October Afternoon

Topic Tuesday: Maps

Every October Afternoon collection contains gems, those patterns that jump right out at you and beg to be used right away and hoarded forever at the same time. Among my favorites are the map papers that appear from time to time in collections. I ransacked my October Afternoon stash and pulled out a bunch of map papers to create this layout: 

There are so many patterns to love on this page, including "True North," "Shipwreck Coast," and "Skull Rock" from the Treasure Map collection, "Midnight Clear" from the Silent Night collection, and "Social Studies" from the Daily Flash/Milk Money collection. 

I cut each pattern into strips of varying sizes, and added sticker accents along the seams to unify the design and create continuity. 

Map patterns can even be found on October Afternoon alphas, like these from the Treasure Map collection. 

Here's hoping for even more maps to show up in future October Afternoon collections!  In the meantime, I'll be dealing with the "to use or to hoard?" conundrum. 

Thanks for stopping by the blog today! 

Tuesday Inspiration: Aqua & Red

Hello readers!  This is Laura here today with an inspiration image to share with you guys, and some fun projects that are based off it.

I found this image in Pinterest, and fell in love with the colors and all around dreaminess that the image has.  I also loved that there is an adorable bottlebrush tree as the focal point.  It made me think of the stamp set from Silent Night and the gorgeous scripty tree stamp that I used on one of my cards below.

(Image Source)

I was in a bit of a card mood today, so I made these two cards, both drawing inspiration from the above image.  I really wanted to keep them quite simple, only using two different sheets of paper, one stamp set and a few embellishments.

October Afternoon makes my most favorite buttons ever.  I never get tired of their shapes and colors.  I always try to keep things like that in odd numbered groups as its so much more pleasing to the eye.

After I stamped and embossed both my images on the cards I just felt like they needed something extra to really tie it all together.  So I pulled out a Copic marker and filled all the "loops" in with a pretty matching aqua color.  I really love the way it turned out!  Just make sure it's super dry, as I accidently got red embossing powder on my marker, which wasn't very fun.

I have the oh so talented Aleksandra with me today! Her page is so magical I just love it!  Here is what she had to say:

"I love the colors in Laura's inspiration piece! I pulled out the Silent Night and the Daily Flash Eggnog collection and inspired by the stacked suitcases started to cut teal and red rectangles. I simply stacked them and placed a photo of my cute, little elf on top of them all. I have used the The Holy And The Ivy, Joy To The World and O' Holy Night papers. As for decorations, I have used the Silent Night Tidbits and Sew Fun Banners as well as Eggnog Pillow Puffs, Pop Drops and Double Take stickers. Thanks for the fun challenge, Laura!"

Okay, how cure are her kiddos?! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by today! I hope you feel as inspired as we did by this picture, and get crafting. Please share your projects on our Flickr group, and use the hashtag #octoberafternoon on other social media platforms so we can see all your awesome designs!

Have a great day!

 

Monday Challenge: Fall Colors

Hi everyone, Mou here with today's challenge. When I create I'm often inspired by the many lovely products out there. It could be colors, patterns, words... really it could be anything that catches my eyes. Here's one such product from our very own October Afternoon Daily Flash collection Apple Cider that has it all: the 12 x 12 paper Pumpkin Picking.

I love the soft yellows, pinks, oranges, browns, and blues from this paper. So, today's challenge is to create a project with these colors.

Suz joined me in taking on this challenge. Here is what she had to say about her creation:

The Daily Flash Apple Cider collection is one of my favorites as it has a color combination in it that I never tire of; orange and blue! I used the 12 x 12 Pumpkin Picking paper to create this simple card for a certain special young man who has a milestone birthday next week-13!! (How is that even possible!?)

Here is my design:

I used a base cut out card (the banner) from the $1 section in Michael's and layered the Side B of Pumpkin Picking behind the cutouts. Then I added more layers of Apple Cider - Hayride as well as Side B of Apple Cider - Bonfire. A bit of machine stitching, some Daily Flash Apple Cider Pop Drops, Snap-Caps ("look") and Pillow Puffs, Copper Stickles (Glitter Glue) added to the leaves of the tree, and a stamped sentiment at the top and the card was complete!

 

 

Such a fun challenge! Thanks for the inspiration Mou!

 

Here's my take on the challenge.

 I used some diecuts and embossed pieces from my stash and wanted to recreate the color scheme in a softer way. Apart from my mixed media supplies, I looked for these colors in other October Afternoon collections. I cut out feathers from Daily Flash Girl Talk Whisper 12 x 12 paper and a strip from Public Library Dust Jacket 12 x 12 paper. I decided to go back to my inspiration piece above and it had the perfect title block for my layout in Happy Camper. It still needed something more to tie everything together: so I picked a stamp from Silent Night Boughs & Berries Rubber Stamp set   and used it to create some background pattern for my layout.

Here are some close-ups of my layout.

Hope you liked today's color challenge and create something fabulous with it. Thanks for stopping by. :)

It's A Wrap Wednesday

  

I know it's not Christmas yet but I love getting all my shopping done early and take the time to wrap up our presents in a special way. I almost always start off with kraft paper and then just add my favorite embelishments from there. The October Afternoon Christmas collections are some of my favorites, and they have lots of fun little embellishments that are PERFECT for adding to the top of your gifts!!

 

One of my favorite things to do is to make custom ribbon like the deer ribbon you see on Addison's gift above. Take your favorite October Afternoon stamp along with Staz-On ink and ribbon muslin fabric, simply stamp teh design over and over again just becareful as the ink is drying that you don't make a hot mess! This is a fun way to add a personal touch to those very special gifts you have taken the time to pick our for the special people in your life! 

 

Do you enjoy using your scrapbooking products when you are wrapping up gifts? Use hashtag #OAitsaWRAP  to share your latest project!!!

Have a wonderful day! 

Shanna

Tuesday Tutorial: A semi-pocket page

Hi everyone, Mou here with today's tutorial!

I'm not a conventional pocket page scrapper. I don't do Project Life. But I like how the Daily Flash pockets look. So, I wanted to see if I could use these pockets as part of my design on 8.5" x 11" layouts. On this layout, I used a 6x8 Sleeve for 2x2 photos from the Daily Flash line. It seemed like an easy and fun way to save some of those Valentines the kids got this year. Let me show you how I included the pocket page on my layout.

First of all, lay out the Valentines and pick the ones that would look best on your page.

Insert the Valentines in the little pockets. Some might fit better at an angle. Some you will need to cut apart to fit. Once you are happy with the arrangement, trim off the spine section with the punched holes. Take care not to cut into the seam line.

Attach some paper strips (I used 12 x 12 Stamp Book paper from Travel Girl and 12 x 12 Carol of the Bells paper from Silent Night collection) and washi tapes (Tropical Sherbet and Red Mesh, both from the Daily Flash line) near the top and bottom of the cardstock.

Attach the pocket page to the cardstock. Even though the pockets are clear, attaching them with double-sided tape was not difficult when I hid the adhesive behind the pocket contents. You could also sew it in place following the seam lines. 

Next, add some Apple Cider Pop Drops randomly around the page to embellish. Spell out the title using Sherbet Mini Market alpha stickers. I also attached a cute cupcake topper to the page using some Tropical Sherbet washi tape. It's really cool how all these collections, as different as they are in theme and release date, they still work together perfectly!

I couldn't help splattering a little bit of the Pink Lemonade Sprinkler from Cakewalk collection. You could skip this, if you are not a fan of splatters.

Journal below the title. Insert photos into the remaining pockets. Stamp phrases on cardstock strips using the Inspiration rotary stamp from Daily Flash and attach to the layout to finish.

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial and will think of using your pocket pages on your layouts in different ways.

Thursday Sketch: A Simple Cluster

Hi everyone, Mou here with today's sketch. It's one with a simple cluster that came together very quickly.

 

And here's my take

I used the 12 x 12 Sleigh Ride paper from Silent Night Collection and Let It Snow paper from the 8 x 8 pad along with my favorite 12 x12 Bonfire paper from Daily Flash Apple Cider collection. I embellished with Tin Pins and Inspiration Rotary Stamp.

Here are some close-up shots:

 

Today, I have Laura with me and she translated the sketch into this beautiful card...

Here's a close up of the amazing details

Laura says: "I love love love using sketches, and this sketch by Mou is just so beautiful! It helped my card come together so quickly because all the hard design thinking was done, and all I had to do was pick out pretty supplies. My favourite thing about October Afternoon products is how well they all go together. I have paper from 3 different lines on here, and labels, and buttons from even more lines, yet they all work together seamlessly. I love the little feathers from the Girl Talk paper and added a bit of glitter to them for an extra touch of fun. "

Thanks Laura for playing along!

I hope you liked the simple sketch and it helps you put together a layout or two super quick. Thanks for stopping by!

Challenge | Warm & Cool Colors

Happy Monday everyone! It's Amy here today with this week's challenge. 

I was looking back on some of my challenges and saw right away that I was using color palettes that were really "cool" in tone, namely because most of my subject matter was winter-related. So I thought, why don't we do a color challenge that plays on that same theme - using "warm" or "cool" palettes? Perfect!
Since many of my recent projects were using the cool palettes, I really wanted to try and use some warmer tones. I reached into my OA stash which included Silent Night, Travel Girl, Apple Cider and a little from the latest Daily Flash collection, Girl Talk and came up with a fun and warm page about my silly daughter. This photo was taken in mid-December when it was quite cold out. I could have easily created a cool-toned page for this to go with because of that, but by using all warm-tones, it gives the page a completely new feel, totally un-related to the temperature outside that we were experiencing.

 

I asked Alex to join me in this challenge, and she decided to use a "cool" toned palette for her take on the challenge. Take a look at her stunner of a page!

 

Here's what Alex had to say about the challenge:

"I never thought of using just cool or just warm colors for my layouts before, but I loved the idea. I pulled out my beautiful Silent Night collection and went for the cool ones. I filled a whole 12x12 page with hearts in Silhouette Studio and ran a Joy to the World sheet through my Cameo. A drew a black frame on the Carol of the Bells paper and adhered the hearts inside it, some of them using 3D dots to make them pop. Next, I layered a piece of Midnight Clear paper and vellum under my photo and that lovely chipboard piece and added them to the center of the page. I then added some tidbits, a tin pin , the black "love" sticker, vellum snowflakes and the Apple Cider pop drops hearts. For the title, I used the Strawberry Ice Cream chipboard alphas (love them!!!). Finally, I wrapped up my layout with some solid black twine. I am pretty happy with how this layout turned out. Thank you so much for the inspiration and this fun challenge, Amy!"

I just love everything about this page. It's just gorgeous! Thank you, Alex for playing along!!

Alex and I hope we've inspired you to reach into your stash and try using warm and cool color palettes this week! If you do, please post to our October Afternoon Flickr gallery so we can admire your work! Thanks so much for joining us today! Have a super day! ~Amy

 

Tuesday Tutorial | Paper Snowflake Embellishments

Hi everyone! It's Amy here today with this week's tutorial. 

One of my very first tutorials for October Afternoon was on creating a flower embellishement out of circle-punched patterned paper. Today's tutorial is a spin on that very idea. Since we are still several inches in snow here in the Northeast, it's still the subject of much of my current scrapping. So I decided to create some snowflakes using the same folding technique in that original tutorial. 

With different sizes of circle punches you can create an array of sizes of snowflakes for your pages, like I did here in mine.
UR A Good Team by Amy Heller

Let's get started. 

For my page I used a mix of papers from Silent Night, Eggnog, chipboard alphas from Daily Flash and several sizes of circle punches. The only additional item that you will need is a glue pen. 

Start by deciding which patterned paper you will use for your snowflake, considering both the front and the back of the paper. 

1) Punch out 8 circles from the same sized punch.

2) Fold the bottom half of the circle in on each side, creating a "v" shape with a point at the end.

 

3) Repeat this process with all 8 circles.

4) Match up sides that "fit" within each other (not all will be perfectly matched up, because folding this way is by "eye" and not measured, at least when I do it.) by slipping one into the other with the tips of the "V" facing away from each other.

5) When you have matched up all 8 of your cirlces, use your glue pen to adhere the top folded piece into the bottom piece. The side-edges should meet up as closely as possible, creating a diamond shape. 

6) Repeat to all four diamond shapes.

7) Punch an additional circle to use as the base of the snowflake. 

8) Adhere each diamond to the center of the circle eaqual distance from each other in the position of N, S, E, and W, like on a compass. Now you have the base of your snowflake. From here you can add buttons to the center, brads, flair, you can stitch additional "lines" to your snowflake, and embellish how you see fit.

Best Birthday Ever by Amy Heller

Here you can see, this process can easily be translated onto a card as well as a layout. 
I hope you enjoyed learning how to create a fun, simple and whimsical embellishement today simply by using your patterned papers and basic circle punches! If you still have snow covering your landscape, give this simple embellishment a try! Thanks so much for joining me today! I hope you have a super day! ~Amy

Thursday Sketch: Layers & clusters

Hi everyone, Mou here with today's sketch. 

and my layout based on it

Upon my cardstock base, I added my first layer of patterned paper Let it Snow from the Silent Night 8 x 8 paper pad. I stamped the Birch background stamp using silver ink onto cream cardstock and attached it on top of my Let it Snow paper. I applied some white gesso and Gelatos colors all over the layers, letting some colors drip using water. I cut out some pine branches from O' Christmas Tree paper and tutcked them around the stamped layer. Even though Silent Night is a Christmas collection, you can pick out papers and embellishments that work great for non-holiday winter-themed pages. Next, I added my photo and embellished with some October Afternoon buttons from various collections. I cut out little hexagons from the Hot Cocoa paper from Daily Flash Eggnog collection and tucked them in layers under the Let it Snow as shown. I added the title above the photo using some Mini Market alpha stickers. Finally, I journaled next to the photo and splattered some paint across the page to mimic snow.

Here are some close up shots of my layout.

Today, I have Jill with me and here's her take on my sketch.

Jill says: "It wasn't just the placement of the elements on the sketch that motivated me to create this layout, but the colors, too. The mix of wintergreen and icy blue are at home on this layout about my daughter's first snowboarding experience when she visited Lake Tahoe this past November. I pulled together a mix of complementary papers from the Silent Night and Eggnog collections, with a few fun bits from Milk Money and Apple Cider.  I filled the white space next to the photo in the sketch with a series of detail photos and a segment of a map from the Milk Money collection, with Tahoe circled. Living in Hawaii, I rarely have a chance to create snow-themed layouts, so I took full advantage of my chance to create one, thanks to this sketch! "

Thank you Jill for the gorgeous layout! It was interesting that both of us used some of the same papers on our layouts.

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday Challenge: Don't put away your seasonal collections just yet!

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

Fall and Christmas have come and gone and you may be tempted to put away your Milk Money, Apple Cider, Silent Night, and Eggnog collections, but don't do it just yet! Most of the products in these collections can work well out of the original seasons they were created for. My challenge to you today is to put your creative hats on and make a non-seasonal project with one of these seasonal collections. 

I just love the colors in the Silent Night collection and thought they would work perfectly in a card about love:

I ran some strips of Joy to the World and Let It Snow papers (set at a diagonal) onto a panel of Carol of the Bell paper, added a heart cut from Midnight Clear paper, and then added a Tidbit sentiment and some Chip 'n Stick and Shape stickers, along with a Snap Cap sentiment from Apple Cider, a paper doily, and some white twill ribbon to tie it all together. I then placed the panel onto a card base cut from The First Noel paper.

I fun card about love that I think will be perfect for my Valentine! ;)

Nicole played along with my challenge this week and created this wonderful birthday layout using Apple Cider:

"I used Apple Cider to document a photo from  my mama's 65th birthday... I thought it would be fun to scatter the Flash Blurbs & Snap Caps inside one of the Daily Flash pockets and let them float around."

Isn't it wonderful?

What kind of non-seasonal projects will you create using one of these great seasonal collections? If you get a chance to play along with today's challenge, be sure to upload your project(s) to the OA Flickr group. We can't wait to see what you create.

Thanks so much for stopping by!