October Afternoon

Designer's Choice - Summer Mini Album

Summer is combination of busy, lazy, active, fun, and time together.  And it also goes by fast.  I was thinking of a way to print and save photos to scrap for later, but then I thought why not do a mini album.  Mini albums don't have to be complicated or take a long time.  If you have an hour or less, you will have something to hold in your hands that documents your summer.

1.  Using an October Afternoon protector with 2" square pockets, cut a square from it.  Be sure to cut along the outside of the seams.

2.  You now have a  pocket with four 2" square pockets.

3.  Cut a piece of pattern paper to 10"x4.5" and score and fold at 5".

4.  Use the cut protector holes as a guide to punch holes in your folder cover.

5.  Using a light grey ink, stamp and repeat 'summertime' all over the cover.  TIP:  use a punched star to help mask when stamping over parts of the sun.

6.  Using a one pocket October Afternoon protector, fuse it to create a smaller pocket the same size as your four pocket page.  TIP:  Use your cut four pocket protector as a guide for size.

7.  Trim along the outside of your fusing (seam).

8.  Fill with a cut out card or the pre-made card from the Summertime collection.  Add punched shapes to the pocket.  TIP:  Add baby powder to stickers to add as 'confetti' to your pocket as well.  

I used a total of two 2" pockets and 2 full size pockets to make my album in order to have a total of 6 pages.  Three square and three with 4 pockets.  Here's how it came out.  I added some black paint splatters, let dry, and the added the the embellishments and stitching to the cover.

I used ribbon to bind the album together.  I stapled the June, July and August labels to each opening page (the square one pocket protector).

The pattern of the album pages is one square pocket protector with a cut out card or pre-made October Afternoon card, then the four pocket protector.

Here's a close up of the added sequins, punched shapes and sticker.  I fused this card in so it wouldn't move, but I decided on the next two like this to leave it loose.  This will give you an idea of what both look like.

The cut out cards in this pocket were adhered together before I slipped them in the pocket and fused.  This could also be a great place to add journaling.

I am saving my last four pocket page for my August photos.

I wanted all four pockets to be filled with photos, but another idea is to leave some without photos and add more pattern papers or cut out cards.  You could also add some stickers to those pockets.  This album doesn't have bulky embellishments, so it lies flat.  You could also easily add more pages.  The Summertime collection was perfect for my album.

I hope you give this a try, and post to our October Afternoon Flickr group, Facebook Page or connect with us on Instagram.  Be sure to use the hashtag #octoberafternoon and tag me so I can see!    

OA Summertime: Summer Check List 2015

Hello! It's Jennifer with my last guest post this month for October Afternoon!  It's been so fun to create projects with OA's awesome products!  Today, I'm sharing a Daily Flash Album I created using the new Summertime collection listing my family's "must-do" list for summer! 

 

I love the white dots with aqua on the "Swimming Pool" print paired with the bright yellow on the B side of "Puffy Clouds"!  The cute flamingo sticker from the Double Take Daily Flash sheet makes a perfect accent for the front of my album!  I used the Grey Flannel Chipboard Alphas and Date Stickers for my title.  To finish, I added a doily and bakers twine from my stash :)

 

Each Daily Flash Album comes with a variety of 6x8 pocket pages so you can mix and match your photos and  coordinating Summertime embellishments!  I layered one of the Memory Cards on patterned paper for my journaling, as well as added stickers to accent.  I love that the Date Stickers give you multiples of each number...and they are just the right size!  

 

I am a big fan of roller stamps so I was thrilled to see OA had released the Summer Catch Phrase stamp! You have twelve summery phrases to choose from!  

The Tin Pins are a great embellishment to add to photos (as I did here) or along side some journaling!  You receive 6 adorable pins in each pack!  

The light string sticker is so cute and I used it to "hang" across my square!  Also included in the collection are Little Labels that are perfect for layering or to jot down some journaling!  I used one to highlight number two on my list: cooking out!  I love this photo of our dog Max trying to "help" my husband cook! LOL

The 2x2 squares are so "on-trend" and this pocket page is full of them! I used "Swimming Pool" again along with the mini dots on the B side of "Backyard Lights" and embellished a few. The A side of "Green Grass" is nothing but 2x2 squares of fun summer sayings so cut out my favorites!   It was also fun to cut my photo into squares to fit my page! 

The Memory Cards as well as pieces from the " Blue Skies" sheet fit perfect into the 4x4 slots! Or you can layer coordinating embellishments onto patterned paper as I did in the lower right hand corner.  

 

One of my favorite things to do in pocket pages is to create a "see-through" area by adding in tiny embellishments such as sequins and wood veneer shapes!  I then use my sewing machine to stitch around the edges to secure.  I love the way this looks!  

I have a large collection of the Daily Flash Alpha Stickers! They are perfect for your titles as I did here for #6! I used pieces from the "Blue Skies" sheet for my inserts.    

To mix things up, my last page is a full 6x8 which is like creating a mini layout! It's always fun to load up on the patterned papers and do lots of layering!  

 

Thanks so much for stopping by today!  Hope this inspires you to make your own summer bucket list!   Thank you again to October Afternoon for having me as their guest this month!  

Have a wonderful day! 

New Designer Spotlight: Sasha Farina and Patricia Roebuck

 Every Friday this month we will be introducing you to the new members of the October Afternoon Design Team! Today, we have the talented Sasha Farina and Patricia Roebuck. 

SASHA FARINA

 

Hey everyone!

I'm Sasha Farina and I'm beyond excited to be joining the October Afternoon family. I live in Singapore with my husband and two (not so) little girls. I started scrabooking in September 2006. Jumped in with both feet and still loving it! 

Are you a layout person, card person, or both?

Layouts. Have always been, will always be, I think.

How would you describe your style? 

I don't feel like I have a certain style, not yet. I like to play so I try to have fun while creating - that's the most important thing. If it's not fun, it's not worth doing and I might as well be folding laundry. LOL.

Here are some layouts I created a while ago. 

 

Be Happy. This layout was made with a kit from Blinks Of Life.

 

I

Meeting Milo. This layout was made with a kit from Studio Calico.

True Story. I am strong. I made this just for fun :) and because I cannot get enough of the Pop Drops from October Afternoon! :D

What is on your scrap desk right now?

Nothing. My desk is clean as of now. That only means I'm getting ready to do some serious scrapping. I always feel the need to clean my scrap area before I start anything. 

What is a favorite tool or product you cannot scrapbook without?

Right now, I'm crazy about roller stamps. Phrases and date stamps are always making their way onto my layouts lately. I also love hand and machine stitching + brads!

What is your favorite October Afternoon line?

 Um.. this is like asking me to pick a favorite child! I love them all!

What is your favorite source of inspiration?

People inspire me. People also annoy me a lot. (haha! sorry, that's the truth!) I'm not really a people person. I like people watching. Talking? Not so much. 

What is your favorite movie or book?

I'm a hopeless romantic. Give me romance and I will watch and read everything. Right now, I'm binge-reading everything Nora Roberts. I checked out 10 of her books from the library and am at book number 8 right now. :D

What is your favorite food?

I thought long and hard about this because I love my food! Then I remembered this photo from my Instagram feed. LOL. Indian food has my heart. 

What is a favorite childhood memory? 

Spending time with my maternal grandfather. He passed away when I was 13 and I still miss him everyday. 

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

No one in particular. I'm fine with eating alone. Am I weird? I hope not. 

 ___________________________________________________________

PATRICIA ROEBUCK

Hello Everyone!

I am Patricia Roebuck, from Mandeville, Louisiana.  I started learning about scrapbooking in 2007 to do an album after the adoption of our daughter.  I can't seem to stop, and have been creating since.  I am still pinching myself to be with the October Afternoon family.

Are you a layout person, card person, or both?

Layouts, for sure.  But my Project Life album is my favorite.  And cards?  Well, they are something I now love to do as well.  So I do it all!

How would you describe your style? 

I really don't know that I have one.  I do love color, texture, and design, so I will usually have those in whatever it is I am creating.

I do know my style is eclectic.  white space, pattern paper, mixed media, graphic...I love it all.  So depends on my mood.

What is on your scrap desk right now?

Like Sasha, mine is freshly cleaned up and ready to start more projects. 

What is a favorite tool or product you cannot scrapbook without?

I really love the tiny attacher stapler, roller stamps, and the sewing machine.  But I do love my Silhouette Cameo.

What is your favorite October Afternoon line?

Seriously?  I have been OAs best customer.  But I will admit my most favorite was Witch Hazel.

What is your favorite source of inspiration?

Pinterest, shopping (store windows, emails from companies, clothing designs), and other scrappers.  I usually take photos as I shop and/or take a screen shot of emails that inspire me.  I have used several as starting points for layouts. 

What is your favorite movie or book?

My recent favorite movie was Maleficent.  I am currently...still reading Game of Thrones.  But my all time favorite books are Harry Potter.

What is your favorite food?

Mexican.  I could live on chips and salsa. 

What is a favorite childhood memory? 

That goes really far back.  LOL  Let's see, this is silly.  Watching the Lawrence Welk show with my Mom and Dad.  We were a musical family, all 4 kids played music.  I was on the quest to discover what I would play.  I picked the clarinet. 

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

Both of my parents, so they could meet their grand daughter.

We can't wait to see what fun projects Sasha and Patricia create!!  Stay tuned next Friday to meet a couple more new members of our fabulous Design Team!

Monday Challenge: Quick + Easy Ongoing Albums

Today we are featuring the Daily Flash system's potential to help make the capturing and/or recording of ongoing events a quick and easy process. Maybe, as Amy did, you have school photos piling up year after year and have never taken the time to include them in your scrapbooks. Perhaps, as I (Vivian) did, you never get around to recording the trips you take as a family. Or, it may be that you have endless photos of soccer seasons, or birthdays, or date nights, etc.

Here's where Daily Flash comes in. The Daily Flash system includes 6" x 8" albums and pocket inserts with various page formats:

Our challenge to you today is to pick an ongoing topic you haven't yet recorded, and, using the Daily Flash system, develop a double-page spread model you can easily follow to get those memories recorded. Amy and I are sharing our designs to help get you started.

First up is Amy's school photos album:

Here's what Amy had to say about this challenge and her album: "When Vivian described to me the thoughts on this week's challenge I was very excited. I've been meaning for some time now to create a book of each of my kid's annual school photos and this was just the push I needed to get started! I chose to create one side of my spread with a large version (5x7") of my kids' photos along with the opposite spread being the sleeve with the 4x6 slot at the bottom and two 2x3" sleeves at the top. This provides me with a spot for each year's class photo (resized to 4x6") some journaling and a filler card, if needed for that year. Because of all the colors in the two photos, I decided on a basic black, red and turquoise color palette to pull the spread together on both sides. Thanks so much, Vivian for this fun challenge! I look forward to keeping up with my school photos book for years to come!"

As Amy moves forward, she now has a simple design that she can follow to include each year's school photos, and those memories will be captured for her and for her son for years to come. I need to take a cue from her and get a school photos album created!

I had a good chuckle when Amy sent me her images, as I used a very similar color palette to create the two-page spread for my family trip album:

Like Amy, I used as one of my pages the one that includes two 3" x 4" slots and one 4" x 6" slot. The other page includes twelve 2" x 2" slots. I decided that for each trip's double-page spread I would journal key details about the trip on one 3" x 4" piece of white cardstock and add three key memories, each on a 2" x 2" piece of white cardstock. I also created a photo formula: one 3" x 4" family photo, one 4" x 6" scenic photo, one favorite 4" x 6" photo, and three more favorite photos, sized to 2" x 2". I added Daily Flash stickers and die cuts to embellish my photos and journaling blocks. With this quick and easy formula in place, I can't wait to create pages for our other family trips, and am even considering using the same format for the trips my husband and I take on our own.

We hope we've inspired you to consider creating an ongoing album, whatever your topic of choice may be! Please post album pages to our October Afternoon Flickr gallery so we can admire your work!

Tuesday Tutorial: Camp Diary

Hello OA fans! It's Mandy bringing you a step by step tutorial on how I created this little mini "Camp Diary" that I made for my daughter who will be leaving for 5th grade camp next week.

With no form of communication for a week and  the fact that she can only take a disposable camera with her I thought sending a little book for her to record daily events would be a fun way for her to remember and share her week at camp with us once she's back home. After I was finished creating this I shared it with Teagan and she thought it was a nifty idea and was so excited to put the diary in her camp bag. Shall we get started with the tutorial? Let's.

Here are the supplies I gathered: Pattern paper, page protectors, memory cards, alphas, and adhesive.

Step 1: Cut Pattern paper 3.5x7inches. Fold in half.

Step 2: Cut the SL-1073 - 6x8 Sleeve for 3x3 in the highlighted area below. TIP:cut just below or to the other side of the dotted pocket lines. You will have 2 sets of 2 pockets 6x3. Don't cut the 3x3 pockets apart because we will be stitching the middle to attach the protectors to the pattern paper cover.

 

You'll end up with a stack like this.

Step 3: Stack the page protectors in the middle of the pattern paper cover. Stitch the protectors to the cover. TIP: To keep your protectors in place use a paper clip to hold them in the right spot. 

Once stitched the book will look like this.

Step 4: For the inside pages I used a mix of pattern papers cut to 3x3 and memory cards. These will be easy to for Teagan to pull in and out to journal on. 

Step 6: Create cover title with alpha stickers and flash blurbs. Adhere to front cover. 

Step 7: Cut SL-1075 - 6x8 Sleeve for 4x4 so that you have a 4x4 pocket to tuck the book into. I thought this would be the best place for Teagan to keep her diary when she's not writing in it. 

the mini in the protector pocket. 

As you can see in the above photo I added washi tape over the stitching and making a "fake" binding. 

There are many other supplies you can substitute in the tutorial to make your project sturdier. Since Teagan's book isn't real sturdy that is another reason I chose the protector pocket to keep the book in. 

I hope I've inspired you to create one of these fun little books for your child to keep his or her memories in. 

Have a great day!

Mandy 

Very Merry December Kit Inspiration

Good morning, Mandy here with you to share more December Kit inspiration with all of you, using the Very Merry December Kit. It's the middle of the month and this kit has me still going strong. This will be the first year in awhile that I will finally have a finished book on December 31st. How is your album coming along? I hope you're having fun however you are documenting your December and if by chance you are in a rut or feeling stuck I think you'll find some inspiration in today's post as I share more pages from Mou, Jill, and my Very Merry December albums. 

The first pages I'm sharing with you this week are from December 10th. I've included a flyer from Victoria Secret along with my shopping receipt. I used my cameo to cut the glitter paper(not included in the kit). The right side is a one of the 2x2 pocket page protectors which is great for documenting our Elves daily shenanigans. There are 12 pockets on front and back perfect for the 24 days leading up to Christmas when the Elves return to the North Pole. As the month goes on I remove the October Afternoon 2x2 papers and replace with the Elves photos. On the Right I cut down a larger page protector to 4.5x 6 for this photo from Gpa's Birthday lunch date. The back of the photo of Gpa's Birthday lunch has a personal note so I'm skipping pages. I've finally started Christmas shopping this past week so of course it had to be documented. I also had a dinner/shopping date with my lil sis Jessie. We always have to take some goofy photos when together so I made those photos into a photo strip in photoshop. I cut down another page protector just for the photo strip then added the glitter heart cut with the cameo and the tab. The left page in this photo is our Charlie Brown tree with a digital brush added to it. The right is another page protector cut down for a 4x6 photo. The photo has another digi stamp with journaling done in photoshop. I attached one of the cute tabs from the Very Merry Kit with my tiny attacher.To cover up the tiny attacher staples I just adhered another tab on the back of the other tab. Keeping it pretty aimple as you can see. 

 

Next up is Jill. 

Here is what Jill had to say about her pages this week: "This album has been invaluable in helping me to capture "freeze frame" moments as the days of December fly by me. To ensure that I can keep up with the album, I've tried to keep my process fluid and my page design flexible. At times, the layouts are photo-heavy, but at others, the journaling is featured more prominently.  The Very Merry December kit is full of fun bits and pieces that make compiling this album a real treat!"

Last but not least at Mou's pages.

Mou says: "Having fun recording the little details of December. I'm including receipts, cards, gift notes, ribbons, etc. in the pockets too. I used one of the glassine bags from the kit to hold small mementos and attached the bag to the page." 

Thanks so much for joining us today, I hope you are having a merry December too!

~Mandy

Very Merry December Kit Inspiration

Good morning, Danni here with you to share some more December Kit inspiration with all of you, using the Very Merry December Kit.  Today, I am sharing pages eleven and twelve of my album and the journaling page. 

 

page ELEVEN

 I wanted to "label" some of the embellies included in the kit that I have been really happy to use.  They are perfect for so many ideas and the cut outs, cut aparts, label stickers and felt, make creating so much fun

 

 

Journaling page on vellum

 

 

page TWELVE

 

 

I knew I wanted to create a snowglobe for this pic of my two middles.  You can see the picture of them through the vellum IRL

 

 

 

The one thing I've learned this year doing this album, is that it's truly preserving this very special time for my family and design should be fun, not pressure-filled, not perfect, just fun.  I love that all the cut outs and patterns and embellies allow you to embellish as much or as little as you want to on any given day.  I can't wait to see your pages start to fill our OA Flickr Gallery

happy creating♥

Danni

Very Merry December Album pages

Hi everyone, Mou here with Jill and Mandy for more pages ideas from our Very Merry December albums.

There's so much to share, I'll just go straight to the photos. First up are my pages...

It was so much fun to print this mini 2 x 2 photos for these pockets. I cut a square from the green felt and added my stamped date to it.

And of course, many businesses have special holiday bags... I put one from Panera Bread here and treated it as a baclground page.

Feel free to use stickers/packages. I used one from the cookie packet here.

 Next, I have Jill's pages

Jill says, "As I work on adding more pages to my album, I am finding that the Very Merry December kit, paired with the Daily Flash protectors, facilitates a simple yet festive approach to scrapping the holidays. Filling the pockets is never a challenge! 

 

Even the bags containing kit accents have been put to use in my album. I trimmed one of the glassine bags to fit a pocket, added a swatch of fabric and some punched confetti to the bag, and then stitched around it. Over it, I layered some die-cut trees and one of my daily Advent words, "notice." 

 

And last but not the least are Mandy's pretty pages.

 

 

 

 

 

Mandy says, "I have to say it again I LOVE the pocket pages that are included in the Very Merry December kit. I think one of the things that is really making this project work for me is that I am keeping this book totally me instead of doing what so and so or the other girl does I still keep it me, my style. I've added bits and pieces from my stash(like older OA numbers, glitter paper, vellum) which will be listed on my blog tomorrow. Right now my book isn't looking very Christmasy yet, it's more day to day stuff because we are just starting to get into the spirit. I finally have my shopping started, the tree is going up this week, and maybe a trip to see Santa Paws for my boxergirls. Next week I'll be sharing how I'm including the daily craziness of our 2 elves Bernard and Eddie in this book."

 

Loving how everyone's albums are coming together in their own unique styles! Hope your Very Merry december albums are coming along beautifully this year :)  

 

Very Merry December Album Pages

December is finally here! Today Jill, Mou, and myself will be sharing the first few pages of our Very Merry December Albums with you. 

First let's start with Jill's beautiful album.Here's some insight into Jill's album creating in her words :

The first twenty-four days of the month are dedicated to the season of Advent, and I have come up with a focal word to guide my journaling each day.  A full explanation of my approach to journaling (as well as the full list of words that I will be using this December) may be found on my blog. 

Each album page includes a focal word and the journaling related to it,  as well as a photo taken that day. The Daily Flash album pages will allow me to vary the design as the days go by, since they come in a variety of styles. I'm also working in some holiday ephemera, such as the photo of the peppermint bark seen in the sidebar.  It was taken from the first of the holiday catalogs that we will receive this December. 

I stamped over the negative space left behind after die-cutting letters, added strips of tape to peek through the negative space, and then stitched around the block. 

Next we have the fabulous first four pages of Mou's album.

Here's what Mou had to say about her album:

I'm having fun! My first 4 pages are now done and ideas are wiggling around in my head about how I'll fill out the rest of the album. I am staying mainly with the kit, just adding a couple of sheets of cream cardstock for stamping and cutting out accents. And I couldn't resist this pack of translucent sequins. 

The kit products will blend great with any other things you want to add from your stash such as paints, buttons, etc. I hope you are playing along!

I'm keeping my album pretty simple adding a few things here and there. I'm sticking mainly with the kit but adding a few items and I will share that information on my blog.

 

I've changed things up a little bit so that my album will be different from years past(and will be completed by January 1st). This year I'm focusing on the everyday life along with the Holiday season because we don't do something Christmas related daily and my album will also include the days following Christmas. 

I really love the mix of page protectors you get in the Very Merry December kit but you'll see as the days go on this month I cut them down, stitch them together, and put my own spin on them making them work for the kind of documenting I need.

There are many,many different approaches to creating a Very Merry December album. No matter what route you take, enjoy the process! ~Mandy 

"My Great Adventure" album from Debby Schuh

Check out this amazing album our friend Debby Schuh put together for some of her upcoming classes with tons of October Afternoon Travel Girl:

 

Here’s what Debby has to say about it:

 “Life is an adventure – whether traveling far from home… or venturing out on a road trip… or enjoying getaway time with girlfriends, there are so many stories to tell with the photos and “stuff” you collect along the way. This adorable 7” x 8 ½” album using the new Travel Girl collection from October Afternoon features their versatile new Daily Flash page protector assortment for a modular “daily life” approach to documenting your adventure.”

We are so excited to see our new Daily Flash page protector’s paired with Travel Girl on such a wonderful project.

Interested in making one of these bad boys for yourself? Hop on over to Debby’s blog to check her class schedule. Can't make it to a class? You can buy a kit from a store and have it sent directly to you! The kits include directions and color photos to help you create this wonderful album in the comfort of your own home. Or your friends home. Or your local scrapbook shop workroom!

A big thanks to Debby for letting us share this awesome album!