October Afternoon

Monday Challenge : Water

Happy Monday everyone!!

If you wonder why I'm so happy when it's Monday - well, it's the school holidays over here and I didn't have to wake up early. I can not wake up if I want to. Haha! One of the perks of having older children! ;)

And what else? I have a challenge for you, and Mandy is playing along today, that makes me happy too :) Okay, here goes. My challenge for you is to scrap . . . 

 

You can make a project about the sea, waterfalls, your drinking habit (water, I assume! lol), playing in the puddle, rainbow after the rain, your baby's sippy cup or even tears. Just some suggestions there.

Here's Mandy's card

 

Mandy said : 

"When I was given Sasha's challenge for today I thought I would create something around snow since it's December and I live in Michigan and there's always a ton of snow here, right? Um, NO not this year! So back up plan a card that asks for someone to bring snow to the mitten state. The October Afternoon Partly Cloudy Flash Chip was perfect for my card. I also grabbed papers from last years  Very Merry December  kit. 

 

Thanks for some great inspiration and a fun challenge Sasha! "

Here's my layout

The B side of Reference Section patterned paper from Public Library reminds me of the sea, so I decided to use that as my background paper. I cut my white cardstock into sections and stitched them back onto the background paper to create some interest rather than having a flat white background with a border. This must be my favorite thing to do nowadays, I've done this many times lately. :)

For my photo focal point, I layered Corn Maze, vellum, Bonfire pp and a couple of tabs. I playfully stamped one of the tabs because that's what this layout is about. My daughter, playing at sea. I believe we can learn so much while playing and it's not like I want her to go out and earn a living as a sailor, so this was play. :)

I used Daily Flash Navigate alphas for my title. Just how perfect is that for my layout? I squealed out loud when I realized that as I usually start my layout with a photo + story, not products. Such a happy coincidence! I hid my journaling underneath the photo cluster and finished my layout with a printed circle tag and a sprinkle of Pop Drops. 

I hope you'll play along with Mandy and I. Share what you make with us in the OA Flickr Gallery.  You can also share with us on Instagram. Use the hashtag #octoberafternoon and tag me @sashafarina as I'd love to see your take on this challenge!

 

 

Monday Challenge: 5+ Photos

Happy Halloween!  Roree here, and I have a challenge for you today. 

Now a lot of you know me as a card maker.  Cards are my favorite things to create, and they are what I am most comfortable creating.  I do layouts, mini albums, and altered project too, but not nearly as much.  When I was thinking about what kind of challenge to post, I really thought about what would be challenging to me.  The first thing that came to mind was layouts.  While I do like to take photos, I am not great about doing it.  I take a couple here and there, but for the most part I always forget to take my camera with me wherever I go.  I never seem to have enough photos to put together a story on my pages, so I stick to one or two photo layouts.  Maybe three photos if I am lucky. 

So with that in mind, my challenge for you today is to create a layout with 5 or more photos.   For some of you this may not be as much of a challenge so for you, try and get more on a layout than you have ever done before.  Because it really is about challenging yourself, isn't it?  

Here is the layout I created for this challenge:

I really had to dig through my photos to find a day that I took a lot of pictures.  Luckily, I found a day that fit in with a fall/pumpkin theme in honor of Halloween.

I kept my design simple to really focus on the photos.  (I think this is the most photos I have ever used on one page.  LOL)  I love the Print Multiple Photos feature on Photoshop Elements.  It prints all of my photos at one time, and has multiple sizes to choose from.  I printed out all of my photos in two sizes, and then mixed and matched them. 

And I created some fun, little pumpkins to spruce up my title and play on the theme.

 

Collections used:  5 & Dime, Rocket Age, Campfire, Farm Fresh, Fly a Kite

Lexi played along with my challenge this week.  Here is what she came up with and what she had to say about the challenge:

"We just came back from our first true family vacation and, as you can image, took LOTS of photos. I am actually embarrassed to say how many, but I am a scrapbooker so you KNOW it was a lot ;) I knew Roree had the 5+ challenge coming up and it was a perfect way to scrap several of the photos I had just taken. These are pics are of the boys seeing the ocean for the first time. I printed them all out at 2.5x3.5" and added a little bit of a white cardstock mat. I added the bit of journaling with the title on the tag, which left me room to play with some paint, ink, and lots of patterns, without it feeling too crazy.

Collections used:  Sidewalks, Farmhouse, Sasparilla, Rocket Age and Seaside

So are you up for the challenge?  If so, make sure to upload your finished layout to the OA Flicker Gallery.  We love to see what you all create using OA products!

Hope you have a safe and Happy Halloween!  Thanks for stopping by!

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!

Instant Inspiration

Today we wanted to share with you the last of the layouts that were created for our CHA booth.  From Fly A Kite to Rocket Age, you will be sure to find some inspiration today!

"Acorn Hunter" by Lexi Bridges

 
 
"Adventure" by Jen Johner

 
"At Work" by Jill Hornby

 
"Beach" by Jen Johner

 
 
"Cute Boy" by Maggie Holmes

 
 
"Edie" by Jill Hornby

 
"Explore" by Maggie Holmes

 
"Food" by Jen Johner

 
"FroYo" by Lexi Bridges

 
 
"Happiest Baby" by Jill Hornby

 
"Harper Quinn" by Becky Novacek

 
"Have A Blast" Birthday Card by Stacey Kingman

 
"Let's Go Camping" by Jen Johner

 
"Love You" by Maggie Holmes

 
"Lovely" by Wilna Furstenberg

 
"Moments" by Wilna Furstenberg

 
 
"Sandcastle" by Wilna Furstenberg

 
"Summer" by Wilna Furstenberg

 
"Summer Memories" by Lexi Bridges

 
"The Great Outdoors" by Maggie Holmes

 
"Treasure" by Maggie Holmes

 
 
"True Beauty" by Maggie Holmes

 
 
Have you checked out the Project Galleries on the bottom left side of our blog?  All the projects featured on the blog are uploaded to the gallery for instant inspiration whenever you need it!

Thanks for stopping by today!  We have a fun sketch to share tomorrow.  We will see you then! :)

Seaside Inspiration

It is a gorgeous day here in Minnesota.  I am not sure if Spring is on the way or if we are just being teased, but it makes me want to break out my flip-flops and dive into these beautiful Seaside pages.

"I Adore Your Art" by Becky Novacek
 
The little photos and patchwork feel to this is just perfect!

"Horizon" by Jill Sprott
 
"Island Girl" by Jill Sprott
 
"Shark Tale" by Jill Sprott
 
The misting on this one is incredible.  

"Summer" mini-album by Jill Sprott
 
 
I love how Jill painted the edges of the flashcard pages with the different colors of paint.

"Tybee 2010" by Stephanie Howell
 
Hope it is feeling like Spring wherever you are today!

Farewell Nancy Holley!

It is the last day of February (already!?!?) and it is time to say goodbye to our fabulous Guest Designer, Nancy Holley.

Before we say farewell, let's get inspired by a few more of her beautiful layouts. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I just love all the little details that Nancy adds to her pages!  From that ruffled paper on the "Happy Day" layout to the stapled ribbon on "Kindergarten" layout, those special little touches really make her pages stand out. 

Thank-you, Nancy!  It has been wonderful getting to know you and we appreciate your wonderful work.

OA welcomes Guest Designer Nancy Holley!

 
1) Tell us a little about yourself.
I am Nancy Holley. My husband, Will, runs our family owned duck hunting
preserve, while I am an assistant principal at our local high school. The three
little members of our crew are Audrey, 7, Cray, 5, and Hill, who is almost 3! We
live out on a little lake in the pine forest and see deer and turkeys almost
everyday on our driveway. I am obsessed with Sonic cherry coke, running, and
October Afternoon!

2) Tell us about your scrapbook style and how long you have been scrapbooking?
I think my style would be considered shabby chic. I don't know -- I love to use
vintage papers and lots of machine stitching, but still create simple clean
layouts.

3) Are you a layout person or a card person...or both?
I started out as a card person -- following Kristina Werner -- but I am almost a
full time layout gal now that I do a class every month for some girls at my
church.

4) What is on your scrap desk right now?
A calendar for 2011! I'll share it with you soon!

5) What is your very favorite October Afternoon line of paper?
I am going to go with Seaside! You just can't take the beach out of this Florida
girl! Although the elementary teacher in me really can't resist the Report Card
and Schoolhouse lines!!

6) What can you NOT scrapbook without?
Stitching on my pages!! It just isn't mine if I haven't sewn on it!

7) What is your favorite source for inspiration?
The people I am always around! I have a core group of girls I scrap with on a
regular basis and we are always talking about scrapping, and calling each other
with ideas. I also find lots of great inspiration on the internet!

8) Favorite TV show?
I really am not a TV watching kind of gal! I read books (all the time,
Children's Lit is my favorite -- it's the elementary teacher in me I think :-) I
just finished the trilogy of The Hunger Games! I read it in a weekend --
couldn't put it down.

9) Favorite 7th grade memory?
My crazy, weird science teacher who made me go to the State science fair! Yikes 

10) If you could have dinner with anyone living or dead who would it be and why?
The geniuses at Apple. Creators of the iPhone, iPad, iMac -- things I could not
make it through my day without!! They have to be some really cool folks, right?

In memory of all the beautiful sunshine we experienced last week in L.A., I thought we would share this fun beach layout first. 
 
 
 
Welcome Nancy!  We can't wait to see what else you have to share with us! :)

I'm dreaming of the seaside...

And what a perfect way to start off an overcast Minnesota day than with a sunny album featuring our Seaside line! This popped into my inbox this morning and I started dreaming of the seaside. Gillian Lester sent this over, who happens to live in Australia and was finally able to use Seaside because it's summer there now. Nice! I think I should live in Australia in the winter.

Do you love it? I have to admit...my favorite page is the back cover where her sweet daughter wrote "My day at the beach." What a great idea to have your child in their own handwriting add to your mini book!

Beautiful!

Hope you had a fabulous weekend!I finished up my Christmas shopping, got the Christmas cards in the mail and even got a lot of work done! Time to take a few deep breaths and relax. I love the feeling of being able to take some time before the holidays to reflect. It's such a beautiful season. And speaking of beautiful...would you look at this layout by Karen Grunden our Guest Designer for the month of December?!

For those of you who have been posting our Blog Badge on their blogs...I have had so much fun reading your blogs! Seriously...seeing what you have made with our new lines blows me away. If you posted the badge leave a comment here with your blog address for us to check it out! As I was reading Sherry Eckblad's blog (she left the link to it on our Facebook page:) I came across these two sweet cards. Here is one using Modern Homemaker...so cute! :)

And here is another using Seaside! So cute!

Happy Monday!! :)

Christmas Socks Wednesday!

Today was a crazy day at the office. We did take a break from all of the work with a Christmas sock Wednesday contest. (I've told you we are easily amused! :)

Third prize went to Dan the candy king. I think the picture pretty much tells you why. He wears the same socks everyday...boring. But what he lacks in the sock department he more than makes up for with his drawer full of candy that he shares with us every day!

Second prize goes to me. I thought about getting some crazy ones...but I figured I would rather have some fun ones to wear more than once. These ones are perfect for my boots!

And the grand prize winner is Eric (there was never really ANY doubt in my mind that he would produce some beauties!) LOL! Do you know any grown man who would sport these bad boys? He informed me that he had to stop into the ladies sock department to score these...I guess men aren't the targeted demographic for funky Christmas socks. :)

And last but definitely not least here is a layout by Jen Johner that I am loving today!

Isn't it sweet? I love how she used Seaside and Thrift Shop here for an eclectic look. She is the queen of white space in my opinion!

I hope we have inspired you to show your Christmas sock spirit  today...because we are doing another giveaway!!  For those of you who want to be entered into our contest all you need to do is post a picture of your best Christmas socks on our Facebook page and we will pick a winner by end of business tomorrow (6 p.m. CST.) Want to know what you'll win? A Campfire Mini-Album and a set of Campfire buttons! Show us some good ones! Ready...set...go! :)

**By the way, if you placed an order at any time this week and have paid...every box has been shipped!