallery!  I'd love to see them :)

Thanks so much for stopping by!

~Mandy

Tuesday Tutorial: A Quick & Easy Stamped Background

Hey everyone! Roree here.

I have something to share with you all today. I am NOT a stamper. There... I said it. It is not some startling revelation I have made, just a fact. The problem with that statement is I love stamps. I collect them with full intentions of learning how to stamp, trying cool stamping techniques, but I just never follow through. I have so many of OA's wonderful stamp sets, but sadly I rarely ever use them. But today I am taking a step towards my dream of someday adding stamping to my list of crafting credits and I am creating a card with a quick and easy stamped background. Will you come along on my journey?

First, my supplies:

I started off with the Dude stamp set from the Daily Flash All Boy collection, an ink pad, and a panel of paper.

OA has put together a wonderful arrangement of stamps, so why mess things up? I inked the stamps directly in the package.

Then, I placed the stamp set on my paper panel:

And because I collect stamps but not all of the supplies needed to use them, I had to search through my supplies for something large and flat to press the stamps as evenly as possible. The spacer block from my Cricut Cuttlebug machine worked quite nicely!

After removing the spacer block and the stamps, here is what I was left with:

A beautiful stamped background! Now I know... some of the images aren't solid, but I wasn't expecting perfection. I am just happy I got all of the images on the paper. And I do like the way it turned out. It's just a practice panel anyway. Practice makes perfect, right?

After several more attempts, I put my practice to the test and added the stamped images to some patterned paper, added some fun embellishments, and came up with this fun card:

I just love the stamped images against the patterned background. The pattern helps take the eye away from any slight imperfections in my stamping. So does the stitching.

And the awesome embellishments from Daily Flash dress the card up and hide some of the spots in the middle where I didn't get an even pressure.

All in all, I say it was a success. And it was pretty easy too. I think you will all be seeing a little more stamping on my projects in the future. **fingers crossed that I keep it up**

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Tuesday Tutorial: 3D Christmas Ornament

Hey everyone! Roree here with a Tuesday tutorial.

With Christmas just a week away, I thought it would be fun to create an ornament for the Christmas tree. This project uses mostly paper, so you if you have a few sheets of patterned paper, you can create multiples very easily. I used the new Eggnog collection along with a few patterned papers from the Very Merry December Kit. 

Here is my ornament:

I decide to give my ornament a patchwork feel, so I could use as many of the awesome patterned papers by October Afternoon as possible.

To create my patchwork design, I started with 1/2 x 4" and 1 x 4" strips from nine different patterned papers. I adhered the strips in rows, alternating the widths of the strips and offsetting the patterns.

After I finished laying out the strips, I cut out six classic round ornament shapes using my Cricut Expression® 2 machine and the Joys of the Season cartridge. I zigzag-stitched along each strip of patterned paper and straight-stitched along the outer edges of each shape.

Then, I folded each shape in half.

I adhered each shape back to back creating a 3D circle ornament. (I used some clips to hold the shapes in place until the adhesive dried.) I then cut out some holly leaves and stitched along the outer edges.

I attached the shapes together and sewed two red buttons where they overlapped.

I finished the ornament by adhering the holly shapes to the top and adding some baker's twine for hanging.

Now the ornament is ready for the Christmas tree!

You can simplify the ornament by using solid sheets of patterned paper instead of creating a patchwork background, or you can make it fuller by adding more pieces. How simple or detailed the ornament is completely up to you.

I hope you enjoyed today's tutorial, and I hope you get a chance to try making one of your own.

Thanks so much for stopping by, and I hope you have a Merry Christmas!

Thursday Sketch: At an Angle

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

I created this sketch playing around in Photoshop:

I started with a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2" format. I kept the main design pretty simple but added the elements at an angle, running from the bottom left corner of the layout to the top right corner.

Here is the card I created using the sketch:

I stayed pretty true to sketch and went with a flower theme. I created layered flowers using my Cricut Expression® 2 machine and Freshly Picked cartridge. I used Farm Girl for the papers and sentiment sticker, Woodland Park for the border stickers, Cakewalk for the baker's twine, and Boarding Pass and 5 & Dime for the buttons.

A fun "Just Because" card to brighten someone's day. :)

Laura played along with my sketch this week, and here is the amazing card she created and what she had to say about it:

"Sketches are one of my favourite things to use when I'm short on time. I find them to be such a great starting point for projects. I adored this sketch by Roree and instantly the idea came to me to cut holes in patterned paper for the front of my card and fill them with little bits. I knew that could get quite "busy" looking so I started with a simple striped pattern paper from the Midway 8x8 Paper pad, which I adhered with foam adhesive to sit higher than the card base.  I decided to keep everything monochromatic except the main sentiment which is a fun pop of blue."

What a great way to spotlight the embellishments, don't you think?

I just love how sketches inspire creativity. You can re-create something following the sketch exactly or just use an element or two to get you started—whatever works to get you creating.

I hope you enjoyed today's sketch and the samples Laura 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.  We can't wait to see how you interpret it.

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Monday Challenge: Travel Tags Inspiration

Hey everyone! Roree here. For today's challenge, I went searching through my Pinterest boards for a fun inspiration piece and I found this:

I thought this travel tags image would work perfectly!

I was inspired by the tag shapes, the travel theme, and the font used for the airport codes, and with that in mind, I created this tag-shaped card:

I used paper, a sticker, and a tin pin from the new Travel Girl collection, the Daily Flash Summer Catch Phrase roller stamp, letter stickers from the Sasparilla collection, and a sticker from the Boarding Pass collection.

I just love the way the colors and the mix of products came together. These new collections are going to be fast favorites—I can already tell!

Vivian played along with my challenge and created a travel-themed layout. Here is what she had to say about it:

"I took inspiration from three different aspects of Roree’s inspiration piece: theme, shape, and technique. I decided to create a travel-themed layout using the new Travel Girl line (with a bit of Daily Flash thrown in). The tags in the inspiration piece included multiple city airport codes and I pulled inspiration from that in two different ways: 1) I used the B side of the Plane Ticket paper as my background, and 2) I die cut letters from black cardstock and used them as my title. I loved the look of all the different-colored tags with the open holes allowing the background to peek through.

I die-cut three tags from Travel Girl papers and used them as the main color and design elements on my layout. I loved the painted tone-on-tone look on several of the the tags in the inspiration piece and interpreted that differently on each of my three tags, using Sprinklers from the Art Box, Woodland Park, and Witch Hazel lines. I used an even coat of color on the tag on the left, adding the gray Tin Type Art Box Sprinkler over the cream-colored map. For the center tag, I used a piece of cardstock as a mask with the aqua Woodland Park Springs Sprinkler, creating a strong diagonal line. For my third tag, I sprayed the ink from further away, creating a misted look with the orange Jack-o’-Lantern Witch Hazel Sprinkler.

I cut 1.5” off the bottom of each tag and layered those pieces underneath the bottom of my photos, stamping on the orange tag with the Daily Flash Travel Catch Phrase roller stamp. I finished the layout with a Shape Sticker, two Tin Pins, a Doo-dad, and a Tidbit from the Travel Girl collection, plus a Snap Cap and a Flash Blurb from the Daily Flash Snapshots mini-collection."

Isn't is just amazing!? I absolutely love each and every detail!

I hope you enjoyed today's inspiration. If you get inspired to create a project using this inspiration piece, make sure to post it in the OA Flickr group so we can all see. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Monday Challenge: Get Those Spring Holiday Photos Scrapped!

Happy April! Vivian here with this week's Monday challenge: get those spring holiday photos scrapped! I'm finally in a spring-y mood now that our snow has melted and the daffodils, crocuses, and hyacinths are starting to bloom. I find that I often ignore spring holidays in my scrapping, probably because springtime always seems so busy and I file away the photos amidst the mayhem and then forget about them. This week's challenge gave me the jump-start I needed to pull out photos from last year. There are lots of spring holidays (St. Patrick's Day, Passover, Easter, Mother's Day, etc.), so if you're playing along, take your pick!

Nicole joined me for this week's challenge, and created this gorgeous layout with an Easter photo from her childhood:

Here are three quick tips to pull from Nicole's layout:

1. Create your own layered spring embellishments. Nicole die cut two different sizes and designs of butterflies from each of three different patterned papers, then layered and stitched them, creating a quick and easy row of stunning embellishments.

2. Use banner shapes as a shelf. Nicole cut long banner shapes from two different patterned papers and used those elements as a shelf for her main page elements (photo, title, and journaling). Banners are simple to make - just cut a triangle out of the end of a long rectangular strip of paper.

3. Design with corners. Nicole created a fun corner element in the upper left corner of her layout by layering patterned papers. She misted right below that and then echoed the misting in the bottom right corner.

I created a clean-lined layout with photos from last year's backyard egg hunt:

Here are three quick tips to pull from my layout:

1. Sometimes a blurry photo works! The picture of my kids running in opposite directions really captured their excitement and the motion of the morning.

2. Don't be afraid to use non-spring-themed or non-spring-colored products on a spring-themed layout. My kids were wearing orange and aqua so I went with it!

3. Use fun elements to draw attention to a title. After backing die cut patterned paper title with solid cardstock, I added chipboard bunnies (from the Woodland Park collection) facing toward it on either side to draw further attention to it.

So...with two layouts and six tips, hopefully there's something here that you can draw on to help you get your spring holiday photos (past or present) scrapped! We'd love to see your spring holiday layouts in our October Afternoon Flickr gallery.

I dare you....

to create a page using only 4 products! Becky and Amy here today with a challenge for you. Here are the "rules":

We're giving you a few freebies: scissors, writing pen and adhesive. You pick 4 additional products to make a page. 

From Amy: Becky’s challenge was just that for me - a challenge!! I never knew I relied so heavily on so many different types of product/mediums when creating a page. I didn’t even sew on this page (gasp!) and for me that’s a big deal. I didn’t thread my buttons or anything. 

The four “things” I chose to work with were patterned paper, ribbon from the Miscellany packs, buttons and alpha stickers. I found myself really struggling to make my page flow in a way that I thought it needed to. Finally after lots of experimentation, I was able to get a design I am happy with. I’m especially happy with the how the colors work together. Both the ribbon and the buttons became integral elements in the design, both in creating attention and in toning down attention (as in the yellow ribbon over the plaid paper in the bottom left corner) which is something I’m really happy with. I didn’t need to sew on it after all. :)

Here's her awesome page!

I adore the color mix! 

So pretty! 

My 4 items were: 

sewing machine

pattern paper

paper distresser

alpha stickers

I hope this challenge pushes you to try something new! We'd love to see your projects on the OA Flickr gallery.  Thanks for participating!

Thursday Sketch: Collaged Elements

Looking for a fun way to use lots of embellishments? If so, today's sketch is for you! Brought to you by Vivian, with added genius from Danni, today's sketch features collaged clustered elements topping a photo and journaling/title block:

I used this sketch to create a layout with the Boarding Pass line, collaging pieces from the Miscellany pack with chipboard embellishments, a sticker from the 12 X 12 sticker sheet, and a bit of patterned paper:

Danni used today's sketch to create this fun card featuring the Sasparilla line:

I love how she scaled the collage to work on a card by using label stickers and word stickers along with three-dimensional embellishments. Here's a close-up of that portion of the card:

Adding a rub-on in place of the title in the sketch is also a fun way to interpret the sketch for a card:

So...get out all of those embellishments you've been hoarding and create a collage! We'd love to see your interpretations of this sketch, so please post your work to our October Afternoon Flickr gallery if you create something!