October Afternoon

Designer Challenge | Mix Old and New Collections

It is really hard to pick a favorite line from October Afternoon, but I will admit that I am still hoarding every last piece of the Witch Hazel collection!  I picked another new collection to see how well I could mix the old and new collections together.  Here's what I came up with!

Each tag is made up of two tags, one larger and one smaller using a combination of pattern paper from Saturday Mornings and cardstock.  By having one larger and one smaller tag layered on top of each other, it really made creating the layered look super quick and fun!  You can see here on my little girl witch, the Saturday Mornings Toast paper and Coffee paper.  Then I just layered the little girl witch, the poison label from Witch Hazel, and added the spoon and fork from Saturday Mornings!  For any part of the stickers that hang off, I applied a brush of baby powder to them to take away the stickiness. 

 

Next, is the star witch herself!  You may not be able to see the stitching from the front, but on each tag, I did a zig zag stitch in black thread.  I did this for texture and to have the strings hang loose.  I also added the same stitching to the ephemera witch card I used under Witch Hazel here on this tag.  Peeking behind the top white tag, you can see I used part of the tree sticker, and behind that is the same Saturday Mornings Coffee pattern paper from the first tag.  To finish her off, I just added the chipboard "BEWARE!".

I had to work in one of the little kids from the Saturday Mornings Syrup paper.  I think this paper would be perfect for a Halloween layout as well.  I loved the cat from the ephemera pack, but since I wanted that paper to show, I trimmed just the cat part of that card to adhere on either side of my tag.  I still have the letter stickers from the Witch Hazel collection so added "boo," then finished it off with a chipboard button, and stickers from the collection.  Then added the cloud sticker from Saturday Mornings.  You can see more of the stitching here since I didn't layer too much on top.

Each tag is finished with a simple bow in black to attach to treats for my daughter's teachers.  I would buy every piece of this collection again I think.  And I love how well it works with Saturday Mornings.  Hope you are inspired to pull out your stash of OA collections and see what you can come up with.  I would love to see!  Be sure to upload your work to the October Afternoon Flickr gallery, post it on our Facebook page, or connect with us on Instagram via #octoberafternoon.  Hope you have a great week!

Thursday Sketch: A Gathering Place

Happy Thursday! It's Jill here, bringing you this week's sketch. This one has lots of room for photos and journaling. 

In fact, it's a great sketch to use if you're planning a page that pulls together lots of little photos related to a single topic. Here's your chance to gather together those candids of your cat (you know you have millions -- and you know I'm not exaggerating) or the slew of bathroom selfies that you're not brave enough to reprint as large photos, or, as in my case, tons of pictures of the weather. 

It's been a crazy last 30 days around here, what with brush fires, 100% humidity, drought conditions giving way to sudden but short-lived rainstorms, record-breaking temperatures, flash floods, vog, and three (count 'em -- three!) category four hurricanes surrounding the state of Hawai'i at the same time. The series of photos taken over the course of the past month documents this meteorological madness. 

The page includes a mix of October Afternoon favorites, including Daily Flash chipboard and papers from the Saturday Mornings and Summertime collections. 

I pulled together photos depicting the landscape and skies over the past month, and sized the photos to 1" x 1" before printing them. On the layout, I give the photos a little boost by backing them with 1.25" x 1.25 squares of patterned paper, and placed the gathering of photos over three weather-themed patterns. The sketch allows for lots of journaling space, but I created even more space by overlapping the photos with journaling strips. 

I'd love to see your take on this sketch! Be sure to link me up in the comments below, and/or add your page to the October Afternoon Flickr gallery! 

Thanks for stopping by today!

 -- Jill 

Monday Challenge: Inspiration Right Under Your Nose

You hear it all the time, "inspiration is everywhere."  I think sometimes it isn't a problem finding the inspiration as it is interpreting or just actually committing and doing it!  As I was planning my week and projects, I just happened to notice how pretty the box of Kleenex sitting on the counter was.  I almost didn't give it a second thought.  

I thought the shapes looked like leaves and almost used them in a different way then clustering them for a background.  That can be for another layout!  After I cut the background, I used Saturday Mornings pattern paper and Apple Cider pattern paper to fill in the background cuts.

Since the colors were Fall and my photo was about school, I used the Apple Cider puffy pillows, Milk Money Stickers, Stamps, Daily Flash Stamps, and Public Library embellishments.

And last but not least, since it inspired the layout, here is the box of Kleenex! 

I really hope you not only find inspiration right under your nose, but make the time to create something with that inspiration!  I would love to see what you create.  Hope to see your project uploaded to either the October Afternoon Flickr gallery,  our Facebook page, or connect with us on Instagram via #octoberafternoon.

Monday Challenge: Create a Scene

Hey everyone! Roree here with a Monday challenge for you.

As I was browsing about Pinterest one day, I came across this pin:

Image via Pinterest

I immediately fell in love with the little cityscape at the top of the image. I thought it would be fun to create my own little scene on a card (and I did!). Here is what I came up with:

For the base of my scene, I used a journaling card from the Summertime Memory Cards pack. I used cloud stickers from the Saturday Mornings Shape Stickers sheet and hand cut a house and tree from Summertime Puffy Clouds, Heat Wave, and Green Grass patterened papers and Treasure Map Moby Dick Isle patterned paper.

I completed the scene with a few cross stitches and a Summertime Double Take heart sticker and Treasure Map Designer Brad.

I added the scene to a Treasure Map Moby Dick Isle patterned paper card base and used Daily Flash Clover "Storybook" Flash Alphas and a Daily Flash Snapshots Double Take tab sticker to create a title.

I finished the card with some machine stitching and a bit of baker's twine from the Sasparilla Wrap Pack.

If you would like to take on today's challenge and create a scene on 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!

Thursday Sketch with Suz

Hello everyone! Suz back with you with today's #oasketchday Sketch Challenge!

This week's sketch was inspired by the "A" Side of the Scones patterned paper from the Saturday Mornings collection here.

 

In particular, the bottom left image (the one with the "9") is what I drew my inspiration from.

Here is the sketch that I derived from my design. I actually worked a bit backwards this time and created my card and then the sketch design.

The card design uses one of my favorite design principles; repetition.

 

 

If you look closely, you can see several ways I incorporated repetition--the repeating sentiments, repeating colors, repeating stars/stellar/sunburst shapes, circles, etc. Repetition just adds cohesiveness and makes the whole creation come together for the most visual impact. And is it just me or do any of you see a gum ball machine/snow globe/fortune teller glass or a Star Wars X-Wings aircraft depending upon how you look at it?! No, ok, well then, I guess it's just me! LOL

I cut out a portion of the Scone patterned paper and flipped it over to reveal the B side (pink and taupe-grey pinwheels). Then I machine stitched for a bit of dimension. I added a bit of stamping using some stamps designed by the lovely and talented Jessy Christopher and a bit of my own printing and handwriting. 3D adhesive was used to pop my central element up ("YAY" circle stamp-a bit imperfectly distressed (user error) but I went with it) and then a triangle stamp was used to draw the eye into this element. The "21" stamp is from a Cocoa Daisy kit.

I used items from both the Treasure Map and Saturday Mornings collection as well as some Pop Drops from Daily Flash - Eggnog.

Treasure Map: Side B of Siren's Point, Treasure Map - The Ocean Blue - Label Stickers 

If you decide you want to create using this sketch as a jumping off point, please use the hashtag #oasketchday when sharing on Instagram and tag me @suzmannecke so I can see!

No Instagram account? No worries! You can post on our OA Facebook wall, OA Flickr Gallery, or link your creation up in the comment section below. (Please note, comments are moderated, so your comment will not post immediately).

Have a great remainder of your week! Be sure to check back in tomorrow when our August Guest is announced! ;) 

Tuesday Inspiration: Summery Hues

Happy Tuesday! It's the height of summer, and like me, you may have accumulated your fair share of beach and pool photos by now. No beach or pool photos? You can still be inspired by this palette of summery hues. 

Source: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 

During a recent beach trip, I left the "good" camera at home and had to make do with the camera on my phone. The result? Some imperfect photos, with way too much sun -- but I still loved them. I took one of my favorites and played with some filter effects, and then printed a group of four. The photos found their way onto this layout that incorporates oceanic hues and patterns from the Summertime, Treasure Map, Saturday Mornings, and Daily Flash collections. 

The fact that there is so much light obscuring my face makes the photos imperfect, but through this imperfection, I found the perfect idea for the journaling. 

So much of the beachy feel of this page is due to the stamping. I started the page on a sheet of white 12 x 12 cardstock. First I stamped the Saturday Mornings "Clouds" stamp across the top of the page, and then I used the Daily Flash All Boy "Dude" wave stamp and various shades of blue across the bottom of the page. I then lightly spritzed over the stamping with aqua and mint green mist, to intensify the color. 

The middle of the page serves as a buffer between sky and sea. I cut small patterned squares from papers in the Treasure Map and Summertime collections, and embellished them with stickers and stitching. 

I had such fun using these colors and patterns to give my imperfect photos the perfect home. 

Feeling inspired, too?  Share your projects in the October Afternoon Flickr gallery. We'd love to see them! 

Thanks for stopping by today! 

-- Jill 

Monday Challenge: Mixing Collections

Happy Monday! Suz back with you today with a simple challenge; create something that uses at least two October Afternoon collections in it.

So, I don't know about you, but my "lazy, hazy crazy days of summer" have been more "crazy" than "lazy" or "hazy."  We have had many graduations and Sweet 16 birthdays in our family and amongst our friends, so that meant lots of card making for me!

 

Here is a card that I created for this challenge:

 

For this card I used the Treasure Map, Saturday Mornings, and Daily Flash collection. Tip: To add a bit of dimension, I used some baby powder to the back of the anchor sticker from the Treasure Map Shape Stickers sheet in areas that I wanted to add some dimension and depth to. The baby powder gets rid of the tackiness of the sticker. Then I placed some 3d foam adhesive to both sides of the bottom of the arrow. 

 After layering my patterned papers and border stickers following the "pint -quart-gallon rule of design, I then added the "Ahoy" brad, sentiment sticker, and enamel red Pop Drop stars to complete my card.

 

The inside sentiment reads: "Hope your birthday is smooth sailing!" I typed the sentiment on a Treasure Map Label Sticker with my vintage typewriter.

 

Items used to create this card: Treasure Map Journal Cards (star pattern),Treasure Map Crow's Nest patterned paper, Treasure Map Ocean Blue Label Sticker (for inside sentiment), Treasure Map Shape Stickers (anchor and "anchors aweigh"), Treasure Map Designer Brad ("ahoy"), Treasure Map Border Stickers, Daily Flash Eggnog Pop Drops (stars), Saturday Mornings Pancakes patterned paper (side B; woodgrain), 

 

If you play along with this challenge, please link us up on Instagram with #oadesignerchallenge and tag us @octoberafternoon. Or, you can share on our OA Flickr Gallery, or on our OA Facebook wall.

Have a great week!

 

Thursday Sketch with Sasha and Jill

Hello everyone!

How's your summer coming along? The girls and I have the whole month of June off school and work. A month sounded like forever when we discussed it in May, but now, we're already in the last week of our holiday! Time flies when you're having fun they say? So true!

Here's the sketch for this week :

I used that bold B side of Fresh Fruit PP as a background and cut apart my white cardstock before stitching them back together on top of it. I've done this before and will be doing this again for sure. I love how you can see bits and pieces of the background paper through the gaps. 

 

I finished my layout with some a variety of embellishments from Summertime, an old brad from Travel Girl collection, an arrow chipboard and of course, a sprinkling of colors all over my layout. 

Okay, let's move on to Jill's fabulous layout. I am seriously head over heels in love with this one. Jill rocked that sketch I must say!! I need to scraplift this!

  

Jill said "I don’t often use diagonal lines in my scrapbooking, because I have such trouble getting them to work for me. I never know where to place items in relation to the diagonal. You won’t be surprised to learn, then, that when I first set eyes on Sasha’s sketch, I was a little nervous. However, I trust Sasha’s design sense, and rightfully so, because this sketch makes using diagonal lines a breeze!  The way that Sasha’s sketch gathers the title, subtitle, and accent at the point where the lines meet prompted me to move the photo block even lower, creating a cluster at the point of intersection.  I took my color cues from the photos of my daughter receiving her diploma, using a mix of yellow, white, and black; the darkness of the photos is counterbalanced by the bright and lively patterns from the Summertime collection. To anchor the photos and journaling, I used a couple of journaling cards from the Saturday Mornings collection. Daily Flash chipboard letters and shapes add dimension to the page. Thanks, Sasha, for pushing me out of my comfort zone with this sketch. There is no way I could have created this page without your impeccable design sense guiding me! "

I hope you will give this sketch a spin! If you do, I'm @sashafarina on Instagram, feel free to tag me when/if you upload your layout. I usually post sneaks and my layouts with #octoberafternoon in the description. You can also share your creations with us via the October Afternoon Flickr Gallery.

Happy scrapping!

Inspired by Citrus Slices

Hi everyone! Alex here today with a fun inspiration piece I found on Pinterest. I fell in love with the arrangement and colors of these citrus slices.

I wanted to print it and use it as it is for my background, but that wouldn't be much fun, would it? Instead, I followed the arrangement of the slices and created this Silhouette Studio cut file which you can download HERE. 

And here is the layout I made using the cut file and some gorgeous Summertime and Daily Flash All Boy.

 

I wanted to scrap this photo of the little man for some time, but until now I didn't have the right shade of green in my stash. Thank you OA for this beautiful Fresh Fruit Summertime paper! 

I let most of the slices be white on white (which I love!), but just to mix it up a bit I backed some of them with pieces of the Green Grass. 

These cute Tin Pins above are from the DF All Boy collection and the one bellow is DF Good to Go. 

The tiny hearts are Summertime Double Take stickers. I wish I had a full sheet just with them! 

I sent my inspiration piece to my super talented friend Patricia, knowing that she would rock it! Here is the layout she made.

I adore the mix of different round elements!! So clever!

Here is what Patricia had to say about her project:

I am a huge fan of circles and Alex’s inspiration piece had my creative juices flowing.  I loved the smaller clustered circles between the larger circles, so that is exactly how I did my layout.  I punched out circles and scallops…layered them, and then filled in with circle stickers, more punched circles, enamel shapes and brads.  I mostly used the new Summertime collection for the pattern paper, stickers, and badges.  But I was also able to pull in Treasured Map brads,  stickers and chipboard  Public Library brads, Saturday Mornings brads, and Daily Flash stamps, badges, enamel shapes.  Continuing with the circle theme, I placed my title and subtitle (it is actually a conversation with Stitch and Gantu) around two of the circles…keeping Aloha! around the photo for the main focus.  To attach the brads, I cut the prongs off and applied either liquid glue or a pop dot to attach it.  This gave me better control of exactly where I wanted them.  Thank you so much, Alex, for this amazing inspiration!

Don't you love how all the brads and layered circles add dimension to the page! Love this SO much, Patricia! Thank you so much!

I hope you feel inspired to make something with these pretty citrus slices or/and the cut file I created for you. Have fun!

 

Thursday Sketch: Building Blocks

Hi everyone, Mou here with today's sketch! Once I put the sketch together, it started to look like little building blocks that kids play with. Start with these basic blocks and go as far as you like with embellishments.

 

Here's my layout. I started with a kraft cardstock. Then chose patterned papers from Daily Flash Girl Talk: Dish, Chatter, Giggle, Gossip and Saturday Mornings Scones. I arranged the base layer on white cardstock following my sketch. Just like interlocking building blocks, I cut into my patterned papers following the outlines of images and tucked the photo in. Next, I cut out some images from the patterned papers and used them to embellish. One of the patterned paper cutouts also became my page title. Couple of  Treasure Map Label Stickers to journal on and I had a fun layout all done.

Here's a close-up of my layout.

Today, I have Roree with me and here's her beautiful and clean card take on my sketch.

Roree says: "For Mou's sketch, I created a card using the new Summertime collection. I used the B-side of the Backyard Lights patterned paper for the background of my card and the Puffy Clouds patterned paper (both sides) in place of the color-block row in the sketch to create a little sunshine scene. I added a sentiment from a Memory Cards for the title and replaced the journaling block in the sketch with a bow and tag created from a Little Labels sticker. I dressed up the tag with a heart sticker from the Double Take Stickers pack and a Pop Drop from the Daily Flash Apple Cider collection. Thanks for the fun sketch, Mou!"

 

 

Here's a closer look at Roree's lovely and bright card!

I hope you guys find my sketch useful for one of your projects too! Thanks for stopping by.