October Afternoon

October's Guest Designer | Janice Matsunaga

Hello!  I'm Janice Matsunaga and I'm very excited to be able to share some October Afternoon projects with you during the month of October.  I was born and raised in sunny Southern California and live here with my husband Dean and sons, Canaan and Luke.  I've been scrapbooking since the mid 90's and started using pocket pages in 2011.  I find pocket pages the most efficient format to document our busy lives, while still being able to be creative.  I am an admitted paper addict, washi tape hoarder and coffee snob.  My father was a photographer and he gifted me with a Kodak Instamatic 110 pocket camera when I was in elementary school.  I've been taking pictures since and enjoy documenting life's moments.

 

Now to answer some questions...

Are you a layout person, a card person...or both? I used to make cards before I started scrapbooking.  After a friend introduced me to modern scrapbooking, it's been my creative outlet of choice.  Occasionally, I'll sit down and stamp out an assembly line of cards.

What is on your scrap desk right now?

I have pictures from the month of April that need a home, bowls of embellishments, water colors, my journaling Bible, and memorabilia that needs to be filed. 

What is your favorite October Afternoon line or product?

I have owned most of OA's lines but my personal favorites are the Schoolhouse and Report Card lines.  I collected these lines for many years until I recently used them to create my younger son's School Years book, Pre-K to 3rd grade.  I also love the Mini Market letters and sticker tabs. 

What can you NOT scrapbook without?

My paper cutter, rolling adhesive and journaling pens.

What is your favorite source of inspiration?

Usually it's a photo or something funny my boys said.  Sometimes it's scripture or a verse from a song.

What is your favorite movie or TV show?

Currently, it's "Downton Abbey" and "The Blacklist."

What is your favorite food?

A tender, juicy piece of rib eye.

What is your fondest childhood memory?

Roller skating with my friends in the street until the streetlights came on.  That would be our signal to go in for dinner.

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

My name would be Blink and my power would be super speed.  I would be able to clean my home, run errands and cook meals in the blink of an eye. I would have more time to spend with my family, scrapbook and read.  

 

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope to see you back here next Friday.  I will be sharing my posts on Instagram at: @mochajan and on my blog at: mochajan.wordpress.com

Janice 

 

 

 

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 

  Hi there!  Mandie here for my first guest post.  I am so excited to be here this month!  (& a little nervous too! lol!)  I've made a couple of layouts to share with you all this week.

 The first one uses several lines from my stash.  If you are like me, you have a TON of lovely October Afternoon product lurking in your stash.  Waiting to be used, but you just love it so much you haven't cut into it!  

I used product from Schoolhouse, Report Card, Holiday Style, Campfire, Sidewalks & a smidge of Farmhouse.  I love how all of the lines coordinated nicely with one another.  Bust those papers out and use them!

 

My second layout uses Sasparilla (oh my heart, this line is ADORABLE!  can't wait to use it some more!) and a bit of Farmhouse.  Again, the patterns in these 2 lines mix so well!  I encourage you to mix them up a bit!  They yellows, blues and greys just mesh together so well!

This is a very simple and quick layout.  But, the photos just steal my heart.  I found them the other day when going through some boxes of photos that had not been scrapped yet.  (Seems like I've been doing that a lot lately.  And there are a ton in those boxes!)  My little guy in those photos is 7.5 now!  Yikes!  (and how funny is that second photo?  I mean, that is classic Noah!) 

I am totally loving the blues and greys in Sasparilla!  They are such a pretty shade!

That concludes my post for this week!  Until next time... Have a great weekend!
Mandie 

Monday Challenge: Mix and Match

Happy Monday! Vivian here with this week’s Monday challenge. Today we’re keeping it simple with a challenge that asks you to create something using three or more October Afternoon product lines. If you haven’t already noticed, one of the great features of October Afternoon products is that the colors coordinate across lines, making it easy to mix and match products with success.

Becky played along with the challenge this week and came up with a fantastic and fun layout that combines products from several different lines, including Sidewalks, 5 & Dime, Modern Homemaker, Fly a Kite, and Thrift Shop. Note how the yellows, pinks, and aquas combine across the paper lines.

After declaring this a simple challenge I went in a more challenging direction, as I decided to see whether I could use something from every October Afternoon line ever created, from County Fair (the first October Afternoon line ever) through to Sidewalks (in stores now). It was hard, but I did it! Note how the greens, reds, yellows, oranges, and aquas combine across lines and how the alphas coordinate.

I started with a strip of paper from County Fair (the aqua at the bottom) and then cut ¾” wide strips of patterned paper, choosing one paper from each line and gluing the strips to a 12” wide scrap of cardstock to form my own striped paper. I cut the striped paper in half once I was done and used a strip both above and below my photos. Product lines not represented in patterned paper include Schoolhouse (scalloped border sticker), Modern Homemaker (apple punched from patterned paper), Boarding Pass (taller letter stickers), 5 & Dime (Red Wagon sprINKler), Rocket Age (Comet Tail sprINKler), and Sidewalks (label sticker).

If you are an October Afternoon blog reader but don’t visit the website, I encourage you to check out the products section. You can click on each line to look at thumbnails of each product and can click on those thumbnails to get a closer look at products, including the A and B sides of the patterned papers. I’ll let you in on a little secret – I use this section of the website often to help plan my projects. It’s quicker and easier (and less messy!) than pulling out all my papers and embellishments, especially when I’m looking for certain colors, patterns, types of stickers, etc.

Hope you’ll participate in this simple (or not so simple, depending upon how you interpret it!) challenge that’s also a good stash-buster. If you do participate, please link up your work in our October Afternoon Flickr gallery so we can see your creations!

Happy mixing and matching!

It's back to school time

Our designers were insipred by the kids going back to school. I asked them to use some  favorites, such as Report Card and Shoolhouse along with the new Sidewalks.

From Marcy Penner

I made my daughter a little journal for keeping track of her homework using the Schoolhouse line (a favorite of mine).
Now... whether or not she'll use it is a totally different question.

From Jill Sprott

For the upcoming "Back to School" feature, I used papers from the Schoolhouse and Sidewalks lines to create these clips.  As a teacher, I constantly travel to and from school with stacks of papers, and it's important to keep them organized.  These clips not only serve a utilitarian function, but they also look cute doing their thing!  They are also very simple to create.  I painted the clips, and when they were dry, I adhered strips of patterned paper to them.

And From Vivian Masket

"First and Fourth," uses Schoolhouse, Sidewalks, and Report Card as well as Boarding Pass letter stickers and 5& Dime and Boarding Pass sprINKlers (Lemon Drop on top, All Aboard and Lemon Drop layered on the bottom). To create the white "frames" for the embellishments at the top, I used a punch one size larger than the punch used for each embellishment and punched shapes out of scrap cardstock (or, in the case of the flashcard, I cut a larger sized piece of cardstock and rounded the corners), and sprayed Lemon Drop over them while they were temporarily adhered. I removed the cardstock circles, stars, and rectangle, and then popped the embellishments in the center of each frame.

Thursday Sketch

Hi OA friends! It's Amy here again today with a fun sketch for you! I find that my go-to design used for my quickest pages, is shaped like an "L". The "L" is often used in design because of it's natual triangular shape, which lends itself to symmetrical balance. That's probably why I gravitate toward this shape, because my layouts are typically not consciously symmetrical in their design.There are many ways to create an "L" on your page. It can be literal, or much more abstract. I thought I'd create a sketch based on this basic "L" premise, then show you how it can be both literal and abstract at the same time. I swapped some of the placement in the sketch, such as the title placement and journaling. Then, as in most of my pages, I've used many embellishments, which takes this very basic shape and makes it very decorative.Collections Used: Sidewalks, Schoolhouse, Boarding Pass, SprINKlers

 

I asked Lexi to work with this sketch, too. This is what she came up with.Lexi create this adorable 8.5x11" layout with the sketch and it just shows how verstaile this basic shape can be on a page! Isn't it just fabulous how she used Boarding Pass and Sidewalks together? So cute!

We'd love to see what YOU come up with from this sketch! If you decide to play with it, upload it to our Flickr Gallery so we can all see! Please post by September 8th. We'd love to see your takes! Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you have a great day!!

Father's Day Inspiration

This Sunday is Father's Day...what are you giving to the special dad in your life?  The design team has been busy whipping up some fun card ideas that we are excited to share.  Masculine designs can be challenging, but don't worry, OA has plenty of fun products to make them an easy task!

First, we have a card by Lexi Bridges "I Heart My Dad".

Lexi says "This one is simple and little kid-ish :) The Campfire line can definitely have a "manly" vibe so combine it with the bear from Rocket Age and the fun quote and it makes the perfect card to come from a kiddo.  I also used the Comet Tail sprinkler against the blue background to make it pop."

Next is "You're the Man" card by Jill Sprott
Jill says "Every father deserves a "man card" for Father's Day, am I right? I brought together some manly-man odds and ends from the Rocket Age line as well as some Thrift Shop and Report Card wild cards."

"You're Out of This World" card by Marcy Penner.

Marcy embossed the little robot onto a tag.  Then she unscrewed the Tin Type sprinkler bottle, dipped her paintbrush in and painted the robot.  What a cool way to use the sprinklers!

"I Love You Dad" card by Roree Rumph.
She used 5 and Dime, Thrift Shop and Report Card to put this adorable card together.

Amy Heller's Father's Day Pillow Box "4 U Dad"

 
Amy created the main image with the B side of paper from Report Card. She used Campfire for the other papers and alpha letters. The buttons are from Schoolhouse, too.

"I Love You Man" card by Kinsey Wilson



Don't you love how Kinsey used the sticker background from the mini-markets to create a mask?  This card is full of cool techniques you gotta try!

And Danni has even created a tutorial for us today to create this ADORABLE card:









And another variation using the same technique:

If you have already finished your Father's Day creations we would love to see them!  If not, we hope we have inspired you today to break out your supplies and get busy! :)

Challenge: It's All In the Details

Hi everyone, its Jaime here today!  So, who is up for a challenge?!  I absolutely love including lots of fun detail on my layouts - whether it's lots of fussy cutting, layering, or creating lots of dimension with pop dots.  I just love, love to use detail.  So, my challenge to you is create detail in any way you can think of.  Perhaps with some cut out flowers or some fun title work.  Make it interesting, layer it on and have fun!  
 
I used a variety of different elements on this layout - from the fabulous October Afternoon stickers to splashes of mist to fun title work.  I love pop dots, and I used a ton on this layout!  I used them on the flowers and several of the stickers.  I also played up the title work using one of the stickers as part of my title.  
 
Danni also played along with the challenge today and put together two gorgeous layouts filled with eye-catching, fun details.
 
 
 
All of the layers and repetition of the apples in different ways just bring Danni's layout to the next level.  I just love the bright colors and design of this one!
 
 
 
 
This layout is full of eye candy!  Everywhere you look are little clusters of fun details that make this playful layout just perfect.
 
So, I challenge you, the amazing October Afternoon blog readers, to create a layout, card or any project with lots of detail!  I can't wait to see what you come up with!

Color Splash! Challenge

Hi Everyone! It's Amy here today and I have a bright, and fun inspiration challenge for you. One of my favorite things about October Afternoon has always been the COLOR. Bright, bold, fun and incredibly cohesive between collections. Today I thought I would bring you a post FULL of color, bright and vibrant, showcasing how all the different collections work together brilliantly when you want to put together a card, layout or mini album that focuses all of it's "umpf" on COLOR, glorious color!!
 
*Spring by Amy Heller*

OA Collections used: Rocket Age, 5&Dime, Campfire, Seaside, Modern Homemaker, Fly A Kite, Thrift Shop, Farm Fresh, Roadmap, Cherry Hill, Ducks in A Row

SprINKlers: Paper Doily, Buttermilk
 
*First Grass Stain Season by Amy Heller*

OA Collections used:  5&Dime, Campfire, Modern Homemaker, Fly A Kite, Farm Fresh,  School House, Report Card, Cherry Hill, Roadmap, Good Cheer
 
*Nothing But Blue Skies by Amy Heller*

OA Collections used:  5&Dime, Campfire, Thrift Shop, Fly A Kite, Weathervane, Thrift Shop

Mini Markets:  Mini Markets (Rocket Age) Light Blue, Sticky Keys (Playtime)

As you can see, I think I've used most of every collection in the OA line up to create these cohesively color-themed projects. Now let's take a look at Roree's incredible favorite pictures mini album!
 
When I presented the challenge to Roree, I told her we were doing a monochromatic challenge. When she finished her project and presented me with this beautiful tag album, I decided to mix up the focus of the challenge a tad to feature exactly what her project shows, that is that every collection you posses in your October Afternoon stash can work beautifully together! And her mini encapsulates that message in such a fun, creative way!

Lets take a closer look:
 
This is what Roree had to say about her album:

It is a little 'Fave Photos' pocket tag mini. There is a tag for each person in my family. We all got to pick our own favorite photos from the past year to put in our pocket, so it is personalized for each person. I am not crazy about doing monochromatic projects, so I got around it by doing each individual pocket tag as a monochromatic but putting them together to be a rainbow of color.
 
 
 
*Fave Photos Mini Album by Roree Rumph*

OA Collections used: Rocket Age, 5&Dime, Campfire, Farm Fresh, Modern Homemaker, Fly A Kite, Thrift Shop

Mini Markets:  Sticky Keys (Playtime)

So what do you think!? Are you up to digging through your OA stash of goodies and creating a super COLORFUL project? We would love to see your takes using all of your creative takes on OA Color!! Simply upload them to our Flickr gallery and let us all see your wonderful creations! I hope you are inspired to use a BIG splash of color in your next projects!

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Have a WONDERFULLY colorful Monday! ;D

GlueArts Rocks!

As you have heard by now, we have teamed up with GlueArts this week and we couldn't be more excited!  The GlueArts Glue Girls have been showing off some amazing projects featuring Modern Homemaker on their blog.  Be sure to check those out here.

Our design team has been busy as well, and the decision is unanimous, we love GlueArts products!

Kinsey made this expandable file to wrangle all of her old report cards, school papers and memorabilia using manilla file folders and October Afternoon Schoolhouse and Report Card papers and embellies. 
 
She used the Glue Glider Pro to construct it by glueing the file folders together, cover to cover, and then the edges to create pockets. She also used the dimensional glue squares to 'pop' some of the stickers out on the front of the file.
 
What an awesome project to keep all your school-related memorabilia all together!

Danni used her GlueArts adhesive to make some adorable graduation cards.  
 
 
 
 
 
 

Stacey Kingman put this sweet card together with the Glue Glider Pro as well.
 
 

How would you like to win some GlueArts adhesive for your stash?  We have 2 ways to win!  The first way is to leave a comment on this blog post letting us know what projects you are working on right now.  The second way is to "like" the GlueArts Facebook page here and tell them that OA sent you.  You have until Sunday to leave a comment in both places and we will post the winners on Monday!