October Afternoon

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.

Challenge | Stitching

Hello OA fans!  Patricia here with you on this Monday morning.  Whether you stitch by hand, by machine, or both, it adds so much texture and sometimes that little bit of detail that makes a project.  

I got creative with the cloud stamps from Saturday Mornings collection.  After stamping them onto smooth cardstock, I pierced the holes and added hand stitching in 'rays' across each one.  (would be great for wings as well!).  I did a messy spray of the background, by turning over my freehand cut rays from Saturday Mornings patterned paper, misted, added straight machine stitching, and then added the freehand cut rays back in place.

For my title, I didn't have an S in the chipboard to use, so traced it onto the sticker, pierced holes, erased, and then added hand stitching.  After my title was down, I machine stitched across each row.  Since my layout has a little bit of a 'messy' look, I left the long strands of thread hanging.  I used a combination of alpha stickers from Daily Flash.  The Saturday Mornings "rise & shine" sticker fit perfectly with my theme.

And, being that this layout is about my love for coffee and needing it to start my day, the cute tornado sticker was a perfect addition to this layout, along with Saturday Mornings brad and Daily Flash chipboard.

Then I typed my journaling onto leftover cardstock, trimmed, and added it going up into the rays.  Finished the layout with some splatters from Sprinklers.

I am so excited to have Sasha joining me today!  I  always love seeing what she comes up with.

Here's what Sasha had to say:

Stitching! I love adding machine and hand-stitched elements onto my page and have been doing so for a long time. If you've never tried stitching before, you should. You have to let go of some things though. 

You have to be able to accept and see the beauty in imperfections, at least for me. My sewing machine is quite temperamental. But hey, that's what I love about it.

 

 

On this layout about my brave girl, I cut out the letters from Encyclopedia patterned paper from our Public Library collection to form my title, then I stitched around each hand-cut squares and layered them with various scraps leftovers from previous October Afternoon layouts.

 

My three photos were cut into circles and added to the layout before I typed out my journaling strips and adhered them to the page. I added a tin pin,  a couple arrows, some chipboard stars, because, really, for her bravery, my girl deserved all the stars in my world. :)  For even more fun, I sprinkled some sequins, stamped some phrases and splattered some paint onto my layout, then I stitched all around it with my sewing machine.

 

 

 

Thank you Patricia for this fun challenge, I'm loving this layout!

 

Sasha's layout is amazing in so many ways, and shows how stitching adds such a nice detail to finish off projects.  Example, the two rows instead of a single row of straight stitching around her layout, the straight stitching around each block.  Thank you so much Sasha for joining me today!

 

Now it is your turn to try hand stitching or machine stitching and upload to the October Afternoon Flickr gallery, post it on our Facebook page, or connect with us on Instagram via #octoberafternoon.  Tag me on Instagram so I can see your project @Patricia_Roebuck.  Have fun!

Surf City | Old with the new!

Hello again, it's Nicole Nowosad here again for my last Guest DT post here on the October Afternoon blog!

I am mixing some older October Afternoon products with new on my project today.

I couldn't resist the urge to use several patterns from the Saturday Mornings collection, mixed together with some of my favorites from my stash like Daily Flash, Sidewalks, Girl Talk, Snapshots, Boarding Pass and 9 to 5! That is a lot of collections :)

It was easy to layer and mix the patterns from these collections by creating a simple grid and layering papers together. I stitched the layers together, added my photos and then some October Afternoon embellishments. I have always loved the fun buttons by October Afternoon and used some of those on this page.

I have been hoarding this pretty floral paper and fussy cut some out and added more stitching and buttons to finish off my page.

Thank you so much for joining me this month on the blog - I hope you enjoyed my projects! Thanks to October Afternoon for having me this month!

 

ETA: Thank you Nicole for sharing your time and your talent with October Afternoon and with our fans and followers here!

Topic Tuesday | One Little Word

Hello OA Fans!  Patricia here with you today to challenge you to document about your One Little Word (OLW) if you haven't done so already.  And if you have, maybe create another layout on your progress.  With the holidays and new year, the year is already going too fast, but it is never too late to set goals and dreams.

October Afternoon has created I think my most favorite collection.  Saturday Mornings has both great A and B sides to the pattern papers.  The A side of Scones and the B side of Cereal pattern papers were my two favorites for this layout.  I backed the grey cardstock with the Omelette pattern paper.

I used the Saturday Mornings collection with Daily Flash to document my OLW "Stretch."  I incorporated some long stitching using all 6 strands of embroidery floss horizontally and then one diagonally, tucking in the photo under some of the strands.  Extended my OLW title with an arrow from Daily Flash, and added more color by die cutting a stacked flower.

I added my journaling to the top on the same grey cardstock, layering more of the Saturday Mornings pattern papers and stickers and Daily Flash.  

Finished off the layout with OA pink Sprinklers.  I love how this layout came out!

 

I am so excited to have Melanie Blackburn with me today to share her take on documenting her OLW.

Melanie says:

I'm so excited to be contributing to today's blog post along with Patricia. For the first year I'm attempting to document my OLW. To create this layout I was inspired by the cloud stamp from the Saturday Morning collection. This layout is 6x8, to accommodate the handbook in which I document my OLW, so the stamp was perfect for creating a fun background. I used regular ink, once it was dry I painted the clouds with watercolors. Afterwards I added my OLW in some of the clouds using my typewriter. I'm really happy with how this turned out!!! The following supplies were also used on this layout; Partly Cloudy chipboard, Label Sticker Public Library, Saturday Mornings Tin Pins and Brads.  I hope you will play along with us and share your OLW. Thank you for the inspiration Patricia, I'm glad to finally have documented my OLW.

I LOVE how Mel repeated the clouds and the word 'embrace.'  Repetition is key to keeping with your intentions of your OLW, and this layout captures her desire to make this word a reality.  Thank you so much Mel for sharing your gorgeous layout!

Now it is your turn.  We would love to see your layout for your OLW or a layout about your progress of your word this year.  Please share on the October Afternoon Flickr Group, or share on Instagram using hashtag #octoberafternoontopictuesday and tag me @patricia_roebuck.  Can't wait to see!

Friends | Use those scraps

Hello OA fans! It's Nicole Nowosad back on the blog today with one of my favorite new pages using my favorite October Afternoon products - patterned paper!

Let's just say I have quite the collection of October Afternoon papers in my stash. I wanted to use some of those for my project, integrating in the new Saturday Mornings collection too!

I keep a lot of scraps, so I used leftovers from all my other Guest DT projects to make this page!

The best part of this project is that I barely used my paper trimmer. I simply cut some strips of scraps of papers from Saturday Mornings, Snapshots, Girl Talk and Sidewalks.

I added some Flower Sack pieces from my stash and some Pop Drops too in monochromatic colors.

I added some hand cut letters from the same papers in the strips and stitched up the whole project! I finished off the page by sprinkling some Sprinklers on my cardstock.

I have one last Guest DT post next week, I hope you will stop by and say hi. Here is a sneak of that project. See you then!

Days like these | Saturday Mornings

Hello again, it's Nicole Nowosad back again with another Guest Designer post on the October Afternoon Blog!

If you read my intro last week, you will have read that I love patterned paper. I have been a hoarder of October Afternoon for years now, and so this was a great opportunity to force me to use up some of those supplies along with the newest collection Saturday Mornings!

This page is primarly made up of the Saturday Mornings collection, but I also added in some Chipboard from Daily Flash, Pop Drops, Tin Pins from Snapshots and lots of Label Stickers too from other collections.

The Memory Card Mix from the Saturday Mornings collection is perfect on both the A and B sides of the cards. I used a few here layered on my page, and adding Label Stickers for detail.

I love the Chipboard Heart & Stars from Daily Flash and added a few hearts to the photo group on my page.

 

Thanks for stopping by the blog with me today! I will be back next Friday with another page made with lots of scraps of October Afternoon!

Here's a sneak for you :)

February's Guest Designer | Nicole Nowosad

Good morning! My name is Nicole Nowosad and I am very excited to be guest designing for October Afternoon this month!

 

I am a full-time working mom to two boys (12, and 9) and our princess who is almost 6!  I live a busy life, and that is just how I like it.

I have been scrapbooking in one way or another for about 15 years now. If I had to describe my personal style, it would involved a few words - color, pattern and stitching. I love using pieces of paper instead of whole sheet and yes, I keep even the smallest of scraps! I have am very fortunate to be on the Design Teams for Scrapbook and Cards Today Magazine, Jillibean Soup, Silhouette, Bella Blvd and Hip Kit Club.

Q: Are you a layout person, a card person ... or both?

I mainly scrapbook layouts but do make cards also! I would say most of my creative time surrounds scrapbooking 12x12 layouts.

 Q. What is on your scrap desk right now?

 

I just switched desks, so right now there is actually nothing which is odd for me. I always have something on the go, whether it is just some Silhouette cut shapes for my next project or odd supplies that need to be tucked away.

 

Q. What is your favorite October Afternoon line or product?

 

This is acutally a tough question! I have been hoarding lots of October Afternoon, but I would say I still love Cherry Hill, Sidewalks and Snaphots the most. I love the October Afternoon floral patterns and fun B side patterned papers. I could scrap all day with just OA papers!

 

Q. What can you NOT scrapbook without?

 

Oops, I think I just answered that! Patterned paper, it is my go-to supply. I try to make everything and anything from it. Tool-wise, I would say my Silhouette Cameo. I would even give up my paper trimmer for that.

 

Q. What is your favorite source of inspiration?

 

Truthfully, I don't really look for inspo. unless I have absolutely no mojo. I don't often go into galleries, I do Pinterest though. If I am needing some mojo, I will search shapes or graphic art prints on their to peak my interest.

 

 

 

Q. What is your favorite movie or TV show?

 

Well, I am sad to admit that I have watched Days of Our Lives since I was about 12 years old... so maybe that??? But, I do LOVE Scandal!! It's my new fave. Love that Olivia Pope :)

 

Q. What is your favorite food?

 

Hands down - Pizza. I even worked in a major pizza chain for 18 years and you would think I would hate it. Nope.

 

Q. What is your fondest childhood memory?

 

Hmm, good question. When I think back to my childhood, I always recall the times my family spent camping at various places in Canada, so I will have to go with that! 

 

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

 

Oh my. Hmm, Multi-Task Mama. I would possess the power to get multiple things done in a flash.

 

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

 

That's easy. My deceased grandparents. There is so much to ask them, and I never had the chance.

 

 

I look forwards to being with you every Friday in February!

 

You can follow me here:

 

Blog:  Nicole Nowosad

Instagram:  http://instagram.com/nicolenowosad Username: @nicolenowosad

Facebook:  Nicole Nowosad

Twitter: Nicole Nowosad

Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/nicolenowosad/

Galleries:  http://www.scrapbook.com/galleries/469117.html

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!

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: Circles and Layers and Arrows, Oh My

Hi everyone! It's Mandy Koeppen bringing you the Thursday Sketch.

Thanks to some helpful inspiration from my favorite Aussie friend this fun and funky sketch is full of circles, layers, and arrows. It can be easily made to fit your scrapping style just like Jill and I have done.

Here is the layout I created using the sketch.

I kept the 12x12 format but decided to use a 3x6.5 inch photo and tucked the 3 smaller photos on the sketch under my main photo just to make it more me. Of course once I did that the whole layout changed but that's the great thing about sketches you can make it your own.

The photos I used on this layout are from a trip to the fair a few years ago which made grabbing the Midway line a no brainer when I was gathering supplies. Along with Midway I used a couple pieces from Travel Girl, Farm Girl & Witch Hazel lines to create this layout. 

Joining me today is Jill. She created this beautiful layout.

And here is what Jill had to say...

I went with an 8.5 x 11 layout for this sketch challenge, and used 

woodgrain-textured cardstock as a backdrop, since the photos were kind of earthy.

This sketch was perfect to use with the three photos I captured the 

other day of my dog rolling around in the fresh-cut grass. I could 

barely hold the camera still because I was laughing so hard -- these 

are the three photos that made the cut. When planning the layout, I 

took my color cues from the greens and yellows in the photos, and 

worked in some blues here and there, pulling together papers and 

accents from the Travel Girl and Daily Flash collections. One departure from the sketch was to back the horizontal photo mat with a series of vertical strips rather than just a single strip, adding to the light-hearted feel of the page. I also relocated the title block 

to the top of the page.

I hope you enjoyed today's sketch. If you get a chance to play along, don't forget to post your project in the OA Flickr group.  I can't wait to see how you interpret it!